A very short and incomplete list of things America has done that definitely weren't cash money:
1. Slavery
2. Jim Crow
3. The Vietnam War
4. Iran-Contra & other underhanded and unnecessary operations during Cold War
5. The Iraq War
6. Overstaying our welcome in Afghanistan long after OBL was killed
7. Withdrawing from Paris Agreement and other climate change efforts
We have done good things as well, many of which are mirror images of the above:
1. Ended slavery
2. Ended Jim Crow
3. Helped bring WWI to an end; in WWII defeated the Nazis (with assistance from allies) and stopped the Japanese Empire; defended South Korea in the Korean War
4. Stood up to the USSR in defense of freedom
5. Opposed Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War; later opposed ISIS
6. Dismantled Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and around the world
7. Made some greenhouse gas reductions and invested in green tech (though not enough I would say)
It is possible to discuss our history frankly without a reductionist patriotic vs. unpatriotic mindset. In fact, it's exactly what we need to do in order to make good decisions for the future.
