America: A land of dispirit misconceptions and hypocritical contradictions

Unfortunately many times, “We do not walk the talk”. It is disappointing that in America, as in many developed nations, we beat our chest with nationalistic hubris and arrogance, but do not deliver the goods. We propagate many myths through a partnership of religious institutions, major corporations, government and mass media to dumb down our population and to create a euphoric atmosphere of disinformation and mass delusion.
Some folks will say I am negative and down on America, to the contrary I want to realistically identify the short falls and frame alternatives to make our nation stronger in order to better serve the majority of our population. When less than one percent of our population holds almost one half the wealth and receives forty percent of the income then we are not a very balanced nation, but an Oligarchy controlled by a few elites. There is for the most part justice and leniency, superior healthcare, palatial housing, gourmet nutrition, access to opportunity, quality education, and immunity from hazardous military service, and quality of life for those of means and position. When our presidents arrogantly circumvent congressional approval, and take us into preemptive wars there is a blatant disregard for our Constitution and our moral standing as a nation. The following are examples of how our “Actions” as a nation does not join in concert with our “Speak”:
Over one eighth of our citizenry live below the poverty line. Programs for education, environmental stewardship, aid to dependent children, health care and other human need programs are being cut in the midst of high corporate profitability and tax avoidance. Corporate and Wall Street profits, in the midst of a recovering economic recession are at an all time high. The US enjoys one of the lowest income tax rates in the developed world. The biggest corporations such as GE, B of A, Chevron, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, etc paid no corporate taxes, but shifted their US tax liabilities through foreign subsidiaries. The corporations are not to blame; it is our system that allows corporate person hood that is to blame.
Germany and Japan’s manufacturing account for 21% of their GDP, but in contrast the US ratio is only 13%. All three countries are developed nations. The US actually imports to a greater degree than Germany and Japan. The US actually produces some its oil and most of its gas, which means less dependency on energy importation, but our balance of payments is much greater. Germany and Japan have embraced alternative energy to a much greater degree than the US. The major difference for a greater degree of export/import balance by Japan and Germany is their dedication to quality education, skill building, manufacturing innovation, product innovation, and quality control. For example the US imports a great deal of hi-tech manufacturing and medical equipment that should be produced in our country.
The cost of public university education and tuition has vastly increased greatly in part, because our priorities for imperialistic defense and incarceration of non violent drug offenders, is more important than having a skilled and professional work force.
We like to believe that we are land of the best freedoms and fairest democratic systems, but in reality specifically with the invocation of the Patriot Act many of our First and Fourth Amendment rights are in jeopardy.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has recently reported that there are over 1,000 hate groups in America. If we are a land of fairness and justice why have these hate groups increased by 20% over the last five years? Is there such a degree of fear, ignorance, and misunderstanding in our country that these dangerous divisive groups continue to grow?
“Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through”. There is a degradation of justice in our Supreme Court system. A past example of injustice was the Bush/Gore voting fiasco, but a present example is the treatment of John Thompson. “Thompson” was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 14 unnecessary years on death row. He won a $14 million judgment against the state where he was convicted. Justice Thomas of the conservative Supreme Court set aside the award completely, saying that this was just an aberration. Thompson received nothing and was just written off entirely. The Thompson case is an example of when the defending party is a large corporation or a government entity, that the “Little Guy” has little chance of receiving justice. Justices Scalia, Alito, Roberts, Thomas are owned by the major corporate and government interests.
Defense spending, plain and simple, is socialism for the protection of international industrialists and bankers. Other than jobs that have been created in defense industries and some educational benefits, the resources that have been wasted on death and destruction could have been better spent creating jobs in beneficial technology, education, health care, the arts, alternative energy, and improving public transportation and infrastructure. The working class bears the negative brunt of defense through their being predominantly serving on the front lines and having to pay one half of their taxes toward war related expenditures.
Our Constitution states that we as individuals should have the freedom to practice the religion of our choosing. We should also have the freedom to be non-observant, overtly Atheist or Agnostic. Prayer and God are religious based concepts that have no place in our public schools, military regimen, public lands, or on our money. If someone in the military chooses to be observant they should have that right. Those who are not religious should not feel coerced or ostracized, because they chose to be non-observant.
Our US leaders preach using such words as, “Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights, and Liberation”, but in reality the US has been, directly or indirectly, one of the biggest supporters and financiers of Fascist dictators. A short list includes: Marcos, Franco, Pinochet, Suharto, Shah of Iran, Saddam Hussein, Mubarak, and even Hitler through our multi-national corporations and banking arms. True capitalism is created by an atmosphere of unfettered competition, regulation against fraud and deceit, and allowing enterprises that are not efficient or solvent to go out of business.
Whenever a corporation gets a tax break or subsidy it is rationalized as a job creator. In reality jobs are created when there is demand or where the least expensive labor can be procured. When help is given to the needy, our educational system, the arts to improve our quality of life, or other non-corporate entities it is demonized as welfare. I dollar in the hands of the poor is always spent immediately in the US to create purchasing demand and more jobs. A dollar in the hands of the wealthy does not necessarily go to create jobs in the US. Many times a dollar in the hands of the wealthy will go to another country or just sit idle producing no purchasing demand.
Support for alternative, not for profit media sources is essential to our democracy and national enlightenment. Why is that when certain human rights organizations and non-commercial media sources report sordid behavior by certain public and private groups that they are demonized as being Left Wing? Is it because they are reporting painful truths that reveal the bad behavior of certain individuals or groups?
How can we expect to have a nation of transparent politicians who are forthright and act with ethics and morality if we as the electorate allow ourselves to support dispirit interests and delude ourselves as to the destructive actions of our countries leaders and populace.
At the end of the day I would like to say that I am proud of the behavior of my government officials including all branches of government, but unfortunately I cannot. I find it difficult knowing that Supreme Court justices, congress people, and our commanders in chief can be bought off by the corporate elite and greedy powerful financiers.