I had very few trick or treaters Halloween night. It was in keeping with the other five years I've lived in this house.
However, we had a suicide 5 or 6 houses down the street around 4pm. I did not find out about it until today from a neighbor. The house was owned by a very elderly woman who had been placed in an old folks' home when several strokes had rendered her non compos mentis. Her daughter had lived with her in the house, and had been in and out of jail a number of times on drug and other charges. She was about my age. The other family members put the house on the market to fund the care for the elderly woman. It had been on the market for 3 months. An offer came in on Sunday finally, and the daughter, not having any other options other than homelessness, hanged herself.
Even though I didn't know the individuals, other than I saw them when they were out walking, the older woman with a cane or walker and the daughter with her two pit bulls, I am deeply shaken by this. I refuse to watch the election returns tonight, because it is just one more aspect of our social safety net shredding as people forget the past and turn on those who were seeking to change the fallout from the 8 years of Bush administration policies that have left us deeply in debt and fighting an unwinnable war that was begun on the basis of lies. As Al Franken put it last week, "it's easier to drive the car in the ditch than it is to push it out."
I am truly in despair over the inability of US citizens to see past the agit prop and the fear mongering and look at the facts. Yes, the Democrats bear some responsibility. But I hold the media, the Republicans, and lazy voters to 3/4 of the blame.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
I'm so sorry about the lady down your street. If we had universal single-payer health care, that lady would probably still have a home.
I heard a few things on the radio today that prove you exactly right about the fearmongering and agitprop. How do people vote so against their own interests?!
Olive
I am sorry to hear about your neighbor. It is always very upsetting when such a tragedy strikes close to home.
Suicide is something that others can never understand, whether it happens to a famous person like Hemingway, or to the person down the street.
I hope your health is still holding up. Stay strong and stay optimistic: it does make a difference.
Dan
I too am sorry about your neighbor and about the kind of despair it illustrates. I think you might be too generous to the media and the republicans. I think I'd assign 85% of more blame there. It's hard to imagine the short-sightedness of the republican party. All of us will suffer in an economy that is destroyed and we will all do better in an economy that allows people to retain their dignity and hope.
I'm very sorry for your neighbor but I fail to see how I (as a Republican) am to blame. I didn't turn her into a drug addict or a criminal. And I wasn't close enough to get to know her and possibly offer help.
Post a Comment