May 19, 2011
I’m writing because my family and I were affected by the economic collapse of 2008, and we don’t want it to happen again. I’m writing because my family, my friends, my community and I were affected by the economic collapse of 2008, and we don’t want it to happen again.
Two of my brothers live at home with my mother because they cannot afford to live on their own. One of them does not have health insurance and he has not had a medical check up in years, even though he has a chronic cough.
New teachers where I work are not getting contracts. They are "temps," some of them for over eight years. The school district has them as "at will" employees. Also, we have been cut aide time, from three hours, to one hour, to zero next year.This because we are one of the few "fortunate" districts with lots of money. The school counselor has to see children even after school hours, during the after school program because she also doubles as an assistant principal and her load is unmanageable in a regular school day.
Meanwhile, teachers are being slandered and blamed for the crisis that wall streeters' greed caused. not content with their thievery, they want more. They are coming after my pension. I do not want it invested in wall street. I have a friend who had stock in Enron and now she lives with her daughter because she lost her retirement money and her house is in foreclosure.
While we are told we have a spending problem with regular working people, We are told Wall Streeters can keep their ill gotten bonuses because they have talent and they were promised them. What about us? I followed the law and I have saved money. I did not steal. I want their hands off my honestly earned money and I want them to pay back what they stole from our future. While me and my fellow teachers and support service workers take an 8.5 % cut, I want a good outcome for my efforts and I want a share of the money. Why should the Wall Street thieves keep it so much?.I want them thieves restrained, if not in jail, so they won't hurt us any more and I want them out.
One way to change the incentives so Wall Street doesn’t collapse our economy again would be for regulators to set up a way for shareholders to grab back ill-gotten gains.
If it turns out that the profits in a given year were built on shoddy practices that become clear in the out-years, those bonus payments should be forfeited.
Thank you for considering my comment,
Maria D. Fernandez