Social Problems: A Voice of One

“Not only our future economic soundness but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men. “
Franklin D. Roosevelt

It is hard to argue with the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt. As he looked out over the economic landscape of the United States in 1933, he saw a nation that had given up on itself. He saw a nation that was so beaten down that it had lost its will to continue, and he vowed to do something about it.

He vowed to do something about it! He did not waste time with rhetoric, nor did he waste time with committees studying the problems of the country. He saw a country that needed desperately to go back to work and he set about making it happen.

Rarely in history do we see the power of one man affect major change on a country, as though the sheer force of his will is enough to move political and economic mountains. Roosevelt was one such man.

There have been others….Lincoln….Mandela....Churchill….Ghandi…..King….solitary figures who faced enormous obstacles and opposition and still managed to change the world.

Where is that person today? Where is the one human being who will lead this nation….lead many nations….out of the quagmire in which they now reside?

Are these extraordinary times? There can be no argument that this nation, and many others, face challenges today that on the best of days are frightening. In the United States the educational system is floundering, the economy is hanging on by a thread, and hope for millions of citizens is just another four-letter word.

Leaders have promised a change, and then four years later promised change again, and yet unemployment hovers at much-too high levels and jobs continue to pour overseas. A nation that once took pride in the words “Made In America” finds it hard today to muster anything other than apathy, complacency, and fear.

Yes, fear! People are afraid for their job security, if, indeed, they even have a job. People fear crime and the drug culture. People fear poverty, fear bigotry, and fear each other, and because fear is so prevalent people are looking for anyone to blame.

Politicians understand this fact, and they are more than willing to point the finger of blame and say….”look, over there, they are the reason you don’t have a job…..that group over there, they are the reason you don’t feel safe at night.” The process of blame only serves one purpose and that is to deflect responsibility in another direction.

Well, quite frankly, in the absence of a voice of reason, people will grasp hold of anyone who gives them someone to blame….not someone who has a solution….just someone to blame….because sadly, the bottom 80% have given up any hope of someone having a workable solution. The Baby Boomers are remembering back to an easier day in earlier times, longing for it with every ounce of their being, and meanwhile they fear their Social Security won’t be enough to live on IF they can ever retire.

Generations X,Y, and Z remember when credit was easy to come by, when homes were affordable, and when jobs were, if not plentiful, at least a possibility. Now they owe their souls to the credit card companies and the mortgage companies, and they face a future where contemplation of Social Security is a pipe dream at best, and the competition for minimum wage jobs is fierce.

As for those just graduating from high school or college….well, they should be, and probably are, scared to death, because in most cases their education was a sham and in no way prepared them for the real world.

And so all factions look to point the finger of blame, and the politicians are more than willing to point to the other side, and the division continues when in fact this nation needs to come together.

But who is going to bring us together?

I look at the political leaders today and I see no one who can bring this country together. Charisma, flair, motivational, whatever you call it, it seems to be lacking across the political spectrum. I am reminded of the words of the late JFK who said: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Well, those days are gone now aren’t they? Many people are simply trying to figure out how they are going to put food on the table this week. The thought of doing something for a country that has allowed poverty and homelessness to reach epidemic proportions is rather foreign in today’s world.

We see more and more examples of hard-working individuals who have labored for decades and still have nothing to show for it; in fact, they keep hearing rumors that their retirement system, Social Security, is in danger of drying up and blowing away. They look around and wonder how can this be? How could they work their entire lives and be in worse condition than they were when they started working so many years ago. The cost of health care has skyrocketed and millions are wondering what happens when that day comes when they need medical care that is beyond their ability to pay?

They look at other countries that have universal health care systems and ask why not the United States?

We see more and more examples of hard-working individuals who have run out of answers. Who is going to lead them? Who is going to give them hope?

In the absence of a voice of reason……who is that voice of reason?

The truth is obvious: there are no Roosevelts or Lincolns on the horizon. There is no leader upon whom we can ride, no charismatic savior who will lead us to the Promised Land. The job of economic salvation is ours and ours alone. After all, that finger of blame needs to be pointing at us. Nobody forced us to spend beyond our means. Nobody forced us to use credit as though it were Monopoly money. We put ourselves in this mess and then when we turned around and asked for help, there was no help available.

And so real choices have to be made, and real sacrifices have to be chosen! If you can’t afford to own a home then sell it before you drown in the mortgage payment. If you can’t afford your car payments then get rid of the car and figure out another form of transportation. Yes, I said get rid of it. Happiness is not measured by the amount of things you own, and financial freedom is not gained by ownership.

More and more people are walking away from the American Dream; in many cases it is a matter of survival to do so. More and more people are choosing to live simple and live frugally, because it is a matter of survival and peace of mind to do so. More and more people are getting creative in finding solutions. More and more people are taking matters in their own hands rather than wait for a miracle that is not coming.

Who is that voice of one who can lead you out of the economic prison you now reside in? That person is you and that voice is yours!

There was a song by Dion quite a few years back called “Abraham, Martin, and John.” I am reminded of the mournful lyrics, “has anybody here, seen my old friend Abraham…..can you tell me where he’s’ gone?”

Well, he ain’t coming back, and there are no Abrahams in sight. He’s been replaced by the Waltons Ellisons and Kochs, and the only thing they are interested in freeing is your money from your wallet.

Stand up and be heard! Stand up and take control of your life! Stand up and be a voice of one!

2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)