My grandfather used to tell me, "time wounds all heels." According to him, a highly regarded emergency room veterinarian, time is the enemy in life. For him, when trying to stop a dog from bleeding out after being hit by a car, time was the enemy. He reminded me that almost every mistake we make is followed by the feeling of, "If only I had more time." In sports, we play against the clock, not with it. So why as a nation do we subscribe to the belief that time will heal us? Sure, there are instances where waiting can help, but in most cases, time hurts over healing. Today's divided, spiteful, and angry America is no different, and time continues to make things worse.
We are a wounded nation. Americans need to find common ground with those with opposing political views. Biden was exalted as a great healer, and many Americans believed he had what it took- it's only gotten worse. We can sit back and blame the politicians or the media, but the culprit is neither. Washington has abandoned the working middle class in this country, and the personal economic decline of the majority of Americans has been happening for over thirty years. It's hard to invite your Democrat side of the family and "not talk politics" when you're worried about being able to retire before 90 or if you can cut enough coupons for baby formula. The economy is the culprit, and the middle class has not had an outstanding economy since Reagan. We've seen dot com, tech, and on-demand booms, but nothing that has genuinely generated wealth and prosperity for most Americans.
Everyone won during the Reagan tax cuts, deregulations, and focus on private industry. The supply-focused economy allowed substantial growth for all. The country was united, peaceful, and wealthier than ever before. At that time, stimulating American businesses meant stimulating Americans. We've seen significant periods of economic growth since then. Still, it has never trickled down the same way because the uni party of the Clinton, Bush, and Obama eras sent production, jobs, and infrastructure overseas. Now, the prosperity we see is mostly 'political prosperity.' This is why it's so infuriating to hear politicians talk about how great the economy is (which it is for their poll numbers), when we've only been getting poorer.
Those crucial exports, economic factors, and jobs that those politicians sold to the highest bidder created a void that has never been filled, and I am hoping Trump will do just that. Yes, we innovate our way out of recession, replace jobs, and skills change over time. Still, the positive outlook of the Middle American disappeared when folks could no longer trust that they would be promoted, rewarded, and recognized for their contributions. Essentially, those careers were replaced with jobs. Middle Americans went from being a part of something larger and working hard to grow to hour-counting paycheck collectors. Government jobs started becoming much more attractive than the private sector, and companies moved to outsource everything they could. Many people got rich, but more people got trapped.
More than just economic factors, those elitists outsourced hope and poured cold water on the American Dream, pushing us to where we are today. We may have higher incomes and more affordable things, but we're empty. We've lost the pride and passion that come from production with a booming supply-side economy. For the last forty years, we have been fighting against the very foundation of this country- production, exports, and innovation by prioritizing demand.
When we take total control of our supply chain, empower American businesses with means of production, and innovate technology in the economic areas we cannot compete in, like labor, the American middle class will return. History tells us that when that happens, we will all be back at the holiday table, 'not talking politics.'
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