The New Normal

I was thinking about the changes that we've seen and accepted in recent years. Primarily, about things that have changed that we should not accept. Five years ago the price a gallon of gasoline was about a dollar eighty-five. In one year it doubled and it has stayed there ever since. So, now we accept gasoline at three sixty-five or more per gallon. There was never any reason given for the skyrocket jump, but now it's the new normal.

For my whole lifetime, five percent unemployment was considered "full employment". I remember, it even went down to four and a half percent in the eighties. Now, we are told, we should celebrate any unemployment rate under eight percent. Is that the new normal? I hope not because beyond the unemployment figures there are hundreds of thousands of people who have dropped out of the job search in total despair of finding work.

The income of middle class families has shrunk by ten percent. Their level of savings is also down. As is the number of families still considered middle class. While they may not be in abject poverty their standard of living has dropped appreciably. The new normal. 

Food stamp applications are up seventy percent in recent years. That is a sad new normal.

While many businesses appears to be profitable, they are profitable because they have scaled back in personnel and facilities. They have played smart and put themselves in a profitable position as they book lower sales and while the over all economy founders. You may ask, is any business expanding out there? The answer is yes, the business of the federal government. Most cities and states are hurting but Washington is adding more bureaucrats by the day. More new normal.

We now have a President that picks enemies of the state from a list. He then sends out an unmanned drone to do away with them and anyone in their immediate proximity. Do we really want this as a new normal. 

Is it the new normal that the Attorney General can put forward charges against a reporter in spite of the First Amendment, but turn loose New Black Panthers that have pleaded guilty to the charges against them?

Is it the new normal that the NSA monitors every telephone and internet connection of honest American citizens without regard to the Fourth Amendment?

They are trying to tell us now that it is a mere coincidence that the IRS targeted the Presidents political enemies for a harassing review. No one gave the order. No one in the White House was involved. This new normal strains credibility.

New normals should be good thing. They should show American life improving. They should, absolutely, not show the life style that most of us grew up with, deteriorating. We need someone to bring us back to the old normal. I, for one hate the new normal.