Land of Confusion (a.k.a. the United States)

“There’s too many men, too many people, making too many problems, and not much love to go around; can’t you see this is the land of confusion. This is the land we live in, and these are the hands we’re given; use them and let’s start trying to make this a land worth living in (Genesis 1).” These were the main chorus lyrics to the song Land of Confusion written by the band Genesis over 24 years ago in 1986; and they still give a great look into our current situation in the U.S. today. People are confused and afraid about far too many things in today’s society that they simply have no personal control over. Such as the state and direction of politics, economic upset, lack of jobs and schools, unstable environment in agriculture, just to name a few. From problems at home to dire situations abroad, the entire world is caught up in our “Land of Confusion;” we live day to day and all age levels have simply become complacent with the changes enacted without their consent.
From the extreme right “Reganomics” to the extreme left Obama Administration, there is little doubt that our citizens and both sides of our government have become confused as how to run a civilization. “Reganomics” was an idea where the government ceases to expand so that the economy may flourish, but the plan worked a little too well when people were earning so much money that they could afford far too many luxuries for their own good and became greedy (Reganomics 1). On the other hand, the Obama Administration has decided to grow the government, but this has choked the economy, created a lack of jobs, and has restricted numerous basic necessities from being accessed by the general populace (Shilling 1). No one currently knows how to meet in the middle, and each side [Democrat and Republican] thinks that they must be right. So, no issues or conflict can truly be resolved.
The health care bill that is on the books right now is scaring and confusing most of the populace. It is written in “Legalese,” a language that only lawyers and judges use, and is over one thousand pages long. It has been debated for years and is still unresolved. Some fear that it will destroy our constitution and force us into a tyrannical government where no one may speak out, and no one will really have any power. Others fear that it will destabilize our economy even further and throw us into an even deeper recession. Still, everyone is uncertain as to how this bill will actually be a “health care reform” and how it will impact the cost of insurance. Really, no one knows how this is all going to play out.
In agriculture, farmers are worried as to what the future holds. The price of crude oil has been continually rising and because both gas and fertilizer are products made from crude oil, the input cost of crop production also increases. This is bad because the selling price of crops is decreasing; meaning that farmers are losing money in production. Also we are currently in a global climate shift and the irregular weather patterns may threaten current and future crops in the United States. Some taxpayers have assumed that truck drivers and farmers make a lot of money, and have voted on several bills that increase taxes for the both of them. The truth is that neither party actually makes that much money because most of the income goes into maintenance and daily costs for shipping and production. All that these taxes are doing is creating even more confusion.
The taxes that are placed upon truck drivers, and even various business owners, go into so called funds for “highway maintenance” and other such areas; but much of these funds are not even used for their intended purpose. These funds are being drained by politicians to give to organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, LULAC [a well known national reverse racist organization], and other such groups. Since these funds are not used for maintenance, many drivers are becoming more unsure as to the continued safety and sustainability of the roads and bridges that they must traverse upon.
Other taxpayer monies are being routed from school funds in order to pay out the debt of the greater country. As school funding decreases, like when Obama’s promised two billion dollar college fund was reduce to only two million dollars by Congress (Shilling 1), many courses and staff had to be cut in order to continue to keep their school open. In several schools their funding is based upon the test scores and attendance of students, and when those numbers drop so do the number of non-core courses that stimulate higher learning. Only time will tell as to how confused teachers, parents, and students will be able to cope with changes to the school system.
Due to the bills on the table in Congress and other such financial worries, many business owners are firing more than they are hiring. Many managers are looking for uneducated cheap labor or experienced cheap labor so as to save more money, but that means that more and more middle class workers are losing the ability to find and hold jobs. Thousands of students coming out of high school and college have made the choice to join the military in the hopes that their service will be able to educate them and provide for their families. The soldiers in the Middle East are still there because the governments there are still to unstable for our influence to leave, and families are confused and upset by Obamas lack of action in this matter (Shilling 1).
“The men of steel, men of power, losing control by the hour,” is a statement that clearly reflects the state of mind that our leaders have (Genesis 1). Corporate C.E.O.’s and the presidential administration are losing their control on the running and flow of the economy and money in it. Stocks are crashing and obscenely giant loans taken out by students attending for-profit schools are becoming more and more unable to pay off the government. The interest rates are, in some cases, over twelve percent in monthly compound interest. If the borrower does not hold a high paying job then, even if they declare bankruptcy, the debt these loans create will follow the unlucky individuals and their families until the loans are paid off in full. As the stocks in Wall Street fall, a lot of the stockholders are beginning to sell off all their stocks because they do not wish to lose any more money. The economy is unstable and volatile right now, and those that go straight into the workforce right now will never catch up to those that began work before and after this recession (it was seen in the past during our last mini-recession).
“My generation will put it right, we’re not just making promises that we know we’ll never keep,” is another lyric that basically says that we may need new politicians (Genesis 1). Obama has made a great many promises and has yet to fulfill any of them (Shilling 1). Some of the bills passed by Congress were given to the voters just hours before the final vote was to be taken, and some of these bills were well over one thousand pages in length. Thus, the Obama Administration has failed in its task to become the most “Transparent” ruling party in history (Shilling 1). Lobbyists still have a seat of power at most voting events, even though we don’t wish them to have so much power and influence on how we live our lives. Though they are a pain at times, they are a necessary evil that we must exploit if we wish to vote and still hold our jobs. One promise Obama made was to add a three thousand dollar bailout per employee for businesses that hired more workers in 2009 and 2010 was never included in the stimulus plan (Shilling 1). Also, many fees that are currently being paid by taxpayers on such things as their 401k’s are not being reduced or diminished; even though Obama promised to eliminate these fees before his first year in office passed (Shilling 1). So, when can we expect to see these changes and hopefully become less confused? No one knows.
Still, we must persevere “these are the hands were given” and we must use them to the best of our abilities “to make things right (Genesis 1).” We, as the newest generation to go off into the world and impact our society, must put aside our worries and work to forge a better future for our children. Now we must go forth, without doubt, and make a better world to live in.
We live in a land of confusion, and don’t know which way to turn. Attacks come at us from all fronts and we are powerless to stop them from making it through our armor and defenses. From politics, to money, to just simply surviving, nothing is certain anymore. “Can’t you see that this is the land of confusion (Genesis 1)?” Whether it be the Regan Era or the Obama Era, the citizens of America are simply watching the sky fall; and are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, waiting for our government to fix our problems. It is our obligation to make the changes that we want to see, but that does not mean that we follow the flow of money or endeavor in petty emotional battles. We as a People have the power to change our lives and make the world a better place, even if sacrifices have to be made to get to that point.

Bibliography


"Doomsday Clock 2010 Reset: Why Scientists Decided To Move Back The Clock." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. 13 Jan. 2010. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 19 May 2010 .

Genesis. "Genesis - Land of Confusion Lyrics." Lyrics.com - your music community with the largest searchable lyrics database. EMI Music Publishing. 19 May 2010 .

Niskanen, William A. "Reaganomics, by William A. Niskanen: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics." Library of Economics and Liberty. Liberty Fund Inc. 20 May 2010 .

Shilling, Chelsea. "Obama racks up list of broken promises." A Free Press for a Free People. 12 Mar. 2009. WorldNetDaily. 19 May 2010 .

Zumbrun, ByJoshua. "The Jobless: Why There's No Inflation - BusinessWeek." BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. 13 May 2010. BusinessWeek. 20 May 2010 .