When I was growing up, if there was a family that was struggling, grieving or somehow disrupted, the entire church, neighborhood or community would pitch in. Even up to 9/11, when the country experienced a tragedy, people pulled together, went to donate blood, went to Ground Zero, and gathered to pray.
What happened?
In the years since 2001, people's compassion has gone out the window. The left bashes the right, the red slams the blue, and people who are struggling somehow deserve it. The homeless and hungry don't deserve assistance -- they are weak and lazy. People who are earning minimum wage need to go out and find another job if they can't live on $7.25/hour ($290/week, gross pay).
Years ago, communities used to take pride in the accomplishments of their kids. How many seniors went to college, how many scholarships, how many military academy appointments were numbers about which a whole town would brag. Today, adults talk about how bad kids are, how today's kids are useless, and how they will never spend an extra dime on education.
From people losing their jobs when a factory closes to someone's health crisis, there's always a critic trying to blame those who are suffering. If people would have worked harder, they wouldn't have outsourced the jobs to China or Mexico. If people would just take better care of themselves we wouldn't be paying such exorbitant fees for health care.
Basically, the world has become a cold-hearted, mean-spirited, blame-the-victim place. Tough it out, take care of yourself, because no one is going to be there for you. I've got mine, and I don't need anything from anyone, so go away and leave me alone.
Read the comments after stories in the national and local news, and you wonder if you're still living in the same communities that existed before 2001. Could those same people be there? Are people suffering from hardening of the heart, mind and soul?
What happened?
Fueled by a divided political and media atmosphere, people have chosen sides. The undecided have jumped on the bandwagon of political conservatism. The right has become vocal: we need to protect what we have from the 47%. We're losing ground and only by keeping the other half in their place do we stay in ours.
Fear is paramount. We could become them in a heartbeat. We need to protect ourselves from losing anything.
Lost? We've already lost the important stuff. Justice, compassion and goodwill for our fellow man.
Showing posts with label minimum wage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minimum wage. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Enough old, tired solutions
Yesterday I reached my limit. I'm so tired of hearing the same old tired complaints and non-solutions to our country's problems. It's time to move on.
Reality check #1 -- more jails and prisons doesn't stop crime. My county is pushing for a jail tax to build more jails, and threatening increased property taxes if we don't approve the sales tax. Putting criminals behind bars with other criminals only creates better criminals. When people come out of jail, they come out with no better skills, no further education. Instead, give inmates the option to train in skilled trades or take online courses -- the inmates would have labor assignments if they don't choose productive training. Once inmates have done their time, provide them with the means to have their records expunged or reduced to misdemeanor records for less severe crimes after a period of time, so felons can gain housing and work and actually move on with their lives.
Reality check #2 -- housing the homeless is less expensive than ignoring the problem -- by a factor of two to three times. Face it, very few people actually want to remain homeless. Given the option between living under a roof and living in a car or a tent, most people will choose a home. But many people have barriers to housing. Records. Substance abuse. Mental and physical disabilities. And they end up costing society in medical, criminal justice and other community challenges. Housing First is a model that allows people to become housed, gain case management to get back on their feet and receive the services they need. In many cases, people gain stability, jobs and reduced substance use.
Reality check #3 -- national hot button issues are resolvable. How long are our country's citizens going to believe that issues like health care, immigration, poverty, living-wage jobs, climate change and other issues are going to stay with us forever? I'm tired of watching the people in the spotlight spar and never bring the issues to a conclusion. When you sit down to talk with another citizen, even one on a different part of the political spectrum, we all have things in common. A family ought to be able to find a job that pays enough so they don't need benefits to get by, if they are truly working. People shouldn't have to sneak into our country -- we should have a process that is meaningful but reasonable to assure citizenship. Not having health care costs the American public more than everyone having a basic level of health care. We can do more environmentally to assure our future generations of a safe, livable world. There is so much more our country could be doing if we weren't wasting political energy on the fringes of these basic agreements.
Reality check #1 -- more jails and prisons doesn't stop crime. My county is pushing for a jail tax to build more jails, and threatening increased property taxes if we don't approve the sales tax. Putting criminals behind bars with other criminals only creates better criminals. When people come out of jail, they come out with no better skills, no further education. Instead, give inmates the option to train in skilled trades or take online courses -- the inmates would have labor assignments if they don't choose productive training. Once inmates have done their time, provide them with the means to have their records expunged or reduced to misdemeanor records for less severe crimes after a period of time, so felons can gain housing and work and actually move on with their lives.
Reality check #2 -- housing the homeless is less expensive than ignoring the problem -- by a factor of two to three times. Face it, very few people actually want to remain homeless. Given the option between living under a roof and living in a car or a tent, most people will choose a home. But many people have barriers to housing. Records. Substance abuse. Mental and physical disabilities. And they end up costing society in medical, criminal justice and other community challenges. Housing First is a model that allows people to become housed, gain case management to get back on their feet and receive the services they need. In many cases, people gain stability, jobs and reduced substance use.
Reality check #3 -- national hot button issues are resolvable. How long are our country's citizens going to believe that issues like health care, immigration, poverty, living-wage jobs, climate change and other issues are going to stay with us forever? I'm tired of watching the people in the spotlight spar and never bring the issues to a conclusion. When you sit down to talk with another citizen, even one on a different part of the political spectrum, we all have things in common. A family ought to be able to find a job that pays enough so they don't need benefits to get by, if they are truly working. People shouldn't have to sneak into our country -- we should have a process that is meaningful but reasonable to assure citizenship. Not having health care costs the American public more than everyone having a basic level of health care. We can do more environmentally to assure our future generations of a safe, livable world. There is so much more our country could be doing if we weren't wasting political energy on the fringes of these basic agreements.
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