Making America Scared Again!

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america scared“Long ago and far away……” said George Lucas.  Perception is a concept that gives us all the ability to sense the physical world we live in and understand our greatest fears and the smallest nuances of family members, neighbors and the celebrities we enjoy on television and in the movies we watch.  In the 1950’s, Futurists warned us of Global shortages of water and food.  Futurists questioned the ability of the Earth to support more life – Population Control seemed the viable answer.  China created a one child policy to attempt to control and limit their population growth.  The United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela held control of the world’s oil supply.  The population of the State of California in 1960 was a comfortable 15.1 million.  Our major industry was Agriculture in the Central Valley – Modesto, Fresno, Juan and Julio Gallo and the Napa Valley.  Citizens could get a gallon of Red Mountain Vin Rose for $2.19 in any local liquor store. The lettuce and tomatoes you could smell three rows over.  The berries burst with flavor.  The oranges were delicious.  The minimum wage in 1960 was $1.10 an hour, gasoline was about .29 cents a gallon, rents were averaging about $40 to $60 dollars a month for a small two bedroom  house.  A new car from Detroit was about $2900 dollars unless you wanted the add-ons for another $300 bucks.  The smog in LA was dreadful and burnt your eyes from the plating and chemical companies – even with the car windows rolled up. Many people used incinerators in their back yards and the smoke went everywhere.  48% of the population smoked and drank lots of alcohol.

terrified 3We only had bumper to bumper traffic on our freeways during the “rush hours” 7-8 AM and 5 – 6 PM.  Many folks warned of the End Times and Survivalist buried firearms and ammo in the California deserts.  The scare tactics of the 1950’s still had many grammar school kids practicing “duck and cover drills” under their school desks.  Lot’s of people were still building “Bomb Shelters”, keeping their cupboards fully stocked and collecting rain water – just in case.  LBJ was elected in 1964 based upon an ad that suggested Barry Goldwater was leading us to nuclear disaster.  There were no Firearm Laws, there were no Environmental Laws – but our Doctor’s were nice and even made House Calls at times.  We all ate greasy burgers and fries and we all went to Mom’s house on Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We played softball and horseshoes at Company Picnics and the every company gave their employees Turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We got paid time and half for anything over eight hours and was given some time off by the company when we had a family emergency.  We knew our bosses and the bosses knew us!  We knew our neighbors and they knew us!  The local cops lived in the neighborhood and knew who the troublemakers were.  We all loved Elvis, Lucy and Desi, Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton – Trixie and Alice, Disneyland, Annette Funicello and the Mickey Mouse Club and Fess Parker – Davy Crockett.  We all had a 21 inch TV or one with a consul that had great speakers.  Practically, everyone we knew was an Army, Navy or Marine veteran.  Everyone had a smile and was happy to see you.  But there were a lot less people!

terrifiedToday, the 2016 California population is nearing 40 million souls.  There are still a few folks that remember the 1950’s and 1960’s here in California.  Many long for the good old days. when things were seemingly more fun.  Times when Cancer and Heart Attack were a death sentence.  Times when most people wore out by the time they were 50 and many people limped around on bad pins.  Times when young girls wore pettycoats.  Times when the school dance was the highlight of their entire Junior or Senior year in High School.  Times when Junior’s first bike or car was a really big deal. Times when you married your daughter or son and looked forward to becoming a grandparent with relish.  Folks tend to almost want to forget anything that happened after the Vietnam War.  They want to forget the assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X or the losses of Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, George Harrison, John Lennon, John Belushi or the so-called motorcycle accident of Bob Dylan and his 10 year hiatus from the scene.  The memories may get jarred back to “American Graffiti”, “Animal House”  and Happy Days!” for comfort sake, but few actually lived those lives.  It was more like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” for most.

