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Thursday, November 12, 2015
A Glimpse into Our Future
We have to accept the fact that "our" America is gone. It was outsourced. It was sold out. Gone is our collective "Mayberry". It turned out that Father really didn't know best. In fact, chances are, he isn't even around anymore, and the "Beaver" has long since moved away. Odds are that our America will quickly fade into a distant memory as the Silents and Babyboomers begin to exit the stage of history.In time, perhaps "our" America will be elevated to the status of a golden age; a myth that we collectively played our parts in.
Perhaps the notion of a Middle Class too will become something of a myth. When the average America had a career for life with good wages, company paid benefits and insurance (thanks in large part to strong activist unions). Everyone had the opportunity for a nice house in the suburbs with a two car garage. A quality education was guaranteed to all, if you were willing to put forth some effort. Schools were for learning and developing informed citizens capable of critical thinking and a love of nation, not floundering institutions where "everyone is a winner" and discipline went out the window a long time ago; where educators became underpaid babysitters and mediocrity became the "good enough" standard by which society lived by. In the future, we can expect education to be further "dumbed down" to its lowest common dominator in order to accommodate the near constant mass influx of refugees now that American no longer enforces its borders. The objective in school is, after all, not developing critical thinking skills or even being able to perform academically at or near grade level, but to develop self esteem and learn how to fit in with the collective. As Henry Ford once said, he wanted workers just smart enough to the job but nothing more. You're welcome Henry.
Sure in the future we'll still have our pockets of "Mayberry" here and there. Maybe someone will come up with a "Leave it to Beaver" theme park version of our America (socially sanitized of course to be entertaining to the tourists while remaining inoffensive and politically correct). They will almost have too since in their world, America has become a faltering second tier economic power with large pockets looking more like third world nations than that of a former superpower. The American President, once the most powerful person in the world is currently ranked number 3, behind Putin of Russia and Merkel of Germany. In the future, he or she may be lucky to make it into the top ten (and that will be because of our military). Blackout and brownouts will be common, with roving segments of the population looking for jobs---any job. Wages will be minimum do the high competition for the few available jobs with everyone being a temporary or contract employee. This too is due to the notion of open borders. For those who do work, taxes will consume most of their paychecks. No one will believe the quality of life Americans once accepted as normal nor the notion that families could afford multiple cars when most don't even have one to live in. Of course, the bright side is that crime and potential criminals and other social deviants are all but non-existent, thanks to the nationalized police and surveillance forces. No doubt non-conformists will be removed to a re-education and re-socialization facility...somewhere.
In the future America itself has divided into various economic and political spheres, which has worked out well given the different cultures, languages, and traditions each group wants to preserve. Under this arrangement, each is free to create its own unique form of government without feeling they have to "conform" with the rest of society. After all, America had been founded on the concept of individuality right? Once this was erroneously referred to as "balkanization" but it truth, it's the application of the concept of conformity in its truest sense. In this case, it's voluntary conformity of the a particular segment of society. So, who is freer? Those who were forced to adopt "foreign" elements in this new land of America in the past or those who congregated around the each other and the familiar to create a new Hispanic or Asian, or Moslem dominate state within America.
Sure, there will still be a national government to oversees certain public services, though it may in appearance be more of quasi military/civilian junta. They will be among the lucky few who have a good paying job. The military will be mostly automated with drones and robots, so few individuals are actually required and for those few jobs which only a person can do, they are contracted out to so-called "gangs" under some non-threatening name like "auxiliary security control and enforcement". These "gangs" have been accepted as a source of employment for the kids who can't find work elsewhere and they protect neighborhoods from others, so they act kind of like a local security force. They are naturally fearless. They have their own weapons---usually better than the government's. They speak the neighborhood's language, know the traditions and culture. In fact, most grew up in these same neighborhoods. They know everyone, from the adults and seniors down to the children. They know every business and every back alley. Occasionally, they do battle with the nationalized police and surveillance forces, but usually they find ways to work together so long as zone or "turf" control is recognized. Of course, the military will still have need of grunts; the cannon fodder whose blood is always required to grease the wheels of the limos while the rich promote wars and "police actions" under the guise of "national security" as they seek control of some other nation's wealth. I suppose some things never change. Fortunately, with the passage of amnesty for all illegal immigrants and open borders, there has been a glut of individuals facing high employment and low wage jobs, which means there is always a pool of recruits available.
In the future, some may have been taught that we had fresh running water in our day; even hot water on demand! Once in awhile they may see pipes (but never copper or brass ones) sticking out of the ground and underground concrete tunnels, adding credence to this urban myth which the government denies. Many will use makeshift rain barrels now for fresh water, which have to be watch in order to keep from being stolen. For hot water, you have to make a fire. I imagine most all of the abandoned buildings and houses will have been torn down for the wood. Some have used the bricks to build walls around where ever they live. They also make good weapons to keep the social deviants away when they come around looking for jobs or handouts. The best part is that the open lots let you see if anyone if coming. Security will be paramount.
