Doug Jones Average

Every night you can hear newscasters talk about the Dow Jones average. Papers across the country carry a business section, but it's a little harder to find out how the average American is doing. Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower have talked about the need for a "Doug Jones Average." In the words of Molly Ivins:

What we need is "the Doug Jones average" – Doug Jones, average American. How's old Doug doing? Is he up? Is he down?

I've been busy making my way across the country and I've had the good fortune to meet a lot of truly wonderful people from just about every walk of life. I met a big time Washington lobbyist and lawyer. I've met small time radio station owners, teachers, chiropractors and a host of others.

And with the exception of the Washington lobbyist just about everyone is working their ass off to stay above water. In Taos, New Mexico it was hard to find anybody that had just one job. It was common to find people with a number of jobs. They worked at one hotel in the morning, a restaurant at night and sold art or did something else on the side.

It wasn't just low skilled uneducated people either. I met a wonderful couple who were both educated, had degrees and yet struggled for what little they earned. Their stories are all different but a common theme emerges.

Wages are low. Medical coverage is a dream to most. And job security just doesn't exist. Americans are struggling.

We need to work hard to organize and educate our fellow citizens so that we can work to create a better world, a world that isn't based on greed and exploitation; a world that is instead based on a freedom and mutual cooperation among equals. Another world is possible, let's pledge to make it real.

| +Save/Share | |