I am deeply concerned about the future my grandchildren may face living in the United States.
I was born in 1940 in Santa Barbara, California, during World War II. I am the son of Italian immigrants who came to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
I remember the government-ordered blackouts at night when I was a child. My parents explained that it was for our safety because our country was at war.
I also grew up hearing stories from relatives who fought to defend our freedoms. Two of them were seriously wounded in World War II, and another was injured in the Korean War.
I also have a son who just retired as a Sergeant Major after serving 20 years in the US Marine Corp. He fought in several of our military conflicts around the world.
Over the years I was able to live a full life. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara, got married, was blessed with the birth of my children, and served 20 years in law enforcement. I am a graduate of the FBI Academy, and I am a military veteran.
I also had several successful careers in real estate, and I co-founded several health-care technology companies, PPOs, and managed care organizations. For decades, I was proud of my work and grateful to live in a nation that made such opportunities possible.
Until recently, I felt hopeful about the future — for my family and for our country. But today, I am troubled by the direction we are heading and by what feels like an erosion of the very constitutional rights my relatives once fought to protect.
History offers many examples of democracies that gradually slipped into forms of autocracy. I fear the United States may be drifting down that same path.
Our nation is more divided than I have ever seen in my 85 years. Friends and families struggle to even “agree to disagree.” For the first time in my life, I am registering as an independent voter, because I no longer believe either major political party is putting the best interests of the country first.
The rising tide of political hostility, violence, and reckless rhetoric has shaken the foundations of our stability. Even more alarming, too many elected officials and some of our courts seem willing to look the other way while political power is abused.
The U.S.A. is not a corporation that our government runs. Our country was founded by representatives of the very people whom government officials were elected to lead, engage with, encourage, protect, and serve, and not for their personal gain and accumulation of political power.
This is why I ask: Shouldn’t we be deeply concerned about the world our children and grandchildren will inherit? If so, what are we going to do about it?
The time has come for America’s silent majority to speak up — respectfully but firmly. We must demand that our leaders restore peace, prosperity, and unity to this country before the damage becomes irreversible.
Our nation has weathered great challenges before, but only when ordinary citizens raised their voices and insisted on change. The same must happen now, if we are to preserve the promise of America for future generations.
