While 10% of USA is unemployed - rant

[chickaddict]

I will be starting a 2nd full time job in a couple of weeks. I have to be honest that while i should be grateful to have a job, let alone two. There is a huge part of me that is simply angry that I have to. With 4 civic suits against us for medical bills, getting another job is the only chance we have of digging out.


According to the state of CT we live about $8,000 BELOW the poverty level. Yet somehow do not qualify for help of any kind. I have lived in CT my ENTIRE life but I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are OBVIOUSLY trying to eradicate the middle and lower income families in this state in some pathetic attempt to turn us into a sandbox for NY weekenders and FL snowbirds. You can't drive down any street in our city without seeing at least 3 for sale signs.


In CT my home is valued at $220,000, but a house in Florida exactly the same size goes for $65,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ON A PIECE OF LAND 4 TIMES THE SIZE OF MY PROPERTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the house in FL isn't located in front of a crack ridden trailer park. My house is. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS!!!!!!!!

DH already has 2 jobs, he works his butt off 7 days a week. SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.


Just what was the straw that broke this camels back????????? Let me tell you. My youngest son got arrested, he deserved to, I'm not complaining about that. But when i tried to get him a public defender I was the only person in a room with about 20 people in it who could speak English and then I was informed that they would not help us. Would you like to why?????? Because i am married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Together we overqualify for help by $10.00 a year. No help for us

Sooooooooooo, I entered the courtroom with my GUILTY 17- year old pot smoker and no lawyer. I informed the court that we would like to enter a plea. It made perfect sense to me, the boy is guilty, we are NOT FIGHTING THE CHARGES. THE CHILD ENTERED THE COURT ROOM FULLY PREPARED TO ACCEPT WHATEVER THE PUNISHMENT WAS FOR HIS OFFENSE.


What did the judge do??????? She threatened to sever my parental rights for not hiring him a lawyer!!!!!!!!!! Then she entered a plea of NOT GUILTY in his behalf and gave us a return date.

I raised my children to ADMIT their mistakes, I raised them to take responsibility for whatever they do wrong and to do whatever they can to make it right again. Apparently in the Ct justice system you aren't allowed to be honest. In fact, if you try to be honest they will threaten to take the child away from you!!!!!


Between the house, the jobs, the medical bills, the potthead teenager and the screwed up justice system I have simply HAD ENOUGH.


Thanks for the vent - I'm jumping off my pedastal now and running for some blueberry bread.

 

[Southpaw970]

Its definitely frustrating when those of us who do try to help ourselves can't get a much help. The system encourages people to do NOTHING so they can get all the help they need.

 

[Bantimna]

I understand your rant. The USA has a much lower rate of job-less people the SA. We have about 40% of peole job-less.

 

[chickaddict]

Quote:
THANK YOU - believe it or not it helps to be reminded there is always someone with larger battles then mine. I have a roof, food, clothing, family and friends that love and laugh with me. I have my chickens, who keep me endlessly amused, eat all the bugs in my yard and give me eggs. I have the internet when most don't have a computer. I have comcast TV when many don't have TV at all. I have a spare change container when many don't have 2 nickles to rub together.

I can just be difficult sometimes to remember all the things that are right in my life when things start to crumble around me.

 

[debilorrah]

Our area sits at 17% unemployment, but that doesn't count the people who are not on unemployment anymore. I assume it is more like 30-40% here. There are NO jobs.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Sadly, if you had said 'fine...take him, he's yours', he would have then qualified for all sorts of assistance. Of course you and DH would have been sued for child support paid to the state for his foster care, medicaid etc...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Only in America do you not have a right to plead guilty when you are....

 

[chickaddict]

Quote:
At the time I was too stunned to reply at all - it's a mindblower to me that we simply weren't allowed to tell the truth.


Several years ago when the boys were 4,5 and 7 they managed to knock over a table filled with pumpkin pies at the local Shaws supermarket. I brought the boys home, told them they would have to pay for the pies with any Christmas money they received and made them all write letters of apology to the store. I dropped the letters off with a manager and asked him for the cost of damages. He told me he would have to get back with a dollar amount.

A week after Christmas I returned with the offending children (all 3 too embarrased to look up) with the intention of paying for the pies. I was told by the manager that they really didn't know what to do with me as they had NEVER had a parent who insisted that their child pay for their mistakes. That they actually had an in-store fund designed to pay for the things that children break. He said that the letters written by the boys had been a source of endless amusement in their break room and they didn't want the boys' money. I honestly didn't know wether to be happy or sad over this. While we really couldn't afford to give up the cash it was important to me that the boys learn a solid lesson about ruining things that don't belong to you. Although I do have to say the fact that they were all too embarrased to enter the store without prodding tells me that the lesson was learned, it still somehow sounds wrong to me.

 

[BigBadCryBaby]

Quote:
THANK YOU - believe it or not it helps to be reminded there is always someone with larger battles then mine. I have a roof, food, clothing, family and friends that love and laugh with me. I have my chickens, who keep me endlessly amused, eat all the bugs in my yard and give me eggs. I have the internet when most don't have a computer. I have comcast TV when many don't have TV at all. I have a spare change container when many don't have 2 nickles to rub together.

I can just be difficult sometimes to remember all the things that are right in my life when things start to crumble around me.

Well put. I too understand your frustration! I'm working part time jobs now as the business I was in was washed away by the recession/depression. There is a war on the middle class in the US and the sooner people understand this and fight back the sooner we will become a democracy again, not a corporatocracy. We're the only industrialized country in the world where people can go bankrupt over health care costs. It's shameless and astonishing.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

In CT my home is valued at $220,000, but a house in Florida exactly the same size goes for $65,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ON A PIECE OF LAND 4 TIMES THE SIZE OF MY PROPERTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the house in FL isn't located in front of a crack ridden trailer park. My house is. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS!!!!!!!!

Real estate is all about location, location, location. You must live in a desirable area (crack-ridden trailer park and all...) Perhaps the silver lining is that if you decide to sell your place and move to, say, Florida, you'll be able to pocket a nice nest egg on top of paying for a new home.

Coastal California is similarly skewed in terms of real estate. A 3 br/2 bath tract house can be valued at more than $1,000,000. If you own a home in California you probably have no hope, for instance, of qualifying for financial aid to send your kids to college.

Very sorry about your son. It must be a very difficult time for you.​