America Works!

It's totally depressing to turn on the TV and hear about how awful life is these days, especially when it doesn't seem all that bad in most areas. Sure, people who were financially irresponsible have a high price to pay for their self-destructive living choices, but far more people live within their means than live well beyond them. According to what the media reports, 90% of Americans are current on their mortgages, while only 10% have gone into foreclosure. How come we always hear it the other way around, as if the 10% dictate what the 90% are going to do?

We hear the horror stories of people who run up $50k, $100k, $250k on credit cards and we are afraid to use our cards because we don't want that to happen to us. It won't: there will always be the 10% that flaunt the rules, that live beyond their means, that run themselves so far into debt that it isn't likely they will ever pay off what they owe. These people used to go to debtor's prison and their relatives had to pay off their debts. We don't do that these days: we provide them with excuses, blame the credit card companies, and bail them out! They walk away scot free, while those of us who pay our debt are stuck paying for theirs.

And how's that working for us?

America is the sum of all its parts, and it's better than the little pieces the media uses to justify the scare tactics. We've been through tough times before, but it's the people who bring us back, who have faith in hard work and commitment to their institutions, their communities, their neighborhoods. Wall Street and financial corporations aren't going to solve the current financial situation: the people are going to do that, one mortgage payment at a time, one savings account deposit at a time, one cut-up credit card at a time.

There is no quick fix, but there is a can-do attitude that needs to start working its way to the surface to replace "the sky is falling" mentality that is affecting all of us in every facet of our lives.

What I'd like to see is one day, perhaps July 3, become a national America Works day, wherein all citizens step outside their worries and show the world that we can get the job done. We could work block-by-block in the neighborhoods to pick up, patch, and paint, putting a new, fresh face on our homes. There is no reason for anyone to live in an apartment building covered in gang graffitti because it's not up to "someone" to remove it: it's up to us.

We could go to the parks, the lakesides, the seashores, the roadways and clean them up, removing the trash and the weeds so when we leave our homes for our jobs, shopping, or pleasure, we see that America Works and maintains what it has.

We could go into the business districts and wash all the windows, clean the sidewalks, repair the cracked concrete walkways, plant flowers, bring back the feeling of pride that used to be reflected in our communities, in our hometowns.

We could send the bills for the supplies and equipment to the President for payment, showing him that America Works, if we're given a chance to do so. Rather than pouring money into financial systems that are broken, give it to the American people to make a difference where it matters to them: in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their communities.

Stop assessing blame and start assigning success. Once we get it all cleaned up and presentable, we can keep it that way: just give us a chance to show you what we can do when America Works.

And then, on July 4, we can truly appreciate the fruits of our labors, knowing that America Works, in a celebration of our nation's great beginnings. We built this country, so we can rebuild it. We can do this, but it takes each of us believing that we can to make it happen.

Tomorrow, open a savings account: take $20 to the bank and open a savings account. Then next week, go to the bank again: take $20 and deposit it into that savings account. Do this every week for a year: invest in yourself and in our future because once you have a stake in our future, you'll work to see that there is one.