John Kerry and Halloween

I don't see why so many are getting totally wacked over John Kerry's statement yesterday. It seemed obvious to me what he was saying and it holds an element of truth. In this society, if you don't have a college education, you're not likely to have many options for the future. You will probably "end up in Iraq". It has been known for a very long time that many young people from lower economic backgrounds join the military for benefits. The military often recruits on this basis, offering college funds for a few years of service.

The thing Kerry, quite an elitist himself, failed to mention is that college isn't a choice for many young people. Like most elitists, the underlying tone of his message was "if you really want it badly enough, you can make it happen." Most young people are unable to afford tuition so they take out student loans that leave them in debt for years or are otherwise are forced to try to make it without the benefit of higher education. And it certainly does impact the remainder of their lives. It seems that only the privileged get the benefit of a college education without dooming themselves to a life of debt slavery.

When I went to college, the fees were reasonable and I was typically able to scratch together the funds with a part-time job. Community colleges were free which took care of two years. There were times I went to night school and worked full-time during the day. When I was no longer able to go to the community college, I worked at night and attended class during the day. Somehow, I managed to get through with a little bit of struggle and sacrifice. Heck, I was young and could take quite a bit of abuse.

Not true for the kids today. What options are available for them beyond these extraordinarily high student loans?

The military might logically look like an option.

I am no fan of John Kerry. He was born into privilege, and then married and divorced and married back into even more inherited wealth. He's certainly no one to lecture anyone about making it in America. If he were to give personal advice about making it, it would have to be to marry rich women. Back in my day, we had a name for that.

Just once, I would like to hear a politician (from any country!) address the issues, propose solutions and give a plan for implementation. Yeah. I know. Ain't gonna happen.

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Last night, I was blog-surfing and ran across quite a few about Halloween. Call me overly-cynical but it has always seemed odd to me that we teach children that it is okay to go to a stranger's door and coerce something with the threat of retaliation if their demand is not met.

This is subtle ~ and I know I am overly inclined to recognize these underlying messages in some customs. Why not have block parties for the kids instead? Or sponsor the parties at church or school? Come up with something a bit less aggressive for the kids to enjoy?

Just thought I'd throw it out there for consideration.


Peace to all,


Thailand Gal
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