Let me start by saying that my heart has been warmed by the amazing outpouring of love and generosity to the victims of the tsunami. It truly shows that citizens of America and the world can look outside of their lives to help others in times of need. So, kudos to anyone who has donated any money, time, relief efforts, etc. You rock!
Now, I dont mean to sound like a super-nationalist or xenophobe, and God knows Im not, but wouldnt it be great if all the people willing to help out the victims of the tsunami were willing to spend a little time, energy and money on problems in the United States? It seems like we only rise to the challenge when we see the guy ringing the bell outside of the department store. It appears that we only think of the poor family at Christmas when the kids need presents and a fridge needs to be restocked. Well help out in times of tragedy, if there is the promise of talking to Madonna or Bono while making a pledge, but where are we the rest of the time?
These are all worthwhile situations and if you are someone who has helped feed a family at the holidays or donated money to the victims of a tragedy, Im not picking on you. Im calling out everyone to help out this great nation and to attack the tragedies that American citizens face on a daily basis.
What tragedies you ask, well how about these:
There are 3.5 million people a year in America who experience homelessness, 1.35 million of them are children.
In 2001, 11.7 percent of the U.S. population lived in poverty.
Children, which make up over a quarter of the population make up 35.7 percent of this nations poor.
405,926 people were living with AIDS in 2003.
560,000 Americans were expected to die of cancer in 2004.
Three million women are abused by their husbands or boyfriends a year.
There are 960,000 incidents of domestic violence against current spouses or partners a year in America.
In 2003, 400,000 additional children attended the nations classrooms. It was the 19th consecutive rise in school enrollment and yet school revenues and spending remained stagnant.
These are all issues that could use our attention, especially in our own neck of the woods. There are dozens of local organizations that would love to have even the smallest bit of help. Of course, there are also large national issues that could use some financial attention. While I applaud our government for helping other nations when they need it, I often wonder why issues in this country can be placed on the back burner. For example....
Social Security pays out half a trillion dollars to 47 million retirees and other recipients. By 2018 the system will pay out more in benefits than it takes in from payroll taxes.
The national debt is 7.6 trillion dollars. It has increased 2.12 billion dollars a day since Sept. 30, 2004. There are 295,364,329 people in the U.S. and their share of the national debt is $25,778.67. In 1791 the national debt, which is the amount of money owed by the government, was 75 million dollars. The national debt rises by that amount every hour.
Those are just the tip of the iceberg. Look around you and you can see other problems that need to be fixed. Do you want to battle substance abuse or teen pregnancy, poor arts funding in your local schools, traffic congestion and crime? What about helping seniors or cleaning up a neighborhood? It takes money and it takes motivation to do these things and it seems like most of our support comes in cycles and goes towards the flavor of the week.
I know that the tsunami was a major disaster and that there are close to 227,000 fatalities and perhaps a million or more victims but shouldnt we work just as hard, if not harder, on problems in our own backyard? We have a great country but things could be better. The statistics mentioned above should make you sick and you dont have to drive too far to see things in this area that could use a fresh coat of paint, some elbow grease and some attention.
Its never too late to make a New Years resolution and I promise that not only will I get more involved on helping out on the homefront but if you get involved and do something to make this city, state or country a better place, and you let me know about it, Ill find a way to mention your efforts in an upcoming edition of our paper.