I'm not trying to be insensitive, women and minorities have suffered unfair limits to their ability to advance, but this is no longer the extreme situation it once was. Change comes slowly and I'm glad to see that this kind of of discrimination will likely pass in my lifetime.
But there is a new kind of discrimination, or maybe it should be called separation, its the haves and have nots. And while I'm not specifically talking about money here, money is a significant factor. What I'm talking about is opportunity.
Before I make any more comments I want you to know me better so that you can put my comments in proper context. I don't know if you'd call me average, I grew up in a middle class lifestyle but we always lived check to check. As a kid I never got an allowance or any money from my parents, yet before graduating high school I had the red sports car and motorcycle, I worked hard then and continue to do so. I have an almost fanatical work ethic, I take nothing, I earn what I have. I've made 2 major mistakes in my life, but even with these things haven't turned out all that bad. The first was not going directly to college after high school, I had my reasons, lack of money being one, and lack of desire being the other, and I had the ability to earn what I thought was a good income. Eventually I did go to college, nights, and got my degree, it was definitely more difficult this way but I saw the absolute need for it. Not because of what I learned in college but because the degree validated to others what I knew and opened up opportunities that would otherwise be closed to me. My second big mistake resulted in some good points so its hard to say it was a mistake. I got married young, just months before my (and her's) 21st birthday, and we were together a long time, not the 2 or 3 years that seems common today, so there were some very good times. In the end it fell apart, I'm sure a big factor was the financial hardship of a number of kids and limited career possibilities (and limited income).
So this leaves me where I am today. I have a good job, decent income, although it isn't as good as it sounds since I'm supporting both my and my ex's household, I have a BA and lots of professional and life experience.
But I want more. I want to own my own business, building something I can pass on to my children. Twice in the past I've started the process of building it, starting just with myself and in both cases it was successful to the point where I had to either turn it into a "real" business with offices and employees, or do something else. But doing this takes money, a lot of money, money I didn't have. And in both cases, after a while trying to save up the needed money, and trying to find partners or investors, I stumbled into a job offer that, given my responsibilities, just seemed the best route to go.
Now once again I'm trying to start my own business. This time is a bit different since it has nothing to do with what I do for a living, and it won't have to support me while I build the business. The numbers work out extremely well, partly because I don't get paid. I have a good plan with goals for 5 and 10 years, but I'll admit writing a business plan is not one of my talents. Even the drop in the real estate market works to my advantage.
So what is the issue? What is the big new glass ceiling. It's Opportunity. Or more simply, the opportunity to get and use money to build a business, a future. If you grew up never having to pay the electric bill after you got the cancellation notice. And it never occurred to you that you wouldn't be able to afford college, or be able to send your kids to college. Or maybe you have that "small" inheritance or trust fund that "helps you a little" financially. Then you are a "have" and probably won't understand where I'm coming from. The "haves" don't just have money, they have opportunity because of who they are, who their family is, who they know. You can have the best idea in the world, but without contacts and access to money, it goes nowhere.
And before anyone points out all the government and private programs out there to help small and emerging businesses. I'm not a minority and I make a living wage. All I want to do is better my, and my children's, lives. There are no programs for the just getting by middle class, and I really shouldn't have to go to one.
The "haves" get $10M dollar bonuses while their companies are going under and the "have nots" shake our heads and wonder why our tax dollars are being used for these bonuses. And don't think for a minute that these people aren't sharing the same social circles with our politicians, both democrat and republican. For a lot less the 5% of one of these bonuses I could start a business that creates jobs and adds to the community. For less that the Wall Street bailout we could have saved every home threatened with foreclosure.
Our country is becoming a country of haves and have nots, and if you're not connected you'll never get beyond the new glass ceiling.
I guess this is more of a rant then a blog.
