The Banana That Leaves The Bunch Get Skinned

During World War II there were all sorts of ‘sayings’ making the rounds.  I don’t remember whether they came out of some central office or just sort of appeared.  At least down on my level, they sort of just appeared.  Things like ‘loose lips sink ships’, or if you had some knowledge about ship movements, don’t talk about it in public because some spy might be listening and relay the message back.  But the one I liked best was ‘it’s the banana that leaves the bunch that gets skinned’.  Of course, at the time it referred to tight flight formations for fighter pilots, but it seemed to me to be applicable to life itself.  It is OK to try to go it alone, but there is more protection and support for people, or fighter pilots, when they stick together. 

That was the objective of Social Security, and later Medicare and Medicaid, when they were made into law.  We would be stronger as a nation if we all stuck together and helped each other out when that became necessary.  Companies back then had a really bad habit of firing employees just before retirement in order not to pay for the pensions that the employees had paid into most of their working lives.  Social Security smoothed that problem out, thereby creating less stress on workers and their families.  Then when Medicare and Medicaid came along, these were seen as also supporting those in need, thereby alleviating stress over how to pay for medical care for seniors or for a chronically ill child.

Now Marco Rubio of Florida maintains that these programs are weakening the fabric of our characters.  Which is probably one of the stupidest things I have heard in one long time.  How in the world does it weaken the character of someone in a wheelchair who cannot work.  Or the character of a family with a chronically ill child.  This writer’s family has been there and done that.  We had a profoundly developmentally disabled child.  At that time in California, thanks to Gov. Pat Brown, there was an excellent state funded hospital for the developmentally disabled.  As a result of the excellent care he received at the Porterville Center, I was able to adequately care for our other four children who are now adults, all working, all paying taxes, and contributing to the health and welfare of the cities, counties and states in which they live.  Did that government assistance weaken our character?  Absolutely not!!

When our country was at its strongest, during the time between 1950 and 1980 there was a progressive tax system in place.  We had the best schools that were available to anyone, a new interstate highway system, bank and financial institution regulations that worked, disgust for people, especially those in government who broke the law, but the best was great hope for the future for our children. 

There were social problems.  Women and minorities were, and are discriminated against.  The welfare system, although begun with great ideals, sometimes led to difficulties in families.  The corporations were chafing under the regulations because those in management positions could see how much more profitable the company could be without the regulations, thereby increasing their salaries.  Our country began using our armed forces to fight what were called ‘police actions’.  Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama for starters. 

But these difficulties were not the result of the government safety nets.  They surfaced when people began caring only about themselves.  As a country we must begin to care once again about the common good.  What is best for the people?   We will be stronger as a nation, and more productive, with more wealth equity when that happens.  We will all stand together.

The banana that leaves the bunch is the one that gets skinned.  The radical right wing in this country has manipulated a great segment of the American people, as expressed by Marco Rubio,  into believing that it is better to ripen alone.