Prosperity for all a workable goal

The promise of America has always been more than “liberty and justice for all.” Don’t forget “prosperity for all,” a moving target that we keep approaching but never have come close to reaching. Are today’s challenges of globalization, high unemployment, massive government debt, and the growing gap between rich and not-rich more than we can handle?

I heard a news flash the other day. One in five American schoolchildren live in poverty. Prosperity for all? Where are we going? Where should we be going instead? How do we get there? And include some details, please.

The silence of our leaders or would-be leaders regarding these questions is deafening. Instead, we get well-intentioned but know-nothing politicians drawing lines in the sand. Or politicians talking meaningless generalities about “job creation” but never telling us how much these jobs will pay or what jobs will be supplanted by the new ones that are created.

I’d like to see newspaper pages filled with thoughtful and well-informed answers to these questions. What about the rest of you? Or have you given up on the notion of “prosperity for all” and are content with “every man for himself?”

George Peternel

Arlington Heights