So lets stick to blogging, its a lot less shrill than radio

So I couldn't help myself. I have become my grandmother who listens to talk radio while flitting about the kitchen cooking. However, something my grandmother *never* would have done was call in to one of her favorite am talk radio shows.

I was listening to a local show that was asking the question as to why 20 somethings are leaving the state of Connecticut after graduating from College. Well DUH! I'm so sure we needed an hour long show to discuss the ridiculous cost of living, unaffordable housing, Energy costs, and lack of anything fun to do in the red headed step child city of Hartford. There was discussion of all these young people who want instant gratification...they want their jobs to be 'meaningful' and 'fun'. Surely when they reach the ripe old age of 29 they will realize how unrealistic this is [yeah, once their soul has been crushed by the absurd amount of hours they have to work for a wage that doesn't really provide for all your needs easily; let alone have time to do something meaningful with that mysterious 'free time' we are all supposed to have].

I am getting really tired of the boomer assertions that we gen Xer's/ 'me' generation people are just so flawed and don't want to work hard. We want so much...meaning out of our lives. The idea that we 'want it all now' is crap. The fact of the matter is that we have to work very hard to make ends meet in a traditional sense while also having to put aside money for retirement as there is no such thing as retirement benefits, (be they pention or medical insurance) from the company when we reach 70 years of age. Wanting to purchase a home has long been an attainable middle class goal which is becoming increasingly more difficult to do.

I don't think it is unrealistic that one can work a job that gives the worker a sense of satisfaction. Nor do I think it unrealistic that someone who works full time should be able to afford decent housing in a place that is safe. The craziest thing of all is that I believe all people should have access to good, safe, schools AND housing, anywhere they live.

Here is a long excerpt from wikipedia .

Connecticut is, however, much more than the upscale suburbs of New York. Although it is the richest state in America, with approximately 83% of Connecticut municipalities above the national average per capita income, Connecticut nevertheless has many enclaves of poverty that are often overshadowed by the super-rich communities. 4.7% of Connecticut households have annual incomes of $200,000+, and 20.1% have incomes of $100,000 or more; but 7.0% have incomes of less than $10,000, and 31.8% less than $34,999. 7.9% of people living in Connecticut live below the poverty line. In contrast to the "Gold Coast", Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford have significantly lower per-capita incomes .Connecticut has some of the largest gaps between the rich and poor in America, as the middle class flees urban areas as too expensive and unpleasant, leaving the poor to stay behind further burdening the cities' economies. However, this trend is starting to change in some areas, particularly downtown New Haven and Hartford, which have seen an influx of hundreds of luxury apartments and even million-dollar loft condominiums coinciding with a huge commercial and retail rebirth.Connecticut is also one of the most expensive states to live in the contiguous United States, with the price for a single family home in Greenwich starting at around $800,000. However, most of the state is much lower than this, but still above the national median.

I find it to be appalling that Connecticut can not find a way to provide affordable housing, and at least adequate schooling for everyone in the state. I like the little blurb in the above text that says the trend is changing because there are luxury condos being built in New Haven and Hartford. That ought to be helpful to the 31.8% of the population that makes less than $34,999 a year. We can just shuffle the poor people to some other town with bad schools and decrepit housing that is 'affordable'. I can just imagine young college grads flocking to luxury condos downtown so they can be in close proximity to the 4 bars in downtown Hartford. They will totally be able to afford those on a starting salary of $40,000...oh wait those aren't for them...they just want instant gratification!! Let Boston have em!

Anyway, all of this to say that as I had my 1 minute to make my point on air, it quickly became a shrill tirade about segregation, the cost of living, how my family could do so much better in the Midwest, and why isn't there reasonable public transportation in our state? Oh and throw in the 30% graduation rate from Hartford public schools and how it seems no one really cares. We all just gasp at how bad it is and then go back to our comfy suburbs...grateful that our kids don't have to go there.

The discrepancies between race and class in this state are enough to make you physically ill.

I have no idea how to make a difference being a white woman from the suburbs. I'm not rich, but I'm not living somewhere where I fear for my children and their basic needs. I am privileged enough to wonder if we can afford that play group next year...or swim lessons. Hardly the stuff that keeps me up at night. That does make me quite rich in a global sense.

All this and I haven't even started with health care. I will save that for another day. I sense I am gearing up for 2008...