The more I'm around my fellow Floridians these days, the more I smell fear.

We have reasons to be worried. An oil gusher in the Gulf has all but destroyed our state's sparkling tourism industry. As a result, those employed by hotels, restaurants, beach amusements, and fishing industries are either losing their jobs or their hours have been scaled back to the point that they can't pay their bills. Add them to the list of those already out of work and that’s one heck of a lot of people barely scraping by. Some of the unemployed have been without a job for over two years.

Yet I think what people are most upset about is the widely held perception that our government doesn't feel it necessary to bend to the will of those who elected them; that we can’t count on them to hear us and respond in times of trouble. We feel alone, abandoned, and angry.

Many Americans grew up regarding the United States government as a safety net of sorts. It’s common knowledge that Uncle Sam is a fickle old geezer when it comes to money, doling it out to some who don't deserve it, and overlooking some who do. But for the most part, it's been comforting for the majority of us to know that when catastrophes hit, he’s been there to address the problem, and offer short-term assistance or loans. 

Then along came Katrina.

My faith in government’s ability to do anything more useful than pick their collective noses circled the drain in the days following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in 2005. Relief efforts didn't arrive for nearly a week; long after people began dying inside and outside the New Orleans Superdome from dehydration and hunger.

It was inexcusable.

As a long time resident of the Gulf Coast, the aftermath of the hurricane and the ineptitude of our “out of touch” government officials scared me far worse than the storm ever could. What happened to the folks along the Mississippi and Louisiana coastline could have easily happened to us.

And if government response to the Big Easy was any indication of things to come, it’s a sure bet we'd be on our own.

Long after the fact, a great deal of attention was focused on why it took forever to get the relief ball rolling. However shining a spotlight on the situation merely highlighted the ridiculously arduous processes of big government and the inability of those who work for us to feel compassion for those who employ them. Of course it made for good TV to see the head of FEMA; Michael Brown grilled on Capitol Hill. Politicians have long known that tossing a sacrificial lamb into the flames usually appeases voter outrage in the short term.

But for the long term the sacrifice is quickly forgotten and the complaints begin again.

In the years following Katrina, government’s overall sense of service to the American people has continued to wane.

An old college professor once said that indifference is like a cancer if it goes unchecked.

So true .

I have to hand it to Barack Obama. He's tried to break through the chains of governmental red tape and apathy. In the weeks following the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, he’s visited several times; listening to the pleas of those affected, and promising to fix it.

I believe he wants to.

However, keeping his promise will likely prove daunting.

In case you weren't aware, "fix it" is government-speak for creating an even bigger mess. Today’s politicians and bureaucrats could screw up a one-car funeral.

Those tasked with investigating and formulating a plan of action will draft a couple of thousand pages of incomprehensible drivel delineating how to best solve the problem. That process could take months. Then the document is shipped off to Congress for review. Unfortunately once it reaches Capitol Hill, no one will bother reading it unless they want to lapse into a coma. 

Wasted time, wasted effort.

All the while the victims of tragedy are either forced to declare bankruptcy, or die of old age waiting around for government to pull its head out of its butt.

We’re seeing more and more evidence of that scenario in the wake of the BP oil spill. Nearly three months after the blowup of Deepwater Horizon, big shot government types still wander along oil soaked beaches (followed by camera crews) examining tar balls, shaking their heads in disgust and vowing to the heavens to make BP pay for their environmental crimes. But after weeks of waiting, very few have been compensated for their losses. Additionally no one in government and no one at BP appear to know with absolute certainty how to cap the well.

Why else would they tell lie after lie to placate a frightened American public? 

My mother sees rudimentary fear on a regular basis as she volunteers part time at her church's food pantry. 

The pantry gives recipients three days worth of food twice per month. They must live within the same zip code as the church in order to qualify for full assistance. Those living outside the zip code can receive food too, but not as much as those who do. 

When Mom began at the pantry a year ago, the average amount of individuals served on any given morning was between 70 and 90. Last week the number of individuals more than doubled. Each day the numbers climb. Many of those in line were running out of unemployment benefits, and were afraid of going hungry.

No doubt word had gotten around that Congressional Republicans against additional deficit spending had cut off the gravy train - so to speak.

After throwing the unemployed under a moving bus, members of Congress treated themselves to a 4th of July holiday; with their bills paid, their bellies full, and enjoying creature comforts that many of their constituents could only dream of.

How any of those yahoos sleep at night after causing such misery is beyond my comprehension.

Mom told me of a woman who is a regular visitor at the pantry. Like so many others, she's a professional who lost her job during the economic downturn. And like so many others she found herself in a situation she thought she’d never be in; depending on charity to feed her household.

Last week she came in, desperate. Not enough time had elapsed since her last three day allotment of food to qualify her for another three day supply, but things in her home had gone from bad to worse. She had nothing left to feed her family.

This put her in the unenviable position of begging.

Pantry policy was to give a one-day supply when a recipient was in dire circumstances. She knew this. Yet volunteers took out a box and filled it with food, more than enough for three days – perhaps longer. At first she refused the additional items, wanting only the one-day supply she was entitled to, but the staff insisted that she take the entire box.

She wept. It was bitter medicine to realize that in spite of doing her best to get back on her feet she was in the fight of her life. It was a fight for survival, with no control over the outcome.

And she was losing.

I know how she feels. I’ve been where she’s at. And it’s not a good place.

The thing is she’s not alone. There are millions of Americans out of work, uncertain if they can continue to feed their families after their unemployment benefits are drained.

What amazes me is that the responsible parties who caused or allowed our economic and environmental catastrophes had the NERVE to cut the lifelines of those who lost jobs due to their negligence and greed. 

My grandmother lived through the Great Depression. She remembered when her friends and family lost every dime they had, going from rich to poor in the blink of an eye. She remembered soup kitchens and the long lines of hungry folks waiting for the only meal they would have that day. Her eyes took on a haunted look as she recalled times when she didn’t know where her family’s next meal would come from; a sickening fall from grace for the eldest daughter of a once wealthy and prominent family. 

It frightens me to think we might be heading there again.

Someone recently asked me what I’d want if I were given three wishes. Here’s what this die-hard, bleeding heart liberal had to say:

1.         First and foremost, no one in the world would ever be

            hungry again.

2.         Secondly there would be a mass dismissal of the entire United States Congress who are presently holding positions they no longer deserve, and replace each member with a super organized think tank professional who could problem solve and get jobs completed expeditiously and successfully.

3.         Thirdly, I’d place Bill Clinton back in the Oval Office and keep him there until he grew senile, or met his maker. Say what you want about Mr. Bill’s extra curricular activities, the little people prospered under his leadership and I miss him. A LOT.

But in the absence of magic lamps, there is something that we can do; something far more powerful than anything a genie could conjure up.

We can and should pray; for the greedy self-absorbed numnuts who represent us, for each other, for our country and for the world. Unlike mere mortals who often don’t listen, He always does.

I’m ashamed to admit that I sometimes forget that our Creator is not only capable of calming our fears, but He's the ultimate go-to guy to fix what's broken. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz we worry about the impossible, only to discover that the solution was in our hearts all along.

We don’t need ruby slippers to get to where we need to be; just a willingness to listen and obey a still small voice.

Michelle Close Mills ©