Country Dissatisfied with Itself

Apparently 85% of the country think America is on the wrong track. There are certainly external economic pressures; many feel the weight of rising gas prices, rent prices, and mortgage prices. But the assumptions of this article are rather intriguing:

1) It assumes Americans know what is best for themselves. If Americans knew what was best for themselves, we wouldn't have had thousands of people in mortgages they could never afford in the first place.

2) It assumes that the country is in deeply unsettling circumstances. It might be high-time for the merits of a discussion on relative versus absolute poverty. Walked into a supermarket lately? The fact that America even has this is a statement of enormous wealth.

3) It assumes that the federal government can actually do something about it. This may be possible, and one's political ideology often determines what they think about this, but I am at the very least skeptical.

4) It assumes that money buys happiness. Despite most people's rejection of this idea in word, most people do believe it in actuality.


While economic pressures do affect many Americans, it is important to note the significance of big media. Big media exists to make money, and scare-tactics sell. A long view of suffering, money, and wisdom are in order, but that doesn't seem to sell as well.