One reality that very few in the free-market paradise of the United States like to think about is the poor. Americans loathe them to such a substantial degree they are either ignored, or if they are seen, people immediately dehumanize them and blame them for their situation.
This mentality is expressed and supported day-to-day, thanks to our fine conservative and capitalist government that prides itself on individuality and finding various ways to exploit others in order to gain personal profit. As usual, there is no one better at this than George Bush.
According to the White House's official Web site, President Bush stated, "our economy grew at 3.4 percent in the second quarter this year." He goes on to state that, "inherent in that growth is a free enterprise system that provides incentives for people to take risk and to grow their businesses and it's an economy that is large, flexible and resilient."
Apparently Bush has not taken a stroll around one of the fine neighborhoods that surround his city, where crime rates break the curve for the rest of the United States and streets are home to drug trafficking and violence. It does not matter how much the economy grows - as long as Bush and his corporate elite homies keep all of the money, poverty will still run rampant in society.
Not that the constant barrage of capitalist propaganda from the government is not amusing, but it is occasionally nice to see statistics that actually matter.
According to inequlity.org, all the fine economic growth that has been boosting America to such stellar heights is doing other things as well, such as creating a pay system where in 2005 a CEO was making 411 times the average worker's pay.
It is unfair however, to blame all of this on the Republicans, for Democrats are just as bad. In contrast to the measly income of our CEOs who are working so hard for their pay and building obnoxious structures in their spare time, the average working man, such as that guy who makes sure you have a car to drive in or water to drink, makes a whopping $14.29 per hour as of 2005. But never fear, for his wages have increased substantially enough to keep pace with the rising cost of living and inflation - by a good $1.30 since 1973, all according to inequality.org.
To better illustrate this point, your average CEO can buy two Samsung 40-inch flat-screen TVs per hour based upon their wages, while the average worker can buy a burrito and a drink at the Student Union, with a precious $5 left to spare.
By now you should get the point. Our economy does not work, and the fine capitalist mantra of "if you work hard enough you can achieve riches too" is not true.
Why do we never hear about this massive disparity in wage that is so bad that even when people work two jobs, they cannot afford the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter?
It is actually pretty simple. Due to our capitalist American knack for commodifying everything - including people and basic life necessities like food - corporations also have control over every single outlet of information that you can get a hold of.
Networks like NBC and ABC are owned by two of the largest organizations ever known to man, GE and Disney, respectively, and one of the most trusted names in news and political reporting, The Wall Street Journal, was recently acquired by the man, the myth and the legend of toleration and acceptance: Rupert Murdoch.
But hey, it's all good - why should any of us ever care about the millions of Americans who are suffering and starving daily? I don't know about you, but I just love to kick back and watch Friends on the fine flat-screen TV in the Student Union that my tuition and tax dollars paid for, all while thinking about how much it sucks for everyone else to be poor.
It is time for Americans and UConn students to actually do something for a change, and work to make our society and country a better place.
Instead of wasting our money on football, basketball and other tickets for sports that support competition and demonizing the opposition, why don't we use that money to help the misfortunate, instead of adding to Jim Calhoun and Randy Edsall's paychecks?
Instead of wasting all of our time and energy on moronic distractions like sports and high- speed Internet, why don't we put it to a real tangible use, such as helping the poor, or furthering the cause to once and for all fix our economic system?
For as long as we keep on consuming and ignoring those who are less fortunate than us, crime and drug use will still continue, and inequality will still reign supreme in a country that ironically still thinks "all men are created equal" - according to the Declaration of Independence. However, this independence no longer has any meaning.
Staff columnist Chris Donnelly is 5th-semester sociology and political science double major. He can be contacted at Chris.Donnelly@UConn.edu.
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