This morning I put $60 worth of gas in my vehicle and it already had a quarter of a tank in there. As I stared at the huge discrepancy between the top and bottom numbers, as if urging the number of gallons on the bottom to please catch up with the dollar number on the top, I began to think of all the things I would much rather spend my hard earned taxed dollars on. Like ordering out food because it is rare that I get the urge to pull out the pots and pans and whip up something fabulous for dinner. Or maybe I would buy a flat screen TV to replace my obscure 18’ Duraband. I could buy really nice clothes instead of waiting for Benettons to have an additional 50% off sale or I could jet off to Miami South Beach one weekend for a little R&R.
However, in all my fury of high gas prices in this slowing economy I realize that I am in a position where many are not. I do not struggle to pay any of my bills. I don’t worry where my next meal is going to come from, or how I will get to work or put food on the table for my kids, take them to school, etc. I’m a single, educated woman with no dependents. I mark 1 on my W4 because I am only responsible for myself. My inner circle of female friends are young, educated, unmarried, childless and with at least two college degrees. Whether at work or on my own time, I am usually surrounded by people like me.
On July 3rd, before the Independence Day holiday, federal employees as well as government contractors were award 59 minutes of leave time to get a head start on their weekend celebrations. These types of benefits are often made around the holidays and can at times increase to additional time off at the discrepancy of the powers that be.
On my way home that afternoon, I stopped at a red light at a large intersection. To my right stood a woman and her two kids; a boy and a girl. The woman was standing near a cooler filled with bottles of water and holding a sign that read, “Please Help a Needy Family.” The children, I’d say both were definitely under 12 years-of-age, were running up to cars gripping bottles of water in their hands. I rolled down my window and the little girl holds two bottles and says, “Would you like some water?” I asked how much. “They are one dollar each,” she said matter-of-factly. I scrambled for a dollar in my purse and quickly took the bottle as the light changed to green. As I pulled off, I caught the eye on the little boy and smiled, amazed that he and the little girl seemed to be in good spirits. I thought about this family the rest of the way home. I was used to seeing homeless men on the corners of intersections begging for food or money, but never a woman and her kids. This disturbed me and I became angry at myself for taking the girl’s bottle of water when I could have just given her the dollar. I thought about how I could have given her more than a dollar as I had at least 50 dollars on me. I wondered how they ended up out there. What were the events that lead to the mother’s decision to take her two kids out to a busy intersection and hold up a sign for help while the kids ran up to cars with their bottles. Did the kids make the sign? What were they thinking when they wrote the words, “Please Help a Needy Family”? What struck me the most was that this family looked like a normal family, despite their current situation. The mother appeared to be wearing what looked like a nurse’s uniform which made me think she at least had a job. The kids were adequately dressed and looked in good spirits despite their current situation as well.
A recent Kaiser Health Tracking poll revealed as the economy continues to decline, more Americans are facing serious financial challenges such as paying for gas, out-of-pocket spending for healthcare, paying off debt, buying food and finding a well-paying job. Most Americans are in some way scaling back on spending in this economy. For some it’s a matter of deciding not to splurge on clothing, the latest electronics or a trip to the beach. For others, it’s a more drastic decision like not going to the doctor because your family needs food to eat or not paying the electricity bill because you need the money to pay for the high price of gas to get to work on Monday. For some its deciding to put away pride and ask for help. These tradeoffs are becoming more frequent, more creative and unfortunately even more necessary.
1 comment:
I hear people everyday complain about high gas prices, and yes, it sucks to be paying such a ridiculous amount for fuel. But until I read this post, I never really gave much thought to the people whose lives are so affected by rising gas prices, that it means making a necessary sacrifice in order to fill their tanks.
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