The North Coast times-eagle., September 10, 1982, Page 3, Image 3

TH E N O R TH COAST T IM E S E A G L E , FR ID A Y , 10 S E P T E M B E R 1982
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R e g in a ld M a r s h
On Theories Trickled Down
by M ic h a e l I r e l a n d
T h e c i t y w a k e s u p to t h e s p o r a d i c f lo w of
c a r s r o l l i n g d o w n th e s t r e e t , c a r r y i n g p a s s e n ­
g e r s to th e d a y 's w o r k . I w a tc h t h e m d r i f t b y ,
m y b r e a t h c o n d e n s i n g i n t o c l o u d s o f v a p o r in
th e m o r n i n g c r i s p n e s s . S ta n d in g h e r e in th e
c o o l d a w n , in t h i s l i n e s lo w ly b u i ld i n g in f r o n t
o f th e u n e m p l o y m e n t o f f i c e , I f e e l e m p t y a n d
c o ld . A f te r t h r e e a n d a h a lf y e a r s a t a s te a d y
j o b , I h a v e b e e n l a i d o ff. T h e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n ­
d u s t r y i s in e c o n o m i c c h a o s , i t s i m m e d i a t e
f u tu r e b le a k .
T h e s u b d u e d l i n e g r o w s l o n g e r , th e p e o p le
s i l e n t , l o s t in t h e i r o w n t h o u g h t s . W h en I lo o k
i n t o t h e i r e y e s , t h e i r g a z e f a l l s to th e p a v e ­
m e n t . It i s a s a d a n d l o n e l y l i n e , t e n s e a n d
a p p re h e n s iv e .
T h e d o o r s o f t h e b u i ld i n g s w in g o p e n , a n d
t h e t h i n s t r e a m o f h u m a n i t y f lo w s s lo w ly
th ro u g h th e m . F o r m s a r e d is tr ib u te d , f ille d
o u t a n d c o l l e c t e d . I a m h e r d e d in to a r o o m
w ith a b o u t a h u n d r e d o t h e r p e o p l e . I a m l e c ­
t u r e d t h r o u g h th e c o n f u s i o n o f p a p e r w o r k a n d
r e g u la tio n s th a t n o w w ill g o v e rn m y lif e . I
d i s c o v e r t h a t I w i l l h a v e to l e a r n to l iv e on
h a lf of w h a t I w as e a rn in g b e fo r e .
M a y b e I 'm n o t r e a d y to d e a l w ith t h e s t a r k
r e a l i t y o f m y c ir c u m s t a n c e s y e t; b u t s o m e ­
h o w , I t h i n k , w e 'l l m a k e i t . I t a l k to o t h e r s l e s s
fo rtu n a te .
to g e t t o u g h e r . H e s p e a k s o f p e o p le w h o h a v e
b e e n d i v o r c e d s o t h a t m o t h e r a n d c h i l d c o u ld
s u r v i v e . It is a f r i g h t e n i n g p o s s i b i l i t y ; it m a y
b e c o m e h is r e a l i t y .
T h e m o r n i n g i s o v e r , a n d I w a lk b a c k to m y
c a r r e f l e c t i n g on th e p a s t w e e k 's n e w s . T h e y
ta lk e d a b o u t th e " tr ic k l e dow n th e o r y ," b u d g e t
d e f i c i t s , m o re b illio n s fo r d e fe n s e and fe w e r
m illio n s fo r s o c ia l w e lfa re p r o g r a m s . T hey
p r o j e c t e d a m a g i c r e v i t a l i z a t i o n o f th e p r i v a t e
h o u s in g m a r k e t a n d a t e d i n n e r f r o m t h o u s a n d
d o l l a r p l a c e s e t t i n g s . T h e y w a r n o f th e f o r e i g n
th r e a t, a n d t e l l m e th a t u n d e r c u r r e n t f is c a l
p o l i c y , in t e n y e a r s e v e r y t h i n g w i l l b e j u s t
fin e . I a m r e m in d e d of M a rie A n to in e tte , c i r c a
1982: " L e t th e m e a t b u lle ts l"
I c a n n o t r e l a t e to a n y o f i t . I c a n o n ly r e l a t e
to t o m o r r o w , a n d m a y b e a w e e k o r tw o d o w n
th e l i n e . I r e l a t e to th e l o s s o f m e d i c a l i n s u r ­
a n c e a n d a n i m m e d i a t e n e e d f o r fo o d . I r e l a t e
to a n e l e c t r i c a l " d i s c o n t i n u a n c e o f s e r v i c e "
t h r e a t , w h ic h I h a v e c a r e f u l l y h i d d e n a w a y in
a d r a w e r . I r e l a t e to f e a r , u n c e r t a i n t y , d i s i l l u ­
s i o n m e n t a n d a g r o w i n g k n o t in m y b e l l y . I a m
c o ld , a n d I a m s c a r e d .
