Make America Great Again. How often have we hear those words in the last decade. But I wonder, beyond a catchy slogan what is a great nation?
Defining a “great nation” is complex and can vary based on individual values.
However, some recurring themes appear in discussions about national greatness:
- Rule of Law and Justice:
- A strong, impartial legal system that applies equally to all citizens.
- Respect for human rights and individual liberties.
- Economic Prosperity and Opportunity:
- A stable economy that provides opportunities for its citizens.
- Fair distribution of resources and a safety net for those in need.
- Social Well-being:
- Access to quality healthcare and education for all.
- A strong sense of community and social cohesion.
- The ability to care for those that are less fortunate.
- Civic Engagement and Governance:
- Active participation of citizens in the democratic process.
- Transparent and accountable government.
- Leaders that value the people they serve.
- Cultural and Intellectual Vitality:
- A thriving arts and culture scene.
- Investment in scientific research and innovation.
- Respect for diverse cultures within its borders.
- International Relations:
- Respect for international law and cooperation with other nations.
- A positive role in global affairs.
- Values:
- Respect for diversity.
- Truthfullness.
- Honesty.
Essentially, a great nation strives to create a society where its citizens can thrive, feel secure, and contribute to the common good.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Charles Mann, writing about How the System Works, reminds us that “good” is not the enemy of “great”.
“… the electric grid, the public-water supply, the food-distribution network, … took the collective labor of thousands of people over many decades. … They are high among the great accomplishments of our civilization. But they don’t inspire bestselling novels or blockbuster films. No poets celebrate the sewage treatment plants that prevent them from dying of dysentery. Like almost everyone else, they rarely note the existence of the systems around them, let alone understand how they work.
…Water, food, energy, public health — these embody a gloriously egalitarian and democratic vision of our society. Americans may fight over red and blue, but everyone benefits in the same way from the electric grid. Water troubles and food contamination are afflictions for rich and poor alike. These systems are powerful reminders of our common purpose as a society — a source of inspiration when one seems badly needed.
Every American stands at the end of a continuing, decades-long effort to build and maintain the systems that support our lives. Schools should be, but are not, teaching students why it is imperative to join this effort. Imagine a course devoted to how our country functions at its most basic level. … (for example) Today more than 1 percent of the world’s industrial energy is devoted to making ammonia fertilizer. “That 1 percent,” the futurist Ramez Naam says, “roughly doubles the amount of food the world can grow.”
But, this is not President Obama’s “you didn’t build this”. All those things mentioned above were bought and paid for with someone’s wealth – so, your money (and mine) built this … and it was not done at the direction of some invisible or visible hand of government.
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“Essentially, a great nation strives to create a society where its citizens can thrive, feel secure, and contribute to the common good.”
AGREE
For nearly 50 years, we have expressed this as: “… 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. …”
Your rights and your freedom to swing your arm stops well short of my nose. Similarly, your right to my wealth, a taking, should stop well short of where it is today. Your right to restrict my freedoms should stop well short of where they are today. And, that is certainly true for current American’s “rights” to run deficits and accumulate debt in order to take wealth away from generations too young to vote and those yet unborn.
In discussing what freedom means, Albert Camus noted that: “Absolute freedom is the right for the strongest to dominate. Thus, it maintains the conflicts that benefit injustice.”
Albert Camus also rejected what some call social justice, and what others call absolute justice (or today, some refer to it as achieving “equity”). “Absolute justice passes through the suppression of all contradictions: it destroys freedom. The revolution for justice, for freedom, ends up pitting them against each other”.
The rest of the suggested qualities of greatness in your note are a matter of opinion, personal choice:
Rule of Law and Justice:
A strong, impartial legal system that applies equally to all citizens. Citizens, yes, others, not so much.
Respect for human rights and individual liberties. Sure, consider my 5th Amendment right against takings.
Economic Prosperity and Opportunity:
A stable economy that provides opportunities for its citizens. No, No. No. “Provides” suggests that the government or someone else in our nation has a duty to provide “opportunity”.
