Stereotype would have you believe that as soon as Cody graduates we’ll be driving new SUV’s and living in the nice part of town with all the other doctors and lawyers. We will be going on family vacations to the Bahamas and have matching Ralph Lauren luggage and linen pants. Carefree! Rich! Raking in the dough!
Wrong.
The closer his graduation gets the more I realize that not only are we going to have to be grownups and buy a house with a water bill, a garbage bill, a sewage bill, a gas bill, no landlord to take care of the leaky faucets, we are going to have loans to repay. Loans that will amount to even more than what a mortgage and two new SUVs would amount to; not that we’re getting SUVs but whatever.
I look forward to having a house after eight years of marriage, while at the same time I want to curl up in a corner and cry because I don’t feel old enough to be dealing with IRAs, stock portfolios, life insurance and mortgages.
Today I had an experience that angered/frustrated/humbled/outraged and opened my eyes all at once. I had to go see a doctor at a new clinic about some issues I’ve been experiencing. It was a low income clinic because we don’t have insurance, and medical tests and procedures are expensive. Because we go to low income clinics, the wait times are longer and getting appointments can be like trying to get a lunch date with the President. But hey, I’ll take what I can get.
After my appointment today I was made to sit down with a “financial counselor.”
I had been “flagged.” Apparently they thought I was trying to “mooch off the system.” They wanted me to prove to them that I was eligible for financial assistance for my medical care. Even though I had a card that said I was eligible for a discount on my medical care through their facility, they thought there had been an oversight and that I was to pay full price for a visit to their clinic. Their clinic was for people with “no insurance” and “strained financial situations.”
When did living off $1500 a month become a “wonderful financial situation”?
This is where I get nervous about writing what I want to write. Trolls? Stay back. I don’t mean this to sound the way you’re going to want to twist it and make it sound.
I’ve never really been put in a situation like this before, but as I sat there trying to explain to this man that my husband was in school and we were living off small amounts of borrowed money that isn’t even ours, I started to feel like I was being accused. Because someday my husband will (hopefully) have a decent income we should find some magical way to have health coverage? Or we should pay full price for our health care now? No, we’re not going to be in this situation forever, it’s only temporary. But I still needed to see a doctor whether my husband was a hobo or an attorney. And I’m still on a tight budget whether my husband is going to school to become a nose picker or a lawyer. Nothing is going to change that. And if there’s an option where I can get medical care for cheaper I’m going to take it. If you’re on a budget and there was a way you could save hundreds, if not thousands on your medical care, even though it meant longer waits and appointments made far in advance, wouldn’t you do it? Assuming you were eligible (on paper) to receive such care?
I’m frustrated. No, we currently don’t pay taxes, but in another year we will enter a tax bracket so ridiculous we’ll be sure to make up for lost time. And honestly after our experiences over the last few years I am grateful for taxes and taxpayers in a way I never was before. A lot of people honestly need a little help sometimes. Yes, there are those who abuse the system, but then there are those who just need a little something to get them on the right track. We are in the latter.
This is one of the reasons this election is so hard for me, and I’ve never really known how to get it into words. By the time the new president gets his policies into effect we will be in a different scenario than we are now; we will be taxpayers with a mortgage and we’ll be hanging out in a high tax bracket. But for now, for this election we are a low income family trying to gain an education without any easily attained health care.
So do I vote for the candidate who will best suit who we are now, or who we’ll be in anther year? I don’t want to forget about all the wonderful people I’ve met while in this situation, the doctors, nurses, social workers and government employees who do all this hard work without enough gratitude or glory for the people who honestly need help to get back on their feet. But at the same time I don’t want to be paying more in taxes than we are able to save or put towards our own loans or mortgage.
So there.
I’m afraid I come off as a whiny baby. Hopefully there’s some of you who have been through the graduate school thing or a rough patch and can understand. I’m not a whiny baby, I’m grateful for the great life I enjoy and the comforts and opportunities I have in this country. I guess the stereotype that comes along with being an attorney’s wife is starting to rub me wrong.
Bah.
Be nice. I will delete on this one.
making unbreakable - formerly moosh in indy. 
Please don’t feel bad. I was a single mom finishing college and (eventually) student teaching. I took WIC, food stamps, and free health insurance from the state. Am I paying my taxes now? Yes. With no complaints? Oh yes. I did what I needed to do to keep my daughter and myself healthy and whole. You are too and no one faults you. Except the trolls. Suck it, trolls.
