It is time to talk
To the editor:
Happy holidays to all, everywhere. I wish you a memorable celebration whether you spend a glittering White Christmas or bright sunny New Year, absent of pain or need.
Now, the provocative title above will convey to you my personal anxiety and forebodings about the future, not exceedingly arduous but rather dark, with clouds of apprehension about the near future and beyond, affecting many Americans, and especially our children.
I worry about our families, our communities, the thousands of people losing jobs, the homes that are abandoned as the owners flee from their untenable possessions behind, throughout our cities, and become homeless and hopeless. There is no doubt that these painful realities will affect our expectations to live in peace. To most Americans this descent of our economic security is a deviation which we never expected of a super power which we were convinced we were.
I wonder how our present democratic government can protect the rights of the people as declared in the United States Constitution, a government of the people, for the people, by the people? It seems that some people are better protected than others, and many people have no protection at all. One thing appears to be certain, the substance of our government appears to serve only the interest of those who pay for it, in big quantities of money, not just contributing $35 at the time of the elections.
At this time of increasing unemployment, when the life of millions are just hanging by a thread, our Congress and our Executive leaders, refuse to come to the aid of the automobile industry to which millions of workers have not just tied up their lives and their futures, not just as workers in the factories and assembly plants but their retirement plans, and even their investments, aspirations of a secure future.
A happy occasion, such as Christmas, should not be the time to think of our worries, but we owe to ourselves and our children to, at least, take the time to see if these painful events destroying many families can be avoided by taking the time to plan our future and ensure that our children will be provided with the means to continue our present way of life and even to attain professional ambitions that will insure their usefulness to themselves, their families and to our society we know, even today.
Paying for the education of our children will be next to impossible. Among the subjects of interest where parents and children are mutually benefited is the search for scholarships. It is most likely that the quantity and quality of scholarships will decrease, become more competitive, especially a reduction of sports rather than scholastic scholarships based on science and math. Parents must explain to their children that due to the present economic conditions jobs availability is also diminishing almost in all facets of industry.
As large number of employees lose jobs in the industrial occupations, municipal jobs become more difficult and competitive, large numbers of blue collar workers in the industrial occupations, construction industry, automobile assembly and service will try to return to whatever work is available. Even agricultural workers will lose their jobs due to the smaller demands of cash- short consumers.
Unemployment benefits will be available to most workers who lost jobs. Losing jobs means inability to continue making mortgage payments and facing bankruptcy. Health benefits will be reduced for lack of budgetary constraints. As we recall the past, it was enough for the head of the family to have a job to maintain the economic balance of a household. Now it take two fully employed supporters to accomplish the same, but when one or both lose a job, the older child may be ready to restore at least partially the economic balance. The school or past temporary employments may be cognizant of this possibility to prepare the new wage earner.
Eventually a new national status quo will be reached, where the wealth distribution is not only more equitable but acceptable to our whole society. As the economic situation becomes more stabilized, a more socialized government will be accepted by the new society, state by state, as we integrate with a global society,with some unavoidable disparities due to the availability and exploitation of natural resources and marketability of their work force, we may reach a level of adjustability where every individual or worker citizen is an equal contributor to our society.
Manuel O. Mercado
Cape Coral