It was a day like all days. We were there. If not in New York City, then glued to our television sets.
9/11. A day in infamy. To be remembered the same as Pearl Harbor.
A day that proved the very shores of America were pregnable. That it could happen here.
A day that changed America.
We are no longer as care free as then. Our actvities encumbered. Airport secuirity an example. We now have a Department of Homeland Security. Experienced three wars. Whether openly admitted, feel a general mistrust of Muslims and Middle Easterners.
As a Nation, we have drifted far to the right of center. The Supreme Court is more conservative than ever. It has rendered significant decisions which empower the wealth of corporate America. To the detriment of the working class. Corporate America influences our elected representastives more today than ever before in history.
The world no longer fears us. Oil rich nations toy with us. Food prices are out of whack. Most people do not realize that corporarte America has taken over farming to a large degree.
Greed permeates our society.
Remember Tenessee Ernie Ford. Roughly fifty years ago, he published the record Sixteen Tons. It was a remake of a song Merle Travis had introduced ten years earlier.
A key line in the song was “…I owe my soul to the company store.” We are on that path big time. We owe our souls to the company store. And each day we are “…another day older and deeper in debt.”
The middle class is rapidly disappearing. Once it was sufficiently affluent that it had acquired patrician status. No more. Yesterday’s patrician class are today’s peons.
All this has occurred in the ten years since 9/11. A coincidence, related, or a combination of both? I believe that 9/11 had something to do with it.
The trend described will not continue. The people will not permit it. It is too oppressive.
It will be interesting to see what the next ten years bring.
Where we will be on this morning in 2021.
Perfect commemorative words… the only way to look now is toward a better future.
Your writing today really touched my heart, i salute you Louis!!!
I don't quite see how 9/11 had anything to do with the disappearance of the middle class.. Only 58% are now paying any taxes[47% in my NY town]. The majority of corn production is now going to ethanol production which has caused food prices to rise as much as 50% over the past couple years. Entitlements have increased dramatically for the past years,example, a decade ago 30% were receiving aid [welfare] and now its up to 50%.. Yep, this must all be 9/11 related,somehow..
I happened to be flying a friend back to Boston when the first plane was hi-jacked west of Albany and it flew over us when it made its turn back toward NY..
Patrick
On this day 10 years ago I was putting final touches to your landscape project in your Utica home. Sad day to say the least. Just reminds me of exactly what was going on in my life that day. Also took the day off to watch what was happening on that day.
No. Lou is correct, 911 was a tragedy that certain elements of our Neocon establishment used to their gain (and shame). No way there was some vast dark conspiracy, after all, Darth Vader is a figment of George Lucas' imagination. No, some idiotic, misguided and illiterate middle eastern folks were misled to crash planes into structures and kill thousands of innocent people. That is true and a blot on humanity forevermore.
As for taxes, we all pay them. We pay payroll if we work and state and federal income too for many of us, we pay sales and gas, property and real estate taxes as well, so to say some people "pay" taxes and others don't is a big misconception.
When will people ever learn to live together, share and love the world? God said Greed was bad and now we see why, learn from His words.
In 2022 Lou? You must mean 2021 (20th anniversary. Either way 2022 or 2021 if we are both here we need to party! Hopefully for you and I…we remain ALIVE! Now that would be a trick. Something worth celebrating BIG BIG KW time….and then…some.
Reading this a day late because of the commitments of yesterday. Perfect analysis of the state of our beloved country. Good Job Louis – Ocala Carol