Why this aging millennial still loves America, even if Gen Z doesn't get it

It's been 248 years since we started this country, America, the beautiful. Two-hundred forty eight years since those who came before us claimed it had become "necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands" and resolved that "whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it."

What an extraordinary idea.

But what has become of these United States of America in that time? Should we still love our country even when we can't stand it? Can we still proclaim that we're patriots even when we're slogging through the worst election year ever?

Patriotism is on the decline

If it feels like people love America a little less than they used to, you're not imagining things. According to polls, patriotism has declined, especially among young people. In a 2023 Wall Street Journal survey, only 38% said patriotism was very important to them, down sharply from 1998, when 70% deemed patriotism to be very important.

It is worth noting that patriotism isn't the only thing that has declined. The same survey found that Americans now care significantly less about the things almost everyone used to care about; the importance of religion, children and community also had sharply declined.

The retreat from traditional values is particularly acute among America's Generation Z, born between 1997 to 2012. It's discouraging to see that the next generation of leaders isn't just anti-patriotism but anti, well, everything that gives life meaning, except for money. Apathy isn't a value, but Gen Z seems to think it is. (Good luck with that; please reconsider.)

Gen Z has a major problem:Our widening gender divide has turned political. It's ruining our relationships.

Anti-American sentiments seem to be on the rise, too. People are more vocal than they used to be about their disdain for this country. Or, at least, social media provides a more obvious platform for them to talk about how much they don't like America.

Even the protests this spring on university campuses across the country were a mix of antisemitism and anti-American ideas. It's disheartening to see 20-somethings at one of the best universities in the world try to tear down the American flag. Surely that is the height of privilege.

Around the world, views on America are mixed. A 2021 Pew Research Center poll found that outsiders see the United States in a positive light for some things ‒ like its advanced technology, entertainment industry, robust military and top-tier universities ‒ but negatively for other things, like its fledgling health care system, discrimination and the state of its democracy.

America isn't perfect

America isn't perfect, sure. But my qualms as a millennial are probably different from Gen Z's concerns. There's a huge generational gap on what governments should and shouldn't do, rooted in political ideology, among other things. I tend to err on the side of "that government is best which governs least," so I favor a smaller government that exists to provide Americans with the foundation and backbone necessary to succeed, not a government that favors handouts.

To that end, I think America's government is much larger than it should be, spending taxpayer dollars into infinity. Aside from a massive spike in defense spending during World War II, nondefense spending as a share of gross domestic product has continued to rise for a century. The federal debt is monstrous and is not only currently affecting inflation, which has driven up the cost of everyday goods for Americans, but also will hurt this country long term.

I'm a Republican woman.Progressives are wrong about what I believe.

Taxes are also enormously high, though they've declined from the rates in place from the 1940s through the 1960s. Recall that Americans in the original colonies revolted over the taxation of tea, a smaller grievance to be sure than our current onerous tax rates. It was one of many in a "long train of abuses and usurpations" that urged them to the belief that it was "their right ... their duty, to throw off such Government." 

I have no doubt that the Founding Fathers would be disgusted to see what we, the American taxpayers, have allowed. If taxes don't raise your blood pressure, look at the withholdings on your paycheck and see if that doesn't stir even the tiniest bit of Boston Harbor-like righteous indignation.

Some taxes are good and necessary. They provide for defense and the general well-being of Americans, but the wealthiest in America pay more than their fair share and even middle-class taxes are too high.

America is still great

Even with all the complaints a person could lodge at America − taxes, racism, poverty, health care − the macro benefits of being an American far outweigh our problems. In fact, some of the benefits are taken so much for granted, we likely don't recognize them as such. They're a given.

The U.S. Constitution allows for a set of parameters, checks and balances, to keep a power-hungry dictator from turning the country into a hellhole. If you think Donald Trump or Joe Biden are power-hungry dictators, you can check yourself with the fact that I have the freedom to write this column: If either of them really were a dictator, you wouldn't be reading this because I would have been sent to a gulag long ago.

And the Unites States doesn't value only its own free people, but others as well. With the aid of our allies, we consistently keep evil regimes in check, from Nazism and Soviet Communism to the Islamic State terrorirsts and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Evil leaders still exist, but they haven't overtaken the world, in no small part because Americans have served and continue to serve on the front lines of freedom.

Our own freedoms − speech, religion and my favorite, the right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances" − are unlike what much of the world enjoys. While there are limitations, and there should be, religious freedom and the freedom to speak out for one's beliefs, or against our own government, are paramount and unparalleled. Sure, Russia has extraordinary architecture, but you can be jailed and poisoned for disagreeing with Putin. I'll take Freedom for $500, any day, Alex.

These freedoms, coupled with America's free market, have propelled America to extraordinary success by most metrics. From its robust economy and our massive military, that protects freedom rather than destroying it, to thriving entrepreneurs, America leads the way in so many categories.

Gen Z has become skeptical of innovation, capitalism and wealth. That is silly. America has more billionaires than any other country because of innovations we all enjoy. In fact, "America’s 806 Billionaires Are Now Richer Than Half the Population," a Mother Jones headline reads. I suppose a liberal would read that and feel outrage, maybe even anxiety. I think it's great.

Wealth allows Americans to be generous, to help those living in poverty and to continue to invent incredible things. Only one example: In 2022, Americans gave almost $500 billion to charity, ranking as the third most generous country.

This year's election is a slog. We're being forced to choose between a convicted narcissist and an incompetent elderly man who refuses to leave the stage. It's not great. America has its share of problems, but it could be far worse. This, too, shall pass.

America is still an amazing place to live and thrive. It's so great, you can complain about it all you want and still live here.

I'm so glad that 248 years ago, a bevy of patriots, far more courageous than I am, had the foresight to declare themselves independent of tyranny and to "form a more perfect Union."

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.