How are you doing?

Through out the past few years over and over I keep hearing the government say "We're doing GREAT!" Unemployment is always down, money is always fine, as a whole---we're doing great!
But how come for the first time in my life that I can really really remember---I feel like the people back in the 70's oil crunch?
Why does my dollar buy less than it did? Oh I know---the government tells me that it doesn't but I beg to differ.
Why do I know more people out of work than I did even as a teenager? And worse--these are not teenage people they are adults with family and they struggle not only to keep their heads above water but to get their children decent health care. I can count more families---good average middle class families----that don't have health care than I EVER have in my entire life that I can remember.
Why is it that in 2002 you could buy silver for 5.35 and ounce and now it is 13.50 ish ? That speaks volumes right there doesn't it? It says people want real money---not that over inflated, propped up funny money we are paid with every week. It says that those in the "know" are preparing for when our dollar goes down (even more than it has doesn't seem possible does it---or does it?)
Here's a nifty little site with an article on this topic that is easy to understand how we are getting the wool pulled over our eyes.

So..why does nothing change?
Why, even with a shift in "leadership" in the senate and congress is there no change? Why is it that Nancy Pelosi came in saying that she wouldn't put up with all the republican bologna and we still have it? Worse---she doesn't seem willing or able to stand up to them or to even make her own party tow the line. What a let down!
Yesterday on National Public Radio they did a story that the Washington Post broke about Buyout firms and their low low tax (compared to the average American). Seems as if nothing will change according to Harry Reid. Buyout firms as every one has heard recently pay 15% on the same type of "income" we would have to pay 35% on. Now, why is that? Sure doesn't look as if the Democrats are working for us does it?---no change, no difference.
Is this America still Toto---or our we entering something worse than Kansas. Like maybe Russia? Or how about Germany of the early 30's with our constant fear mongering that most of America seems to believe? What is the deal here people?
Why haven't we stood up and said something? Or have we---but we are being ignored? When is it that we lost that "old American way" of fighting for what is right?
Unfortunately even racism seems on the rise again. Oh call me naive---but here we are back to that same point of ropes and crosses to scare people and blaming people that speak other languages for "ruining" our country. Bullcrap. It's our government that is ruining our country ---and what better traditional scape goat than someone who looks or speaks differently than the main stream? While they (the government) put us in debt up to our country's eyeballs---we sit back and blame the Mexican who makes $15,000 a year for our woes. If everyone was making money like they were back in the 80's we would all LOVE all the Mexican immigrants being here. I lived in Texas in the 80's when they gave citizenship to all. Many, many, many, many (let me say ALOT) of people and companies HAPPILY used Mexican laborers. No muss, no fuss. Now why are we mad? Because there are not enough jobs for the average citizens of America and we are pissed that they come over and are willing to dig ditches---which most people I know won't. Not to say that there may not be people losing their jobs though. I know this is serious stuff. However, when we lived in another part of Georgia there were large chicken processing plants---or "butt cutters" as the joke went. Only the people who were illiterate (65% of the adult population there), dropped out in 9 or 10th grade and didn't have the know how to get a GED or immigrants worked there. NO OTHER person would DREAM of taking that job.
Am I sticking up for immigrants? Not necessarily---that's not my point.
Am I sticking up for companies that employ them illegally? Nope--that's not my point either.
What I am trying to say is that our economy sucks and our damn representatives sit on their fat tooshskies and line their own pockets with money or pat their selves on the back because they are so full of their own self. Sickening isn't it?

Let me leave you with an excerpt from Naomi Wolf's book "The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot"
In it she's says that America has already begun down the road of "ten steps to fascism". As has been said before---it is much easier to bring down a democracy than to create and sustain one.
Are we sustaining ours?

Here's the quote and if you would like to read the ten steps see it here:

Because Americans like me were born in freedom, we have a hard time even considering that it is possible for us to become as unfree, domestically, as many other nations. Because we no longer learn much about our rights or our system of government -- the task of being aware of the Constitution has been outsourced from citizens to professionals such as lawyers and professors -- we scarcely recognize the checks and balances that the founders put in place, even as they are being systematically dismantled. Because we don't learn much about European history, the setting up of a department of "homeland" security -- remember who else was keen on the word "homeland"? -- didn't raise the alarm bells it might have.