Recently, Joe Biden warned us that "standing up for our values is not without costs."  But what values is Biden talking about when he says that?

Joe Biden's terrible and inexcusable missteps caused him to seek ways to take the spotlight off his administration's many grotesque failures.  These failures make America vulnerable to chaos occurring worldwide.

The war between Russia and Ukraine will significantly accelerate more economic pain (inflation, shortages, "supply-chain" disruptions, etc.).  Biden would like to "soften us up" for some economic "hard blows" we will endure in the coming days and months.  Using manipulation tactics and talking points about "our values," Biden hopes to coalesce national pride and a team spirit amid real economic pain and uncertainty.  He reminds Americans that "standing up for our values is not without costs."  His statement totally sidesteps questions like, "What are our values?"  And "Is Joe Biden helping or hindering standing up for our values?"

People from all over the world still come to America to embrace America's commitment to "liberty and justice for all."  Viewed through the lens of collective zeal for liberty, however, government-mandated vaccine policies and mandatory masking certainly do not comport with "our values." Yet Biden continues these onerous mandates despite growing scientific evidence showing they are far more damaging than helpful.

America's collective desire for liberty and justice extends to national sovereignty and border policies.  But open and marginally secured borders encouraging illegal migration fosters neither liberty nor justice either for Americans or those who are human-/sex-trafficked.  Weak border policies also dramatically accelerate drug- and weapon-trafficking.  Needless to say, these policies don't comport with "our values," either.  So what exactly does Joe mean by "our values?"

Recent polling confirms that Americans believe that "our values" include protecting national sovereignty via our borders, something that should come before going around the world to protect other nations' borders.  It's hard to fathom, but Biden is more zealous about protecting Ukraine's sovereignty (including sending U.S. border agents to help protect Ukrainian borders), instead of protecting the sovereignty and security of America's borders.  Americans want to see a strong commitment to safeguarding sovereignty and "democracy" at home before becoming the world's police and champions of "democracy" elsewhere.  Get our own house in order first — that reflects the core of "our values"!

We also see energy independence as an essential American value.  Biden's policies significantly limiting oil and gas drilling in America have weakened us and made us unnecessarily vulnerable to America's foes.  Importing energy from nefarious nation-states seeking to undermine America's liberty — that isn't one of "our values."  Policies that produce energy independence to meet the demands of a vibrant economy while providing lower fuel costs are "our values"!  Biden seems purposely blind to and ignorant about this American value, instead embracing irrationality and imprudence.

Image: Joe Biden (edited).  YouTube screen grab.

Notably, "our values" also demand safety in civil society.  Escalating crimes encouraged by "no bail reforms" and by "defunding" law enforcement agencies create chaotic and unsafe communities.  These policies are not "our values"!

Safe streets and communities where children can play without threat are quintessential American traditions and values.  Yet Biden's "soft on crime" initiatives (bolstered by his political party and supporters) have turned American streets and neighborhoods into wholly unsafe battle zones.  With Biden policies demonstrating leniency and partiality toward criminals — ignoring law-abiding citizens' safety concerns — America doesn't stand for "liberty and justice for all."

Ironically, Joe Biden has an excellent opportunity to confirm "our values."  If he's sincere, he will focus on immediate policies like securing U.S. national sovereignty (via borders).  He would do this before securing the borders of aligned partners in foreign lands.

He would also immediately focus on halting the escalating cartel activities that rob us of fundamental decency via human-/sex-/drug-/weapon-trafficking.  With the "stroke of a pen" Biden would also advance American values by immediately reinitiating all drilling permits so America can once again become energy independent (as we were when he became president).  Lastly, he would make sure his supporters and political party renounce and denounce the "no bail" and "defund police" movements.  These policy moves would all reflect "our values."

Americans aren't stupid.  It doesn't work to use insincere pablum to supposedly "soften the blow" of impending economic chaos and to encourage collective teamwork to get through it when there is no genuine, principled desire to stand for our real values.

We must stand for American values, including sovereign national borders, energy independence, and safe communities.  But unfortunately, Biden's policies reveal these are not his values.  His statement made clear that his values will indeed come with a very high "cost."  But Americans collectively paying high (and altogether preventable) costs is not an acceptable answer when the "values" aren't ours.  Biden must abandon his destructive policies and embrace real American values.

Author Kevin McGary, president and founder of Every Black Life Matters (EveryBLM.com), is an entrepreneur, author, and public speaker.  Kevin serves as chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of California and is an executive with the Douglass Leadership Institute and the Northstar Leadership PAC.  As a professional, Kevin has worked the past 35 years in information technology, specializing in the arenas of cyber-security, enterprise applications, application development automation, and enterprise job scheduling/utilities.  Kevin leads a collection of proactive individuals committed to developing innovative and new approaches to today's socio-political issues, and with the assistance of elected officials and myriad of community activists, he lectures and provides workshops about today's most perplexing social issues.