A mansion, a project, and a platitude.
I had an "AH-HA" moment while looking in the mirror when I stumbled into the bathroom this morning - and no, it wasn't the discovery of my eyebrow on my cheek. It was the realization that someone out there appreciates me. The epiphany that my government does not ignore me. I am actually extremely important to them: I am part of the middle.
The middle class. The middle consumer. The inherited middle. My grandparents were middle, my parents are middle, my step parents are middle.
I have been contemplating returning back to school to obtain my Bachelor's Degree. The one obstacle I have encountered has been a financial hurdle as it seems too high to overcome. And the fact that I have no... what do they call it? Uh... giant stick... or long legs (no matter how well I hide this with 5 inch heels) - I have no assistance.
The very rich and the very poor are who receive financial assistance in their quest for an education. Whether this be in the form of a check written by their parents, or a check written by their government, someone other than themselves is funding their education. And, pardon me for this unpopular opinion, even illegal immigrants are the benficiaries of a welcomed check from an outside party.
My outside check? My outside check came along with an interest percentage. Apparently my middle parents earned too much to qualify for help to educate their children. They could afford their mortgage, but not college. They could afford groceries, but not books. Therefore, no one could help me. No one could give me a leg up for a degree, and so I acquired $20,000 worth of debt and a piece of paper that states I have attained an Associate's Degree. It is a debt that I am still paying off 10 years later.
It is through this denial of my need that my government keeps me middle. I have a job that pays me well. Well enough to pay off my student loans and my rent and my bills, but not well enough to buy a house, or continue my education, or fund my children's aspirations of a Bachelor's Degree. And this makes sense to me. Because, afterall, isn't it debt that keeps us going? They need my ambition and not my success. My ambition accrues interest and minimal tax deductions. My unsuccessful success prevents me from earning too little to qualify as sustainable, and too much to qualify as charitable.
I earn too much to procreate children who will earn too little or too much. My children will be right in the middle.
And really, its the middle class that keeps this country plodding along. And we cannot allow the middle class to amass too much power, or too much education, or too much money because if we did - who would sustain everyone?
The middle class. The middle consumer. The inherited middle. My grandparents were middle, my parents are middle, my step parents are middle.
I have been contemplating returning back to school to obtain my Bachelor's Degree. The one obstacle I have encountered has been a financial hurdle as it seems too high to overcome. And the fact that I have no... what do they call it? Uh... giant stick... or long legs (no matter how well I hide this with 5 inch heels) - I have no assistance.
The very rich and the very poor are who receive financial assistance in their quest for an education. Whether this be in the form of a check written by their parents, or a check written by their government, someone other than themselves is funding their education. And, pardon me for this unpopular opinion, even illegal immigrants are the benficiaries of a welcomed check from an outside party.
My outside check? My outside check came along with an interest percentage. Apparently my middle parents earned too much to qualify for help to educate their children. They could afford their mortgage, but not college. They could afford groceries, but not books. Therefore, no one could help me. No one could give me a leg up for a degree, and so I acquired $20,000 worth of debt and a piece of paper that states I have attained an Associate's Degree. It is a debt that I am still paying off 10 years later.
It is through this denial of my need that my government keeps me middle. I have a job that pays me well. Well enough to pay off my student loans and my rent and my bills, but not well enough to buy a house, or continue my education, or fund my children's aspirations of a Bachelor's Degree. And this makes sense to me. Because, afterall, isn't it debt that keeps us going? They need my ambition and not my success. My ambition accrues interest and minimal tax deductions. My unsuccessful success prevents me from earning too little to qualify as sustainable, and too much to qualify as charitable.
I earn too much to procreate children who will earn too little or too much. My children will be right in the middle.
And really, its the middle class that keeps this country plodding along. And we cannot allow the middle class to amass too much power, or too much education, or too much money because if we did - who would sustain everyone?