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We Americans Are Anything But Ordinary

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By FRANK MORSANI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 3, 2008

Exceptionalism, we citizens are frequently told, is no longer the credo of our country and its people.

I hope readers don't believe we are just another country.

Our system of government permits individuals to be exceptional. As a nation, we thrive on the concept.

We can ill afford to allow self-described elitists to dumb down our heritage and discredit our success. Do we make mistakes? Absolutely. We need look no further than the past eight years. However, we have demonstrated the resilience to overcome the obstacles and continue to create a robust society.

In comparison, look at France. Examine the current unrest with its minorities and ask why they cannot assimilate into French society. Examine their education system where two schools supply over 70 percent of all those in the federal government.

We Americans are a nation of immigrants. We understand that life is dynamic, not static. Our willingness to change is a major attribute that sets us apart from all other nations.

No other country dedicated its scientific community to travel to the moon. No other country dedicated like resources to explore Mars. What an achievement!

Another exceptional characteristic is our philanthropy. The U.S. private sector willingly provides billions of dollars to aid our fellow man. In the majority of other countries, government is the sole supporter of institutions such as higher education and nonprofit organizations. Citizens perform those functions in the United States.

Let's not be hoodwinked by those who would desire to restrict our entrepreneurial instincts and drive wedges in our society.

We are a great country of very exceptional people.

Frank Morsani, known for his philanthropy in the Tampa area, owns several automobile businesses.

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