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Gack! What a you-know-what at that medical office. Who knew there was a profile for a moocher. Purlease.
Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..This Is What Married People Do
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I think there should be a lot more help for students than there is. Whether you live in Canada or the US, education is expensive! Can you believe that back when my dad went to med school (in Canada), the government paid for half of doctors’ educations?! (My dad now works in the States so the last laugh is on them!) Not only does that not exist anymore but universities are scrounging every dime students don’t have nailed down.
I had to live with the stereotype of daddy being a doctor: people assuming we had money to burn. Doctors can make a lot or a little, just as lawyers can make a lot or a little. All I could do was try to set the record straight. (As an interesting sidenote, my dad makes less working in the States than he did in Canada!)
As for healthcare, I’m incredibly blessed to have the Canadian system. I may pay more taxes, but I don’t have to worry about accountability to insurance companies and the like. I’ve seen Michael Moore’s Sicko and while I take it with a grain of salt 😉 I truly believe the US needs to take better care of its denizens.
Good luck! The end of one set of problems is the beginning of another. 😉
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I don’t understand why people second guess or question those in situation like yours, but if a person is poor and no hope for coming out of this, we accept that. I would hope that those who are in situations like yours remember for years where they came from and that they continue to give back.
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You are doing what you need to do for you and your family. You are not abusing the system; you are who the system is for. And, not that I know you, but for what I feel like I know of you by reading your blog, you will give back to the system (whether by donations, volunteerism, whatever) when you are able to. Don’t feel bad for that!
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First of all, no nice person I know would ever accuse you of being a whiny baby. BUT, what better place to BE one than on your OWN personal blog! 🙂 Let it all out, girl!
I’m sorry you were put in that position. It’s no fun being “scolded” at any age. Know that you are doing what you need to do at this stage of the game. And that you will contine to do what you need to do at any future stages of the game.
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it sounds like you did your research and humbly did what you needed to do to take care of your family. don’t feel bad about being responsible with your finances and learning about your options… {{{hugs}}}
kristin’s last blog post..a hope restored.
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Ooooh that’s a good question, as the election approaches, do you vote for where you are NOW or where you THINK you will be in 2-3 years.
Life is so ebb and flow isn’t it? Frustrating and exhilirating all in one fell swoop.
P.S. I’ve never been in your position, I’m 100% sure it is very humbling to be in your position and I’m sorry I have no advice but wanted to let you know think that you posed a great question.
Darla’s last blog post..I just did the unthinkable…
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I’m up in the air on this one.
I grew up in Canada, in the land of “socialized medicine”. When it came to our health, we knew we would be covered as long as it was something necessary. We didn’t take advantage of the fact we had free health care, in fact, I probably went to the doctor less than I do now with BCBS insurance.
Then I moved to KS. And I suddenly realized just how expensive health care really was, and how good I’d had it growing up. And when things got really really tough for me in KS, when Nate and I were both out of work and there was no income and I got sick with meningitis and was hospitalized for 5 days… when the bill grew to over $10,000 and I had absolutely no idea how I was going to pay, after I -had- paid in to the system for almost 6 years, and now NO ONE would help me because I wasn’t from the US…
We couldn’t qualify for food stamps. We didn’t qualify for any financial assistance at all. All because I did things the -right- way and had my legal papers saying I could be here.
I know what you’re going through… albeit no one’s situation is ever the same… but I feel for you.
And I would vote for the candidate that feels right in your heart, because somewhere, there IS a happy medium between where you are now, and where you will be.
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Great post!
My husband just graduated law school after four years. He paid $2700 to take a bar exam review course, and in 6 months we will have to start paying back his loans. Yet people think we will soon magically be without financial worries. Riiiight.
No, he’s been working full time DURING law school just to pay the bills, because I’ve stayed home with our son. His income prevents us from qualifying for help—but we’re living paycheck-to-paycheck. I don’t know where we’ll be in a few years; we only HOPE things will get better. So although our situation is different from yours, I understand the overall issue, and I understand the weight on both sides of the voting scale: Now versus Later. I guess it’s always a chance we take either way.
