CASH STRAPPED AMERICA

I am glad that things are getting better for people.  I like seeing people hustle and try to obtain the things that God wants them to have.  Hard work hasn't ever hurt anyone and we need to instill this in our young people.  Get a plan for your life.  Go to college or trade school.  I realize as a teacher we have been taught to encourage our kids to go to college.  That's true, but it's also true about the many other professions out there where they can make good money.

I am so excited about Memphis and the surrounding area and the companies that are coming here like Ford Motor Company in Stanton, Tennessee with Blue Oval City. We have to continue to build up our educational systems.  Give the schools money for buildings.  Make sure excellent charter schools are getting their fair share.  There are also many foundations in Memphis that give money.  I encourage them to give to some of these excellent charter schools.  On their website, I have seen that some don't fund charter schools.

My husband always reminds me that college isn't for every child.  That is the reality.  We thank God for the ones who are able to graduate from high school and go to college.  We also thank him for the ones who find their niche in other trades.  I am encouraged by the fact that they put the technical emphasis back in the schools.  When we were in high school, they had home economics, Future Homemakers of America,  DECA, Future Farmers of America, and shop.  We also have to understand the reality that a lot of our children come from low-income backgrounds.

My background is poor, low economics, or whatever buzzword we are using today. I was raised by my grandmother because she did what parents do.  She helped her kids raise their kids. There was not a lot of industry in Grand Junction, Tennessee.  To this day, there is still not a lot of industry there for whatever reason. Everyone didn't want to work in the cotton fields in the 60s, and I couldn't much blame them.  They probably weren't paying much.  My Mom like her siblings went to Memphis to get a job.  My Dad and many of his siblings moved north to Detroit and Illinois.  My dad retired from Ford.  

We thank God for parents who were able to support their children while they went somewhere to make a life. Of course, my Mom always came to check on me, Jackie, and Carl.  She had my brother Will with her. Then my brother Carl went to stay with her.  After my grandmother died, she raised my sister Jackie, and I stayed with her during summer breaks or holiday breaks while attending college.  Happy to say that all of my siblings have careers and have gotten educated.  All of my siblings have started businesses. My grandmother and Mom didn't play about raising kids.  My siblings are no different.

As a parent, you need to demand to your school board that these technical programs are available in high school.  I have taught many young girls who were looking forward to going to high school to take cosmetology.  I am not sure how many schools have this program, but you can make a good living as a hairstylist.  Our young men can make a good living as plumbers, electricians, mechanics, carpenters, HVAC specialists, and many other trades. The Hispanic population has come to America and basically, they are taking territory in construction and landscaping.  Why are many of our urban inner city youth being left out of the loop? Yawl better wake up. 

This crime rate in Memphis will go down when we equip our young people with some ways to make legal money once they leave high school.  Unfortunately, some of our parents will have to do a better job getting a handle on their child's behavior at an early age.  They need to be disciplined and know who runs this.  If not, they will try and run you when they get older. My parents weren't going and I wasn't trying to try anybody because you would end up on the ground.

I plan to do more installments of Cash Strapped America.  If there is a particular topic that you are interested in with my blog or if you are one of my newsletter subscribers, hit me up at shamer@sandrahamer.com.  I work by day, but I am trying to take my writing to the next level. It's my husband, family, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority sisters, church members, co-workers, my social media followers, newsletter followers, Memphians, folks from home like Grand Junction and Hardeman County, former television news viewers, former bosses, and many others who have encouraged me.  I just want to thank you.  If I missed anyone, as the older people say, charge it to my head and not my heart.

Integrity Check

Integrity checks are happening now.  The Bible says "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30)  So, it is safe to say that it is time to come clean and live the best everyday life that you can possibly live.  We will be held accountable for our actions down here. God wants us to be joyful. God wants us to have fun.  God wants us to be healthy and prosperous.  But, God does not want us to wound people in the process of obtaining stuff.  God does not want us to be a hindrance to others or to ministry.

If I didn't watch the news, I would not be aware of the crime happening in my community and throughout the country.  After Japan's prime minister died, I saw their crime statistics.  They don't have many shooting deaths like we do in America.  I hear Japan's low crime rate comes with some flaws, but if it is saving people's lives and keeping people from committing violent crimes, I think that is positive.

We also must invest more in the front end of education.  Teachers need to be paid more.  We also need to make sure that people are sending children to school by age 5.  If parents say they are homeschooling their children, they need to provide proof of a homeschooling network they are a part of. We owe this to our children.  Sometimes homeschooling can lead to excellent reading outcomes, but at the same time, the math, Algebra, and Geometry skills may be lacking.  I think we have fabulous parents, but they are not experts in all subjects unless they are teachers.

When I was growing up, I could see the collaboration between the teachers and my grandmother.  She did not question the teacher's comments on my report card.  These teachers were a part of our community.  Some of them attended the church that I attended.  They had also taught my mother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Most importantly, they had worked with my grandmother who had been a cafeteria worker.  If you know people, you know a lie when you hear it and you also know the truth.

Parents must go back to partnering with the teacher to raise their children.  I don't think most teachers spend their time lying on students.  I would hope that they have better things to do than that.  A lot of individuals are called to teach.  I realize we have skeptics who question this, but once they learn to follow God's instructions then they can believe that other people are actually doing what God called them to do the first time He said it.

Stay Prayerful

It is a new year and a new season.  We should remain prayerful.  It seems as if countries can not contain themselves without involvement from the United States. We have pulled out of Afghanistan and now Russia is threatening to invade Ukraine. Pray that the will of the Lord be done in the earth.  Pray for kings, queens, presidents, and rulers of countries.

We know that according to prophecy some things will occur. The United States is at a pivotal time where the country like the rest of the world is recovering from the coronavirus.  The people of the U.S. need help and the economy is in a recovery period.  Now, we have to spend money to send troops to Eastern Europe because Vladimir Putin wants to take territory.  This is also endangering the lives of our young people who are serving in the various military.  

Pray for the salvation of leaders in these foreign countries.  It just seems like some of them are always wanting to take center stage so that they can be in the news. Pray for peace.  Pray for salvation. Pray Psalms 91 that God will cover us.  Pray Psalms 121 that people will look towards the hills from whence cometh their help.