Falling American Dream

Year 2007-08 has witnessed a major fall in the value of dollar. Comparing to Indian rupee, it stood at Rs 50 once and now it is swinging around Rs 38. This pattern of dollar depreciation is hurting most the Indian workers in U.S. getting paid in Dollars, along with that it is also applying a brake on American Economy. I will not be going in details of how this will affect the worlds market in general or its impact on Indian Economy. What I am going to put down will be the real facts about American Population living in the so called most powerful economy of the world.

The distorted picture we get of Americans living in mansion and commuting in chauffer driven limos is not what actually happening in States. The United States has a population of 300 million. Thirty Seven Million are living in poverty. A figure of around Sixty million are floating around the Government rated poverty line. Now this means that one third of the United States population lives under or near poverty line. Isn’t this disgraceful?

Now what is exactly an American dream? From my point of view, an average middle class United States citizen dream is to get a decent job which pays enough so that he can live a comfortable life. Their entire dream is to live a comfortable life and not a luxurious one, contrary to the image the rest of the world is having about an American counterpart.

Adding to the problem is the lifestyle they follow. While an Indian boy thinks and start planning about investing in market, real estate and saving for future as well the very first day at work, Americans saves nothing. They live in the present, they spend in the present. Their credit card balances dwindles at a threatening level. All this because of careless fiscal policies by U.S. government. If a small NGO in India can create a job opportunity of ten thousand a year, I don’t believe that U.S. Government is making a earnest approach in solving the grave problem of unemployment.

Instead of taking steps to erase its internal issues of economy and joblessness, what the White House is worried about is IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN. During the last year of rule in India, the budget always gives something pleasant to Indian mass to appease them. Similarly the U.S. Government somehow finds way to destroy a nation or at least crumble its infrastructure and people to appease its people. For how long can they sustain themselves by selling weapons? They must take lessons from the AFGHANISTAN episode where they had to fight their own weapons. WAR leaves living dead and economy cripple to whoever involving in it. A very simple message to US Govt to see into such issues. Don’t wait before it becomes irreversible.