(Side note: My husband’s family in Hungary doesn’t get our system. Over there, women get 1 to 2 YEARS of partial-pay maternity leave. We had to explain that I didn’t get paid AND daycare is horribly expensive!)
In the mean time, accept help while you can, without guilt. You’ll have the rest of your lives to give back to the system.
I hope everything works out for you guys. Hang in there! 🙂
Melissa’s last blog post..little Hercules and the bed transition of doooooom
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I find that it is harder and harder to make ends meet and my family is struggling. I wish you the very best and I’m so sorry that you had to go through so much trouble.
Nicole’s last blog post..Homemade Gifts
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Good for you for putting this post out there. Delete the haters.
My husband is going to grad school to be an accountant and while the debt is NOTHING compared to what yours must be, it still is overwhelming and it is tough being poor. And I’ll be happy to pay my taxes in the future to help out people in our situation because dang am I glad for the several thousand dollars of government funding we got. And any other help we get. Not everyone is a moocher – there are tons of people out there with legitimate needs.
Janssen’s last blog post..Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
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My hubbie and I moved to the U.S. from Australia almost a year ago. We have been students in both countries and let me just say that being a student in Australia ROCKS! Not to mention that they pay you to have babies.
Australia is a much more liberal-minded country (which was a good fit for us) but it was just accepted as a fact of life that if you were students you received certain benefits and there was no stigma attached to those benefits. We would all talk about going to the Centrelink office and our appointments there as if it was no big deal BECAUSE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL.
Politically – my opinion is that helping people help themselves is the way to go. Figuring out how to enforce that is another story.
Frumpy Luv’s last blog post..100th Post Giveaway!!!!
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Don’t even get me started on health insurance. You already know how I feel about most doctors.
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C,
I think that you are who you will be in a year from now. Make sense? You’ve been fundamentally changed by going through this financial experience. You’ll be a richer you. But you’ll still be the woman who had to experience the system as someone who needed a hand.
When you vote, I know you will make the decision for the candidate that best encapsulates the woman you are, want to be, and best bestows the values you want to pass onto your daughter.
I think that as we curse these hard times we all face in one breath, we look back and thank the Lord for them in our next.
You are who you are. Go with your gut. 🙂
Smiling Mom’s last blog post..Diaper-free and filled with glee
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Welcome to: the hubby and I both have master’s degrees yet we qualified for free pregnancy care because neither of us could find a teaching job that brought us above the poverty line. And we both drive old paid for cars.
I’ll try to dig through my archives and find the one post I wrote about being treated like an idiot just for going to the low-income clinic and having medical coupons. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human being and just because you have no money doesn’t mean you’re dumb!
Okay, end rant.
I’m pretty undecided about this election too. My choice is not so clear cut as it would have been had Hilary been the nominee… 😉 she scares me!
Krista’s last blog post..Book: Washington’s Lady
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I’m sorry you had to go through this, Casey. People really do ASSume the worst things about others – how unfair of them to judge you in that way.
andi’s last blog post..How you doin’?
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Here’s the thing- even though YOU will not be in the financial situation you are in forever, SOMEONE always will be. Taxpayers dollars pay for the programs that help lower income citizens. These programs are often vital to many people.
Therefore, I think it is our job to be as humanitarian as possible, and think of the underdogs in our society. Taxes suck, yes, but going without medical care or even food sucks even more.
As we climb the ladder to sucess as adults, it is important for us to remember where we came from- starting at the “bottom” is good for us in many, many ways. (This is why kids who have EVERYTHING handed to them don’t understand what it’s like to have REAL needs- for housing, or health care, or food or whatev.)
These are just my views, and I’ll look forward to seeing what others have to say.
Also, it sucks that you got flagged at the clinic. SUCKS.
Marie Green’s last blog post..Old and New
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Here’s that post I was thinking of… took me forever to find it! 🙂
http://herlings.blogspot.com/2007/10/living-with-state-assistance.html
Krista’s last blog post..Book: Washington’s Lady
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My post tomorrow (sort of) covers this.
But, during law school I worked full time mainly for the insurance. Husband switched to night school the last 6 months to watch our newborn in fact (which was totally cool), she was like a mascot when he toted her over to Moot Court.
