As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, it's important to reflect on the difference between providing the opportunity to pursue the American Dream and treating that dream as an entitlement.
Opportunity, not guarantees, has always been at the heart of our national promise. Everyone’s path to a good life may look different, but the key ingredients remain the same: hard work, perseverance, sound decision-making, and a measure of luck. Our forefathers understood this, and they built a framework—a Constitution—that emphasizes liberty, responsibility, and equal opportunity.
That framework isn’t perfect. No system is. And yet, for nearly two and a half centuries, it has guided us through wars, depressions, and social upheavals. It has empowered generation after generation to reach for something greater. It’s also true that not all Americans have always shared equally in those opportunities. Many of our fellow citizens have only begun to fully realize the blessings of liberty in the past hundred years. That reality doesn’t diminish our founding ideals—it reminds us of the work still ahead to make those ideals real for everyone.
As we commemorate 250 years of the American experiment, let us honor both the promise and the progress. Let us rededicate ourselves to a future where opportunity is preserved, earned, and expanded—for all.
Happy 4th of July to Everyone!
Paul Mina
President & CEO of the United Way of Tri-County