Living In Fear

There is not a day that goes by, that most Americans are not living in fear. This fear comes in many forms and can be devastating for all of us. With the declining economy, joblessness, the rising cost of gas, food and other necessities, American families are living in fear.

Fear is choking the life out of this country and it's citizens. So many of us wake up each morning, wondering if this will be the day that everything catches up to us. Will this be the day that we lose our job, will this be the day that we surrender to mounting debt?

There is not a day that goes by, that I don't wonder if my family and I would survive if we had to live through another Depression. I know that my grandparents did it and I know what hard work means, but could we really do what had to be done to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table?

There was a time in this country that neighbors helped each other and took care of each other, but that time is long gone. Some of us don't even know who our neighbors are and some want no part of their neighbors. With this type of mentality, how would people survive a Depression?

For some it is already too late. But for the rest of us, we need to wake up and start thinking how we would make it through really bad times. We all need to start taking responsibility for our debts, our friends and our neighbors. We need to starting coming together as a country before it is too late.

The Lost Industrial Base

Growing up in this country, I remember a time when a man or a woman could support their family by working in some type of industry. It may be a steel mill or a textile mill, it may have been working in a sewing factory or even a cabinetry factory. But those days are long over and far removed from the world today.

Millions are out of work, with little to no hope of finding an real employment. Businesses have longed left this country in the search for cheaper labor, cheap raw materials and larger profits. Democrats blame the Republicans and vice a versa. Truth be told, both parties and their leaders are to blame for this horrific situation. While they spit back and forth at each other, average Americans are struggling to survive this downward spiral.

Hard times are here and harder times are around the corner. It is doubtful is many American would or could survive another Depression. Rural America may stand a better chance, but how many of the young people in this country would know how to live off the land? This should be a major concern for all Americans. Lean times are here and will only become leaner for those of us in middle America.

Our political leaders need to stop casting blame and look to how America can start rebuilding the industrial base. It won't be easy and foreign countries will rant and rave, but we need to starting putting this country and it's citizens first. American companies need to be based in this country, not just be shipping products to this country.

President Obama and members of Congress need to leave their ivory towers and take a long walk down Main Street. They are too far removed from how the rest of the country lives. If they did that, then maybe these hard decision would be a little easier to make.