Somewhere along the way to political correctness our Nation decided that everyone should get an award ribbon just for showing up. How can we learn to be competitive as a society if we don’t learn to compete as kids? Jimmie Johnson just finished up his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. None of the legendary drivers in the sports’ sixty year history have ever won four championships in a row! Only one other driver even got a chance to do so. But instead of enjoying this championship for the history it brings the sport, the fans choose to boo Jimmie Johnson and his team. They moan and complain that Johnson has all of the advantages. Our society does the same thing complaining about the advantages those rotten rich people have in America. Instead of working harder in their own lives to get ahead a lot of people just moan and groan that they are disadvantaged. Sports often imitate life so I wonder…can Jimmie Johnson and his team teach America to be more competitive again?

Back in the old days of NASCAR guys kept that competitive fire going because they either won races to survive or they went back to work in the mills to earn a living. Today’s NASCAR drivers earn millions of dollars even if they finish in the back of the pack. Some become good losers and seem to accept their position in NASCAR as middle of the pack racers. Jimmie Johnson has earned more money in his eight years in NASCAR than he ever dreamed of having when he was growing up in El Cajon, California. But winning one championship just made him and his team hungrier to win another. In the closing laps of Sunday’s race as Johnson was on his way to his fourth championship instead of already celebrating the win Johnson was giving his team important information to use next season. That is how the best of the best become the best of the best!

Most Americans have become complacent in today’s world. My Dad was a product of the Great Depression and learned those lessons well by always being ready for a down turn in the economy. Nowadays we seem to want it all right now! When bad times come instead of showing self reliance we expect the Government to bail us out. We seem to have lost that competitive edge. Our manufacturing base has shrunk and we have convinced ourselves that it is better to learn how to think than to build things. Millions of people depend on the “Nanny State” in order to survive. Back in the day my Dad was ashamed that his family needed help from the Salvation Army to make it through the tough times. But despite being a middle class grunt his whole life he paid the Salvation Army back many times with donations over the years.

Everyone gets a ribbon nowadays! I am almost shocked that we keep score in any sporting event because it’s so horrible that someone has to lose. Shouldn’t even the lowly Detroit Lions get a participation ring? Race fans whine and moan about how the No. 48 team has everything so it’s no wonder their guy can’t compete. Excuses are made even for drivers from the same organization that race in identical equipment! Instead of whining that your favorite team is a victim of the great No. 48 demand better of your team to knock the champion off next season. Maybe we can all learn from the example of Jimmie Johnson and strive to be the best in all we do. Can Jimmie Johnson teach America to be more competitive again?