How to make America great again.

[Halbhh]

Citizens must be honest.
Citizens must be moral.
Citizens must be caring.

And for these most crucial of all, the qualities that make a nation thrive over time, what is it that best aids these? Belief in God, who sees what no one else sees, is the greatest aid to these. And Christians have the profound extra aid of getting a new heart and having the refuge in God that allows them to suffer now while knowing they will not suffer in the life to come.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

I said "prefers". Fortunately many disregard those preferences. Sadly too many are happy to oblige.

If the government "prefers" people that way, then in an ideal world from the government's perspective, all people would be dependent on the government. Except in that "ideal" world, the government has no revenue and collapses because everyone is dependent on it and isn't paying taxes. So no, the government does not prefer people to be wholly dependent on it.

The government wants its people to pay taxes, spend money, and require as little assistance from it as possible - in otherwise, maximize revenue and minimize expenses.

 

[wing2000]

Citizens must be financially responsible.

one example from the list:

Parents should teach their children to be financially responsible.

.....however, there are generations of families who have never been financially responsible. Children emulate their parents. And everyday, everyone is bombarded with marketing messages encouraging one to be irresponsible...

So in this case, I think the government could assist by establishing standards for financial education as a requirement for high school graduation.

 

[cow451]

It may be the best thing for the Democrat Party, but certainly not the nation.

IMHO, Voting for Mr. Trump is like eating gas station sushi.

 

[cow451]

...the irony of this post? It's pretty amazing.
tulc(might just point out almost 3,000,000 more voters verdict was that they wanted someone else to be President)

A poster knows better candidates are needed on the ballot.

 

[cow451]

So...complaining with no action or solutions? Just "these things should happen"?

How's about we get rid of that? ^

I know I have felt better about the United States in the past when everyone wasn't constantly complaining about how terrible it was. Remember when the biggest thing we worried about was the president cheating on his wife with an intern? Surely not the greatest personal moral high point in the history of America's leadership, but at least a slight bit better than having a president who does both that and provokes war with Iran, North Korea, et al., constantly tweets childish gibberish about TV shows and his political enemies and critics and whatnot, etc. And I don't even believe that the moral, financial, or physical health of the citizenry is really all that dependent on the president, but since an issue is made about "would this party's candidate be any better" (as it always is, because absolutely everything is about Democrats v. Republicans...even things that aren't ultimately about that), I know who I am going to vote for:

Love the sign.

 

[quatona]

The greatness of a nation must be reflected in the character of it's people. Governments can do great and beneficent things using the taxes extracted by force from it's people, but those efforts ring hollow if the populace doesn't reflect the goodness of those efforts. The weakness or strength of the nation is the weakness or strength of the individual citizen.

So what is weak that needs strengthening? Several simple but crucial things.

Citizens must be law abiding.
Citizens must be financially responsible.
Citizens must be healthy.
Citizens must be industrious.
Citizens must be honest.
Citizens must be moral.
Citizens must be caring.
Citizens must be involved.

These qualities will make America great again.

Yeah, who cares about the integrity of the leaders.

 

[cow451]

Yeah, who cares about the integrity of the leaders.

I care.

 

[Mathetes66]

God has already been judging this nation for turning away from Him & is no longer bring blessings but curses & judgment.

This is what is needed & it isn't happening. The world is in the church & the devil has deceived many.

2 Chron 7:11-16 When Solomon had finished the house of the LORD & the royal palace, successfully carrying out all that was in his heart to do for the house of the LORD & for his own palace, then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night & said to him: “I have heard your prayer & have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people & My people who are called by My name humble themselves & pray & seek My face & turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin & heal their land.

Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

Psalm 60:2You have shaken the land and torn it open. Heal its fractures, for it is quaking.

Lamentations 3:40-51 Let us examine & test our ways & turn back to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts & hands to God in heaven. We have sinned & rebelled; You have not forgiven.” You have covered Yourself in anger & pursued us; You have killed without pity. You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through. You have made us scum & refuse among the nations.

46All our enemies open their mouths against us. Panic & pitfall have come upon us—devastation & destruction. Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief, until the LORD
looks down from heaven & sees. My eyes bring grief to my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

Jeremiah 8:4-13 So you are to tell them this is what the LORD says: Do men fall & not get up again? Does one turn away & not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return

6I have listened and heard; they do not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone has stayed his course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift & the thrush observe their time of migration, but My people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

8How can you say, ‘We are wise & the law of the LORD is with us?’ But in fact, the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception. 9The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed & trapped. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom do they really have?

