Mar 20 2009
A Post About the Economy…And Abortions
Does that headline grab ya?
Well, it’s Friday and it’s been a hellish week. I’m almost dreading this weekend, primarily because I know it’s going to go by too quickly and I’ll feel super bummed about it. I know Sunday night and that usual icky go-back-to-work feeling are going to be here in a flash.
Yes, it’s Friday afternoon and I’m already bummed about Monday morning. That’s gotta mean something.
Since I’m in such a super duper fantabulous mood and I always like to end my week on a high note, I am going to do a post on a story I heard on All Things Considered on NPR yesterday.
**side note: It’s too bad sarcasm isn’t easily conveyed in written form.
Back to the topic at hand, click here for the full article from NPR. Be prepared. It’s kinda ugly. It deals with poor economy, family values, birth control, and abortion in one fell swoop. Told ya it was a happy story.
First of all, I’m struggling a little with all these bad economy stories. It’s starting to feel like a crutch…like we’re making excuses and blaming EVERYTHING that goes wrong on the economy in some way. I’m also tired of this blame game. Everyone is on a witch hunt to attach a name and a face and focus all our rage on that person or entity. Is it Bush, or Republicans, or Democrats, or Congress, or Goldman Sachs, or AIG, or Lehman Brothers, or the SEC?
If we want someone to blame, we need to start looking in a mirror. Our government officials were elected…BY US. Corporate America has been acting shifty and robbing us blind for YEARS…decades even. Our ELECTED officials have chosen to line their own pockets rather than do anything about it, and now this is what we’re left to deal with. We allowed ourselves to be distracted by fear, religious arguments, interns in the White House, and steroids in baseball. I don’t think anyone was standing there with a gun when someone signed the bottom line on a mortgage deal they knew was too good to be true, or told them to not read the fine print.
Ok, I gotta stop. I don’t want to make this a political post about the economy. Refocus.
What I find most interesting and startling about our shift in financial security is the almost overnight change this has made to the American family. Some changes are for the good and I’m glad we’re bringing it back to basics. Others have been not so positive, and I think this story falls squarely into that category.
Losing a job means more than losing a steady source of income for many families; it also means losing health insurance. Medical costs are obscene and difficult for many to afford WITH health insurance. One trip to the doc can send an already financially struggling family over the edge. It’s fortunate that many women have access to the free or discounted services offered at clinics like Planned Parenthood, but legions don’t.
Then there’s the numbers. In some parts of the country, they’re seeing an increase in abortions. It boils down to simple math. More families (and not just young single mothers) are realizing they just can’t feed another mouth. I can’t even fathom how difficult it must be for a family to come to that realization and follow through with a very difficult decision.
What saddens me is that this another shiny object that will distract from the real issue at hand. I don’t care how you feel about abortion, if you’re pro-life or pro-choice. PEOPLE are suffering…mothers, fathers, and CHILDREN. My heart is broken for a mother that is faced with that kind of decision to make, and she’s reached that crossroads because of finances. Whether or not I agree with her ultimate choice is irrelevant.
Let’s not attack the mothers for making their choices, and let’s not point our finger at the clinics providing these services. Where would these women and children be without that access to medical care they can’t get anywhere else?????
Instead of blaming them for the downfall of the American family, we really need to look in a mirror.
What I would love to see in a follow up story is an examination on how our current economic climate has impacted the child welfare system. Now that the house of cards has collapsed, how many have been forced to reach out to WIC or the Department of Child and Family Services to get assistance? How many are running out of options and coming to the ultimate conclusion that they just can’t manage, and simply walk away. Are we going to hear more stories about children abandoned? Will adoption rates go up, or simply the number of foster kids lost in the system? How long will our current welfare structure be able to hold up? Will we start to see a collapse of it if the pressure becomes too great? If that happens, what becomes of the kids? Will the number of foster families start to dwindle as finances dry up?
Our dear younger generations will have such a legacy to inherit from us. We haven’t been doing such a good job protecting it for them.
*applause*
Thanks Tracker.
Really powerful and a lot to really think about in that post.
I agree. Good post.
I appreciate your comments.
As I was driving home today, they mentioned some comments some listeners had made to the story. Guess what they were all commenting on…yup, you got it. The abortion aspect of that story; whether or not it is right or wrong, and whether or not NPR handled it in a PC enough manner. It’s a shame that a hot button buzz word like that overshadows all other issues of the story.
Oooooo….shiny
I agree. I wonder how many children who aren’t even in the child welfare system, those that no one will measure, will suffer as their parents struggle through these times, even if those parents are doing their best.
It’s easy to take potshots at a vulnerable few, but what does that accomplish for the rest of us. The days of pointing fingers need to fall behind us. The days of taking responsibility and cleaning up the mess are at hand.
