But not of manufactured teacher sex abuse epidemics, as the AP tells me I should be.
No, what I'm scared of is the story contained in this post by La Lubu at Feministe. (H/T Melissa.) In "What Color Are the Holes in Your Parachute," the author describes the premature birth of her daughter, the baby's struggle for life, and her subsequent firing from her job, despite being--she thought--covered by the Family Medical Leave Act. And of course, in the United States, what does unemployment mean? That's right, no health insurance.
About six weeks after the birth, she received the first of the many medical bills to come. The total? $750,000.
And I laughed. Yes, I laughed. What the hell else could I do? Who the hell did they think was going to be pulling $750,000 out of her ass? Because it sure wasn’t me. At the Ronald McDonald House, I traded war stories with the other parents. Most of the parents there were long-termers—waiting for the call for new organs for their sick children. Everyone had lost their jobs because of their children’s medical crises. At least once. I met folks whose employers couldn’t be bothered to give them a week of time off. I met a family where both parents had hepatitis C (and that ain’t cheap, people); they were waiting for their toddler son to get a lung transplant. People from all over the nation. A nation of isolated medical crises.
Even if that's where she had stopped, this post would be worth reading in its entirety. But she manages to see the macro view of our country in a way that very few people do:
There are many myths in These United States (why do I keep wanting to type “Untied” States?). The myth of Individuality reigns above all. The idea that one stands, or falls, all on his or her own. It is at the root of the notorious historical amnesia this country suffers from. It informs racist and sexist beliefs. It distorts the ability of various progressive groups to organize around issues central to the fabric of our lives, let alone form coalitions with other progressive groups to aim towards and achieve justice for All. It is the poison in our well. This ridiculous notion that we can manage without the assistance of others.
Her conclusion:
...We are told that those who stumble are careless. That they should have planned better. Should have had more savings. Should have foreseen the deluge. Didn’t they know that it was inevitable? That they aren’t among the saved?
That is what is behind the opposition to S-CHIP. That those currently without a safety net, save that of their own wages and savings, should necessarily suffer. Should declare bankruptcy. It is their destiny. After all, if they were Worthy People, they would be able to come up with the money on their own. They would be able to find a sponsor. Hence, the number of benefit parties, barbecues, chili cook-offs, mostaccioli dinners, and poker runs held at taverns, union halls, churches (temples, masjids), and social clubs throughout the midwest and elsewhere; a desparate attempt to come up with some kind of money, and prove some kind of personal worth in the face of cancer, accidents, heart attacks, strokes, premature birth, job loss and any number of cascading personal crises that don’t tend to arrive alone. Half of all bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical bills.
What color are the holes in your parachute? The ones that you’ll see when, in a moment of need, you look up?
That's what's fucking scary in this country. Not teachers.