America was once the bedrock of stability. The decades immediately following the end of World War II, though sometimes problematic, were still among the best of times as our economy and our society prospered because the people of this nation had the strong desire and the motivation to work together to build the nation. That was then and this is now; how radically things have changed.
The American people should be very alarmed over this country's sharp downward turn, especially over this past very tumultuous decade. They are quite aware and gravely concerned that this nation is rapidly going in exactly the wrong direction; but they feel totally powerless to do anything about it. What happens when this downward spiral intensifies and can't be brought under control? The country undergoes extreme instability and it bottoms out. We are on that path.
Many signs and much concrete evidence points to that very conclusion. By hitting bottom, I mean to say that America is edging ever closer to losing its way in the world, its sense of direction and purpose, no longer adhering to the ethical and moral principles it once championed, rapidly becoming a nation in which money, power and influence have become the dominant, driving force. It's like a ship without a rudder or compass.
To illustrate what's happening to America let's talk about addiction. Consider an individual that is hooked on heroin or cocaine, that has been given counseling and treatment but cannot and will not give up these substances. We might say that America is under the influence of dangerous substances; addicted to an agenda of war on the one hand and under the control of corporatism on the other. Constant warnings about the dangers that will result if these two addictions cannot be controlled continue to go unheeded.
An individual who continues in the throes of a dangerous addiction will, quite often, arrive at a point where he hits bottom and can go no further until he changes his life. That's where America is today. All signs indicate that this government has no intention of trying to rid itself of these two serious addictions on its own and that it will have to, in effect, hit bottom before it can start on the road to recovery; and when it bottoms out and realizes that it must change radically change its direction, then it may have the opportunity to embark upon the long and painful process of resurrecting itself.
Suppose that this bottoming out becomes reality. During the process of recovery and rehabilitation here is what America and its government would have to do to fully heal itself and enter a new, enlightened era. It would have to:
*Stop the rampant spread of violence across this society. It can no longer be tolerated. There must be serious initiatives launched to address the root causes of this problem and specific actions taken to bring this situation under control. Certainly, reasonable, effective gun control legislation is an answer but that's not enough. We also must create millions of more jobs across this nation, and in our inner cities, give people meaningful employment, rather allowing their frustrations to erupt into violence.
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