I knew there was something particularly fascinating about your blog, other than the catchy headlines, good grammar and spelling, and overall wisdom–SARCASM. Gotta love that, even in written form.
You make some interesting points here. I started turning from all the news stations featuring homeowners in foreclosure and how terrible the lenders did them, not because I’m insensitive, but because I realized they accepted none of the blame and doled out plenty to everyone else. For instance, one lady hadn’t paid her mortgage in over a year. She went before the judge begging to keep her home and gave her sob story. C’mon. You’re living on someone else’s property for FREE. That’s not right. Do the right thing, accept that you can’t afford the house, and MOVE. The judge gave her 30 days to get out. Another scenario–and this is when I’d had it–an old woman (because the media loves to pull on heart strings) was fighting to stay in the house she couldn’t afford. Her mortgage jumped a whopping 3 times the amount she used to pay. The reporter went on to reveal the results of an investigation in to the practices of her lender. They were doing all kinds of “creative” packaging to have bad loans underwritten. In the old woman’s case, they included the income of her DECEASED HUSBAND. Now–doesn’t the old woman have some responsibility? She gave them her husband’s information, they didn’t make it up. Why is the lender completely to blame for those falsified docs???
Anywho–I’ll have to write about this on my blog one day when I’m feeling less on the warpath. It’s a touchy topic.
People are suffering in this economy, partly from predators and partly from their own bad decision-making… partly from little to no industry regulation and partly from their own greed… etc.
There is a youtube project that’s circulating the internet that’s featuring interviews of children of parents who are struggling in this economy. The children have more positive things to say than the adults. That’s really telling.
Have a good rest of your weekend… even if it is too short.
Davida
I’m really glad I am not alone in feeling this way about some of these stories about people not paying their mortgages. I was worried I was becoming a grumpy, insensitive, old witch.
I’m not sure what people were thinking. Maybe they thought they had a sure thing (profit wise), considering how quickly real estate was going up. In some areas (like California), there were no houses to be had for a reasonable price.
Whooey you ought to do some more political posts about the economy, what you were saying was spot on
Awwww….schucks….you guys are sweet
But I guess I’m surprised I haven’t gotten any feedback about the abortion aspect of this story, or rather the act of abortion. I was looking forward to sparring!
It was proven ages ago that if a perceived authority says to do something, people will usually do it. I’ve come to the conclusion that’s not just applicable to the person in the white robe telling you to shock the other subject as a training exercise, but also to the loan officer telling you to sign on the dotted line because everything’s going to be fine. We all like to think, “Well, I wouldn’t push the big red button,” but the fact remains that some 90% of people will.
Applied Psychology, anyone?
It goes to show Carl, that a support system of some kind is very important to keeping our younger generations well cared for. Thankfully you had your grandparents. I hope we don’t find out what happens for those folks who don’t have extended family (or ones with some means to pitch in), and no public system to turn to.
Your grandparents sound like fantastic people.
As for your mother, I absolutely applaud her for making a very difficult decision. It sounds like she’s always had what’s best for you in mind. You are VERY lucky. That’s a great story. It sounds like she’s a fun lady.
An interesting point, Tracker. I suppose your right. We want to believe and trust people. Mortgage paperwork is long and overwhelming, and we long to trust people in that biz simply because it’s above most of our heads. I know I’m also inclined to not ask questions, simply because I don’t want to look like an idiot.
However, I would hope that most people would recognize that if you make $50,000 per year and some loan officer tells you they can make it possible for you to buy a $400,000 house, you would recognize that something stinks. If your rent is $1000 per month, and a loan officer tells you that you could afford double, you should take the time to consider what that really means to your budget.
We have learned to take what we want and deal with the consequences later. Well, it’s time. The consequences have come a callin’.
Ok, I came back by to read other responses. I see you wanted someone to comment on the abortion part of your post.
You said:
” I don’t care how you feel about abortion, if you’re pro-life or pro-choice. PEOPLE are suffering…mothers, fathers, and CHILDREN. My heart is broken for a mother that is faced with that kind of decision to make, and she’s reached that crossroads because of finances. Whether or not I agree with her ultimate choice is irrelevant.
Let’s not attack the mothers for making their choices, and let’s not point our finger at the clinics providing these services. Where would these women and children be without that access to medical care they can’t get anywhere else?????
Instead of blaming them for the downfall of the American family, we really need to look in a mirror.”
I say:
I can’t disagree with you. I don’t attack mothers and fathers for making difficult decisions, even those that involve morally debatable issues. The decision to abort is a personal one. If they feel they can’t support a child and feel an abortion is for the greater good, then so be it.
Davida