Terrified Man Biting His FingersIn the political season of 2016 something has happened to the American Psyche.  Surely, the new realities seem jarring to say the least. The old folks who refused to get into the New Millennium, the New Computer Age, the New Cell Phone Era, The New Technology Era, The Cable Era, The New Politics Era, The New Ethics Era, The New Politically Correct Era, The New Family Revalues Era, and the New Prescription Drug Society Era: are now having to deal with a New Reality Era!  The simple answers of simply going to war to increase US Imports, putting deadly foods out on the market to kill the vulnerable early, using bad medicine to limit population, using bad politicians to limit the rights of minorities, setting one social class against another, using the rich 1% to set our standards of conduct, using ill conceived Trade Agreements in globalizing all markets, using the Chinese and Russian methods of limiting work for old folks that don’t fall in line.  Then there is the using of academic indebtedness to limit and restrict youth from aggressively taking the jobs of middle age workers or bureaucrats, using taxation and/or regulations to make it tougher to keep owned property, and using population pressures (illegal immigrants) to encourage the sale of that property and/or to relocate renters to lesser quality of life areas.

scared dick 3Crime, Terrorism, Nuclear War, Population dislocations, Immigrants and the Government are all viable scare tactics!  They have all worked for years.   It keeps the money turning over.  Sadly, we are no longer an autonomous United States.  The eyes tend to glaze over when you mention in passing that our world has changed and we are now a One World Government.  The World Banking System in now totally Interconnected. Something that happens in Burma can and does affect the United States whether we like it or not.  Yes, Bernie Sanders is right…..the rush to the bottom for wages and a rush to the top for the price of everything is unsustainable.  There will be more poor people and less rich people.  There will be no Middle Class because we do not have a reasonable definition of what Middle Class really means:  A roof over your head and SUV?  Some folks have the advantage of a upper class birth and may get an inheritance that bumps them along for the next few years.  Others will be forced into homelessness and dependence on the the government agencies. These values are not limited to the United States.  These are Global issues that we all share.  Can folks work their way out of this mess?

The good news is that age still does have its privileges and advantages, as long as the spirit is willing and holding off disease is possible through self-healing, friends and partners and some luck.  We need to hold it together, as we all go through some serious and trying times that place us in very unfamiliar conditions.  As the aging of the Global Community expands, the older generation will be required to step up and help find the solutions to the world’s problems – not add to them. We can’t rely on Donald Trump, Hillary or Bernie to save us.  We need to save ourselves through action of and for positive purposes.  If something is broken – we need to fix it.  If something doesn’t work – we need to repair it.  If something is dangerous – we need to remove it.

Terrorists, Street Crime and Ill-gotten Wars – have to go.  Ill-gotten Businesses, Ill-gotten Banking and Havens, Ill-gotten Politicians, and Ill-gotten Contributors to Political Candidates – because Politicians would rather just make one phone call to the Walton’s or the Koch Bros. and get back to attending luncheon meetings.  Campaign Finance Reform?…..definitely in the Computer Age with complete transparency!  As the FED pumps $35 Billion dollars a month into the Global Economy – we are paying to keep Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain in the game.  Without China, Russia and the United States there would be World Chaos as Agent Smart might say!  Stem cell research – that cures Spinal paralysis – lost limb regeneration – major organ regeneration, eradication of all Cancers, Alzheimers and Heart Disease must become reality today – not in 20 or 30 years.   Halting reliance on drugs for depression and mental disorders.  If anything it is time to “Make America Positive Again!”  We don’t need Legalized Marijuana – we need Legalized Cures for all Disease!

We also really need to let all the Politicians know – that we refuse to ever let them: “Make America Scared Again!”

trump beautiful


About Ron & Anna Winship

Independent News Producers/Writers and Directors for Parker-Longbow Productions. Independent Programming which includes a broad variety of Political, Entertainment and Professional Personalities. Cutting Edge - a talk show...is the flagship of over 30 URL websites developed or under development. The Winships have been blogging for the Orange Juice since back when nickels had buffalos on them, and men wore onions attached to their belts, because it was the fashion back then.