Angry and Afraid?

[JTFrog]

I read this yesterday and was just amazed at how simply she sums up what me and my family and friends have been thinking and experiencing.

Yes, I am angry. And afraid. And sick that people will be getting rebate checks when I am struggling so hard just to make ends meet.

I am nauseous because even though we all pay taxes, only some of us will be getting help (no matter how misguided). The rest of us will be left to twist in the wind, and hopefully not have our ships completely unmoored.

I don't know what to do, and it scares me.

****

I used to have a savings account. Honest. It had some money in it; but as things got more expensive, I tried a lot of different tactics to keep from having to touch the money in there. (Hint: None of them worked.)

more at link

I then read through the comments. It breaks my heart.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/23/95817/4956/750/441663

[Toots]

1. It's okay, Exxon will get a nice tax cut

That should make everyone feel a lot better. Right now Exxon is and has been for over four years making a Net Profit ( that is profit after all expenses have been paid) of OVER one hundred million dollars per DAY They really need some tax cuts so they can invest and trickle money down to us..

[MedleyMisty]

2. I'm sending my Christmas money to my mother

Last year I never figured out what to spend it on until my car needed some work in July.

Her job has really slowed down and the other day on the phone she was talking about just seeing if she could pay the "important" bills.

I don't like to think about it much because my heart will break and I will just curl up into a fetal position and cry.

If we get the rebate I'll see if I can talk my husband into sending at least part of that to her too. I imagine he'll be cool with that.

[JTFrog]

3. I sympathize. I have to send every penny I can scrape together to my father.

He lives on social security. He's a very stubborn independent old man and won't accept my offer for him to live with me. The biggest reason being that I live so far away and he doesn't want to leave the west coast. I had my son setup a paypal account for him while he was visiting and I just send money directly to his bank account so he can't object. When he tells me that he's getting a whopping $900 a month and $10 in food stamps I just have to shake my head in disbelief. Several times I've discovered him going without medications because he couldn't afford them. I'm extremely thankful he has section 8 and a roof over his head. Despite all that he maintains a rather cheerful outlook and has lots of friends close by who help him get around.

My biggest heartbreak is that in order to send something to my father, I have to deny something to my children. My budget just wasn't cut out to have to raise kids and take care of my parents at the same time.