She is full of people who would cut their own hours rather than see a co-worker lose their job. People who work hard, for little pay, and yet still make the time to volunteer with groups that make life easier for those who have even less. People who care about the planet and try to damage her as little as possible. People who speak up against injustice. People who try their hardest to raise decent human beings and good citizens. People who vote. People who care enough to stay informed about their country and their world, and write letters or make phone calls when they see things happening that just shouldn't be. People who recognize that they have enough...enough things, enough money, and start using their resources to help others who don't.

Just beautiful. You have succeeded in making me cry. I don't generally, because once I start I may not stop. It is too much. For so many. People deep in debt were more likely buying groceries and paying for medicine than they were buying "toys."

I know these people. They are my co-workers, my neighbors. The reason I am working where I am working is because I filled in for a woman who's husband was dying fast from cancer. People donated their vacation days to her so she didn't have to worry about time off. We all happily went without raises in order that we could all keep our jobs.

Yes, that is America for most of us, Still.

Thank you, so very much, for cutting through the ugly outside noise and smoke to the actual reality, with all the beauty it possesses.

Oh, Bravo, stilli! You have outdone yourself! I'd give this 10 rec'ds if I could!

Especially this part:

The America I love has a conscience. She cares for all her people, and tries her best to help the rest of the world, as well. She is led by good men and women who have her best interests at heart, not their own. They have guts enough to make the hard choices, and stand up to their parties in the interests of fairness, without considering what is best for them personally. They use their power to go to war wisely, and only as a very last resort.

I am with you!

And I am encouraging everyone not to react in fear(the 911 response) to what is going on in the economy but to respond with trust and faith.

It is important for us to make our voices heard with our leadership... the onese who seem to be on our side as well as the ones who are simply being obstructionists. In other countries they sometimes take to the streets in masses. We need to put pressure on them every step of the way to serve the interests of the many over the desires of the greedy.

I trust in human creativity and ingenuity. I trust in my experience that the underlying truth is that we love each other and no one succeeds without the help of others.

High Five!

As individuals, I think we have all of those characteristics. But we've built our world more around large companies that only answer to the short-term bottom line than in the communities in which they reside, and our consumer behavior only reinforced that trend.

For example, how many chose to pay higher prices at a local farmers market rather than cheaply produced imported food at a grocery store? Or chose a higher priced locally owned clothing store rather than name-brand apparel store at a mall? I bet many TPM readers have and do, because many of us can see or have been educated about the consequences.

How about choosing a local bank that charged a slightly higher mortgage rate (.25% or .5%) rather than GMAC? Well, those local banks are working out deals with their borrowers to keep them in their homes and the banks in business. I know, because many of my former bank colleagues are at local banks doing just that. GMAC isn't doing a damn thing (see Amelie's post). Most of us made some of these good decisions at TPM, but are outweighed by millions who didn't - the rest of the collective (un)consciousness.

So to get that giant unconsciousness to change requires a fairly radical event. Call it Karma, but we as a collective need to change how we do things, and we've invited our own lesson. All of those good characteristics you mention, stillidealistic - need to be translated to local action. It's been done before - that's how we as a people got through the Great Depression. Yes we can!

Thanks, Tom. It is a little hard to reconcile the differences, isn't it? On the one hand you have the kinds of stories related here (along with many, many more that we don't hear about) and on the other, stories like the one Hillary99 brought to our attention on her blog today...compassion vs. insensitivity.

When you get it figured out, let us know.

Stillidealistic,

You dream of a land that never existed. As late as the 50's and early 60's we had lynchings common in the south. Things were so bad that the 1964 Voting Rights act had to be put in place.

For many, abortions were dangerous and illegal except for the wealthy and privileged until 1973.

Racially mixed marriages were illegal in some states.

Gays had no rights at all.

It's very dangerous to desire the "leave it to Beaver" ideal especially when it never existed. It's a myth.

Please watch the video I posted here and see Noam Chomsky describe in detail how the nation was founded. Yes, some of the ideas are shocking but if you use Google, you will see his claims are true!!!

In so many ways, we are better off now than 40 years ago. We can be better still. But don't pine for an America that never existed... that's the myth that the media wants to push forward.

The Disney myth is great if you are white anglo-saxon protestant... and middle class.

But it's just a myth.

Stilli, your post just gets better with time. :)

Still:
I didn't have time to read at all today, and not much tonight, so I'm really glad that I began by reading TheraP's blog which was not only thought-provoking on its own, but also linked me to yours.
What you have said about America is beautiful, Still. Better than that, it is fundamentally true. There is a huge disparity between the self-interest of posturing politicians and graspingCEO's and the straightforward, instinctive desire to serve others most of us encounter somewhere, in someone, everyday.
Thank you for this article of faith, Still. Highly rec'd and saved to read, again and again.