You know, I haven't written one of these in a while. Ever since my Whitney Houston one which got me booted off site[then re-instated on the count of I was proven right], I've been debating on writing another entry. This one has boiling inside of me for a good while because of what I see happening around me and I've decided that I can no longer keep this pent up inside of me...
I've come to a realization that the "American Dream" is long dead, and other countries, are in fact living our "Dream". Everywhere I turn, its smacking me unrelentingly in the face. Facts are hard to ignore. I've traveled outside of this country in the past year, mostly on my own dime under the pretense of "visiting family" because I come from a multi-racial/cultural family that is spread far and wide across the globe. From the UK, Canada, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Japan, Germany, Spain, Cuba, Norway and Switzerland. In actuality, I've been scouting for a new place to re-locate, because I'm tired of being fed an unattainable "dream". I want to live it. I'll give you some examples:
-In the US, teachers are ostracized, and there's this huge push back against education even at the high school level by large segments of this country. For whatever reason, being educated in the United States seems to carry with it a stigma of being an "elitist". In the countries I've visited, teachers are treated with respect, and paid accordingly. The average teacher makes roughly 2.5x what our public school teachers make here. Teachers are not hassled by parents because their child is failing, but instead consulted by parents on what they could be doing to better assist the child in their studies.
-The internet is treated like infrastructure. The government builds the actual infrastructure needed to have the fastest high speed internet[fiber optic], then leases/sells it to the telcomms. So even in the most remote areas of these countries, you still have access to fast internet, as the internet is becoming a necessity and not a luxury today. In the US, we are on the decades old "copper wire" system, and our internet infrastructure is 100% controlled by the telcomms. If it is deemed that it wouldn't be cost effective for them to expand into a suburb or rural area due to the lack of consumer base there, they won't. Or if a town wants to lay down its own infrastructure because a telcomm won't, they'll sue. The US ranks dead last among high speed internet speeds, and availability among modernized countries, and even behind some developing nations due to this.
-Infrastructure: In this country, infrastructure is some huge debate. Bridges could be crumbling, roads in vast states of disrepair, water mains not functioning as they should. It doesn't matter. Politicians think it is best that this money go toward their buddies in corporations because they "need" it more than we need our most basic infrastructural needs. In other countries that I listed, when the issue of repair/upgrading our infrastructure comes up, its not even a debate. It's simply done. Money is allocated, people are hired and put to work, and it simply gets done. It's an extremely seamless process. No political points are scored because something on a basic level was done.
-Healthcare: This is a big one. Even though the ACA has provided millions the OPPORTUNITY to get healthcare from a private insurer, I have no faith that this will remain in place. The reason for this, is that healthcare management organizations are not beholden to its customers. They're beholden to their shareholders. The more services they are forced to provide, the less money they'll be able to kick back to stockholders. So, as soon as a republican controlled congress & president are elected, you can kiss it goodbye. It will be repealed or scaled back in such a way that it will be worthless, and all the blame will be placed on democrats/progressives. In other countries, healthcare is treated as an essential service because HMOs do not have a hand in the healthcare making policies like they do in this country, thus their influence is minimal to nothing. You are ENTITLED to healthcare in these other countries. They understand that healthy citizens, are productive citizens. Going to the doctor isn't put off until the last possible moment because you can't afford to go in these other countries. Doctors are encouraged to practice preventative care.
Transportation: It seems like we are the slow kid in the class when it comes to transportation in this country simply because the issue is always some huge debate and always seems to get railroaded[pun intended] whenever it comes up. I don't understand the push back against high speed rail in this country. It could open up so many opportunities for people to work outside of their local area. It would dramatically expand the workforce. But instead, we are still operating on a rail system that was built largely in the 50s and 60s, with trains that were built in the 70s and 80s that have been retrofitted and refurbished dozens of times over. Go to a country that has viable high speed rail, and you'll see the difference. Getting from one part of the country to another is nothing, and can be done on a daily basis for very little cost. It's not some planned trip that takes days on end.
Guns: As a gun owner, this is a huge one. I own guns[A beretta 92fs and a glock 19 4th gen with laser sight], and I gotta tell you, the gun culture in this country is out of hand. It's mainly due to the fact that we've allowed an organization in the NRA, to partner up with gun manufacturers, to put pressure on an entire political wing[the republicans]. Under the guise of "gun ownership rights", we see insane amounts of gun violence because gun manufacturers don't care who their guns are purchased by, or how they get out into the public. They just care about the money, but people are ignorant to that fact. It doesn't matter if the gun is owned by a police department, a teacher, a gang banger, a neo nazi, a kkk member, a skinhead, or a militia member. As long as its owned by somebody, and the money is in their bank account is all that matters to these gun manufacturers. They don't care for what purpose the gun is used for. You don't see this in a lot of these other countries I listed, because there is either NO citizen gun ownership, or there are very strict gun ownership laws that the people adhere to. It just feels like a safer/saner environment to live in and strive in. Not having to fear being gunned down because you get into a simple argument with someone is a good thing. Not having to fear overzealous vigilantes in your own neighborhood stalking you down is a great thing.
I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. I'm sick and tired of "dreaming" and it's time I started living. I'm done begging for scraps, and getting less than that. As I type this, I'm also looking into the necessary steps to renounce my citizenship once I decide on a place to relocate, because my mind is made up. I wish I could say I'll miss this place once I'm gone, but I won't. But for the rest of you, I wish you the best of luck in this oligarchy/theocracy disguised as a democracy. I truly do.