Merry Christmas... AMERICA IS DYING...!

First the article...

Van Dyke Public Schools in Warren [Detroit, Michigan] were closed Friday because of bus vandalism.

A recording from the Superintendent’s office said: “Today is Friday, December 16 and due to a transportation problem, the district will be closed today.”

WWJ’s Mike Campbell was live at the scene, where the district’s 20 buses are kept in a bus yard at 9 Mile and Hoover.

Van Dyke Superintendent Joseph Pius said thieves broke into the bus yard by cutting a hole in the fence. He said the crooks stole three batteries each from 15 buses, leaving only five in operation.

Pius said the district does not have security cameras at the facility and so far, no suspects.

Police say an investigation is ongoing.

Nice, huh?

How many of these type stories have you seen or heard of during the past couple years?

Plenty of copper thieves out there; now it's batteries.

Am I claiming that America had no crime prior to the Age of Obama?

Certainly not!

Frankly, all things being equal I ordinarily wouldn't even bother making this story a "newsbite," let alone highlight it as a stand-alone post.

Ah... but last night Mary and I were out Christmas shopping "upstate" in Middletown, NY, and as we were leaving one half-empty, half-abandoned shopping center we both commented that America was falling apart... literally collapsing.

Reading the "bus vandalism" story just reminded me of last night's conversation.

Folks... I grew up in Westwood, NJ... New City, NY... and Pearl River, NY.

I grew up in the affluent suburbs.

Even now, living up in Harriman, NY, my area is considered an affluent NYC bedroom community and in most ways it is.

Well... it is unless you look too closely at the actual retail infrastructure... the multitude of Mexican restaurants and Mexican "quick marts"... the empty retail spaces... the abandoned or "re-purposed" shells of what used to be thriving auto dealerships...

At the risk of being tagged "racist" or "anti-Hispanic" let me also point out the poor Mexicans - men, women, children - seen walking the main roads at all hours of the day and night.

I point this out for one reason: Nowadays many American communities are starting to look more like Norman Rockwell's nightmares than Norman Rockwell's America.

I'm not "blaming" illegal immigrants - or even legal immigrants! I've traveled Mexico... I've traveled the Caribbean... except for (at times!) the weather, I understand it's far preferable to be poor in America than poor in Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa, or indeed most of the world.

My buddy the bigshot midtown Manhattan M&A attorney who commutes by train from his... er... "estate" in Katonah, NY... he doesn't see what I see. Katonah is the kind of "Rockwell's America" town where people go to on a nice weekend day to shop. The only reason a store would close in Katonah is to renovate for the current owner or to prepare for a new owner to enter the picture.

Folks... look around you! Much of America is literally falling apart! It's happening right in front of our eyes!

I know... I know... it's Christmas... who wants to think of such things?

Well, folks, the reason why I focus on such things isn't because I'm focused on America 2011.

Nope...

The reason I focus on such things is because just like a certain fictional character we all know, I'm convinced that unless things change... America 2020... 2030... 2040... 2050... isn't going to be the country any of us would hope for it to be.

God bless America... and Merry Christmas.