Farewell, American Dream
By: Alexander Kuzmin
Tags: USA, Elections, Politics

Tomorrow’s presidential election in the USA can fundamentally change America and affect the world as a whole. The US will probably survive. But we can put a bold ending dot on the “American dream”. The American dream is dead.

During the economic and ideological confrontation between the USSR and the USA, both countries developed rapidly, and the world existed in a manageable bilateral balance. During that time, mankind has acquired the foundations of all core current technologies: semiconductors, cybernetics, nuclear energy, satellite positioning.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the USA became the number one military and industrial power. However, the rulers of the shining City upon a Hill decided to holiday, occasionally flexing muscles in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria… The financiers who took the lead in the United States decided that they no longer needed industry, as it is possible to sell an empty-stamped dollar. The last time we saw the label “Made in USA” on consumer goods was in the 90s.

The US still holds the formal first place in military power, but it is impossible to check what kind of warriors Americans really are. In the 21st century, they never encounter an equal opponent, while we all saw their military on their knees in Iran.

Whether the US won the arms race against the USSR also remained a question. An “invisible” F-117 aircraft in Yugoslavia was shot down by the Soviet system built in the 1960s. Now the USA seems to own some advanced technologies but the epic failure with the adoption of a partially functional F-35 and other inefficiencies continue to push the U.S. military budget up. For 2020, it is $649 billion, while Russia’s budget is just $67.5 billion. Nevertheless, according to the Global Firepower analytical company’s rating, Russia is losing only a few percent in terms of military power.

Despite the PR by Elon Mask, the US has lost space exploration to China, which is now ahead with 27 successful launches in 2020, while the USA has 25.

The end of the technological race of the superpowers has allowed other countries to catch up. Several nations are already capable of causing unacceptable damage to the US. This fact, multiplied by exorbitant military spending, has forced the US to curtail its presence in the world, which has led to a loss of political weight. Even NATO member, Turkey, no longer listens to the funny hollos from Washington, which seemed incredible in the 90s.

For many decades, the United States has had the image of a country of opportunity, the home of the American Dream, where everyone can get rich by showing their talent.

We should look up to the creators of this image. In the absence of global media, in the 20th century, the United States managed to attract many immigrants with a good education. This image was maintained until last year. Many Russians, Chinese, and Indians considered themselves lucky to get a green card. Since recently, the number of highly educated foreigners living in the United States has been decreasing. The poor performance of American medical care system in 2020 strengthened the flow of returnees.

The financiers who came to power in the USA decided that it was not necessary to support the Welfare state, because the ideological opponent, the USSR, which was the reason to introduce this concept in the first place, collapsed. The middle class is no longer necessary so the financial elite can put an extra dollar in their pocket. The stratification of American society and inequality has increased dramatically. Look at the Gini coefficient chart:

It skyrocketed in the early 90s and by May 2019 it had reached 0.482 points, exceeding the internationally accepted “safety line” of 0.4.

Reports of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights state that the US has the greatest income gap among all Western countries. 40 million Americans live in poverty. 18.5 million live in extreme poverty. Almost half of American households are in financial difficulties. The income of the poor is not enough to meet basic needs such as food, health care, housing, childcare, and utilities. Not surprisingly, the “BLM population” believes they are poorly fed.

How can we forget the “democracy” that the United States has sown all over the world with fire and sword? The most democratic elections in the most democratic country have not yet taken place, but both presidential candidates are already preparing to question the results. With the background Amy Coney Barrett scandal, we should also be nervous about the core democratic principle: the independence of different branches of power.

How about “freedom of speech”? Where has it gone? The New York Times fired an editor for allowing a Republican Senator to publish an article! There are hundreds of similar examples. The notorious American tolerance is also a sad story. A man can be beaten up just for a red “MAGA” on his head.

Tomorrow starts the presidential election process that will not end with all votes counted. The accumulated contradictions will grow, and the day after tomorrow America will become a former America.

We will never see the good old America again. In the shining City upon a Hill, consciously or unconsciously, the extra light will go out. Let us grant the remembrance to the passing era of the USA with a kind word.