It is important to recognize that nature is the source of capitalism, and the individual is the source of a great nation. Of course, ironclad founding principles like the Constitution and Bill of Rights are a crucial foundation giving individuals the bedrock of freedom to construct upon.

Without nature’s vast array of resources, capitalism would not be possible. Without a government focused on individual freedoms, and education, America cannot be great. Any actions that sacrifice nature for the attainment of capital, or individualism for the sake of nationalism, are backward in sustaining both ideas. Individual citizens reaching their highest potential, collectively, are what make a nation great. Touting greatness as some sort of heritage, or nationalistic right, is false.

Protecting the environment wholeheartedly is, in the long run, protecting capitalism. Educating citizens, and providing a stable and fertile ecosystem — to plant seeds of all sorts — enriches the nation as a whole. We are a tribe 300 million strong; the benevolent idea of caring about everybody else, while pursuing your individualistic goals, as long as those goals are in harmony with nature and the whole society, is worth striving for.

Jeff Robinson, Holladay