Conservative Thinker

Thanksgiving is filled with amazing aromas that trigger memories of days gone by. Remembering those childhood days at my grandparents and the sights and sounds of a bustling kitchen. The smell of the turkey roasting in the oven as it mixes with the smells of the cranberries, mashed potatoes, carrots, fruit salad, and pumpkin pie. The sound of laughter and banter from aunts and uncles, parents, grandparents, and cousins. Thanksgiving Day is truly a uniquely American holiday that combines food and drink with family and friends. We all get lost in the smells, sights, and sounds of the day but most of us fail to grasp the real essence of Thanksgiving. Well beyond the tastes of food and the football games there lies a core centerpiece to Thanksgiving. That centerpiece is celebrating the fruits of your labor for the year past and giving thanks to God for all of the rich blessings that have been bestowed on us. The core values of hard work and self-determination make the bountiful har...

I grew up in a small suburban town just north of Milwaukee, WI in the 1970's and 1980's. My parents were middle-class hard working folks who always provided a safe and loving home for my brother and myself. It was, by most standards, your typical small town with a McDonald's and a Ben Franklin store and several churches of varying denominations. The elementary and middle school were just a block up the street from our first house and the baseball field and basketball courts were easily accessible for kids like myself to play all day long in the summer. So what is the America I knew? The America I knew was a place where a kid could hope and dream the biggest dreams, and if he put his heart and mind to it, could achieve them and more. It was a place where neighbors knew one another and helped out in times of need. It was a place where families ate dinner together around the kitchen table and talked about their days. It was a place where families gathered at church on Sun...