In the day when everyone has a blog or something to say about the state of the American Economy and the impact it has on everyday people... I realize that there are many things not being said. No one is talking about the impact it is having on the middle class, more specifically the African American middle class. As a mother of two small children, a wife and a full time educated professional, I realize that in this great debate about the many systems in America that need reformation, there is no one advocating for my needs.
I have been working in some capacity since before I was legally eligible to work. Whether I was baby sitting family members or friends of the family's children or teaching dance at the local dance studio in which I belonged. As I reflect back,I think the first valuable job I held was as a usher at the local performing arts theater in La Mirada, CA. It was a remarkable opportunity getting to witness breath taking performances and getting paid at the same time; not to mention that I was making six dollars an hour while the rest of the country was making less than five dollars, and this was in 1998. Since that time, I have held steady employment (through the grace of God). Even in college when I was a full time student at Hampton University I stayed employed.
I say all this to say, I am not like the picture the media paints as someone who has stretched the system, but rather some one who has graciously contributed to the system but I am not the only one.
So as I speak in present terms, both my husband and I are college educated and hold dual masters in Social Work and Law and Social Policy from one of the country's prestigious colleges'. So it does not make sense that every day we have a conversation about the expenses associated with providing for our two children in addition to the cost associated with staying current with monthly mortgage payments, student loans, child care and school, food, diapers and health coverage. Just thinking about child care alone, we spend more than $1600 a month for child care for our children just so that we will have quality care in place in order to maintain full time employment and have access to health care benefits. With the addition of our newborn son I have thought about the cost/benefits associated with becoming a stay at home mother to eliminate some of these expenses but then the reality hits, no work no health care and... would it make sense to try put my student loans in forbearance? But wait... the world is in a recession. If I left my job in this time of great crisis, I would have difficulty reentering the system.
I know that my family is not alone in this debate but there are great numbers of African Americans who are speaking this same language without complaints. We pay our taxes and teach our families the importance of hard work and helping your fellow man in spite of the seeing those put in office to represent our needs continually speak for big corporations who pay less taxes then us.
In the last two years, how many jobs have the banks, oil companies, wall street and the many companies owned my members of congress created? Tax breaks should be contingent upon job growth outcomes. Oil Company exec's continue to make billions because the American people have to pay over $3.50 a gallon to drive to places of employment that barely make ends meet. Therefore the question that continually comes to mind is, why is it more important for corporations to go without paying their share of taxes with the hope that jobs will be created for the American people?
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