It seems like a lot of fellow Du'ers are in financial trouble of one

[hedgehog]

sort or another. Is this a sign that despite administration claims, the economy is headed downhill fast? i think we're seeing the results of low wages, no health insurance and high interest rates. The people posting here seem to have been dancing as fast as they could to keep a roof over their heads and are in trouble only because of something beyond their control.

[LSparkle]

1. I thought it was just me

No raises for 5 years in a row and only 2% for the last few have me practically bankrupt ... not that going BK is that much relief anymore. I seem to do more shopping at the 99-Cent Store than at the mall lately.

[TheWraith]

2. The economy has been struggling for six years.

The numbers that they like to put out are largely spun by dropping people from unemployment rolls, reclassifying things like McDonalds jobs as "manufacturing sector," etcetera. The housing market has been good, but that's mainly benefitted the already comfortable people who own homes, particularly in the suburbs. Things have been a lot worse, but they sure as hell aren't as good as you'd be led to believe, and I think lately they've been getting worse.

[Sapere aude]

8. I'm not here to attack what you say but the housing market gave most people

an increase in home values but that is not money unless they sell. Maybe some people sold and used the money to buy a more expensive house but the decline in the market affects the house they just bought too. If you owned a home and it went up in value it also came down in value lately. All that happened to most people is their equity rose and fell. They did not see an increase in disposable income.

[Nay]

11. Ah, but you don't have to sell to use the equity to buy stuff. You can

refinance and take $$ out of the house, you can take a second mortgage, you can get a regular loan with house equity as collateral. So, yes, you CAN see an increase in disposable income while keeping your house.

In fact, this is exactly what has been happening over the past 20 years or so. And that's why people are so close to the edge. They used up their equity to buy stuff they wanted(or for high med bills, etc.)and now have credit cards maxed, equity maxed, paychecks stagnant,etc.

No one should ever let lust for unnecessary stuff get them into this situation. We can all understand the parents who have a desperately sick child, a kid in college, and such. But using your house equity to buy an SUV? or a boat? Or vacations? It's utter madness.

[tblue37]

24. I just had a talk with my daughter who is super stressed out over money.

Her other family (father, stepmother, brother, half-brother, stepsister) all expect gifts for Christmas. She is going to France to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, whom she will probably marry eventually. She is scrambling to buy gifts for him, for his family, for his best friend (also her friend). She cried over the phone last week, "I HATE Christmas!" I don't blame her.

I told her she needs to get off that hamster wheel.

Me--I don't "do" Christmas. I spend some money giving small checks to people in need (these days always here on DU or people I know personally), and I send both my kids money to help them through this expensive season.

But I don't exchange gifts with people, I don't send Christmas cards, and I don't bake, decorate, or do holiday meals. I just opted out of all of that expensive, time-consuming, exhausting nonsense as soon as my kids were out of the house.

One of the great things about not letting conventional expectations dictate how I must spend my time and money is that I have more time and money to spend the way I want. I can sleep a bit at the end of the semester (I teach college). I can give money to people I want to give money to. I am not affluent by any means, so my budget only goes so far. Better it should go into helping people in need than into buying junk I don't want to buy for people I don't want to buy for with money I don't have.

I think I got her to agree with me about opting out of the seasonal demands henceforth. My son did so several years ago. He and his fiancee exchange gifts, but otherwise he doesn't get into it.

Gifts are not gifts if they are extorted by conventional expectations.

[femrap]

17. You forget about all of the people who took out

2nd mortgages on their home and went out and spent the $ keeping up with the Jones.

Americans who are engulfed in this Consumer Sickness are going to need a whole new attitude. And it starts with: Things do not bring Happiness. Buying things for your family does not create family love.

Our country is in for a terrible financial comeuppance. Get ready.

[Vincardog]

3. The radical reich has been at war with the working people every where for decades

they are winning and wages are down. Jobs are gone. Retirement funds are gone. Health costs are up. When are we going to drive a stake in the heart of the dracula of low wage Conservatism ?