Fair distribution of resources and a safety net for those in need. Fair? Who gets to decide? Fair means treating me the way I think I should be treated. Safety net? Where is that in our Constitution? It doesn’t exist. America agrees that safety nets, to the extent they exist, should be the duty and responsibility of the states, or to the individuals themselves (10th Amendment). Our federal government is designed to be one of limited, enumerated powers.
Social Well-being:
Access to quality healthcare and education for all. For health care, no one stops you from accessing health care – you just have to pay for it yourself. No surprise you didn’t use the adjective “quality” to describe education. Many of our major city public schools are a disgrace. Shouldn’t this be a quality education, which would generally inure to the benefit all Americans, or doesn’t that matter?
A strong sense of community and social cohesion. Go ahead, this must come from individuals, not a national mandate. No one is stopping you.
The ability to care for those that are less fortunate. Go ahead. This must come from individuals, not a national mandate. No one is stopping you.
Civic Engagement and Governance:
Active participation of citizens in the democratic process. Go ahead. No one is stopping citizens from voting.
Transparent and accountable government. To make that a reality, federal, state, local governments all need to shrink.
Leaders that value the people they serve. They already value those who vote for them, not so much for people who voted for the other person. And, it is a two-way street. For example, countless times I have heard Americans say (in 2016 – 2021) and again in 2025, that “Donald Trump is not MY president.”.
Cultural and Intellectual Vitality:
A thriving arts and culture scene. Go ahead. This must come from individuals, not a national mandate. No one is stopping you.
Investment in scientific research and innovation. Go ahead, this must come from individuals, not a national mandate. No one is stopping you. I am more concerned about the government who would steal scientific breakthroughs and innovations from those who discovered or developed them and use them to buy votes.
Respect for diverse cultures within its borders. Only a handful of countries in the world who could possibly be more diverse than America. The challenge comes when some cultures try to impose their cultural norms on others, or cancel others.
International Relations:
Respect for international law and cooperation with other nations. That goes both ways – most other nations look at America as little more than a checkbook with legs.
A positive role in global affairs. Talk is cheap. As a Canadian commentator once said in 1980 about America, whenever there is a crisis or disaster in the world, the first to show up with people, money and support are Americans. When America suffers a loss, … crickets.
Values:
Respect for diversity. Go ahead, this must come from individuals, not a national mandate, no one is stopping you.
Truthfullness. Go ahead, this must come from individuals, not a national mandate, no one is stopping you .
Honesty. Go ahead, this must come from individuals, not a national mandate, no one is stopping you.
What we do not need is a government strong enough or powerful enough to enforce one person’s ideas of what is necessary to be a great nation.
As President Ford once said: A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take away everything you have.
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Al Lindquist:
per usual Jack it was an excellent response-have read it a few times and I find more each and every time to think about. Not much I could add to give a different perspective.
thanks for the time and effort.
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Jack, you view on this—Access to quality healthcare and education for all. For health care, no one stops you from accessing health care – you just have to pay for it yourself.
Is very naive. Just pay for it your self is not such an easy option for many people. Even working middle class people with decent incomes struggle with premiums and most with high deductibles and even coinsurance and OOP limits. We are beyond any practical paying it yourself. As far as quality education goes I agree. In many cases it is miserable, but the reality is the problem is as much with families as the teachers and systems. Kids need strong family support as much as good teachers and teachers equipment and support that that takes money which means taxes which people don’t want to pay. It is not a coincidence IMO that the best schools are in states with high taxes and conversely with the lowest taxed.
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Typo, “50” was supposed to be “250”. JACK
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Most of the points in your presentation grow upwards from the neighborhood, local and state level. This can’t be shoved down from the top. Is California great? Is New Jersey great? Is Alabama great? Is San Francisco great? Is Newark great? Is Birmingham great?
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Al Lindquist:
Is Quinn flying the flag upside down or did I do too much celebrating after watching SNL–50 last night?
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He’s flying it upside down and probably will until the end of this administration. He misses Old Joe so much he can’t stand it. I didn’t catch SNL-50 but I bet it was a riot.
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