Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Can Someone Please Explain America To Me?




There are some things that I just don’t understand.  And they infuriate me.  But there must be a sane answer.  Right?

Let’s look at the cost of a college education.  

Some top schools have a price tag of a quarter-million dollars.  They have low acceptance rates.  People clamor to get into them, can’t afford to pay, and don’t necessarily have a career that really pays for the cost of that degree.  And why are these schools charging so much when their buildings have been around a long time and they don’t pay professors well? 

These schools have multi-billion-dollar-endowments earning a ton of money.  They get state and federal grants, tax cuts, and other breaks.  They may have sports teams that yield big donations, generate revenue, and act as recruitment tools.  They may lease out space, hold profitable events, or get research funds from the government or corporations.  They get paid by students for a semester-long internship where the teachers don’t teach and the kids supply free or low-cost labor to companies that may even pay schools for the applicants.  It’s one big money machine!  

And yet, so many people are in debt from student loans and companies complain that millions of jobs are unfilled by qualified personnel.  Something just doesn’t make sense here.

Then you look at the military and though you want to feel safe and secure, you have to wonder why the budget keeps rising beyond inflation every year – and this is without a major war going on.  

Why do we still have so many troops when today’s war is fought with technology, missiles, and planes?  

The federal government exceeds 20 trillion dollars in debt during a time of prosperity, adding to the annual deficit like never before.  How can the country sustain this?

Healthcare is another enigma for most people.  

The cost is out of control and the nation is no healthier for it. Life expectancy has not grown of late – even with all of the health knowledge, resources, surgeries, tools of prevention, and access to medicines.  As many as 400,000 die annually due to medical error.  Millions more die from preventable diseases and addictions.  The government is paying zillions to cover healthcare, but it needs a better ROI. Companies and citizens are going broke trying to pay premiums that well exceed inflation.  Our politicians pontificate, declare, threaten, and quibble – but do little to help address the nation’s No. 1 problem.  Why?

Then there’s immigration.  

Some want to alienate us and keep everyone out.  Others want to let every criminal and welfare case in.  We don’t know what to do with illegals here and we can’t seem to negotiate a reasonable solution.  No one wins with such chaos.  Why can’t anything be done?

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not running for president nor do I have all of the solutions.  But I’m tired of asking the same questions and hoping that those in a position of power will do something – the right thing.

I’m not alone.  People are tired and fed up.  America seems divided, misinformed, and angry.  How is this going to end?  What must happen in order for the nation to move forward, not as blue vs. red or 50 entities, but as one, united country?

All that we do is argue with each other, rather than listen, change, and work together I’m just as guilty of it.  But I want to change, too.  I want to be a part of a new movement, one that brings our best together rather than brings out the worst in each of us.

Maybe we’ve become side-tracked with chronic hot-button issues, where we debate and dismiss, and nothing gets done. Things like gun control and abortion have been long discussed and yet the nation is divided. .We need to solve the problems that impact almost everyone, ones that should be solved with brains and not bias, where politics are secondary to governance where we rally our best ideas and resources together to deal, once and for all, with the things that most realistically impact our welfare, morality, and health?  

It’s time to actually fix some problems and to stop settling on respecting the right to disagree.  We need to do something other than tweet at each other. We need a change for the better.


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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.


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