Reminder of being positive

Recently I posted my story pertaining to the Occupy Wall Street/ We are the 99%. Through a spirited and hopefully friendly debate I have been reminded of somethings and also have been able to evaluate my feelings.

First of all I have been reminded that no matter how hard the struggles have been for me and those close to me there is always the positive. I have noticed that in most of the 99% stories the posters are forgetting to acknowledge the positive that they have going on. For example my dear cousin Amy pointed out that those posting might seem better to connect to if they would post something such as "Lost my job, have medical debt but at least I am able to live healthy because of the treatment I received" or "Lost my job and am struggling but because I am unemployed I am able to spend time with my family more" these are just examples of how she would have liked to see the stories. I have to say that I agree with her. I am not going to repost my stories (you can read them in the last blog post if you like). I am going to state that I do have much to be thankful for even through the struggles. Because of my husbands employer I was able to receive health insurance, although not covering mental health I was lucky enough to have a medical pay card to help with those expenses. Also I have a doctor who is very kind and allows me a break in cost. Also even though the position was not something I was happy with I was able to find employment to help with bills. Michael and I never really had to give up any luxuries but we always knew that if we did it would only make us stronger in the end. We faced struggles as newlyweds but those have made us a stronger couple and have laid the ground work of how we will manage if bigger hardships come our way. I want to thank my cousin for reminding me that it is not always bad that there is still good in the bad.

On a second note another cousin of mine (who happens to be Amy's husband) reminded me and through debate encourged me to evaluate the attitude of majority of the 99%. After thinking about this and removing myself from the initial emotion I can see the entitlement attitude of many of the protesters/ 99%ers. Many of them want to "whine" about their hardships and want the government to change it for them without taking responsibility. I know that there are others stories of those that are struggling, and taking responsibility for their circumstances. I only wish that more of those stories would be shared because I think those are the examples that we need to see. There are many government programs that need to be evaluated to help stop the cycle of dependence on others for your well being. There are also other programs that probably need more funding, or at least the funding they should be getting. I think that veterans funding, and that for our elderly and disabled need to be looked at so that those who really need it are helped. It seems that there are more and more people who could and are able to do for themselves are depending on aide, and those that can't are to proud or unable to get aide. Again I would like to thank my cousin for pointing this out and having that discussion with me.

On one final note, and this one is a bit political and very opinionated. I believe that there needs to be a change in the political voting system that we have. It seems that the parties have become so polarized that there is not middle ground and in the end the American people are suffering. I wish that there were at least 3 more parties. One of those being people that are moderately economically conservative and socially liberal and those that are moderately socially liberal and economically conservative, and finally those that are moderate on social and economic issues. I feel that I am moderate on some social issues and moderate on some economic issues. Due to the 2 party system I tend to choose the liberal party because there tend to be more ideals that I agree with, I won't go into that here because I do not want to stir further debate or offend anyone. I am also moderate on economic policy because I feel that there are parts of the government that are way to overly funded but other parts that could stand to have more funding, or at least not have their funding taken away.

Again I am thankful to have family members that are open to opinions and respect those opinions of others. I wish that there were more people like that. I hope that those young and old will stand in 2012 to vote for change, I would hope that both parties would make an attempt to be more moderate so that someone can vote on a wider range of issues.

On that note I am signing off feeling more educated and well informed. Also I feeling very thankful for what I have.

We are the 99%!!!

Recently there has been a movement started by many people who are fed up with what is currently going on in our country. Everyone knows about the great bail-out that was given to big businesses and banks so that they could continue to work. However rather than taking that lowering their CEO and higher ups salaries they used that money to line their pockets and pay for extravagant items. This 1% has lived and thrived off the averages American’s backs while the average Americans are losing their jobs, homes and hopes to have a better or just meager life. People that were fed up with this decided to storm Wall-Street and protest what has happened, to add insult to injury Bank of American decided that they are going to charge their customers to use their own money by charging for a debit card. All the while the banks are lining their pockets. Now back to the protest. Hundreds and even thousands of people have protested Wall-Street demanding a change, they have deemed themselves the 99%. This movement has resonated with many Americans and those around the world. There have been other Occupy protests around American and the world. There was even an Occupy Austin. I have been looking at the testimonies of the 99% and I feel that I need to share my story and the story of those that I care about.

