China and Germany are proactive countries that are on the way up; America is regressive and reactive, and sliding downward. Germany's unemployment rate has been steady at about 5% and I would bet money that its not a fabricated rate such as that of America's which continues to exclude the millions of Americans who have given up on trying to find a job. In Germany, unions and workers are not the enemy of corporations and the government; they have found the ways to co-exist in the process of moving the country forward. Not so in America where unions and workers have become an endangered species.
Another example of stagnation: When are we going to do something about our addiction to and dependence upon petroleum, the cause of so many of our environmental problems and, instead, concentrate on the development of solar power? Why are we content to watch as Germany, followed by Spain and Japan, continues to lead the world in the development and the installation of this energy of the future? Germany's megawatts of solar power installed to date is 8 times greater than that of the U.S. We in America have resigned ourselves to the fact that the giant petroleum corporations are calling the shots relative to energy policy in this country and nothing can be done to counter their power.
What better example of stagnation than the financial sector that, without the constant infusion of billions upon billions of dollars from the Federal Reserve, would collapse in a heap. We have a banking industry that no longer is interested in providing loans to businesses to create more jobs for Americans but, rather to create more and more poisonous derivatives that could, at any time, ignite a financial collapse. Congress and the White House aren't going to do a thing about putting an end to this financial manipulation and the people of this country have no other alternative than to keeping investing their savings with these masters of deceit.
Now let's turn to the condition of regression: Why have we allowed our roads, highways, bridges and electrical grid to deteriorate so badly? Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has referred to America as "one big pothole" and that "America is facing an infrastructure disaster". Well, maybe it's because we have other far more important priorities such as maintaining our military empire and recklessly engaging in military conflicts all over the world. Besides, not to worry; when the American infrastructure gets bad enough this Congress will provide the funding for it by further slashing food stamp and mental health programs.
Why, in this so-called greatest nation in the world, do we have a failing education system that is doing such a great disservice to the youth of this nation? There's no mystery involved here. Why should this country spend multi-billions to fund an education system when the need for graduates majoring in science, mathematics and physics is greatly diminishing because America is no longer at the cutting edge of creativity and innovation? That's the reality of the situation and, yet again, the American people seem to be resigned to this negative situation.
How about the U.S. Congress, that body of our government that is so scorned and reviled by the American people? During the year 2014 the House of Representatives will only be in session for 112 days. But, then again, does anyone really care one way or the other when the members of this body of government don't do anything of substance even when they're in session? We need action on job creation, immigration reform, climate change, control of military spending, gun controls, a minimum wage increase and attention needs to be given to a wide range of other problem areas; but all these critical issues simply languish in this regressive, stagnated body of government.
Millions upon millions of American people see their democracy dying and their Constitution being shredded but, instead, of fighting against this dangerous trend, they do nothing and far, far too many, don't even exercise their right to vote. In this country, with all the problems we face, we should see millions more Americans showing up at the polls to cast the ballots to rid Washington of these pitiful politicians. But more and more of people indicate they want nothing to do with the process. Another example of how this democracy continues to regress.
We have a mainstream media that should be at the forefront of a movement to turn this nation around; those giants of proactive and objective journalism such as Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow are long gone and America's journalistic wasteland is now inhabited by the likes of O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Hannity. Journalism in America is not advancing, it is dying a slow death. The few courageous journalists who are trying to awaken the American people to the vast abuses of this government, such as Jeremy Scahill, Glenn Greenwald and others are being harassed and castigated by those who want to do away with honest, objective journalism.
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