I believe that it is a wonderful time to be American and celebrate the 4th of July in America.

But not everyone seems to think so.  According to a USA Today poll, only 42% of Americans are proud to be Americans.  This, despite the fact that a lot of people from around the world are trying to get in here, and very few of the people who threatened to leave the U.S. if President Trump got elected have kept their promise.  Yet here we are.  Here's how USA Today reported it, starting with the mush-mouthed headline:

Poll: On the 4th, what symbolizes the best (and worst) of America? It depends whom you ask

A new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll about patriotism, pegged to this week's celebration of the Fourth of July, finds an overwhelming majority of those surveyed say they are proud to be Americans.  But they split almost down the middle, 42 percent to 39 percent, when asked whether they are proud of America right now.

I do get a kick out of the federal worker quoted in the article referring to Trump as a totalitarian after he sat through eight years of President Obama.  Here's what the discontented little fellow had to say:

"This is a very difficult time," says Daniel Kugler, 66, a federal worker from Washington, D.C., who was among those polled.  "There's not the norms that used to hold; they are not holding anymore."  He worries about "a slide toward a totalitarian situation" in which Congress and others are afraid to speak up against President Trump.

As a federal worker, he was obviously extremely proud and happy that Obama was transferring power and money from the rest of the U.S. to the government as fast as he could, and that made the area around Washington, D.C. very wealthy.  It is sad that he and others don't recognize how harmful that is to the rest of us, or else doesn't care.

But here's how I, and most of us in the heartland of America, see it:

I am truly proud to be an American, as I always have been, especially since we now have a president who:

• Has a goal to "Make America Great Again" instead of a president who wants to remake America.
• Is trying to give the power and purse back to the people through fewer regulations and lower taxes instead of a president who does everything he can to make the government more powerful.
• Has given us economic policies that have lowered unemployment rates for blacks and Hispanics to all-time lows instead of a president whose policies encourage people to be more dependent on government.
• Focuses on bringing back manufacturing jobs instead of constantly increasing regulations and declaring manufacturing jobs gone for good.
• Understands that if goods production continually moves to other countries, then eventually the same will come to our service industries, destroying our economy.
• Knows that capitalism is great and allowing corporations to keep more of the money they earn will help achieve economic growth and give people the opportunity to move up the economic ladder.  That beats the confiscation seen in the previous administration.
• Seeks to enforce immigration laws that Congress passed and recognizes that a country without borders is a dangerous country instead of a president who picked and chose which laws to enforce.
• Absolutely never considered ISIS the J.V. team.
• Has not left Americans to die while concocting a lie about a video to protect his political power.
• Has helped Ukraine defend itself against the Russians as we promised to do instead of being "flexible" with the Russians.
• Is pushing NATO countries to pay what they promised to pay, instead of having America bear the brunt of the cost.
• Does not give hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran to spread terrorism around the world, let alone pledges death to Israel and America.
• Keeps a promise to move our embassy to Jerusalem instead of previous presidents, who made empty promises.
• Gives people the freedom of choice of what type of health insurance to buy instead of a president who wants complete government control.
• Does not illegally spy on thousands of Americans, including political opponents.
• Does not use the IRS to stifle the free speech of political opponents.
• Does not have a gun-running operation to service Mexican smuggling cartels called "Fast and Furious."
• Believes that cities and states should follow laws that Congress passes, including immigration laws.
• Understands that the climate has changed naturally through billions of years instead of a president who is so arrogant that he believes that the government can control temperatures, sea levels, and storm activity forever if people and businesses just fork over trillions of dollars.
• Wants to produce more oil instead of a president who does not care whether the price rises to unsustainable levels.

I am sure people can think of many more things they are currently proud of after eight years of a president who dictatorially bragged that he could rule with a pen and a phone.

Finally, I am extremely thankful and proud that we had Founding Fathers who knew that the power needed to reside in the hands of the people instead of the central government.  They understood that if only the king and the government had guns, they would also have all the power.  We would not be free if the people were unable to arm themselves in the many necessary wars we have had, as well as in other ways, to protect our freedom.