Another year older...

...and what have you done? Me? not much,, just tried to get through the days, weeks months and the year, safe, sound, fed and happy.

(One thing I can say is that Bono deserves the Noble prize for his efforts (over the last decade or more) on African Debt Relief and the support he has been able to muster to assist Africa in many ways. )

John Lennon asked this question (...and what have you done, lyric from "so this is Christmas) about 30 years ago. Some days it seems that not much has improved since the day he died 25 years ago this past December 8th. We still have a federal government that most of us mistrust. A governement that can monitor any and all of our activities without a warrant (just like when the FBI followed John Lennon for years prior to the 1978 FISA act.) We have gotten more bogged down in this Iraq "war". A "war" that is more about ideology than it is about our direct safety. We are still arguing over tax cuts and trickledown economics, while all those people in New Orleans are still without homes, jobs, nor much hope.

The political pundits in America continue their assault on ex-presidents, like Jimmy Carter, making him out to be some "Islamic Jihadist lover", "terrorist coddler" and "America hater",. All massive fabrications to keep their "Conservative Movement" alive.

Nothing gets done to support the lower or middle classes.

Average wages in America continue to drop, while Wal-mart continues to take market share.

GM/Delphi, Ford/Visteon, Northwest Airlines, United Air, etc., all breaking unions, and defaulting on pensions. Pensions that the middle class will largely end up paying by accepting reduced pension benefits (what were supposed to be guaranteed) and subsidising the Federal Pension Guarantee fund.

Those with the most money keep on crying that they pay more in percentage then everyone else, totally ignoring the OTHER fact that they have more take home money (both in actual dollars as well as percentge of total US take home income). These people conveniently forget that they have the luxury of living in the largest, most secure and most prosperous land of opportunity in the world. Guess what, SOMEONE has to pay for that and why not those that get the largest (by a FAR margin) monetary benefit.

So that is the good news, I guess, that we (those here in America) still live in a place that remains the greatest land of opporunity. For all of us born here and for all of us that have decided that they would prefer to live here (and have then migrated here legally).

I want to have great hopes for 2006. With this being an election year and our politics still highly partisan, I have doubts for 2006. But I have a very positive view of the longer term future (i.e. 2007-2057. Every thing has its cycle and I believe that our current woes are a neccessary part of helping us understand what it important and what is not important. By 2008 or so, I think our collective American conscience will reach a state of enlightenment where we can collectively build a positive, peaceful and prosperous future for ALL mankind, not just for Americans.

Peace, Namaste, Respect, check-it, yo, Roger Wilco, over and out.

E