Some things I've learned this semester

My intention from the beginning of the school year was to post once a week about the things I've learned.  I've been a bit busier with homework than I thought...  Now, there are so many things on my mind--so many things I've learned and observed and thought about and felt--that I don't know where to begin.  I don't usually like waxing political, but I'm gonna (and if you're paying attention, you'll notice that I'm "conservative" in some areas and "liberal" in others).  If you comment and I don't like it, I won't allow it to post.  Not interested in an argument, I just want to express the things I've been concerned about for the past few weeks, based on the things I've learned.  If you're willing to have a civil conversation, bring it on.

Been taking an economics class this semester.  Very enlightening.  Low interest rates induced by the Fed are supposed to be a short term solution, a stimulus for the economy to get people to buy stuff and invest in property, but it's gone on too long.  We're encouraged to save for our retirements, but people's retirement plans are tanking.  Retirees are supposed to be able to live on the interest from their accounts, at least for a few years, but right now, some people can't fill their gas tanks for a year with the interest they're supposed to live on.  People who prepared for their retirements years ago and did everything right are being punished now.  And have you noticed that the stock market isn't doing so hot.  Again.  The signs all point at us heading for a recession.  Heading for one.  What's been going on so far?  Did we ever come out of the last one? 

The middle class has been redefined to top out at $250,000 a year (I wish) and in the President's speech to the DNC, he made it very clear that we should be shooting for the middle class, not for anything higher.  His plans certainly discourage wealth. The top 30% wealthy in the country already pay 70% of the nation's taxes, and yet they are told they're not paying their fair share and they're practically demonized every time our "leader" opens his mouth.

Frankly, I wonder if even the middle class is obtainable.  Poverty levels are calculated by outdated criteria, so those who are struggling the most right now are probably considered middle class even though they can't make ends meet without some form of credit.  The cost of living continues to rise while wages don't (which essentially means we've all taken a pay cut in the last few years), so even those who are lucky enough to still have a job are struggling more than they were a few years ago, whether they claim to feel it or not.  I've personally engaged in most of the "poverty coping mechanisms" people use before they give in and apply for welfare. (Which we wouldn't qualify for--we make too much money....)  Debt is too easy to get and too hard to pay off, as shown by payday loan establishments that pop up virtually unchecked, country wide. They thought the housing crisis was hard to deal with.  This is a worse problem, it just doesn't get media attention because the amounts on the loans aren't as big.  But when you make $1500 a month and spend $800 of that for housing, a $100 loan is a big deal.

It seems that people who try to do things right are punished in our country.  Those who try to pay off their debts and get past patches of late payments instead of declaring bankruptcy are still plagued by debt-to-income ratios and low credit scores, which are figured into every credit--or job, or lease--application for at least the same length of time as a bankruptcy. The bad scores lead to high interest rates (like 28% even when the Fed's rate is closer to 1%), which leave a greater potential for minimum payments, over limit charges, and late fees-which only make the problem worse.  I already talked about the low interest rates and what that is doing to people who are trying to live on their savings.  Moms who try to stay home and take care of their children have to deal with meager financial futures as well as lack of funds in the moment--there is no financial reward for raising your own children. In Utah alone, the waiting list for services for people with disabilities is 20 years long.  Jessi will be my age by the time she qualifies for any assistance.  Cultures that promote familism and internal support are looked down on and even referred to as "minority" cultures while the typical "individualistic", "American" culture has the wrong idea about welfare--no one should have to rely on the government, and social programs should only be available to those who need them.  (Incidentally, individualism encourages reliance on the government because they don't rely on family and friends instead.)  Those who live in the US illegally and try to become citizens are tested on things that most US citizens don't know, and it is often easier for someone who is here illegally to get a job, buy a house, and get an education than it is for those who try to obey the law.  In the meantime, authorities look the other way when it's convenient, and round up "illegals" when that's convenient.  They're overwhelmed when the laws can't be applied, yet they're too afraid to change the law and make it possible to become a completely law abiding citizen.  The government regulates and restricts us into a corner, then they wonder why so many people lie and disobey the law.  And those who tell the truth can have their lives stripped from them if they catch an authority figure on a bad day.

Our country's in trouble. I wish I knew how to fix it and I feel completely helpless to do so.  Such a tiny voice in an overwhelming cacophony.  That's one thing they haven't taught me in college--how to fix it.  But, boy howdy, do they excel at pointing out what's wrong.