medicineman
New Member
Or Why I Lean Left
The feeling of utter desperation came over her as she set on the bench waiting for the bus to arrive. In one hand she held an expired bus transfer, in her arms, her 6 week old baby. She had spent her last dollar to make the trip down to DHHS and now, after a futile day, she wasn't sure she would be able to get home.
With her savings gone and now no money coming in, she didn't know how she was going to feed her baby. She was running out of formula, and there was barely any food in the cabinets for herself. DHHS told her there would be a six week processing, they had to file for child support against her husband. They directed her to the unemployment office, but she couldn't file until she had a doctor's release. "How do I get to the doctor when I have no money to get there". She'll never forget the shrug from the man behind the desk. So here she sat on the bench, waiting for the bus, hoping the driver will have compassion on her and let her ride, biting back the tears that threatened to flow.
As the GOP candidates gear up to discuss abortion and terrorism again, and American's contemplate whether Paris Hilton will do her full time or not.
Too many of America's children are going hungry tonight. The story above, is not unique and it's not new. Too many parents have faced and are facing the question on just how they're going to feed their children, just as I did, 18 years ago. Yes, I was the mother in that story. I faced the situation after giving birth to my daughter. It's a long story and I won't bore you with the details on how I got there.
Luckily for me, providence stepped in and my (ex) husband showed up with formula the next day, while a check from my parents arrived in the mail. Not two days later, the company I temped with offered me a job. It was an 8.50 an hour job, decent wages but better yet, full coverage health insurance. I was lucky, but many aren't. Many parents do not have the backup and support that I had and still have. No one is immuned from facing this situation. We've seen it in 1928 with the stock market crash, where even the rich were standing in soup lines. We've seen it recently when Katrina went through displacing thousands of families. We've seen it with families whose jobs were outsourced. It's not that far of a drop to put anyone of us one fire, one disaster, one plant closure, one paycheck away.
Over the past six years, the "compassionate conservatives" in power, preached family values, hailed the sanctity of marriage, while all the time cutting social programs that would assist our children. They've attempted to cut the school lunch programs, made cuts to Medicaid and even decreased the funding for the "dead beat dad" programs. They've given grants to missionaries under the faith based initiaives to feed and minister to the poor in third world countries, with little oversight on exactly how this money was spent.
We've seen National Guard members return from a war, only to find their jobs no longer there. We saw a tax bill that allowed jobs to be outsourced to foreign countries, leaving thousands without a job.
It was the WIC program that allowed me to buy milk for my daughter, so I could put gas in my car to go to work. It was a child care subsidies program that allowed me to not only to work, but stay off of food stamps plus pay into a crappy health insurance plan for my daughter. It was a government grant that allowed me to go to college and gain an education. This education has removed the need for my family and myself to require the assistance of further government aid.
As compassionate as the right wants to claim they are, it's the left that has created the programs that help the disadvantage children. It's the left that looks to the needs of our elderly. It's the left that fights for those who are unable to fight for themselves. Why I lean left? Because everyone needs a hand up when they find themselves one paycheck away.
The feeling of utter desperation came over her as she set on the bench waiting for the bus to arrive. In one hand she held an expired bus transfer, in her arms, her 6 week old baby. She had spent her last dollar to make the trip down to DHHS and now, after a futile day, she wasn't sure she would be able to get home.
With her savings gone and now no money coming in, she didn't know how she was going to feed her baby. She was running out of formula, and there was barely any food in the cabinets for herself. DHHS told her there would be a six week processing, they had to file for child support against her husband. They directed her to the unemployment office, but she couldn't file until she had a doctor's release. "How do I get to the doctor when I have no money to get there". She'll never forget the shrug from the man behind the desk. So here she sat on the bench, waiting for the bus, hoping the driver will have compassion on her and let her ride, biting back the tears that threatened to flow.
As the GOP candidates gear up to discuss abortion and terrorism again, and American's contemplate whether Paris Hilton will do her full time or not.
Too many of America's children are going hungry tonight. The story above, is not unique and it's not new. Too many parents have faced and are facing the question on just how they're going to feed their children, just as I did, 18 years ago. Yes, I was the mother in that story. I faced the situation after giving birth to my daughter. It's a long story and I won't bore you with the details on how I got there.
Luckily for me, providence stepped in and my (ex) husband showed up with formula the next day, while a check from my parents arrived in the mail. Not two days later, the company I temped with offered me a job. It was an 8.50 an hour job, decent wages but better yet, full coverage health insurance. I was lucky, but many aren't. Many parents do not have the backup and support that I had and still have. No one is immuned from facing this situation. We've seen it in 1928 with the stock market crash, where even the rich were standing in soup lines. We've seen it recently when Katrina went through displacing thousands of families. We've seen it with families whose jobs were outsourced. It's not that far of a drop to put anyone of us one fire, one disaster, one plant closure, one paycheck away.
Over the past six years, the "compassionate conservatives" in power, preached family values, hailed the sanctity of marriage, while all the time cutting social programs that would assist our children. They've attempted to cut the school lunch programs, made cuts to Medicaid and even decreased the funding for the "dead beat dad" programs. They've given grants to missionaries under the faith based initiaives to feed and minister to the poor in third world countries, with little oversight on exactly how this money was spent.
We've seen National Guard members return from a war, only to find their jobs no longer there. We saw a tax bill that allowed jobs to be outsourced to foreign countries, leaving thousands without a job.
It was the WIC program that allowed me to buy milk for my daughter, so I could put gas in my car to go to work. It was a child care subsidies program that allowed me to not only to work, but stay off of food stamps plus pay into a crappy health insurance plan for my daughter. It was a government grant that allowed me to go to college and gain an education. This education has removed the need for my family and myself to require the assistance of further government aid.
As compassionate as the right wants to claim they are, it's the left that has created the programs that help the disadvantage children. It's the left that looks to the needs of our elderly. It's the left that fights for those who are unable to fight for themselves. Why I lean left? Because everyone needs a hand up when they find themselves one paycheck away.
Meds right did you know your chances of making more then the middle class wage if you where born in the middle class is 1 out of 10, If your born in the lower classes its even harder to go to college or get a job.