I don't think Tricia was responding to you, but to the conversation above about who people were intuiting would be the next president. I don't think it's fair to imply that she, or any of us, are not listening to you because she didn't immediately reply to your story.
For what it's worth, it's heartbreaking that you can't afford to buy apples. Allow me to gently suggest though that you are not the first or only generation with that issue. I am a 42-year old woman and I spent many years of my 20s and early 30s with $0 in my bank account, eating boxed mac and cheese, while I went to school and worked part time or full time jobs. I also spent the majority of my adult life with no health insurance and no possibility of health insurance - it simply was not on the table if your employer didn't offer it, if you were in school, or if you were a freelancer, all of which I experienced at various points. For people of my generation, we have made leaps and bounds in terms of progress, largely via the Obama administration which -lest we forget - Mitch McConnell explicitly pledged to stop at every turn. For example, while I am all for Medicare for All, I am incredibly aware of and thankful for Obama and Nancy Pelosi getting health care coverage passed AGAINST ALL ODDS. They literally had to shove it through before the tea party came roaring into the house and senate. Personally, the passage of the ACA was critical. I was only able to afford to have my baby because of the ACA's mandate that pre-existing conditions be covered (I moved states without a job when I was pregnant, which is considered a "pre-existing" condition) -and that is something that was literally impossible before the ACA. So many older women spoke to me about how they lost jobs when they got pregnant or were unable to move jobs when they were pregnant throughout the 80s, 90s and 2000s. For us, and so many people with pre-existing conditions, so many students who hadn't been covered by their parents' insurance before, the ACA was an incredible move in the right direction.
Change is coming, change is here - look at how far Biden has come in terms of what he says he now espouses. We can keep pushing him to change if he is the candidate. We can vote in a blue senate and blue house and get shit done.
I guess my point is, don't count us out. Most of us here have been through more than you know, more than we admit, and want just as much change as you do, we just might have different ideas of how to get there.
What I hear here is people putting their faith in politics or a specific politician to change things for them. We deny our agency and while we may not be able to change the cost of food or big circumstances we can change our attitude- we can say to our colleagues that we appreciate a politics- free space to work, tell our bosses if they don’t stop- or offer your perspective- I wouldn’t want to hear someone calling another woman shrill no matter who she was. Unity is a choice we each make- I don’t blame Obama for not achieving unity- I saw him try hard. But what I learned from that experience is that we are responsible for our role in how things are. If I want unity then I have to be unifying and reach to others with lovingkindness- I have to embody the change I want to see. I Recognize my agency in the way things are- no one is going to save us or destroy us- Bernie isn’t our savior, and Biden isn’t going to stop us from changing things either. We’ve seen over and over that our local communities will be far more impactful than the federal government. But if we look for opportunities to connect with those we may not agree with we change things and if we don’t things stay the same or get worse. The opportunity to connect doesn’t just mean listening to others- it’s about sharing your experience too- it’s a powerful narrative.
I am still chuckling to myself over unk-p's ramen post. I hate it for a reason.
I remember over dinner one night as newlyweds, my husband asked me to promise that if/when we were financially secure, I wouldn't serve Hamburger Helper (or Tuna Helper) anymore.
Looking in the couch for change, mac & cheese, barest-minimun grocery buying, rent stressing. Yep.
@anumidium I am so so sorry that you are going through this. I have been there too when I was in school. There were months when my student loans were late and I couldn't afford tuition, rent and food at the same time. One month I developed a terrible case of tonsillitis and an obstruction in my throat that was gradually making it impossible to breathe, this required a trip to the hospital. Luckily for me when I didn't have $10 to rub together I was living in Canada and I didn't get any medical bills. This is WHY I push so hard for universal healthcare - it literally saved my life. I understand the rage of looking at others older than ourselves who point their fingers downwards and give us empty platitudes. That's not helpful, it never has been nor will it be.
For some people change is not a hypothetical idea whereby we hope things will get better and the powers that be in elected office throw us some more crumbs. For many many people change is an urgent necessity, a necessity that cannot wait on the hearts of old white men who've never had to think deeply about poverty themselves to open their hearts.
I am now financially comfortable. If there's something I can do for you like sending a little money or food please comment below and I'll get on it.
