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The Ties that Bind

I am just one American. That means many things. It means I have a voice. It means I have opportunities that might not be available in other countries. It means too, that I might be wrongly perceived as being wealthy, for such rumors abound among those who have not lived here. And, it is rumors that cause us to misunderstand one another. It is rumors that create mistrust, anger and resentment from both sides of "the pond."

Perhaps I can attempt herein to describe my life as an American. By doing so, maybe some perceptions concerning American life can be dispelled, put to rest, taken off the table.

I would like to see a dialog begin, wherein others describe their lives, as well. I long to know what it is like for you - the Russian, Iranian, South African, Indonesian, Brazilian. Dialogs such as these are now possible because of the Internet. But, each technical wonder contains pitfalls, and I would like to tell you what it is like being an American since the advent of the Internet:

First, like all truly wonderful inventions, the Internet was looked upon with tremendous excitement during its early days. Here, at last, was a medium through which all of mankind could obtain information concerning any subject matter of interest to them. Here, at last, was a way to conduct business without shipping delays. Here was a chance to view merchandise without using gasoline to go to the store. Here was a chance to market merchandise without having to rent expensive store-front properties.

Truly dedicated people from around the world set about making information available. The process is ongoing. The Librarian's Site contains millions of entries, and millions more need to be entered! The 80's and 90's were exciting times. The Internet was fairly clean and straight-forward, and thus, became more and more inviting to all sorts of endeavors. Endeavors which, unfortunately, have now come to include those who would scam, cheat and force unwanted material in the faces of its users. Legitimate businesses have suffered untold losses, due to being preyed upon by misleading "Keywords" which divert potential customers to other sites. But, I digress:

I, as an American, started working after graduating from High School. No college money for me, but no lack of determination, either. Manned with simple typing skills I entered the workplace during a time when many businesses operated with manual typewriters. Electric typewriters soon became affordable for all and the days of

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