What is the future of American prosperity?

The U.S. has too many lawyers, entertainers, would-be sports players,
writers, government workers, etc. We have a dearth of plumbers,
electricians, carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, nurses, indigenous
American MDs, skilled factory workers and engineers. Our educational
system is not training our students for jobs in the 21st century. Our
youth, our future, are unable to meet the demands of our market-based
economy.

Too many of our youth get caught up in glitz, glamour and shortcuts; the life of Aesop’s Hare. Yet that is not the way that the United States achieved prosperity. The United States of America is the greatest country in the history of the world due to the hard work, moral striving and unprecedented diligence of its people; the life of Aesop’s Tortoise. Many of our Founding Fathers were craftsmen themselves, and they understood the value of being skilled at a trade, working hard and toiling long hours until they achieved excellence at any given thing.

Contemporary American culture is all about the easy dollar and simple life; it is the rare soul who wishes to let blood, sweat and tears for the sake of achievement, and it is those rare few who are the success stories we take pride in who continue to build and strengthen our nation. The question is, if we take so much pride in the few of us who prove hard work and diligence pays time and time again, then why are there so many of us who scoff at the notion of commitment to continued excellence and execution?

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.