A Nation in Decay: An Immigrant's Plea for America's Redemption

I arrived in America only to see its dream fade. Debt, corruption, and crony capitalism plague this land. My perspective and a plea for reform before it's too late to heal America's wounds

Stepping off the Plane,

Coming from Canada I didn’t expect culture shock when I moved to Boston. The Canadian and American cultures are so intertwined, we share media, language, and our economies are reliant on each other. Culture shock didn’t hit me the moment I landed in Logan, or when I first got out of the cab. It was subtle, slowly growing. My honeymoon phase with the country lasted a few months. Everything was new to me and the excitement was a high, feeling like those first few times with a new lover. Canadians have a superiority complex over Americans, thinking that we’re smarter, healthier, kinder, more worldly, and not as obsessed with politics. All those stereotypes break down on the individual level. People were nice to me, they accepted me, and for a short point of time I felt like this could be my new home. 

The American dream,

America was founded on the belief that anyone can become a success. Put in the work, keep your head down, do the job at hand. There is some remnant of that still here, but it’s like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. Over time this country has become a grotesque image of what it once was. Debt is unavoidable and like a tumor it grows. Student debt, medical debt, credit card, car loans, buy now pay later, from the start people are drowning. People have become hedonistic slaves chained to a desk, instead of chasing their dream. This country feels like a poorly written sci-fi novel. The Sackler family makes billions of dollars pumping opioids into the country. The oil companies choose who you go to war with. Wall Street siphons your money. Cable news pours acid into your mind. Madison ave fills you with envy. Politicians get rich by insider trading and nobody bats an eye. America has the economy to have the healthiest and most educated people in the world and the only thing stopping them is themself. Crony capitalism has corrupted this country to the brink of collapse. I hate this country because it could be so much more. There is so much untapped potential. Like seeing a once great man becoming a wino on skid row, America is inflicting their own self sabotage.   

The Visigoths are at the gate,

Empires always fall from within and America is at its tipping point. A once great beacon of light, is becoming dim. Political sycophants, corrupt politicians, and men obsessed with greed are going to bring this nation down. When I first came to this country it was like looking behind the curtain and seeing the man behind the machine. With the rise of identity politics the chance at salvaging this country becomes more and more of a dream fading away. Since the 1960’s America has suffered from a string of poor leaders. Nixon, Ford, Regan, Bush, Clinton, Trump, Biden are all examples of leaders that allow America to crumble. The biggest mistake Marcus Aurileus made in his life was not setting up the Roman Empire for success. He’s known as the last great emperor and by not accepting the common practice of adoption he let his son Commodus take over the empire. J.F.K will be known as the last great President of the United States of America, then leaving a string of leaders whose egos, corruption, and pride bring down the nation. It took another 200 years for Rome to fall after Marcus Aurelius died, maybe America will survive for that much longer but unless the country can heal from within the collapse is inevitable.