ArcaMax

On Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States of America. But which one?

Increasingly, there's two of them, and which you live in depends entirely on how rich -- or un-rich -- you are.

In one America, you have a 401(k) or other retirement account. There's probably an automatic debit from your paycheck every month so you don't forget to contribute, and there might even be employer matching funds. You care about the stock market, because even though your money is pretty much always going up, it could always be going up more, right?

You probably live in a neighborhood with decent schools. If not, you can afford to send your kids to private or parochial schools or get them tutors. It doesn't matter whether there's cheap child care nearby because you can hire a nanny or babysitter. But should you or your spouse want to stay home with the children, that would be no problem, too.

The area where you live is generally safe. The town probably has no problem recruiting police officers. After all, they're paid a solid wage and don't have constant fears for their own safety. They're friendly and have time to hang out and chat, developing the kinds of relationships that help them solve the crimes that do happen in the community.

When you retire, you won't need to depend on Social Security, not only because of your investments but also because you own your house. You can move to communities where you're surrounded by others your age, with plenty of activities to keep your brain and body happy. Medicare can be supplemented so that you don't rely on it completely. It's time to travel, spend time with the grandkids and play pickleball.

In the other America, though, life is quite different.

The stock market can be on fire, and you'd have no clue. Not only do you have no stocks or bonds, but you barely can afford to cover your bills. Housing is in short supply just about everywhere, and because inventory is low, prices are high and so is your rent.

Groceries seem to be getting more expensive every day: Either the stores are charging more for the same items, or the packages are smaller and they're charging the same amount for less. Sales require you to buy huge amounts of food -- six boxes of cereal, for example -- which means that you must spend more to save, ironically.

You're being told that inflation is staying flat or going down, or whatever, but what these economists don't seem to realize is that your salary hasn't gone up in years. Plus, the place where you work has been making cuts lately so that the stock price goes up and the CEO gets his bonus, and that means there are fewer people around to do the same amount of work. They have no loyalty to you and will lay you off the second you wind up in the wrong column of some accountant's spreadsheet.

The idea that you'd have anything tucked away for an emergency is laughable. Your credit cards charge about a fifth of the amount you have borrowed just in interest every month.

In your neighborhood, teachers and police officers are underpaid and overworked. The tax base is lower, and the schools and policing aren't great.

You can't afford to send your kids to a better school, and even though one of your children has a learning disability, you can't pay for private therapies or tutors. You don't have the time or ability to navigate the massive amounts of red tape required to get them assessed for special education services.

Your town seems to be getting more dangerous, and the cops are stressed and unhappy. You install bars on your windows, don't leave the house or just live in fear.

Once you hit 65, the work doesn't end. Social Security is a pittance and Medicare is restrictive. If you're physically able, you'll still have a job, but office positions aren't looking for people your age. So you bag groceries or work night shifts at a drive-thru -- minimum wage, which hasn't been raised from $7.25 an hour since 2009.

Politicians of both parties make promises, but nothing seems to change. Life just gets harder. You're starting to lose hope that it will ever improve. It all seems rigged.

Even though people like to say how lucky we are to live in the United States, sometimes you ask yourself, "Am I actually all that lucky? Or do I just share a country with people who are?"

Maybe you'll be watching the inauguration this Monday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when you're off work, wondering, "Will Trump be my president? Or will he be president for the others, the ones who live in that other, better America?"

Know that I'll be wondering, too, my friends. I'll be wondering, too.

To learn more about Georgia Garvey, visit GeorgiaGarvey.com.

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