Mary’s “Land Of Opportunity”

Posted on by under Economic issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Mary is a single mother of three young children ranging in age from 6 to 14.  She works a full-time, minimum wage job, they live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and barely make ends meet.  Mary does not own a car but takes the bus to and from work.  If one of the children is sick and needs to go to the doctor, she relies on neighbors to help her out.  When Mary shops for groceries, she buys only generic brands or things that are on sale – they eat a lot of beans and rice.  Mary does receive some food stamp and rental assistance, but even that combined with her paycheck which amounts to just under $1,000 per month, Mary struggles to put food on the table, pay the rent and utility bills on time, and buy the essentials like medicine (one of Mary’s children is asthmatic, and Mary herself has insulin-dependent diabetes), clothes for growing children, etc.

How did Mary get in this situation?  She is not lazy by any stretch of the imagination!  Hers is a fairly typical story, actually.  She married immediately after graduating from high school and just before her pregnancy was noticeable.  Neither she nor her husband could afford college, so he went to work at a local manufacturing plant and Mary became a stay-at-home mom.  For a while, that worked okay … they didn’t have much, but they did manage to buy a car and rent a house in a decent neighborhood.  Then came the second child, and it seemed that Mary and her husband were no longer as close as they once were.  And then, Mary got pregnant again.  She was on the pill, but somehow it still happened.  She wanted to have an abortion … they could barely support their family of four … how could they possibly feed yet another mouth?  But her husband refused, told her that if she had an abortion, he would leave her.  And so, along came #3.

Two weeks later, Mary’s husband was laid off from his job and it would be six months before he found another.  Meanwhile, the two grew further and further apart, their once bright and shining passion long gone.  Mary caught him cheating on her and that was her final straw.  She took the children and left, thinking to move in with her sister for a time, but … the sister had her own set of problems and couldn’t take on any more.  She did allow Mary and the kids to stay for a month to let Mary get her bearings, a job, and a place to live.  Friends helped where they could, and Mary started cleaning houses for people in the community.  One day, one of her clients, a manager for a local supermarket, told Mary that there was an opening at his store and he would be happy to put in a good word for her.  Long story short, she got the job and finally had a regular paycheck, albeit a very small one.  Another friend helped her get a small apartment, while yet another helped out with daycare.

Mary’s husband, meanwhile, left the state after being ordered to pay $600 per month in child support, and Mary never heard from him again.

Mary’s story is not at all unusual for there are hundreds of thousands going through very similar struggles every day in the United States.  The United States, land of milk and honey, land of freedom and opportunity for all.  Now, compare and contrast Mary’s situation with just a few recent news headlines:

  • The Club for Growth is preparing to spend millions of dollars to help reelect the 20 House Republicans who opposed Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid.
  • Daniel Snyder sold the Washington Commanders NFL football team to a group led by Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.
  • Exxon’s gross profit for the twelve months ending March 31, 2023 was $117 billion, a 62.02% increase year-over-year. Exxon annual gross profit for 2022 was $114 billion, a 77.87% increase from 2021. Exxon annual gross profit for 2021 was $64 billion, a 107.49% increase from 2020.
  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the world’s richest person again, after shares of the electric car maker rose about 24% in May, according to Eikon data. Musk’s wealth jumped 40.3% year-to-date to $192 billion.

And those are just a few of the many stories of disgustingly mega wealth in the hands of a relative few in the “land of opportunity”.  Now tell me again that we don’t have a problem with wealth inequality in this nation.  Tell me again how the rich shouldn’t have to pay any more in taxes than you or I pay.  Tell me again that they worked hard for their billions and should be allowed to enjoy them.  And tell Mary, who is at this moment trying to pawn or sell the treasured family heirloom ring her grandmother left her those many years ago, in order to pay the electric bill this month.  What sort of future will her children have?  What would happen if every person with a net worth of $1 million or more donated 20% of his wealth to people like Mary, to causes to support the poor and the homeless?  Ask me again what I have against rich people.

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64 thoughts on “Mary’s “Land Of Opportunity””

  1. I don’t know. I do know that I always accumulated the most money when I was working too hard and had no time to spend it. Richard Pryor and I share an ability to converse with inanimate objects so it should be no surprise that “Brewster’s Millions” is a favorite. You would be surprised how long and hard it is to spend a million dollars let alone a billion. Just a little sympathy For The Devil.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. If we as human beings cannot help our poor, especially our children, we do not deserve to be called human! But the wealthy mostly don’t care. They got theirs — screw the rest!

    Liked by 2 people

    • I fully agree. THAT is what I will never understand … how anybody can just turn a blind eye to the suffering of others when they, themselves, have the wherewithal to help.

      Like

  3. My business partner and I talked about such destinies just today. When we traveled through a part of the US this year, watching the homeless in the cities broke my heart. One young man made me cry when he was so thankful for a handful of dollars and a blanket. How can there be spent billions for war but it is not affordable to install a supportive social net for those who really need it?

