Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in America, a time to reflect on the past year and count our blessings. Our own personal blessings, and our collective national blessings as well.
In Moberly, Missouri, 106 elementary school children will be having supper Friday night only because of the kindness and charity of local school officials. Every Friday afternoon, the staff at Moberly Public Schools fills 106 backpacks with soup, canned ravioli, canned fruit and cereal bars—enough to see the kids through the weekend. Poor kids. Without these gifts, 106 children would go to bed hungry.
Stephen Hemsley, CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealth, makes $57,000 per hour. Every day. He won’t be fumbling through a backpack, hoping for a can of Chef Boyardee.
The national unemployment rate stands at 10.2%, and thousands of jobless New Yorkers and their families will be fed a holiday meal by the Salvation Army on Thursday. The charitable organization expects to serve almost 10 times more dinners than it served last Thanksgiving. Times are tough, and people are hungry.
300 Goldman Sachs employees have agreed to help bolster the firm’s sagging public image by helping with cleanup after the Salvation Army’s free holiday meals. A day later, on black Friday, the firm’s employees will hit Manhattan’s upscale stores and boutiques to spend some of the $23,000,000,000 (that’s 23 BILLION) dollars the firm will be handing out in bonuses to its employees this year—employees who are paid an average annual salary of $775,000. Like I said, times are tough.
3 million Americans were homeless last year, and 64,000 people in Los Angeles were forced onto the streets by legal eviction. In Los Angeles tonight 17,000 homeless parents and children will be looking for shelter. Looking for someplace safe to sleep. Someplace where sleep is possible.
Ed Hanway, CEO of health insurance titan CIGNA, took home a whopping $12.2 million dollar salary last year. No telling how much this year. Ed lives in a nice house. He’s never been homeless.
450,000 people in Arkansas have no health insurance. Last Saturday, 1400 or so of Arkansas’ uninsured packed into Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center to receive free health care at the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) “C.A.R.E” event. That’s one of those increasingly popular events at which Americans receive needed health care in a model developed for agencies providing medical relief to third world countries. 83 percent of free clinic patients nationwide have jobs.
According to an NAFC spokesperson, more than 90 percent of those seeking help at the Little Rock clinic were suffering from 3 or more life-threatening conditions. Everything from hypertension to cardio-vascular disease to cancer were diagnosed. Two men had heart attacks. It’s hard to provide needed treatment for such ailments at a weekend clinic.
While the clinic was going on in Little Rock, Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln was in Washington, waffling on whether or not to cast a vote to allow debate on a proposed health care reform bill. She has since said she will not vote for the reform bill currently before the Senate—not as long as it contains a public option. You know, the part that helps poor people. It costs too much, and it’s just unfair to the health insurance companies, she says. She keeps her cadillac health insurance plan either way.
“You must defend those who are helpless and have no hope. Be fair and give justice to the poor and homeless.”
In a Harris Interactive poll, 16% of Americans attributed that radical statement to Barack Obama. 13% thought the words to be those of the Dalai Lama, and another 8 percent gave credit to Martin Luther King. Other guesses included a wide range of “liberal” or “progressive” celebrities and public figures. Only 13% of participants realized that the Bible has something to say about social justice and that the passage is in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. (Proverbs 31:8-9, CEV, ©American Bible Society)
America is a Christian nation with Christian values and a commitment to the Christian principles of faith and good stewardship. That’s what I’m told. 83% of evangelical Christians believe that free market capitalism is God’s plan for a Christian economy, and profit is synonymous with stewardship. God rewards those who reward themselves, or something like that.
Blessings come in different sizes. Some great, some small. Some from the heart, others not blessings at all.
On Thursday, Americans will give thanks. Each in his or her own way.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
America isn’t like the way you say. You want it to sound like nobody cares about poor people and the government should take over health care for everybody. Christians and churches are willing to help anyone who has a problem through no fault of their own to get back on their feet. Socialism will be worse for everybody not just those with a lot of moeny and this is where Barack Hussein Obama is taking us. You should stop hating America and give thanks for everything we have here. It is not perfect but it is the best that the world has ever seen.
Laura,
I beg to differ with you. Ninety five percent of the time I agree with the writings Prentice and Mary Ann post on their PerkersonPark blog. Does this mean I hate America? Quite the contrary. This is the land of my birth and the land of my parents birth. I love this country that has given so much to my family and others. I have lead a privledged life in many ways. However as much as I love and appreciate the good ole U.S. of A I also realize there are inequalities that are inexcusable and quite shameful. I believe it is necessary for any person, regardless of his or her political affiliation or social values, to constantly be on guard to protect and defend the freedoms guaranteed in our constitution. Sometimes that even means looking at the intent of our forefathers and to better refind that original intent. Were it not for great social activists who saw inequalities within the constitution our country would be much less than it is today. Because of social activists women have the right to vote. Indeed it was social activism that has given every adult citizen of any race or class to cast his or her vote. Because of social activism men, women and children of color are no longer considered property. Because of social activism women and men are guaranteed the right to equal pay for equal work. Social activism put children of various races together in schools. No longer is it legal to work children in sweat shops. Older adults are protected from abuse. It is no longer legal to warehouse the mentally ill or physically challenged thanks to social activists. Activism also enabled different cultures and races to live together side by side on any street in this great country. No longer are disabled children denied an opportunity to an education. No longer do disabled adults have to endure discrimination in housing or employment. I think you get the idea Laura. Identifying and speaking out against those things that divide or lessen us, is a sacred duty. Speak out – defend – promote change. Those are rights given us because we are Americans. It is not because we hate this country. Quite the contrary, at least for me, it is love for this country that enables me to continue on a journey of fighting for those not so fortunate. It is love Laura, it is not hate.