First, as will become readily apparent, thanks to all American
taxpayers for helping my family and I get through the 1980’s.
In 1974 I made the decision to enter the military and take
advantage of the GI Bill. And in 1982, it was with great pride that I graduated
college and moved to Colorado with my wife and two kids. Let’s see, 1982, does
that sound familiar? Yes, the savings and loan crisis, in addition to
skyrocketing interest rates.
So, less than 6 months after graduating college, I was laid
off from the bankrupt big-box discount store’s management training program. This
is where I feel a strong kinship to the young college grads of today. Since I
was going to college full-time and didn’t work full-time, I had no work
quarters accrued to draw any unemployment. Moving back to my Mom’s, in a
neighboring state, wasn’t an option for a family of four.
Fortunately, my wife was able to find employment and I
scrambled to find seasonal and part-time work. Remember, in 1982 a serious recession
was taking place and the employment picture was not good. Take into account
that the minimum wage in 1982 was about $3.80 per hour and you can see why we
needed the safety net of public assistance. We were able to supplement our food
needs with government staples, not the least of which was cheese and dry milk.
We would mix a gallon of the mixed dry milk with a gallon of regular milk and
get 2 gallons that way.
I tell this story because the Republicans seem to categorize
anyone who needs public assistance as being leeches. My wife and I were working
and were very grateful for the public assistance provided. Today, our politicians want to polarize
Americans against each other. They paint corporate welfare [tax cuts, tax
credits and tax increment financing] as investing in job creators. However,
after 10 years of “investing” there has been no job creation, just wealth
creation.
Please think! If you have ever had to get an education loan
or grant, you must vote for Obama. If you have ever received a farm subsidy,
you must vote for Obama. If you have ever had to stand in line to apply for
unemployment, you must vote for Obama. If you have ever received a
government-backed home loan, you must vote for Obama. In 2012, we are coming out of the worst
economy since the Great Depression, caused by over-zealous Republican tax
giveaways and financiers who were given a blank check by lack of government
regulation. It takes more than 3 years to come out of that kind of fiscal irresponsibility.
Our government is for all of us, not just for the wealthy.
People on welfare are not the drain on our nation’s economic
well-being as the Republicans want us to believe. Repubs simply want to suppress
the vote on those who have had to request government assistance, while they
take control of the government. Tea Party Repubs are using communist party
tactics similar to what was used in USSR. Only 4% of the USSR population was
communist but since only a certain number of people could vote, the communist
party took over. We need to take our country back. Vote for Obama; Forward….Together.
