Post by dreamer on Dec 4, 2011 18:36:12 GMT -5
Well written blogged item by a college student named Taylor.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The American Dream Is Dead: The Story Of A Crushing Decade
As I sit here on my my college campus with ample food, water, and clothes, it is sort of funny to ponder the death of the American dream. I have an Apple computer and phone, a couple jackets, and pairs of sneakers. Besides debt from student loans, my life is comfortable by world standards. I have a dorm, my parents have a house, and I even have a TV which I am very much in love with. All of these facts would point to a society that is flush with wealth, a driving economy, little debt, and bigger and better skyscrapers going up by the day. With all this consumer spending I, and others, have done, how could this country not be thriving?
The reality, as I'm sure you know, is quite bleaker. The United States is certainly full of materialistic goods, but the country itself is suffering from substantial decline. Many of us still have lives that are flashy and full of trips to the mall, but the nation is still bleeding. There is no single injury causing the damage. Instead we face death by a thousand cuts. But it hasn't always been this way and that is what is most distressing.
"Best" used to be synonymous with America. Our 'Greatest Generation' handed a society down that was built, employed, educated, and at peace. The United States made the world's products and every income class in the country benefited generously. Unfortunately, technological advances, foreign competition, and half-assed economic and political leadership eroded our standing and the country suffered from division, stagnation, and falling wages until the 1990's. The Clinton economic boom, spurred by humanity's newest invention, the Internet, set the country back on track to dominate the 21st century, fixed the deficit, and restored economic security. Naturally, there were those who wanted to plunder these new treasures.
Massive, well-funded campaigns were launched to deregulate the economy across all sectors to enhance profits. It became harder to file bankruptcy, easier to lose your home, and easier for big financial firms to merge into monopoly-like institutions and the effects were felt immediately. Tax cuts decimated the surplus, our economy stagnated, wages began to fall, and banks were swept up into the big five financial entities. Terrorism and war distracted us for years, but mass discontent began to settle in by 2004.
Now 4 years into the decade, many began to notice that American had been on the turnaround , but was now spending every waking hour crushing its prestige and wealth. Pensions were being gambled away on Wall Street, inner city and former factory neighborhood were further decimated, schools were decaying, and our most precious treasure, the young, were being spent in the middle east, needlessly. The decade continued and the gambling increased. Retirements, soldiers, houses, schools. There was no limit to what we threw the dice on. But even the most novice economist or political scientist could tell you that all bubbles must burst.
In 2007, the American dream was on life support. Coked up with enough debt and consumerism to be still alive. But it was not enough as everything tipped over the edge in slow motion. The financial institutions collapsed, housing markets were destroyed, and trillions upon trillions of dollars of investments that would drive the economy for another generation were wiped out forever. Entire governments fell worldwide in this collapse of our deck of cards. It was the event of the century.
What we are left with is a half baked recovery of "The American Dream." Don't let anyone fool you, not even the president. This recovery is our attempt at surviving after the drawn out and destructive death of the American Dream. Our government is scared of Wall Street, Wall Street is scared for its survival, and the world is scared of our next steps. Europe is collapsing and the American middle class is quickly following 'The Dream' down the drain. The big banks continue to prey on the poor, taking their homes and valuables, and crushing families. I recently talked to someone who said they were losing their house because the bank had decided to foreclose. What is outrageous is that the family had been sending in checks to pay the monthly bill and Chase bank was sending every single one back, pushing their mortgage into foreclosure on purpose. These financial raids on our villages are unchecked as the bought and paid for congress gladly turns away so long as their bank accounts are flush with cash.
What we are left with is a skeleton of what was left after the "Greatest Generation" built this country to greatness. Our only greatness is our materialistic toys and electronics bought with extreme levels of debt. Our infrastructure is collapsing, our schools are barely ranked, our economy is stagnant, wages have fallen severely, and jobs are scarce. A recipe for rapid decline if I ever saw one. Our elderly have had their retirements emptied by Wall Street bosses and our middle class faces rising prices and falling wages which can only result in poverty levels rising even further. Our youth have been spent in the middle east and in our inner cities, drugs are tearing homes apart, and banks rip homes from anyone they can get their fingers on.