Anyway. I had friends who had kids while husband was in school and no insurance. And they were treated like garbage, especially when it came time to deliver the baby. The hospital personnel were unkind at best, and like you, they knew it was temporary, but it still sucked.
good&crazy’s last blog post..Cell Phone Love
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I’m currently in school full-time, and I’m a single mom to two. My kids are older(just in their teens) but they’re still expensive. They are covered throught the state. I’m uninsured. I have been uninsured for almost 3 years. All I can do is pray I don’t get sick. But I’m on assistance, too, and I’ve had people snarl at me to get a job(I actually have 2). I think people who are trying to get up should get the most help. That’s what real help is. You’re doing fine. God will watch out for you. He always has for me.
Blazing Goddess’s last blog post..Crazy 8’s
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I’m a firm believer that the system should be designed to help people while they’re in the times they need help. Especially if they are spending that time struggling in order to provide a good future for themselves. Your husband is going to school so that he can take care of you and your family in the future, so society should support that!
Rachael’s last blog post..TV Tuesday: Top Chef, SYTYCD, Battlestar Galactica, LOST
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I have TOTALLY been right there in your incredibly frustrated shoes. I met my husband when I was a college student and he was applying for law school. It’s been twelve years and he’s a lawyer now and two kids and a mortgage and slowly working our way down from the mountain (over $100k!) of law school debt and STILL I can tell you that the fantasy of being a lawyer’s wife is about as real as being Cinderella.
What I keep wondering is WHERE THE HELL IS MY BMW!?!?!?
As for the political thing, I can share one big frustration we’ve had: student loan interest is meant to be tax deductible, right? Well, not if you make too much money! For a while there while we were both working, a big fat chunk of our loan payments were NOT deductible. Things got a little better with the most recent tax cuts, but it’s definitely one of those things that sways my vote. There’s nothing worse than being punished (financially) for torturing yourself and working your ass off in law school.
Anyway, if you ever need a shoulder to use for the ugly cry…
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For a while I was a single mom when my kids were tiny. I worked part time so I wouldn’t go crazy. My church helped me and I was on Medicaid for the kids and WIC. I can’t tell you how many snotty, demeaning people I came across. In Drs offices, checkout cashiers at stores. I was prob. more educated then they were and they treated me horribly. All I could keep thinking was “its temporary”. And thats the way it is for you. Keep your chin up. You guys are almost there….
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Maybe he heard you speaking to your daughter and misheard Moosh as Mooch?
But seriously… this post sums up my #1 concern about the U.S. and why I would probably never move there (even though personally my family would be better off there in terms of housing, salary, healthcare, etc than here in Canada). I can’t get behind a system that questions whether or not someone “deserves” health care (because ultimately, that’s what they do… they decide who deserves it…)
OK, you said be nice, so I’ll just stop there.
SciFi Dad’s last blog post..All That Matters
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I hear you on this one completely. I am in grad school; my husband graduated with his MD a year ago. So now I am technically a doctor’s wife. But… he has HUGE loans to re-pay. I am still in school. We have NO money. It is NOT the stereotypical life of a doctor’s wife. Someday, perhaps. But not today, not now. Now, we are just making it by. Now, I can’t go to the dentist because we don’t have dental insurance. Now, we live in a subsidized apartment because there is no way we could afford to live anywhere else.
So yes, Mrs. future-wife-of-a-lawyer, current-wife-of-a-man-in-school-on-loans – yes, I understand.
Z’s last blog post..Me me me me me!!! 😉
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Everyone is making me want to move to Canada.
You know it’s awfully tempting to respond to your political question but I’ve made that blog rule in my head not to blog politics. But we can talk about it on our next outing.
I know those experiences leave you feeling like poop. Don’t feel like poop.
Anna’s last blog post..Beautiful Day: 1
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Well first, I’ll tell you that I’m several years older than you and I still don’t feel old enough to own a house or actually BE a parent. Yikes! Some of us never feel like grown ups. And I don’t think that’s always a bad thing.
Then, I’ll say that unless you’re a millionaire, paying out of pocket for healthcare in the US is unaffordable. Yes, we hope Cody will soon have a job that offers group insurance, which is affordable, but for now, you don’t have the money. And for a long time, you’ll be dealing with major life-loans (like the rest of the country) which will not be offset by annual income. So let go of the guilt. The system is not working for MOST people regardless of income level.
