My husband and I are financially better off than a lot of people and try not to complain. We have a nice home...old, but nice. Our 11 year old van has almost 200,000 miles on it, but still runs good. (Knock on wood!) We aren't hungry, bills are current and luckily have good insurance that doesn't cost us an arm and a leg. But all this could quickly change...
We are heading for some dark times. With less than $3500 in liquid assets, a gross income of $2204 and monthly expenses around $2800, we are running in the red. In about six months, we will not have anything left to cover our shortage. That fact is veeerrrrrryyyyy scary.
If the USA could be likened to a human being, my husband would be a spinal facet making up America's backbone. His work ethics and dedication to his job helped build and maintain the communication network in this country. For 33 years, usually 7 days a week and 10 hours a day, he climbed ladders, worked in 160 degree attics, sat for hours in manholes and always squatted or belly crawled around to insure phone lines were kept in service. In all that time, one could count on a single hand the days he wasn't able to go to work. He did this without complaining because he actually loves working. AT&T's exacting demands physically and mentally destroyed his body. In the end, their underhanded tactics forced him to retire prematurely in order to satisfy some bean counter's bottom line...But I'm ranting.
Today, he hobbles around with his cane trying to rake leaves or sweep the sidewalk, stopping frequently because of the pain, knowing he'll pay dearly for his efforts. The point is, a street urchin, who fended for himself since he was a child, supported his family without help, paid a higher percentage of taxes than most of the wealthy, and loyally served corporate America for over half his life feels betrayed by the system that destroyed his health and left him incapable of earning a living.
Unable to qualify for programs designed to help citizens in trouble, we simply need some direction. What are we supposed to do now? Become someone's burden? No thank you...
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