The American Nightmare

As a millionaire sits comfortably on his king sized bed, sipping on aged wine and wearing nothing but the most luxurious of furs, there are 1.5 million children in America whose only desire is a home. Yes, these are the extreme cases in America, but that's exactly my point. The separation of classes in the US has grown tremendously, and the gap between the filthy rich and the dirt poor is turning into a mere crack. What happened to the simple American dream of having a decent career, owning a home, and then comfortably retiring? It seems that the only classes that exist nowadays are the upper and the lower, the middle class has been purposely eradicated; the "American Dream" has turned into the "American Nightmare" for millions of people.

Americans are trapped in a box of false happiness; given plasma TVs, Xbox 360s, and Sunday Night Football, we are happy with our lives and are ignorant to what is going on beyond the extremities of our box. We are given promises that are never kept: change that never comes, aid that never arrives, and solutions that never solve, and for some reason we are happy with that. Meanwhile, residents of Wall Street are swimming in piles of Benjamin Franklins, laughing as protesters with picket signs defend their rights. Unemployment hasn't quite reached 1933 levels, but that does not mean it is O.K. 8.6% of the workforce is unemployed, an alarming rate that ironically does not alarm anyone. As the gap between rich and poor is decreasing, millions of Americans find that they have no where to go but down as they lose their jobs, homes, and livelihood.

However, since we reside in a democracy, change will come! We just don't know when...