Hey, I’m just an old guy who’s see a lot of life. My dad went off to WWII and left me with my Mom and no dad. Then we had Korea and other dad’s in the neighborhood went off to war again and some didn’t come back. Kids in the neighborhood came down with polio.
When I graduated from high school I went off to college. The first in my family. My friends who didn’t went to the plants to work or joined the marines. Graduated from college and went off to California and live on the beach. Started in the training program for BofA. The came the draft notice from Uncle Sam. Went back to Ft. Wayne in Detroit to take the physical and flunked it because of a bad knee from wrestling in college. Started a new career in marketing with the old Standard Oil of Indiana. Working in the training station pumping gas and working on cars. Retired 34 years later as a Vice President of Marketing. Got married and my wife and I moved 10 times the first 14 years we were married. My two daughters got to see a few new schools.
This was the American Dream. I lived it, I know. For me it was never a question about how hard I had to work or what sacrifices needed to be made to achieve goals. Just do what needed to be done. Take care of your family, that’s what a man does. Because of success we have enjoyed 17 years of retirement. The primary goal was to spend as much time as possible with the family since not doing that was part of the price to get here. I’m proud to say we’ve done that.
About 10 years ago I started to worry about my country. A shift seemed to be happening. The American Dream that offered me the opportunities to do what we had done seemed to be drifting away. More and more Americans were opting out. The government was becoming the dream, not the private sector. I would say to friends, “I worry that my grandkids’ will be the first generation to have a poorer standard of living than their parents.” My friends would look at me like I was crazy and change the subject. Funny thing, those same friends now say that to me. I decided to become a blogger and express those concerns. My first blog: “Grandparents of America Awaken” has now been consolidated into this blog.
It’s truly sad to watch what’s happening to my country. Even sadder to see young people buying into the program. The program that will make their future dim. But, at least not all are drinking the Kool Aid. My oldest granddaughter is studying journalism and seems to feel she might find a way to help change the country for the better. This young TV journalist obviously agrees.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ABrauM7yvco
Still, the big election looms. Bernie Sanders draws big crowds selling the let’s become Denmark plan.
According to (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development data), Denmark factually rates the second highest consumer of antidepressants in Europe, only surpassed by Iceland. In reality, if it were not for the widespread use of antidepressant medication, which is tremendously diminished in price by government subsidization, Denmark’s suicide rate, last published in 2006, (according to World Health Organization data) of 11.9 per 100,000 would rank at least double, though likely triple, the level of today. Denmark’s suicide rate—with an average of 20.8 per 100,000 during the last five decades—reached its highest level of 32 in 1980 and has since slowly but steadily declined by 1 per thousand annually. This statistic is in relatively perfect harmony with the increase of antidepressant usage over the last two decades. Compare the Danish suicide rate to the rates for the individualistic cultures of the United Kingdom and the United States, whose small suicide rates have been nearly perfectly steady. United Kingdom’s suicide rate last published in 2009 by WHO of 6.9—with an average of 8.5 during the last five decades—has never exceeded 10.7. The American suicide rate last published in 2005 by WHO of 11.0, with an average of 11.1 during the last five decades, has never exceeded 12.7.
Perhaps this explains the sad news, above. Denmark has the highest taxes in the world at 80%. The have the highest level of private debt and few own a car or home since they virtually no disposable income with which to buy one. Gasoline is $10 a gallon. Sales tax is 25% with other duties and taxes the government applies.
Vote for Bernie, he will get us there in a year. Vote for Hillary and it will take longer, but it will happen .
If this is what the country wants, this is what it will get. It’s what the media wants and the media usually gets what it wants in this country today.