[nashville_brook]

4. there's no more safety net -- bankruptcy law, anyone?

thankfully, many judges are using common sense and interpreting the law generously. if you're in financial trouble -- to the point where you need the protection of bankruptcy, don't hesitate to consult with a lawyer. you might find that you have more in the way of this option than you thought.

it's not going to be the same everywhere -- but it's worth a shot if you need bankruptcy protection.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

5. I guess I'm the exception

I've done very well during the Bush years, but that was mostly because of fortunate real estate investments in a market that shot through the roof at the right time.

The thing to be is a business owner. It takes risk, but I'll never work for someone again, especially a big nasty corporation that cares more about the bottom line than my happiness or health.

[angstlessk]

6. Honey, my boss who voted for boosh 2x for the tax cuts says the political

situation is horrid..and says, cause he has been away for a week..that when we get everything caught up, we should talk about it...he is one of the rich being robbed by the uber barrons! He knows I voted for Kerry and he said 'sorry your candidate lost'..and I knew he voted for boosh because of the tax breaks...I DO BELIEVE HE IS NOW SORRY HE DID! Cause he ain't talking about talking about politics for the fun of it. We have avoided it...I know he wanted tax cuts..and that is the ONLY reason he voted for boosh..I warned him, but he did not listen...Of course I would never say, I told you so..I will only talk about 'the REAL way foward'..attempting to give the vast majority of tax cut money to people who will actually spend it..and not the the uber rich! He has earned his wealth..he is no CEO who collects money on the backs of fired workers...he is an owner operator! Well, I am an independent contractor..I call him my boss cause he is the largest client I have and is about 80% of my income..the other 'boss' is a UNION OPERATOR..Electrical Contractor IN A RIGHT TO WORK STATE! Talk about your HEROES! I have two...

[Uben]

7. High interest rates?

You must be a youngster! he he Back in the late seventies and early eighties, interest rates were double what they are now and inflation was rampant.

What is wrong is there are no quality jobs that pay enough for people to save anything. I survived the eighties because I had saved enough to carry me through the hard times. But, I had a good paying manufacturing job for 5 years. Those jobs are gone, and all that's left are low-paying service and retail jobs that do not pay a living wage.

I feel for the younger folks here. We had it tough, too, but there were still jobs to be had that would allow one to make a living and stick a bit back for hard times. Nowadays, you are lucky if you can find one that will pay the rent!

High interest rates and inflation are easier to deal with when you make enough money to offset them.

I used to think the answer was for us to just quit buying the foreign made goods that took the place of American goods because they were made by cheaper labor. But, some American goods such as automobiles, have priced themselves out of the market because of high wages and even higher benefits. Before you go off on me, I was a steelworker, and yes, I was overpaid when you factor in the costs of the benefits I received. Consequently, the American steel industry all but died.

My solution is to put higher tariffs on foreign goods, and tax those who outsource labor to third world countries and pay slave wages. Make it undesirable to take our jobs away, and reward those companies that manufacture in America and provide living wages. Cut foreign aid in half, now!
Put someone in charge of the money who can actually manage it! Make it illegal for any lobbyist to give anything to a congressman, both directly or indirectly! We need government financed campaigns so the man with the most money doesn't always win. Wouldn't it be nice to see the most competent person win for a change?

Health care is absolutely ridiculous! Hospitals should be regulated. I broke a leg last year and it cost $40,000 ! WTF? $40,000 for a broken leg? A damned pain pill was $14! I had insurance but still wound up paying $10,000 out of pocket. Friends, that aint right! To top that off, my wife got cancer in 2001, and I was out $10,000 a year for the next three years for medical expenses. AND I HAD INSURANCE ! !

These misfortunes would have devastated the average American. I was fortunate to have inherited a large sum of money, and had the funds to pay it all. Thank god! I can only imagine where I would be now had I not had the money to pay.

Thanks for letting me vent. Damn this stuff gets me goin!

[brer cat]

13. Nice rant. I share your anger. Now

imagine what's it's like for those of us without insurance and an inheritance. I don't know about other du'ers problems, but mine is primarily lack of health insurance.

[HuskiesHowls]

14. $40,000 for a broken leg?

My sister broke her leg when she was small....call it 1960, or so...and I recently found the bills for that. Hospital AND Doctor....

Wanna guess the total??? $54.00....and that was with her in the hospital for 3 days, too!!!!

