copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org A child shrieks. Her fever is high; it has been for days. As the time passes, her condition worsens. Blood, sweat, and tears roll down the little girl's cheek. Her mother gently, strokes the tot's forehead. The loving parent, who lost her job a month earlier, knows there is little else she can do. Spare dollars, she has none. Change has not come. Without health insurance or an income, this woeful woman believes she can only lean forward and say, "Honey, everything will be all right." The free market will take care of us. |
| The mother recalls the sentiment of her former employer. Reluctantly, as the reality of the recession set in, he closed the shop he owned for more than two decades. He tried to console his tearful staff and himself. Sorrowfully, he said, "The free market will take care of us." Would the free market care for a sick child or a workforce ill with grief? Might the free market offer job insecurity, a benefit lost long ago? Could or would the free market ever calculate the number of unemployed and underemployed who do not appear in the statistics sited. American society is economically sick. Spare dollars, we have none. Change has not come. In America, an adult man cries out in pain. Emotionally he is distressed, economically depressed. Although he is highly educated, and was esteemed in his field, today, he too cannot claim to be gainfully employed, at least not any more. Ego aside, monetarily he has lost it. He never imagined he would be out of work, let alone for this long. On the radio and television he hears, Republicans in Congress feel they were "left out" when the economic jobs bill was drafted. He knows not whether to laugh or cry. "No one asked me if I might be included in decisions that directly affect my life," the woeful, out of work mister muses. "Left out?" The man, who once made a six-figure salary, is now left out in the cold. This once successful gentleman cannot pay his mortgage. The bank has foreclosed on his home. His future is grim. Spare dollars, he has none. Change has not come. Yet, persons sheltered from a physical and financial storm speak of the extraordinary system that made America a superpower. Those opposed to the stimulus package proposed by the President of the United States believe the free market will take care of us. Nothing needs to be done. The job market will improve some time soon. This crisis is but a blip. Information from the Conference Board, a global, independent membership organization that delivers knowledge about management and the marketplace, is but a sign of our current recession. Two million job losses are predicted for 2009; 2.6 million were lost in 2008. There is no need to worry. For now, spare dollars, Americans have none. Change has not come. Nonetheless, we can be certain Centrists and those on the Right believe, "The free market will take care of us." Those most affected by a long time lack of regulations, the people who did not benefit from a free market mentality, whimper, and wail. For them, this economic crisis began near a decade ago. Deregulation dominated and a monetary downfall was delivered. Those desperate for change to come understand, citizens of what was once one of the wealthiest countries in the world, lost employer benefits years before they received a pink slip. Few average Americans have been able to send their children to college for decades. Without constraints, the cost of a University education has increased 268 percent over the last thirty years. The housing bubble did not suddenly burst this past September. The fragile foundation that held up the American economy was shaky long before the commercial real estate market felt the quake. These common folks plead with the Administration. They say, as they did during the two-year Presidential campaign, "Spare dollars, we have none. Change has not come."! Faces flushed with despair delivered their message this Fall. They waited to vote. When the free market did not take care of them, they elected an Administration they hoped would. Today, these persons wail. The woe has worsened. The White House hears their cries. The new President asks Legislators to shed a tear for their constituents. Each Senator and Congressperson swears they do. However, some howl for voters who live in luxury homes. Others sob for those who have nothing left. Each declares; spare dollars, we have none. Change has not come. In quiet moments, anyone in this country might be victim to the inertia weighing heavily on Americans. No one is sure what tomorrow might bring, monetarily. Countless workers fear they may be next in an unemployment line. Small business owners, squeezed, ponder the possibility of a financial failure Even bellwether Blue Chip companies feel the pinch. Dividend dollars will not be paid to investors. More companies are likely to fail. Reports are fifteen (15) Companies Might Not Survive 2009. Throughout America, tears and fears flourish. The free market has taken care of us all. It is debatable whether a lack of government regulations has done this country well. Indeed, those in Congress deliberate. In the countryside, there is agreement; misery multiplies. Most would say "There is no pain-free cure for Recession." Consensus amongst the citizenry and members of Congress could be, "It is time for all of us to tighten our belts." Americans now spend less, save more, and sob as they anxiously await relief. Wunderkinds on Wall Street maintain; "This too shall pass." Persons on Main Street are concerned that they, or their progeny, might pass before any evidence of prosperity is realized. Centrists in Congress crouch in the corner. They remain proud, possibly calmed by the knowledge that they can insist that the Administration must, as Nobel Prize recipient, Economist, Paul Krugman states be "comforting [of] the comfortable while afflicting the afflicted." Thus, "the Destructive Center," also a term coined by Mister Krugman, will preserve the status quo, and stimulate a more catastrophic economic slump. In the name of the free market, more taxes will be cut. Less regulations on businesses and banks will be realized. Average Americans, in greater numbers, will walk to soup kitchens, sell trinkets that were once treasures, tend to loved ones who are injured, ill, and without medical coverage. Common citizens in the country will cry out. Rather than hear the pleas of the poor and the newly impoverished, members of Congress, those who are well-off, the financially secure, and steadfast will say, "The free market will take care of us all!" References for Recession . . .
|
 16
 
The Free Market |
|
| Rate It | View Ratings |
Betsy L. Angert Social Media Pages: 
I am an Educator, a student of life; I am an Author. On each path I learn from you and with you. Indeed. we all teach and study. Together we advance awareness and acumen. We learn, grow, and glow greater. Please peruse my prose at BeThink.org and (more...)
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.
If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.
STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
To View Comments or Join the Conversation:
