Real People . . .

Last week I talked to a guy who runs a remodeling business. He has not done a real job in months. He has about three months left in savings. He was in a great mood. But he was just trying to figure out what to do about supporting his family when the money ran out.

A grandmother came in a few days ago, crying. She was raising two grandchildren. Her husband was laid off. She needed to talk about whether she should turn the custody of the kids over to the state.

A man I have known many years, always a hard worker, framing and roofing, a good man, came in to talk about a DUI he had been charged with. He hasn't had but a couple of jobs since last year. Just got where he sat home, watched television, and drank beer.

A couple I met both lost their jobs. They were about to be evicted. Out of their frustration they got into a fight. Not only did they lose their jobs and their homes, they lost their children for awhile. Time will tell if they lose each other. At least they didn't turn to meth, like so many others in the same seemingly hopeless situation.

I know it is important what Wall Street is doing. And citizens should be told of the abuses by corporate execs that result from deregulation and then from the wad of money that came their way from the bailout. It is important that we finally realize that the world of big business is a different world, with no conscience and no concern.

But we need to hear the stories of my friends as well. They are all around us. They are us.

Valerie Bertinelli and her bikini body at age 48 is featured on the cover of People magazine this week. I have nothing against Valerie Bertinelli's body (fill in your own off color thought). And there is nothing wrong with the escape that People and similar publications provides. Doctor's offices would be unbearable without them.

But I wish there was a "Real People" magazine that told real stories, stories of millions and millions of people that nobody tells and many of us never hear.

But I wonder who would read them.

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