We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Declaration of Independence, Adopted 4 July 1776, Continental Congress of America
What has happened since those significant words were adopted by this nation? Did they mean what they wrote? Well we know they meant to be inclusive only to the extent of their understanding of human and man at the time of the writing. Since the time they wrote those words we have expanded their meaning, but now it seems we are contracting them again. Contracting them how far is the question.
Let’s talk about misdirection, the idea that what is important is directly before us but we look the other way. Focused on what is not important, not relevant to our public or national lives or future. We stare mindlessly at the little screen, listen thoughtlessly to those who will never live in our neighborhoods, walk in our shoes, work in our factories or send their children to our schools; we listen as they tell us what to think, feel and fear about our neighbors. We grow ever more terrified of those who mean us no harm, certain they will bring about the demise of all we ‘hold dear’, the American Way of Life, The American Dream. All the while, that dream has left the building, tripped blithely out the door with a wink, a nod and a secret handshake.
We all stood by and let it happen. In truth, we applauded the sleight of hand, the magic trick that stripped us with each presidential term since Ronald Reagan of opportunity and Rights, more of our chance at achieving the much-vaunted American Dream. Meanwhile, our cities, suburbs, schools all become more dangerous. We not only fear for the lives of our children each day we send them off to school, we have to fear they will not have the basics of literacy the competency necessary to compete in the world of the future in a world that increasingly is leaving our nation behind in basic skills, as well as, new sciences and innovations where once we led the world.
The American Dream popularized and defined most accurately perhaps by James Truslow Adams in Epic America:
“But there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”[i]
What is your chance of achieving a slice of The American Dream? The better question might be if you are a parent, what is the chance your children will do as well or better than you in life? The outlook isn’t good for either you or your children today.
Charts courtesy Mother Jones
Where does this leave us? We have been fooled into believing we are the best, the greatest nation in the world. We no longer are, we have in fact been sold down the muddy river our futures and that of our children ransomed for a pushcart and extra bullets at Wal-Mart. Fewer of our children will graduate from college and have a job in the coming years or if they do they will be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt they will be unable to pay in their lifetime. Violence is escalating across the nation, yet those in high office refuse to have a conversation about gun control for fear the NRA will spank them, withholding their future support at election time.
We are a nation on the brink of failure. We have failed our children by looking away. We have failed future generations by refusing to take action when we could. Instead of rising up and saying HELL NO, when we had the chance to do so we looked away, we sat idly by enthralled by our cheap toys and two-bit entertainment; we allowed our nation to fall into disrepair. No matter what we call ourselves, Progressive, Liberal, Democrat, Libertarian, Republican, Conservative, New Whig, Green; we have failed our children and our nation. We have looked away for far too long, allowing those in power to strip us of our voice through misdirection and outright lies.
The question is:
QBG_Tilted Tiara 
“The American Dream” – it is known universally, absolutely. I am not up to date with all your politics, so this was interesting to me. I would hope you never let go of that American Dream, that it can happen.
I really liked Red’s ‘congress’ comment! 🙂
I liked her comment also! The problem with our American Dream today my friend is it is out of reach for a greater and greater portion of our population, this by design. I fear for us.
We’ve simply become to focused on self.
Certainly I think this is part of the problem Frank, but I am not sure it is all of it.
–Until we all come together as one, nothing will change. Our country looooooooves to blame one another for the horrilble state we are in. I’m so tired of it. We have A LOT to do, so my question is….why is everybody fighting & blaming? Lets get off our asses and DO SOMETHING. TOGETHER.
great post, Val. X
I agree entirely Kim, I am so afraid for all of us. Gun violence is one of my terrible triggers but as I watch the news and the pundits on both sides, all of them avoid what really needs to be said, that is we all own the problem and we must come together.
We’ve gotten away from the basics. The Declaration of Independence was more of a vision than what was actually going down at the time it was written and signed. It’s still a vision.
It is a vision, but shouldn’t it also continue to be our vision? Our vision for each generation, for our children?
I don’t know I think just those simple words should embody who we are and who we want to be. Everything else should fall under those simple words.
A very good posting Val, America,
indeed the whole world needs to wake
up and shake up…
Politicians, My Arse…
Perhaps one day someone with a bit of
gumption will take charge and right the
wrongs of a misled society, some of us
are in tune with the world around us, whilst
others are still in the dark ages…
Have a great rest of weekend Val 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Well we need politicians, of one sort or another. There is work to be done and someone needs to do it. All of us though have allowed power to simply stagnate into the hands of to few for to long, this is what it gets us. Worlds of pain, worlds of ignorance. Ah something must change, unfortunately we seem to not understand how to make these changes without violence and this I fear even more.
Have a fabulous rest of the weekend yourself Androgoth.
Yes I know what you mean Val, changes definitely need to be implemented and adhered to without all the BS in between. I guess if we had all the answers to those questions then the world would be a much better and more importantly a much safer environment to live in 🙂
Have a lovely rest of weekend Val 🙂 😉
Androgoth XXx
To join in this conversation, might I say that in my country, misdirection is beginning to run rampant also, and I find this situation most intolerant. Are we all to end up in ashes due to misdirection?
I think we are my friend unless we begin to demand better (see my comment to Red).
To echo a discussion I just had, the two camps are so entrenched in their polar beliefs of no intervention and intervention from cradle to grave, the charade of our Congress is as the joke describes:
If progress is forward motion and regress is backward motion and egress is outward motion, what is congress? No motion.
Ugh.
Red.
The only thing to say is throw the bums out, every last one of them and replace them with new bums. Demand behavior fitting of employees of the people, install peoples oversight and instill the fear of the people and their justice in our elected employees. I don’t know what else there is. The rot is at the core.
Like you, Val, I sigh in despair. And like you, I see the beginnings of this in the Reagan era, where we were told that government is the problem and that greed is good.
I am so sick of the wrong reaction coming from people to these senseless tragedies. Instead of saying “Never Again” they shout “2nd Amendment — I have the right to bear arms.” Oy vey.
God and Country! Misdirection, don’t look here look there.
I am also tired of the wrong reaction, the tragedy is this nation is willing to accept mass murder in exchange for 2nd Amendment mistranslated so all these fools with their Bibles and Guns can sit and masturbate their egos.
Never mind – poverty, ignorance, homelessness, war, debt, ongoing joblessness; all of this growing exponentially and killing our future. All of it could easily be corrected.
Now what, indeed. We have so much work to do as a country, and yet everyday the ability to compromise, especially by our leaders, weakens. None dare approach the line, the line where conversation and compromise come together to actually enact change.
Carrie – I am not certain compromise is even a part of our lexicon any longer. It sure doesn’t seem so. I gnash my teeth in fury at the finger pointing. I weep in despair. Yet here we are sinking in much and mire.
It seems we’ve lost the congress people who were willing to cross that line, too. Now it’s just, “My way or the highway.”