I love America. Yes, I am one of those simple minded, ignorant rednecks who think America is truly beautiful. Two years ago, I was given a rare perspective on this country few will ever see.

When I stepped off the bus after a tour in Fallujah and saw my family for the first time in a year, a most profound gratefulness for the blessing that is America rose up within me. Passion for American freedom tugged at my heart and has not let go to this day.

While others may passively sing the Star Spangled Banner without a second thought, I cannot get through the song without tears welling up in my eyes. For me, freedom has a sweet taste many in this country will never know. I will never take anything for granted again.

Since the Civil War, we have come through two World Wars, the Great Depression and over a dozen recessions. Because of the freedom and opportunity we enjoy in America, we have endured each crisis through hard work, unbridled patriotism and undying optimism.

I love Americans because we refuse to accept defeat. We are a people who always look at a seemingly insurmountable obstacle with confidence and eagerness. Through sheer determination and love for our families, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and get things done.

Recessions are a time for Americans to gain a new appreciation for hard work and the fruits of labor. They are a time to be reminded that our blessings are not free, and just as our forefathers poured sweat and blood to build what we have, we must bleed to maintain it. There is nothing more rewarding than overcoming hardship through hard work.

This is what America is about. And I don’t think President Obama got the memo.

It seems as soon as Obama stepped from the campaign trail to the oval office, his message instantly switched from “Hope and Change” to “Doom and Gloom.” The president has been touring the country trying to salvage the dying support for his new stimulus plan.

During his tour, I have heard more uses of the words disaster, catastrophe, crisis, “depression” and “desperate” than I care to in my life. He has called this the worst financial disaster since the great depression. In reality, it is the worst financial disaster since the early 1980s.

Obama has set out to convince everyone we are on the brink of Armageddon if we don’t pass this spending bill. Obama appears to be doing the same thing Bush was accused of – using the politics of fear.

Things are bad, and a president should never deny a problem exists. However, in the midst of a crisis, a true leader should inspire confidence, not instill fear.

In the speeches since his election, Obama has done nothing but remind us just how bitter, miserable and worried we should be. Rather than having hope in the resilience of the American people, he has simply stated only government can save us. Rather than inspire us to endure the pain and tackle this problem, he is expanding his nanny state version of government to ensure we endure as little pain as possible.

Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation recently reported the economic stimulus package passed on Saturday will set in motion another $523 billion in new welfare spending over 10 years. You won’t find this amount in the bill’s much-advertised grand total because it is hidden by budgetary gimmicks. Additionally, the bill contains rewards for state governments to enroll more people in welfare.

I may be accused of being insensitive to the pain the recession has caused if I suggest we should be trying to keep as many people off welfare as possible. I am not denying there are seriously impoverished families who sometimes have no other option when it comes to feeding their kids, but who does Obama think we are?

Apparently Obama does not know the America I know. Where Obama sees helplessness and hopelessness, I see Americans who can defeat this crisis if given a chance. Do we really want to hand control of our destiny over to the people in Washington? I must not be the only one who believes we are better than this.

Americans can pull themselves out of this if government will only step out of the way and let us do what we do best: persevere, innovate and succeed. In the words of Ronald Reagan, the issue is “whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them for ourselves.”

We can do it, and don’t believe the hacks in Washington who tell you otherwise. When we have pressed through the darkness and stepped into a new era of hope and opportunity, we will bask in our newfound gratitude and perspective and find that all the pain was truly worth it.