The human suffering in our cities is a symptom of deep cultural rot. Here's how I plan to fix it

 Vivek Ramaswamy  

I don’t believe it has to be this way. After traveling the country and speaking with voters, I am more convinced than ever that we don’t have to be a nation in decline. But first, we have to make that choice — a choice to be better, to do better. And it starts with better policies.

"We frequently evoke the ideals of American excellence and exceptionalism. But earlier this week when I visited Kensington, Pennsylvania, what I saw was a third-world reality within our own country. Those needle-ridden streets are the direct consequence of a porous southern border and disastrous domestic policies that pay people to do the opposite of what we want them to do.

We get the leaders we deserve. Such as these.

"What I witnessed revealed to me the profound reality of the double consciousness that permeates our nation — the stark contrast between the grand ideals we champion versus the harsh realities faced by those dwelling in the depths of despair in Kensington. Regrettably, a Kensington can be found in nearly every corner of America.

"If we are only as strong as our weakest link, then Kensington is an unsettling portrait of an America in decline, embodying the antithesis of progress and optimism. This was not a representation of America first; it was a distressing manifestation of what happens when we enact bad policies that put America last.". . .