With all the turmoil and disruption that we are now experiencing in our nation today, we all need to take a step back. Do we want to be a great nation for all its citizens? Or are we going to allow our nation to become a nation divided by hate, intolerance of others who may not look like us or speak like us?

Dear Neighbor, 

Our President talks about Making America Great Again. What does that mean? Well, if you take the time to look through HIS Project 2025 you will get HIS version. So, the following is what I believe makes a nation great: 

• A great nation will not accept that people are homeless, or that they must scavenge for food. 
• A great nation takes care of the health for all its people, and that people will not enter financial desperation due to expensive medical and/or hospital bills. 
• A great nation values the diversity of its citizens and honors the rich tapestry of cultures from its people. 
• A great nation is where its people only take what they need to live happily, and if through hard work or luck of the draw, they have more than they need and are willing to share with others for the good of their neighbors. 
• A great nation provides its children with truthful facts. That ALL books are valued and included in their education, not banned by a few. That history is embraced, not re-shaped by those who fear the truth. That children are encouraged to question and not silenced by a few. 
• A great nation has a respect for its laws for the benefit of All people, not a select few. Laws that are interpreted or read and mean the same thing whether read by an individual, a judge, a legislature, a courtroom, a boardroom, or a living room. 
• A great nation values the arts and culture because they will be a lasting way of embracing and communicating in a way to be remembered. 
• A great nation respects and values its role in the world as it coexists with its neighbors in harmony. 
• A great nation has leader(s) that follow the people, leading them from the rear, that way no one gets left behind. 

With all the turmoil and disruption that we are now experiencing in our nation today, we all need to take a step back. Do we want to be a great nation for all its citizens? Or are we going to allow our nation to become a nation divided by hate, intolerance of others who may not look like us or speak like us? Who are we really? I believe that we can be a great nation, but we need to speak up and speak out against intolerance, hate and political violence and retribution by the few. 

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.

Bob Foreman