You don't care about us
Sat through a portion of an absolutely AGONIZING interview with our state Senators. It was painful. Mississppi- poorest state in the nation, now with new and improved poverty to the tune of a $700,000 MILLION deficit. The state senators in the interview this morning were a really young white republican and a middle aged black democrat. The young republican smirked the entire time he talked about budget cuts. Budget cuts = layoffs you smug shit. Maybe you should school your fucking mouth before you forecast a poverty plunge for your constituents.
The middle aged black democrat was less offensive but about as useful as owl shit on a pump handle. They were answering questions from the news channel's blog and a young man who had graduated with a teaching degree had been unable to find a job because of the budget cuts to education. He asked if there was any hope of him finding a job this year (ie, were they going to keep cutting the education budget). The senator said both that they were and that they weren't, and that bills may or may not be passed and certainly that young man would have just as much of a chance in the coming year to find a job as he had had in the past, so no need to worry. Ahem. Except his chance of finding a job was zero, since he had not been able to find one, since no one was hiring teachers, so um, yeah. I think that is cause to worry. Asshole.
But that's life in Mississippi. I'm the most qualified non-attorney in my building (and I'm fairly certain that I am more qualified than one of the dipshit associate attorneys we just hired), but I make less now than I did four years ago and we are not getting raises this year.
I'm tired of making $10,000 LESS per year than the average in my field just because I live in MS. I'm tired of being surrounded by people who don't even know what punk rock is and would only turn their noses up at it if they were introduced to it. I'm tired of white folks openly hating black folks and black folks hating white folks, but it's not considered hate because they're black and cannot help it.
I'm tired of every single retail item being marketed with some form of camouflage or John Deere or stars and bars (that's the Confederate Flag to all you non-rednecks out there).
I'm tired of the height of culture being a new dish at the Olive Garden.
Mississippi is dying. It's a sinking ship. It's not ever going to get better. And it is with a sizeable knot of dread settling in my chest that I think about the years I have left here before I can escape. Will I have to go through bankruptcy? Will I finally have to abandon the dream of having children? Will I be able to make it out of here?
This is not the first time that I have marked off days and weeks and months and thought of a section of life as a prison sentence. But by God I'm going to bust my ass so it will be the last. 2010 may be nothing but sweat and tears, but this time next year, I am determined to be that much closer to the life I want.
The middle aged black democrat was less offensive but about as useful as owl shit on a pump handle. They were answering questions from the news channel's blog and a young man who had graduated with a teaching degree had been unable to find a job because of the budget cuts to education. He asked if there was any hope of him finding a job this year (ie, were they going to keep cutting the education budget). The senator said both that they were and that they weren't, and that bills may or may not be passed and certainly that young man would have just as much of a chance in the coming year to find a job as he had had in the past, so no need to worry. Ahem. Except his chance of finding a job was zero, since he had not been able to find one, since no one was hiring teachers, so um, yeah. I think that is cause to worry. Asshole.
But that's life in Mississippi. I'm the most qualified non-attorney in my building (and I'm fairly certain that I am more qualified than one of the dipshit associate attorneys we just hired), but I make less now than I did four years ago and we are not getting raises this year.
I'm tired of making $10,000 LESS per year than the average in my field just because I live in MS. I'm tired of being surrounded by people who don't even know what punk rock is and would only turn their noses up at it if they were introduced to it. I'm tired of white folks openly hating black folks and black folks hating white folks, but it's not considered hate because they're black and cannot help it.
I'm tired of every single retail item being marketed with some form of camouflage or John Deere or stars and bars (that's the Confederate Flag to all you non-rednecks out there).
I'm tired of the height of culture being a new dish at the Olive Garden.
Mississippi is dying. It's a sinking ship. It's not ever going to get better. And it is with a sizeable knot of dread settling in my chest that I think about the years I have left here before I can escape. Will I have to go through bankruptcy? Will I finally have to abandon the dream of having children? Will I be able to make it out of here?
This is not the first time that I have marked off days and weeks and months and thought of a section of life as a prison sentence. But by God I'm going to bust my ass so it will be the last. 2010 may be nothing but sweat and tears, but this time next year, I am determined to be that much closer to the life I want.