About to Lose Hope for America
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By Gail Hanley
Special to The Pilot
I watched the vice-presidential debate last week with all but a flicker of hope that they would really discuss what is wrong with America.
I wondered if politicians even know what is wrong with America. Certainly, the media don’t ask the right questions. Americans don’t really want to think about what is really going wrong in their country, because they are the problem.
The debate is a systemic indicator of how “off” the American thought process is. Policy in Washington isn’t America’s problem. It is a marker for the problem. In my grandmother’s America, no one knew what was going on in Washington. And she managed to survive plagues, no electricity, no plumbing, world wars and no medications.
What’s really wrong with America can be summed up in three essential areas: (1) We are an obese nation. (2) We are a drugged-out nation. (3) We are morally unbalanced.
As a result of our obesity, our health care system has been taxed to the point the only Americans getting treatment are the ones not paying into the system, and those who might solve their own health issues by stopping poisoning themselves with bad food choices, substance abuse, and no physical activity.
Second, when did Americans start solving every problem with a pill? Back to my grandmother. She never drank, smoked or took medication. Yet she lived through many illnesses to be an active 80-year-old woman. She buried two children without the crutch of medication or counseling. She had the highest moral standards of any individual I’ve ever met. Her commitment to humanity and helping others didn’t need a medal or recognition. It was part of her moral code.
Our children are drugged — either early on by their parents or experimentally when they get to middle school. They come to high school high. The parents want someone else to solve this problem for them, because their coping skills are watered down by their own issues with drugs.
Finally, America has lost its moral center. We are a permissive society that claims “everyone else does it” — which leaves our population relying on the system to care for their needs even when they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
Our citizens are gaming every system they can. They buy homes they know they cannot afford, remortgage the home, default on the mortgage, and use the equity to buy another home they have no plan of paying off.
Kids are using credit cards in their teens but have no idea how to balance a budget — and no real concept of where the money for their expenditures comes from. This is largely because their parents don’t care if the child learns this essential lesson early or not, because they themselves have a sense of entitlement.
No, the flicker of hope I had while watching the debate last night didn’t last through the first few questions, because the questions were wrong. I’m still waiting for a debate that will highlight the truth. And perhaps Americans are so wrongheaded they wouldn’t recognize the truth if it were spoken.
So I guess the alternative is to go the way of Greece, Spain and other countries whose citizens who will continue to avoid the problem.
Gail Hanley lives in Aberdeen.
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Comments
teufelhunden 7 months ago
Ms. Hanley you make some great points. We definitely need to begin there.
MikeNC 7 months ago
Wow!! Now there are some words about our reality in life to ponder. Thanks for putting that down on paper. I'm afraid our country is in some kind of New Normal which is actually not normal at all. But I will not lose hope in a better America. Sometimes you got to hit near bottom before you realize it's time to start clawing your way back....Mike
DaveyNC 7 months ago
Ms. Hanley, you are correct. We've become soft bodied, soft headed and soft on resolve.
babiehop 7 months ago
ditto
JD 7 months ago
Agreed Gail,
In my travels abroad, when a local would pick out an American, it was by their waste line. If most weren't Amerifats enjoying their fast food and doughnuts we wouldn't see so much adult diabetes, heart conditions, and respiratory issues. Your comment on children and drugs was spot on as well. Most kids don't need to go out and buy drugs when their parents have the best money can buy in the cabinet. Other than having committed parents emphasizing and assisting in the development of their children, rather than treating them as accessories, there is no one to blame or fix the situation than ourselves.
Yukonjohn 7 months ago
It looks like we will hit bottom before things change. Neither of the "top tier" will pull us out of the tailspin we are in. There is no chance that a third/fourth/fifth candidate can ever be elected to the POTUS. It is indeed sad, very sad. Not sure about the moral compass idea, I do not feel we are in a nation rooted in religion, but you are correct about so much of the other problems we have. I hope that we will have Patriots step up when it all goes down, and hopefully it will not be another world power that picks uip the pieces!!
skylinefirepest 7 months ago
Jeez, JD, second time I've agreed with you this year!!
kiki 6 months, 4 weeks ago
Good stuff! How do we rise up as Americans and solve these issues? If we rely on those currently in political life I will continue to be concerned. Neither of the current parties in their curent structure are the answer. How can we manage up?
packwilleat 6 months, 4 weeks ago
How do we fix what has a long history of failure? Good question.
The_AnonymusProfit 6 months, 4 weeks ago
there is an easy way to fix this, march on washington in force, IE 30 40 million, throw out every single elected offical, burocrat, etc etc, and start over from scratch. Hold them accountable to the Constitution, remove every law passed since the constiution was ratified and create new ones.
Other then that your stuck at jump.
BTW the declaration says that we can do this.