Last month, Vanderbilt University Men’s Basketball coach Kevin Stallings committed an “egregious” error in judgment. He publicly “ridiculed’ one of his players for engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct by telling the player he was going to “f—ing kill [him]”. Immediately, sports writers, commentators, and news outlets jumped on the story, calling for the university to punish the coach for his comments. Some even called for his termination. No one with common sense or prior experience in athletics took Coach Stalling’s words literally. As a former student-athlete at the junior high, high school, and collegiate level, I found the media reaction not only laughable, but extremely concerning. I can say without reservation, that I heard far worse during my time in junior high, high school, and in college. The reaction is evidence that America has grown soft…America has become a nation full of “wussies”. Coaches, teachers, and other professionals charged with developing young people are no longer allowed to hold students accountable, and ultimately, discipline them if necessary.

Similarly, under the current administration, accountability and responsibility have become non-existent. Since his election in 2008, President Obama has worked tirelessly to create an America that is increasingly dependent on the federal government. In doing so, he has generated a society of pariahs that lack any sense of personal responsibility or accountability. This is not our parents’ America nor our grandparents’ America. This is not the nation that defeated Nazi Germany. Whatever happened to the days of old….the days of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan? These leaders inspired America to reach new heights and blaze new trails. Under their leadership, America created the interstate highway system, won the space race, and defeated the Soviet Union. Now, America is the laughing stock of the world. Foreign leaders openly test America’s strength as we saw with the Russian-backed invasion of Ukraine. ISIS continues to pose an existential threat to the United States both abroad and within our borders, yet President Obama refuses to act swiftly and with force. Fortunately, his golf swing has drastically improved since he took office in 2008.

Not even Republican governors can escape Obama’s influence. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency a few weeks back due in large part, to the threat of rain. Northerners laughed as southern states scrambled to brace themselves for the coming “storm” that never arrived. In the past, Americans were not so easily defeated. As a child, I remember hearing stories of my parents and their friends walking to school in the snow, uphill both ways without any complaint or hesitation. It will take that level of toughness and endurance to get America back on the right track. Only then, will the United States become that “shining city on a hill” that President Reagan spoke of years ago.