One of the property owners along the county road I drive into town flies an American flag high on a bluff. I love seeing that flag waving in the breeze because I grew up when it was easy to be a proud American. I almost feel guilty that I lived most of my life in those mid-century decades when the economy worked for almost everyone and income inequality was at an all time low.
My dad was a factory worker and a shop steward during the 1950's when the CIO and AFL joined forces. He was really proud of his union work, and I am today a strong supporter of unions because of him. Union members were honored back then, not vilified as "thugs." My dad's paycheck supported our family of five with a little help from the part-time work my mom did. My sisters and I were also expected to chip in with babysitting and then retail jobs, office work, or whatever we could find. One summer between college semesters it took me nine days to find a summer job, and I was starting to get worried. That's how easy it was to find work in a booming economy.
Taxes were high and went for all the good things that families
needed to help their kids succeed in life. The country was growing "from
the middle out, not from the top down" which is what President Obama's
policies are trying to achieve again. Ironically, it was a Republican president
back in my day who pushed the same policies. The Eisenhower Interstate Highway
System provided millions of good jobs. I remember sitting on a hill with
friends watching construction of the New York State Thruway and imagining what
it would be like to drive on the same road all the way from Albany to Buffalo.
Thanks to the Defense Education Act following the “Sputnik scare”
of 1957, I was able to borrow tuition money for my senior year of college at
zero percent interest. And, for every
year that I stayed in teaching, 10% was deducted from the principle. Imagine if students today could borrow money
for college and go right into their chosen professions without a mountain of
debt weighing them down. My husband’s
graduate school tuition was based on his parents’ income. Since they were working class immigrants, the
tuition was affordable enough that we could get married and live on my income
as a teacher. The entire hospital bill
when our first child was born was $243, and that was back when moms and babies
stayed two or three days after the birth.
We were poor but knew our lives would improve when my husband
finished his education. We hadn’t heard
the term “upward mobility,” but we were part of that generation that moved up
quickly, paid taxes, cared about our neighbors and felt a responsibility to
help others.
The other day I noticed that my neighbor’s flag is caught up in
the rope and all twisted into a knot at the top of the flagpole. I couldn’t help but think what a sad metaphor
that is for our country today.
Not content with the largest inequality gap since the late 1920’s,
today’s robber barons have dredged the bottom of our already polluted river of
selfishness and put in power some of the most heartless, mindless decision
makers in American history. Peacocks at
least serve a purpose when they flaunt their colors; politicians do nothing but
harm themselves and others.
The radical wing of the Republican Party won’t be satisfied until
all public programs that benefit individuals and families are destroyed. The handful of families that control the
world economy may have more on their hands than they bargained for. Now some of the mightiest of the mighty are
claiming they never meant for things to go this far, but only because their
business empires are threatened. If they
had a soul, they would sell it to the devil to protect their mountains of
treasure.
So that’s why I feel a little guilty growing up when I did. I feel
sad when I read about the social benefits families receive in Canada, Europe,
Japan, and other countries. A friend of mine said her niece lives in Austria
and was expected to stay home with her new baby for one year and received 80%
of her pay during that time. They know
how important the first year of life is for a healthy child. France does not have an ADHD problem. Students in many countries pay nothing for
college or occupational training. And no
one ever has to declare bankruptcy because of medical bills.
President Eisenhower was right when he warned us about spending
our treasure on weapons and war. He knew
how sick we would become as a society if we chose guns over butter. I used to teach the “cycles” of American
history because the 20th century fell into those 30 year periods of
progressive change and retrenchment so rhythmically. Post World War II was called the American
Century. Truman’s Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, wrote a book called
“Present at the Creation.”
It’s been a great run. I
wish you could have been there.
Susan Cunningham
October 15, 2013
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