What does it say about our country when a political party is at war with the unemployed and the poor? Have we met the enemy and it is us?

Let us look at the human costs. When the Great Recession took place in 2008, no one asked to be laid off. Our workers were still doing their jobs, but nevertheless, just in the last 4 months of 2008, 1.9 million people lost their jobs. Some companies never recovered, while some of those who lost their jobs were counted as employed when they got a new job working for far less than what they had been earning. If you were 50 years old, you might still be looking for work because of age discrimination. Being out of work is dehumanizing, your self-esteem takes a big hit. You might have lost your house or your business, or your wife might have divorced you. One of your children might have gotten sick and you were without health insurance. You might even be on the street or living in your car.

Now members of Congress, not all, but enough, are saying no to extending unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed from a recession that was not the fault of those who are out of work. What manner of men or women are these who would take food out of the lips of the man or woman who is still unemployed?

The same can be said for these same Congress men and women who would get rid of food stamps for the poor. Why? What has happened to us, to where we have now become so heartless and cruel?

Some members of Congress are quite willing to pay for an M-1 tank when we don’t need one or an airplane like the F-22, that can’t fly. These members of the Millionaire’s club just might not care. They have left their humanity on the golf course or in the tanning salon. A few of these people are even doctors. Has anyone taken their pulse, lately? Forget tough love, how can they claim to care about their fellow citizens, and yet be so willing to let people suffer.

We elect these people, so we are to blame, too. We keep looking for enemies to fight, but maybe the enemy is ourselves. We talk about our country as being the home of the brave and how free we are. What a joke, a laughingstock we have become to the world. Tourists are amazed to see our homeless, instead of seeing the home of the brave. We send aid to victims of natural disasters across the globe, but cut food to children who go to bed at night, hungry, in our own country. 

What has happened to us? How can we look at ourselves in the mirror? We were the arsenal of democracy but now our soul is bankrupt.