Highly Critical

noreply@blogger.com (SKH) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:38:00 +0000

It seems appropriate that my first post be on a topic that absolutely infuriates me. I hate to use the word cynicism because it does little to capture the real frustration behind my thoughts on the political system in the United States. As I watch the Presidential debate with distinguished Senators McCain and Obama, I am captivated, frankly, by the immense load of crap that the American people on "Main Street" are willing to eat up as if it were the candy-coated apple of knowledge and empowerment. Truly, we have let ourselves become enmeshed in the political figures that we elect. I am not frustrated over kick-backs or cronyism; I am frustrated at the common man. I am frustrated that people on "Main Street" are unwilling to recognize that they had a role in the economic collapse of America. As I drive through the suburbs of Boston, a wealthy metro by any standard, I find myself wondering...do people living in these McMansions blame Wall Street for the economic woes of the United States?

Main Street does not exist folks. It really doesn't exist in the terms that politicians describe. To group all of lower-middle America with families making over $100k is extremely naive. It is naive to think that "struggling" can be defined in terms of a lay-off in the financial sector. It is naive to think that the housing market slump is the only reason behind people losing their homes. People are losing their homes because they wanted some of the good life, in spite of the fact that they may not be able to afford it. I sympathize with people who have lost their homes, but it seems awfully simplistic to blame Wall Street greed for the downfall. I certainly have been greedy in my young years. I went out to dinner too many times and paid too much for clothes that typically come off in the best circumstances anyway. It is our competitive nature as Americans that leads to many of these problems that the average American is facing; our constant want for something more yet our inability to acknowledge that we've taken a bit too much. I hear so many people complain about gas prices, yet do very little to adjust their lives accordingly. I felt true sadness in my heart when one of my friends described buying a Toyota SUV in an effort to save gas. This person was dead serious and convinced that this choice meant they were being unselfish in regards to energy consumption. I don't tout myself as an energy-saver nor do I believe that efforts to save energy are in vain. But to look at another and say straight-faced that you are saving energy with a Toyota SUV almost borders on insanity. Yes, gas is significantly more expensive when compared to what it was five years. But are we so blind by our own greed and selfishness that we must blame the upper class for all of our woes?

I hope not. I have more faith in Americans. I have more faith because the truth is that millions of Americans have been struggling for decades. The tragic irony of middle America feeling the push and joining with the very populations that they may have touted as not being able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps is going unify our efforts to achieve a society based on the egalitarian principles for which our government has been created. I am truly terrified about the future of the global system as a whole, and it is time for all of us to say "what else can I do to help" rather than say "who else can I blame for this calamity." It is time to take some personal responsibility. If not for yourself, then for the benefit of the country.

Thoughts

Highly Critical