As this is the week of predictions, I have a prediction of my own.

After nearly four years of crushed optimism, I predict that in 2012, America will get back on its feet by getting back to its roots.

As a nation, we will rediscover our exceptionalism and stop making excuses for it, or worse, being ashamed by it.

We have temporarily lost our way.

We have turned our focus away from the heritage of our Democracy; a symbol of strength and fairness once respected around the world. That’s the America that our forefathers set in place, and that’s the America that we need to get back to.

The pursuit of happiness codified in our Declaration of Independence is made possible by the existence of our free enterprise system. Our founding fathers guaranteed us the equality of opportunity; they did not guarantee the equality of outcome or income.

What you make of yourself and how you invest your time and resources are totally up to the individual. This freedom has been misconstrued by groups that believe they are guaranteed a livelihood through entitlements and give-aways. That’s not what was promised, and it mocks those that work hard and take risk.

During the past few years, our vision has been clouded by the eroding confidence in a misfit economic agenda.

America will soon regain its rightful position as the most respected and trusted nation in the world by once again committing to our culture of entrepreneurialism and inventiveness.

In doing so, we must pay closer attention to world markets.

We should not be scared by global competition but inspired by it. We have nothing to fear if we roll up our sleeves and get to work building great products. We must demand our manufacturers have the same access to foreign markets as foreign manufacturers have to the U.S. market.

We must remember the world is fraught with problems. We are no different, but, I would much prefer to have our challenges to solve than those of Europe and Asia. Our difficulties are largely self-inflicted and therefore have American solutions. We’ve come though bad times before and will again.

Ours is a crisis of confidence and confidence will come roaring back once we have leadership that embraces our Exceptionalism.

If there is one thing that defines American Exceptionalism it is our workforce. Give an American worker an opportunity to excel and they will.

There is no worker anywhere in the world that can outwork, out-think and out-perform us. We need new leadership that understands this.

That’s why it is incumbent upon us to promote our education system domestically and internationally. The world has always been drawn by the exceptional U.S. university system, and the breakthroughs generated in technology, manufacturing and medicine. There’s a reason that the world wants to study in America.

But while we continuously improve our educational system, we must take a fresh look at the relationship between education and vocation. Despite some common perceptions that a college degree is an automatic road to prosperity, keep in mind that over half the jobs generated over the next decade will not require a college education but technical training. Technical training takes less time, is less costly, and produces the skills required to keep us competitive.
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In 2012, we will get back to our exceptionalism by electing a new president that will fire up the electorate and restore hope. He will say the things we need to hear and then go out and do them. When action replaces rhetoric, it will have an amazing impact on our confidence.

In 2012, we will begin moving this country back to the center. Although I am a conservative at heart, America has always performed best in the center.

The person to get us there is Mitt Romney, who will be our new president.

Many Democrats will join Republicans and Independents to right this ship in 2012. This will be an important step to our national healing. They will recognize the good of the nation outweighs the ills of partisanship.

I think it’s safe to say that the 2012 election could be one of the defining moments in America’s history. Although 2012 will begin with anxiety, despair and hardship it will end with the election of new leadership that will give all Americans a reason to be optimistic and excited about the future.

American Exceptionalism is not dead. It is waiting to be rekindled by the people who believe in the power and promise of the United States of America.