THE GREAT SOCIETY ©

"What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems." John Gardner [Architect of the "Great Society"]

In 1965, President Lyndon Banes Johnson spoke of the Great Society. He proposed a world of abundance and liberty for all. He spoke of an end to poverty. President Johnson envisioned the Great Society as “a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place where men are more concerned with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their goods.”

However, instead of building a Great Society, we built a Garage Society. We enter them, we exit them, we fill them, and they fulfill us, they are a “must-have.” For, if we own a garage, we own a home, and that is the American Dream. In this culture of garages, people no longer sit out on their porches; they no longer know, let alone see their neighbors. Neighbors are not heard; there is no sense of community. We are transient, transfixed by technology, and have little time or concern for the plight of others. However, there are those without garages. They live in low cost condominiums, apartments, hotels, or on the streets.

Today few can afford a house or a town-home; even apartment living is expensive. Prices continue to rise. The lack of affordable housing affects many. 30 million Americans experience housing burdens; cost is the greatest among these. More than 13 million households devote more than half of their income to housing expenses.

Many, about 6.1 million live in homes where the number of people cohabitating is greater than the number of rooms.

For every seven poor families, one lives in a home that is has no electricity or hot water. Many families do not have bathing facilities or toilets. In a country of opulence, these people go unnoticed.

We do not see the poor, the struggling, or even those under financial pressure as we leave our garages. We travel the freeways, and we overlook what we do not wish to ponder. With thanks to these constructions we need not be reminded of what is for others. There is no reason to consider what, in a time of crisis, could become of us. We put it out of sight, and out of mind. We are not a great society; we are a civilization of lost dreams.

On May 25, 2005, MaxSpeak spoke of Fannie, Freddie, and of course Alan Greenspan. Each of these helps to explain why our Greater Society is one of Garages and people living with less. Please read and reflect upon, WHY ALAN GREENSPAN IS UNFIT FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.

The Left Coaster is also expressing concern Housing market is a bit frothy

Brad DeLong speaks of the Fed Watch: The Fed and the Housing Bubble. Again, the cost of homes can hinder a Great Society.

This is a piece worth reading. Please ponder the words of Mark Thoma, Economist View. He writes JFK Gives Advice to Washington

Time passes and people continue to reflect on The American Dream. Please read the thoughts offered by others Living the American Dream Pacific Views