Why flags are at half-staff today - al.com

 

 

 

Anyone having lived long enough knows that our best years are behind us. not ahead of us. Just a fact. Anyone thinking otherwise hasn’t been paying attention, lived long enough, or resides in a state of delusion.

Especially if a truly born again disciple of the LORD Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach.

Each passing day, we are one day closer to the fulfillment of ALL Bible prophecy. It is happening.

Contrary to the hot wind that emanates from every president before Congress at every State of the Union who spews how our best days lie ahead of U.S.

P.R. baloney. Just words. A prerequisite to being president and giving a State of the Union speech.

Live long enough, paying keen attention, while being objective, while also being a truly born again, faithful, Bible fluent disciple of Jesus, Yeshua, and, well, you know — YOU KNOW — our best years are behind us.

Only the oblivious, the deluded, the fantasist, a president before Congress, a politician running for reelection, a realtor attempting to sell you a home, a stockbroker needing a sale, thinks otherwise.

Even the majority of folks in America understand this.

It isn’t pessimism, it isn’t being negative. It’s being objective. Living in reality. Not being deluded. That’s all. Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.

Buckle up. Prepare. Because these are going to be considered the “Good Old Days” in what lies ahead. ESPECIALLY once the Rapture takes place.

Whew! Just wait to see where this nation goes then. Of course, my wife and I, and others won’t be here to witness that, thankfully. But if you are? Oh, woe to you, my friend, woe to you!

Here’s the thing — you don’t have to be here to witness such a thing. Totally unnecessary. Go to Jesus, turn to Jesus, believe and submit to Jesus, repent and seek the LORD Jesus Christ, and avoid having to live in such a horrible situation.

Because such a time is coming.

Think about this — what will America become once all the true believers, the true disciples of Jesus, are removed? Think it’s going to get better?

Hummm…

As in the days of Noah, my friend. Think those were good times? Maybe it’s time to spend more time in THE BOOK. The Holy Bible. Time to spend more time in the Holy Bible study. More time in fervent, faithful prayer. More time in repentance. While our Good, Gracious, Loving God provides breath and a beating heart. So that heart can turn to Him and from this world.

Read on…

Ken Pullen, Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

 

 

A majority of Americans say the country’s best years are behind us

 

May 15, 2026

By

Reprinted from the Pew Research Center

 

 

Ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary, 59% of Americans say the country’s best years are behind us, while 40% say its best years are ahead.

Americans are also much more pessimistic (44%) than optimistic (28%) when asked to think about what things will be like in the U.S. 50 years from now. Another 27% are neither optimistic nor pessimistic, according to a December 2025 Pew Research Center survey.

Views on whether the country’s best years are behind or ahead of us differ somewhat across demographic and political groups.

A diverging bar chart showing that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults say America’s best years have passed.

Race and ethnicity: Majorities of Black (66%), Hispanic (64%) and White adults (57%) say the country’s best years are behind us, as do 53% of Asian adults.

Income: Majorities of adults with lower and middle incomes say the country’s best years are behind us (61% each). Upper-income adults are evenly split: Half say the nation’s best years are behind us and half say its best years are still to come.

Party: Democrats and those who lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely to say the country’s best years are behind us (64%) rather than ahead (34%). Republicans and Republican leaners are more evenly divided: 53% say the country’s best years are behind us, while 46% say they’re ahead.

How partisan views have changed over time

A diverging bar chart showing that Republicans are feeling better about America’s future than they were in 2014.

Views on this question at least partly reflect the political dynamic of the moment. When we asked this same question in a 2014 telephone survey – when the Democratic Party held the White House and the U.S. Senate – Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say the country’s best years were in the future (57% vs. 32%). Most Republicans (64%) said the country’s best years had passed.

Due to differences in survey methodology, the 2014 findings are not directly comparable to the findings from the December 2025 survey.

Related: The United States at 250: How the Country Has Changed in the Past 50 Years

Are Americans pessimistic or optimistic about the country’s future?

A diverging bar chart showing that Liberal Democrats are most likely to feel pessimistic about what the U.S. will be like in 50 years.

When asked to think about what things will be like in the U.S. 50 years from now, many Americans are downbeat:

  • 44% say they feel very or somewhat pessimistic.
  • 28% feel very or somewhat optimistic.
  • 27% feel neither optimistic nor pessimistic.

On this question, too, Democrats have a more negative view than Republicans. Half of Democrats say they feel pessimistic about the country’s future, compared with 39% of Republicans.

Liberal Democrats have particularly gloomy views: 63% are very or somewhat pessimistic, compared with 41% of moderate and conservative Democrats. Opinions among Republicans don’t vary as much by ideology.

Note: Here are our survey questions used for this analysis, the detailed responses and the survey methodology.

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