Life is not fair or equal
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In My Humble Opinion
Jodi McDade
My mom and dad always told me that life was not fair. Growing up I complained about things like what boys could do that girls couldn’t or weren’t “supposed to” do.
Boys could play cowboys and Indians, war, baseball, the drums, and they could pee standing up! Girls were supposed to play with Barbie dolls, baby dolls, wear dresses, and learn to cook. I was definitely a “tomboy” growing up – but I ASSURE you I never wanted to physically BE a boy! I’ve never really been a girly girl, but I did the best I could under the “unfair” situation I grew up in.
Of course as I grew up I learned even more things that weren’t “fair.” Girls couldn’t take shop, and boys couldn’t take home economics. Girls weren’t supposed to ask boys out or even to dance. We were supposed to wait patiently until a boy asked us. And, it wasn’t fair that the cute boys always asked the cute girls, and the rest of us were left in the dust! And to this day so many years later, I still see many things that aren’t fair, but many of my complaints are no longer issues.
The words “fair,” “equal” and “equitable” have somehow gotten mixed up in their usage and definitions. They are all admirable goals, but can they REALLY be reality? Can males and females ever really be “equal”? So, is that really “fair”? Should everyone doing the same job receive “equitable” salaries even if one has been doing it for 15 years and another just started yesterday? So, is THAT “fair”?
Now, would any of those words be correct in describing the situation surrounding the illegal aliens from around the world being allowed into our country, with NO COVID-19 testing, being provided with food, medical attention, welfare, housing (in $700 per night hotels), and education, when we have veterans and other homeless AMERICANS living on the streets? Certainly NOT!
Do these words describe the fact that working people and small businesses are expected to pay the bulk of the taxes that are used to support the people who do NOT work (most by choice!)? Certainly NOT!
Which brings me to my main topic of the week – SCHOOL LOAN BAILOUTS! I did not go to college until late in life, paid for it out of my pocket or used my husband’s GI Bill benefits that he earned by serving in the military. Why should my taxes (that I worked to pay) be spent to pay off loans that people took out and committed to REPAY them?
Some people don’t even come out of college with a degree in anything that will provide a living income! Should you or your children pay for the college education of someone studying gender studies instead of going to trade school or community college to learn welding, cosmetology, etc.? OR, like many of my relatives, go in the military to earn the ability to go to college?
Should someone who didn’t even graduate high school but has been steadily working in the fast food industry for years have THEIR taxes go to pay the loans someone took out to become an engineer or doctor? Or, to pay for the college degree for someone who also ends up working in the same fast food restaurant because they now can’t find a job doing what their degree is for? None of this is fair, equal, or equitable!
The cost of education has skyrocketed because of many reasons through the last 50-plus years. But the “quality” of that education has gone down at the same time. More and more young people are being convinced they MUST go to college whether they really want to or are capable of handling the workload of college.
We need more people going to trade schools to be plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics, LPNs, etc. Some of these jobs even pay MORE than what college graduates make! And the tuition at trade schools/community colleges is much lower than college tuition!
If you or your child really wants to go to college, there are scholarships available that go unclaimed every year that can be applied for. Scholarships and grants do not have to be repaid – you just have to meet the qualifications and keep your grades up.
However, getting these require a good bit of time and research – and I’ve found many people just won’t take the time to do the research. Instead, they apply for loans that the government secures and is now wanting to let the loans go unpaid! Well, not really unpaid – we the taxpayers will be paying for them. Why not just lower the interest rates, extend the payoff time and still require borrowers to pay their own debt?
Our Constitution states that we are all “created equal,” but it does NOT say our futures will be equal. God determines our creation, but WE determine our future. There are so many examples of people growing up in extreme poverty who become wealthy through hard work and dedication.
We have people who are born with different disabilities who, again, succeed through hard work and dedication. There are very few things that cannot be overcome if we put in the effort and have the desire.
So, no, life is not fair, equal, or equitable. Life is what we make it. Life is determined based on our willingness to accept the status quo or to overcome the status quo. But, none of us should expect a free ride paid for by others. Live within your means or work for the means to live the way you want to.
Please keep all the people still suffering with COVID-19 in your prayers. We continue to hear of so many in the hospitals with underlying issues. Also, PLEASE pray for our country so God will heal our land.