America in 2023—A Hopeful Nation

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Robert Brescia
December 19, 2022

Almost every December, I think and write about the year to come. What will it hold for all of us? Will it be better than the year we say goodbye to? While it may be that my crystal ball cannot guarantee my predictions for the upcoming year, I can still see some signs that 2023 will be a better year for all Americans. We Americans share some pretty awesome traits and values in spite of what the naysayers would have us believe. Among the most important American characteristics that define who we are as a people are hope and optimism, in my opinion. We are optimistic because we have seen ourselves recover and restore from some fairly large crises and catastrophes. American are a resilient people. We never give up hope because to permit such a silent resignation would betray the best part of who we are.

I see some signs that 2023 will bring prosperity and improvement throughout the American landscape. Here are some of my predictions:

• Free Speech: There is a shaking out of social media platforms and an awakening among them that free speech must not be censored by any person or group of people. There are Constitutional limits on free speech and those should be the only arbiters of what is permitted / not permitted.
• Government Overreach: The FBI has now understood (again) that it cannot be a partisan organization, that it must serve all Americans equally. There will be some leadership changes made and the result will be a new, non-partisan FBI.
• Inflation: We have no choice but to get a handle on this in 2023. The Fed continues to raise rates by necessity and regardless of what we believe to be the major reasons for inflation, it will ease in the latter part of the new year.
• Voting: We will realize that we need some substantial improvements in the process, including the elimination of ballot harvesting and ballot box stuffing methods, adjusting the early voting windows, handling all mail-in ballots much better and making election day a national holiday.
• Education: Parents will assume their rightful and appropriate roles in their children’s education. Together with teachers and administrators, they will form a powerful team and learning will make considerable process.
• National Security: Next year, Republicans will join with Democrats to make comprehensive immigration reform start. There will be concessions on both sides and the results will include solutions for those undocumented immigrants that have arrived previously.
• Military: The branches of our military will acknowledge that their role is national defense—not to adopt any political leanings or philosophies. Top military leaders will be replaced by those who understand this.
• Veterans: The Veteran’s Administration (VA) will understand that it must lean far more forward in the saddle to help and compensate veterans that are still reticent to present themselves for necessary help. The VA will also train its compensation evaluators to be much more trustful of veterans whose service records are incomplete or lost.
• Political Parties: Both will align more with the values of most Americans—after all, we are a centrist-leaning country, not a bunch of political extremists.

American values in 2023.

Our neighborhood here in Odessa, Texas comes together every holiday season, decorates to the hilt and spreads Christmas cheer and joy as far and wide as it can. Have you ever noticed that the holiday season, especially Christmas, brings people together naturally? It’s almost as if a peaceful aura transcends people into a higher state of unity. The harsh world, along with many political and social disagreements seems to recede, leaving us to reflect on the question posed in a Gatlin Brothers song—why can’t we have Christmas all year long?

American values include, but certainly are not limited to: unity, truth, passion, perseverance, benevolence, leadership, optimism, courage, spirituality, community, inclusion, love and civility. Together, these values comprise the American soul. This is the elusive target mentioned by so many politicians of late—fighting the “battle for the soul of America.” Our best days are the present moment and the days ahead. The America I want to live in will be the product of hard work from those in both parties. They might disagree on the means but they will operate in commonality of goals and subscribe to the American goal of unity. We cannot have such an America in 2023 if we continue on the fractured path that we are on. We must make every effort to reduce divisiveness and extremism. We can start with changing or language—stop labeling people you might disagree with highly diminutive words. Start to love and help one another. To paraphrase the poet Rumi, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”

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Author: Dr. Robert Brescia respects the wisdom of generations, promotes the love of learning, teaches ethics to university students, government & politics to AP seniors, and leadership to organizations. He is a candidate for National Board for Certification of Teachers (NBCT) at Stanford University. The Governor of Texas appointed him to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). Bob has a doctoral degree with distinction in Executive Leadership from The George Washington University. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Robert_Brescia.

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