This one has been brewing for a while. I am tired of hearing that older and disabled people who need daily living supports are a burden to society. We are experiencing unprecedented attacks on the underpinnings of our support system–Medicaid, Medicare, and “Special” Education.
I was born with my disability. All people age. People have accidents and injuries. No one wants to live in a position of vulnerability. And it’s not just a feeling of disrespect. I am not the first person to say. A society is judged by the way it treats people on the margins.
Our leaders don’t understand that if the economy is out of balance, it is a signal of priorities out of balance. People who live on subsidized incomes are poor. They have problems paying for food and medicine. Some have trouble keeping a roof over their heads. Every day is about survival, and making choices about what to go without, to pay for something else that cannot go longer without being paid. All the choices are bad. If more people are forced into institutions, it will cost more in the long run because living in the community is cheaper. And for those of you who feel uncomfortable about stepping over homeless people in the street, why don’t we spend more on our own people instead of subsidizing other countries?
It is people who are our most valuable asset. I have yet to understand why we are changing things that were not broken. No one has given a full accounting of how our taxes are really spent. What is happening to the tariffs? Where does the money go? And a real head-scratcher why we are paying for wars and projects that we can do without, like trying to run other countries.
Yet we are told that the vulnerable are too expensive. We are informed that we are losers because we don’t have money and material things. Our national legislators are totally dysfunctional. They have good pay and benefits, and still they cannot compromise. What are their legislative accomplishments, and how are they protecting the voters? They do not deserve their pay or benefits until they do the work to earn them.
Meanwhile, the only ones who are not being paid are the federal workers who, I’m sure, are on the lower rung of pay and benefits.
Our country was founded by people who came from other places. Some were shipped here because they were prisoners. Many risked their lives getting here because they were oppressed and looking for a better life. America was a big blob of wilderness that needed people to tame it. No one was perfect, but the documents of our founding recognized diversity and hard work.
I hate to think that we have forgotten our history. Our priorities are messed up. Don’t believe in myths and misconceptions about the citizens here. Stop standing on political party beliefs and support our resilient citizens. Put the work in and protect us before attentions go elsewhere.
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