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Editor's Note: The following opinion piece is adapted from author Doug DeVos' new book, “Believe! A timeless endorsement of American principles” (50th Anniversary Edition), (Post Hill Press, November 25, 2025).
Is America on the verge of an incredible comeback? Or is America in decline?
No doubt you've heard (or even asked) these questions as our country prepares for its 250th birthday next year: July 4, 2026, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It seems like everyone is asking these questions.
For the first time in history, less than half of Americans think our best days are ahead. More and more people think that our best days are in the rearview mirror. Four in five Americans now believe their children's lives will be worse than theirs. That number has doubled in just 20 years. And when it comes to the long term, more Americans worry that someone born in the future will be worse off than someone born in the past.
But is it true? Is America really in decline? I have also asked myself this question. And my answer is a resounding: No!
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The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as Lower Manhattan is seen at dusk on September 8, 2016, in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
I don't think we are declining. I think we are adrift. There is a big difference. We don't feel anchored to the core ideas that created the American experiment and the American dream. We let ourselves be carried away by the current and carried by the wind. But while that's not the same as decline, it's still dangerous. America was never destined to drift. America is supposed to boldly move forward, uplift our people, and lead our world.
Let me be clear: America is still the strongest country in the world in many ways. But we are not moving where we should go and what we should be. The good news is that we can get the country back on track. We just need to remember who we are and what we stand for, and then we need to build a future on the time-tested principles that made us great in the first place.
What are those principles? Belief in people. Free enterprise. The family. Responsibility and human dignity. Every generation of Americans has applied these principles to overcome challenges and overcome division. And that is what we have to do today.
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We can't wait for someone else to save America. Not politicians, no matter how important they are. Neither do business or community leaders. The true leaders of this country are you, me, and all of our fellow citizens. And while this may seem daunting, it is also empowering. The future depends on you.
That future will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think tomorrow will be worse, you will act accordingly. You will try less and try less. You will try to get more than you give because, after all, things are bad, so who cares?
But if you believe that tomorrow will be better, you will act very differently. Instead of sitting down, you will take a step forward. Instead of accepting the problems around us, you will wonder how you can solve them. You will never settle for the status quo, because you know you can chart a path forward.
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The stakes could not be higher. And if you don't act, make no mistake: America's drift can turn into a decline. But if action is taken, if the time-tested principles that define the best of our history are applied, then America will find its direction again.
What are those principles? Belief in people. Free enterprise. The family. Responsibility and human dignity. Every generation of Americans has applied these principles to overcome challenges and overcome division. And that is what we have to do today.
We have everything we need to move forward because we have you. Our people continue to be the most creative and entrepreneurial on the planet. Our economy continues to be the envy of the world. Hundreds of millions of people want to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. And our country's story is one of incredible progress, fueled by ordinary people taking everyday action.
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This is how we have approached every challenge we have faced. We have overcome evils like slavery, enacted civil rights and women's rights, and given more and more people a real chance to live their best lives. We have worked to make our union a little more perfect with each generation. We're not there yet and we still have a lot of work to do together. However, deep down we all know that it can be achieved and that you are essential to making it happen.
You have the opportunity to transform your future, your community and our nation, to give new life to the American Dream. You have the opportunity to find extraordinary success and then help others succeed too. And, above all, you have the opportunity to prove (to yourself and others) that America's days of drift are over. If the principles that built and sustained this country are maintained, the future of the United States is bright indeed.
