Dear People of America,
I come before you today as a man who has seen times of prosperity and struggled through times of poverty. A man who has worked hard to overcome the obstacles in my own life in an effort to realize my dreams for myself and my family.
And now, as I sit here before you today, I can honestly say that my life has never felt more out of my hands than at this very moment. Every month I work as hard as I can, doing multiple jobs to keep pace with my soaring expenses for everything. And the more I work, the more of my money is taken from me against my will, and given to people who I hate. For reasons that I cannot stand. And none of that money has helped me or anyone like me, in any way.
I watch as the homeowners and real estate professionals who created the housing bubble are rewarded for their stupidity. I asked for my fair share and I was refused, because I was not ignorant enough to make the mistakes that they did.
I watch as my hard work allows mortgage and banking execs to thrive in their beach houses in Malibu, while I’m unable to purchase an abandoned fixer-upper to renovate and rent out to my neighbor who desperately needs affordable housing for her mother and grandmother.
I received an email from my representative in U.S. Congress, entitled “Our Work So Far”. In this document my representative discusses the ways that he has fought hard for families in his state. I thought I lived in his state but apparently I do not, because absolutely no one is helping me and nothing that he talks about has anything to do with me.
I watched my state governor MORE THAN DOUBLE my fees for my vehicle licenses, in a year when I can’t even afford to drive any more than the minimum that I have to. This was done because taxpayers in my state voted No on increases to cover road construction and maintenance. Since fees are not the same as taxes, and do not require voter approval, the decision was made. The new fees that were put into place punish those of us who live at lower income levels with increases of more than 100%, while the wealthy barely notice the difference in their bills.
I wrote a letter to my state representative explaining why the fees were unfair, and she replied that she could not in good conscience fight to repeal a fee that was helping to repair unsafe bridges. I told her to shut the bridges down. She didn’t respond.
I watched as our governor faced so much opposition to his policies that he has chosen not to run for re-election, but at the same time will not change any of the legislation that has gotten him into trouble in the first place.
I watched as America sold their gas guzzling SUVs when fuel prices soared, then bought new ones after prices subsided. I saw our president create a cash for clunkers program, which was supposed to get inefficient polluting vehicles off the road in favor of better ones. I noticed that our president neglected the fact that automakers are currently producing terrible automobiles, and the cash for clunkers program just helped to replace garbage with more garbage. I watched the Federal Government misrepresent the effects of the program, as they claimed that most of the vehicles purchased were highly efficient economy cars. When they compiled their statistics they considered a Ford F-150 2×4 pickup to be different than a Ford F-150 4×4 pickup, and when they were all added up it turns out that large, inefficient, fuel guzzling gasoline-engined pickup trucks were by far the most bought vehicles in the cash for clunkers program, which I have renamed the clunkers for clunkers program.
I watch as everyone offers to pay less and less for the work I do, while every necessity I need in life just keeps getting more expensive. Every day I have to do all sorts of things that I don’t have time for, because I can no longer afford to have a professional do them for me. Somehow, they all have nicer houses and vehicles than I have, but it doesn’t matter in the end because they are suffering as much as I am, just in their own way.
I was forced to switch my family’s health insurance to a “high deductible” plan this year, because it was only slightly more expensive than the “no deductible” plan I had the year before. My “no deductible” plan became out of my reach when the monthly costs were suddenly increased by over $150. I have watched as healthcare for my family, with no major problems and nothing but routine office visits, is now so expensive that I am actually better off cancelling all insurance and using Urgent Care facilities instead.
I have watched the Tea Party movement grow in popularity, as more and more Americans have determined that, even if they don’t agree on much of anything else, the current government has become ineffective at doing anything other than protecting the rich. I have watched them protest and I have read about their efforts to convince Americans to overturn their government, and for the first time in my life I’m considering participating in such a movement.
And frankly I couldn’t care less about the current legal status of gays in the military. Yes I’m a fairly cosmopolitan person with all manner of friends and acquaintances, but I think it’s silly to discuss a procedural change in something that affects no one that I know who is currently suffering. And in my own state, large amounts of time are being wasted debating whether or not to legislate Indian mascot reform, at a time when our budget crisis is the worst it’s ever been.
Everywhere I look, I read about a war that makes no sense. A war that might have made sense years ago under the first Bush, but now just looks pathetic in the world’s eyes. I work with people from around the world who can barely tolerate dealing with me because I’m “one of those” (an American).
I boarded a plane recently and had to have the basic equivalent of an X-Ray. Burt Rutan is building the solution by using small auto-piloting commuter aircraft instead of jumbo jets. But I’m not convinced that enough people will pay attention.
We are being invaded by terrorists who know far more about us than we know about them. We fight the wrong people for the wrong reasons while more of our liberties are sold to the highest bidder.
I turn on the television and everywhere I see marketing disguised as journalism, and I’m not convinced that anyone but myself realizes that their minds are slowly being corrupted so that the rich may capitalize.
What is the state of MY union? I’ve never felt so cheated in my life. What are we fighting for? What am I working for? Who am I supporting? That’s the state of my union. At least I don’t have to fear my stock market crashing in the morning.
