The second issue that will impact our lifestyles is the fact that our once mighty manufacturing industry has been decimated; it has become a mere shell of what it once was. Tens of millions of American jobs have been outsourced to overseas nations, leaving displaced workers collecting unemployment or working for the minimum wage. These workers, just trying to survive, represent a great loss of purchasing power in this consumer driven economy. Who is leading the effort to create millions of new American jobs? No one!
Last but not least is fact that our military actions and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have America mired down in a massive quagmire that is sucking the financial lifeblood out of our nation. Mr. Obama, the orchestrator and facilitator of these wars, is well aware that every dollar that he feeds into the furnaces of war is a dollar that cannot be used to rebuild America's domestic foundations. Why, then, does he allow this travesty of justice and morality to continue? Because all evidence now clearly indicates that this president works for the Military-Industrial Complex, not the American people.
Now let's illustrate just how this combination of our oil addiction, our decimated manufacturing base and our perpetuation of war will affect all elements of our society and our lifestyles.
The majority of Americans are going to live in smaller homes, let's say 2000 sq. ft. rather than 3500 or even larger; McMansions will go out of style. Our cars will also be smaller; we'll drive fewer large SUV's and pickup trucks, but many more hybrids and electric cars. We will live closer to cities and commute fewer miles to work; the suburban sprawl reaching into the countryside will disappear. We will rediscover trains and mass transit, fly less and reduce our interstate highway travel. Campers and recreational vehicles will accumulate rust on the lots.
Mortgages will be more difficult to obtain, with higher interest rates. You can forget about borrowing on the equity in your home (if you have any) or securing a second mortgage to buy that summer vacation home on the lake, complete with a new ski or fishing boat. You can also postpone investing in that time share in Cancun or the Bahamas. We will learn to stay in our current homes much longer rather than making moves around the country as we once did when good jobs and relocations were common.
Our kids' education will suffer greatly as thousands of teachers lose their jobs because of states' massive deficits. Just recently it was reported that the city of Detroit will have to reduce city schools by one-half, or a total of 70, with class size increasing to 60. It will become increasingly difficult to attend state colleges because of state funding problems that will increase tuition. Our children, in many cases, will have to be satisfied with attending community colleges but they'll just have to get used to it.
Unfortunately, we will no longer be as safe as states and communities lay off large numbers of police and firefighters. Crime will naturally increase and we may well become victims. Those unemployed who become desperate will do whatever it takes in order to survive. We will be living in the new version of the Wild West as more states will react by passing more laws allowing concealed weapons in public places; bars, restaurants, and even in colleges. You might just need that Glock 9mm when you go out in public.
When we retire from public sector jobs we will have smaller pensions or no pensions at all as states and cities eliminate funding. Of course, our personal savings will suffer as we are forced to pay more and more for clothing, gasoline and food. We can also look forward to having our Social Security and Medicare benefits reduced as Republicans pressure President Obama and Democrats to scale back entitlements -- and you can bet they will. Mr. Obama has proposed to cut federal energy assistance to the poor; from $5 billion annually to $2.5 billion. That's understandable as he badly needs more funds for his ongoing wars.
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