I was in shock when Mitt Romney said that he thought middle class was 250,000. Wow. I will never live to see that kind of income but that is OK because if having that kind of money that Mitt has makes one so clueless and unliked, then rich is not what I want.
I then begin to think what would people like Romney do to have to live a day in the life an average person. Average. That is an odd word in this day and time. Average depends on what you are comparing it to. I remember the extremely hard times I had in my childbearing years. I have written about it here. The late 70's and all of the 80's were basically a nightmare for work and forget investment (for me).
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A typical day for me growing up was somewhat privileged compared to say someone like my husband who was raised hard and one of 7 in a Native American household. His family fished and hunted for food. They were raised in the swamps of North Florida. They had no indoor plumbing. His Father, of Italian heritage, had no education. His mother taught her husband to read and he worked and retired from the shipyards. He was told at a young age that they were democrats and that was all he needed to know. His teenage years were more like Fonzie than Richie and that brings him to my lifestyle. My parents worked and my grandparents were founders of a small town which now is growing to a large city.
I was born into a middle class family. We always had indoor plumbing. My maternal Aunts and uncles were professionals, college educated, military, and worked extremely hard for what they had. My paternal side of the family were preachers and farmers. They had no money. They were mill workers and assembly workers doing piece mill in sewing factories. They served in the military as well but came home and started families and small businesses with help from the GI Bill. My grandparents on each side respected each other and never felt one was better than the other or envious of any wealth the other had obtained. They both had a value and moral code of right and wrong and helping people.
My parents were from the greatest generation and worked up into the middle class. They retired from regular jobs and opened restaurants but the business ventures never worked into venture capitalism and eventually were sold and no investments. I lived the life of Joanie Cunningham and my husband lived the life of Chachi or Fonzie. We never made a great deal of money and both of us at times in our lives lived in poverty or clinging from paycheck to paycheck. We are still that way.
We have no mutual funds, retirement packages, bonds, portfolios or even what you call middle class according to the realistic middle class. We live on a fixed income and I worked thirty years just getting by. We have music. We have fun. We have tears for others. We work on behalf of better education for our children's children and civic duty. We help veterans. We held the abused, the downtrodden, and we speak up and speak out against hate and oppression of all kinds. We are truth tellers and we never ask anyone to hand us anything and if we get a loan to get by, we pay back. We give freely.
We have a life and many times it is hard and frustrating. We can get foreclosed on and pick up. We can lose things and continue forward. We do not let money dominate our thoughts but it does concern us towards the end of the month. We teach our kids to be responsible and after the economic downturn, we taught them that life is not always what you try to make it but you have to go forward. Some of the children have accepted those teachings and some of the older ones have given up on dreams. We cannot help that.
They, one day will realize to keep moving forward to make things better. Life moves in cycles for most middle class people. They may have many toys or extras and the next day have nothing but a dream and they must renew their passion and never let a person either with no money or lots of money diminish who they are and their own value system.
250.000 is wealthy to me and not middle class. We are what I consider lower middle or just above the poverty line, otherwise my kids would not get reduced lunches at school. We live in a real world with real problems and face real issues of monetary concerns. We do not fly off to Rio, or the south of France and tear down the land or shove our faith on anyone. We laugh, we cry, we stand up, we vote, we attend school board meetings, we visit the sick, we can get into some real pickles at times and we fight for what we believe in. We fight through speaking up and against wrong, even if the wrong is being done by people in our families. We tell them. We are not shy about stating our opinions on oppression. We have lived on the edge and in the middle but never at the top. We get it. We know people who think they are middle class and many are so delusional. They are ignorant of the likes of Mitt Romney.
Mitt doesn't get that not everyone was born into privilege or even equal opportunities. He does not get that people struggle because they have to, not because they want to. He doesn't get that sacrifice choices are made every single day by people with meager means. He doesn't get it.
He does not realize money does not make one happy, it just helps you choose your misery. A song to sing is free. A poem to read is free,even if you compose it. A hot dog on an open fire is fun. Moving can be an adventure and public school is more than just testing to a test. Public school is a learning experience. Socially and otherwise. A walk can be more satisfying than a yacht retreat, I assume because I have never been on a cruise or dined at a restaurant fancier than The Red Lobster.
Mitt Romney's idea of DADT is about his taxes. Don't ask and he won't tell. If having Mitt Money makes one so stupid and unhappy, I am glad I am where I am in this stage of life with living from paycheck to paycheck and still dreaming of a better future for my kids and hoping to hang on in health for a few more years. I have seen the enemy and it's name is ignorance and no amount of money can buy empathy or happiness. I am comfortable in my own skin, and care about all colors of skin. I am far richer than any Mitt Romney.
You see Mitt, I am rich. My wealth is not measured in money.
GOTV... Vote Obama !