Ever since I was in elementary school, the Olympics mesmerized me. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson represented the perfect blend of elegance, grace, grit and strength. The way the beach volleyball players soared awed me and since 2008, I’ve secretly wanted to be a glamorous weightlifter. Opening ceremonies evoke such deep feelings of pride and nationalistic morale, I can’t watch without tearing up. The P&G Mom’s commercials literally rip out my heart and scatter it into a billion pieces (Though, I would like to see a P&G Dad’s commercial, for all those fathers who never miss a game). Every two years, we get the opportunity to scream, “TAKE THAT, RUSSIA” at our television screens and declare pride for our country without being written off as racist.

In Rio de Janiero, there are over 560 Americans completing, training, coaching and cheering at the games. Our athletes and families have worked for years and given their lives to their sport. Among the competitors are mothers, fathers, college students (Virginia Thrasher and Katie Ledecky: I want to be your friend), and high school students, all who are legal and proud Americans. They have worked and earned this title of an Olympian and for a portion of them, their work, dedication and abilities score them a medal or two.

I have to ask myself what would have to happen for me to revoke my pride for this incredible country. What if, during the medal ceremony, Michael Phelps stepped off the podium and said, “I have so many gold medals, I don’t need this one, even though I earned it fair and square. Where is Serbia? Where are the Refugee Olympic Athletes? My team is going to give them our medals.”?

I think this would do it for my American pride.

If a national figure, like Phelps, pulled such a stunt, Americans my parents' age would be so confused. But, the social media accounts from twenty-something’s would explode with crying emoji’s and peace signs. I don’t know about you, but if I was one of Phelps' relay members, I would be so furious. They earned that gold medal; every gold medal awarded to an Olympian has been earned with the whole world watching. Such a stunt to seem more politically correct would be a slap in the face of the years of hard work, dedication, sweat and sacrifice.

Unfortunately, this kind of scenario is exactly what a portion of Americans want and are voting for this November. My parents, grandparents and those in their generation sacrificed for decades to make America a great place to live for their families. They worked to fulfill the American dream, that if you work hard, you can have a better life and your kids can have a better life. You can climb the ladder of success with sweaty palms and sleepless nights. Now, my hard work is not going to directly benefit me, my family or other hard working Americans like me. Now, the ladder of success is an elevator, running on guilt and pity. Truth is, my tax dollars are not completely going toward fixing my roads, building a theater program in the local high school (which I did not attend, but still pay for), paying my local and state police officers, helping Veterans who have physical and mental trauma from defending my safety, or paying the current militia. Instead, politicians who have sworn to be ‘for the people and by the people’ of the United States want to take my earned money and give it to radical thugs who stomp on my flag and spit in the face of my God. Instead, those who may be elected in November, want to increase the already smothering tax rate and send American profits to the middle east for nuclear bombs that are meant to blow us up. Instead, the money I earned this summer is not appropriately going to be paying my college school bill, but going to the pockets of unemployed, uneducated protestors in downtown Chicago who call me uneducated, just because I don’t see things their way. I am tired of hearing people use "justice" and "pity" interchangeably, encouraging me to thwart the life my parents and their parents worked so hard to give me.

Leftists, you say you’re going to end college student debt, but you plan to raise taxes. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot smother us in taxation and political correctness and promise a more progressive America, where everyone is taken care of. You have forgotten about the average middle class American living in suburbia or the normal farm town. You have left us out of the conversation and equation completely.

So yes, I am proud to be an American (especially when I watch the Olympics), even though I cringe when I listen to most politicians talk. I am proud when our beautiful national anthem plays and our flag waves. I am proud when I see Americans standing on top of the podium, clasping gold and not giving it to someone else out of pity or guilt. Pride wells inside me when I see the hard work of our Olympians pay off at the top of the podium. The stars and stripes inspire me, the Olympians, clad in those stars, amaze me. I’m awed when I see where sacrifice and tireless dedication can take normal Americans, like the largest world stage in our modern era.