By D. Holland
I have always taken pride in being able to work and provide for myself. Growing up in my household we were given messages like you have to “hustle” or, “you have to do what you have to do to make ends meet,” so of course those phrases have stuck to me my whole life.
I’ve learned and adapted. I have learned to stretch my money by picking and choosing what bill to pay, or taking out a loan just to have that extra money to make it until the next payday. These are just some of the things I’ve had to do in order to “make ends meet.” I don’t think these are unique situations; I’m sure many of us have had to do at least of one of these things in order to keep moving forward with life.
For me a program like SEED is something very bold and experimental, which leaves me on the fence about the whole thing. Money is a touchy subject in and of itself and when you add that you will be selecting individuals to receive that money, it could go really good or really bad. Of course SEED is a good concept that could potentially spark something great for a town that is trying to rebuild itself, but my concern is will this cause tension between those who are a part of the program and those who are not? We won’t know the answer to the many questions we have, however from the outside looking in, if this program turns out to be a positive step for Stockton I’m willing to get off my fence and support it.