Contemplating what happened to the American Dream

The recent dueling rallies held by Glenn Beck and the Rev. Al Sharpton confirmed my belief that three of the biggest threats facing our nation today are talk show hosts, politicians and high-profile preachers.

The Glenn Becks of the world want more listeners/viewers and more attention. The preachers want to save souls and raise money, not always in that order. Politicians want to keep their jobs.

To accomplish these agendas, these people need to convince the rest of us that a) something has gone terribly wrong and b) they are just the ones to fix it.

Indeed, something is always wrong. No society is perfect. So the strident voices, right and left, use that to encourage a constant state of discontent in this country that the rest of the world envies.

Today, on Labor Day, seems a good time to contemplate what has really happened to the American Dream that these politicians say they cherish so much.

Spiro Agnew once referred to critics of the Nixon administration as “nattering nabobs of negativism.” Today’s nattering nabobs would have you believe that the chief threats to our society are Islamic terrorists, illegal Mexican immigrants and gay marriage.

As far as I know, however, no one has lost a job because of Osama bin Laden (except for those who worked in the World Trade Center) or someone else’s same-sex union.

Who can we blame, then, for our current state of malaise? Greedy corporate moguls are an easy target, but they’re only part of the equation. Labor unions have fallen sick with greed and corruption. Jobs are leaking overseas. Congressmen would rather score political points than solve problems. Most of us pay only lip service to the concept of “buying American” while we allow ourselves to be tricked into jousting with shadows.

As a result, the very fabric of the employer/employee contract has become frayed.

Not long ago, the rusted remnants of Lynchburg Foundry were sold for scrap. Hardly anyone noticed, least of all the politicians who are always pontificating about bringing “good jobs” to their constituents.

Good jobs? Lynchburg Foundry offered good jobs. Sure, it was hot, dirty and occasionally dangerous work, but it carried with it a living wage. White Rock Hill was populated by industrious folk whose livelihood lay just below them.

Today, in the sacred name of its stockholders, corporate America has cut off a significant portion of Americans from jobs that pay sufficiently and offer a chance of advancement.

Capitalism is still the best economic model, I believe, but it needs a moral compass. Corporations have no morals, because they aren’t human. It takes the people who run them to provide them with a heart.

Once, if you worked hard for the company that hired you, that effort would be rewarded by gradual movement up the ladder. Now, just when you start making serious progress, you are laid off because you’re making too much money.

America’s workers aren’t stupid. They see the corporate raiders riding into the sunset with fat bonuses while factories close forever. They sense the lack of loyalty from the top, so they become disloyal and disinterested themselves. We’re seeing the fruits of that in the recent rash of defective automobiles and poisoned food.

The Allies ultimately won World War II because the German and Japanese factories were being bombed and America’s weren’t, so we were able to crank out tank after tank, plane after plane, eventually crushing our enemies beneath an avalanche of killing machines. It’s a legacy we have since betrayed.

Not everyone wants to work with computers. Not everyone wants to sit in an office, or serve food, or check guests into a hotel. The so-called “high-tech” and “service” economies can’t provide a decent living for everyone. Somehow, we need to start making things again.

Perhaps we can start by finding common ground. It’s fine if you agree with Glenn Beck or Al Sharpton or whatever office-seeker rings your bell. There is some truth in all of them.

Just don’t assume that they really care.