10Therefore I will give their wives to other men & their fields to new owners, for from the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from the prophet to the priest, all practice deceit. They dress the wounds of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

12Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all, not even enough to blush. Therefore they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.

13I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

 

[bèlla]

one example from the list:

Parents should teach their children to be financially responsible.

But even if they didn’t we have an opportunity to learn as adults. The library is overflowing with resources on this topics and others where deficiencies may exist.

.....however, there are generations of families who have never been financially responsible. Children emulate their parents. And everyday, everyone is bombarded with marketing messages encouraging one to be irresponsible...

In the end, it comes down to the person’s willingness to exercise self-control and look at the ramifications of the recklessness they’ve experienced and choose a different path.

So in this case, I think the government could assist by establishing standards for financial education as a requirement for high school graduation.

We had to complete a course in consumer education and had Junior Achievement too.

 

[wing2000]

In the end, it comes down to the person’s willingness to exercise self-control and look at the ramifications of the recklessness they’ve experienced and choose a different path.

Agreed....another trait that should be taught by good parenting. Delayed gratification seems to run counter to our culture at large...

 

[cow451]

NM

 

[bhsmte]

I know I'm voting Democrat this coming election!

I voted Trump and regret that decision every day.

IMO, i think a good percentage of people, end up regretting their vote for president.

 

[RDKirk]

The church can address it at the denominational and congregational level only. Too many congregants are upright citizens only when they are attached by the butt to a pew. As soon as church is over...back into the world they go.

You're right.

And congregations don't have to take care of the entire world. If each Christian congregation just took care of its own people, if the world had to say, "Those Christians are weird as hell, but you never see one of them homeless or unemployed, and they've got all kinds of people in their group all singing 'Kumbaya,'" that would be all that is necessary.

At the time, the number of the disciples was greatly increasing. A complaint arose from the Grecian Jews against the Hebraic Jews because the Grecian widows were being neglected in the daily ministry.

The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, 'It's not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. Therefore brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom. Then we can appoint those men over this business, and we apostles will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.' ”

“This proposal pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. The congregation presented these men to the apostles. When the apostles had prayed, they laid their hands on the chosen men.”

“So the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. A great company of the priests obeyed the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7).

A couple of things to point out there. We see a display of ethnic bigotry occurred. Actually, there is ample evidence in the early chapters of Acts of the Hebraic Christian bigotry against the Hellenists and several things the Holy Spirit did about it. The stoning of Stephen (one of these men) was because of anti-Hellenist bigotry, as was the rampage of Saul. Saul was a Hellenist determined to route out the Christian virus from among Hellenists...to make them look more righteous to the Hebrews.

The second thing is that the seven men named to handle the problem all had Greek names, suggesting they were Hellenists (Nicolaus is explicitly identified as a non-Hebrew), so the solution in the congregation was to put those who were being discriminated against in charge of preventing discrimination.

The last two sentences of the passage look at first like non-sequiturs to what came before, but they are not. The increase in numbers enjoyed by the congregation, including the priests who came to belief, was in direct result of how they handled the ethnic bigotry issue.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

People of the world love their own kind, and that is expected.

Christians should love unexpectedly.

 

[RDKirk]

But even if they didn’t we have an opportunity to learn as adults. The library is overflowing with resources on this topics and others where deficiencies may exist.

Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it. -- Proverbs 22

If the child was raised a non-reader, he will probably remain a non-reader.

 

[bèlla]

Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it. -- Proverbs 22

If the child was raised a non-reader, he will probably remain a non-reader.

That’s true to a point. There were things my parents never emphasized and others I felt were absent or lacking that I addressed on my own. But I’m very self-driven and continuously invested in my improvement.

However, I don’t think desire alone will help. You must have the ability to get things done. Out of all of the fruits of the Spirit, faithfulness and self-control have made a significant impact on my life.

 

[bhsmte]

How one person determines "great", may not be how another person defines it.

 

[bèlla]

Agreed....another trait that should be taught by good parenting. Delayed gratification seems to run counter to our culture at large...

True. It’s having a profound effect on my walk and calling. I couldn’t do it if I needed everything right now.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

one example from the list:

Parents should teach their children to be financially responsible.

.....however, there are generations of families who have never been financially responsible. Children emulate their parents. And everyday, everyone is bombarded with marketing messages encouraging one to be irresponsible...

So in this case, I think the government could assist by establishing standards for financial education as a requirement for high school graduation.

One theory about generational failure or success, is that kids are 'scripted' by their parents in this regard in their first seven years of life. "As the twig is bent..." It can be changed but it's difficult.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Yeah, who cares about the integrity of the leaders.

In a democracy the leaders most often reflect the character of the people, not the other way around. It's called pandering in it's lower form.