In the 1950's the American Dream thrived-suburbs flourished, men returned from World War II with the GI Bill. The GI Bill opened doors to education previously not available to the working class. Unions ensured the labor force US companies needed were treated fairly and a living wage provided for many families of the working class.
Conceptually individuals with trades, skilled labor and professionals all had a shot at the American dream. Baby boomers, raised by this generation had opportunities not afforded to children of working class families-and took advantage of the opportunities.
It was a time of enlightenment with a Supreme Court, in the 1960's which favored individual citizens and kept a lid on the abuse of overreaching law enforcement, institutions, government agencies, city, state and federal abuses and the development of large corporations which might otherwise profit and the expense of the human labor force.
What a long and painful journey it has been from those freedoms to where we are today.
It is not my agenda to outline the many labyrinths which have led us to our current situation.
My agenda is to mourn the loss of our nation of involved citizens. Citizens who believed our government could and should be transformed to benefit the citizens of this country-and acted upon their beliefs.
I don't know about you but on a personal level the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming .
For example, I received my electric bill in the mail yesterday. By some convoluted formula
the city I live in charged me 145.00 for electricity.
Fair enough.
In addition, I have what is called a "usage fee" for 125.00. I pay this because according to the city I live in I am two blocks from the city limits but not far enough out of the limits to qualify for Florida power.
So I am charged double because I do not fit in anywhere. I have no choice.
My "usage fee" is almost as much as my bill. I have used the air conditioning very little because I am on a budget.
That is one example. Here is another one-
I applied for my new registration is the state of Florida. They requested a copy of the title from the lien holder. The lien holder sent it in the Florida envelope required by the state.
The state claims it did not receive the title.
The lien holder documented when the title was sent.
I did this the first week of may.
It is July and the cost of registration just went up 100.00 for new citizens. I have beendriving on a temporary registration awaiting receipt of the title and notification from Florida DMV.
These may seem small to you but they are examples of the powerlessness one feels today when dealing with credit card companies, banks, school loans, mortgage companies, utility companies, city, state and federal governments-
It is this feeling of helplessness and the sense of overwhelming smallness when dealing with large bureaucratic agencies and corporations that discourages citizens from believing they have the power to take action-to have an impact .
We need to collectively use our ability to make change-as a nation of citizens. Protests do nothing today-but boycotts can.
Boycotting certain companies, agencies, corporations-this will make a difference.
It can make a difference because money is what it is all about.
You and I are not important-unless we speak with our wallets-and we will continue to be unimportant because entities know as long as they can stonewall our government, lobby our elected officials and maintain such laws as the new bankruptcy law, the credit card, the oil industry, the overseas labor force regulations and the tax laws to favor them, we have no chance.
We are still one of the biggest nations in the world.
Sadly, we are one of the biggest, but no longer the greatest because we, as citizens have a government so corrupt it has weakened our ability to uphold, protect and maintain our once democratic ideals.
While those with money yell, "Socialism" and warn of us we will lose our right to choose, they are very aware that at this point in time we have already lost our right to choose, we have lost much and continue to lose more-and nothing, nothing but the goodness of a very few people, corporations and government entities exist to support the democratic ideals we claim we love.
On this 4Th, when we celebrate freedom-perhaps more of us will examine where we are as a country today. Perhaps some will recognize how those who fought to keep the talons of a king and his whims from allowing us to suffer a monarchy- (which saw us as slave labor for a larger, superior country)-are very much parallel to the corporations, the shareholders, the Wall street elite and bankers, the oil companies, and all of our American businesses outsourcing to third world countries.
I do not think this is what our 4Th of July celebration and those who fought and died to uphold the ideals of democracy had in mind-do you?
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