I am contemplating the current set of American Values. From what I have seen of current history, they would appear to be:

Strike First and Strike Hard.
Lie, Lie, Lie.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment is OK.
Kick a man when he is down.
Win at any cost.
The Ends justify the Means .*
Compromise is for sissies.
No need to support your neighbors in need.
Spurn your friends who disagree with you.
Don’t prepare for the future. Be a Grasshopper, not an ant.
We will Protect you, at any cost, whether you like it or not.
If you’re not with me, not only are you against me, you are for my enemies!
Everyone is my enemy.
The Individual is supreme (except when that individual interferes with corporate or governmental priorities.)

These are not the American Values I grew up with, not the Values I learned in my youth. Did I grow up in some warped, white-bread America where fair-play, level playing-fields, and the Bill of Rights were the guiding lights of American Values? Where self-reliance and self-determination were bulwarks of personal responsibility, but not the sole supports? Where compromise to reach common goals made society work and easy to get along with?

*I always have a problem with “The Ends justify the Means” value statement. Just what or when is the Ends? Is it when Mankind is extinct? Is it when Earth gets swallowed up by the Sun? Is it the Heat Death of the Universe? Is it “The Rapture”? Just when is the End?

There are other recurring American Values that still seem to survive, like:

Feed at the Public Trough
Share the wealth with your supporters.
We’re #1! We’re #1! We’re#1!

Actually, those values seem to be universal and not just American. Americans just do it better!