How Can You

I have a conservative friend who constantly laments, the world is upside down, as indeed it seems to be. Still, I contend one corner of that world has doggedly bucked the inversion because its founders, its population, migrated to this place, fleeing the oppression of their native country's societal injustices and constraints. The American experiment it was called, thought unique and improbable in 1776 when Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence and the American colonies defied Britain, the most powerful nation and progressive society on earth at the time. But, here we are today, that American experiment, the United States of America, after near 250 years of outstanding accomplishments as a nation, as a benevolent leader among nations, a bastion of civil rights, freedoms, and liberties, yet its dissidents are challenging it to convert from a constitution driven representative democracy, a Republic, to that of a Marxist Socialist state. Socialism, an economic philosophy that has repeatedly failed the world over. How can that be, I ask? Because we are seemingly going the way of all societies great and small that have proceeded us? Have we run our course? If so who is to replace us on the world stage? And, therein lies the rub! Who would be our most likely successor, be the dominant society, culture, nation-, China, Russia, an Arabic Caliphate-, who? You know of these aspiring pretenders all too well, their societies, their cultures, their history. Do you see them in their emergence as international leaders, better arbiters than the U.S to champion human rights, come to the aid of those in strife and disaster? Would you please tell me what you see that would favor your preference for Socialism, its promised liberties and opportunities for life, and pursuit of happiness for its citizens-, over that of ours? How can you?