Here's a summary of his argument:
For those of us who spend far too much time following the news these days, it is easy to feel that everything is falling apart. Regardless of your political ideology, there is no doubt that this country is politically divided and facing serious challenges. To make matters worse, we are entering an election season. Politicians will be trying their best to convince us that we are one vote away from choosing between Nazi Germany and Venezuela.Stanton then goes on to note that our economy is doing great. Unemployment is at record lows, including minority unemployment, and earnings are up.
Yet, as we gather with friends and family this Thanksgiving, it is worth remembering that, beyond the headlines, things are actually pretty darn good. As both individuals and a country, we really have more than enough to be thankful for.
Inequality still exists but poverty is down. Last year, Americans donated $427 billion to charity, and more than 63 million people gave their time and talent to help others — over 8 billion volunteer hours.
Also down is crime, both property crime and violent crime, and prisoner incarceration rates are down 100,000 persons over the last decade.
Americans are healthier than ever. Americans are exercising and eating better, and smoking is at the lowest level since 1965. Race relations are improving as well as reflected in the growing number of interracial marriages and multi-racial children.
Stanton has the details to all this in his article at the link. He finishes with this:
Politics are not our life. The people we love, our faith, our families, the things we do that bring our lives joy and meaning — these things are far more important than politics. As George Will has pointed out: There are 357 million Americans; 350 million of them did not watch cable news or listen to talk radio yesterday.
