Letter To the Editor
Asia Rodgers
The Corsair
In response to the November 29, 2011, The Corsair issue, “Unemployment Part II: The Solutions,” I believe the reason the United States conquered the depression in the past was due to the ingrained sense of national pride and determination that Americans have always been known for.
When the economy is doing well, so are the American people. On October 27, 1929 America’s stock market crashed and we entered the Great Depression. Those 10 years were a time when many lost their jobs and ended up in poverty. Often families only had enough resources to provide for the next meal they would be eating, never knowing when their next meal would be their last for unknown amounts of time. Many Americans today feel that without a change we are in danger of entering another economic period similar to the late 1920s.
How did America emerge from this great depression? Three words: hard work, pride, and (most important) inspiration. The phrase “The American Dream” was coined in the 1940s and everyone with ambition was working towards it. Today we are being faced with an uncertain future and the concept of the American Dream is redefined and possibly may be done away with.
In my spare time when I watch the news, I especially enjoy watching Anderson Cooper 360. Whenever there is a discussion on jobs and the economy, the discussion seems to always give a pessimistic view on the future. Every moment I look at or listen to the messages concerning the economy, the message is negative and not pro-America, opposite of the outlook in the 1940’s. Many Americans are wondering if the “The American Dream” still exists.
Many young Americans believe they are going to college, working towards a degree for a job that does not exist. That is not a good attitude for a period of time when everything in the future is based on our determination to get through hard times. While the “New Deal” did help pull America out of the recession, the true praise goes to the determination the Americans had for getting out of the recession. Many of the jobs that the “New Deal” contributed to were directly related to World War II, but these jobs had to be filled by people who believed in and were willing to sacrifice for their country.
World War II carries the responsibility for not only getting Americans out of the depression economically, but also uniting them for a common cause. Today, Americans are seeing the same thing: economic stress and the threat of war. The difference between now and the past is that we are lacking an overall united attitude among our citizens. There has never been a time when the political parties and the government leaders agreed on everything and there probably never will be, but we have to discard our differences and unite for a common cause. The future of our country depends upon it.
With many of the speeches presented by President Barack Obama at a memorial service for the victims of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona he delivered statements claiming he desires to see this country overcome our hardships and come together in love and brotherhood, but there are so many people in both parties who won’t cooperate it is nearly impossible to see what he wants carried out. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did an outstanding job with the “New Deal,” that brought help to American economy, but the Americans had to believe in him and to unite to defeat the depression. If as a country we could once again unite, we would see America devise some way to beat this depression and see ourselves into a bright new future full of life, happiness, and prosperity.