Are Americans happy with the country? Well, according to the most recent Gallup Poll they are. Sixty-three percent said they are satisfied with the country as a whole and only 33 percent are dissatisfied. Compared to 1979, America is winning the hearts of her citizens; only 26 percent were satisfied in 1979 and 69 percent were dissatisfied. Ironically, the current prosperity of the country probably has a lot to do with the blissful aura that is spreading across the nation as opposed to genuine happiness.

Maybe money can, at least, contribute to happiness if not buy it. On the other hand, this prosperity and increase of citizen satisfaction has come with a price, causing a seesaw effect that lowered the moral and ethical standards of the country.

Once upon a time, good ole' solid morals and ethics brought about genuine happiness, but unfortunately, that chapter has come to an end: not only the chapter, but the entire book of traditional values have given way to a whole new kind of happiness.

Making money is the name of the game of life now and is better played with a million other than the once; much valued two cents of good advice. The slogan "In God we Trust" is gradually falling to the power of its representative: the All Mighty Dollar. No pun intended, although inevitable. On a paper that stands as the pillar for the most powerful nation in the world, the founding fathers wrote the sad destiny of America's future.

To depend on the support of God for the success of a society, proclaim that loyalty on the back of legal tender, and then after 200 years have the same emblem destroy that success, long after its fall, America will go into the history books as a nation that totally missed the point. Supposedly, the purpose of the fathers trusting in God was for the country to remain on the faith-based foundation it was built upon.

However, somewhere down the 200-year stretch, trillions of dollars worth of substance replaced faith. The mental energy and moral philosophy it must have taken to write the Constitution cannot be found today without a vehement search. Today, ideas are for making money, not advancing humanity by conventional wisdom.

For instance, as a species, humanity is not living up to its professed maturity and intellect, at least not in America. On a planet nearly eight to 10 billion years old, only forty of those years ago did humans realize that slavery and racial oppression was not nice. Consequently, to this day not many will agree with that discovery.

Some still believe in ethnic superiority, that one racial group is, and should be commander of the others. They write scientific studies that prove their theories constantly. They compare racial groups where intelligence is concerned, mental and emotional stability, cognitive and mobility skills, to who lives where, does what in their spare time and how they talk and eat.

One race picks on the others cause they are mad at them. They kill them secretly, lawfully beat them up, then lock them up, push them aside, undermine them and paint ugly pictures of them and show the pictures to the rest of the world. Note, from that same mental energy that spewed from the minds of those brilliant founders came the words, "All Men are Created Equal."

Speaking of hypocrisy, today's politicians consider themselves as brilliant as the founders, and presumably, they are, bearing in mind that America is at its most financially prosperous and remain atop the world in power, and many wonder at their brilliance as to how they do it. Simple, beat up every body else in the world, take what is theirs and claim it as your own, and beat them up some more.

Although, during that time, proclaim peace around the world standing valiantly upon the shores of nations who owe you what they do not have as a result of your noble objectives and pursuance of world peace and pass out goodie bags to prove your liberality. Next, write books that persuade the world of your country's contribution to the now, stupendous accomplishments of the world. Substitute light faces for darker ones and you got yourself an autobiography of the race that thought of everything.

Now that we are on the subject of blasphemy, thank God for this age of information, again, no pun intended, although inevitable, one would think that by now the artist of religious paintings and clip art would now realize that Jesus was not a white European. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but how long does it take reality to actually register in the human mind?

Admittedly, humility is a hard thing to bear and pride is most definitely difficult to swallow, but with the acceleration in human aptitude, most people now know the truth about Jesus' racial background. The charlatans were found out long ago. Yet, that does not stop the religious leaders in the country from constantly capitalizing and defrauding millions of people for their own personal gain, fame and fortune.

Talk about mingling church and State. Religious leaders refuse to struggle and suffer for Christ on this American road to prosperity. Hey, they live here too. Wealth comes abundantly to those who believe in hard work, those who believe in giving to the church's mission outreach, and to those who will believe that Jesus was wealthy man himself. That is the theme in Christianity now.

Never mind that the secret monetary holdings of Jesus just so happened to be discovered during America's financial ecstasy, simply search the Holy Bible and find all the scriptures that ever so slightly imply anything that remotely suggest the word money placed near to Jesus' name, and you will see, he was rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Conjure up, produce, market, distribute and profit from material related to this newfound information is what religious leaders do. They know that people will believe Jesus was rich and that He wants His followers rich if they see what He has done for the pastor, yet the pastor is only rich because the people bought the information about Jesus being rich. Irony in its most deceptive form rears its ugly head again.

Now that God wants every one rich, and the men of God are capitalizing on the wealth of the world, it is OK for the average person to lust after money and all its glory. Get educated, a good job, live the middle-class lifestyle, get married and have two incomes, have a child, only one or better yet none at all: work twelve hours, trust the daycare, spoil the kid, spend quality time, and do it again tomorrow. Claim independence, divorce the spouse, organize the stepfamily and distribute the condoms.

Duck! Call the cops, secure the school, soccer practice, tobacco, SUV, sue the manufacturer, collect a mil', and do it again in the morning. Divorce again, working mom, child psychology, child extortion, guilty conscience, pay the ransom, child support: Deadbeat dad, leave the state, hate the ex, get a lawyer, second job, wealth is overrated, so much for God.

With justice now the topic, the laws that crowd the once so brilliant Constitution demand that abortion is reasonable and prayer anywhere other than a church is undesirable. If "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" was the main objective of the founders for the unalienable rights of the country's citizens, and the death of an unwanted child and God constitutes happiness - as upheld by the Constitution - then we as a country stand no more on those grand philosophies and doctrines, we stand on the brink of death.

Once alive with the zeal of faith, optimism and purpose, the country that bore the rest of the world on its shoulders and led it to a civilization of sophistication to the point of natural and ultimate culmination, today, the voices and hearts of America flush life and inspiration into an irretrievable abyss of weeping and gnashing of teeth. How can there be justice in a land that does not regard life, or hope? How can one believe any more in a country where there is no justice, no inspiration, no shame, and no sign of repentance. Now, excuse me, while I burn the flag.

© 2003 by Cartel Q