I am old enough to remember life in the late 1950s and early 1960s, some 60 years ago, and while life was much different back then, it was still better than it is now, from my perspective, as a WHITE BOY growing up in a middle class household. We were not wealthy nor were we well off, but we wanted for nothing. I am sure my parents sacrificed in order to make that happen.
Over the years, my parents gradually moved up into the upper middle class and when I left home, got married, and remarried and relocated a couple of times I remained in the lower middle class... not because I was forced to stay there but because that is where I felt the most comfortable.
With an MBA from Wake Forest University, I could have moved up north and doubled or tripled my salary, but I chose to remain in the south. I don't know if that was a good decision or a bad decision, but it was my decision.
Today, like in the 1950s and 1960s, I want for nothing. I have managed to save enough money to pay our bills until we are both 95 years of age, knowing that neither of us will live that long.
During the 76 years that I have been alive, life in America has changed.
It is difficult to say if it is more racist or less racist but racism is still very much a part of American life. Racism does not just exist on the white side of the fence but on the black side of the fence as well.
While salaries and wages have increased from the $1.75/ hour I remember receiving, the purchasing power of the US dollar is less in 2023 than it was in 1966 for instance. While that is a good sign for those of use who are wealthy, it is not a good sign for those of us who are not wealthy.
This is where I fault the CONGRESS because neither Republican nor Democrat has done anything to change that... and the whole point of their being elected was to help the American people.
Wars has always been a part of life as an American whether we, as a country, are personally involved or not. The Korea War, the Vietnam War, Wars in Africa, Wars in the Middle East, Wars in South America, Wars in Mexico, and now a war in Ukraine and Israel.
It is doubtful that our world will ever be without wars. Wars both help and hurt the American economy whether we want to admit that fact or not. The entire world is attached economically so what happens in China affect life in the USA and vice versa.
In the 1960s, American education K-12 was the best in the world. Now, we are ranked 17th in the world. How did this happen? But, more importantly, those graduating from high school, less educated than previous years are still going to college. GO FIGURE?
Our American BRAND OF DEMOCRACY and our FREEDOMS, especially our freedom of speech has inextricably DIVIDED our country. We are no longer united. We are no longer a nation of families. We are no longer a nation of prosperity. We are no longer a nation admired by the world.4
Illegal Immigrants, the push towards green energy, and humanoid robots with artificial intelligence will change our nation in such a way that for people like me, we will see our country as unrecognizable. What will it be like to have robots replace 80% of the jobs in America? What will it be like to live without income? What will it be like to be laughed at by the rest of the world? What will it be like for Americans to be forced to speak Spanish in order to conduct any kind of business or be forced to speak Spanish in American high schools?
OF COURSE, THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE READING THIS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WILL HAPPEN...
