Who Are We Supposed To Trust?

I have pondered the trust question for sometime. Allbeit, this was well after my twenties, because at that stage in life if someone said they are going to do something, you expected them to do it. Granted, people gave up those ideals while some others become jaded due to circumstances or just listening to the news.

We know that it is the norm for politicians to make promises they cannot keep. Their purpose to be elected. Where did they learn that from? Their parents? Maybe not. I remember in the micro-cosim -  high school, I ran for student government. I tried not to make a bunch of promises that I couldn't keep but it just seemed that the people were needing to hear those things. Was it suppose to make them feel better that those running for student government aren't perfect or was it a temptation for the candidates that just couldn't be fought? I won my election in that tiny micro-cosim based on lots of prayer and stating, "do you want the best? I know you do!" I didn't have anything to feel guilty about. What says the politician? What says to those who elected them?

Delving into the government further because they think they have the pulse of the food industry, who said it was alright to spray and add stuff to my food to increase the shelf life? I bought an apple. It was red, full, and I expected it to be as juicy and sweet as it looked. I bit into the equivalence of a sponge. Upon a closer look, there were small black pin dots on the skin. If one doesn't look one would have never known that those small dots are indicative of the fruit being rotten. It just looks good in hopes that the consumer will buy it, take it home, find the problem and not bring it back. That's .70 cents that doesn't have to be returned. The dollar is made at the expense of the consumer. Hm, and the econmy is down because of what?

We have watched certain television personalities and grown to trust their credibility in delivering to us information we would have not received otherwise. There was a local anchorman that the city's residents enjoyed on a daily basis. Not only could he deliver the news with such fortitude, he also had his own commentary. His opinions became well known. He could have directed the people to vote, purchase, rally, picket, or protest in any venue he chose. This was the power he had. Then he was found in a compromising position. Not once but a few times to the point of him losing his job. The station lost their ratings and the management had to get busy in developing someone else to take their star newscaster's place. This would take years and they knew it. In the mean time the city searched for another hero.

I suppose I contemplated this subject because I can recall Orson Welles playing a joke on the American people. Not that I was there, I was entirely too young. It was through others and reading it for myself. He had a well known radio broadcast by which he interrupted to tell the listeners that the world was being invaded by aliens. It sounded like a breaking newstory. It was the radio. There was nothing the people could see for themselves so they had faith in what they heard. I suppose it wasn't that long before the radio and Orson Welles told the people it was a joke, but what does one call not long when you are in a state of panic? Who died of a heart attack, committed suicide  or lost their mental abilites just because of a joke and the trust that was put into a man? Those things weren't doumented or if they were, the numbers weren't made public.

Times are changing. People don't rally against wrong as much as they use to. Car insurance in some states is a joke. How can you be sued for an accident you didn't cause or wasn't even in either car when the accident occured? Yet in some states there are laws governing just that. What is the health insurance policy going to look like? Who will get medicaid. Why won't there be enough social security for the next generation when that generation paid their taxes too? Who would have ever thought that you would be paying for water (bottled), air (car tires), and television (cable)? Who has the answers? Who is going to tell the truth? Who should we trust? Should we rely on what the dollar can do or what is written on it?
(Isaiah 26:3 KJV)

If Everyone Started Off as Equal

If anyone has ever struggled with purchasing school clothes for your children or remember the hassel in your own childhood to get the right look, hopefully you will be empathetic to what you are about to read.

I got this notice some years back that the elementary public school system was going to make it mandatory for all children to wear uniforms. My first reaction was that someone was reaching into my family and trying to control what I do with my children. My plan: I had to fight this. All of my reasoning seemed rational enough though I detested going through that mall maze with other parents trying to make the children happy with the latest fad. It would just be something different next season, costing more than you planned. Knowing some child wouldn't have it (more than likely mine) and compensating throughout the year was a guilt trip I wouldn't wish on anyone. Yet, no one should control what I do and don't with my children.

Given ample time, it came right to the last minute when my child was given notice to comply with the rules. Rules? A dress code has now become a rule for parents to abide by? I won't do it! I thought, looking at my child what I could afford and barely making ends meet, I knew financially and for peace of mind, it was the best thing for the children and to alleviate whatever administration was going through just to get the uniform rules passed.

All of my children have since graduated high school and have gone to college. My son recently mentioned what a good idea school uniforms were. He said the kids whose parents had more money couldn't lord their designer clothes over the poorer kids. I realized that it was a learning tool for the children to get to know each other looking beyond the outward appearance.

I thought about that for a moment and still dispelled with what might have been good intentions. Though the playing field might have been leveled for everyone to start out as equals, it is still the parents that caused the differences with the children. Those that wouldn't do for their children (clean, provide, find the right fit, laundry, etc.) didn't change their ways. Given a few semesters those same children who didn't have, due to neglect, had dingy shirts with missing buttons, the pants were too tight or too big and the hand-me-down shoes never did look well on anyone.

I might have struggled and fought the system for a moment or two, but when given an opportunity for my children not to be considered the lowest on the social curve, I met it and assisted with what I could do for them to desire to do more.

I have 5 children all of which are college bound. Degrees range from a family doctor to a culinary artist. I thank God that finally the government came up with a good idea where the only ones to blame for not catching the blessing is the parent.
(Proverbs 20:7 AMP)