What Do You Want?/Safety Net #1

The fact that we have, in various ways throughout world and American history, striven to provide economic security to those in need or, said another way, to take care of one another - from medieval feudal lords responsible for the economic security of the serfs who worked on their estates to the guilds that formed throughout Europe in the middle ages by merchants who came together with others to provide benefits to their members including financial help in times of poverty to the Civil War Pension program in America for widows and children of fallen soldiers to Social Security in the 1930's and the more recent Medicare and Medicaid that emerged in the 1960's - is a testament to our compassion as human beings and as Americans.

I take it as a given, then, that as we grow forward in America, we intend to continue to act with compassion toward those who suffer and who are in need or, as President Lincoln once said, to be inspired by our better angels.

There is no point in decrying the ways in which America's current social safety nets - Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Aid to Dependent Families, the Women, Infants & Children program - are failing us today, nor any need to lament the high levels of distrust around not only the programs themselves, but toward those who benefit from them, either as deliverers or recipients of aid. The What Do You Want, America? project is about how we would like it to be, so we begin with this one note: when we talk about engaging the law of attraction in a conscious manner, which is what we are doing here, we speak in present tense language. It may feel funny to you at first, but you will see in time the appropriateness of doing so.

Here, then, is "safety net sketch, draft one:"

• In America, we have a social safety net for those who simply cannot ever - for physical or mental health reasons - fend for themselves. It is also available for those who, for whatever reason, fall on extended hard times or find themselves in some sort of economic crisis. It includes assistance for widows/widowers and children as well as pensions for people who have retired.
  
• Our system is rooted in and inspired by our commitment to be compassionate, for our nation was founded on providing its citizens with the freedom to pursue happiness. To be compassionate, after all, is to allow people to be who they are. When people need to access assistance, it is easy for them to know how and where to find it. They are treated with dignity and respect by administrators who are, themselves, compassionate people.
  
• We value personal responsibility and our economic safety net system is, for most people, designed to be a bridge from crisis to complete independence. Most people who access services never need them again. We have a vast cooperative network whereby the federal system connects aid recipients to all manner of private, non-governmental agencies and organizations and that help people to be responsible for themselves.
• Our system is a source of pride. The vast majority of Americans see it as fair and we are more than willing to allocate a portion of our national budget for this purpose. We know that we are strongest when each of us is functioning at his/her highest potential and so this system is an investment in our strength as a nation.
  
• When we think of how we care for one another and how we respond to those in need, we feel a sense of pride, to be sure. When we think of how our system is needed less and less as we progress as a society, our pride increases. It gives us a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of purpose.
  

So there's a start. Your input will now help to shape this sketch into a clearer picture of what it is we want with regard to our economic safety net. Here are some questions to consider:

• How would you expand the vision begun here? What would it look like to you? Remember, this is in an ideal world where nobody can say no and money is no object.
• What are the "yeah, right" or "yeah, but" thoughts you have as you read this sketch? An important aspect of setting intentions is rooting out any and all beliefs we may have about whether or not what we're wanting can even happen. It's important, then, to know what those are so we can work with them.
• What might opponents of an economic safety net have to say?
• Are you someone who has ever received these services? What is missing from this picture created by someone who has not received services?
  

The next post will begin another sketch on another issue.

NOTE: This series of "What Do You Want, America?" posts began on November 2, 2010, if you are looking for some context.