Sunday, 20 April
 |
| Sunset Boulevard |
Good Morning
Jessicca…
Can it ever
be argued one day that we have too much freedom, too much personal autonomy and
that liberty and the pursuit of happiness has led to self-indulgence and a
ruinous sense of entitlement? It is an
argument that is made by some now but not likely from someone trying to hold a
family together on irregular work and minimum wage. Who, then, is it that sees this nation as being
one of individuals corrupted by wealth and whose vision of freedom no longer
includes the responsibility of citizenship?
It sounds like a caricature of us made by someone on the outside of our
national boundaries looking in. We are
the ever acquiring Yankee, manipulative, pushy – always seeking a new advantage
under the soft empire of globalization. If
words and money won’t do then there’s always the military: with actions in Panama, Grenada, Somalia,
Sudan, Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo, the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan; all since
the end of the Cold War.
Of course, much
of our almost continuous conflict of the past several years is the result of
9/11. Al-Qaida and Osama bin-Laden
needed to be destroyed. Saddam Hussein was
not to be trusted. Iraq was a preemptive
war. Our initial military incursion went
off with nary a hitch. Unfortunately the
Iraqi people didn’t follow the script we had for them. Matters took an ugly turn. Chaos erupted and casualties mounted. With Iraq emasculated there wasn’t much left
to check the growing influence of Iran in the region. Troubles mounted. Wars have a way of dislodging the foul
detritus of unintended consequences.
The good
news is that only volunteers and their families were adversely affected by
years of fighting overseas. These people
represented only a tiny portion of America.
Meanwhile the rest of us went on a spending spree. The best way to thumb our nose at terrorists was
to demonstrate the robust nature of our economy. Taxes were cut as we decided to defer the
cost of the war to some vague point further down the road. Our purchasing power made for a marvelous
time. Jobs were plentiful. New financing plans made it possible for most
anyone to become a homeowner. Home
prices soared in response to overwhelming demand but that’s not a problem. Forget the principle as you could now make
payments solely on the interest you owed.
It didn't seem wise but if banks approved it then it must be OK. Besides we were all enjoying ourselves so who’s
to notice the drowned fly in the punchbowl.
There were
other little nagging indicators the party wasn’t quit what it claimed to
be. The easy availability of credit
cards enabled us to spend beyond our wages and, if your debt got out of
hand, you could always bail yourself out with a loan based on the soaring
equity of your home. Forget buying
stocks on Wall Street. What better
return on your money was there than owning a home? New car, new home, big screen TV and dinners
out with the family at least twice a week – life is good. We were all busy giving ourselves high-fives
when, suddenly, the lights went out. The
Grinch pulled the plug and panic set in.
The national glut turned out to be just another Ponzi scheme that came
due. The emperor truly does have no
clothes and we are in over our heads, simply losers after all.
Life has its
ups and downs, even on a national level.
We dig out from the rubble and tend to our bruises. Hopefully we’ve learned something from it
all. What that is we’re not exactly
sure. Democracy has many voices talking
at once. It’s hard to discern a clear
message but what I’m getting is something to do with individual freedom tempered
by responsibility and one’s compact with society includes recognition that
personal success always requires the participation of many others.
Love,
Dad
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