Wake Up, America, Before It’s All Gone [OPINION]

Is it just me, or is anyone else repulsed by what has become of the level of discourse in our country?

Don't get me wrong, America is a beautiful place and there is nowhere else on Earth I would rather be. But I am having a tough time watching a lot of what is going on without getting angry. Angry and sad, because we let this happen.

Greedy career politicians who lust for power have taken over our government. Criminal illegal immigrants crash the gates at will and we support them. Drugs pour over the border and kill our kids, and you are a racist or xenophobe if you support a border wall.

Good men and their families are destroyed for sport by corrupt politicians and cable news outlets. Police are killed in the streets but we are told that someone else's life matters more. Hatred, racism and sexism are rampant.

How many men and women have died in the name of liberty and democracy, only to see socialism gaining a foothold on our own shores?

What is sad is that we've allowed all of this to happen. And it's going to get worse if we don't wake up soon. We've been lulled into a stupor by technology and materialism that we have stopped caring about defending our freedoms and our way of life. As a result, it's all slipping away right in front of us.

We form opinions about our future based on jokes made by Jimmy Kimmel or comments from Morning Joe or, worse yet, Facebook and Twitter. Critical thinking has become a lost art for many and frankly, many folks just don't seem to care anymore.

Think about it: you never really realize what you have until you don't have it any longer. And once it's gone--it's gone for good. Time to wake up America.

If ever there was a time for Americans to register to vote and get active, this is it.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.