Hello, captain obvious!

It was in my fifth period chorus class, a week or so after our concert, that I realized just how much common sense was lacking from my fellow eight graders. We were voting on which section of "School House Rock" to watch, and it was not going too well. If I had my choice, we would be watching some other musical, maybe the "Music Man", or "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor Dream coat", or even "Sweeny Todd". Instead, we were traveling back to second grade. The choices were America Rocks, and Money Rocks, and when Mrs. Garry told us to close our eyes and put our hands up for the one we wanted, things went wrong. The first time we voted, three people did not vote. Fine, so we start again with the rule that everyone must vote. But then when too many votes were cast, Mrs. Garry just decided we were too immature to handle voting, and picked America Rocks for us. My choice, so I wasn't mad.
But then the girl behind me said some snide remarks that I just kinda tried to ignore, until she said that we should have watched Money Rocks because money means happiness. When I told her the best things in life were free, she continued to tell me that I was wrong, everything cost something, and you had to have the money. Then I asked her about love, wasn't that free.
Wanna know her answer? "No, you have to buy love." I told her that she could have a nice life then, with all the people who would only love her for her money. Don't famous people complain abut that? I know my friend Brandon does. People found out he had money and instantly became interested in him. Well after that, I watched her struggle to explain herself, and lie her way out of the hole she had created.
Is this what America has done? Delueded people into thinking that the only way to happiness is a tank full of gas, a picnic basket in the backseat with caviar and the fanciest crackers we offer, and a nice guy ready to buy you big rock to propose with?