Grocery stores will still exist. Much of the food taste bland, thanks to genetic engineering and pesticides which protects crops from natural and man-made diseases and droughts, which have become commonplace. Most of the time, grocery and other stores will have ample food and other products on hand. The problem will be that they will be so expensive that few people will afford it. Many will get their food or clothing from federal agencies or charities when they have it. Always lots of armed guards around too. The various gangs or local security forces as they'll be called, take turns watching over areas and businesses. If you're lucky, one of your own is on guard at the local grocery store and will look the other way if you grab an extra loaf of bread. In the worse areas, they drive through in armored trucks and either throw the food and stuff out of the back of the truck or simply stop long enough to push it all out into the middle of the road to the waiting crowds and speed off. Can't blame them. Of course, a certain percentage will simply be gleaned right off the top and show up on the burgeoning black market.
There will still be the very rich. Never see them much though. They'll live in high walled gated communities or in tall buildings, both with their own local security. From the perspective of the everyday poor, they will be seen as living in homes large enough for 20 families with all the food and blankets they'll ever need, and they are rarely ever sick; unable to see a doctor. Not like everyone else who have to make do with home cures, if even that. Many in the medical profession quit their practice years ago and joined private "boutique clubs", which provides private medical consultations coupled with private outpatient care facilities, now called "health clubs" which also serves as health aware gyms and spas. Naturally, only the rich will be able to afford these. Another difference between the rich and everyone else is that they will never have to experience blackouts or brownouts. They always seem to have lights, as well as heat during the bitter cold winters and air conditioning during the sweltering summers. They will scurry about in cars with blacked out windows; run in and out of office buildings--always with security around. In a few of the large cities, used cars will be in high demand; not to drive, but as temporary housing. Nothing will be taken for granted in the future.
As for the "Mayberry" towns some of us grew up with, they'll still out there, somewhere, with what seems to be ample food and fresh water. Their air will be clean, or at least cleaner. Most will have their small homes, maybe some tillable land, reliable sanitation and electricity. Their children, home or privately schooled, will be relatively well educated compared to everyone living in the city. They'll able to do math, write and read (perhaps their best and brightest even know cursive and geography). They'll know some history and civics too. Most everyone will still chip in to help each other without expecting something in return. For many, they will seem almost quaint. Something from a bygone era when everyone was looking forward to a future when things would be a little better than before, just like on those old TV shows.
I hope none of this is, in fact, "our" collective future as a nation. Certainly, there are pockets of America that already fits much of this description (Detroit, Philadelphia, Memphis and Tucson comes to mind). We have some 12 million illegal immigrants now living in America (most with low job skills and little education). We have a federal government now importing thousands of Moslems from the Middle East and "seeding" them in America's heartlands with little or no effort to familiarize them with our customs, traditions, or laws.Companies have exports thousands of job overseas while closing plants here the States. Meanwhile, unions, once the mainstay of the Middle Class, are fading away. Funding for safety net programs have been cut while preferences going to non-citizens. The quality of public education and public health care has been in decline for decades (unless you have the money of course). Personal debt, especially for students, is at an all time high. The quality of American academics, especially public schools, would be a joke if the repercussions weren't so serious. Our political situation is hopelessly broken. We are officially an oligarchy now, with government representing the interests of corporations and the top, roughly five percent. The approval ratings for Congress, the Senate, the Presidency, and the Judicial continue to remain in the commode year after year, regardless of party. The income gap between the wealthy and everyone else is at a historic high and getting worse while the standard of living for most Americans continue to decline.
But despite all of this, there are some hopeful signs. People are waking up to the manipulations of the government as well as the corporate media. There are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans. People are focusing on issues, not partisan politics, which means things are getting done one at a time. People are looking past the artificial divides and at what unites us. We are learning how to fight back against companies who export jobs, and against politicians who refuse to secure our borders. We are increasingly refusing to "press 1 for English" and demanding that anyone in our country speak our language and at least respect our customs, laws and traditions. We are developing new job markets, thanks in large part to technology and the Internet. More people are turning to home schooling or supplementing public education with home school tutoring to provide depth and quality to their children's education. Americans are also questioning decisions by corporate controlled politicians about additional foreign interventions. No longer will we buy the line of "national security" when we know it's for private profits.
Americans are also demanding accountability for toxic waste and abandoned sites from not just corporations, but from politicians in whose districts these sites lay. We're looking at not just renewable energy (from wind mills to electric cars), but re-purposed homes for the homeless. Many are starting to grow their own vegetables in either private yards or on community land tracts, as well as buying local whenever possible while insisting on healthier foods free of cancer causing pesticides. We're also demanding that corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Of course, this is just a start, but at least it is a start. Americans are finally starting to come around. We're waking up to the fact that while our little "Mayberrys" are fading, we don't have to accept second best or third world conditions, and we can still be proud to be Americans. But to do so, we must return our nation to its original intent as outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. We must not merely or meekly ask for accountability from the government, but demand it from all levels. And if corporations are going to run the government, then we must demand it from them too. The thing which scares the global CEOs, the lobbyists, the banksters and the one percenters is that we will put aside what they've placed in front of us to divide us, and dare to look at the "man behind the curtain" and reassert our rights as Americans.
Labels:
America's future,
Amnesty,
Citizens United,
Congress,
Constitution,
Corporate welfare,
Crime,
debt,
education,
illegal immigration,
Middle Class,
Middle East,
Oligarchy,
poverty,
Presidency,
refugees,
unions
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