Let’s jump right on in, shall we?
A year ago most folks would have thought that the outcome of the presidential election was going to hinge on the war and that economic concerns would be left to state and local campaigns…but a lot can change in a very short time. Now that everyone and their dawg is waking up to the economic trauma that has been in the works for years (wince), campaigns are scrambling to develop messaging around the economy that they won’t turn into policies they'll have to eat should they get elected.
This bitch is always concerned about the economy. I don’t know a lot of folks with a safety net and months of savings…my circle is made up of working, hard working Americans (wink). When prices go up and income remains flat we all feel that shit and struggle to adjust. The same is true of the organizations that I volunteer with – money gets tight and folks are no longer able to make donations.
A recent news report on the increased use of gleaning by food pantries got a bitch thinking about those people who are feeling the squeeze for the first time. Many people now face hunger who never thought they’d be in that situation. The number of Americans receiving food stamps is at a record high as folks struggle to pay for housing, utilities and fuel only to find themselves unable to put a meal on the table. I would hope that this new economic reality would at least help bridge the gap of understanding that exists between the haves and have nots, but too often news reports center on the notion that hunger isn’t supposed to happen to “these people.”
You know who I’m talking about…educated, working, clean, articulate, solid people aren’t supposed to be on food stamps. Right? Those working, hard working Americans have kept their side of the bargain and they deserve better…they’ve earned a full stomach and a roof over their head…misery is the wages of sloth!
And who is hunger for…who deserves poverty? Oh yeah, those other people…those lazy people…those willfully ignorant people who aren’t happy unless they are asking for a hand out or getting a free ride.
Right?
Wrong.
Most of us could be at risk in a matter of weeks if not days. A job gets cut…a child gets sick…a car breaks down…a bill comes due…and suddenly you’re short the money for groceries with no available credit and no one to turn to. With so many of us are living paycheck to paycheck, slight shifts can have a huge impact on our lives and our ability to survive without some manner of assistance.
Yet even now…even with more Americans applying for food stamps or visiting food banks they use to donate to, losing their homes or having to adjust where they live to fit their new economic reality and cutting back on everything but the basics…even now the idea persists that hunger is what you get when you don’t do the right things and that poverty happens to those lazy people who deserve it.
Right?
Wrong.
Most of us could be at risk in a matter of weeks if not days. A job gets cut…a child gets sick…a car breaks down…a bill comes due…and suddenly you’re short the money for groceries with no available credit and no one to turn to. With so many of us are living paycheck to paycheck, slight shifts can have a huge impact on our lives and our ability to survive without some manner of assistance.
Yet even now…even with more Americans applying for food stamps or visiting food banks they use to donate to, losing their homes or having to adjust where they live to fit their new economic reality and cutting back on everything but the basics…even now the idea persists that hunger is what you get when you don’t do the right things and that poverty happens to those lazy people who deserve it.
Sigh.
I used to think that the trick to spinning economic policy was to make the masses believe in the possibility of there being a chicken in every pot.
But mayhap the actual trick is to make them believe that those with empty pots don't deserve chicken...
12 comments:
Bravo! As they say in baseball "touch 'em all".
Here's further proof of the economy hurting those who "did all the right things":
link
it's pretty telling about the dire economic situation this country finds itself in. and the heads that are going to roll are not the ones that caused it all. as usual, the heads that are going to roll are the ones that are already rolling.
We've moved through some unhappy financial times to be at a good spot right now.
I'm so grateful for Australia's social security system. It isn't perfect but I know my children will get fed if Hubby looses his job and things get bad again.
But thank you for reminding me that I should go donate more to our local food share whilst we are doing okay and help those who are not.
