May 4, 2006 Issue

President Bush is fortunate there are so many distractions Americans must deal with today.
There is the war in Iraq. There is the seemingly sudden discovery of those pesky Hispanics who have found their way to our country. During the last election there was that bombshell of a distraction: same-sex marriage.

But now there is an issue that will likely sink our arrogant leader and his administration.
It is the same issue that James Carville used to propel Bill Clinton to power more than a decade ago. It is the economy. It is $3 a gallon gasoline. It is the pitiful state of our health care system. It is a 30 percent dropout rate of our high school students. It is our antiquated criminal justice system that has imprisoned two generations of Americans based on unfair drug laws. It is insurance fraud—perpetuated by the insurance industry—against everyday Americans. Above all else, it is the economy, stupid.

It is unbelievable how wealth has been concentrated amongst a small segment of the population in a country that is not even 250 years old. The thought of redistribution of wealth is repugnant to many Americans. It brings cries of “communism.” Well, we have been undergoing a redistribution of wealth in this country for a long time. The problem is that we have a continuous distribution of wealth in this country. But it is always distributed to the already very wealthy.

In Costa Rica, a quiet democracy in Central America, most people live in what, at first glance, we would call poverty. The housing may be substandard. Everyone does not have an automobile. Luxury items are almost non-existent. But the people in Costa Rica possess two things that are becoming increasingly rare in this country. They have affordable medical care for their people. And in what most Americans would consider a third world country, they have a higher literacy rate than the United States. Knowing that a child will have proper medical care and a chance at a decent education has an amazingly comforting effect on a mother.

The challenge that our economy faces today is to allow our middle class to maintain their tenuous grasp on what is really the American dream. And it shouldn’t be such a difficult achievement. The American dream today is not the chance to attain upper-class status. It is simply to remain in the middle-class. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

The problem we face is not about how to deal with the large number of Americans who depend on the government for subsistence. The problem is how to insure that people who have worked all of their lives to attain some level of security can achieve what they deserve and not have to become a part of the welfare system.

There are Americans who have incomes once thought to have been sufficient to place them firmly in a middle class existence who are holding on to what little security they have by the skin of their teeth. People in our area now face a housing situation that offers $400,000 homes as “affordable living.” Many families have more invested in automobiles than they have invested in their homes. Their net worth is whatever the value of their pick-up truck is. Setting aside savings for medical emergencies or college educations is nothing but a dream.

Finally the economy seems to be coming to the forefront. Maybe not with President Bush, but certainly with the people in this country who have to drive to work and are finding it less rewarding to do so everyday. Gasoline may be worth $3 a gallon. It costs much more than that in Europe. But it is not worth that much to people who have to drive 20 miles to work as a dishwasher for $8 an hour.

In Bush’s vision, what’s good for Exxon-Mobil is good for our country. That’s just not right. What is good for this country is for people to be able to enjoy life a bit. Families who have two working parents should be able to demand a few things. They should know that their children could pursue an education without insurmountable roadblocks. They should have confidence their children and parents will receive decent health care throughout their lives. They should be able to sleep at night knowing the insurance policies they purchased are worth the paper they are printed on.

Middle class Americans should be able to expect a few other things also. They should be able to go to movie occasionally. They should be able to enjoy a dinner at the local Long Horn Steakhouse. They should be able to watch American Idol at night instead of having to work a second job. They should be able to take their kids to an Atlanta Braves game. If they live in Destin, they ought to be able to take their kids fishing. Or maybe, every few years, be able to take the family to Disneyworld.

I feel certain that President Bush is not as callous, shallow, or as aloof as he seems to be. That is not possible. His lack of understanding of basic environmental challenges is stunning. His legacy of destruction overseas and his inability to make this country secure against the threat of terrorism or nuclear war is unforgivable. The failure of his appointees in responding to a disaster such as Katrina is unforgivable. His horrendous performance as the leader of this great country will be chronicled. But all of the miscues, deceptions, and ineptitude of his administration are likely to pale in comparison with his inability to deal with the concerns facing the future of what was once the middle class.

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