ive been reading news stories of people losing more than just jobs. i see pictures and stories of people who lost EVERYTHING! I think there is too much talk of the business side of the ressesion (or whatever you want to call it) and not enough of the personal side. the part where a family is left to sleep in their car because all the government's money is tied up in war and banks. yeah its a good idea till you dont have any money to put in those banks, then you really start to wonder why its a big deal. a man who works with veterans here told me about how an Iraq vet had to BEG for help. ISNT THE GOVERNMENT SUPPOSED TO HELP HIM!!!!!!! ISNT THE PEOPLE WHO RUN OUR MILITARY SUPPOSED TO WATCH OUT FOR THE VETERANS, YOU KNOW, THOW EM A BONE FOR PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE????????
im sitting here wondering if America is really the place for me. i really enjoy helping others. its not just a "feel good" thing, i think is the reason i was placed on this planet. but when i look around and see so much indiffrence to those in need, i really start to wonder if the real reason we as a nation are having problems is because we only care about what we want.........

all of this made me think of a song......

Rise Against - Prayer Of the Refugee Lyrics

Warm yourself by the fire, son,
And the morning will come soon.
I’ll tell you stories of a better time,
In a place that we once knew.

Before we packed our bags
And left all this behind us in the dust,
We had a place that we could call home,
And a life no one could touch.

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You won't let me down, down, down!

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Down!

We are the angry and the desperate,
The hungry, and the cold,
We are the ones who kept quiet,
And always did what we were told.

But we’ve been sweating while you slept so calm,
In the safety of your home.
We’ve been pulling out the nails that hold up
Everything you’ve known.

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

So open your eyes child,
Let’s be on our way.
Broken windows and ashes
Are guiding the way.

Keep quiet no longer,
We’ll sing through the day,
Of the lives that we’ve lost,
And the lives we’ve reclaimed.

Go!

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Don’t hold me up now,
I can stand my own ground,
I don’t need your help now,
You will let me down, down, down!

Don’t hold me up…
(I don’t need your help, I’ll stand my ground)
Don’t hold me up…
(I don’t need your help)
No! No! No!
Don’t hold me up!
(I don’t need your help, I’ll stand my ground)
Don’t hold me up!
(I don’t need your help, I’ll stand my ground)
Don’t hold me down, down, down, down, down!

I agree with what you said for the most part, however, I still feel America is definitely the best country on this planet...however, we are in hard times right now...is it sad, yes...is it the first time, no...does every country have it's problems, yes. All this stuff happens in cycles, and seems to happen at about the time people start losing the sting of the last hard time. Not very many people were complaining when the economy was booming, but there were sob stories then too (ie the dot com busts)...it's just now these stories are more predominant because of the times. We will survive no doubt, and things will be back on track in a few years...just gotta survive and get there first. These times are no different than ones experienced before, and look we're still here. Although it does kinda tick me off the little people who really need help aren't getting it...in the grand scheme of things, if they handed me 20k (which is a drop in the bucket to what was allocated) all my problems (next year tuition, a little spending money, etc.) would vanish. But hey, that's what the trickle down effect is for right?