Lastly, I have to say that I personally never thought of voting as a purely “personal” issue–like, what’s best for ME and my wallet alone. So this idea is new one for me to chew on. I am in no way suggesting you’re selfish here, since of course your preferences for a candidate come from your own personal opinions and values. But I try to temper that with considering what’s best for the majority of the people in the country. And the majority of the people in the country do NOT have professional degrees or 6-figure incomes, nor will they ever. And they need healthcare, clean air to breathe, healthy food, and safe neighborhoods as much as the people who can afford to pay out the nose for them. So no matter where you personally are on the sliding scale, isn’t voting about what’s best for the country overall? And if you can, pitching in a little more to help the poorer folks? Afterall, your cheap clinic is probably being funded by some combo of taxes from the wealthier and donations. Someday you can be in a position to contribute yourself to these places when you are paying taxes on a larger income, etc.
Wow. Stepped up on a taaaall soapbox there. Love ya, girl!
Must be Motherhood’s last blog post..Mosaic Me: Friday Fluff
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Hmm, that sounds very wishardesque…I used to work for them, well, kind of. When I used to have insurance through them, their maternity coverage was really great if you wanted to deliver at Wishard – uh, no thanks!
The experiences you’re having will help you keep perspective later, if you don’t forget them.
Jeanelle’s last blog post..Four years long, or is it short?
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What an experience! I have often thought about that, and quite frankly, you’ve just given me a glimpse at what the next 11-ish years of my life will be like. You see, my husband just took the MCAT on Saturday, and next year, as you exit this nightmare called no-money-living-on-loans-with-an-invisible-husband-my-child-calls-daddy, I will be entering it….for 11 years. Somebody give me a sedative because it’s only 9:00 am, and I’m already having a panic attack! 🙂
Dude, you’re doing a great job, and don’t stress! Just think about what great things you’ll be able to do with this knowledge and his law degree. Good luck!
Nicole’s last blog post..Ants in my pants
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The programs don’t go away by voting Republican. 😉
kristi’s last blog post..Spectacularness!
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My parents came to this country legally with $500 in their pocket and could not speak the language.
My mother had my brother in a clinic and it took her over two years to pay the bills off. She needed to place my sister and I in daycare and take another job cleaning houses just to make ends meet.
Do not get me started on our health care system.
It just S.U.C.K.S
I really think we should speak out more about this and let people hear our stories. I hope people listen…. wouldn’t it be great if our children lived in a world with a better system? Imagine, having a special health insurance for students. Health insurance for students is brilliant. The govt provides…. more kids finish school… the country is a smarter place.
Makes sense to me. 😉 Right?
Hang in there. We are 1/2 done paying off my hubby’s dental school loans.
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You know I’m a former lawyer, and I have a ton of loans still to pay off (I graduated from law school 11 years ago). Thank god for my husband, who helped pay for my rent, groceries, etc. even though he was living in another state (we weren’t even married then). I was lucky, because I was still covered under my parents’ insurance during that whole time (thank god for that!). Even though I was POOR, I did ok.
These days, balancing two mortgages (not by choice mind you), 4 kids, insurance, taxes, is enough to make me go bonkers. I think when we were both working, people thought we were quite wealthy, but if you look at the bills we were paying each month, it’s only a fascade.
You have to do what is right for you. You have to take care of yourself and your family. I have never gotten the impression from reading your blogs that you try to mooch from anyone. How dumb that the medical facility would flag you.
Sorry, I am totally rambling. Being a grownup can total suck.
Kristin’s last blog post..If you can’t say anything nice
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and then there are the families that can’t receive help when they need it because they “earn too much money.” which would be us. the huz is a teacher and i’m home with our son, and yet, when the rent and the insurance and the electricity are (sometimes) paid, there’s still not enough left over for groceries.
as to the election: i think it’s our duty as citizens to help those that need help, whether or not we happen to be the people needing help.
so, even if you move up in economic status, i think it’s still important to remember where you were and how you received help. pay it forward.
liz’s last blog post..prognosis: NEGATIVE
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I’d vote looking to my future needs. The situation you are in now won’t be a problem in a few months. I also find it interesting they were looking over a stay at home mom, a family of three, with a $1500/mo income as “too rich.” yikes.