T h e r e i s B i l l, a l u m b e r m a n . H e h a s b e e n
b r i n g i n g h o m e p r e t t y g o o d m o n e y f o r f iv e
y e a r s n o w . It i s th e o n ly t r a d e h e k n o w s . H is
w ife c a n n o t w o r k ; th e jo b m a r k e t h a s no p l a c e
fo r h e r lim ite d s k ills . T hey p u rc h a s e d a h o m e
th r e e y e a r s ag o on a p r o g r e s s iv e m o rtg a g e .
T h e y w i l l l o s e i t . T h e y w a n te d to h a v e a c h i l d .
T h e d r e a m is r a p i d l y f a d in g in to th e h a r s h
r e a l i t y o f th e t i m e s . O u t s i d e , h e l i g h t s a c i g a r ­
e t t e w ith t r e m b l i n g h a n d s . I w a tc h h i m w a lk
s lo w ly to h i s c a r a n d s i t in i t f o r a lo n g t i m e
b e f o r e d r i v i n g o ff in to a n u n k n o w n f u t u r e . I
s u s p e c t h e is le a r n in g a b o u t t e a r s .
I m e e t J im , a s a le s m a n , an d w e go fo r c o f ­
f e e . W e t a l k . H e a n d h i s w if e a r e in t h e i r e a r l y
f i f t i e s . H e i s n o t a s t r a n g e r to h a r d t i m e s . H is
m a n n e r a n d th e d e e p a n g u l a r l i n e s e t c h e d in to
h is fa c e sh o w it. He h a s b e e n h e r e b e f o r e , a n d
h e i s t i r e d , m a y b e to o t i r e d to p ic k up th e
p ie c e s a n d s t a r t o v e r a g a in . T h ey h ad h o p ed
to b u y a s m a l l p l a c e o f t h e i r ow n in a fe w
m o r e y e a r s . T h e y h a v e b e e n c a u g h t in th e
r e n t e r ' s t r a p f o r m o s t of t h e i r l i v e s , a n d th e y
w a n t to g e t o u t . N o w t h e i r h o p e s a r e s m a s h e d
a g a i n s t th e s h a r p a n d j a g g e d e d g e o f th e e c o n ­
o m y . We p a r t . It i s a n a w k w a r d m o m e n t . We
d o n 't k n o w w h a t to s a y to e a c h o t h e r .
I t a l k to L e o , a c a r p e n t e r . H e i s m a r r i e d
a n d h a s a t h r e e y e a r o ld d a u g h t e r . H e is
s c a r e d , d a m n e d s c a r e d , a n d h e is b e g in n in g
to b r e a k a p a r t . I s u g g e s t t r e e p l a n t i n g , b u t a
b a c k i n j u r y f r o m c h il d h o o d r u l e s o u t t h a t o p ­
t io n . I m e n t i o n w e l f a r e , a n d h e t e l l s m e to f o r ­
g e t it. U n d e r c u r r e n t r u le s he c a n r e c e iv e s o m e
e m e r g e n c y a s s i s ta n c e o n c e a y e a r , he s a y s ,
a n d m e d i c i n e f o r th e c h i l d . A nd th in g s a r e g o in g
M i c h a e l I r e l a n d l i v e s in E u g e n e , w h e r e h e
w o rk e d a s an e le c tr ic a l s y s te m s d e s ig n e r b e ­
f o r e h e w a s l a i d o ff. H e i s a f o r t y - t w o y e a r o ld
N a v y v e t e r a n , is m a r r i e d a n d h a s g r o w n c h i l ­
d r e n . "O n T h e o r ie s T r ic k le d D ow n" h a s b e e n
r e p r i n t e d f r o m N o r th w e s t M a g a z in e .
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