A New Definition of Safety

Safety, the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt,
injury or loss (Merriam-Webster). It is something that we, as
Americans, greatly enjoy. We have gotten used to living in a country
where we are safe. Our children are safe to play as they please, our
families are safe and secure in their homes, our jobs are secure and
always there. Sometimes, things are so safe that we tend to take them
for grant it. We sometimes find ourselves taking for grant it that we
have a job every day to go to, that it gets annoying to attend a
nine-to-five five days a week. But not anymore. During these tough
economic times, a recession, we find ourselves watching our children’s
back, our families’ back, and mostly, fighting to keep a job.

How did we get this way? Some would say it’s that “black President” we
have in office. Some Americans see it as his “fault,” since this is
happening during his presidency. However, others have been watching
this happen, our economy slide down the drain, like melted butter, for
a couple of years. Why didn’t anyone stop it? Teachers are losing their
jobs; our children are getting the “short end of the stick” with a
quickly decreasing education budget pulling money from schools, which
now have to scrape to make ends meet. People are sick, because they
cannot afford going to the doctor, major construction projects are put
on hold, forcing millions out of jobs. Unemployment rates are at an all
time high, and continue to skyrocket into record-breaking record month
after month.

What is our “historic” President doing about this? In my opinion,
every single thing that he possibly can. Barack Obama, The United
States’ first African American, historic, President, is fighting to
pull the U.S. out of this recession, the worst since the Great
Depression in the 1930’s, as fast as he can. Personally, I could not
agree with him any more. He has given each state a Stimulus Package,
which allows each individual state to embark on projects. Whether it be
roadwork, like Kansas’ K-61 project or the betterment of communities,
the Stimulus Package provides not only money for these things to
happen, but jobs for those millions (8.5% of the U.S. Population in
March 2009) of those out of work. In turn, those workers bring money
into their homes, allowing them to pay bills, pay mortgage, buy
groceries, and, possibly, enrich their children’s lives. This brings
money back into communities and the money begins to circulate. This is
fabulous. However, sometimes these things take times. The stars have to
align perfectly. The weather has to cooperate, county governments all
have to be on board, people have to be employed and consistent and
responsible employees to build a roadway, for any major project to get
off of the ground and running. It is fool proof, for the most part.

Sadly, as Americans in our “safe” communities, we have become
extremely impatient. We expect the minute the President signs the
Stimulus Bill that a check immediately gets sent to our respect State’s
capitol, work begins immediately and the finish project is done in a
few weeks. We get so blind sighted by our impatient mindsets, our
impulse to have something constantly happening, that we fail to see the
multiple positives of what will happen, when said stars are aligned.
Our economy can and will be fine. We can and will be fine. It took time
to get us into this mess, and it will take at least the same amount of
time, if not more, to pull us through to where we are in our “safe
state” once again.

What else could we do to continue to fix our depressed economy? First
of all, fund education. What better investment is there than the
future? If we continue to fund public schools, K-12, we are investing
in the enriching of young minds and keeping each and every student’s
futures brighter. As we educate them, bright ideas about fixing the
future will culture, and the future of our great nation will be
brighter. College institution prices may have to raise. If we raise the
price of tuition, and force the institution to pay higher taxes,
ultimately funding the government, we ensure the investment of the
minds of our students will have a payback. They can get a good
education, that may be a little more expensive than in the past, but
yet have the guarantee of a good job when they have completed their
time in their selected institution. Another key, is lowering the price
of admission in to college when the government can float on its own.
Once we pull our economy out of the gutter, we can slowly start to pull
funding away from it, and it should be fine.

Another way to lower the national price of debt is to make Medicare
for the elderly on a need-only basis. Not all elderly need all of the
money in which they receive. Our nation’s elderly population is at an
all time high, as baby boomers reach their mid 60’s to 80’s. By not
providing them with so much free money, we can put that money back into
the economy to fund other projects in medicine, such as finding a cure
for cancer and the HIV/AIDS virus. We, essentially, save many more
lives. And by not taking away all of the medical-help for the elderly,
they still do get some help with medical expenses, however, only on a
need-basis.

I believe our economy can and will pull out of the recession we find
ourselves in today. We will be able to find our safe utopia that we
once had. It may not be identical, but we will once again be safe. And
no longer will we have to watch our children’s back, our families’
back, or fight to keep a job.