I’m not writing this from the Netherlands. I can’t afford to live there — hell, I can’t afford to live in the United States anymore. I worked my whole life and ended up with a pension so small it wouldn’t even cover rent in most American cities. That’s the American Dream they sold us.

I’m writing this from the Philippines. I didn’t come here for adventure or luxury. I came because I met someone online who saw past my failures and struggles and invited me into her life. Together, we’re building something real, even if it’s humble.

Meanwhile, I watch my home country collapse. Ever since Trump took office on January 20, 2025, the U.S. has been in freefall. Political chaos. Social division. A government so broken it can’t solve the simplest problems. He’s not the sole cause — but he’s the accelerant.

America is so divided I don’t see how it pulls out of this nosedive. People talk past each other, rage at strangers online, worship billionaires who spit in their faces. They think it’s “patriotism” to screw over their neighbors as long as they “own the libs” or punish the poor.

This didn’t come out of nowhere. The warning signs were there for decades. Corporate greed, political corruption, endless wars, media echo chambers — all hollowed the country out long before Trump showed up to light the match.

I’m writing you because I want you to see what I’ve seen. Because I need you to know what I know: this collapse isn’t accidental, and it won’t fix itself. If you’re reading this, I’m asking you to pay attention. While there’s still time to do something.

References:

Berman, M. (2006). Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire. W.W. Norton & Company.
Phillips, K. (2006). American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century. Viking.
Piketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Harvard University Press.
Potts, C. (2014). Conspirators, Confederates, and Christians: Occupy Wall Street Edition. Lulu Press.