I listened to President Obama’s speech yesterday afternoon (July 27, 2010). He talked about stimulating small business through the Small Business Administration and removing capital gains taxes for investment. He talked about our need to invest in alternative energy and he reminded other politicians in Washington that they had all been elected to represent the citizens and not themselves.
For a minute I thought I was talking. It is good to hear him make these public statements. It will be better to see him and the other elected officials take actions to make these things happen.
As a mother, I quickly learned that my children would tell me what I wanted to hear. The only thing I knew for sure when they talked was that they had breath in their lungs and they knew how to talk. I never knew whether what they said was truthful unless I had witnessed the event myself.
People tell us what we want to hear beginning early in life. Politicians have mastered the art.
Mr. Obama, I am waiting to see if you are like my children when they were younger and whether your words are truthful. Are you telling us what we want to hear as part of a campaign strategy or will we see truth in your actions.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Shrinking Middle Class
I read an article in an on-line news journal about the shrinking middle class in the United States. According to the article, the cause is a result of the U.S. competing with countries that do not have a minimum wage, do not have environmental standards and do not have a minimum working age.
This isn’t a surprise to me. Economic and history books, that are used to teach our children, preach the value of corporations seeking the cheapest labor pool and gloablization. They also tell students that they should not expect to receive the benefits that their parents and grandparents received while working. One textbook goes so far as to praise the fact many Americans are “permalancers” who permanently work temporary jobs without benefits. Manpower was listed as the largest employer in the U.S.
Al Gore once talked about helping our children prepare for the global economy. I don’t know if he is aware that the global economy is based on wages of less than a dollar per hour, especially in developing countries where children work instead of attending school.
With the removal of discipline from schools and the use of high stakes test which are proven to cause higher drop out rates, I truthfully believe that we are in fact creating a generation who will participate in the global economy. Without education that produces critical thinking, the middle class will disappear. Students are not capable of understanding that they are being prepared to believe in an economic system that favors the wealthy at their expense.
Politicians understand. As they accept donations from large multinational corporations, they sell us out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the benefits of capitalism and I believe in capitalism but I believe in regulations that prevent capitalism from removing opportunities from my children and grandchildren. I also resent that my paycheck steadily goes down while my taxes and expenses go up and politicians tell me that I’m better off now than I was.
This isn’t a surprise to me. Economic and history books, that are used to teach our children, preach the value of corporations seeking the cheapest labor pool and gloablization. They also tell students that they should not expect to receive the benefits that their parents and grandparents received while working. One textbook goes so far as to praise the fact many Americans are “permalancers” who permanently work temporary jobs without benefits. Manpower was listed as the largest employer in the U.S.
Al Gore once talked about helping our children prepare for the global economy. I don’t know if he is aware that the global economy is based on wages of less than a dollar per hour, especially in developing countries where children work instead of attending school.
With the removal of discipline from schools and the use of high stakes test which are proven to cause higher drop out rates, I truthfully believe that we are in fact creating a generation who will participate in the global economy. Without education that produces critical thinking, the middle class will disappear. Students are not capable of understanding that they are being prepared to believe in an economic system that favors the wealthy at their expense.
Politicians understand. As they accept donations from large multinational corporations, they sell us out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the benefits of capitalism and I believe in capitalism but I believe in regulations that prevent capitalism from removing opportunities from my children and grandchildren. I also resent that my paycheck steadily goes down while my taxes and expenses go up and politicians tell me that I’m better off now than I was.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Retirement City
I’ve taken a long vacation away from work, technology and cell phones. I picked my mother, stepfather and grandson up in a small town just outside of Mobile and we drove to San Antonio. Since there was a tropical storm warning for the Houston area we drove from Mobile to Hattiesburg and on to Vicksburg to pick up Interstate 20. In one of the towns we passed through there was a sign welcoming us to the “retirement city.” The industries in the city looked like they were shut down. Many businesses were boarded up and there was an appearance of worn out and “has been” in the town.
My mother and I discussed the fact that many people are retiring because of the economy and I jokingly commented on the fact that the town could be retired because all of the jobs have gone overseas and there wasn’t anything else to do except retire. If that is the case, then there are a lot of retirement towns in this country.
Hilary Clinton announced that the U.S. government was going to invest in small and medium sized business development in Pakistan. I understand that this will help stabilize the region. Truthfully, I believe in providing the aid in the forms of loans to other countries, as long as they spend the money in the U.S. to buy equipment and infrastructure supplies. With a stable government, this would be a wise investment. The money would be repaid and the materials and supplies bought from U.S. producers would generate jobs in the U.S.
My question of the Obama administration is why they can’t do the same for the small and medium sized companies in the U.S. So far the government stimulus plan has been primarily aimed at the creation of government jobs (temporary ones). The reason FDR’s government spending worked was because he built dams which electrified large sections of the U.S. which did not have electricity. By providing access to electrical power, Roosevelt provided the initial round of jobs which provided money to buy products that could be used with electricity. This stimulated the private sector.
For Obama to provide jobs in the government sector that will achieve the same result, the federal funding needs to be spent on making new or desirable technology affordable , such as alternative energy. Many Americans would switch to alternative energy if it wasn’t so expensive. Well this is beside the point.
It seems that Obama would be willing to do for his own country what he is willing to do for Pakistan. He could create policies and provide accessibility to loans for small business growth. While it has been mentioned in rhetoric, it hasn’t been happening and more businesses are contributing to the “retirement cities.” Many businesses are hanging on, hoping that the economy will improve. They are hanging on, but the economy isn’t improving. Everyone I talk to tells me that they are worse off financially. How many businesses are going to go out of business before the Obama administration wakes up and takes action? More specifically, when will they treat their own citizens as well as they treat other countries?
My mother and I discussed the fact that many people are retiring because of the economy and I jokingly commented on the fact that the town could be retired because all of the jobs have gone overseas and there wasn’t anything else to do except retire. If that is the case, then there are a lot of retirement towns in this country.
Hilary Clinton announced that the U.S. government was going to invest in small and medium sized business development in Pakistan. I understand that this will help stabilize the region. Truthfully, I believe in providing the aid in the forms of loans to other countries, as long as they spend the money in the U.S. to buy equipment and infrastructure supplies. With a stable government, this would be a wise investment. The money would be repaid and the materials and supplies bought from U.S. producers would generate jobs in the U.S.
My question of the Obama administration is why they can’t do the same for the small and medium sized companies in the U.S. So far the government stimulus plan has been primarily aimed at the creation of government jobs (temporary ones). The reason FDR’s government spending worked was because he built dams which electrified large sections of the U.S. which did not have electricity. By providing access to electrical power, Roosevelt provided the initial round of jobs which provided money to buy products that could be used with electricity. This stimulated the private sector.
For Obama to provide jobs in the government sector that will achieve the same result, the federal funding needs to be spent on making new or desirable technology affordable , such as alternative energy. Many Americans would switch to alternative energy if it wasn’t so expensive. Well this is beside the point.
It seems that Obama would be willing to do for his own country what he is willing to do for Pakistan. He could create policies and provide accessibility to loans for small business growth. While it has been mentioned in rhetoric, it hasn’t been happening and more businesses are contributing to the “retirement cities.” Many businesses are hanging on, hoping that the economy will improve. They are hanging on, but the economy isn’t improving. Everyone I talk to tells me that they are worse off financially. How many businesses are going to go out of business before the Obama administration wakes up and takes action? More specifically, when will they treat their own citizens as well as they treat other countries?
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