[CTyankee]

19. I was also fortunate to inherit money from my mother.

I draw an income from the invested amount that she left me. It forms a third of my income which now consists of Social Security, part time job and investment income produced off of inherited wealth. It is a very good deal. I only work for one third of my income, which is 15 hours a week. And I only do that so I can travel each year on a big trip to Europe.

[tblue37]

25. Big corporations actually get tax breaks for sending jobs out of the country.

And big corporations are not in any way shouldering a fair share of the tax burden to justify their huge profits.

[brook]

9. It only takes one mini-disaster

to put you behind the eight ball. There was a time when one could lose a job and be down to the last penny, and find another job that paid enough to play catch up. That's not so common these days.

Stagnant wages; new strategies: i.e., 'efficiency' - code for getting more production out of fewer employees at lower wages - and the reduced number and kinds of jobs themselves have all contributed to today's reality.

I've been living paycheck to paycheck in the same job for over 6 years. Job performance that used to get me raises at previous jobs barely gets me an "atta boy" here. I've grown to loathe my work environment but like a trained seal, I show up because there's nothing else out there for me.

[uppityperson]

10. Yup. Been a recession for at least 5 yrs, getting worse.

thank goodness for credit cars but what happens when they no longer are an option?

[peacefreak]

12. I'm so close to the edge, there's no edge left.

nt

[HuskiesHowls]

15. Heard a report about a Job Fair in Iowa the other day....

for 200 (that was two hundred) jobs.....only 2,600 people applied!!!

You read it right....two thousand, six hundred people applying for 200 jobs!!!

:sarcasm:...Damn, I'm glad this economy is so great!!!...:sarcasm:

[tblue37]

30. When they open a Wal-Mart or a McDonald's in

places with a lot of out-of-work people, hundreds or thousands will show up to apply for a pathetic handful of really crappy jobs.

[robinlynne]

16. well, the only way for a tiny percent of the population to rake in those billions is for

most of us to lose income....

[MazeRat7]

18. That may be true that most DU'ers are not in the top 1% ..but in trouble ??? How so ???

Actually, most traders (myself included) are looking to increased gains in '07. We are seeing interest rates holding steady just above 5%, jobless claims decreasing, and corporate earnings steady and on plan for 07. True we are seeing a devaluation of the dollar on international markets, which is bad for global corps and the US government, but good for US companies that export consumable goods.

There is always a bull market somewhere... so the question is "why" are people in trouble when there are so many opportunities to supplement income and detach themselves from the "paycheck-to-paycheck" living that has them by the short hairs ?

At least in my world we are not talking about a systemic economic condition that is causing all boats to sink... perhaps the "pain" of which you speak is something closer to problems with personal finance management as it relates to increasing your "nest egg" and being "detached" from "the man".

:shrug:

MZr7


edited subject to say "Most" DU'ers.. since there might actually be someone here with over $100M in liquid assets.

[hedgehog]

21. I've seen more than one thread from a fellow Du'er or about a fellow

Du'er who is strapped for money for the rent or heating bill etc. One thread is too many. These are not people who have taken out a second mortgage to finance a yacht!

[sandnsea]

31. With what?

They get paid, pay the bills, and often don't even have enough to do that. Do you know what it's like to be two days before payday and out of money and out of food? Do you know that's the position lots of folks in New Orleans were in, which is why they couldn't buy gas or pay for a hotel room to get out?

A bull market somewhere... good god. The only bull half the country knows is the one making their life look like Pamplona. And companies are forced to cut wages and benefits to give you your bull market in the first place.

:grr: You just piss me the hell off.

[MazeRat7]

33. Sorry... not my intent.... seriosuly... we've been here too long to fight....

I was trying to make the point that most people (at least those that can afford internet access to DU) have options. Sure every situation is different, but in general if you have a just a few bucks put aside each month you can make those work for you to make a few more.

If you don't have a few bucks each month that is a different problem...

Again, my question to the OP stands... Why??? I'm not a financial adviser but I did stay at a red-roof inn *grin. All kidding aside, even in my worst days of living just above "the official poverty level", I was able to look at my "budget" and make tactical decisions that got me out of that situation.

