The struggle is real right now, in more ways than one.
We have a presidential administration that has taken the words selfish and greed to a whole new level.
I’ve never seen so much manipulation and gas lighting, not to mention the rules (our Constitution) don’t seem to apply to them.
We’ve seen some of this before, but nothing to this extent.
No matter your political affiliation or views, if you aren’t concerned, you should be.
This is about ALL of us.
I read a comment yesterday that was supposedly from Donald Trump, that we “need to move past the Epstein files.”
What?
I guess if you have money, you can apparently do just about anything (to anyone) you want and the rules don’t apply.
Even if it means sexually exploiting and abusing children.
The American dream doesn’t seem to exist anymore.
The relentless pursuit of profit is no longer just a business strategy, it’s a force reshaping our lives and not in a good way.
People are struggling and if you ask me, living in a country which used to be referenced as “the greatest country in the world,” housing, fair wages and health care shouldn’t be so inaccessible for so many people.
From job insecurity to manipulative marketing, the push for profits has created a world where people constantly fall behind.
Especially the middle and lower classes.
Once upon a time, a good job meant stability, growth and a certain level of happiness.
These days it’s a game of survival.
Burnout seems to be the norm for a large amount of people who are just one or two paychecks away from completely sinking.
People have become second to profit and it’s extremely disheartening.
As I previously wrote, I had an emergency room visit a few months ago and as they always do, the bills have started rolling in.
One of the bills was just over $18,000 before insurance. When I saw that number, I just thought, “What are we doing?”
No one should have to pay anything close to that amount to get medical and sometimes lifesaving help.
Luckily I have insurance and the amount I have to pay is only about $1,600.
Insurance is a scam. Another one of those corporations who are basically robbing people blind along with hospitals and medical entities who charge insurance companies out the ass because they know they will get paid.
In this case, the insurance company paid the hospital almost $17,000 for me having spent a few hours in the ER.
This a prime example of corporate greed.
The whole system is insane to me, and broken, at least for those who don’t benefit.
Insurance is something we pay into every month, then it’s as if we’re punished when we need to use it for what it’s supposed to be used for.
Car insurance for example. You can pay your bill on time every month for years.
Then one day you get into an accident and need to utilize the insurance. You’re notified shortly after that they won’t be renewing your policy.
Here in what was once known as “the greatest country on Earth,” why is health care not a right?
What about the people who don’t have insurance?
Between the hospital visit and getting follow up appointments scheduled, I can completely understand why people don’t seek help or give up in the process.
At this point I’ve spent many hours just on hold, waiting to talk to people who most of the time couldn’t help or would pass me off to someone else.
It’s completely feasible to create a system where companies thrive because they do right by their people — not at their expense.
Will we see that happen in this lifetime? Probably not.
It’s going to take time but we also need leaders who want to be the catalyst for change — changes for the people, not changes for their bank accounts.
And that’s hard when many of them (not all) are out for their own gain and they’re not out to help the people who they are supposed to serve, even if they have different views.
But hopefully we will see steps in that direction.
The people deserve better. You deserve better.
I do believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
There’s people who are full of love and light who are the glue to keeping all of us together.
The good outnumbers the bad if we can come together instead of indulging in the rage bait.
All of that noise is meant to be a distraction. Don’t take the bait.
I try to remember that side of America, the side where we come together, not just in a time of need.
I still look for the positive things and I still look for the helpers.
A couple weeks ago I watched a man buy books for some kids at a Friends of the Library book sale.
It was just a couple dollars and it didn’t seem like much to the kids, but they were happy and said thank you.
I think that moment meant so much to the man who paid the couple dollars, knowing the kids enjoy reading.
Afterward, the man said something along the lines of growing up in poverty with 12 siblings.
He spoke about how reading saved his life in some ways and he tries to pay it forward.
Stories like his are what America is. America is it’s people.
We all have our own lives but in the end, we’re all people.
Are we really that different?
Keep reading, keep educating yourself and keep fighting for each other.
We deserve a government that is for the people. ALL of them.
Amanda White is a staff writer at the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at amanda@mariposagazette.com.
Responses (0)