The 4th of July
On the 4th of July in America many people have a picnic, drink too much alcohol, and watch fireworks. A very few people actually do take the opportunity to reflect on the ideas of freedom and how America is coming along on building the kind of society that we believe in.
Last night I watched the Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. In my view this is the finest piece of journalism currently being produced. Every Friday evening it is just chocked full of thoughtful ideas by smart, well educated, open minded people who care about fairness and social justice.
Last night Gary Dorrien said, “This is a society which has stoked and celebrated greed virtually to the point of self destruction.” Fortunately I was watching it on the DVR, so I could pause the show, rewind it slightly, and write down some of the excellent ideas which were being presented. I was struck by Serene Jones saying that “We don’t understand everything, and we are not the center of the universe. We need to be reminded of that from time to time.” LINK: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2009/07/faith_justice_and_society.html
In thinking about how America is doing I believe that it is obvious that the country has badly lost its way. The presidential election was stolen by Bush vs. Gore. The voters overwhelmingly voted for Gore, yet he was not elected. And American voters and the press just laid down and said nothing.
The average Car-SUV-Pickup truck being sold today gets worse fuel economy than the Ford Model T did when mass ownership of cars was first becoming possible.
Even President Obama has surrounded himself with the hyper-Wall Street types. He has spent billions of dollars bailing out these greedy and unethical bastards, but in actual fact has done very little at all so far for normal middle class or poor people. He is no longer listening to the people who favor social justice.
There are many countries around the world which have more sensible laws and regulations than America does. Social justice is a governing principle in many countries, whereas in America the primary belief is the Eleventh Commandment: “Don’t Get Caught.” -- Watching and celebrating trade union busting has become a popular spectator sport in America.
In my view there really is not much left that us Americans can brag about. We are neither the fairest society nor a place where most people who work hard can be fairly certain that they will have a decent life. Many Americans are just one pay check away from losing their home and abject poverty. Consumer debt is choking many people in part because of their own misplaced priorities. Heavy addiction to prescription drugs and/or alcohol is becoming increasingly common.
No, I no longer see much to be proud of here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. I see lots of opportunity for improvement, but not much will to reform society and head off in a substantially different direction which is fairer and more just.
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