Folks, let’s get real. There are many people in southeast Queens who
are struggling to afford a quality life.
There are many people who are working long hours, two & three jobs, borrowing
against their homes or their retirement in order to have cash for immediate
debts and expenses, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, and sometimes worse.
Former Assemblyman Scarborough’s fiscal
misconduct was inexcusable and he has owned it.
Yet those of us who have read or heard his reflection have heard the
frustrations of a hardworking man from southeast Queens who, despite his
compassion for and dedicated service to his community, was not able honestly to
afford the quality of life commonly called “middle class.”
So where does that leave
the rest
of us? Sure, you might be able to afford
a decent life in southeast Queens while you’re 20-something, single,
childless,
and living at home with your parents rent-free.
But what happens when you have to get your own place? What happens when
you’re 30-something and you
have a young child or children? What
happens when you want to buy a house or need to pay for childcare? What
happens when you’re 50- or 60-something
and you need to take time away from work to care for your aging parents …
while
also trying to see your kids through college or subsidize them living at
home
with you rent-free? What happens when you’re
ready to retire, can you? What happens
in your golden years if you need medical care or home care, how will it
be paid
for? Can you afford a comfortable
quality of life at each of these life stages? What about your friends,
your siblings, your church members, your neighbors? How are they doing?
Folks, let’s get real. Your quality of life depends on what you can honestly
afford. That is why Farmers Boulevard
Community Development Corp. is raising this issue at our upcoming health fair
on June 13th. As a community
we must talk openly about affordability in all of the facets that bear
on the quality of our lives:
- Affording retirement
- Affording comfortable housing
- Affording health insurance, good nutrition and fitness
- Developing and maintaining “affordable relationships”
A flyer is attached.
The event is free. Please spread the word. Email me if you have
questions. We hope to see you there, and we hope that
our community and its stewards will discuss more frequently and publicly
this topic
of Affordable Wellness. Thank you, and
enjoy your weekend.
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