Academic Rants

It is not a surprise that Governor Andrew Cuomo's recent statements created a firestorm and that some Americans are outraged. However, they should not be. The governor spoke the truth. America strives for greatness, but greatness has yet to be achieved. I would like to offer a different perspective of America, and suggest that "right now" this is one of the "best nations on earth." Only in America can a diverse group of citizens rise from poverty and become successful.  Some Americans can become millionaires or even president. But as amazing as that potentially is, the degree of American mobility and opportunity is limited and not available to all of its citizens. In our daily conversations, we tend to debate "greatness". "Greatness" is a relative term, one that is best used in descriptions of movies, restaurants, food, sports teams, and music. "National greatness" or the "historical greatness" of a nation is a de...

If we are relying on President Trump's tweets for interpretative news, today would have proved that political figures have different perspectives of the past. When Governor Andrew Cuomo made a strong anti-Trump comment during his speech (Wednesday August 15th), the audience gasped in reaction. Hours later, the president seized on his words to state that Cuomo was "having a total meltdown," suggesting that Gov. Cuomo was deranged and unpatriotic.   Another voice, Marcus Molinaro, New York's Republican candidate for governor, suggested that Mr. Cuomo apologize to the nation.  Mr. Molinaro responded, "America with its imperfections, has always been great." However, the statement needs to be taken in context. Gov. Cuomo stated that "America isn't that great," but that was not the entire comment.  Cuomo, like other Democratic and Republic voices of the past, was challenging the nation and its people to be greater. "We are not going t...