Pardon the ramblings of an old man. Today I was going through material trying to dispose of stuff so that my kids would not have to do it. I came upon an old program that I have kept for years. As I looked at it and the flood of memories rushed over me, I could not help but wish that we had this group still around. It was the late 60's and the group was a group of young people that joined and toured and were replaced and more toured. "Up with People"
Only a few of the readers of this will even recognize the groups title. Most of us are well into our 60's ourselves. But if I could just for a moment draw on the groups title song and look at our current society at the same time.
"Up, up with people. You meet them wherever you go. Up, up with people. They're the best kind of folks to know. If more people were for people, all people everywhere, there'd be a lot less people to worry about and a lot more people who care"
Ok... All of you old folks like me. Remember how we felt. Society was FOR PEOPLE. Not fighting against people. Yes we were "for" peace, against the war, but more than anything else we were FOR PEOPLE. We cared about others. I must admit that I grew up in a very unreal town. But I never remember locking our back door to the house. We had no fear because my town "cared" for people.
Somewhere, people who cared about people got left behind. We went through the "me" generation and have never been the same since. No longer is it up with people, it's up with "ME" I am afraid that it is now "down with people but up the mighty dollar bill"
Yesterday, there was a hearing in my current residential state, on why we should expand the medicaid program instead of trying to be better than "Obamacare" Why we should try to take care of many of our citizens that can not take care of themselves. The spread between the wealthy and the poor is getting larger and larger. The middle class is being pushed down to the lower class and the lower class is being pushed into poverty.
News from our capitals (state and national) is all about the almighty dollar and not about the people of this country. New budget kills "Medicare" Stops "Food Stamps" puts more money in the pockets of the wealthy.
Yes, I live in Kansas now. Yes, I live in Wichita. Yes, I have seen the signs of big money and the good things it can do. Yes, I have seen the Koch arena and many of the things that are part of this community. However, the total wealth of the Koch empire is being used to increase that empire. Where are the PEOPLE ? Where is the help for those that are dying because they can not get medical care.
I could go on and on pointing to each piece of legislation that is being presented today. 90% of it is totally self serving for the top 2%. Keep the rich, rich and the poor, poor and unable to say anything. Keep them from the ballot box because they are too stupid to know that we have all the right answers.
UP, UP WITH PEOPLE, YOU MEET THEM WHEREVER YOU GO. UP, UP WITH PEOPLE, THEY'RE THE BEST KIND OF FOLKS TO KNOW. IF MORE PEOPLE WERE FOR PEOPLE, ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. THERE'D BE A LOT LESS PEOPLE TO WORRY ABOUT AND A LOT MORE PEOPLE WHO CARE.
Mike Kilgore
Wichita, Kansas
kilgore0612@yahoo.com
Los Alamos High School 1967
Los Alamos, New Mexico