Message of ‘Two Americas’ relevant, especially during this recession

While Americans might always remember John Edwards for his $400 haircut or his infidelity to his ailing wife, the message of his presidential campaigns has long been forgotten: that 37 million of our neighbors shouldn’t be living in poverty in the richest country in the world.

Worrying about the less fortunate is a hard sell to the middle class these days. While a rising tide may lift all boats, our economy’s current shipwreck has us looking to secure our own place in the life raft first.

I’m not innocent on this charge. I’ll count myself among those who’ve spent the past 12 months too concerned about our own finances and employment prospects to spend a lot of time thinking about those for whom “recession” just means more of the same. In fact, I was only reminded of the “Two Americas” platform when I saw two very different news stories last week.

The first involved the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is quietly climbing back toward 10,000 — a mark it hasn’t seen since it flew past it on the way down last fall. While it still has a long way to go to get back to the days of topping 14,000 in October 2007, the signs are positive. Someone, somewhere, is making money again, even in this sour economy, and that means the long-term prospect for our retirement accounts is good.

The other story wasn’t so optimistic. It was an Associated Press report out of New York (a city a friend of mine once called “recession proof”) that provided a punch-in-the-gut reminder of the day-to-day reality many face:

“To gauge consumers’ strain, look no further than the rows and rows of plastic bags awaiting layaway payments at Kmart. They are filled with back-to-school basics — not just T-shirts and jeans but notebooks, markers and pencils. ...

“‘It just tells you that consumers have no money — even that $30 backpack is something they can’t afford,’ said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research group.”

Layaway is nothing new, but as one Kmart store manager said in the story, usually it doesn’t pick up until a few months before Christmas. And what this current spike says more than anything is that cash is tight, and credit is non-existent.

It also reminds us that it’s easier to become broke than it is to become a billionaire. Some of those using layaway for school supplies probably just charged everything last year.

And while we’re busy squirreling away our own nuts, we shouldn’t forget about those with less. Many in our community count on the support of others to make sure their children go to school equipped to learn each fall.

In this economy, when so many of us have put blinders on, I want to applaud those who made the effort to help. Kudos to everyone who contributed to the recent Department of Human Services “Leaves For Learning” campaign. A recent letter to the editor stated that 650 students received school supplies through the program. The spirit of giving to those less fortunate is alive and well in Culpeper.

Clearly we’re living in “Two Americas” these days (some of us, wrongly, believe we’re living in both of them at the same time). We may be worried about the economy, our jobs and our retirement, so much so that it’s easy to get caught staring at the mirror. But others are just looking to get through today.

Tough times call for us all to look to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Community, like character, is built out of hardship.

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NOTE: Last week I discussed the state of health care, and Larry Ray Alexander of Culpeper wrote in to say that he’s happy with his existing health insurance. I apologize for the blanket statement and appreciate Mr. Alexander’s comments. I just wonder if health care isn’t another issue where we’re focusing too much on making sure we don’t lose anything ourselves, rather than helping those who have less than we do.

When it comes to health care, Sen. Edwards’ message lives long after his campaigns.

Clements’ column runs every Monday on the editorial page.