Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Langston Hughes-inspired poem by Scooby "Angry Black Man" Rastus:
"You've taken my unemployment insurance benefits and gone.
"You've blocked the extension of unemployment insurance and screwed up my life for the holidays. Now I can't pay my bills and have to deal with eviction, repossession and collection. It's like you poured acid on my face and called me ugly. You place me in the middle of nowhere and tell me I'm lost. Your unregulated financial institutions charge numerous overdraft fees to my already depleted bank account. Yep, you done taken my unemployment insurance benefits and gone.
"You also took my dignity and gone. My children are depressed because I cannot provide for them. My wife is annoyed, and I am desperate and frustrated. And I don't have health insurance.
"Now that you've screwed up the lives of many people during the holidays, I suggest you secure your possessions and property, because financial desperation and retaliation will soon follow. A poor person you denied benefits to might break the windows of your Volvo to take that iPhone you left on the passenger seat. Look out for those people who have nothing to lose to start a revolt by attacking your plush, gated communities. Will it be me? I reckon it might be me, or many others affected by your callousness. I guess we'll see.
"Yes, it could be me."
Comments
Turtleread 9 years, 10 months ago
I have a double major in economics and philosophy. I have always thought that the greatest country on Earth was treating its citizens rather poorly when it is also the wealthiest country on Earth. The country would have more wealth available if it set up a fund like the Alaska Permanent Fund and paid each citizen who could prove they were a citizen $20,000 a year (21 and older). This would solve a lot of problems. People would be eager to prove they were citizens, accurate records could be compiled and kept, and some minimum level of income could be assured. Of course, the elites would scream, but probably it would result in more fair treatment of workers, and better pay.
Turtleread 9 years, 10 months ago
by Turtleread
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