Question of the Day | 12/28/2008 11:00 pm
Defining Moments: What will you most remember about 2008?
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Christine Cline.
It deeply saddens me that you feel so disillusioned by the people in this country. It is a sad commentary, since in fact, I have found that people are genuinely willing to help if we give them half a chance. I cannot know how you have been approaching people for help, I can only surmise there are not a lot of assistance programs where you live, or there is such a huge need there isn’t enough to go around. And, are you REALLY going hungry, without any food, or are you getting very close to no food? I read your complaints, I do not read how you have reached out to get the help you need.
I pray you are able to make the appropriate connections and get help. Sometimes it’s like God answers our prayers but, not always in the manner which we hope for, or expect. Just be open to answers, whatever they may be.
If I were you Christine, I’d want to get myself & my grandaughter out of that situation & out of that town to a bigger city where there are more opportunities ASAP.
Sell the laptop, stop the internet service & use the money for bus tickets to a city where there is mass transportation so you can get around cheaply & where you have friends or relatives near. There must be someone who cares about you both enough to help. Maybe you can live with them til you & your grandaughter, if she’s old enough, get jobs & get on your feet.
You can’t always get paid to do the work you WANT to do—sometimes you have to temporarily settle for getting some money—& keep your dreams going on the side or until you get in a better situation.
You say what you’ve been doing is not working—so go at it differently.
Good luck.
I hope you guys don’t mind. I got 3 replies and typing is hard for me so I am going to answer in one shot. First thank you for saying anything at all. And thank you for having compassion and not instantantly belittling me.
First off I am 46 as of a few days ago. I am single and raising my grandaughter who is six. Twenty one years ago I fell at work seriously injuring my hip. Within a few months I could no longer walk normally . My job found legal loopholes to get out of all responsibilities. Without medical care I deterioted. A few years later I left my abusive husband. Unable to work I accepted Welfare. Later I was able to get on SSI. The doctor said I had the severest cases of fibromyalgia and chronic fatique syndrome. I was getting $183.00 or $6.00 a day in food stamps for my grandaughter and me . Starting in January it drops to about $5.50 a day. If you had to feed two people on six a day would you be starving? As for moving to another city the computer is not worth enough for transportation and new deposits and rent for a place. My Internet connection is a dial up connection, $16.00 a month. It is a slow no frills connection whose sole purpose is to help me reach out beyond this town and a way for someone to see my works. Besides my children I have no other family. My children are struggling themselves to survive. On welfare children are allowed to work; but, they are not allowed to save that money for an apartment, a car, college, etc. If the FAMILY has one dime over $2,000.00 in resources (the family car is counted as a resource) then they are kicked off of Welfare until that money is spent on living expenses. In other words the child must support the family. So two of my my kids started out their adulthoods homeless. The third is currently in Job Corps. I have no support system. Churches only want to help their own. But they do not want to help their own if they are on Welfare. Most people on Welfare eventually get the hint that they are not really welcome and leave the churches. Welfare though not said out loud is the worst sin a person can ever commit. Even one murder gets more money spent on his living expenses/welfare than a woman with a child does. Some churches will help with a few gifts for children for Christmas which thankfully Shea got, but that is about the extent of most churches help.
What do I want? God blessed me with wonderful talents. Talents that are not totally obliberated by my physical disabilities. I am an artist, photographer and poet. Supplies have been hard to come by; but , I finally have enough art done for a show. I also have hundreds of photos on my computer (I don’t have the money to print them and do not know the market to know which ones to print). My art is unframed as well. I do not know if a gallery would prefer for me to frame the works or them. I also finished my first volume of poetry ten years ago and have one printed out copy of it for a publisher to read. But blind unsolicited submissions are not recommended. Most publishers will just throw them away unread. Some of my work is in www.redbubble.com, artist name blueccs. I would like to be put into contact with a reputable art gallery interested in doing a show of my works. I would like a way to get my works to them and anything else needed.
In the meantime I would like to have people’s support, well wishes and prayers for my success. And I sure could use a friend or two.
Thank you Merrell, I do not frame my pictures because I can not. Nor do I print any of my photography because again I can not. Flee markets and craft shows are also out because of the expense. I am literally too poor to get my hopes past my front door. I am in desperate need of an Angel to help me with this stage of my wished for career. I not only wish for a career in the arts it is the only thing I am talented at that I can do from home, since I can no longer work at a secular job. I will gladly repay my angel all expenses incurred and also an extra fee for their time and effort in helping me. I beleive a service fee is only fair for me to pay.
