What America Has Lost Since WWII

I constantly write about the failures of our government. It is impossible for me to list the incompetent actions and the corruption committed by our government in less than 500 pages. So I have decided to list just a few of the things America has lost since WWII. They are the result of greed, the ambition for power, and the election of some of the worst people in the world by ignorant voters who failed to vet the men and women running for office every two years.

Remembering the Changes

I am an original baby boomer, born in the summer of 1946. I am neither proud nor ashamed of that fact, it is simply what it is. Often I think of this time period as the beginning of when millions of women became single parents. Their contribution to the war effort which included everything from being mothers who were forced to make every decision alone, to the need which required them to enter the workforce, and changed them forever.

When their husbands and boyfriends returned home, these brave women were expected to return to the lives they led prior to the war. More importantly, the men who risked their lives to save the world from a fascist whose ultimate goal was world domination, resulted in a problem unknown at the end of the 1940s. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was real, but not diagnosed by medical professionals in the mid-twentieth century. This was the primary cause for a growing number of divorces in the 1950s and 60s.

WWII and Undiagnosed PTSD

Mental conditions, undiagnosed by the medical profession, alcoholism, and drug abuse became common, and the beginnings of what we face today, including the opioid crisis.

This was the major change which began the year of my birth, but the war had other effects on life in America which remain a part of our lives today.

The Beginning of the Women’s Movement

Women became aware of the fact that they were not equal to men. When they applied for employment, although they had experience in many areas between 1942 and 1945, men were given preference and higher wages.

Undeserved Patriotism

The single consistent fact was universal patriotism. Movies, television, newspapers, and magazines waved the American flag constantly, claiming that the United States was the greatest country in the world. Little credit was given to the nations fighting beside America in WWII. Most Americans made the mistake of trusting our government.

However, it wasn’t long until our government decided to engage in another war. The Korean Conflict continues today. No document has been signed ending the war begun in 1950.

The war in South Vietnam began in 1955. Its escalation began in 1965. Young Americans, drafted into a war which seemed meaningless, began coming home in body bags. When my generation asked “why,” there were no answers with the exception of a vague, “we are fighting against communism.” How that affected America has never been answered.

The Conflict Between Generations

This angered younger men and women, and was the beginning of protests against our government. Our rights, guaranteed by the first amendment to address our grievances, occurred across America in large numbers. We wanted answers, and demanded an end to a costly and unnecessary war. Our parents and grandparents disagreed with our complaints, and the division between our nation’s people began. Our government lost the trust of the next generation who would be leading America in the not too distant future.

However, instead of listening to younger men and women, including the half million who attended the protest at Woodstock, our leaders ignored our complaints and Washington became more politically divided. Winning elections became the priority and serving the majority was nothing but an afterthought.

How Credit Card Debt Ruined Lives

By the 1970s, the focus became the economy. However, the working class was conned into believing that they were “better off” than their parents as credit card debt became acceptable. One of my uncles actually told me that when he became one-half-million-dollars in debt, he would be a rich man.

Meanwhile, corporations began to experience outrageous profits while the wages of most Americans stagnated. Income inequality began to be a problem in the 1980s. A Republican Administration began a war on the working class. Our largest corporations were given the opportunity to increase their already bloated profits, and gained control over one entire political party. Instead of creating jobs for the masses, big business eliminated many benefits for their employees, and no longer shared an increase in profits with those whose jobs were responsible for their success.

The Second Worst President in History and Fox News

In 2001, another Republican Administration placed our nation in two unwinnable wars. The Bush family, Vice President Dick Cheney, and other members of the George W. Bush Administration were heavily invested in the Military Industrial Complex.

Our nation’s people became more divided, and most of it was intentional. Republicans relied on red and a few purple states to win the Electoral College. Between 1992 and 2020 they only won the popular vote once in 2004, “W’s” reelection. Assisting right wing politicians was Fox News. From its beginning in 1995, it was obvious that this fake news network was in reality a right wing propaganda machine.

Trust in those we elected to serve us in Washington diminished, and today is non-existent.

The Worst President in History and the Fall of Democracy

A single election altered the direction of one political party which is in shambles today. A new political party was created by a group of billionaires. They called themselves “The TEA Party,” “The Taxed Enough Already Party.” This first wave of extremists moved the GOP so far to the right they were always wrong and ended the processes of honest and serious deliberation and compromise. Our government quickly became the worst in the world of developed nations.

The demise of the Republican Party was completed on November 8, 2016. Although it was preventable, the broken Republican Party nominated the worst possible candidate for the presidency in July of 2016. Donald Trump was gifted the Electoral College. Over the next four years the Constitution was literally shredded by right wing politicians who allowed Trump to destroy democracy and in its place establish fascist policies.

The most important issues which faced our nation on January 20, 2017, became President Biden’s problems on January 20, 2021. Trump not only ignored every issue, by his refusal to lead our nation, he created additional problems. Covid-19 remained a serious problem unaddressed by the Trump Administration. His inaction placed our nation in a near depression. Once again a Democrat was forced to save our nation’s economic future.

Washington is Where Corruption Flourishes

America now has the most ineffective and corrupt government in the world. Our nation was part of a coalition which defeated the Nazis and the Emperor of Japan, but we may have lost the essence of our country. Fascism has been adopted by one political party and millions of men and women who support them.

It’s ironic that our military defeated the evils of fascism, only to see a part of its government adopt its philosophies 72 years later. But it’s not funny.

Written by James Turnage

Find my nine novels on Amazon’s Kindle

Sources:

The American Prospect: The Way We Won: America’s Economic Breakthrough During World War II

Study.com: The History and Culture of Post-World War II America

Top and featured image courtesy of Jared Short‘s Unsplash page – Creative Commons License