America’s Exploding Pipe Dream

From: www.nytimes.com

By CHARLES M. BLOW
Published: October 28, 2011

We are slowly — and painfully — being forced to realize that we are no longer the America of our imaginations. Our greatness was not enshrined. Being a world leader is less about destiny than focused determination, and it is there that we have faltered.

We sold ourselves a pipe dream that everyone could get rich and no one would get hurt — a pipe dream that exploded like a pipe bomb when the already-rich grabbed for all the gold; when they used their fortunes to influence government and gain favors and protection; when everyone else was left to scrounge around their ankles in hopes that a few coins would fall.
We have not taken care of the least among us. We have allowed a revolting level of income inequality to develop. We have watched as millions of our fellow countrymen have fallen into poverty. And we have done a poor job of educating our children and now threaten to leave them a country that is a shell of its former self. We should be ashamed.
Poor policies and poor choices have led to exceedingly poor outcomes. Our societal chickens have come home to roost.
This was underscored in a report released on Thursday by the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation of Germany entitled “Social Justice in the OECD — How Do the Member States Compare?” It analyzed some metrics of basic fairness and equality among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and ranked America among the ones at the bottom.
I could write (and have written) ad nauseam about our woeful state, but it might be more powerful to see it for yourself. So here are some of the sad data from the report.

Blogger comment:
It is a class of elites businessmen, politicians and clergy that control America, like the Saudi Kingdom. However people will not just stand and take it the revolution is in progress. We are mature enough in America in not using violence. Very smart people college professors and students are running the revolution as well middle class people who will not just wait and enjoy the rich spending their money. The real heroes of Hollywood both in the movies and real life will join in. The old world of tyranny, smart democratic semi-tyranny and elites will change to a new world that have place for everyone. This will spell over to peaceful middle east and investing in weapons will change to investing in food, health care and long term care.