Emily the Utah transplant from the Midwest’s last blog post..Some Hope Left in the Future Generation
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I’ve been there. It sucks. It’s amazing the people that think if you are receiving any type of federal aid that you are just living off the system while at home you are sleeping on piles of cash.
As for the election, I think our country needs to help its own. Every child needs health insurance. And mommas too.
Dawn’s last blog post..All about Poop, Pee, McDonald’s and Strep Throat
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Did you tell the guy it’s “mooSH” not “mooCH”? Maybe he was confused? 😉
Kelly’s last blog post..Customer of the Day
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From one attorney’s wife to another, I hear ya sister! (btw, what ever happened to the guest spot for girls like us? I’ve got tons to vent!)
Friends and family think we are loaded because of my husband’s job. Wrong. If you break down his salary you’ll see that his student loan bills (roughly $800 a month) could pay for two really nice cars. We drive a used Hyundai Accent. One car, two grownups.
Now let’s complain about his suit bill. Suits cost more than khakis and buttondowns that other people get to wear. Even cheap suits are expensive. And the dry cleaning bill? Ugh.
Oh wait! How about the “networking functions” that the firm requests that the associates go to? They cost money. Money that isn’t reimbursed on an expense account half the time.
And business travel these days costs way more than the federal guidelines allow for, so we eat that too.
Oh, and benefits? Ha, ha, ha. What firm offers benefits for the family? (This policy actually varies by state) Luckily I have them at my job, and they are fabulous. But for my son and I on my husband’s plan it would be $550 per month. They are free for the husband, so that’s a plus.
And how about those weekends when my poor (ha!) husband finally gets a little time to himself and with me and our little boy? Well, we want to do something fun and quality, so that costs too.
ARRRGGGHHH! This is turning into a ranty post, but I just wanted to let you know I know exactly what you are going thru. It’s rough stuff, and I have no idea what to tell you other than you are in good company.
lora’s last blog post..another post that will make people say i’m an elitist jerk
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canada.
free health care.
🙂
seriously, though, i have relatives and friends who have gone through both the law school and the med school route. it’s so hard because people assume you have all this money…but what they don’t realize is that it’s a long haul of NOTHING while you are getting to that point.
hugs, Casey.
ali’s last blog post..beast of burden. and the soccer field.
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When I decided to go back to school last year it was because I knew that without this degree we will forever be one paycheck away from needing assistance. And yet my greatest fear was that even with a better income, the student loans would still drown us.
My daughter is on state healthcare because to put her on my plan at work would be $350/mo. To add Hubs would be $750/mo. He is currently uninsured & we pray daily for his health and safety … cause one good accident would drown us. Fortunately I have free coverage through work & this pregnancy will be paid for without that stigma of medicaid.
Eventually I will make more money. Eventually Hubs will make more money.
Eventually is a looooong way away today.
I’m voting for the person who won’t set up programs to penalize me when I start making more money, but who can also shuffle the trillions of government funds to help families who are in the same position we’re in now. People who need help now, but are working on a solution so that eventually they don’t.
If you hear of a candidate like that let me know will you? Otherwise I’ll be working on my Canadian visa & learning how to shovel snow m’kay?
Bellamomma’s last blog post..Sex And The City Movie ~ all the spoilers you know you want
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Such a serious post. And I can’t even imagine the situation you’re in (since I am the proud owner of a monstrosity of a mortgage and my husband and I are STILL paying off our school loans from 12 years ago).
So forgive me when I crack a lame joke (because all of my jokes are lame and all serious situations make me uncomfortable and want to crack lame jokes) . . .are you going to rename your blog “mooch in indy”? HA!
Delete me. I deserve it.
Shawna’s last blog post..Gizzy
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I hear ya’ sister. As a former graduate student, bringing in about $800 a month (no kids, back then), I know how hard it is to make those ends meet, and I can only imagine it with a child in the mix. And those loans don’t just disappear. If I hadn’t had health care through my university (because I was a Graduate Assistant), I would have had no health care at all. Indeed, for the years between college and grad school, employed at low wages, I had no insurance and relied on clinics. I find it appalling how those places make you feel guilty and *dirty* somehow for trying to do the best you can for your family and still needing help. I have no solution.
