Wednesday, January 25, 2012
RE: Generation X’s State of the Union
Dear Sir:
As I listened, then re-listened to your State of the Union speech, I am troubled at how my generation, a generation of men and woman whom as young children listened to the call about the importance of a college education then committed themselves to achieving that goal seem to be forgotten by your adminstration. For some of us this would be the first generation to go to college, for others second and sometimes even third. Many of who have spent thousands of dollars to become educated now holding BA’s, BS’s, MA’s, MS’s, MSW’s, MBA’s, PhD’s and JD’s unable to find any type of employment. We, Generation X were supposed to be the new middle class living the American dream, while contributing to her needs, keep her strong and powerful. However for many X’ers, we are now a part of the working poor and some educated professionals including myself are living below poverty line disenfranchised by what it means to be an American.
I believe the tools I have been given, an education, the ability to understand how to turn an idea into innovation and the drive to take an opportunity and turn it into some great is with in me. For example, in July 2008 the FCC issued an Order giving any small minority business the opportunity to be issued licenses for free under the Sirius XM Voluntary Merge Commitment. This commitment by Sirius XM accepted by the Senate committee and approve by the FCC made 24 channels available so the underserved Americans could have a voice on satellite, become a part of the conversation and no longer having disillusionment that they did not matter. This opportunity if performed as it was spelled out in the Order could of helped thousands of Americans get back to work. I took advantage of this opportunity and for two years chased, filed, met with various members of the FCC, provide solutions to the selection process, legal issues and voiced my concerns at all turns in this process. But because my government was more concern with big business than it was stopping its continued failure to support, educated and give access to its underserved people, it (the FCC) when no one was looking went against what the Senate committee accepted in approving the merger, its own Order and gave the channels back to Sirius XM who was more concern of doing what was best for them not the underserved.
This type of behavior is what many of my fellow X’ers has come to expect when it comes to their needs and wants not being answered by this government as a whole. I am not Middle America nor is my thinking Middle America, but your continued rhetoric about the suffering of Middle American and their Main Street’s leaves many of my generation angry, frustrated and down right bitter with your so called progress and job growth none of which we the educated X’ers qualify for.
The opportunity as mentioned above and others of this kind are how entrepreneurs have used in the past to help rebuild this country and because many of us have the education, work experience and the drive to succeed, many at the same time lack the resources, the access and or the necessary funds or meet the requirements (SBA two years of tax returns with income greater than $250,000) to create an opportunity of self employment let alone the ability to hire a staff to put other people in need of job back to work.
I have become somewhat bitter with my state of being but still I press on. I have never allowed my color or my faith to be a factor in what I can or can’t achieve. But my color and faith does cause me to pay the corporate BLACK TAX more often than I like too. I believe that I speak for so many Americans of my generation, that we as X’ers can say with one voice: “enough is enough, what about me, us, the educated individuals that have been left behind”. Mr. President what is my exit plan from getting from under this cloud? How do I rebuild my life? How do I find a job when my employment experiences are on the Internet, which means I can’t dummy down my resume because many employers are doing Google searches prior to setting up an interviews. If you can answer and solve this problem for so many of us college educated X’ers then give me that action plan PLEASE!
As a Muslim that is fourth generation freed in this country, I am the hope and the dream of the slave, yet my new second class citizenship of being unemployed, being stressed about making ends meet, my doubt at times of how I will get out of this rabbit hole that is dragging my generation down into the abyss of emptiness and what seems like the endless sacrifice of life essentials has cause me to rethink about how my government see me and how I see it. I am sure from your perspective you see me as one man venting but from my point of view I see a government that is more concern with it world image, its officials being re-elected and coming up with solutions about job creations that center on the non-educated middle class not the educated “suppose to be” middle class.
As Robert F. Kennedy said in a speech in 1966:
…Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring these ripples to build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance. Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellow, or the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle of great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.
Mr. President, I am that voice, the one that Mr. Kennedy speaks of and I am willing to tell you like it is.
I implore you to re-think about my generation of Americans X’ers that are seldom mentioned but always talked around. My generation of educated professionals need help in finding solutions using their education to become gainfully employed again; providing entrepreneur opportunities for us to take an idea (as you stated in you 2012 State of the Union Address) and get it funded to help employ other Americans without all the red tape and the continued letters of rejection from the very banks that used our taxed dollars to be bailed out. The time is now to include the educated generation X’ers in your action plan to get Americans back to work, not to pretend we don’t exist or worst think we will figure it out on our own. MR. PRESIDENT THE TIME IS NOW FOR YOU TO WAKE UP AND LISTEN TO MY EDUCATED GENERATION X’ERS THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE.
Regards
/s/ MS
Malik Shakur
