Cope: A land of hope and dreams
“Meet me in a land of hope and dreams,” proclaims . A wealthy, self-made man, he has made a career of writing about this country and the quirky characters living in it. The song is a description of America as a great and flawed nation: “this train carries saints and sinners, this train carries losers and winners 鈥�”
The American Dream is alive and we must work to maintain access to it for everyone. Our Constitution begins with, “We the people in order to form a more perfect union 鈥� ” I love the phrasing of this, as it emphasizes the striving, more than the outcome. A “more perfect union” is vastly different from a perfect union. It suggests a continual struggle to get better, rather than a victorious boast, bringing to mind a student working with a teacher to improve her writing or a coach working with a team. The outcome is never definitive, but the striving is ever present.
The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence opens with: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Again, the wording here is masterful, carefully suggestive, but also leaves it open to interpretation.聽
Specifically, the idea of “truths” being “self-evident” and “endowed by their creator” is interesting. Was it obvious to the founders that this was a goal or, as with many mission statements filled with corporate jargon, that it was something to strive for? It seems to suggest that all are created equal regardless of gender, race, social status, sexual orientation, property owner or tenant, free or slave. Did we always live up to this creed? Hardly. Did we strive to improve with each successive generation? The historical record seems to suggest that we did.
Regarding the portion of the declarative sentence that includes “their Creator” 鈥� did the founders mean to say, “the creator,” or did they open this up to many faiths? It’s up to you to decide; however, with well-established Jewish communities already in place in many colonies and with the multitude of Christian faiths started in this country during the first and second great awakenings, it seems to suggest an acknowledgment of a pluralistic and diverse country.
Support Local Journalism
We are a great and compassionate society. One need only to look at the amount of volunteering and good works done around the world and in our communities by Americans to realize that we are living up to the biblical verse in Matthew 25:40: “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Americans help each other and, since the end of World War II, have led the world in combating disease and raising living standards globally. May that ever be so.
The Declaration also lists grievances that the colonists had about living under a King. A few of these may resonate with us today:
“For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:”
These were our fears.聽Since the first shipment of tobacco left our shores for Europe, we wanted to trade and interact with the world, we wanted to have a say in our tax policy, we wanted to be judged by our peers and make our case to them, without being shipped away to foreign gulags, and so we wrote it down and declared it to the world.
A little more than a decade after the Declaration of Independence, the founders decided to put together a rulebook, the Constitution.聽The main argument was how much power to put in the executive branch.聽They feared the sort of overreach that they had seen under kings, so they limited the powers of the president and installed a Bill of Rights to protect individuals from the government.聽
I take pride in our recent listing in the Wall Street Journal as one of . It is indicative of our legacy as an international tourist destination to serve and welcome guests, employees and residents from all over the world. We will show you a good time, invest in you and encourage you to reach for your greatest successes.
I remember my parents’ generation discussing how being on Nixon’s “enemies list” was a badge of honor for many opponents of the administration. The sanctuary city list was posted on the Homeland Security website and then quickly taken down. If you had a chance to scroll through it, you’d have seen some beautiful places, including Vail, Avon, and Eagle, as well as other mountain towns, coastal beach resorts and many major cities in the United States.
Economics dictates the movement of people more than laws and barriers, as it has throughout history. If we need this labor, let’s create a path to citizenship and keep encouraging people to participate in the American Dream.
We are a country with no ethnicity, no official religion, no thousand-year history, just a set of ideas and opportunities that we all ascribe to. “Meet me in a land of hope and dreams.”
David Cope is a husband, dad, coach, retired teacher and general loudmouth. His wife, kids and dog don’t listen to him, but maybe you will.
