A WHILE.

Well it has been a while since I have written anything on this blog.
Life for me has changed a great deal. My wife is now expecting our second child in December.
There are a lot of changes, but it seems really all is the same.
I look out at the world my sons will be growing up in and I wonder. What are their chances for happiness, how will this world be different from my own?
What is the path that we have laid for them to walk down?

I walk out every morning and I go to work.
I live the normal Suburban American lifestyle.
Just enough money, just enough house, just enough cars........

Yet I have increased in salary most every year, I have gotten nicer things but really nothing different. Just a bigger home, a bigger car, nicer clothes. But, nonetheless still A HOME, a CAR, and CLOTHES.

For all my efforts, and all my hours, and all the time I spend making a living.
I ask myself...... What am I living for?
Why do I work so often, so much, and over such a long period?

It seems we are all trained to be " Members of the Machine" simply a tool, that like any other will be discarded and replaced when it is no longer of use.

I see the porters in my building making minimum wage, wondering how can they make there ends meet? They can't.

For an America that is free. There is nothing free here.
A country by the people, for the people. Seems to have changed to a country by the people, for the corporations.

Gas is approaching $3.50 - $4.00 a gallon, and who does this benefit?
Health care is almost non existent. Even people who have insurance and good jobs most often cant afford to get sick.
They can't afford the time off without pay, they are living paycheck to paycheck already, and even the $20 co-pay, and the $50 prescription is out of there budget, must less the 60-100 dollars or more, they loose per day in wages.

And these people I am talking about aren't just the poor, Heck in some respects there is more available for "the poor" than for the common middle class. I am talking about the people who make 35k-40k a year income with 2 or 3 children. That pay $900 in rent or mortgage, $600 a month for food, $400 for a car $110 for car insurance and and a $300 electric bill. Not to mention 5-600 dollars in taxes per month. That is roughly 2850 out of a around 3000 a month income.
This also does not take into account. School supplies, clothing, water, incidentals or GAS ($260 mth for me).
This is just enough to cover the bare necessities of life.
And what?, you work 40-60 hours or more a week, spend no time with your family, and actually own nothing to show for your time and sacrifice. Even the home you pay for costs you taxes every year for eternity on property you supposedly own. Sounds more like you are renting it from the government to me.

Now I am definitely a fan of hard work and discipline in the work place.
And I believe people who work harder and smarter should be compensated accordingly.
Yet, I also believe that in a country with such vast wealth, that we could use our resources to better advantage, by increasing the standard of living in America.
And use our power to keep the wealth spread out a little more evenly amongst the masses.

CEO's make millions even while there companies falter, yet there employees lose there jobs, benefits, and security???
Not to mention the stock holders who have not realized their investments due to this type of legalized embezzlement.

Again I feel this is a two sided sword. Without capitalism our country could not advance as fast or as far, however there should be some type of limit as to how restricted these benefits become.
If it only helps 1% of the population at the expense of the rest. Then I would have to say that is not improvement.

Again, I ask are we ( we being the majority) not just slaves to the proverbial machine?

Where is the life worth living?
Are we not supposed to enjoy life......Live and be merry.

In this country we are given the "Right to PURSUE happiness", not guaranteed happiness.
However it seems that in this world there are ample supplies to provide a moderate level of happiness for all in our country.
Happiness could be achieved by simply restructuring our way of thinking and adjusting our tolerance for injustices, and quality of life.
Work is a great thing, a necessary evil......
But to what reward do we come home too?
What is it that we are working for?