Letters to the Editor
-
Great article
and also a bit sad.
Americans are generally more resilient than we like to pretend, and this article is a good example of that.
But I can't help but think that the positive tone of the author is not something that is shared by the majority of working people in this country. Botox parties have never been a part of my life, nor the lives of anyone I know, regardless of the economy. Most people are actually very frustrated because they've been given a bill of goods by their society that is now impossible to attain- the American Dream. The idea of stability and comfort- not lavishness, but comfort. The idea that if you work hard you can raise a family, buy a home and be fed.
People are discovering more and more by the day how the American Dream is slipping away. People are upset, bitter and frustrated- and rightly so!
The author says: "Personally, I'm happier when my options are limited. I like knowing that I can't afford to move and I can't afford to quit my job."
So are your employers. That makes you a wage slave. Which means, that they can jerk you around however they'd like because they think that they own you. Having no options isn't a quaint situation-it sucks. Try giving that platitude to someone who has worked the same job for thirty years and is staring down the possibility of a pink slip.
But there is a more important point that always goes unmentioned. The American people are constantly forced to tighten their belts in an economic downturn. We're asked to shave away costs until there's nothing left to shave. But the most blatantly wasteful part of our economy - the Federal Government- continues to waste and hemorrhage money without a care in the world, and no desire to stop it.