I grew up in Northern California, in a very nice place called Marin County. Many people have commented on this place calling it a hippie/yuppie haven, a hedonists paradise, and one of the most expensive places to live in the whole US of A. Many have also criticized the area for being in a bubble, where the world revolves around them and they remain unaffected by the global events that impact the world every day.Well, that has changed.
As I came back for a quick visit, I realized that even though there are just as many boob jobs and BMW's there is also an evident pain wafting in the air. This absolutely stunned me because I assumed Marin would be immune to anything happening in the world. But this is different. I saw "for lease" and "for sale" signs everywhere. Men and woman were begging on the side of freeway exits with signs saying, "business owner for 20 years needs help, anything will do." I could not help but shed a tear of anxiety thinking, "if it's bad here, it must be really really bad everywhere." This might seem like a stupid statement to make but if one of the wealthiest communities in the US is hurting, then I'm terrified to know the reality for the rest of the nation.
Four years ago, when I left this place and moved to Canada I made a snide joke to everyone who thought I was silly for leaving California. "Hey, when the American empire falls, you will all be knocking on my door." Now, that joke is not funny anymore. Most of my friends who I always thought were well-off have just graduated with a $70,000 debt and no health insurance. These people graduated from the top U.S. universities and yet I wouldn't trade places with them.
I must say I got a lucky break by moving to Canada and eventually being able to reap all their benefits. Even though I had to pay international tuition, it was thousands less then some of the equally prestigious American universities. I have a job because I live in a province (British Columbia) whose job sector is actually growing and is the least dependent on U.S. trade. I get medical benefits and I don't have to worry about how much my prescriptions cost. I know, I'm bragging, but I'm also hurting for my country. I wish more then anything that these services were available to all Americans because as a citizen Americans are hard working people. However, in this day and age working hard does not get you anywhere.
Call it socialism, call it pragmatism, or don't call it anything but services like socialized medicine and free post-secondary education should not be a privilege in one of the most so-called "developed" countries in the world, it should be a right. Perhaps a God-given right.
People all over the U.S. are protesting paying their taxes and I believe this is too little too late. Why not protest this 4 years ago when all the tax money was going to a disastrous war? Taxes are not a bad thing when they are allocated in the right direction. They should be paying for education, medical services, unemployment help, and other services that will help the lower classes lift themselves up. The trickle-down theory is so flawed it has created a modern day caste system that has left more then half of the country in deep desperation. We need to throw out all the economic text books because with all the cheating and lying the financial system has done, economic definitions need to be changed in order to understand this mess in the first place.
This observation from abroad has turned into a rant and I apologize for that. But, my point remains that, if the recession is showing in Marin, then you know it's bad. If California, which once had the 5th largest GDP in the world, has a higher job unemployment rate then anywhere else in the States, then I'm scared. I'm scared to dream. I'm scared to return to the US with a inkling of hope that I could actually have a future there. I'm scared because, financially speaking, I don't see it possible to own a house and raise a family and these are things that I once thought were inevitable, these should be things to look forward to, not dread.
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