American Lie

So, uh, here's a rather bitter little ditty I wrote this February to the tune of “American Pie” by Don McLean. And it came to mind when I heard someone older than myself whining bitterly about how if they voted Republican in the upcoming election, it would mean a death sentence for Social Security and Medicare with the budget overhaul.... yaddy, yaddy, yaddy... and I couldn't help wondering if this person has somehow managed to ignore the fact that Social Security's been in a death spiral ever since the boomers started to retire, because Hello! more money going out than coming in. And I also found myself wondering, who was the more selfish in this scenario: him or me. He wants to get the Social Security benefits he's been promised his entire life and paid into his entire life, even though that will cause others to pay in while never getting anything back; I'd just as soon kill the whole program now so I don't have to pay more into it without getting a return on my money, because no matter when the thing dies, I'll never see a penny (and I've pretty much known that since I was 16) and whoever loses out will be pissed about that. So, if you're going to have tons of pissed off people who aren't getting their money no matter how this goes down, why drag it out?

And yeah, there's some voter disillusionment going on here; I really don't like either of the main two presidential candidates, and I don't care for our two-party system, and I think Congress needs to be forced to >gasp< WORK TOGETHER... and I am actually kind of angry with the founding fathers for changing the way things were in the beginning, because maybe if they had forced the elected politicians to work together in spite of being from different parties (like Adams [D-R] and his VP Jefferson [F]) instead of rewriting the Constitution (Amendment 12). Also, if everyone was running on their own merits and platforms, it's much harder to keep the strict two-party system going.  And much easier to get an independent with some new ideas on how to fix the eyesore that is our government in....

And if you made it through that  rant and still want to keep going, here's the poem:

Verse 1

When I was young, they told me
The jobs were right where I wanted to be
Just do my best, and everything’d be fine
So I got straight A’s and an honors cord
Took the 5-step success plan, but was ignored
Got told no one’s hiring at this time
I kept on applying, but came home hungry
Dismissed it seemed by all and sundry
And each day temping, trying to get by
Blended into the next, ‘til the well was dry
And there was nothing left to do but realize
That everything they told me was a lie
All of my efforts couldn’t change my life
The day that my hope died
 
Chorus:
Why, why keep up the American lie?
You say there’s opportunity, but I know it died
And all of us, in parks and streets side by side
Just want to make something of life
But all our hopes have died
 
Verse 2
Well the years have gone by and I’m still here
To me it seems perfectly clear
Writing résumés won’t help you survive
The rejection letters all look the same
And all that changes is the name
If they even acknowledge you’re alive
Many won’t even call you now
Or email, let you know somehow
You’re worth more to management
Than a parachute from the government
Since Walmart says “overqualified”
Others claim “structure reorganized”
None of them willing to let you even try
The day that our hopes died
So…
 
Chorus:
Why, why keep up the American lie?
You say there’s opportunity, but I know it died
And all of us, in parks and streets side by side
Just want to make something of life
But all our hopes have died
 
Verse 3
The one percent get richer each day
Playing golf while we slave away
Making more in an hour than we make in a year
And those who achieve the American dream
Don’t exist anymore, or so it seems
The bank took the house we held so dear
Minimum wage won’t cover the bills
Medicaid plans won’t pay for surgery or pills
And no there’s no unemployment for folks with a letter
To say they’ll hire you back when times get better
Thousands“laid off” and never rehired
Our military’s mostly been “early retired”
And it’s just another phrase that really means “fired”
On the day that our hopes died
So…
 
Chorus:
Why, why keep up the American lie?
You say there’s opportunity, but I know it died
And all of us, in parks and streets side by side
Just want to make something of life
But all our hopes have died
 
Verse 4:
“Give me your tired, your huddled masses”
Doesn’t make sense when there’re no passes
To get you through the fences and checkpoints
And it feels like a state of martial law
When riding a plane gets you scanned and pawed
Trying to censor the internet disappoints
Because that’s no way to catch a crook
By taking his name out of the phonebook
And shooting the man for the flyer on his car
Won’t kill the distributor from afar
It doesn’t help any that Congress won’t pass
Laws that apply equally to them and our class
They just get lobbyist bribes and cover their own ass
Now all our hopes have died
So…
 
Chorus:
Why, why keep up the American lie?
You say there’s opportunity, but I know it died
And all of us, in parks and streets side by side
Just want to make something of life
But all our hopes have died
 
Chorus 2:
Oh,
Why, why keep up the American lie?
You say there’s opportunity, but I know it died
And all of us alone, though we share the same ride
Just want to make something of life
But all our hopes have died