Student paper editor fails in his discussion of solutions to the economic recession.

UW-Madison's Badger Herald Op-Ed writers are at it again. Sam Clegg, Editorial Page Editor for the student paper, wrote a piece in yesterday's eddition entitled: "Favor education over poor," which can be found here.

Here is my response to Mr. Clegg:
Sam, your work would benefit significantly if you stepped outside of academia and actually spoke to working-class individuals who live this economic recession everyday. As an individual who identifies as being from "a pit of suburban oppression," it is apparent that you do not understand the individuals you are advocating "sacrificing" for the common good.

I am a proud member of the working-class and both of my parents are currently out of work due to the economic recession. A 5% unemployment rate in Wisconsin is lower than the national level of 6.7%, which for a wanna-be economist, such as yourself, isn't that bad. But to the individuals and families that make up that 5%, it is an awful situation to be in, one leaves most without health insurance and the inability to provide most comforts to their families. You will never understand my reality, so it would be appreciated if you could attempt to be respectful by refraining from discussing your solution for my family's situation.

"It will show itself through simpler but more intuitive means: a rise in homelessness, increasing squalor in the country’s inner cities and far-flung rural areas, and a general feeling of malaise as Barack Obama’s anecdotal factory worker — unemployed because of some crook in mainland China — struggles to look his family in the eye."

There are so many things wrong with this sentence, that I do not even know where to begin! First, you are from a suburb of Chicago, so please do not even attempt to comment on life in Wisconsin, particularly rural areas. Second, you do not know anything about factory work, so do not pretend you know anything about unemployed workers, particularly attempting to understand their relationship with their families.

Overall, it would be much appreciated by the working class students on this campus and the working class members of this state that you and other privileged Op-Ed writers refrained from attempting to discuss our lives and the impact of this recession has on us. The only way around this is if you are willing to interview working class individuals and share a factual piece that includes our voices in a respectful and honest manner. i doubt you would do this, since climbing down from the ivory tower would expose you to the dirt from our "squalor," since we are so far beneath you and your elitist ideals.