What happened to our country? When I was young things were a lot different. Growing up with a single mom, she had to work for a living as a typist, at a dollar a page with no mistakes. Today you can make far more not doing anything, even counting for inflation. How can that be, working just doesn’t pay off?

There were a few Mexicans in our community but they didn’t think they were Mexicans but really Americans and they worked hard for their money and this was in Los Angeles. Today many Mexicans want to take California back to be part of Mexico. There were many signs to that effect visible in the riots against Donald Trump speaking in Costa Mesa. Calif

In my day no one wanted to be on welfare, it was kind of a dirty word and it didn’t last long. Today almost half the population is getting some kind of free benefits and I’m not referring to Social Security or Medicare which most of us paid for through our hard work.

Today one of the biggest problems is this thing called “Political Correctness” which has caused us to become stupid in the way we do things. Searching old people for explosives at the airport instead of young men of Middle Eastern descent is ridiculous. Afraid to say anything like manhole, now it’s person hole? In our schools it’s alright to teach about homosexuality but not utter the word god, not teach about it just uttering the word. We rename a Communist to become a Socialist and then change that to be just a Progressive.

The government openly lies to us about just about everything to make them look like they are doing a good job. Labor statistics are such a lie taking people off the unemployed list when they can’t find a job and saying they gave up looking so they are not unemployed.

We now find out that a portion of the 9/11 report that showed Saudi involvement has been hidden from us the people. We have Presidents that lie to us, Congress that listens to special interests to get money for reelection instead of listening to us the people.

We have an elite class of people who are lifetime politicians, who have not had a regular job but instead live in the inter world of politics and have lost touch with we the people. Our Founders envisioned a government run by citizen politicians who served their term and then returned to their home, farm or business. That’s not what we have now, but what to do?

Turn them out, lifetime politicians all promise whatever they think we want to hear and then deliver what they want regardless of our wants and needs. Free things, Free College, free medical and more. Margaret Thatcher once said “Socialism is great until you run out of other people’s money to pay for it”. That is where we are headed if we don’t change our ways. Capitalism built the greatest wealth machine the world has ever seen here in America. Look around the world, where is it better?  If you can find a place go there but I don’t think many will be leaving except for companies who want to make money and we keep raising their taxes.

There is only one outsider; it is not Hillary and Sanders, progressives and lifetime insiders. It’s not Cruz and Kasich, insiders and career politicians. At least there is one outsider left and we all know he will shake things up and that may be why some are against him.

Mike Young is a retired water and power executive who resides in Mesquite. Graduated from the University of La Verne he has taught communications skills and technical subjects throughout the Western Hemisphere. In addition to writing and editing technical manuals, he has a book titled “Speaking for Effect”. He has received some of the highest awards and recognition from both professional and public organizations. He also serves as Mesquite’s representative on the Overton Power District board of trustees where he is Secretary /Treasurer.