We want what is good for this country. We may not agree on how we
get there or what that looks like, but that is our common ground.
We
agree that the health of this nation and the people in it is of vital
importance. What does that look like? Does a hand-to-mouth existence
inspire one to work harder and reach for higher or are we slowly beaten
down by the odds stacked against us in this new economy? Are we stymied
by futility in the face corporate greed that employ so many at the
expense of worker's health, welfare, and pride?
How is our minimum wage $7.25 per hour in this America?
I
am frustrated by conversations implying those who work in retail or
food services do not deserve better. That somehow we can judge how
others choose to work and decide they deserve an abusive wage. I hope
the person wiping the table, flipping a burger, or sweeping the floor is
paid well. In this country we should all be making enough money to
live reasonably.
I was challenged on this. What's your definition of reasonable, I was asked?
Well, here's my definition of reasonable: Enough to pay rent, utilities, food, and a few bucks left over to save.
How about that?
How about if I don't wish ill upon my fellow man?
How about if I want everyone's life to be better?
Hey, what if I said I'd gladly give some of what is "mine" to help others?
Are
we so broken as a society that we must guard what is "ours", hard
earned yes, with a suspicion and even hostility? Are we a society
living in that much fear? I sadly think so.
Do you believe that a government that cares about it's people is wrong?
How do we move past that fear?
I
came of age in the 80's. There was a lot of cynicism by then about
1960's idealism. We laughed as Reaganomics kicked off our country's
slow, nearly imperceptible decline and here we are. I am not laughing
now. We have reached a tipping point.
We are Feeling The Bern. Why now?
There
are too many of us who have been affected by this stagnating economy
where jobs of quality are no longer widely available. We are talking.
We are connecting. We are rising together and our voice is Bernie
Sanders.
We may have one last chance here. This is why
Bernie Sanders supporters are so passionate. We can't help but feel we
are walking on some sort of edge. That this income inequality and our
lives at the mercy of bought and paid for politicians is at a precarious
end-point of no return.
If we
continue the politics as usual, our lives will be set. We will continue
this slide towards shorter life spans, struggle, an inability to meet
even our most basic needs, and despair. The American Dream is vanishing
as I write this blog.
This time there will be no turning back.
We feel, and I will not apologize, that Hillary and the status quo will be the marker of what this country becomes.
We will be the land of the haves and the have-nots, with nothing in the middle. You are either the server or are served.
It is un-American to question our right and our ability to make it the American way.
Here is the reality:
You are only worth $7.25 per hour.
Thank you Elle Smith. We, as a country, can do better, and Bernie is our "Hail Mary pass." If he's willing to run, I'm with him!
ReplyDeleteWe need to be sending our kids to college not war. Roughly 1.7 trillion in tax payer money went to Iraq. Billions in revenue for quite a few U.S corporations returned, but not almost five thousand of our Service Men and Women. Yes, America will have to sometimes flex it's Military Muscle, but only when its right.We need the right person in the Whitehouse. We Don need another 'decider.' We don't need a pathological lier. We don't need a sociopathic billionaire. We need Bernie Sanders.
ReplyDeleteFrom Canada I wish my American neighbours all the best.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way exactly, Elle Smith. We reach critical mass now, or never.
ReplyDeleteHillary Clinton is like the devil. Arrogantly expecting her "right" to the riches for marketing a brand. She has zero integrity or higher calling to office, just greed and self-promotion.
Bernie Sanders, however, is the first candidate in my life that is not the lesser of two evils.
It's time to stop lying and playing to the ignorance and foolishness of Americans. For the first time ever, Americans must pull up their britches and vote in their own interests.