Opinion: What a Difference 250 Years Makes
It’s America’s birthday, and although it is quite old, my friends and I have been around for about one-third of its entire existence! Which makes us older in human years than the country is in nation-state years.
Born at the conclusion of World War II, we experienced the best that America had to offer in her time to shine brightly as an example of what a constitutional representative democracy could be. California’s public schools were commendable all the way through basically free college. Public parks and libraries, public transportation and roadways … we seemed to have it all, at least from my perspective as a kid.
Back then, kids ran free-range through neighborhoods, as did dogs. House and car doors were unlocked during the daytime hours. Media, from radio to TV, were often a communal activity for family and friends. People took care of one another as a matter of course. One salary made a middle-class family function.
As one reached high school and learned more about the broader world, some issues became apparent. The tragedy of Vietnam, segregation, women’s inequality to men, pollution of water and air, a fairly elected president and his VP who turned out to be crooks.
Yet America found its way through with the power of the courts working for justice, a Congress able to call out its own when required, people’s protests to end the war and segregation and to protect the planet’s biosphere. Our 200th national anniversary in 1976 was a worthy celebration!
That was then. Now we have a much different country. The past 18 months have seemed longer and more stressful than any other time I can remember. A leader focused on himself and a government that uses its power to stifle dissent and control its citizens. Global partnerships with democracies have been abandoned in exchange for alliances with dictators.
From the economic balance in the 1950s, with its strong middle class, we have become a nation of the super-rich — oligarchs, both politically powerful and market-based. Financial inequality in America has reached an all-time high. Environmental protections have been abandoned, leaving the consequences to future generations.
Social media are dumbing down kids; the corporate profit motive is unquestioned, and “shareholder return on investment” is more important than the mental health of youth. Social media use is directly correlated with declining language and math scores, worsening mental health and social issues, and decreased attention spans.
Unregulated development of AI, with its mammoth energy consumption by data centers, threatens our future. No one asked for a digital brain to replace our biological one.
So I’m afraid July 4, 2026, will not be a day for celebration for me; I’ll wait until 2029, when a new administration may begin the restoration and healing that our country needs.
Bob Fornes lives in McKinleyville.
