Stop the world. Many of us want to get off.
As
we listened to daily debates on the political stages we wondered:
are we being blamed for today’s financial woes?
When I say we, I’m referring to those of us that built
the Medicare program financially. Those of us who paid into
Social Security for years as politicians were not paying
in.
Some of us were busy as youngsters selling U.S. Savings Bonds
and stamps before we ever started school. Most of us have raised
families, served our country and communities. Some took over
family farms or businesses. Some had to move from rural communities
into cities and work in factories or take whatever jobs were
available.
As I see it, we paid our taxes, took care of our kids, helped
with their schoolwork (before computers did all of it for them),
took family vacations. We are now supposed to be enjoying our
grandkids.
Today’s problems are problems we can’t
help with because they are problems we never expected would
exist.
We never expected to turn on the TV news and see a
crime
scene
where a shooting had taken place or where gangs were
having wars and drive-by killings. We would not have
had any idea
what a gang was: in our day, a gang of kids were a
youth group at church or a dance club or group headed to
a
movie.
In
the summer, a gang of teenagers would get together and fill
a car or two and head for the beach. (We didn’t all have
cars but a few did or could borrow their parent’s
ride.)
Today the police are dealing with road rage all the time and
being called to crippling or killing accidents as a result.
In the past, young drivers gave law enforcement a fit by causing
them to police back roads where drag races were being held.
You
might have heard one driver say to another, “Want
to go for pinks?” That was our type of
road rage I guess.
Today
the word “pink” would likely
refer to the color of a pill being sold on
the street.
Bullying
was around in the old days but not like it is today on “social media.” In
the old days, bullies might take your lunch
money a
few times
but someone
would
hear
about it and help put a stop to it.
Drugs
in the old days were aspirin and now and then a diet pill
that would keep you
awake all
night — it was called
a “Benny.” Few people were
addicted to any type of drugs. Drinking,
especially
beer was
common but
being
drunk was not. It was considered foolish
by everyone and ridiculed
plus parents would not stand for it.
Smoking
was also popular and most young people tried it but parents
did not approve
of it.
They told us
it would
stunt
our growth. They also said it would diminish
brain development. Many boys and a few
girls paid no
attention — it was
thought of as “cool.”
Today, young smokers are still not paying attention to admonishments
not to smoke. They ignore all the scientific data that proves
it causes cancer. Perhaps one of them will finally find the
cure.
When
I said “many of us” would like the world to
stop so we could get off — where would we go? Could it
be any worse? More killings, spousal abuse, drive-by’s,
drugs, gangs and other horrific happenings — I think
not. Please, don’t charge off all of today’s problems
on those of us who paid our way in the past. And please, politicians,
don’t cut our services. We
already paid for them.
How
about enforcing a law in many states against driving or texting
while behind
the wheel — collect some hefty fines
and use them to pay for some of the high costs of today’s “happenings.”
Well, we all had our say and the election is finally over.
We can answer our phones and watch TV without incessant political
ads. After billions were spent trying to buy favors, it appears
little will change. We can only hope and perhaps insist our
elected officials learn how to work together, for our benefit.