Today when I read an article in the CJ I was surprised I found something that had been lacking for some time.
HOPE.
Read this article: Hundreds march for social justice courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal#pluckcomments#pluckcomments#pluckcomments.
There were almost 300 people marching for "Social Justice." What is social justice? In the eyes of the marchers it is a right to housing, food, living wages, and education. Many do not realize that these simple necessities are hard to obtain for many poor. With a unemployment rate locally approaching 11% and rising across the Country as well one has to wonder when this will end and what is there to hope for?
From the article:
Khalilah Collins said participants were trying to showcase issues faced by low-income people, including a need for affordable housing, living wages and access to education.
In these trying times it seems like the right message and a worthy goal to me. Nowhere did I see anyone asking for a handout I only saw the protesters asking for help. Notice the marchers? There were representatives from all walks of life. Black and white, rich and poor, marching as one to bring a voice to the voiceless.
You see homelessness, hunger, poverty knows no skin color or divides at all. It can happen to any of us at any time. It can be caused to loss of job due to cutbacks, or downsizing. It can be due to an unexpected medical problem. The list is endless.
I saw hope in the fact that the marchers took it upon themselves to bring faces to the faceless in this regard. They stood together as one with no boundaries as to race, religion, or creed. I commend that. A peaceful demonstration gave me hope that perhaps the people could rise again and take back the power from the corrupt that have long forgotten there responsibilities to each of us.
Many detractors, and commenter's on the article at the CJ tried to turn this into lazy people not wanting to work and looking for handouts kind of demonstration.
Hogwash. Homelessness and hunger have been on the rise for a few years. Heck I reported on it in this website from the Mayor's conference in 2005. There is nothing lazy about losing your job and not being able to find work again. Most do not ask for this life. Most I speak with in this situation have came on hard times through no fault of their own and do not like the situation anymore than the self righteous who cast stones at them accusing them of being lazy and worthless.
Heck I have been close myself due to a medical problem and knee surgery. try missing almost a year of work thanks to that only to find the economy tanked and the good jobs in labor or management are dried up. How do yo think I ended up at Kroger against all my training and skill?
Judge not lest ye be judged. If you haven't walked a mile in these shoes then how can you sit in judgement of them? So many of us are just one paycheck away from being in the same situation today that it is incredulous to me that anyone can be so cruel or casual to the folks who are standing up for us all.
I have great hope when I see marches like this. I see great hope in a better future because of the involvement of the few to bring a voice to the many.
Like the message or dislike it be thankful someone has the courage and conviction to stand up for their beliefs. God knows we need more like that perhaps we would not be in this mess.
One more comment from the article:
"The people took back the streets," said Fairness Campaign director Chris Hartman, who came to show his support. "It was a moment of empowerment."
Great comment and perhaps just one more step towards taking back our entrenched political leaders that have caused most of this anyway.
Your thoughts?
Saturday, July 18, 2009
3 comments:
Thank you for reading LNP. Open and honest discussions of local politics and relevant issues is important to voter understanding. Please listen to the "Ed Springston Show". We broadcast Monday through Thursday evenings at 7 PM on local media outlets. Please check for the links.
Yours truly,
Ed Springston
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It is estimated that there are over twenty million illegal aliens living in the US. Almost all have jobs even thought they often speak little or no English and are being hunted down by INS agents. If people can come from foreign lands and succeed, then I have no sympathy for American citizens who have access to a good education and all of the other benefits of being a citizen, but say they can't succeed.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the American people in mass have gotten to the point that they have been dumbed down by the public school systems that somehow it has been a crime to be poor. When in fact in many places in this Commonwealth as well as Indiana where as many as 20 to 30 percent of the population is defined in poverty.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is that this has been foisted upon us by the mainstream media that somehow being poor is a crime. Somehow, its that people who work in service jobs are totally stupid and incapable of learning. Not my opinion but they have to create class warfare and have slaves to keep the system running. People who pull out of their system of taxation, confiscation, and poverty do the slave drivers no good.
The aggravating thing I find is that somehow we should blame the poor for their circumstances. No one else should be taking the heat for the lousy economy, job market, and society. The banks aren't responsible despite the fact they threw millions of Americans to take loans they could not pay for so the banks could make extra money at the expense and then reclaim the property a year or two later when the interest rates increased.
I have no doubt that the current economic mess is a conspiracy and the reason I say this is that its too well staged and too planned to just be a coincidence. People were encouraged to buy homes at inflated values at a time when domestic American industry and businesses were being outsourced. It looked great while everyone could afford to run on the treadmill. When the economy took the dump, the vultures swept in and reclaimed the homes and properties that they had loaned billions for.
The fact that every government both Democratic and Republican since the 1970s and 1980s has allowed the economic maelstrom of losing millions of family wage supporting jobs is the real atrocity. The subsequent loss of economic prowess has affected every community in this country including Louisville and every other city in Kentucky and America. Not to mention federal and state governments being in the hole.
All this talk about fixing these issues will be for naught until someone gets living wage jobs in this country. I am talking about the 15 to 25 dollar an hour type of jobs that pay mortgages, car payments, food, electric, clothing, health insurance,etc. To talk about these issues without bringing up these points is like going to the castle with Don Quixote and swinging for windmills. We have lost millions if not tens of millions of living wage jobs in the last 25 years under various free trade pacts that weaken our standard of living and our national culture. Not to mention the loss of these jobs because we require environmental impacts, social insurance, taxes, etc. Versus a plant going to Mexico, China, Vietnam or India where such taxes and social issues are not held in high esteem. Plus note that labor costs of going to these nations are 1/25th to 1/50th of the average American wage.
That explains why the average American is losing his job to a place in Communist Vietnam or China or India. When you have to pay an American citizen 12-25 an hour to do a job that you can get done for 2 dollars a day in most of the developing world, that is why we are losing. Our government does not care and it does not figure into policy decisions that millions of Americans are unemployed or underemployed. That is another issue. It sounds great that the economy has created 10 million new jobs but never do you hear what these jobs that are being created. Service jobs anyone? 9 dollar an hour jobs anyone? No security, no economic security, yet bankers and other assorted internationalist thieves have been getting billions and trillions of dollars of economic bailouts. So did you get that bailout other than unemployment which you are fortunate to get for 26-39 weeks. Did you get a golden parachute for losing the company money like many CEOs did? Or how about the types at a major employer in this city that pays its box flippers 8.50 an hour for part time work in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, they have to reorganize their lives under their new master's schedule.
ReplyDeleteI could go on and on but at this point I must happily run along as a wage slave working for the man. In some places, this letter would be considered treasonous. Like in a Communist nation.