a reflective journal about social action from JustDane
Tired Old World
Words & music: Ann Reed From the album Hole in the Day, 1993 If my heart Fails to break At the sight of unbearable pain Then this tired old world This crazy time Is havin' it's way If my mind Understands Ev'ry ruthless & poisonous act Then this tired old world This crazy time Is havin' it's way To love & to comfort has meaning I never had known There's some people fighting their way Through this life all alone If I cannot feel something for anyone's struggles it tells I've lost my compassion & mercy as well as myself If my eyes Turn away Just because I've had enough for one day Then this tired old world This crazy time Is havin' it's way If my life On from here Is a life lived & driven by fear Then this tired old world This crazy time Is havin' it's way If I ever get to a time when it don't bother me To bury my friends or watch somebody die on the street If I don't feel much more than disgust or a shrug or oh well Then I've lost my compassion & mercy as well as myself If my heart Fails to break At the sight of unbearable pain Then this tired old world This crazy time Is havin' it's way...
WE WILL NOT TURN AWAY BY LINDA KETCHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
This Ann Reed song pops into my head somedays when I’m feeling weary. It was, in part, her response to what she saw as the callous approach by some, including elected officials, to the suffering in this country. Suffering that included the AIDS crisis, rising unemployment and homelessness, racism, poverty and a myriad of other challenges. I was recently talking with some friends when one of them asked, “Do you sometimes feel like it’s pointless? Like nothing is going to change for the better?” Maybe our weariness is this tired old world having its way. And yet there are glimmers of hope. As I write this, Madison and Dane County are both in the midst of their budget processes. Over the past two and a half years our local, state, and federal governments have struggled to address growing needs during a pandemic. States and municipalities were provided with CARES dollars (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and then ARPA funds (American Rescue Plan Act) to help with the increased needs for assistance that people had as the result of the pandemic. We know that budgets are moral documents. Spending priorities and allocation levels reflect what we as a community value. Not all communities have demonstrated the same values: many have opposed an increase in funding of the safety net, and instead have used COVID relief funds in other ways. Not so in Madison and Dane County. At JustDane we often challenge our City and County in their budget processes, urging them to expand the safety net and to increase affordable housing stock. And we still do; we need more affordable housing in Madison and Dane County. That said, we want to thank our Mayor, the Madison Common Council, and our County Executive and County Board for their vision, creativity, and compassion in the ways they have addressed the COVID 19 pandemic and the suffering it has caused. Continued on page 2
Fall 2022