Grandma Henke

My son-in-law had an interesting blog today on presidential candidates.  He asked the question, “Are you better off now than you were 4 or 8 years ago?”

It got me thinking about the “good old days” and what changes and threats we had then as opposed to now … in the government and across the nation.      I was a teenager when President Kennedy was assassinated and we watched it happen over and over and over on television.     That was a pretty black day nationally and it seems to me it was the start of when I began to get that unsettling feeling that the world was not as I had previously thought.       The 1960′s and then the Vietnam war brought a lot of change in attitude and hope for the future for many people.   There was a lot of internal upset, riots, hippie communes, and protests.

To me it has been a steady decline of ethics and values I was raised to hold dear.     Policemen and soldiers used to be in a position of honor for their bravery … then came the Vietnam war and police brutality was captured on video cameras for all to see.   

After Nixon was publicly removed from office and scandals became much more prevalent in high offices and a lot of dark secrets among politicians became public.   I tend to think a lot of the same type of thing had always gone on but the American way of “free speech” was pushed so far the president and his cabinet were no longer protected from any type of scandal.    At some points comedians took it even a step farther and began to belittle everyone on the planet, including leaders of countries, leaders of churches, and little old grandmothers like me.    

I personally have an okay future financially … I think … but there are things I worry about.    I don’t know if either presidential candidate will make any difference in them because, after all, they are in a whole different world and don’t have to worry so much on whether they will receive Social Security forever, whether they will have health care insurance.      They will never have a fixed income like most senior citizens because they have wealth and investments to see them through.   The cost of gas is an inconvenience to them … if that … and food prices probably don’t make any difference either.

It is discouraging to me, at my age, to realize how far we’ve fallen … it started slow but it is picking up speed … in looking out for the low income working families, people with disabilities, and senior citizens who only have Social Security.     We, fortunately, will make it through financially …  unless Social Security crumbles, the cost of living keeps increasing as rapidly as it has the last two years, or health care becomes too costly.

I don’t like either candidate.   Obama lost me when he failed to stand up to his church leader in time.  I have no respect for a man who belongs to a church whose leader is so out of control and hateful.   He supported that man for many years and that tells me a lot.  Cain never had my vote in the first place.        I will probably have to make a decision based on who their running mates are and that is pretty wrong, too, because what difference has a Vice President ever made? 

I hate to say it but I think we have to make our on way from here own out and live in spite of the government instead of because of it.   Those in public office hold the power so we can only hope our local elected officials will be a little more ethical and fight for us.   The United States of America is my country and I love it.    I just remember the good old days, when I was young and it all felt safer.