Watching Democracy Die

Its Sunday evening and Im sitting in my backyard listening to the crickets chirp and enjoying the cool night.  Its been a long week.  I have had more ups and downs than a yo-yo.  Starting a new business.  Praying that it succeeds.  Witnessing my partner Vince become overwhelmed by the fear of us loosing everything.  Thanks to this awful recession.  Thanks to our neutered politicians. Bickering and infighting while our nation slides slowly off a cliff.  Watching the livelihoods of millions of hardworking people be destroyed by selfish banks, powerful corporate lobbyists and greedy health insurance giants.  

What is happening to us? How will we recover from something so nasty when the people who lead us have become concerned only with protecting their own self interest.  Sacrificing the meek so the powerful can keep what they have.  Instead of true dialogue and intellectual debate town hall meetings have been replaced with screaming matches and threats of violence.  Politeness and civility has been crushed by puppets with an agenda.  Its more American to scream than to listen.  If your not angry, your not patriotic.  The media shows images of frightening confrontations by hostile protesters doing their best to destroy constructive discussion.  Watching democracy die.  Watching as the political process is obliterated by ignorant people acting as mouth pieces for the conservative agenda.  The god loving people who would rather save themselves than show compassion for those who have nothing.

Each year the middle class shrinks and the ranks of the working poor grow.  Slowly, methodically powerful corporations are creating a helpless class of people too tired and overworked to fight back.  Each year American students are becoming less and less educated.  School budgets have been dessimated in favor of military spending and prison building. As America continues to fight two endless wars, money is reallocated to support overseas projects rather than bolster U.S. jobs.  

Eventually we will be too sick, too poor and too stupid to stand up and say enough.

I am a working American.  I have a small business that is just starting.   I am a homeowner with a mortgage that is out-of-sink with the value of my home.  Each day I tread water.  Praying that I do not get too sick to work or that my clients can maintain their jobs so as to afford a basic haircut. My heart is heavy.  My mind is burdened by fear and I am loosing hope for the success of my country.  I feel powerless to stop the well funded, well oiled machine that is destroying my American Dream.  I watch as people around me struggle to keep their homes.  I listen to the daily numbers of job losses and home foreclosures.  A year ago I was a middle class American.  Now I worry how much longer we have before my partner finds gainful employment.  Will we have enough to cover the mortgage in two months.  My heart aches because I long to take a vacation but do not see the possibility on the near horizon.  And I have it better than many people out there.  At least I have a home and a business.

We (my partner and I) have begged our banks and credit card companies to lower our monthly payments. At least for awhile.  Even as they came to us the american taxpayer begging us for a bailout.  They turn their backs on us and our government condones this behavior.  Our government  allows its people to suffer.  We are the working folks.  The ones who pay the taxes while desperately chasing the dream.  Now we are stuck and need help. And NO ONE will help up.  Its devastating to realize no one cares.  

I must stop now, because its late and the more I write the angrier I get.  The more I know the less optimistic I am.  I wont give up being optimistic because that would tell the universe I give up!  WHat I want from the universe right now is goodness, honesty, compassion, civility and honor!  Is that asking too much?  Sometimes I fear it is.