700 Billion and Nothing

$700 billion.

If the government can come up with that to bail out supposedly smart, MBA types who run our corporations and banking systems, it shows it can come up with that money to invest in education, social services, people, restitution/reparations if it wanted to.

But the big lesson here... no surprise to most people I work with or know... it doesn't want to. Those things don't matter to politicians/government.

Because if those were priorities, someone would have said, "How about $1 billion each for Detroit, Newark, and the Appalachians (and all major inner-cities) to develop and rebuild?"

Someone would have said, "How about $1 billion to share among all currently-enrolled college students?"

Someone would have said, "How about $1 billion to cancer or HIV research?"

Someone would have said, "How about $1 billion to start to level the playing field for women, people of color, etc...?"

Someone would have said, "How about $1 billion for arts and sports programs for young people?"

All this... just because. No strings attached. No reaction to a crisis. Not because it scores points. Just because it's a right thing to do? I'm sure someone has... and we just don't know?

This is long before any financial crises occurred, all this could have happened... if it mattered to anyone in politics. And it would have left $695 billion for other "Invest in People" projects. Can you imagine?

Maybe I'm sarcastic and cynical at times. I'm still voting Democratic in November. I know we're a capitalist society and money makes everything turn in the U.S. For me, it's like once you know what you're dealing with you can adjust and plan accordingly. And for the record, I have no desires for handouts or freebies personally. I don't have a sense of entitlement or that I'm personally owed anything. However, it would be nice for the People In Charge to take initiative.

But it's got me wondering if all this change talk is just talk... or can/will anything really change.

More book stuff later :-)
fs