We who live in the USA are very fortunate compared to billions of humans who reside in countries where abject poverty is virtually the norm. Billions of people on our planet barely live from day to day attempting to avoid starvation and struggling to avoid contaminated deadly water. The life expectancy for billions of our global human cohabitants is barely 35 years, during which debilitating diseases are rampant and violent death is often served by genocidal leaders. Over 300 million of us are indeed very fortunate compared to so many who suffer and barely survive. However, we living in the USA are not all so fortunate.
Millions of us barely survive and skirt by near or below the poverty level. Millions of us are homeless and are forced to seek basic shelter and bare food rations daily. The multi millions in these categories include citizens of all ages and colors who have fallen into a form of shadow life that is ignored by most of us and who are often treated as miscreants or worse by others who subconsciously despise them. In addition to those who subsist in poverty and those who are homeless and barely exist we now add the many millions who are more recently unemployed or have been chronically unemployed for extended periods of time. An approximate estimate of the totals in each group is as follows; homeless = 5 million humans in USA, at or below poverty level = 40 million humans in USA, unemployed including chronically unemployed = 20 million humans in USA, or a total of about 65 million of the men, women, and children in our country are struggling to barely get by day to day. And this situation is permitted in the "richest country in the world".
These humans amongst us are part of a country where political leaders claim we all have an equal opportunity to live the "American Dream". Each and every one who comprise the living poor range in age from new born to the elderly, includes infants and adolescents, disabled, veterans from our wars, and mentally impaired of all ages. They live in all of 50 of our states and all our territories and comprise over 20% of our total population. The next time you attend a major college football game in a large stadium imagine that every one sitting between the 40 yard lines on both sides of the stadium represent these 20%, and maybe you will begin to realize how enormous this disgraceful situation is in a country of relative abundance. If this is part of the American Dream they are clearly living a dream that most of us would call a Nightmare. However that Nightmare is Reality.
We often seem to treat the suffering poor and unemployed people in our country as untouchable lepers to be ignored or worst. We as a country have indeed lost our humanity towards one another. How can we possibly justify the continuation of this travesty that engulfs more than 60 million of us in the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world?
As long as we the average American citizen allows greed to dominate all forms of life in the USA, and to allow bottom-line corporations ignore the poor and ego maniacal politicians to consume our taxes for destructive rather than constructive purposes we will spiral into a whirlpool of abject poverty wherein the 60 million who are now suffering will enlarge in numbers and encompass more and more of us. If this scenario is allowed we as a country will become as morally bankrupt as those who are directly responsible for allowing their suffering poor to wallow in abject poverty and die young as is happening in many parts of the world.
We must awaken our leaders and demand an enlightened approach to governance that is truly for the purpose of assuring life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every one of us. Speak up and speak out for a true American Dream that includes all of us. Help our neighbors and fellow citizens emerge from poverty and suffering to share in an equitable life where humility and concern for others dominates our landscape. Shake up the politicians who are steering us deeper into the abyss and tell them no more! Revitalize the American Dream and make it Reality.
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