In this economy, I am sitting at my living/dining room table, in my apartment that I rent, the rent on which I am a month behind, eating ramen noodles, debating over paying my gas bill and overdrawing my account when my rent check goes through or not paying my gas bill so I avoid those stupid $35 overdraft fees (Bank of America will never go under if I have anything to do with it) and taking the chance that my gas will be turned off before I can make a substantial payment next week, in January, in weather below freezing at night, with small children in the house who like to go places and eat stuff and stay warm.
Maybe spreading the wealth isn't such a bad idea. I'm not asking for a hand out, I love to work actually. I am asking for a break, though. A break from a life that requires worry over simply surviving, let alone saving. That guy from Newsweek, maybe he came over the ocean from some far away land, and he worked really hard from the time his feet hit American soil to amass such great wealth that he could "go downstairs and buy a Ferrari right now." Maybe he spent days agonizing over which bill to pay with this week's check and hoping that the final notices will wait two more weeks till the next pay check. Maybe he has wished for days of either or, tired of always enduring days of anything or nothing.
I understand the need for and point of capitalism. I am a capitalist. I am working as hard as I can to make as much money as I can. But there is never enough. And there is this hole that I am in; not even counting debt, we're talking day to day, week to week, month to month life. How is there not enough? If you work this hard, you shouldn't fall into this hole. This well; a slick, slimy walled well, with no finger holds, no bottom, and a bucket that keeps banging you on the head each time you come up for air and a glimpse of the open sky that you know is there only because that stupid bucket has gotta be coming from somewhere, right?
I'm sure that Newsweek guy knows exactly how I feel.
I won't give up. I mean who's a quitter really, but some of us are I guess. We pass them on the street and feed them at Christmas time, and we pity them. Sometimes we think if they would have just worked harder or hadn't had those vices, they'd be where we are instead of where they are, down there beneath us. But we are so much closer than we think. I choose the wrong bill, and I get evicted. It is that life or death.
And Newsweek guy feels my pain, he has decided not to build his multimillion dollar apartment thing in New York. I really, really appreciate his contribution.
