A Lover’s Lamentation About America

By: Joe Mauricio

 

What’s going on in America? The America that we knew and loved in the 1950’s and the America that we know in 2018 have completely different modes. A lot of issues are surfacing lately that are quite disturbing about our country. How are we going to say it re the individual’s relationship to their beloved country? Some are deeply unhappy and have been for years, people who love America but not in love with America anymore; with some hurt and angry, feeling betrayed, ignored and humiliated. They are saying, “America lied to me and cheated on me,” talking about their deep relationships with the country.

Continuing their personal feelings, just like a lover’s lamentation, “Both you and I know that I won’t—I can’t—leave you. I can’t ignore all that you’ve given me in the past. You and I are destined for each other. I can’t live happily without my own country and you can’t continue to exist without me as your happy citizen. And, despite all your plans, America, you are still one of the most diverse, welcoming and finest nation on the planet. So, that’s why I am staying with you and fight to make this relationship work. You’re asking me what you did wrong? You’re kidding, right? How could you screw up as badly and frequently as you have and think this day would never come? How could you have ignored the signs of my growing happiness?”

“Yes, that government shutdown. You know, the one in which you allowed a handful of extremists to padlock your entire government, supposedly to protect paying bills for things that the very same extremists previously voted to fund? Oh, now you remember? You have a very short attention span, so I also hope that you recall that shutdown closed all the national parks, medical research facilities, Alaskan fishing fleet, delayed flights, and furloughed nearly a million government workers? Hope you remember.

“ In 2010, when Democrats were still in charge of the White and Congress, they were too timid about key budget and debt ceiling bills, so it was their lily-livered refusal to act that created for the opening for Republican tax cuts for the wealthy. The only parties seem to agree is when they jointly do something harmful or cowardly.

Adding yet another level of national insanity, every mass shooting in America, has inexplainable results in some states relaxing gun laws, with students from Florida rallying and demonstrating for stricter gun laws. Still, no reform on gun laws.

America, stop obliterating our economy, eviscerating the middle class, and exploiting the number of people in poverty, stop being a sheriff for the whole planet as we have enough trouble here at home, balance the trade so we don’t accumulate trade deficits, build the crumbling infrastructure (bridges, roads and highways), fix the Veteran Administration’s fiasco, uplift the school system, Medicare and Social Security for the seniors, upgrade a strong defense (Army, Navy and Air Force).

Do it America! Fix the country! And just like your lover would say, “Hold me, love me, caress me, and strategize with me. I am getting hot now. If we work this out, imagine how great it will be to have make-up sex forever.”