Morning In America Becomes Mourning America

It appears as if Conservative Tom is not the only one feeling that we have lost our way in this country.  Today Thomas Segal writes a provocative article on the where the United States is going. Combining this article and the previous posting, does not make for positive reading, however, we feel it is accurate.

America has lost its way. It is floundering financially, spread throughout the world trying to be the world's policeman while at the same time nearly 50% of its citizens work for the government in some way (either directly or through benefits). Its debt equals its GDP and its leaders cannot even put together a budget.  Americans who are successful are demeaned and government demands they pay more taxes. Social mores are out the window and the time of "anything goes" is definitely here.  It happened to Rome and Greece and it is happening here.

Should Europe implode from debt in the Euro zone, we will be pulled down into the morass and the "bad" days of 1929 and 2008 will look like a minor recession in comparison.  We hope that does not happen, but we feel there is not much time left to make the absolutely necessary and terribly painful course corrections necessary to prevent it. Will our leaders be able to act in time or will they continue to "rearrange the chairs on the Titanic?"

We believe it will be the latter.

So much for our uplifting message. What do you think?

Conservative Tom

Segel: Mourning For A Failing America

By Thomas D. Segel January 16, 2012 6:25 am

          

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Ronald Reagan once reminded us that it was still “Morning in America”. Today, many of us are looking at all of the transpiring events of the day and instead of the Reagan mantra, we are mourning for a failing America.

The news bulletins that flashed across our television screens and headlined our newspapers over the past holiday season were sad enough to dampen the festive mood of many Americans.

We have the ever-increasing threat of Iran, combined with an Administration that treats this rogue nation’s growing nuclear possibility as if it were some tiny civic squabble.

We have a Justice Department that constantly attacks issues and legislation that are legitimate state rights.

We have a President who looks upon our Constitution as if it were merely a list of suggestions he can follow or ignore as his mood demands.

While these serious issues with international impact unfold, we have seen our national debt grow to the point where it now equals the total annual income of the country.
At the same time we have learned our housing market is not only in a dangerous financial meltdown, but growing worse. The country is awash with vacant houses seeking unavailable new owners. Foreclosures escalate monthly and many homes across the nation have declined as much as 45% from their peak value.

Everything from government regulations to the weather has wreaked havoc with our food supply. The government has also reported that in addition to escalating food prices across the country, more than 46 million Americans require some form of assistance to keep themselves and their families fed.

None of these concerns even come close to the wide spread impact of a failed economy. While more than 14 million Americans are reported to be unemployed, the actual figure is much higher. In addition to the actual job seekers, another 3 million Americans have decided to just drop out of the work force. Instead of an 8.6% unemployment rate, the country is really facing between 10% and 14% unemployment. Across the country major cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Jacksonville, Detroit, Las Vegas and Tampa are reporting double-digit unemployment. This does not include smaller towns, such as the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where unemployment ranges from 10% to 15% of the population. Hovering over all of this bad news is President who has held only one so-called job summit…and 73 reelection fund raising events.

Using all of these dark reports as a background for the Administration and Congress to reflect upon and take positive action, we have instead, one of the worst examples of political or governmental failure in the past 223 years. Perhaps the only period in our history when there was a worse governmental climate was the decade between 1850 and 1860 when the performance of both the executive branch and the legislative branch was so bad that it could not reach a reconcilable position and the nation erupted into civil war.

Today we have rule by presidential mandate, which remains questionable under the Constitution. We have an inept Congress that not only can’t pass a budget, but also cannot even cut the national debt by any meaningful dollar figure. Instead they pawn off their major problem on a so-called Super Committee that proved itself to be equally bad and unable to take any action to relieve pressure on our ever-growing national debt.

To the spirit of the Gipper we can only say…no longer do we see morning in America, but we do see mourning for those things that used to be and are now withering on the vine