But I will say this: as someone who now has a good job, and is married to a man with a good job, and has a mortgage and all the other things you mention, I STILL wouldn’t vote in a million years for the Republican candidate. The amount their “better tax incentives” programs for giant corporations and their wars cost all of us far outstrips whatever marginal benefit their tax plans might provide. $600 here or there in a tax rebate? Hardly offsets what we’re forking over in taxes to pay the bill in Iraq. Just my two cents…
MommyTime’s last blog post..What the Redwings’ Win Means to Me
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As someone who also uses state aid for insurance purposes, I can relate.
I’ve noticed that when you are dealing with state aid of any kind, they are not sympathetic. $1500/month is a gold mine to many people they deal with and so they will come down hard on you. My husbands job fluctuates when it comes to pay so sometimes they hassle me, sometimes they don’t. Either way, I feel your pain.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience and I hope it works out well.
Lunanik’s last blog post..Sunday Steals and Deals
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Try being in your mid-thirties with three children and married to a public school teacher. And then complain to me more about that high tax bracket in which you’ll soon find yourself. Try making that mortgage work every month.
There are much bigger problems in this world than the fact that you’ll soon be making a lot of money, issues that should play into a huge decision like who should lead our country. Take war, for example. And education. And poverty.
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I won’t bore you with what I’ve been through or the way I’ve been treated by the perfect people. I just wanted to say, hang in there and never forget what this was like. Someday, if you are rich, you’ll be able to help someone else in your situation.
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Stereotypes are always gonna be there. Always. The best recourse is to get a thicker skin and try and prove people wrong.
I remember when we made less than what you make now how people treated us, how even though I knew we were educated and great people, our living circumstances shaped how we were handled. And now that we give nearly half of our money away to taxes (yes, a huge amount of the money we earn we never see in our bank account) we deal with a different type of prejudice. One that makes me feel like no matter what happens to me I have to right to complain because there are 22 rooms in my home to clean. Even though 13 years ago I couldn’t afford to eat AND buy a copy of People magazine. Even though we worked harder than many people to earn our various degrees (which we paid for ourselves through jobs and loans) and made choices that landed us in this enviable spot – one that took many many years to attain.
You’ll just get a nice lump on your forehead if you keep banging it against the same brick wall – so try and accept that some kinds of people and organizations will always generalize and possibly not see your individual situation for what it really is. GOod luck.
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We are currently at the becoming grown up stage becuase my husband just finished school. All our ducks are falling in a row but you do get hit with the reality that you still have to retn because townhouses in your city cost $300 000 if you don’t want to live in a neighbourhood where you fear for your life. I hope they give you the cheap health care, I live in Canada so we lucked out and got free healthcare (don’t be too jelous of us it may be free but it takes forever to get anything done my mom has been waiting 2 years + to get her foot fixed in the states she probably would have only waited a month)
Alana’s last blog post..Jarrett’s Graduation
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I live in the world of mortgages and insurance and retirement accounts, etc. My husband, kids and me are covered by medical insurance. I had emergency gall bladder surgery in October and even after insurance covered it’s part, we were left with over 6,000 dollars in out-of-pocket bills. The hospital has a “financial assistance” program and you can bet your sweet bippy I took advantage. My bill was lowered by 60% and I do not feel one bit guilty about it. You’ve got to take it when you can get it. Believe me, if I had had the money lying around, I would have paid it no problem. But that is what these programs are for; people that need help once in awile. As for the election this year, I have one thing to say: May the Lord God have mercy on us all!
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Although my husband and I aren’t in school we are feeling the wrath of the system as well. For the past two years I have worked nights as a server and my husband works days doing construction. We did this because we couldn’t afford to put out kids in daycare. Now I am unable to work as a server due to back issues. I started looking for a daytime office job only to find out to put all three of my kids in daycare will cost me a the least $450 a WEEK. That is more then I can make. I looked for some sort of daycare assistance from the state and guess what my husband makes “too much money”… yet we are hardly making ends meet. Here I am wanting to get out into the work force to provide a better life for my kids and I can’t get any help. The system is screwed up to say the least. You are a good person and anyone that would say other wise obviously hasn’t been reading. (((HUGS)))
Dani’s last blog post..just another day
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I hear you on the student loan front…they can be crippling. We’ve decided a house isn’t right for us…there is lots of perceived pressure to buy, but we’re not “buying” it.
I’m sorry you got put through the ringer.
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