America and the Loss of Soul

The America that I knew is gone, history, done. I really did not wish to write something this gloomy, but true is true. If, you are in what used to be the Middle Class, the source of our previous greatness, you will understand.

Not too long ago, people, working, productive people, were the norm, and they lived pretty darn well.  Look around. How many folks do you know who are working multiple low-paying jobs to make ends meet. How many scrape and worry just to keep a roof over their heads. It was not always this way. I grew up, and lived most of my 65 years in a land where you worked a decent number of hours, made enough to live well, not extravagantly but well, and had enough time to relax and enjoy life. Now, we have very educated folks working fast food jobs and poorly paying service jobs and sweating out a living. When the media and the politicians get on and start raving about how great the economy is now and how much we have brought unemployment down, please, if you have a brain, do not believe them. The jobs that have been created suck. Low paying jobs that do not cover your living costs are not an improvement.

I have watched bright, decently educated people run themselves ragged and worry constantly over jobs that do not even cover their living expenses. They make ends meet by putting groceries, and sometimes even rent and/or car payments on their credit cards. thus insuring a lifetime of debt that they will never crawl out from under.

Then, guess what? When they go to move, either to buy a house or into a better apartment, their credit will not be accepted. Thus begins and continues an ever downward spiral. Add this into the mix. To rent a place, now, mostly, you have to prove that your income is three times the rent. I know many, many fine folks who cannot do this, and even if they can, one emergency, a medical bill or a car breakdown, and they cannot do it, so, some places are asking four times the rent.

Now, I know there are some people who say, and believe me, I have heard this often, "tough, tell them to work harder." This is what I mean about America's loss of soul. The funny thing is, I hear this from some who are barely making it themselves. To them I say, "I hope folks are nicer to you on your way down than you were to them when you were on your way up." Trust me, you will go down.

Just wait until you get older. You will not be retiring because you will never afford it. Say you have your income planned and it is sufficient? Think again. This economy so volatile that you too will find yourself searching for a decent place to live. Why in the hell have prices gone up so high?

Well, for the last 40 years or so, the little corporations have all been bought out by the big ones. When the big ones got big enough, they started to charge more and more for less and less. Then, they made things worse. All of the good jobs Americans held, were shipped to places where they work for $2 a day. I am in Georgia. At one time, we had a thriving textile industry and good jobs were plentiful, which in turn creates more good jobs, since those workers spent some money. Now, most of the clothes we buy come from places like Guatemala and Malaysia. To add insult to injury, the prices of those very poorly made clothes is going higher and higher. So, obviously, the profits of the big corporations goes higher.

The circle goes on and on, and more and more, a small, very small percentage, of the population controls the wealth. In the future, this will lead to higher and higher food costs and rents so high that few will afford them. Watch for this: we had a Housing Bubble break, and it was a disaster for many. One fine day, very soon, we will see the Commercial Real Estate bubble break and then the crap will hit the fan. What do you think will happen when stores in strip malls go bankrupt, when those mall and commercial developers cannot pay their bank loans?  What do you think will happen when folks, and believe me this is coming soon, cannot afford the rent most places charge? The property owners cannot lower rent and still pay their loans. They will default. I have seen this at a property I once worked for and it is a nightmare. When this happens enough, the big corporations who are all tied to the big banks, will own it all and you and me, the good ordinary working Americans will be in a deep stink.

The other reason I speak of America's loss of soul is the fact that there are damn few in this Country who are willing to face this and even begin to figure a way out. The only solution is to band together and do not let your friends and loved ones get hurt, but, you know what? I see very few who are even willing to do that. Folks say they will, but when it comes right down to it, "no, sorry. can't help."
The only way out lies with individual responsibility and to be honest, I am not sure that can do much to stem the coming disaster.

I should have some answers, after all, I am writing all these dire predictions and making all these harsh judgments (and trust me, I am just skimming the surface), but I am fresh out of answers. Sometimes problems build to a point where there is no good solution and all you can do is let the whole mess collapse and then salvage what you can, before creating something new. Not very cheery, huh? Well, perk up. The Super Bowl will be here before you know it.