MY STORY:

I was told to go to college and earn a degree so that I can get a good job. I am very thankful that I was able to go to college, and manage to graduate and pay for it. I graduated with a substantial amount of student loan debt yet not even that much compared to others. I was also able to get a job right out of school that paid decent. The job that I had was difficult; I was using my own vehicle to travel from client’s house to client’s house. The gas bill and wear and tear I was accruing on my car became much more than Michael and I could afford. I was paying nearly $500-$600 a month in gas as well as getting an oil change every 6 weeks. I was only getting reimbursed for about $225 at most a month. I was also becoming much stressed out and sick from the job. I had a moment of stress that I knew if it continued was going to put me in the hospital if not taken care of. Michael and I discussed it and we came to the decision that my health was more important than the little money I was bringing in. We added up the expenses and were able to get by for a little while. For a little while I was without insurance and was forced to pay for my medical stuff out of pocket. Luckily I was able to get on Michael’s insurance and my premiums were paid for. However mental health coverage was not offered so I am still paying out of pocket for that. We have a medical pay card but I have already used over $1000 of it. We also had savings that we were going to use for our honeymoon but we ended up living off that. Once that money was used I needed to get a job, although I was applying to several jobs at the time. I finally got a job at Target as a cashier, something that was very demeaning. After about 2 months at the job and a discussion with management about trying to move up I began to be treated horribly and finally told that my job was temporary and I there was going to be layoffs soon. At the time I had applied for a career job at the American Cancer Society (ASC), but I scrambled to get a job at Victoria Secret. At that time I had to have my wisdom teeth out with caused me to be out of that job for a week and a half. I was also offered the job at the ASC (which is such a blessing). Because of my surgery I was unable to complete my two weeks, and Victoria Secret also did not want to work with me on only having to work weekends. The past month has been hard and we barely got by. Luckily we were able to get some help from family. On October 3 I began my new job at the ASC. I will be making a decent salary and will finally be able to start making payments on both of my student loans, and also began paying off some of our credit card debt. Michael works a good job that is fortunately giving him training that will help him advance at his career. We will be able to pay off our credit card debt and create a buffer for ourselves. We are able to afford right now to put money into retirement as well. We can also afford to do something fun about 2 times a month. Buying groceries is a struggle and we have to compromise and the quality food we get sometimes. We are only able to afford a little bit of fresh produce. I try to cook as healthy for us as I can. I feel that we are blessed right now. I do worry about our future because in a year or so we would love to start a family and have a home. I am not sure if we will be able to that for a while. Even with everything that we have we still struggle to get by and we are learning how to love each other and grow as a newlywed couple with money woes. I hope that we continue to strive, but we are still the 99%.

MY FAMILY’S STORY:

My grandparents did the right thing and saved up for their retirement. But my grandfather got sick and the medical bills began to pile up. Luckily he was able to get a bit in unemployment and finally they are both on their allotted social security. They have health care through medicare but they also pay for private premiums as well. My grandma has put off some of her medical stuff because of money. Both of them work part time to have extra income, but they can only work a certain amount and it still is barely enough to get by. They are lucky by most standards right now but they are still the 99%.

My parents both have good jobs, but my dad has to work two jobs for them to have what they have. My dad needs a new truck but they are not able to get it. My mom had to get a new vehicle but her warranty doesn’t cover everything. I know my mother would love to work closer to her home but she has great benefits and pay at the University. She has to drive nearly an hour and 45+ miles a day to get there. My sister plays select soccer but worries about the cost. That is something a young child should not have to worry about. My parents struggle but still compared to most they have a lot. Even with what they have they are the 99%.

I know that most everyone in my family struggles for what little they have. They have all paid taxes to bail-out Wall Street. It is not fair that this is happening to those that I love and to many Americans. Something needs to change, and I hope that it does.

My family, my friends, and my husband and I are the 99%.

This was a very long blog post but I feel that it needed to be said. I hope that telling my story will help others get involved and change the way things are going.

A new job, home and a world with more birthdays.

I have finished my first week at the American Cancer society. I think that I am going to really enjoy my job and everything that it entails. I have a few more days of training and then I will begin mentoring, which will mean I am going to learn how to actually interact with constituents. I am looking forward to mentoring because the person I am going to work with is very funny and upbeat. I am also excited that I have my own desk and am able to decorate it. I think that the position will be great for me.

On another great note I was able to spend some time with a dear friend of mine. She was recently re-diagnosed with cancer. This past weekend I was able to go visit her and go to lunch and shopping. I am also going to be able to connect her to resources because of what my new job is. I am worried for her, and sad that I have to have another friend with cancer but I am optimistic and also allowing her to speak about it as she needs. I look forward to spending more time with her.

Michael and I also signed a new lease at a bigger apartment; we will finally have a second bedroom and bathroom. Our move in date is a few days before we have to be out of this place so it will all work out.