American people, working people, people struggling to keep a roof over their head or to send their kids to school, are a tough bunch.
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| Workers, students waiting for a bus in January |
A resilient bunch. A ridiculously hard-working bunch. No matter what Republicans try to tell you. No matter how badly Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) tries to disparage them for spending too much money on "movies, booze, and women." (See the link.)
The Young...
If they are young, Americans may work until 1 or 2 in the morning at jobs that pay minimum wage, or maybe, if they are lucky, a buck above minimum wage; then they take public transportation (or perhaps grab an uber if the buses don't run) home and get up at 6:30 a.m. to get to a class that starts at 8 a.m. They don't want to be stocking shelves, waiting tables, or washing dishes when they are 30 or 40. They want a diploma and a decent job by that time. That's their hope and their dream.
The Middle-Aged....
They may be middle-aged. Maybe they are the people driving for uber at one in the morning to pay for college costs for their kids.. so their kids don't have to drive an uber at one in the morning. (If they have to rent that car, they may be paying up to $600/month for the privilege of driving for uber.) Or maybe they are driving just to buy an extra: A movie or two, a bottle of wine, or a decent gift for Mom. If they didn't buy those movies, that bottle of wine, that gift, Senator Grassley thinks they'd have 11 million bucks and would be thrilled not to have to pay the estate tax! Yep, that's what Grassley thinks: The repeal of the estate tax is a "gift" for those who don't spend their money on movies, booze, or women.
Older people...
Maybe they are even older. Maybe they DID spend any would-be savings getting those kids through college, paying for extra courses, for sports, for all of the costs of raising a kid, for whatever the kid needed so that he or she does now have a decent job and a decent future.
But Mom or Dad or both are driving for uber, working those retail jobs, dealing with bad backs, bad hips, bad feet, because they didn't save enough (Remember that Grassley thinks they watched too many movies and drank too many bottles of wine.) because they lost their decent jobs in their 50's or because they lost their savings or their homes in the Recession of 2008. Or because a small family business went belly up taking the family savings with it. Or because Social Security doesn't pay enough or because they know that Social Security WON'T pay enough. Or because their husband or wife died young and they are trying to live on ONE Social Security check. Or all of the above. Or some combination thereof.
Maybe they are even older. Maybe they DID spend any would-be savings getting those kids through college, paying for extra courses, for sports, for all of the costs of raising a kid, for whatever the kid needed so that he or she does now have a decent job and a decent future.
But Mom or Dad or both are driving for uber, working those retail jobs, dealing with bad backs, bad hips, bad feet, because they didn't save enough (Remember that Grassley thinks they watched too many movies and drank too many bottles of wine.) because they lost their decent jobs in their 50's or because they lost their savings or their homes in the Recession of 2008. Or because a small family business went belly up taking the family savings with it. Or because Social Security doesn't pay enough or because they know that Social Security WON'T pay enough. Or because their husband or wife died young and they are trying to live on ONE Social Security check. Or all of the above. Or some combination thereof.
Immigrants, minorities, workers..
These people are immigrants, sons and daughter of immigrants, perhaps grandchildren of immigrants. Maybe they don't have any immigrants in their family tree in the last few generations. They may be members of the (formerly) middle class, the formerly working class, perhaps they have farmers, family farmers, in their family tree. They may be children of members of the (formerly) middle class. They may have parents who worked odd jobs, waited tables, delivered packages on a UPS truck, babysat, did lawn work.
These people are immigrants, sons and daughter of immigrants, perhaps grandchildren of immigrants. Maybe they don't have any immigrants in their family tree in the last few generations. They may be members of the (formerly) middle class, the formerly working class, perhaps they have farmers, family farmers, in their family tree. They may be children of members of the (formerly) middle class. They may have parents who worked odd jobs, waited tables, delivered packages on a UPS truck, babysat, did lawn work.
Maybe they are minorities; maybe they are not. If they are minorities, they may be bilingual, something that any of us who grew up as English-only speakers should admire. I don't resent coworkers speaking Spanish as they effortlessly flip between Spanish and English. I'm amazed.
Republicans need to take the bus..
Grassley and others who insist that if you work hard you will be rewarded (and those of us without millions just need to stop buying movies) need to spend some time taking the bus or an El train. They need to stand on the street corner when the temperature is below freezing with people who take 3 buses or 3 buses and a train to get to their jobs at Walmart, Target, the local grocery store, etc. They need to actually talk to uber drivers, cab drivers, bus drivers. Especially the older ones; the ones who should be retired already. The hard workers are not the exception; they are the rule out there.
Grassley and others who insist that if you work hard you will be rewarded (and those of us without millions just need to stop buying movies) need to spend some time taking the bus or an El train. They need to stand on the street corner when the temperature is below freezing with people who take 3 buses or 3 buses and a train to get to their jobs at Walmart, Target, the local grocery store, etc. They need to actually talk to uber drivers, cab drivers, bus drivers. Especially the older ones; the ones who should be retired already. The hard workers are not the exception; they are the rule out there.
Republicans? The party of privilege
I don't understand anyone who works for a living, who has ever worked for a living, voting for Republicans. I grew up during a time when almost anyone who wanted a decent job, a job on which you could support a family, could get one. People who didn't have those decent jobs just might have been lazy. (Or they might have been people of color.. Things have never been easy for them.) But now? When, even during the last few years of recovery from the Recession of 2008, you can apply to a dozen low-wage job and not get even one interview? When people who can barely move due to bad feet or bad backs or bad hips still drag themselves off to work just to afford food and electricity?
Republican Dogma..
Grassley's ignorant comments about movies, booze, and women are not just the random musings of a guy who is out of touch with the country and the world; many, many people who lean Republican believe this. Over and over, when people write anonymously, you hear it: People who struggle did not "work hard enough", they "made bad choices", they didn't "plan ahead".
The answer? Confront anyone who believes that the government shouldn't help people who need help. Refuse to allow comments about "lazy people" go unanswered. Tell them to ride the bus every so often.
Grassley Says His Comments Were Misinterpreted
Grassley says his comments on estate tax were misinterpreted. My comments? You don't amass 11 million bucks through "hard work" while the guy who can barely leave a modest home to his kids didn't "work hard".
I don't understand anyone who works for a living, who has ever worked for a living, voting for Republicans. I grew up during a time when almost anyone who wanted a decent job, a job on which you could support a family, could get one. People who didn't have those decent jobs just might have been lazy. (Or they might have been people of color.. Things have never been easy for them.) But now? When, even during the last few years of recovery from the Recession of 2008, you can apply to a dozen low-wage job and not get even one interview? When people who can barely move due to bad feet or bad backs or bad hips still drag themselves off to work just to afford food and electricity?
Republican Dogma..
Grassley's ignorant comments about movies, booze, and women are not just the random musings of a guy who is out of touch with the country and the world; many, many people who lean Republican believe this. Over and over, when people write anonymously, you hear it: People who struggle did not "work hard enough", they "made bad choices", they didn't "plan ahead".
The answer? Confront anyone who believes that the government shouldn't help people who need help. Refuse to allow comments about "lazy people" go unanswered. Tell them to ride the bus every so often.
Grassley Says His Comments Were Misinterpreted
Grassley says his comments on estate tax were misinterpreted. My comments? You don't amass 11 million bucks through "hard work" while the guy who can barely leave a modest home to his kids didn't "work hard".
(Note: I started writing this in December 2017 after Grassley made his "misinterpreted" comments. I stand by my comments above. People can work for decades in this country and still not have enough money for a decent home or a decent retirement. Anybody who thinks otherwise is totally out of touch with real Americans.)
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