Love
Natalie
@anumidium what response are you seeking in a free range conversation?
Mother of a 28 year old and a 31 year old
I just told y’all that I can’t afford apples and you’re still talking about a woman president. While I agree that’s important, this is why my generation is angry. Y’all aren’t listening to us.
I just have to laugh at this. No really, think about it -- a woman president, particularly Elizabeth Warren of all people, might just be the person who will lower the price of apples for you! Or better yet, she would lower your cost of housing, solve income inequality to raise your wages, make college tuition-free, cancel your student debt, lower prescription drug costs, etc etc so that you don't actually have to worry about the price of apples anymore!
https://www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues/elizabeth-warren/
P.S. Not laughing at your financial struggles -- only at the misplaced anger at those of us who were talking about a potential woman president who is likely to actually be part of the solution. Having grown up in poverty and experienced these kinds of worries, I have to agree with other posts here that say -- worry about affording apples or other produce for healthy eating is not something new or limited to millenials (I'm assuming that's what you identify as). For the record, I'm a late gen X-er. This is why we need change, and why we must #votebluenomatterwho.
I don't think Tricia was responding to you, but to the conversation above about who people were intuiting would be the next president. I don't think it's fair to imply that she, or any of us, are not listening to you because she didn't immediately reply to your story.
...
I guess my point is, don't count us out. Most of us here have been through more than you know, more than we admit, and want just as much change as you do, we just might have different ideas of how to get there.
Thank you MMA for explaining to @anumidium that I was only posting in this Bernie thread about the topic of POTUS / VP and not responding directly about the apples comment.
@anumidium It made me sad to hear you couldn't even afford those apples. And like Natalie, I would be happy to buy you those apples too. I was once sharing a home with several roommates when I was younger and had to sleep on other people's couches for a while, yet it was years ago and what the younger folks like yourself face now is not right. Neither is not having affordable healthcare, housing, threats of cutting social security and medicare, College tuition being too high, etc. Perhaps that's why we are all trying to get people like Elizabeth Warren in a place of power because it sure isn't going to happen with the GOP in the White House and the Senate.
It's also true that we have to do what's best for our communities on a local level and not rely on one man or woman or our government to solve it all for us.
MMA,
I read your post a second time, and appreciated it even more, and what you said, so, so, so true!
My husband had to go into the hospital for surgery shortly after we we married. No money. No health insurance even though we both worked. We've both worked two and even three jobs from time to time, down through the years. We had to pay the bill. It took forever. Nobody helped us.
I think it's tougher for millenials now because, as usual, wages haven't kept up with the cost of living. But weren't wages proportional to the COL then, too?
I don't recall being "angry." Maybe I was and don't remember. I do remember being hyper-stressed, worried and jealous of people who were financially comfortable. I also know we've worked our asses off our whole lives. I think most people have been there.
I remember when Hillary Clinton got absolutely crucified in the media, and by the GOP, when she put forth her healthcare for all proposal. Ahead of her time, that woman.
Sanders and Biden aside, we all need to remember that the Rethugs are still hard at work trying to repeal the ACA, pre-existing coverage and everything that goes with it. Millions of people without healthcare, again? No sleep lost for them.
Reading The NY Times this morning has me feeling nauseated at that newspaper's willingness to trash Bernie Sanders. The paper is reporting on a 1989 effort that Sanders made when Mayor of Burlington, VT, with encouragement from the Reagan administration, to develop a positive relationship with a sister city in Russia. That was before Putin. That was 31 years ago. That was an effort encouraged by Ronald Reagan who has been hailed for his relationship with the Kremlin during his administration to put an end to the Cold War. It has zero to do with Donald Trump's 2013 - 2020 relationship with Vladimir Putin which has weakened out national security and benefited oligarchs.
For the Times, this story is an embarrassment. It reminds me of their Judy Miller stories back in 2002 that showed "proof" that Iraq had weapon's of mass destruction. Back then, they let an irresponsible, unprofessional narcissistic reporter dominate the front pages and make the case for war against Iraq. Now they are reporting this same kind of propaganda nonsense.
Ironically, I've been encouraged by some of the posts here that Biden might be just the calming healing influence our country needs right now.
However, what matters to me is that the process of choosing a candidate is honest and non manipulative.