I’m starting to feel like The Bionic Man. Not because of any special powers or enhancements like telescopic vision (heck, I’d settle for 20/20), or the ability to run faster than a cheetah.
No, I’m talking about a tooth. A solitary tooth, which I failed to properly take care of when I had a cavity years ago.
Ka-ching! Root canal, $2,000.
Present day. Root canal’s still good. But I’m told the tooth is cracked, oh well…
Ka-ching! $3,000 for an implant.
An implant? Couldn’t they think of a more friendly name? I feel like I’m in an X-Files episode. For that price you’d think they’d at least include something high tech — like a blue tooth implant.
Point being (other than complaining), in today’s economic climate with most of us up to our eyeballs in debt, how are we supposed to get ahead? Or simply break even when the cost of living is so high? There’s only so much fat you can cut, and there’s only so many hours in a day that can be divvied up between work and family.
And yet this country spends BILLIONS of dollars “fighting” a war for the “spread of democracy.” How about the spread of economic independence for Americans? If George Bush thought more about the people of this fine country, instead of the profitability of oil, maybe I wouldn’t gag (no pun intended) at the thought of such expensive dental work.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a “turn the other cheek” world. And we don’t live in a world where disputes are always resolved through talking and cooperation. So yes, we have to defend ourselves. But I’ve heard that the USA gave Osama Bin Laden somewhere in the amount of 3 billion dollars prior to September 11th. How much good would that have done for America? But to gain leverage and power in the Middle East, this money was given to a man who masterminded a terrible day. Nice work with that investment there.
And if no “weapons of mass destruction” were really found in Iraq, then why attack? Oh yeah, power & profit. Then we get to pay over $3 for a gallon of gas. It appears that “spreading democracy,” as George Bush puts it, is pretty hard on everyone but the rich here in America. And the deconstruction of economic foundations is global. That’s how influential our country is. In a very real way, we’ve become the heart of the world.
I’m left with a troubling question: Who has the guts, the brains and the determination to make this a better world for our kids? Who has an honest soul and a heart that cares more about helping Americans than making a buck?
I feel like there’s a cavity eating through America and there’s no dentist to be found — not at any cost.
Your thoughts and opinions are welcome.
And remember, you are not alone…
Daddy Brain 
You put it perfectly. George Bush has done nothing but F up the world since he has been in office.
Sad to say, but I’m not feeling too good about any of his proposed replacements either. It’s going to take a long time to get back what Bush has lost!
Good post!
I don’t want to start WW III, but I’m curious who we would blame if we were not at war and gas was $6, $8 or $10 a gallon? Being in that office is a thankless task, regardless of who occupies it. The new guy always gets left (and blamed for) the old guy’s garbage that always happens to come into the public eye in the middle of the new guys term. It’s been that way for years.
I know there are many, many things that could have been done better, but keeping the war thousands of miles from “my” doorstep is fine by me. If “we” were not over there, “they” would be over here. Detroit already has whole neighborhoods of non American militants who run Americans from their homes. It’s only a matter of time before that little kettle blows its lid.
We all have our own opinions, and still be civil. Thank God we’re American.
Regards,
A Veteran