"In God We Trust."

Right now the national debt in the United States has climbed over 20 trillion dollars, and continues to grow. We sit in our homes, and continue financing small items such as laptops, clothing and even jewelry. Savings, bonds and trust funds have undergone huge hits over the last thirty years, and people were forced to withdraw and even reinvest their life savings, in the hope that they could retire safely. We vote, wait and share opinions of leaders currently elected in office to make decisions on our future. How did we get here, and what is the issue?

In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve act into effect. This was sold to the American people as a security blanket in the event the banks or government could not back up the changes in the people's financial demands. For example, if a customer went into a bank and tried to take out all of their money, there were times the bank did not have the funds available. This would cause a panic, and all the people would line up to collect their money at once. The Federal Reserve's purpose was to partner with the government to guarantee the American people financial security. This was possible, because of a small elite group of men that had more wealth than the government.

At this time, the government found it could not meet financial demands, and had their hands tied. This group of men in essence loaned the government money, and would continue to do so, if they were given complete control over the creation and value of currency. To simplify it, the United States signed complete control of their money over to a small group of wealthy people. Now as we know, wealthy people get there for a reason, and it is usually not by making other people wealthy.

These individuals understood that with the rise in price, they would need to make getting credit easy to obtain for the everyday person. The Federal Reserve did end the Financial panics that were occurring more and more frequently, and there was a calm when people made their daily transactions; however, now we can see where the real problem is.

Today, the average American worker earns about $56,516 dollars a year. This is of course after they have completed school, or chosen a career. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics it costs the average person $20,194 dollars a year to live. Now I want you to take a second and think of everyone you know off the top of your head that works fast food, general customer service, or that makes less than this a year. I guarantee you the number is significant and alarming. Now, let's take it a step further. The average debt for someone in the United States is $137,063 as sourced by the United States Census Bureau. So how does this happen?

Many people as I was growing up told me about the "American Dream." When I asked what this was, it was a home, a family and a white fence. The idea sounded simple enough. Well, it is not, and has become more unattainable then people wanted to believe, which is why the government issues such large loans. If loans were no longer issued so people could live a dream they could not afford their would be protests, and the government would be forced to explain, that because they handed their control of currency over, everyday items were no longer attainable and realistic in cost.

Turn on the news, read what the media puts out and listen to the people around you. They speak of people like the president, congress and new laws and policy, but none address the control the Federal Reserve has on the People of this nation. Now, with all that being said, it is not the Federal Reserve's fault for capitalizing on a business opportunity, but it is our fault for allowing it to continue at such a cost, that will leave no room for our future generations. I hope more people become aware of this issue, and look into it for themselves so they can learn the importance of how one decision can generate 20 trillion dollars in debt and a currency that depreciates, making it harder to survive.