This may come as a surprise to you but Blair Griffith, Miss Colorado, and her mum are now homeless. You might be asking yourself, why? Well, if you've read anyone about her you would know that despite her good looks and college degree, which she completed with honors, her family fell victim to a base combination of events which have pushed millions of habitancy out of the middle class. In this case, Miss Griffith lost her father to prostate cancer when she was 14. The loss of her father contributed to her family's stress and led to her mother's heart attack which made it impossible for her to work.
After a while medical, school, and mortgage bills overwhelmed them. To top it all off, next month Saks Fifth Avenue will be conclusion the store that Miss Griffith works at. I wish that we could point to this situation and say that it's unusual but the only unusual part of this is the media coverage. If Blair Griffith was not Miss Colorado very few reporters would be face this story. This is not to say that this particular case should not be covered but rather that there are tens of thousands of other families who are in much more dire straights whose cries for help will never be heard. Luckily, this family has found temporary refuge with a friend but many others only hope for such assistance.
Trickle Up Poverty
Since the Great stepping back began millions of habitancy have lost either their job, home, or family. I recently read a annotation on a Yahoo story which struck a nerve. It said, "the stepping back is over, the depression has begun". This notice became the highest rated annotation nothing else but because it truthfully and succinctly reflected the reality of what its like to be an American today. The government has already declared the stepping back over and we permanently hear that the economy is getting better but when we look at our lives we see that not only has the stepping back not evolved into a boom but that it has become even harder to make a living, to have a family, and to enjoy ones life.
There's a imagine why we keep hearing that better days are ahead. All levels of firm and government have a vested interest in telling us that the pain of the stepping back is over. These pillars of our community believe that the qoute is in our head and that if the general public became more unavoidable that the economy would suddenly turn around. However, it has become clear that there is a advantage to be had for getting American's to spend. Politicians want to be reelected, businesses want to see increased sales, and government at every level wants to see increased tax revenue even if it means that the habitancy who are spending are those that have to pick between housing, food, and medicine.
The qoute with this train of plan and with running articles stating that Warren Buffet is optimistic about the economy is that it shows how out of touch our institutions and corporations are. Why wouldn't Warren Buffet be optimistic about the economy? He happens to be one of the richest habitancy in the history of man!
So while Warren Buffet is telling us that all will be fine and while Yahoo is putting out stories about being frugal many Americans are taking a look at our news media, elected officials and corporations and wondering what planet they're living on. After all, Americans expect propaganda from dictators such as Hosni Mubarak who was ousted in Egypt, Ben Ali who was removed from power in Tunisia, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya who is currently on his way out but not from our own government and institutions.
Many countries in the Middle East and around the world are experiencing large-scale protests for the very first time. Even in our own country the public has begun to see what our leaders have been up to. They see that not only have millions of habitancy been kicked into poverty but that Republicans intend to keep us there.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has pledged to attack the last remaining pillar of hope for the underclass. He has decided not accept the concessions of state workers but to instead do away with public bargaining in an effort to weaken unions and to get rid of them as a whole down the road. Americans know that unions advantage the employee and that they have been the backbone of the middle class.
That's why protesters in Wisconsin have gone to the state capitol. They perceive that public bargaining is not just about pay and benefits but about dignity for the worker. That only straight through a good living can we have a better life and offer more to our children then was offered to us. Just as in many countries around the world, those in Wisconsin have peacefully protested for their rights.
Here in California we have the second highest unemployment rate in the country thanks to state and local funds cuts. If you've read some of my old blog posts you know that I've been directly affected both by inexpressive and public sector cuts. I was laid off from a law firm in 2009 along with a third of the company, from a inexpressive college in 2010 which was known for high turnover, and from a community college later that year after California failed to pass a budget. I am also fairly unavoidable that the schedule at my last job was not funded in the new budget.
I currently work for a firm that weatherizes homes and helps pay the utility bills of low-income habitancy under a Liheap (Low revenue Home vigor aid Program) contract. Coincidentally, President Obama proposed in his funds for the next fiscal year to cut Liheap funding from 5.1 billion to 2.5 billion dollars. This means that at the end of June I may be out of work at the same time and for the same imagine as I was a year ago. I don't know about the rest of you but, http://www.livinginmycar.com might come in handy soon. I'm nothing else but hoping for the best but I do wonder when the gains made by wall street will reach the millions of Americans who live in poverty. When will the wealth and success of this great nation be shared by all those who work hard day in and day out?
Unions, Economic Disparity, and Homelessness
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