I’m Sorry…

I’m sorry.

Really I am.

I’m sorry for those that are losing their houses.  I’m sorry for those that have lost their job in the past year and are standing in the unemployment line waiting for a check to feed their kids.  I’m sorry for those businesses that have already had to close their doors and those that inevitably will have to shut their’s as well.

Times are hard.

I’m sorry for those that live in West Texas and have seen the benefits of overpriced oil, overly-available jobs and have had the luxury of watching our cities boom.  I’m sorry you have grown accustomed to having money in your pocket at the expense of the nation.  I’m sorry you were taxed so much because you made so much and now the thought of oil coming back down to reality has jeopardized your lifestyle.  I’m sorry your lifestyle has grown accustomed to eating out every meal and drinking yourself into a semi-coma with “clients” or “training in Abu Dhabi” has been cancelled this week.

I’m sorry we had to live through uber-high oil prices, a soaring stock market and pockets being padded to an extent that the average worker locally had very little to worry about… while the rest of America was busy dealing with life and putting food on the table or gas in the car.

I’m sorry things got so comfortable.

I’m sorry that our housing prices have gotten a bit out of hand and that you made 80k off a house you bought 3 years ago.  I’m sorry you put money down to build that house that was priced way out of your league and with the economy bottoming back out your 401k isn’t what it should be.  I’m sorry you have a new mortgage and selling it might mean you being taxed on capital gains.  I’m sorry you have capital gains, losses would be much better I’m certain.

I’m really truly sorry you invested all your time in the oil field, going to school to find the perfect job like your father, your uncle and cousins.  I’m sorry your eggs were forced into an overloaded basket and the thought of a new administration not focused solely on the “drill baby, drill” philosophy will crack a few.  I’m sorry if your eggs are one of the few.  You remember 8 dollar oil barrels and the “suckers” you felt sorry for back then, I feel the same about you too.

I hate to hear your down in the dumps because you can’t get a loan at a whim.  Your credit is bad, your bank is on the verge of selling out and you don’t know if the government will bail them out – I’m sorry.  Sorry that you used all your credit on that new sports car, and that boat and building that new house – based on an income that was blown out of proportion and now you have to figure a way out of it when everything settles back down to reality.

Sorry that your office job where you sit and send funny emails about deer or huge snakes caught out in the field is now possibly downsizing at some point, since oil is down.  Sorry you won’t be making 3 times the normal teacher’s salary to ride around in a company provided truck and “gas up” your jet ski on your way to the lake house on a Friday morning.  Perhaps the worse part being that you will have to go in and do actual work, hate to hear that.

Sorry to those that hate to see equality, hate to see a man of color playing the president in real life… but in movies, that it is perfectly ok.  Sorry that a woman from Kansas and a man from Kenya picked the middle name of Hussein, I’m sure based on their love of Saddam.  I’m sorry that our generation finally has it’s momentous figure to talk about, and its moment that will “live in infamy” – much like you do with your memories of JFK or FDR.  I’m sorry that lady didn’t give up her seat that day years and years ago that even made this possible.  Sorry MLK had that dream… and we haven’t awoken yet.

Sorry for the hope instilled in folks that had nothing to hope for prior.  My apologies for giving young kids a dream of becoming president no matter the color of their skin.  Sorry the civil rights movement is still an ongoing process.  And I’m sorry the American dream is still alive and well.

I’m sorry the line of church & state has blurred so much.  I’m sure our forefathers didn’t really mean that literally.  Sorry our country has become so diverse.  Sorry our country is so great that immigration is now a sour issue.  Sorry we have folks working in the field, taking jobs away from Americans.  Jobs that I’m sure wouldn’t be taken anyhow… but still… accept my apologies for that.  Sorry that America is so promising that people would rather risk persecution just to get a chance to make some money to take home to their not-so well-off country.  Sorry that those Mexican fellows were not at Lowe’s the other weekend and you had to hire out the tile work to a higher bid.  I’m sure it is just a phase and they will be back.  Maybe we are building that fence to high… sorry about that.

Sorry for all the welfare cases.  I’m sure it is just those “abusers” taking advantage of “the system”.  I bet none of them have lost their jobs because of the mess we are in, sure it has to do with them wanting an “easy way out”.  Sorry your tax dollars and social security is going to “support” these “losers”.  Maybe we can get that cleaned up so that we don’t help out anyone in need.  You know… the American way.

So sorry about our occupation of Iraq might be drawing to a close.  I know that hurts your pocket heart.  Sorry we have to cut our losses, and try to end this thing.  We can chalk this one up as a win, because of “the Surge”.  Yeah, that makes it ok.  Sorry to our grandkids that will have to dig out of the deficit created by a war about oil nothing.  Sorry we didn’t find WMD.  I’m sure they were well hidden or they will turn up sooner or later.

I really do apologize to everyone.  I’m sorry about this whole election thing.  Sorry we couldn’t find a better way to satisfy everyone.  Sorry we thought of ourselves, and those less fortunate.  Sorry America needs a revamp, and the only people left to do it is me and you.  Sorry it is going to be so much work, and it is going to take time to fix it all.  I hope we have the will-power.  I know you don’t want to hear this, but we all will have to work together.  And I do mean work.  I know… I’m sorry for that as well.  Sorry we just got a new marketing department for America and you don’t like it all that well.  Once again, maybe its just a phase.

So sorry for those that get left behind.  Those that wait for something else to happen, something else to blame, someone to point a finger at – I’m sorry.  Sorry if your tax rate changes, or you have to work a few more years to ensure a safe retirement.  I truly am sorry for that.

I guess what I am trying to say is…

I’m sorry.