I wonder, I wonder; ignore history and live to repeat it.

During my adolescent years, my Dear Mother often took me to the nearest office and warehouse of the Los Angeles County Welfare agency. The Staff there would load us down with cans of surplus vegetables, canned meat, and sometimes unsold, outdated graham crackers or other pastries. Usually we received ten pound sacks of pinto beans, rice, sugar, wheat flour, as well as packages of pure lard for shortening. These were among the essentials to maintain our family in a time of economic depression.

Years later, Mom refused to admit that we received charity during that era.

Whenever unsold fabric and surplus material was donated to the Welfare Department, this was doled out to many of the unemployed Watts inhabitants. The donated fabric was usually rolls of fabric of unpopular colors that became shirts, blouses, dresses, etc, sowed by hand or on Singer Sewing Machines. Picture the sight of most Watts children walking to and attending Public Schools wearing frocks of the same color. Hardly any of us were ashamed of our attire. Other children were not so fortunate, and often attended much poorly clothed, and a few were without shoes.

Unemployment struck at 25% of American workers. Almost all of those employed, were men. The era of the employed household mother did not commence until the USA entered World War-2 and militarized huge numbers of American males.

As most of you are aware, our country is experiencing an economic downturn. Most current USA citizens know someone who has recently lost their job. This is not a situation to be wished on our country, but it exists anyway. Those of us who enjoy a steady income should be thankful. Further, we need to seek someway to lessen the burdens of the growing numbers of the jobless.

Please keep up your spirits and pray fervently for the unfortunate.

Thank You- Hugh Paz -  AV7