As a teacher I have a tender spot for children, small animals and babies of all breeds. When I was young, I was hopeful. I thought there was a future where I could have a home and children and a job I loved. It wasn't unrealistic because most people were capable of achieving those modest goals. I am not sure what happened along the way, but I feel a great deal of sadness when I look at my own children. What kind of world have we given them?
My kids are the ones you don't read about in the newspaper. We are not rich so they couldn't be spoiled. They participated in school activities, cared about their grades, sought college or at least some training. As young adults they worked at jobs. Some of them were not the deluxe careers sought by some young adults, but it paid the rent and the bills. My kids have struggled. Despite college degrees, the jobs are few and far between. This group more than any other has borne the brunt of economic savagery wrought by this administration. While the president claims to love the middle class, he dines and golfs with the one percent he claims to hate.
I just got off the phone with my daughter. Married two years, she works two jobs to the tune of 12 hours a day. Her husband works with autistic children and has just finished his Masters. They can barely afford their bills and money woes are taking a toll. She has already told me that she sees no way they can ever afford children, much less a house or any of the other rites of passage. Their problems started when her paid off car was hit by an uninsured driver. She was forced to buy a used car which right now are where new cars were just a couple of years back. There is no other way for her to get to work. She is very sad.
My oldest son, newly married, just moved into a small older duplex. He and his wife are trying hard to save money to buy their own home, but just yesterday a driver ran a red light and hit my daughter in law's paid off Toyota because as the other driver said " I didn't think I had to stop at this intersection" (There's a light there.) This comes on the heels of my son being hit by a guy in a Chrysler who was too busy fiddling with his phone to stop at the light. So they too are stuck with two car payments and no way to avoid the additional expense.
My youngest son, 25, has only recently been able to afford to move out. The rents in this area are ridiculous unless you want to live in a war zone. As it is his expenses are claimed to the penny with insurance, gas, food and child care rising every month.
This is what happens when you have people in power more concerned about agenda over efficiency. I look at the young faces in my class and I wonder what the future holds. Our borders are insecure-rumors persist that ISIS is gathering in Juarez, the cost of everything is rising and it seems that the administration is more concerned in starting a civil war than in running the country. All I can do is pray. I raised my kids to be good people and they are good people. They deserve better than this.
