This diary is not going to have any solutions to our economic problems, but just a basic question: Where do we hold the value of our people in relation to other things? From the looks of it, the answer is not too well.
An adage I use often is, ‘Don’t tell me your priorities, show me your budget, then I will show you your priorities.’ And unfortunately for my psyche there has been a lot of talk lately about our budget.
This diary is not going to be on exact numbers within the budget, or where to cut, or how much to tax; it is just a bit of reflection for a moment, about where we are as a country, and a people.
Follow me below the fold.
I am outraged that after bailing out the banks, recommitting our troops to a war with no obvious end in sight and the top 10% now holding a bigger share of money than they ever have that we cannot find the ‘money in the budget’ to help the unemployed through another year.
As a young person who has a job (and very thankful for it) I see many of my friends struggling to get a start in life. I see marriages put off and homes not purchased with a disturbing frequency because no one knows if they will have a job next month, and those that are already unemployed are treated as if they just need to work harder, or "keep applying." I see elderly people who struggle to eat, pay their mortgage and get sick with no way to buy their way back to health. I see families moving out of their homes and moving into small apartments; I see fathers and mothers debate about which child will get to go to college. While those with most argue about paying a few percentages more in taxes and in the same breath call for those with the least to ‘tighten their belts’ and sacrifice more to get through the ‘great recession.’ I see companies that for years had bad business practices/products get bailed out because they are ‘too big too fail.’ Yet 30,000,000+ unemployed, the people of our country, are shown they are obviously not our priority.
It is not a good sign when a government that is ‘for the people, by the people’ does not hold the people as it’s top priority.
Do we really hold privately held corporations, and those with the absolute most so much higher than everyone else that we literally will let people starve because of some ‘economic theory,’ or what the party leaders say will work best for the next election?
I am not surprised (any more) that Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reid would mess up the politics of something, or give us policy that is flawed. What I do not understand is where are the other members of the Democratic Caucus? Do they so blindly follow behind that they cannot pick up their heads and yell about the obvious wrongs that are going on? I guess so.
Apparently we are at the point where banks and car companies (which I know employ people, this is just a thought experiment, so calm down on that one) can be ‘too big to fail’ yet our neighbors, friends and family are so despised for not living the "American Dream" that they are literally told they get no more, when what they need is not much... The hope I see is that these people are someone’s neighbor, friend and family. So I ask you, if you know someone struggling this winter, just help. Even if Washington thinks we are to small to matter, I know together we will not let each other fail.
Thanks for letting me rant.