Bachelder letter: When was America great?

Trump says he wants to make our country great again, so I decided to look back into history and see what period of time he is referring to.

At the beginning of our country we went to war with England, right? Then we went to war with the native Americans to take their land. Then we had slavery. I suppose the greatness came with the industrial revolution, where we built big cities, now referred to as “urban jungles.” Then we sent manufacturing jobs overseas, and we now have what is called a “service economy.” I think I would call it an entertainment economy, since it seems to be built on sports, dining out, musical and film productions, travel and other forms of entertainment.

So where is this greatness we want to return to? Soldiers fought and died so everyone could have their smartphones? On top of that, it is now open season on policemen. I am looking for any sign of greatness, here. It seems our national greatness is not as big as our national ego.

So I won’t be too hopeful Trump can make our country great — again — but I would be grateful if he could make it safer.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 11:53 PM with the headline "Bachelder letter: When was America great?."