I'm a fan of Tom Leykis (www.blowmeuptom.com). He has a show that's both informative and entertaining. He used to be on the radio, but he was fired. So, now he does a live call in show over the internet.
He says (and I agree) that radio is an outdated concept. No one listens to radio anymore. At least not the way we once did. If I do listen to radio, I'm tuned to NPR. But, most of the time, I'm listening to my MP3 player or a pod cast or his show or nothing at all. And satellite radio? Why pay for all those channels I'll never listen to when I can find better stuff on my smart phone?
My point is that the good ol' USA may be like radio. Are we facing a future where our best and brightest may have to leave in order to find work and make a decent living?
The USA is going to have to re-invent itself or things may change for Americans in a very bad way. This scares the hell out of me. I've re-invented myself once already. Will I have to do it again?
The right wants to lower taxes and deregulate and give almost everything over to the private sector. But, we've been going down that road for the last 40 or so years and things haven't gotten better. On the contrary, they've gotten worse!
The left wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and put the restrictions back in place, the way things were back in the 1950s. That was a good time for us, but will it solve the problem?
The fact is the USA is going to have to evolve, the way Tom Leykis has. We're going to have to look at our future, assess our strengths, avoid our weaknesses and come up with a plan that will keep us all above the poverty line and we need to do it fast.
I've concluded that our politicians are so disconnected and busy chasing campaign contributions that neither side can save us. We're going down, no matter what. It's just a question of how quickly. I think the right is misguided and uninformed at best, dangerous and divisive at worst. They'll take us over the cliff full-tilt-boogie, waving the flag all the way. The left, I feel, is at least trying to pitch solutions and spend less time pushing hotbuttons to keep people from thinking about what is really going on, but they're unfortunately ridiculed for being "elite intellectuals". They can't fix this either, but we'll at least go over that cliff a little better prepared for the impact at the bottom. No, I don't think the USA is outdated, but the shine is gone and we're being lied to. If we could be honest about what has happened to our country and deal with the problems that got us here instead of grandstanding and pandering we would all have a much brighter future. As it is, we're all in for a heap of trouble, because no one is talking about how things are going to be very different for all of us. Standards of living are changing, right now. You don't have to like it, but we'd all better be ready to cope with it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe the left or the right have the answers. But, I agree with your post.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I'm one of the few left who still listen to the radio and don't have cable or satellite TV.