After eight years I finally voted for the man who won; I have such a great feeling about Obama. He is actually willing to take on our country with every aspect of the economy going down the tubes so quickly, and Bush is more than willing to walk away without taking the blame, shame, shame on him.
kermie b, I don’t feel it’s fair to say Bush is more than willing to walk away without taking the blame, etc. He, too, inherited an ugly can of worms when he took office. Bush made hard decisions based on the recommendations of his staff. Obama will be in the same position. He, too, will make decisions for our country based on the information he receives from people he has positioned around him. Like presidents before him, Obama will soon feel the affects of a dying love affair. In generalizing, Americans are looking for a miracle worker by placing Obama in this role. When one is placed so high on a pedestal, there is only one way to go from there and that is down. I hope the Americans who voted for him will not turn on him the way they did Bush when mistakes were made in the White House.
Because Obama is young and our first African American president, we expect far too much from him. History tells us that when our expectations are set this high we open ourselves for disappointment.
I say we stop criticizing Bush and move on with our eyes wide open with hope in our hearts that this new young president will give it his best shot. He deserves our support through the good and the bad….the same as George Bush deserves.
Diane: Kermie is absolutely right when she says Bush has not taken responsibility for all the things that have gone wrong. When he came into office he did not inherit an “ugly can of worms” but after 9/11, which many think could have been prevented, Bush and his cabinet ( which in time turned out to be dysfunctional) instead of staying in Afghanistan they got us into a war without end in Iraq; they bungled the aftermath; they bungled Katrina; they bungled Abu Graib––need I go on? And just yesterday I learned that the guy Bush put in charge of OSHA is another Brownie who has NOT done squat to keep our workers and workplaces safe. We should NOT stop criticizing Bush just as we should never stop criticizing any one of our leaders if they need it. Obama is not a god––he is, thank goodness, an extremely intelligent and capable man, but he, too, should be scrutinized and will be. We vote these people into office to do the best job they can do; when they don’t, like this last administration, we need to acknowledge it and so should they. So far Bush is mute.
Phyllis: Thank you for defining me as a WoW flower in your word filled way. I am but a bulb in a garden of divine creation.
May all you desire be sublime in 2-zero-zero-nine.
Me? I plan on continuing an audacious sashay forward…wooohooo
I understand what you are saying, Phyllis, but for me, personally, I don’t understand how bashing Bush can help anything. What is done is done. I’m reading a book “The Man from Pakistan” and it is truly an eye opener for me as I read about our past presidents starting Eisenhower, who actually got us into the middle of the Middle East by either participating in the sharing of our nuclear weapons information to blatantly ignoring Pakistan’s constant lies of building a nuclear plant in Kahuta. As I read it, all of these presidents erred big time which ultimately led us to Bush and his decisions. What I am clear on, is that NONE of us have top secret clearance intelligence information to support the comments that Bush screwed up. As Obama will when he takes office, Bush reacted on the intelligence information provided to him. Quite frankly, every president has screwed up in one way or another.
What it really comes down to, IMO, is that we have two types of people. They fall into the glass is half full or half empty. I’m an optimist so my glass is always half full. I would much rather spend time thinking about the things that have gone right instead of the things that have gone wrong.
I believe it has been acknowledged that the Bush administration has made mistakes. Over and over and over again.
2008…….a year with a beginning and an end…finally.
It was just a trying year for me. Sickness for me and sickness for my two wonderful sisters. One is better and the other is unable to improve. But life goes on, and I pray that 2009 will be better.
Usually I am quite an optimist, so I must say there were good things about 2008.
Among those were:
** I became a part of history when I saw the first black man elected president.
** I have a new grandson born on his own mommy’s birthday. Lots of blond hair and cute as a button (grandmas always think so).
** I met many many new friends on wow. Of course I probably met a few enemies too, but on a pubic board that is a common thing.
** And last, but not least, I am still alive and will be able to see another year. And, in the new year, I will be able to smell the flowers, talk to my friends, enjoy life and spend time with my family. All are good things.
My oh my…I also gave you all a laugh…..I misspelled a word! It should have been public board….hope my bad fingers doesn’t get me kicked off. LOL
Being laid off and all the others crowed into the same room with me that were laid off trying to get a check or a job. This had never happened to me.
I looked around the room at the unemployment office and saw a myriad of stories. What a sad room.
Christine Cline: I don’t know how old are, but if you are able why not try to help others. It will make you feel better about yourself and your situation. Through it all you may be helping someone who can help you back!
It is worth a try.
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