Hello, this is Representative Amanda Collamore with this week’s Republican Address.
As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on something that often gets overlooked.
If you turn on the television or scroll through social media, it’s easy to believe America is defined by division, dysfunction, and decline. We hear constantly about what’s wrong with our country, but far less about what’s right.
This month, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world have come to the United States for the FIFA World Cup. Many arrived expecting the America they’d seen portrayed in headlines and online. Instead, they’ve experienced something very different.
They’ve found welcoming communities, friendly people, beautiful landscapes, and a nation that continues to offer hope and opportunity. They’re seeing what generations of immigrants, visitors, and dreamers have long discovered: America is still a place where people come to build a better future.
The United States has never been perfect. It wasn’t in 1776, and it isn’t today.
But our Founders created something extraordinary. They established a nation built on the enduring truth that our rights come from God, not government, and that every person is created equal in dignity and worth. Those principles have carried our nation through wars, economic hardship, political disagreements, and moments that tested us.
Since the beginning, America has continued moving forward because we’ve never stopped believing tomorrow can be better than today.
I believe we’re seeing that spirit renewed. Americans are rediscovering the value of strong communities, safe neighborhoods, economic opportunity, and pride in our shared history. That doesn’t mean ignoring our challenges. It means meeting them with confidence instead of cynicism.
Here in Maine, that lesson is just as important.
We have hardworking people, strong communities, abundant natural resources, and a quality of life that’s among the best in the nation. Our future should be defined not by what can’t be done, but by what we can accomplish together.
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, let’s remember that our story has always been one of perseverance, self-government, opportunity, and hope.
Sometimes it takes seeing our country through the eyes of a visitor to remind us of what an extraordinary nation we call home.
May we preserve that legacy, strengthen it, and pass it on to the generations that follow.
Thank you for listening. This has been Representative Amanda Collamore with this week’s Republican Address.
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