Over the weekend a Presidential hopeful was stridently grilled of his assessment to publicly debate that our current place in history is captained by a Food Stamp President. Immediately he was labeled a racist.
Calmly, the former Speaker of the House explained how research has put a face on the number of American’s currently receiving monthly government help. At no other time has there been such a demand.
Is it wrong to say there aren’t enough fingers and toes on my body to count the number of hungry families I know? Should I be embarrassed by the height of the mountains keeping school children unfocused in class because they’re not getting proper nourishment?
As a child I never knew why I wore the ugliest shoes. I couldn’t figure out the reasons why other’s would point then laugh at the jacket barely covering my shivering skin. I didn’t eat lunch at school because I was embarrassed to let co-students see me drink powdered milk, eggs and anything extremely cheap. By junior high the system had changed and we were allowed to keep a card the lunch lady would punch but mine was always a different color than the others.
But this isn’t about me…
And I refuse to make this writing endeavor a political statement.
Nobody wants to talk about homelessness not even those living on the street.
I can’t hide the numbers that are invisibly growing. Therefore the journey has become a walk through a manmade forest. Why should this collection of eroded gullies and ancient canyons be any different? Shocking isn’t the new face of homelessness but the silence so many hold in what they brag as being an open door or warm heart and palm.
So this week I traveled outside the trees, to a different ridge. To the assumed grand beauty of a section of the nation so proud and even here the soil is poisoned.
Because Native American’s don’t believe in fate; I find no reason to locate a purpose as to why the footsteps of my path have led me to a trail baring the name of Jerry West.
A quick glance at his bio and even my mother would question the decision to enter the sacred circle holding the often ignored questions. His Florida ministry is based on identifying demons. He travels the country dressed in heavy makeup and large metal like shielded costumes that a younger generation finds Super-Hero-like only to learn there’s a much deeper message.
Trusting gut instinct and the knowledge of knowing how showmanship can be an extremely powerful tool, I tightly held the glossy promotional photo of Jerry laced up and ready for war and hardly took the split in a fast paced second to decide, “This guy has story which will help build bridges over valley floors on this journey back to America.”
I am the interviewer. Every week for fifty two total I’ll ask only five questions.
Interviewer: No matter where you travel you can’t hide the differences that separate the rich, middle class and poor. But if you stop long enough a fourth class is beginning to appear closer in rearview mirrors. Do you see this as the start of a third world?
Reply number one: I’m not an optimist or a pessimist but a realist. I see things the way they are. The south has always been known as a different group of people. But that’s what makes this country great. We have the south, northeast, southwest and the Pacific northwest. But for some reason conditions in the south have always been different which can be traced all the way back to the civil war…the south has never lost a painful stigma of being like a third world country of helplessness and homelessness. Personally I believe if enough of us ban together to do something about our current conditions without relying on the aid of the government then the south won’t return to the way it was. If each person would agree that enough is enough and do one thing to change the face of today an entire nation will change. We have the power to affect everybody.
Interviewer: Can churches and rescue missions afford to keep helping people?
Reply number two: We’re in a position to always provide help. I’m not talking about a particular denomination but every denomination. Forget what the marquee says outside on the wall and realize that the word “church” is a single body that never stops reaching into lives requiring help.
Interviewer: What’s more important dropping a couple of bucks in the plate on Sunday morning or offering your time at a soup kitchen?
Reply number three: When you share five or five hundred dollars know the majority of the churches in America will be helping the homeless. Whether it’s for food, clothing, temporary shelter or a chance to grasp hope again…by providing a couple of extra bucks someone’s life will change for the good because they believed in themselves enough let a church or rescue open the door for them to locate a new job.
Interviewer: Are the new faces of homeless the birth place of new missionaries and teachers? Basically meaning, could these experiences be an extremely valuable education for future Americans?
Reply number four: Anybody can teach. You don’t have to be homeless. Any experience is a life experience. You can spend thousands of dollars on the best education and walk out a dummy. I’m not against education because I believe we need to educate ourselves. A life experience is the best way to communicate a more peaceful tomorrow. Use the experience to teach other’s how to survive when things look bad. Don’t be shy with your experiences…what you went through can change another life so they don’t endure the same experience. These are the mistakes I made…let me help you make the right choice.
Interviewer: In the past five years a lot of jobs and lives have been destroyed because of corporate cutbacks that tend to finance the pockets of CEO's and Stockmarket Share Holders rather than the hardworking employee...how do you react to the Presidential hopeful that believes Corporate America is not a corporation but rather a person? If it truly is a person then what laws should be enforced to help correct conditions at work?
Reply number five: People are people. The Government is for the people by the people. A statesman speaks on behalf of the people while a politician speaks on behalf of the person giving them a vote. We the people of the United States need to hold those controlling our tax dollars accountable. If you want to look at it from a Corporate American standpoint then someone needs to remind them that they work for us.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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