ain't this country grand

This past month new neighbors moved into the two trailers across the street. The guy who owns them lives nearby and given the condition they appear to be in it shouldn't be a surprise that we have seen quite a few people move in and then out a few months later. Some we have gotten to know, but most seem content to be inside most of the time so we don't get to know them. The other day when I got home I noticed both trailers had flags displayed which isn't all that unusual in Wellman, particularly from Memorial Day through July 4th.

I wasn't in Boy Scouts long, (which is another story) but I did make it through the section on flag etiquette before nearly everyone in our Boy Scout troop was asked to leave. I also had to remember during our ten years in Philadelphia that the only time we usually saw a lot of flags was when we went to Center City. You might see an occasional flag in our old neighborhood but not often. When you drove to wealthier neighborhoods like Chestnut Hill or out on the Main Line, you weren't likely to see many on display.

So there is part of me which wonders why people living in what most people would describe as "not the greatest housing," would be so moved that they would hang flags off their decks. Have they fulfilled the American Dream by having a place of their own in which to live? If you look closely the one picture shows the fishing boat parked nearby, and a Blazer type vehicle. What is missing is the large pickup with a hole somewhere in the exhaust system. Based on my experience with our little S-10 the hole is in the catalytic converter.

At the same time this week the press carried stories about Bernard Madhoff being sentenced and his wife being "allowed to keep 2.5 million" for her living expenses. Michael Jackson died and while some reports are saying he was 400 million in debt, his assets will be worth much more, especially now that he has died. Given this countries values which say all men are created equal, why do some of us end up living in New York penthouses, private estates, or a rented trailer. I know the arguments about "equality of opportunity" and all the rags to riches stories, and the "pull yourself up by the bootstrap" advice, but in reality the vast majority of Americans end up in the same financial or social status as their parents, or perhaps a bit better or worse. Yet we all buy into the patriotism.

So on the 4th we will go watch the parade and celebrate what a great country we live in- a country where millions can't afford health care, where the unemployment rate is climbing, where college kids graduate with huge debts and face limited employment opportunities- we will hear talk about living in the home of the free and the brave and I wonder.