Knowledge if power.
http://perotcharts.com/
Regardless of what you might think of Ross Perot, this site may help gain a better understanding of how our national budget works.
http://www.pgpf.org/
This site is establishing programs which will educate school children and others to an improved understanding of both pubic and personal finance.
http://www.usaspending.gov./
This is a great government site which will tell you where your tax dollars go. Ron Paul proposed having each and every check written by each and every agency of our federal government scanned and placed on the internet for citizen review.
http://whoisnotpaying.mo.gov/
If you’re in Missouri, this site tells you what businesses is not paying their sales tax. It may surprise you.
At the risk of leaving a link no one will visit, I will.
There's as site called Life After The Oil Crash - Breaking News.
It gives a brief summary and links to important economic news stories articles from both major papers and alternative sites - stuff that is barely or not covered by the big news broadcast networks that are distracting us with what the candidates had for breakfast or frivolous shit.
A friend of mine and I discuss and debate from time to time the "how'd we get here" of the US economy with respect to the global economy. We both agree that the loss of our manufacturing base due to inferior manufacturing practices during the 1960s and 1970s along with cheaper workforce availability in 3rd world countries has led us to this point. Where we diverge is on what can bring us back.
My friend, an African-Amerian male who was raised in the 1970s, sees a return to heavy manufacturing as the route to economic salvation. He points to the fact that well-paid, often union, manufacturing jobs lifted many into the middle class and allowed for generational economic development, especially for African-Americans.
I do not see a day when the US returns to being a manufacturing leader. The area where we can take-back ground is in the service sector. Throughout the county and the rest of suburban America, we've seen the proliferation of office parks that house everything from paper-pushing bureaucracies
to call centers. While India and other quickly developing nations are fervently fighting for this work, we have the home advantage--we are the greatest consumers, especially of services.
Your use of "a chicken in every pot," reminded me of another area where my friend and I agree on the return to manufacturing--WPA. If the US were to reinstate a Works Progress Administration-style campaign to update our aging infrastructure, we could literally dig our way our of this economic mess. This time, adding to those bridges, roads and highways, a cadre of modern infrastructure, such as fiberoptic cables, wifi portals, etc.
My friend and I may never fully agree on how to get there, but we both agree we need to do somthing and soon.
Sometimes, it's like you slap me upside the head.
Thanks, I needed that.
I will go make a donation to the local food pantry.
Anything else you can recommend?
I would like to thank your Anonymous commenter for the link to The Nation article..its very good and worth everyone's time.
And you are spot-fucking-on as usual Shark Fu in mentioning that the idiots in charge will change the rules as it suits them. Its OUR fault we can't feed our kids or put gas in our cars..NOT!
Thanks for that! This is my first time here...I love your blog.
I am going through a rough time right now and the kids don't seem to get it...wanting rides all ver creation, extra food for their friends, etc, etc. The shit is killing me.
Thanks for the link Kit. I had read the Australian Bank story the other day and lost it.
The site you have is so full of good and useful information. We can all do things to cut our energy consumption and food costs. I put a canopy/car port on one side of my house and cut my energy bill in half....yes half. Also just put up two solar panels and look forward to seeing how much they help. Now buying only locally grown food and have cut my food costs by a third! Also started a garden and it has begun to really help with fresh veggies and herbs. And walk where I can to cut gas usage. It's great exercise and cut my gasoline usage considerably.......and I livein rural Missouri.
We all must start thinking of ways to cut costs and usage. Now if we can only get our government to stop wasting our tax dollars we might have a chance.
SING IT!!!
All this election depresses me.
Why do 13% - 25% of the population still think Obama is Muslim, or a communist, or a fascist, or a commie-fascist-muslim-atheist-just a little too dark-possible cross dresser?
WHY???? Based on what?!?!?!?!?!? Based on a fake report on Fox? Based on an email? Based on a name? Based on a joke? Based on what the talking rock said to them when they were on LSD?
I feel like driving a 6 inch nail into an oak tree using only my forehead so I can be as stupid as they are.
At times like this I wish the wealthy would just keep the chickens and let me have the pot.
Post a Comment