The Raw Flipside

I have friends who say, “Oh, I hate politics, that’s just not my thing – or I don’t understand government – what does that have to do with me?” My response is always “It has EVERYTHING to do with YOU! Do I enjoy watching CNN and C-Span? Not exactly, but I believe it is important to know what is going on in America.

American’s have had a luxury of not having to pay attention to their government – why would they when everything is still running, you still have your job, you just follow a few laws and you don’t have to care who’s running what. Other countries, they HAVE to know what’s going on – if they publish something, will they get arrested, or worse, sentenced to death? Do they have rights to speak freely? We take our rights for granted, but now we are entering a time in America’s history where Generation Y – they have to wake up and realize things aren’t how they were, and it’s up to us to change it.

I am worried for my future; I have heard the horror stories of newsrooms facing major job layoffs. I turn on NPR and hear that there are 6,000 job layoffs at an engineering company, I have friends that are graduating this year that don’t know what s going to happen to them.

What good is their degree if they can’t get a job?

I know many people are getting second jobs, my friend Melissa is a Paralegal, she’s married and 27 years old – she did her time in college, and she’s looking for retail work just to pay her bills.
My brother, cousin, uncle – I know so many people that have been laid off. Some people get lucky and they can jump back in the job cycle – but most don’t.

Programs are being cut. Internships and co-op programs are being put aside, which is disabling the opportunity for students to learn and get hands-on experience. Ultimately, that means your dream of being a journalist or your dream of being an engineer – they’re getting cut even before they’re able to get into the field.

The fact that kids aren’t able to get college loans is scary enough. I should say, it’s terrifying.

I’ve been working since I was 16 – I worked my way through cashier jobs and retail – to waitressing and bartending – it scares me that I can get out of college and only have that bar job, but then again, the RAW FLIPSIDE is - at least I have that.

Everyone keeps saying – “In this economy” – And the solutions just seem to be hurting us more – the job layoffs cause a perpetual cycle of less spending and less money feeding back into the economy in the first place.

You know a lot of promises were made during the campaign season – but assimilating a concrete plan doesn’t seem to register as tangible. I can’t see a solution, it’s like America has dug its own grave – or rather, the elite community of Wall Street and Washington have gotten their hands dirty and dug this pit we’re in.

For their next trick? Taking away the libraries.

I always thought it was strange when I drove to Temple University via Broad Street and passed a Library right next to a Strip Club. I thought, well, at least this area HAS a library.

Mayor Nutter is cutting budgets and funding in Philadelphia, I think its looking grim. Some governement paychecks should be cut before they start closing down our libraries.

I remember going to "Science in the Summer" at Holmesburg Library in Mayfair when I was a kid, playing with the puppets in the children's section, finding my tween obsession with The Babysitter's Club book colletion (I wanted to be artsy Asian chick Claudia because of her long black hair).

Holmesburg Library was opened in 1862 by Thomas Holmes...1862! The building is like a time portal that you step into and find a different world - shelves almost to the climatic ceilings with books! (In vain I used to sneak away from my mother and try to find the trashy romance novel section.)

Did that last comment kill the sentimental mood?

I know "the economy is failing," but the libraries? Really?

There are no plans to reopen the libraries that are closing even if the deficit improves.

Anyone else amped up with anger because their childhood library is going to the grave? I don't despise Nutter, (that would be how I feel about our previous mayorial predecessor) I just want to punch him in the arm and say, "Hey Buddy, What the hell are you doing?"