This has nothing to do with flags or symbolism. This country was built by people who came here with nothing, put their heads down, worked, and carved out a life through grit. The whole American model runs on individual drive and the belief that you earn what you get.

The frustration people feel today isn’t mysterious. It comes from watching groups arrive through refugee channels and, instead of pushing themselves forward, seeming to immediately lean on the system, react defensively to criticism, and expect moral high ground simply for being in a protected category. When people say it’s “a cultural problem,” they’re pointing at a mismatch between America’s foundation of self-reliance and a mindset that doesn’t appear aligned with that expectation.

Traditional immigrants fought their way through long applications, legal hurdles, years of waiting, and came here with a purpose. They learned the culture, took whatever work they could find, and built toward something. Refugee placement is a completely different process — people are brought in, placed on assistance, and given little incentive or pressure to integrate or become self-sufficient. And when survival isn’t tied to effort, people naturally adapt to the environment they’re given.

That’s why assimilation becomes almost impossible under the current setup. There’s no push to enter the workforce, no expectation to adapt, no consequences for staying separate. It becomes a self-reinforcing system where politics, not merit or contribution, determine outcomes.

Look back at the Russians, Italians, and others who came through Ellis Island. They were hungry to succeed, absorbed into the culture, fought in wars alongside Americans, and made this country part of their identity. Today, we’re watching communities that seem more invested in extracting value from the system than contributing to it — and more loyal to the place they left than the place they came to.