Seriously People!

I read two articles that really made me think today. They are completely unrelated, yet both made me angry and sad.

The first was a Washington Post article about the price of being poor. Paying more for groceries, paying for laundry, paying for check cashing. I always have mixed feelings about this, because I've been on the receiving end of customer service dealing with low income customers. I have talked to people who couldn't pay their utility bill because they just payed their cable, and had no more money. I have watched low income friends buy name brand cereal off the shelf with a $5 price tag, overlooking the $2 cereal directly to the left of it. Reading through the comments on the article, there were many questioning some of the assertions (like I did above), and others condemning them for having no sympathy. I will admit that I am biased and have little sympathy for the people who play the system to make sure they get the most out of their welfare. I have the most sympathy for the people busting ass making low wages who need a leg up, especially those who cannot get assistance because of it.

When I'm president (Gilbert in '16!), a sentiment that I say when I want to make broad sweeping changes, there will be education reform. There will be a redistribution of money to schools. I can't fathom how in one school district (like in my home town), you can have two high schools, one in a wealthy neighborhood, one in a low income neighborhood, and they do not have the same resources! Is it really a question that we should take some of the tax money from rich school and make the poor school equal? Is it really a question, if we are NOT going to do this, of who should receive federal money? Is it really a question that the schools that need the extra tax dollars are not the high performers buy the low ones? HELLO PEOPLE!!!!! I am fully supportive of adults reaping what they sow and taking responsibility for themselves, but I am exponentially more supportive of giving our children the absolute best education possible to enable them to be responsible adults!

The second article was about a mother who suffocated her child, resuscitated him, then changed her mind and suffocated him AGAIN! Twice this little boy knew the agony of suffocasion at the hands of his own mother! Then, she buries him at the playground. What are we doing, people, that we as a society are producing young women capable of this kind of violence? What are we thinking putting priorities on damn car dealerships, when mothers are killing their own children? There is something wrong here that we need to fix!