I often ask, “How much is enough?”  How much wealth is enough for a person to live a good life?  Is it $100,000, $1,000,000, billions, and now in some cases trillions?  Most of our founding fathers were educated, skilled, and diverse in their financial status.  They chose to create a constitution that guaranteed equality of opportunity and equal treatment of individuals.  While slaves were not considered equals and women were not given any rights, these men were people of their time and represented a vision of the future where the people would govern themselves with equal voices.  Is the pursuit of wealth what our founding fathers visualized when they established this great republic?  NO, their vision was about equal opportunity, not the accumulation of vast wealth and the power that comes from having it.

The America That was Planned. 

The Constitution, written by our founding fathers as our “blueprint,” stressed individual freedom through a representative democracy.  The “people” were to be the government.  The assumption was that an educated electorate would choose the best candidates to represent their interests.  The founding fathers tried to draft a document that would allow the people to make decisions.  However, several of these same authors also had a skeptical view of the future.  They warned about greed and consolidation of power.  Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Franklin were very vocal about their concerns.  Franklin is quoted as saying, “We have a democratic republic, can we keep it?”  Some people with wealth and power have been trying to control government decision making for decades.  And in 1958, Dwight Eisenhower warned in his farewell speech, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.”

What is America About in the 21^st Century? 

In the 21^st Century, success varies depending on the individual.  Those with gifts for business control the decisions that Congress makes through lobbyists and PACTS.  The control of government by vested business is not new.  By 1900, “robber barons” influenced many government decisions.  This influence was eventually limited during two presidencies—Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt.  However, over the decades following WWII, business interests have once again been able to exert excessive influence over our leaders. 

Do we value wealth over our freedom of expression, and the ability to live life as we choose as long as we do no harm to others?  The relationship between money, happiness, and freedom is complex.  Can money buy happiness? According to one study, the answer is “yes” for 59% of Americans (72% of Millennials and 67% of Gen Z).  Most associate a “Return on Happiness” with on-time bill payment (67%), being debt-free (65%), affording everyday luxuries without worry (54%), and owning a home (45%). Half of people say contentment is found in spending on experiences with those they cherish (53%) and in optimism for what’s next, including retiring on their own terms (37%).

However, many also recognize that financial stress can hinder overall happiness, with 73% of Americans reporting that they experience financial stress. In the current environment, people estimate that they will have to delay their expected retirement by three years (to age 63), on average. Economic pressures like inflation (81%), rising costs (81%), interest rates (66%), and student loans (32%) are dampening a sense of prosperity. Half of the people say they carry debt (54% of Gen Z, and 72% of Gen X), and 36% state that they could not handle an unforeseen expense over $500 without real worry (Empower Press, November 20,2023).

Apathy

However, as Noam Chomsky said, “As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please.”  When the average American could have a nice home, car, truck, boat, and the ability to take vacations, then no one paid attention to the what the government was doing unless it impacted them directly.

In America, political apathy is a problem.  In the United States, turnout for presidential elections places the country in 31st place out of 49 nations where data is available.  During the 1800s, on average, 70% of Americans voted in presidential elections.  Since 1900 the average has been consistently around 62-64%.  The highest turnout was in the Hayes/Tilden race of 1876 with an 83% turnout.  By the 21^st Century, apathy was common.

Donald Trump entered the Republican primary in June 2015.  His campaign slogan was “Make America Great Again (MAGA)!” He won! Still, while Trump accurately claimed the election saw the largest number of voters to ever vote, voter turnout, at approximately 60%, was not great.  The MAGA movement believes the U.S. was once great but has declined due to foreign influence. It supports “America first” policies, economic protectionism, reduced immigration, and what it regards as traditional American values, some of which involve discriminatory policies. In 2016, the MAGA movement made it clear that many Americans were concerned about the “extreme liberal” direction of the nation and the impact that it might have on their lives.  The leaders of the movement stressed the “good old days” when Americans were patriots with Christian values.  Opportunity existed for all if they would just work for it.  They believed that government had become a tool for the left thinking socialists/communists.  These left leaning leaders gave handouts to, and created opportunities for those who were not prepared or deserving. 

Under President Donald Trump, America has now arrived at a critical point in determining what this nation represents.  Are we going to step up and be about personal freedom or are we going to allow monied interests to control our government and our lives? Americans need to decide what is the ideal balance of wealth and power versus happiness and freedom for all.