The year is 2026. Well past middle age now, you still remember the life that was. Memory is a curse, you think, for it means endless grieving for the America that once meant freedom, hope, and plenty. Only 20 years ago you were part of a thriving middle class envied by the world. Despite encroaching globalism, your future seemed secure.
Today, your family hovers at poverty levels and there is no American middle class, just the corporate elite, an army of government operatives, the working and non-working poor -- and the gangs. An endless supply of migrants willing to work for less keeps wages starvation-low.
You speak Spanish now in public, as discrimination against English speakers often turns ugly, and it’s unwise to attract attention. Your grandchildren, even at home, speak the country’s new language and reprimand you when you slip into English, which is now associated with hate and intolerance. You worry about what your grandchildren are taught at the government schools but hold your tongue, as they might report you.
Thankfully, you’ve so far escaped the dreaded human settlements but, like other families, you, your adult...... (Continued)
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