7.2 trillion dollars was spent to bailout the world's major banks during the 2008 collapse. Near the same amount has been raided from the middle class's social security accounts and their gambled off retirements on wall street. Not a single dime was spent to bailout the sinking working people. All the money is heading up and the rest of us are left to slowly struggle toward bankruptcy and default. The government bends at every beck and whim of the big banks and they refuse to aid the unemployed at their most vulnerable moments in between jobs. Single mothers can't feed their children while working 3 jobs and our newest solution to fix health care was just to use the federal government to force us all into the health insurance companies profits.
This is no recovery of the American Dream and anybody who thinks so is fooling themselves. The American dream is dead. It died in war, debt, poor leadership, Washington, and Wall Street. It was willingly held up and sacrificed for a quick dollar instead of us valuing handwork, persistence and long term investments. People can't keep their homes, they can't afford their health care bills, and a string of incidents involving students killing themselves before leaving college over crushing debt. With war continuing, Wall Street still unregulated, and wages falling, the American Dream is dead.
But I write this, not to discourage, but to bring a realization. There will be no revival of the American dream as it was bought and sold as snake oil to trick people into financial ruin. There are opportunities for us in the future, but the solutions lay outside of those who instigated the death of The Dream. Demand better infrastructure, better education, lower debt, and better investment. Demand protection from Wall Street and for god sakes demand that money be removed from politics and campaigning. We face rapid decline as our enemies approach hungrily and we should not just sit back and watch in fear. Our dream is dead, but now we have a chance to throw off these chains of the past and create a new world and new dream that will not fall into the traps of the past. This is our chance. Never forget the suffering of the last decade and last 40 years. The next dream is of reconstruction into a new American world and 21st century.
www.newdogdemocrat.com/2011/12/american-dream-is-dead-story-of.html#disqus_thread
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The American Dream Is Dead: The Story Of A Crushing Decade
As I sit here on my my college campus with ample food, water, and clothes, it is sort of funny to ponder the death of the American dream. I have an Apple computer and phone, a couple jackets, and pairs of sneakers. Besides debt from student loans, my life is comfortable by world standards. I have a dorm, my parents have a house, and I even have a TV which I am very much in love with. All of these facts would point to a society that is flush with wealth, a driving economy, little debt, and bigger and better skyscrapers going up by the day. With all this consumer spending I, and others, have done, how could this country not be thriving?
The reality, as I'm sure you know, is quite bleaker. The United States is certainly full of materialistic goods, but the country itself is suffering from substantial decline. Many of us still have lives that are flashy and full of trips to the mall, but the nation is still bleeding. There is no single injury causing the damage. Instead we face death by a thousand cuts. But it hasn't always been this way and that is what is most distressing.
"Best" used to be synonymous with America. Our 'Greatest Generation' handed a society down that was built, employed, educated, and at peace. The United States made the world's products and every income class in the country benefited generously. Unfortunately, technological advances, foreign competition, and half-assed economic and political leadership eroded our standing and the country suffered from division, stagnation, and falling wages until the 1990's. The Clinton economic boom, spurred by humanity's newest invention, the Internet, set the country back on track to dominate the 21st century, fixed the deficit, and restored economic security. Naturally, there were those who wanted to plunder these new treasures.
Massive, well-funded campaigns were launched to deregulate the economy across all sectors to enhance profits. It became harder to file bankruptcy, easier to lose your home, and easier for big financial firms to merge into monopoly-like institutions and the effects were felt immediately. Tax cuts decimated the surplus, our economy stagnated, wages began to fall, and banks were swept up into the big five financial entities. Terrorism and war distracted us for years, but mass discontent began to settle in by 2004.
