author: St. Pauli Girl
A Mother's Day Riddle for you:
Who Am I?
I have lost basic civil liberties and rights to privacy, unwarranted search and seizure, freedom of speech and autonomy.
I am required to report and provide verification for every intimate detail of my private life.
I am subject to random drug testing, and must submit a urine sample on demand.
I can be investigated at any time and for any reason without probable cause. A surprise home "visit" can be conducted in which my "environment" is inspected and, of course, judged. Not even the contents of my refrigerator are sacred.
My doctor, landlord, my children's schools and my neighbors have all been interviewed to verify information the authorities have deemed suspect.
I have to put in 35 hours per week of assigned, unpaid service in the community, and am required to participate in mental health and alcohol and drug services, as well.
So... Who Am I?
Am I a convicted criminal, out on probation, parole or perhaps work release?
Am I a meth or heroin addict in treatment or rehab?
Or am I perhaps an abusive parent attempting to regain custody of my children from foster care?
Although it's true all these people usually have to comply with these requirements, I am not one of them.
The truth is, I didn't break any laws and have never been arrested in my life. I rarely drink alcohol and I don't abuse drugs or my children. Rather, I have worked hard to raise and provide for my kids, and have struggled to keep my family together on my own and with very little support - financial or otherwise.
So, are you able to guess yet what I did to deserve all this?
It's because I belong to a largely gender-based subset of a particular socio-economic class.
In other words, I'm a low income mother.
In still other words...
I'm a welfare mom.
My crime is that I believed in "'til death do us part" and "I'll always be there for you and the kids".
My crime is that I counted on the propaganda published in the glossy Child Support pamphlet.
My crime is that I trusted the illusion of security and stability fabricated by my former employer.
My crime is that I never realized that in America, middle-class white girls like me can lose it all.
My crime is that I did not abandon my children or my commitment to them.
Personal responsibility? Don't get me started. Especially in this age of pass-the-buck politics and "they-did-it-too" excuses, it's truly abhorrent to keep beating up on low-income women struggling to raise their children right against all odds.
Motherhood used to be honored and revered in this country. The Oregonian's "the Edge" stated that 1 in 3 men had gotten into a fistfight when they were young with a kid who insulted their mom. Welfare reform is an insult to mothers everywhere. It values motherhood and personal responsibility only if they're accompanied by enough money; otherwise they're a crime.
After you call the florist for the prerequisite Mother's Day arrangement for your own mom, why not make a call to your congressional representatives and tell them to lighten up on welfare reform - for someone else's mom (she probably doesn't have a phone). Tell them to restore the social safety net that was designed especially to support motherhood.
Happy Mother's Day to EVERY mom out there. Even those sleeping under the bridges.
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