Where is Our Big Brother??

I have an older brother, Johnny, as I call him, who, for most of my life has been well, the most awesome big brother any younger sibling could ask for.  He's kind, smart, handsome, successful, a loving husband and father, funny, open to have a good laugh, easy to talk to... the list goes on.  Many people I know have expressed envy, and even jealousy over the closeness and ease of our relationship.  We really are blessed.  But, he doesn't live near me.  He lives all the way across the country in New York.  So, I don't get to see much of him any more.

John was always looking out for me, even when I wasn't aware that he was.  When I was a teenage girl, just coming of dating age, he was a Senior and I was in 9th grade.  I couldn't figure out why no one, NOBODY would ask me out, until one day a friend confessed that Johnny had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that anyone would 'date' his little sister.  He finally relented and allowed me to date a fellow team member of the football team (a few years his junior) but would, essentially monitor our dates like a chaperon from the 18th century.

One time some boys were making my life hell, teasing me and making me cry and Johnny scared the daylights out of them.  They eventually came to me and apologized.  What I realized from that experience is that even-though I am the little sister, I am worthy of respect.  I ended up becoming friends with those boys.   John solved almost every problem with this uncanny wit and charm.  

When John went off to college I was secretly devastated.   Our mother had left our father a few years prior and while there wasn't any abuse or neglect to speak of; I was always well cared for; there was, however, a lot of sad silence.  I lived with my father and he was very sad for many years.  It wasn't a happy home for a young teenage girl.  John had always been the moderator between me and my mother.  Without him around I think our relationship deteriorated faster without intervention.

I was accepted to the same university as John and eagerly followed my big brother to WVU.  There we started off where we had left off and enjoyed an uninterrupted five years of keg stands and backyard BBQ's.  Not only did I have my big brother to watch out for me, I now had a whole house full of John's roommates who took on the responsibility of making sure I was safe.

I remember this one occasion when I was having a particularly hard time my freshman year.  I literally walked over to his house, in the freezing cold December night (about 2 miles), across this huge, scary bridge (I called it the troll bridge) and for protection I had taken a fork from the cafeteria.  He woke up, groggily answered the door, not saying a word, gave me his bed and went to sleep on the couch.  Just being there with him calmed me down.

When I left my abusive home this past spring, it was John that I called right away.  He wired me money and arranged for me to get a car.  He called me every day, sometimes twice a day.

I think he's having a hard time right now.  See, he works for this company that makes parts for the automobile industry.  You can imagine that the last few years have been challenging in that economic sector.  Moreover, the fate of his company hangs in the balance.  It may be sold and all of the jobs moved overseas.  This is the first time in my life that I've seen my brother struggle to fix the problem with wit and charm.  No amount of charm can save middle class America I fear.

I just saw some clip with Newt Gingrich saying that black kids don't have to only grow up to be pimps, hookers and drug dealers.  Instead, he suggested, that we could give them jobs at the inner-city schools cleaning toilets.  And I saw another quote where he spoke of the "Washington Elite" as if they were some other sector of the Congress with which he, himself, wasn't a part.

I think it is pretty sick that we've allowed our country to take some of our best, brightest, most dedicated citizens and stripped them of their dignity, inalienable rights and hope.  It is true that my big brother can't beat up the bullies in Washington like he could beat up the bullies in PA.

I had always thought that government was like a big brother: there to protect you, to kick the bullies butts, to take care of the little guy or gal.  I thought that our government was charming and full of wit and ingenuity.  A source of pride for the American people.  And yet, we should be no less ashamed of our "Washington Elite" as the Italians are embarrassed about Berlusconi.   And it is really sad to think that our government has gone away and left us, abandoned us in a quiet, lonely house and we've only got this useless fork we had to steal from the cafeteria to defend ourselves.