“In the United States, the scent of decline is in the air. Imperial overreach, political polarization, and a costly financial crisis are weighing on the economy. Some pundits now worry that America is about to succumb to the ‘British disease.’ Doomed to slow growth, the U.S. of today, like the exhausted Britain that emerged from World War II, will be forced to curtail its international commitments. The most convincing explanation for British decline [is that] the country failed to develop a coherent policy response to the financial crisis of the 1930s. The country turned inward. Its politics grew fractious, its policies erratic, and its finances increasingly unstable. In short, Britain’s was a political, not an economic, failure. And that history, unfortunately, is all too pertinent to America’s fate.”
- Barry Eichengreen in Project Syndicat
Yes, that is indeed a rather LOADED quote, but no matter what your political affiliation you must admit that it is riddled with truth. However, I will avoid the international commitments part, and I'm not here to convert anyone to my political views, or try to tell you what is right, because I admittedly have no idea. But I do recognize two incontrovertible truths about current American society and current American politics:
1. We are a nation of wusses with a delusional sense of entitlement.
2. There is a hell of a lot of talking and not much doing in Washington.
Let me take you back to the 1930's, when we were between World Wars and America was Greatly Depressed. The economy was in the toilet, and unemployment reached an historical-high of 24.9 percent. Sound familiar? Most Americans were living on little-to-nothing, the likes of which our generation couldn't imagine. The government didn't help. There was no U.S. Welfare System until the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935 and finally amended in 1939 under FDR (what a man), and even that was nothing like it is today. But guess what? The people who lived through the Great Depression (well, most of them) survived. Back then, America was a nation of resilient people.
Fast-forward to December 7, 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor. FDR declares war on the Japanese and we officially enter WWII. The economy not yet near recovered, FDR makes it very clear to Americans that they as a nation would have to make sacrifices. Key word here, folks: sacrifice. Major sacrifices were made on both business and personal levels in 3 aspects: price controls, rationing, and taxes.
Price controls: War has an inflationary effect because it drives up demand for raw materials. To combat this, the government froze prices on many items.
Rationing: To make sure there were enough vital materials, the government limited the amount of both raw and synthetic materials available for purchase. Take gas for example: an "A" rationing sticker gave driver 4 gallons per week, and drivers were urged to keep their speed below 40 MPH- to save tires AND fuel. Carpooling was also encouraged, as posters read "If you're driving alone, you're driving with Hitler."
Taxes: Tax rates sharply rose. Period.
My point is, Americans made sacrifices for the good of America because they believed in their country and its government. This could never happen today because we are all spoiled and want our own way. We want our cake and to eat it too. Every working American demands a comprehensive benefits package and to retire by the age of 55 with a comfortable social security plan to support the last 30 years of their lives, but G-d forbid the government should take any tax money out of their hard-earned wages! What a ridiculous notion! And that only applies to those who actually have jobs that pay enough to live on. Welfare recipients are a whole other can of worms that I will gladly open if privately provoked. Newsflash: America's economy is spiraling downward as fast as (and has a comparable likeness to) a turd in a toilet, and until the people of this nation can all rally and commit to making some tough personal sacrifices, it will continue to do so. Things must get worse before they can get better, and that's the ugly truth.
Which brings me to my second point: this country can't be fixed until action is taken. The traditional two party system of American politics has become a messy, ineffective, gridlocked beast to apparently NOT be reckoned with, though it should be. Everyone sits around and gripes about how awful the current political landscape is, yet no one does anything about it (if you're anything like me you just thought to yourself "that's exactly what YOU'RE doing right now, hypocrite!"...which is entirely true). But those at the top need to recognize that the national political stage can't just be a bipartisan pissing contest anymore- our country is in deep shit. Well, if it were that easy, why haven't the politicians who can actually turn this country around started doing so? Because everyone owes something to someone. Most politicians feel the pressure to kowtow to the special interest groups who provide them with monetary support for their campaigns. It is those special interest groups who day-in and day-out send armies of lobbyists to Washington and if their demands aren't met, could pull the means they have provided to keep Rep. Puppet McPuppetson in office, and that scares the hell out of everyone in Washington.
Before you start trying to decode this post and solve the puzzle that is my political affiliation, don't waste your time. I'm sure at times throughout this post your emotions were tampered with. "Oh! She's a republican! No, wait! She's a democrat! Well, maybe she's a communist. Anarchist? UUUGGHHH." I have a lot of conflicting views and don't believe political affiliations should be a line-item deal; each issue should be scrutinized on a non-partisan level.
There you have it. We are a nation of spoiled brats with no hope of change (yes, Obama's snazzy campaign diction fooled you all).
Beautiful.
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