1961—A TIME OF HOPE

I specifically remember the year 1961 because it was the year that my husband and I and our two sons, aged 7 and 11, experienced our first airplane ride. We flew to Western Europe and went camping there for two months. I had gone back to work and we had saved enough money for the trip if we carefully watched our expenses. I had purchased the book, “ Europe on $5 a Day” and we kept close to that target. This was possible because our U.S. Dollar was so valuable all over the world. 1961 was a time of hope and we were justly proud of our country. We were welcomed everywhere we went and every European was pleased to meet an American and seemed to love the United States.
At home more and more people were moving into the middle class. Everyone expected that his children could look forward to an even better life than he had. The suburbs were growing, wages were going up, home ownership was increasing, and people seemed to be able to afford doctor visits. Our factories were humming. Our country was a creditor nation.
Today it is so different. Our country is trillions of dollars in debt. Many of our factories have closed. It is almost impossible to buy anything made in the U.S.A. Foreign companies and countries are buying parts and parcels of our country because of the trade imbalance. Our administration even wants to sell off our national forests, our port facilities, and other national assets. People all over the world have expressed dislike for our country, and sometimes-even hatred. Wages have gone down and companies are continually requesting that their workers take pay cuts. Our government seems incapable of maintaining the borders of our country and it is being flooded with illegal aliens.
This afternoon I saw the film “ Good Night and Good Luck” in Boone. It told of the successful fight to preserve the right to defend oneself against unsupported allegations, and the importance of freedom of expression. And yet, in the past week one of our Senators was called a “traitor” for expressing disapproval of the President’s actions, which many thought were illegal.Will it ever be possible for our children and grandchildren to live again in a “ Time of Hope” in our country? I pray that this may happen.

PEOPLE OF FAITH

A vital concept in both the Hebraic and Christian tradition is that it is most important to take care of the poor and the less fortunate among us. The administration in power in Washington now prides itself as being strongly concerned with biblical values. But, in truth, it has shown utter disregard for the needs of our middle class, our elderly, and our poor. It has passed a budget that rewards the rich with huge tax cuts and has slashed appropriations for Medicare, Medicaid, student aid, and other vital services. It is looking for even deeper cuts in next year’s budget. It has absolutely refused to negotiate with the drug companies to lower drug prices for Medicare recipients. It is making it difficult or impossible for Americans to purchase their medications from other countries where the prices are significantly lower. It has fostered trade policies and encouraged outsourcing, with the effect of the closing of our American factories and the loss of good paying jobs. Middle Class Americans are losing their health insurance and going deeper into debt. The poor cannot go to a doctor at all. Recently the North Carolina Republican Party sent a request to the churches in our state for a list of the contact information of the parishioners. The Party wants to prove to “people of faith” that their Party is the most true to the biblical tradition. This is basically wrong for three reasons.1- Churches are places to worship and should not be involved with political propaganda.2- ours is a secular nation and there is a division between church and state, 3- the policies of the Republican Party are not consistent with biblical teachings. The Republican Party will again emphasize that it is against gay marriage and abortion. It wants “people of faith” to feel that this is more important than health care, jobs, medical insurance, the ridiculously low minimum wage, and a variety of services to the poor that have been cut. I can only hope that “people of faith” can realize what is really most important. Perhaps, at this point, only God can save America. But, hopefully, the “people of faith” who attend our churches and other places of worship will help save America.