Now 4 years into the decade, many began to notice that American had been on the turnaround , but was now spending every waking hour crushing its prestige and wealth. Pensions were being gambled away on Wall Street, inner city and former factory neighborhood were further decimated, schools were decaying, and our most precious treasure, the young, were being spent in the middle east, needlessly. The decade continued and the gambling increased. Retirements, soldiers, houses, schools. There was no limit to what we threw the dice on. But even the most novice economist or political scientist could tell you that all bubbles must burst.
In 2007, the American dream was on life support. Coked up with enough debt and consumerism to be still alive. But it was not enough as everything tipped over the edge in slow motion. The financial institutions collapsed, housing markets were destroyed, and trillions upon trillions of dollars of investments that would drive the economy for another generation were wiped out forever. Entire governments fell worldwide in this collapse of our deck of cards. It was the event of the century.
What we are left with is a half baked recovery of "The American Dream." Don't let anyone fool you, not even the president. This recovery is our attempt at surviving after the drawn out and destructive death of the American Dream. Our government is scared of Wall Street, Wall Street is scared for its survival, and the world is scared of our next steps. Europe is collapsing and the American middle class is quickly following 'The Dream' down the drain. The big banks continue to prey on the poor, taking their homes and valuables, and crushing families. I recently talked to someone who said they were losing their house because the bank had decided to foreclose. What is outrageous is that the family had been sending in checks to pay the monthly bill and Chase bank was sending every single one back, pushing their mortgage into foreclosure on purpose. These financial raids on our villages are unchecked as the bought and paid for congress gladly turns away so long as their bank accounts are flush with cash.
What we are left with is a skeleton of what was left after the "Greatest Generation" built this country to greatness. Our only greatness is our materialistic toys and electronics bought with extreme levels of debt. Our infrastructure is collapsing, our schools are barely ranked, our economy is stagnant, wages have fallen severely, and jobs are scarce. A recipe for rapid decline if I ever saw one. Our elderly have had their retirements emptied by Wall Street bosses and our middle class faces rising prices and falling wages which can only result in poverty levels rising even further. Our youth have been spent in the middle east and in our inner cities, drugs are tearing homes apart, and banks rip homes from anyone they can get their fingers on.
7.2 trillion dollars was spent to bailout the world's major banks during the 2008 collapse. Near the same amount has been raided from the middle class's social security accounts and their gambled off retirements on wall street. Not a single dime was spent to bailout the sinking working people. All the money is heading up and the rest of us are left to slowly struggle toward bankruptcy and default. The government bends at every beck and whim of the big banks and they refuse to aid the unemployed at their most vulnerable moments in between jobs. Single mothers can't feed their children while working 3 jobs and our newest solution to fix health care was just to use the federal government to force us all into the health insurance companies profits.
This is no recovery of the American Dream and anybody who thinks so is fooling themselves. The American dream is dead. It died in war, debt, poor leadership, Washington, and Wall Street. It was willingly held up and sacrificed for a quick dollar instead of us valuing handwork, persistence and long term investments. People can't keep their homes, they can't afford their health care bills, and a string of incidents involving students killing themselves before leaving college over crushing debt. With war continuing, Wall Street still unregulated, and wages falling, the American Dream is dead.
But I write this, not to discourage, but to bring a realization. There will be no revival of the American dream as it was bought and sold as snake oil to trick people into financial ruin. There are opportunities for us in the future, but the solutions lay outside of those who instigated the death of The Dream. Demand better infrastructure, better education, lower debt, and better investment. Demand protection from Wall Street and for god sakes demand that money be removed from politics and campaigning. We face rapid decline as our enemies approach hungrily and we should not just sit back and watch in fear. Our dream is dead, but now we have a chance to throw off these chains of the past and create a new world and new dream that will not fall into the traps of the past. This is our chance. Never forget the suffering of the last decade and last 40 years. The next dream is of reconstruction into a new American world and 21st century.
www.newdogdemocrat.com/2011/12/american-dream-is-dead-story-of.html#disqus_thread