Somewhere in America

.
Somewhere today, a family is planning a joyous family celebration, a wedding, lots of hoopla, maybe some barbeque. In the family backyard, designer gowns and lots of bridesmaids. The details are sketchy, so far. Intimate, private.

Somewhere in America today, a family is wondering how it will make the mortgage payment, put food on the table. The celebrations are few. Graduation from high school? Not happening in this family. Like too many, this family's child dropped out.

Somewhere in America today, a parent is learning the job they counted on is pink slipped. Hey, you're a statistic. One of a thousand. Laid off.

Somewhere in America today, a tow truck is coming to take away the car the family can no longer afford to pay for or put gas in.

But don't worry, things are looking up. The Very Important Pundits told me so.

Somewhere in America today, a political campaign is wearing on, and one candidate talks "electability" and I've got the working class white vote and points fingers at the other guy and works to make him "other" and refuses to see that dividing the working folks and those who need to work and those who need a government that works instead of always dippin' its beak for its cronies on the backs of the working class is the pathway to disaster in November again.

Somewhere in America today, a weary man sits back and begins to plan for the next long stretch of the road.

And somewhere in America today, a lost soul who needs an opportunity, a hand-up, not a hand-out, walks down the sidewalk to the Salvation Army for a free breakfast before heading to the day labor center to see if there'll be some work to get him through the rest of the day.