Happy birthday, America! Despite what some people say, we’re in pretty good shape for 250.

But as someone who remembers what seemed like a year-long celebration of our Bicentennial in 1976, it almost seems that this milestone — officially America’s Semiquincentennial — has some folks either rolling their eyes or outright admitting that they’re ashamed to be Americans and no longer feel love or pride for the United States.

Actor Robert De Niro, who became rich and famous here despite barely being tall enough to ride a rollercoaster, is one of them. De Niro made his feelings clear during the “Rise Up, Sing Out” event — planned as a left-wing alternative to President Donald Trump’s UFC fight show on the White House lawn.

“I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser,” De Niro said. “I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant. And let me just say it: I can’t love the country that’s led by Donald Trump and his sycophant Congress.”

This is nothing new from De Niro, who has railed against both Trump administrations for years. Even before Trump was first elected in 2016, he filmed a spot for the “#VoteYourFuture” campaign in which he said: “He talks about how he’d like to punch people in the face? Well, I’d like to punch him in the face.” He also called Trump a “bozo, punk, dog, pig and con artist.”

Trump, as always, responded in kind, posting on social media that the actor was “a very low IQ individual” and suggesting that De Niro was “punch drunk” from getting hit too many times during the filming of the movie “Raging Bull.”

It’s sort of like two old guys squaring off in a nursing home — interesting at first, but ultimately pathetic.

I get it, though. Some people really don’t like Trump. What is concerning is that hatred of the president and his administration’s policies has morphed into a dislike — and even hatred — for roughly half of the people in America and even the country itself.

That is troubling.

No matter the results of any election and the resulting policies, my personal love of country has never been conditional. Through good times and bad, I’ve always been proud of being American. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else.

Some day, I hope to visit Hungary and Ireland — the primary lands of my ancestors — and I can think of several other countries I’d like to see before I shuffle off this mortal coil, as Shakespeare famously caled it. They all seem like nice places to visit, but I can’t imagine living abroad. I simply can’t imagine that there is another country that would be better for me and my family than America.

Folks like George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Hanks and Rosie O’Donnell decided to turn their backs on the country that made them rich and famous. They did so reportedly because they don’t like Trump. That’s their choice, but I still believe that most of us wouldn’t want to live anywhere else — no matter who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Maybe that’s because most of us don’t define ourselves by an allegiance to a political party nor by a dislike of a party or a political philosophy. It’s not that we don’t care about America. It’s more of a feeling that we’ve survived 250 years to this point and we weren’t always on the same page as American citizens for all of them and we will survive this period, too.

Barring something unforeseen, Trump will be in office for roughly two more years. Someone else will follow him into the White House and probably about half the country won’t be thrilled with that person, nor his or her administration’s policies. By some time early in 2029, you can be sure that the editorial pages of this newspaper will be filled with columns, editorials and letters lamenting the state of the union.

But remember this — as divided as the United States has been at different times over these 250 years, we still have a union and we all still live in united states, even if it seems we’re more divided than united.

We made it through the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, 9/11 and a host of other events that left us questioning our leaders and each other. We should be proud and thankful for that uniquely American perseverance.

What is worrisome, though, is that today — after all this time — there seem to be as many Americans who hate themselves and the country as there are people who still believe there is no better place to be in the world.

It’s troubling, too, that on America’s 250th birthday some of us seem ready to give up on this grand experiment of freedom and capitalism that has served us well for so long, and are willing to replace it with a variation of socialism, which has been a complete and utter failure everywhere it has been adopted.

Sorry, Democratic Socialists of America, but I don’t remember the greatness of Karl Marx being discussed during those televised “Bicentennial Minute” bits 50 years ago. Some of us don’t want to hear about it now, either.

Maybe that’s a column for another day. For now, some of us are too busy celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator. He can be reached at epuskas@tribtoday.com or 330-841-1786.