A BuzzFlash Reader Contribution

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Thank You, Mr. Bush

When I was young, I envisioned a comfortable old age, and I did what I could to insure this, although there were bumps along the way as there are in everyone’s life.

For me, it was the necessity of educating myself so that I could take care of my two children. I wanted my boys to be able to go to college since they clearly showed the ability to succeed in school and I wanted them to be able to enter the work force with their educations completed (at least to the level of an undergraduate degree). I had to complete my education after the boys were born and my marriage failed.

But it was OK.

It was OK because I lived in a country that cared about people on the lower and middle end of the society. I became a nurse. I was certain that this profession would give me the ability to care for myself and my family; to provide a decent life for all of us. It was a good plan and thanks to some help from my government in the form of loans and grants I became a nurse. During the time I was in school, and again thanks to my caring government, I was able to secure low rent housing and medical and food assistance while I was in school.

When I graduated, aside from taking care of my children, I was able to repay my loans and because I became a taxpayer, I was able to repay the help I received knowing that my tax dollars would go to assist others in a situation that was similar to what mine had been. When my kids went to college, I was able to help them and because of my caring government, what I couldn’t afford for them was provided to them via scholarships, grants and loans. In time they also became taxpayers and good, productive citizens as well.

Finally, in the fullness of time, I came to an age where I could no longer do the hard physical work of nursing and I retired. I realized at this point in time, that I should have started some kind of private retirement plan since Social Security would not allow me to live in luxury, but I had never lived in luxury and I believed that with some frugal changes in my lifestyle, I could continue to live a good and happy life without becoming a burden to anyone. I own my house and I have a good car which with good maintenance, I expect to be serviceable to me for many years. I am in reasonably good health and I believed that with Medicare and Medicaid, I would be able to deal with any problems that might arise as I aged.

Then a compassionate conservative President assumed the White House and slowly, but steadily over a period of six years, all the safety nets I had assumed would always be available to me eroded. And not only for me. The safety net eroded for all of us in the low to middle class while the rich and powerful became even more so.

Social welfare programs are cut, education funds are cut, energy costs skyrocket while our country’s treasure is plundered by our country’s leaders in a war that has proved to be unwarranted and costly both financially and in young lives lost or hideously changed by grievous physical and mental injuries. The jobs of the lower and middle classes are outsourced and the great American worker is maligned as being too lazy to work in the service industry.

American corporations cut salaries, cut health benefits, cut pension funds. The minimum wage remains stagnant. Congress votes itself raises and greater and more elaborate perks and retirement benefits. Corporate leaders retire with millions from the companies they plundered and the workers they’ve robbed.

And the rich and powerful continue to become even more so.

While the rich are getting larger and larger tax breaks and benefits, I am learning about poverty. I have to choose between being cold this winter and eating adequately; between putting gas in my car and buying medicine not covered by insurance. I have to choose between keeping my house in good repair or keeping my automobile serviceable.

I buy my clothes in thrift shops, I buy day old bread, I look to buy meat in the “last chance” bin. I no longer buy fresh fruit.

The environment deteriorates while the oil companies and their owners and stockholders get obscene windfall profits, the lower to middle classes fall deeper and deeper into debt.

And the rich and powerful continue to become even more so. The country’s leaders spend billions on a preemptive war that was undertaken by lies and with inadequate planning. Our young men are maimed and die because of inadequate body armor and equipment. While rich corporations get richer.

Our nation’s war heroes: the Honorable John Kerry, the Honorable Max Cleland (for example) are assailed by men who either chose not to serve, used family connections not to serve or failed to honor their commitment to serve.

Federal elections are suspect in our country; votes not counted, voting machines malfunction, exit polls are inexplicably skewed while we lecture other countries and cultures and dictate how they should function.

And the rich and powerful get more so.

Our jails overflow with victims of our failed “drug war,” mothers, wives, daughters cry over dead, dying and maimed victims of our “war on terror” while our leaders sell our country’s security to foreign bidders and money lenders. Our leaders whore themselves to special interest groups, wrap themselves in the flag and hide behind religion and grow rich on the backs of their constituents.

And the rich and powerful get more so.

Our coast line and fellow Americans died while our leader was on vacation, and political appointees, without merit for the jobs and responsibilities they assumed, failed to respond.

And the rich and powerful get more so.

I slide into poverty and millions more like me do, too, and the rich and powerful get more so.

Thank you Mr. Bush.

Maureen R. Sinclair
Lexington, Kentucky

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION