Shared Prosperity

The Washington Post has just released its poll that pretty much sums America up:  Most Americans do not want to cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicad, or the Defense budget, and they are against across the board tax increases but they favor taxing the rich more.

58% of Americans disapprove of how the President is dealing with the deficit and 64% disapprove of how the Republicans in Congress are dealing with the deficit.  Then you come to this:

Congressional Republicans maintain a narrow edge over Obama when it comes to taking a “stronger leadership role” in Washington, 45 to 40 percent. And political independents side with the Republicans on tackling the burgeoning debt. But Obama maintains a key, double-digit advantage among independents when it comes to “protecting the middle class.” 

So 64% of Americans disapprove of how the Republicans are dealing with the problem of the deficit but 45% believe that the Republicans are taking a stronger leadership role.  Then independents side with the Republicans on tackling the debt but the give a double digit advantage to the President for protecting the middle class.

As confusing as that all may be it can easily be translated to:  Americans want what Obama proposes but they want him to LEAD on the issue and protect the middle class. 

I know lots of liberals don't really understand Americans and they find the "average joe" to be stupid, religious, anti-science, and racists.  The reality is most Americans are scared and fearful of the future and are looking for leadership.  Leadership:  That which seems so alien to liberals.

Can anyone claim they understand what is going on with the economy?  Can anyone promise that the future will be better and we a more prosperous nation?  We keep hearing about how the government is all for creating jobs and then all we see is where McDonalds is hiring 50,000 people!  Those are jobs that pay $7.25/hour and average 18 hours a week.  THINK!  An unemployed construction worker with a wife and three kids applied for one of those jobs and exactly how does anyone expect him to make do with that?

He really has no idea exactly what the government does but he is starting to suspect that it isn't going to benefit him.  All of this talk about the wonders of science and technology and what potential it offers mankind really doesn't seem to make much of a difference to someone who is trying to get by on a job at McDonalds. 

Yeah, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he did his job, he followed the rules and all he knows now is that he is being left behind.  For 30 years he heard all the politicians and their promises, he heard all the experts with their theories and opinions, and he figured these political and intellectual elites knew what they were talking about and were doing what was best for the country.

Now he realizes that the more they did the further behind he fell; $7.25 an hour for 18 hours a week.

Teachers and government workers are protesting the loss of their collective bargaining rights and most likely this guy lost his house and he is to give a damn about somebody losing something he never had?  Funding for NPR, Planned Parenthood, and PBS?  Like he really cares as he spends most of his days trying to dodge his creditors.

The violence in the middle east?  Iraq?  Afghanistan?  Libya?  None of it really matters when you have to tell your kids that daddy can't buy them a new toy.

Social Security, Medicare, retirement?  Who can think that far into the future when you are struggling to live day to day.

America was a great country at one time; at one time we prided ourselves on a shared prosperity and now all we talk about is a shared sacrifice.  As long as we continue to drift without leadership, without a rudder, the anger, the frustration, and the stupidity of the masses will continue to haunt this country.  Most Americans realize that politics has nothing to do with their lives and that is a shame that both parties share.