Re: The "American Dream"
Right. The government's so-called "poverty line" is strictly atrificial and arbitrary.<br /><br />When I was pre-school age and my first sister was just a toddler, my mom was on her own. She later told me she would lay in bed crying because we often had no food in the cupboards other than some beans and some flour or such. I was surprised to learn this. I had no idea we were poor and suffering. I was a happy kid, and played outside a lot and I do not remember ever going hungry then.<br /><br />I look at how we live now, and I think we've lost our everlovin' minds. Just my wife and myself...and we have three nice vehicles, a boat, three television sets hooked up to satellite, a freezer jam-packed with food out in the garage, a refrigerator in the kitchen---the door of which can barely contain all the food that's in it, cupboards overflowing, closets full of clothes, two fat dogs and a loudmouthed Siamese cat, four PCs and a Mac, high-speed internet, a killer streo system, two DVD players and a ton of DVD movies, hundreds of music CDs, two acres of land, a nice collection of sporting arms, fishing gear, etc., etc.<br /><br />And at times I find myself wanting more electronic crap and gizmos, a newer pick-up...<br /><br />And there are so many people in the world who would like to just eat every day.