    Liked by 2 people

    • We have social agencies in Canada that help, but even they are too under-funded since Covid to help everyone. The numbers keep rising, and the dollars don’t go as far as they used to. Food banks can’t cope with the need.
      Asylum seekers from Ukraine and Africa are sleeping in the streets because the government can’t keep up with the demand. And still the wealthy are screaming about being overtaxed! One huge corporation in the Maritimes doesn’t pay a penny in taxes because they do all their paperwork in Bermuda, even though every penny they earn comes from Canadian consumers. They feel no responsibility to the citizens of Canada. They are real Money Parasites, and they control the governments so nothing gets done to stop them.
      Capitalism is a disease, and needs to be eradicated if it cannot be controlled.

      Liked by 4 people

      • Wow, I had not expected a situation like this even in Canada. The rich become richer while others cannot even afford their livelihood. There are so many volunteering. Without them everything would be so much worse. But they need support too to do their good job. Your last sentnence nails it completely!

        Liked by 1 person

    • Check out my ‘Good People’ post in the morning for a story along similar lines. Did you know there are more than 33,000 homeless veterans in the U.S.??? I was appalled to read that! And that’s just veterans … I don’t know how many homeless people there are in total. In one of the world’s wealthiest nations … this is unconscionable! Especially when some 700+ people are sitting on billions of dollars and could house and feed every one of those homeless people if only they would share a quarter of their wealth! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …

      Liked by 2 people

      • That is the problem in many countries of the world. There are a few really rich people who share most of the money and the rest is for everyone else. And the gap becomes bigger and bigger.
        I am not a supporter of any military unless they help people in exceptional circumstances. But t is so bad that those who went to the military serving their country in good will by jeopardizing their life are dropped from the same country like dirt.

        Liked by 1 person

        • That’s exactly it … the wealth inequity gap keeps getting bigger and bigger, leaving more and more people without the means for survival, while a privileged few live a life of obscene luxury. Sadly, every nation needs a military for self-defense … I wish it weren’t so, but human nature being what it is, no nation is exempt from war. Those who serve, who put their lives on the line to protect and defend us, should certainly be treated with more respect and dignity than they are. Our politicians boast about their support for the military, but once someone retires, they’re pretty much considered useless and the support suddenly evaporates. Sigh.

          Liked by 1 person

  5. Why on EARTH would any legal or illegal immigrant/refugee WANT to come to the U.S.!!!??? Much less Texas! Geeezzz, F-F-S! It makes no sense whatsoever to me when I’ve lived around and with such hardcore poverty, despair, and oppression of wealth equality and voter suppression laws. 🤦‍♂️

    Liked by 1 person

  6. This is the hardcore reality I see around me here in central Texas’ Hill Country every single day for the last 6-8 years. It also happens to be the 21st District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives held by none other than Chip Roy. Irony? Not at all.

    This story of Mary, of Sue, of Jane, of John, of Charles, of Wendy, of Betty, etc, etc, ad infinitum, has essentially been a repeated story in “The Land of Opportunity,” the land of Freedom & Liberty—that Lady Liberty once stood for & symbolized to the rest of the world a long long time ago—going back at LEAST 25-30 years, if not further. Here in Texas it began quickly and noticeably after 1995 when Ann Richards lost the Governorship to George W. Bush. Texas has been in steep decline over ALL categories of simple decent living standards ever since.

    Fact, we rank in most all categories either in the bottom-half or bottom-third (or worse). The only category we rank highest in is the economy AND no coincidence, our state “Rainy Day Fund” Project, started in 1988, but given steroids in 1997 to 2013, then triple-steroids in 2021–22 by radical tax reforms and new taxation methods, with the bulk of the money coming straight from sales tax on Texans. Other top profit-generating avenues for Texas has been federal income ($108-Billion) and “other revenues, such as fees, both of which are dedicated for particular purposes and thus not available for general-purpose spending on things like law enforcement or property tax relief” *

    Yet, despite this Gilded Age Boom since the late-90s and early 2000s, the state of Texas consistently ranks/ranked in the bottom-half or third in practically every single category of Living Standards! Riddle me that!? The two worst categories Texas ranks?

    • Level of Education Attained — most (peasant) Texans have no more than a HS diploma or GED. Only around 27%–29% have an Associates degree. Undergrad and Post-grad percentages are much much lower! Hence, most relocating mega/major corporations moving the HQ or Operations here hire workers OUTSIDE of Texas due to this horrendous long-standing stat of level of education acquired by Texans!

    • Teen Pregnancy & Repeat Teen Pregnancy — Texas is near the top of all 50 states for teen-mothers every time these stats are compiled; challenging Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, W. Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee every polling. Notice the states and their traditional political affiliation! THAT is no coincidence either!

    In Repeat Teen Pregnancy rates, Texas is #1. For me, that doesn’t shock me one bit. Why? Because of the state’s long-standing religious view (in schools) of policies promoting and educating Total Abstinence and No Sex Education (in schools) whatsoever for the last 15-20 years or more. * *

    Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/09/texas-budget-revenue-estimate/

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Too often “the rich” have the attitude that it’s the poor person’s own fault … -IF- they even know about them. I mean, think about it. With yacht trips and fancy dinners and meetings with their bankers and stock gurus, who has time to think about the people who are living on food scraps?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, I hear that frequently, that the poor are just ‘lazy’ and should get a job. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr … And yet, as you say, they don’t bat an eye when Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, not to mention many, many members of Congress, accept favours and donations in exchange for voting in favour of the wealthy and to the detriment of the rest of us. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …

      Like

  8. Reblogged this on Scottie's Playtime and commented:

    Thank you Jill. While we have many of the same viewers, for anyone that has not checked out Jill’s website I really recommend you check her postings out.

