Warren Blumenfeld implants his current political awareness into his mind when he was a little boy writing a letter to Santa.
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Dear Santa,
I know that Christmas is over now, and you are probably napping after a really long trip all around the Earth to bring toys and other goodies to well-behaved children everywhere, but, like, I need to write to you again.
As I told you already, my mommy lost her job last January, and though she goes out like every day looking for another job, she hasn’t found one yet. You probably know that our country, the United States of America, has been suffering from something called a “great recession” since the year 2008, but, like, I don’t really understand why anyone would call it “great” because it’s really really bad. It made my mommy cry when she couldn’t afford to buy us a Christmas tree and the bike that I wanted this year. Thank you so much Santa for bringing me the nice red socks and the soft blue fleece scarf that I need to keep me warm on these cold days walking to school.
Santa, I like school very much. My teacher is really really nice, and I get to eat a warm lunch every day in the cafeteria. But, Santa, why is this man called Jack Kingston from Georgia, who goes to a party called “Republicans” and works in a House of Representatives, why does he, like, want me to sweep the floors in my school or pay money that my mommy doesn’t have for me to be able to eat? Santa, my lunch helps me to focus on my lessons, and I would just die if my friends saw me sweeping the cafeteria floors or cleaning the toilets like this other man called “Newt” or something wanted me to do when he was trying to be the president.
When me and mommy, like, go to the food store, sometimes she pays with a card called “food stamps,” even though you can’t send a letter with these kind of stamps. Hee hee, that was a little joke. Did you get it Santa?
But it isn’t too funny because mommy told me we might not get our food stamps anymore, or, anyway, like we might not get as many because the people who go to the party called “Republicans” voted in a House to reduce the food stamps for many people. They also voted to not give people like my mommy and a lot of other people, like over a million or something, any more money called “long-term unemployment benefits.”
Some man name Paul Rand, or maybe Rand Paul with his first name last, said that giving this to people like my mommy who have not had a job for over 26 weeks, like, this would not be good for her and for them. But how does he know? He doesn’t see my mommy crying, like, every night before she goes to bed because she is worried about paying the rent, and getting us enough food to eat, and keeping us warm?
Santa, why are these people going to a party in a House instead of helping people like my mommy? Why are they voting to hurt her instead? I don’t understand, Santa. These are the same people who say they are in favor of “family values,” but they are working to hurt families like mine.
My mommy has had some bad things happen, but she is doing the best she can to raise me and to give me what I need.
Santa, for things to get better, will people, like, have to leave that party and then maybe go to a different party that helps people instead of hurting them? I don’t know Santa, but what I do know is that I love mommy very very much, and I love you too Santa.
Thank you Santa for reading my letter,
-Warren
P.S. Oh, and I’ve been very very good.
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–Photo: ali edwards/Flickr