In 1781, after the British surrendered to Gen. Washington’s troops in Yorktown, the defeated British and Hessian soldiers were marched through a double column of American troops while a small band played the old English tune, “The world turned upside down.”

It was a wholly appropriate anthem, because that surrender marked the beginning of the end of the once-great British Empire.

In today’s America, we may well be hearing a similar tune. This once-mighty nation is in terrible trouble, and our leaders’ actions mimic the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burns. Our leaders in Congress should be challenging every one of the president’s utopian schemes, but they seem more concerned with their personal agendas.

At the dawn of the 20th century, America was riding the tide of the industrial revolution, and her influence was felt across the globe. In the next 50 years, America would help Europe throw back the assault of fascism, and then join with its ally again to crush German and Japanese forces bent on world domination. No sooner had we conquered those nations, we came back to them to help rebuild their economies. America was the Jack Armstrong of planet earth; our motto might have been, “We won’t start the fight, but we will finish it.”

Looking back, that seems to have been the high point of our great democratic experiment. Since that time, most of the changes to our social fabric have been negative, regardless of their noble intent.

Because of the objection of one person to having our children pray in school, the Supreme Court banned it for everyone.

Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” legislation caused the disintegration of millions of low-income families, most of which were black.

As  Mexico’s economy weakened, millions of Mexicans entered our country illegally, and our politicians, rather than acting to stop the flood of illegals, actively encouraged it, solely for political gain.

It’s worth noting that President Eisenhower, reacting to a similar problem, actually closed the border with Mexico in 1954. With just more than 1,000 Immigration and Naturalization Service agents (10 percent of today’s force), he not only stopped the crossings, but he rounded up nearly half a million illegals and transported them, not just to the border, but 500 miles deep into their native country. He even used two large ocean-going vessels to transport many more thousands of illegals all the way to the southern Mexican city of Vera Cruz.

Uncontrolled immigration has contributed to the devastating plague of illegal drugs. Drug use in turn increases crime. For many, life in our inner cities is like living in a war zone.

Listening and watching the daily drumbeat of the disintegration of our nation, I reflect on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. How long, I wonder, until the Almighty says, “enough?”

We can reverse the decline of this country if we summon up the courage to find the leaders who will restore the principles that made us leader of the free world.  They’re out there — maybe among the men and women vying to be our next president.

Dealing with a seriously flawed Congress will be another matter. When the then-speaker of the House of Representatives said of Obamacare, “We just have to pass it so we can see what’s in it,” why wasn’t she placed in a rubber room?  After 28 years in elected office, she has taken on that mind set of all long-serving officials. They don’t give a hoot about what the voters think, because they’ve built up a huge coterie of loyalists who will guarantee their re-election unto death. 

Term limits will solve that issue.

We can still save our republic. But I don’t think we have much time to waste.

John Jamieson is a veteran of more than 20 years’ service in the Army who retired to Farmville in 2002. Following retirement, he worked with Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity. His email address is rnco39@gmail.com.