    The stories of how the people of lower incomes struggle to survive should be presented more to the public, so people can understand just how drastic the movement of money to the upper levels of wealth has become. It is a drastic robbing of the poor to give even more excess to the wealthy. It is the true obscenity of the US financial system and unrestrained capitalism. The salt in the wound is that it doesn’t have to be this way, all we have to do is look what other countries manage to provide for their public with less GDP than the US. That is why the republican politicians insist on touting US exceptionalism, the constant cheering that the US is #1, and the non-stop forever trying to make anything slightly helpful the government could do for the people derided as socialism. It is all designed to keep the public, the people of the country looking inward with pride and looking outward with scorn, even as we wither and die under robber barons who cherish the gilded age of history. Hugs

    Gilded Age, period of gross materialism and blatant political corruption in U.S. history during the 1870s

    Liked by 5 people

    • Thank you so much, Scottie, for reblogging this! This one had been floating at the periphery of my mind for several days and it just wouldn’t leave, so finally I had to write it. The wealth disparity in this nation is unconscionable for such a wealthy nation. Wealthy yes, but unfortunately only about 700 people are privy to that wealth … 700 out of a nation of more than 330 million!!! Thanks again, my friend … I greatly appreciate your support! Hugs

      Liked by 3 people

  9. oh Jill, I can just hear many saying: Why should rich people support poor ones? Or: None of my problems. Or rather, they all wouldn’t ever in their life HEAR about the Marys of this world….
    And not all rich ppl are horrible. And not all poor ppl are good ppl…. nobody ever said the world was fair and equal. I hope for Mary and others in her position that they do get help from the state, or town or some organisation. I really do.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Jill, thanks for Mary’s too common a tale. In the volunteer work I have done over the years, the agency I helped worked with working homeless families to stabilize their situation, offer a temporary rental subsidy based on their ability to pay part of it, and provide social work guidance. After 1,2 or 3 years depending on the need, these families would be housed on their own with no subsidy.

    A statistic we cited is people should not be paying more than 30% of their income for rent and utilities. When they do, they are at risk of being homeless. The key is to help these folks climb a ladder, but they have to climb it. That makes their effort sustainable,

    Many of our volunteers came from churches, synagogues, and temples. We used to make our volunteers sign a statement to not proselytize to those they helped. We found there was no need for such statement, as often those being helped were more or as pious as the helpers. Their faith was all they had. Keith

    Liked by 4 people

  12. My previous comment about Greta appeared on the wrong post. (Huge issues accessing your blog again this morning, I am sorry to say.)
    As for Mary, her story is familiar in England, with one huge difference. Her and her kids would get totally free healthcare here.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 5 people

    • I was puzzled, until I read this comment and now it all makes sense. I’m so sorry you’re still having problems, Pete! I wish I knew what to do, but I’m stymied. Mary’s story is more common in all western nations, I think, than we care to admit. What makes me so angry, though, is when I hear people say that people like Mary “are just lazy” or “should have made different choices in life”. Well, who among us haven’t made a few bad choices on the path of life??? It’s sheer arrogance and an excuse not to have to do something to help. Sigh.

      Liked by 3 people

      • I’m just about fed up with WordPress and its “Happiness Engineers” who have not engineered much happiness for me over the past week!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …

        Like

  14. There are those out there who do their bit with foundations, charities and so forth. I daresay for the rest there is a Book of Comforting Excuses to ease their troubled minds.
    A decent and very robust tightly run tax system would help…but of course that is socialism.
    It’s the opposite of The Lord Helps Those Who Helps Themselves……it’s called ‘Living In A Stacked Deck’ and its as old as Human Communities.

    Liked by 5 people

    • You are right about those like Bill Gates and others who have pledged half of their wealth and who do support good causes, but the majority are so high in their Ivory Towers, I think, that they don’t even see us struggling down here on the ground level.

      If an equitable tax system that alleviates both poverty and uber-wealth is socialism, then count me as a socialist.

      Liked by 3 people

      • I think those in Ivory Towers do see us struggling on the bottom, and it makes them smile! They enjoy our suffering. It gives them a (false) sense of superiority. The same bugs that eat our dead carcasses (barring cremation) will eat their dead carcasses! But they can’t think that far ahead. They think they are immortal…

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      • Welcome aboard comrade / colleague.
        Hint: Never get into an facebook page where UK lefties gather- the arguing over what is socialism and who is selling out can be spectacular .
        Mind you ‘Socialism and Socialist’ are terms which combine far more than the little brains of the average US right-wingers who calls out the term could ever comprehend.
        The Wiki page of ‘Socialism’ in printable form is 37 pages long with an additional 40+ pages of further reading and references !….and that’s only scratching the surface

        Liked by 1 person

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