American Nightmare

In the past several weeks debate has raged about a foreign company taking charge of major U.S. ports' operations. There was so much fury that the deal fell through through so much public pressure. Also, there was criticism about the $202 Billion trade deficit between the China and the U.S. Yet, there is a clearcut denial that for nearly 1/2 of the U.S. population there is a denial of good paying jobs sufficient to support a family with one job. Many jobs now pay 10 percent less than they did 10 years ago. Many people have to work 2 to 3 full-time jobs each just to have an affordable home. Too many children are too poor to afford a 4-year college degree. Nearly 20 million American jobs have been outsourced to other countries. Too many people in this country will never experience any such "American Dream". Instead, they have been handed the American Nightmare--poor-paying jobs, no medical benefits, little or no affordable college that could be finished in 5 years or less. Once again, there is an emerging caste system where the wealthiest enjoy the political freedoms, the educations, the careers, while too many live in rags around the nation. Who does this country's government really support? We can throw billions of dollars to Iraq--but we cannot even put the same amount into helping the neediest people here. Neither political party shows real concern for the people--they only do it to make themselves look worthy enough for reelection. Democracy has failed the poorest here. Too many wealthy people have been elected to Congress and are insulated from poverty in their personal lives. They will not go home tonight and worry which bill to pay, what to eat, where to get food, how to get further assistance, etc. They won't have to worry about being without medical benefits. Too much talk, very little action--that is the hallmark of this Congress. If the Congress put as much money into the citizenry as they do for Iraqis, we would have little or no poverty. Isn't our tax dollars really supposed to help our own people? When will Congress really care about keeping companies here, helping individuals get the jobs instead of giving them all away to other countries? When will they get off their gold pedestals to give a damn about the "real" Americans who vote for them, who have bills to pay, who have to feed, clothe, educate, and protect their children? Too many children are living in squalor in America. Our Congress are too hell-bent on fighting elsewhere and has forgotten to fight for us here. Actions speak louder than their words: We are not important to them. It's time to vote in a brand-new Congress of individuals who are not complacent, who put the home front first, who will ensure that we have plenty of jobs here, that tax dollars paid by Americans stay in America, and will help all children pay for college in a timely manner not with loans but with grants as investments for the future. The recent hurricanes have proven the Congress does not really care for the poor. It's time that we use the ballot to clean house and install people who will care. What was once the "land of the free" is now the land of the oppressed and the home of the poor. This should not be, not now, ever. So, what are you going to do about it? Ignoring it, saying it is not your problem, will eventually hurt you and your family. It's time to stop the outsourcing before homelessness becomes the ultimate way of life here. Our elected officials should not only be those who are filthy rich--they must be from the poor as well. Our government is short-sided, biased toward the poor, and has forgotten us. It's time for a new change, a revival of the American spirit, and a rebirth of true American values. It is time to relearn the values that started this country in the first place. So, what are you going to do about it?