The November election is 3 months away, and I’m already fed up with the negative ads. They’re encroaching on my baseball games, and the Braves are stressing me enough already. So allow me to reflect on some things I love about the USA. Consider it positive thinking therapy.
Thanks to cable TV, we can still enjoy Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke, and Clint Eastwood, even though few people under 40 know who they are.
Amazon is rapidly increasing its same day delivery service, primarily in larger cities. This sounds like something I would have seen on “The Jetsons” cartoon in my childhood.
We still have people who are willing to serve on jury duty. In this age of social media, being a juror is far more dangerous than it used to be. But as has been proven in recent high-profile cases, Americans always step up.
Cracker Barrel restaurants are getting an interior makeover. It was time.
Dolly Parton. She gives the South a good name.
So does Jimmy Carter. And check out his Presidential Museum at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Never mind your politics, just go and be inspired.
Macaroni and cheese is still considered a vegetable on many restaurant menus, as God intended.
Our 1950s era interstate highway system still gets us to our destination faster than our grandparents ever imagined. And being an optimist, I still believe that someday “Washboard Alley” on I-59 in north Alabama will not rattle my teeth.
Many school districts are now providing free lunches for all students, no questions asked. Finally, the era of embarrassment for kids whose parents are unable to pay is ending.
We have Zoom. Too many Zoom meetings can drive you nuts, but it saves the gas you would have burned driving to work, and you can stay in your pajama pants a little longer.
We have less painful dental procedures, thanks to the wonderful nitrous oxide that makes my toes tingle. I always ask for it at the dentist’s office, even when I just stop in to pay a bill.
We still have church groups for seniors. Anything we can do to make our favorite citizens a little less lonely, I fully support.
We have the most secure elections and the most wonderful poll workers in the world. Much like jury members, I worry for their safety. I figure I’ve voted about a hundred times in my life, and it’s always smooth as can be.
We still have Wolf Blitzer, Jane Pauley, Ted Koppel, and a few other 70-plus news reporters on the air. I’m still ticked that CBS made Walter Cronkite retire when he was 64.
We have life-saving vaccines that really work.
We got to see Nick Saban become the greatest college football coach of all time, and we got to see him retire on his terms.
We have patriots who are willing to put country over party, often at great risk for their own safety, and for that of their family. Their courage serves as reminder of what has made America great.
We still have newspapers, and I hope you are thankful for that. I know I am, because you would not be reading this without your local paper. Give your hometown publisher a big ol’ hug.
We have Simone Biles, who dares to fly, and does it in the most beautiful way possible.
We have our neighborhood Walgreen’s that can print your photos flawlessly in minutes. Not that long ago, we waited for days, or even weeks to see our pictures.
We can now buy a car online. I always thought that was risky until I did it a few weeks ago. I will probably do it again.
We have YouTube, which allows us to watch and listen to pretty much every song ever recorded, and we can choose and play them for free. It’s a wonder I ever get anything done, because once I go down that rabbit hole, I can’t stop.
That’s a random list of things I love about the USA. What is on your list? Write me at [email protected] and I’ll publish a readers list sometime soon.
David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat” is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at [email protected]
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 13:20:00
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