Once Again - Our Own People Must Come First

[HARDCORE]

4-19-2023

We are not “The United States of the World”, but rather, we are “The United States of America” – and don’t you ever forget it! For unless “We the People” finally do come to realize that “Our Nation” can (and must) come first and foremost, then we too are doomed to collapse and to topple to the ground in ruins – “and that too is a fact!”

“So wise thee up America” and finally come to realize that the greatest, indeed the only true friend and ally, that “Our Nation” possesses these days, is that face that you see staring back at you from your bathroom mirror when you shave, early in the morning – “and that too is a fact!”

And if you do not want to believe me, then I ask you to read up on your world history or do you really believe that “Nero, Stalin, Hitler and Napoleon” were all exceptions to the rule?

“And Always Remember This” – Only a damn fool fails to benefit from the screw-ups of the past, and only a stupid idiot never learns from the abject failures of world history!? And let us all aspire to – Make America (and her genuine allies) – Truly Magnificent Again! But Most of All – “We Must Cease to be At War With Ourselves” and “We Americans Must” (most assuredly), all belong to that age of genuine greatness! And once again:

“It is just too damned bad, that this peaceful revolution of the mind and the spirit, are not more infectious - and even far longer lasting!?” (by hrt- 19 April 2023)

Hardcore

[Boats]

Americans are the unhappiest they've been in 50 years, poll finds
By: Associated Press - 06-16-20 (older post but doubt we're not far off it even today
Re: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...finds-n1231153

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Spoiler alert: 2020 has been rough on the American psyche. Folks in the U.S. are more unhappy today than they've been in nearly 50 years.

This bold — yet unsurprising — conclusion comes from the COVID Response Tracking Study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that just 14% of American adults say they're very happy, down from 31% who said the same in 2018. That year, 23% said they'd often or sometimes felt isolated in recent weeks. Now, 50% say that.

The survey, conducted in late May, draws on nearly a half-century of research from the General Social Survey, which has collected data on American attitudes and behaviors at least every other year since 1972. No less than 29% of Americans have ever called themselves very happy in that survey.

Most of the new survey’s interviews were completed before the death of George Floyd touched off nationwide protests and a global conversation about race and police brutality, adding to the feelings of stress and loneliness Americans were already facing from the coronavirus outbreak — especially for black Americans.

Lexi Walker, a 47-year-old professional fiduciary who lives near Greenville, South Carolina, has felt anxious and depressed for long stretches of this year. She moved back to South Carolina late in 2019, then her cat died. Her father passed away in February. Just when she thought she’d get out and socialize in an attempt to heal from her grief, the pandemic hit.

“It’s been one thing after another,” Walker said. “This is very hard. The worst thing about this for me, after so much, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Among other finding from the new poll about life in the pandemic:

* The public is less optimistic today about the standard of living improving for the next generation than it has been in the past 25 years. Only 42% of Americans believe that when their children reach their age, their standard of living will be better. A solid 57% said that in 2018. Since the question was asked in 1994, the previous low was 45% in 1994.

* Compared with surveys conducted after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are less likely to report some types of emotional and psychological stress reactions following the COVID-19 outbreak. Fewer report smoking more than usual, crying or feeling dazed now than after those two previous tragedies, though more report having lost their temper or wanting to get drunk.

* About twice as many Americans report being lonely today as in 2018, and not surprisingly given the lockdowns that tried to contain the spread of the coronavirus, there’s also been a drop in satisfaction with social activities and relationships. Compared with 2018, Americans also are about twice as likely to say they sometimes or often have felt a lack of companionship (45% vs. 27%) and felt left out (37% vs. 18%) in the past four weeks.

What is surprising, said Louise Hawkley, a senior research scientist with NORC at the University of Chicago, was that loneliness was not even more prevalent.

“It isn’t as high as it could be," she said. “People have figured out a way to connect with others. It’s not satisfactory, but people are managing to some extent.”

The new poll found that there haven't been significant changes in Americans’ assessment of their families' finances since 2018 and that Americans' satisfaction with their families’ ability to get along financially was as high as it's been over nearly five decades.

Jonathan Berney, of Austin, Texas, said that the pandemic — and his resulting layoff as a digital marketing manager for a law firm — caused him to reevaluate everything in his life. While he admits that he’s not exactly happy now, that’s led to another uncomfortable question: Was he truly happy before the pandemic?

“2020 just fast forwarded a spiritual decay. When things are good, you don’t tend to look inwards,” he said, adding that he was living and working in the Miami area before the pandemic hit. As Florida dealt with the virus, his girlfriend left him and he decided to leave for Austin. “I probably just wasn’t a nice guy to be around from all the stress and anxiety. But this forced an existential crisis.”

Berney, who is looking for work, said things have improved from those early, dark days of the pandemic. He’s still job hunting but has a little savings to live on. He said he's trying to kayak more and center himself so he’s better prepared to deal with any future downturn in events.

Reimagining happiness is almost hard-wired into Americans’ DNA, said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside.

“Human beings are remarkably resilient. There’s lots and lots of evidence that we adapt to everything. We move forward,” she said, adding that she’s done happiness studies since the pandemic started and found that some people are slightly happier than last year.

Melinda Hartline, of Tampa, who was laid off from her job in public relations in March, said she was in a depressed daze those first few weeks of unemployment. Then she started to bike and play tennis and enrolled in a college course on post-crisis leadership.

Today, she’s worried about the state of the world and the economy, and she wonders when she can see her kids and grandkids who live on the West Coast — but she also realizes that things could be a lot worse.

“Anything can happen. And you have to be prepared,” she said. “Whether it’s your health, your finances, whether it’s the world. You have to be prepared. And always maintain that positive mental attitude. It’s going to get you through it.”

The survey of 2,279 adults was conducted May 21-29 with funding from the National Science Foundation. It uses a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

By: The Associated Press
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Personal note: Even today I'd say we're worse off now then what was posted
many years past! And the way we are going will hurt many! How do you
bring down our cost of living? Lately we have the give away plan on weapons
of warfare. We are building more military supplies to cover our own needs.
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The ones making the money are the folks who build weapons.
HC's earlier report about Chinese currency - that would be horrible!
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What we have to do is C.O.O.A. (cover our own asses!) Management in
this country is crying - so are the employee's and tax payer's. Whose
buying precious metals? - gold & silver - they seem to be doing fairly
well - but its cost could drop with poor financial handling - as well.
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Raise the min. wage to $15 to 20 dollars hour - just to keep up with the
cost of everything. SS payments - hell we're dying - on the vines.
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We can give Trillions of Dollars for foreign aid & weapon's - but how
does that effect the cost of living on us civvies!?
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The savings of many are feeling the insecurity - and more-so of late.
Some may live into their 80's & 90's [God Willing]!
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We can't be Big Brother to all NATO Nation's and toss trillions of
dollars into weapons and military gear and at times - manpower!
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Bring our living standards & capabilities up - to where the People
won't suffer - by your re-direction of needed war funds!
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You've driven up the cost of living I bet by 30-40% of late.
That's a big chunk of money - most need to exist & pay bills!
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To "The Boy's Club in Washington" - fix these issues or suffer
come re-election. This is no joke - the People are in Need and
little is being done to neutralize the cost-of-living expenses!
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Get you're acts together and fix our internal issues and or the
people who sent your ass to Washington on a promise you
made - but never any benefits - to make their lives better
for your so-called service to your State and/or it's People!
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I'm sick of the antics in Washington - Fix the People's Issues!
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Dead wood is just that - you fail them they will crave your
name on it!
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