A National Funk or a National Snit

Michael Barone takes a look at a recent Pew Global Attitudes Project's latest survey, which despite the surging economy and relative security, most Americans believe that their children will not be better off than themselves. Barone notes that many Americans, despite personal prosperity believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and that some of that belief is partisan. But Barone is not so sure:

That's my reaction as well to the finding that by a two-to-one margin Americans say their children will be worse off than we are. There's a similar response in Canada, Britain and Brazil. The even more negative verdicts in Western Europe and Japan can be explained as a cool assessment of the combination of low birthrates and overgenerous welfare states.

But what basis do Americans have to suppose that, for the first time in history, a younger generation will be worse off than their parents? Perhaps it's just a feeling that things cannot possibly get any better. In any case, we seem to be in a pronounced national funk.

that Democrats feel that way about America is not surprising, nothing this Administration could do would make them happy. They are just, for lack of a better term, miserable under the Bush Administration and not happy with the Congress either.

But I am not like most Americans. I know for a fact, not a belief or a hope, but a fact that my daughter's life will be better than mine. The progress of history in America has been one that, despite a few setbacks here and there, has always been positive. Technology, medicine, the economy, education everything, has gotten better. For the first time in my family, my daughters have two parents who have significant formal education. I have made more money in salary (in inflation adjusted dollars) this year than my parents did together when I was my daughter's age. My daughters have better health care than I did (not that mine was bad). My daughters have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips through the Internet, access to knowledge I had to go to the library to find, and they have knowledge that didn't exist 20 years ago and will have access to knowledge in 20 years that doesn't exist now.

I have learned over the past several years that being pessimistic about life is easy because we struggle everyday. But there is always cause for hope. I have faced and continue to face tough times everyday, but everything has always worked out for the best. I am happier today than I was a year ago. Despite my personal troubles, I believe this is still the greatest country in history and nothing can surpass it. We will make a better world for our children. I know this in my head, in my heart and in my soul.