mean times

Things get mean in America, especially around election time, and especially during the last six years. The spirit of competition, which is part of what has made this country the best place in the world for those who are ambitious and self-sufficient, has slipped over the line into a culture of very competitive greed. I see it in my practice every day.
The pressure is on to get rich and to avoid getting poor. People are realizing that there is little space in-between. If you slip behind, you will probably never catch up. The laws now allow 29% interest charges with all kinds of penalties. The mortgage business has lured many people into taking money out of their houses and now they have to pay it back at higher rates and they have less equity. If you are a minority or an"alien" it is much more difficult to get jobs, loans, or into good schools. The cost of college, even state colleges, is becoming ridiculously out of reach for most people who earn their money by working.
The stress this causes is good for my business, but it does not represent an increase in psychological problems as much as it is a cultural phenomenon. The pressure on those who do have jobs almost encourages them to lie or cheat. Competition in pharmaceticals, bio-tech, high-tech, and chemical, industries to beat the competition is huge. Even supermarket or big box competition is cut-throat. If you are going through a tough time, such as a divorce, a major illness in the family or something awful, like the death of a child, you may fall out of line and havea great deal trouble getting back in.
The effects this has on the high earners and the captialists are very different. They have worries and stresses, but they are very different. What they also have is control of the government, because the have money to use as influence. Therefore banks, brokerage houses, insurance companies and big industries set the agenda. Everyone else has to pay their charge card bills and mortgages. To do that a lot of people are spending their evenings saying "Welcome to Wal Mart."
Is change on the way? That is not clear. But who needs to worry about terrorists when you're about to lose your house, gangs are shooting you kid, or demented men are shotting girls in schools, anti-porn Congressmen are trying to get into kids' pants, or Bechtel makes tunnels that fall on people's heads. It is time to quote Pogo again:

"We have met the enemy, and he is US."