Failures

-

We watched the movie “Fallout” that follows a survivor after her school is shot up.

An uncomfortable watch, to say the least.

And it got me thinking about failure.

I’m not an old man yet, but I’m certainly not young anymore. 

Thing is, I feel a little let down about the state of the country.

Way too many failures.

1). We can’t stop mass shootings in this country. The narrative has slowed lately because there hasn’t been one (that’s captured the media’s attention) in a little while, but make no mistake, there will be another.

Just abject failure.

Kids are practicing what to do and where to hide and the collective we pretends thats good enough.

That’s shameful.

2). The pandemic ate us alive. At the onset of it all, there were projections about how many Americans would lose their lives. No one believed that the number would be over a million, but it will.

And people are not horrified by it.

When people in their 50’s and 60’s are dying the response shouldn’t be:

“Did he have underlying conditions?”

Yeah. Maybe. But they weren’t killing him!

The entire response has been a total failure. From way before the virus even arrived until now.

Colossal failure.

3). The Poor. College. Our Kids.

We shame ourselves to watch people struggling. We can’t help those who truly need help.

Student loans demolished a generation. 

College costs are like a tax on the middle class.

Employers offer healthcare that is garbage. It costs a fortune.

Want to retire?

How are you going to pay for healthcare?

Meanwhile, a billionaire owner needs a billion for a new stadium. 

Where do we send the check?

The defense budget nears a trillion.

We have the money for that!

The system has a whole bunch of failures right there.

And I got all of that out of the movie as I watched the main character, who was just a kid, suffer.

The adults had no answers.

And there’s a scene in the movie where the father and daughter scream at the sun.

“Life sucks!”

“Life isn’t fair!!”

“Life is confusing!!”

I had a sinking feeling because when I was young and idealistic and so naive…

…I thought that as a nation we would try to do the right thing for the most people possible.

But we have most certainly failed.

And I don’t know the way out.

It’s just sad.

Right?

.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more