So I was only asking a) are there DU'ers in financial crisis b) why so, and c) to point out there are options to help eliminate those dependencies which I will be more than willing to help with....


It was an honest post to get information and help change something.... sorry speaking my mind pissed you off... we have been here too long for that crap and I won't play.


MZr7

[sandnsea]

35. hahaha, you're so cute

Some people never get above the official poverty levels, but I guess that just goes to show staying at the red roof inn doesn't mean you talked to any of their workers either.

Some folks are logging on through library connections. Others through work connections. Some work online and have to have an internet connection. Others figure $12 a month for entertainment IS making a wise budget choice.

And still others don't need anyone to justify their financial choices to them, because they know what it's like without asking.

So don't play, continue with your self-righteous attitude. I sure as hell don't give a crap either.

[MazeRat7]

39. Wow... you are really being snarky tonight...I'll give it a rest....

Thats what I hate about this medium... you cant really tell when someone is trying to help.....

Take care sandi lady..... maybe it will be better in our next dustup. :)

Goodnight.

MZr7

[sandnsea]

40. Read #32

Most people who are in financial trouble have a story similar to that. Something has gone wrong that is completely out of their control. When people like you come along with your 'bull market' bull, I swear I just want to smack you right upside the head. Why do you FIRST assume somebody made bad financial choices - instead of recognizing what everybody whose been in those situations knows, you just cannot control everything, no matter how smart you are.

See James Kim.

[MazeRat7]

41. Head smacking allowed.... Lord knows I generally deserve it...

That aside, I'm not making assumptions that someone made "bad" decisions. I am "assuming", no make that "hoping", that with enough information everyone can play on a level field with the "bull market" folks.

Hell why not... would you like to make say 5-7% at a minimum on your savings... how about 15-20%.... The question is do you know how to do that ?

Really, say you had $1 and after a year, with little to no effort of your own, that dollar was now worth $1.05-$1.20. You could then take those "extra" $$$ out to pay off something, contribute to a candidate, help someone else...etc.... then do it again the next year.

My advocacy here is that making money from "your" money should not be the sole venue of the elite, rich, repugs... dems can do it too to help them get a leg up, help others, and make a difference.

As long as we, the average working joe, live paycheck to paycheck, we will be dependent on the corporate elite for our jobs, our retirement, our medical. Once we are able to detach from them by using them to make the $$$ necessary for "quality" living we can begin to thumb our nose and say... take that you slime, I only care about your companies ability to making money.

Hell, while "corporations" like to presume "person hood" from a legal perspective, they are not. They are, and should be used as, a means to make money.

That's my point about the "bull market"... use the bastards to help us an individuals.

MZr7

[sandnsea]

44. I got your point

You didn't get mine. People often invest, and it still doesn't work out. When they're disabled and financially wiped out, can you seriously believe that turning a $1 into $1.20 is an answer?? You just don't sound like you get it at all.

[MazeRat7]

48. Sure I "get it"....

some folk don't have it to use it for gains. I'm not trying to broad bush the lot, but to believe that working hard and earning a decent wage is enough to insure security is not a reality today. Granted it should be, but unfortunately this country took a turn 10-20 yrs back that left most of us on the corner going WTF? I was there - Drop-out, artist, working for minimum wage, living on other peoples food, cashing in soda bottles, selling my blood, the whole kitty....

Dealing with insurance, credit, loans, savings, wages, pension, investments, etc..etc...etc... takes information to make informed decisions.

Understanding how to increase the income you receive from "hard, honest, work" also takes information.

Sure, of what I speak will never help those in the lowest of income brackets, but there is opportunity for those in the middle to do better. Thats all.

Now seriously, I've got to get some zzzzzz's.

Take care and maybe we can revisit this later....

*peace.

MZr7

[Wiley50]

45. I'm Sure It's Nice Work If You Can Get It

and I do hope hobby day traders, like yourself, don't get hung out to dry
in a sudden downturn. One that the true insiders knew was coming and protected
themselves, but didn't bother to clue you in about.

It's just that there are a lot of us that have never been able to
save anything to play with because every dime and more was needed
for mere survival. The owners have gotten very good over the decades
at making sure they don't pay you enough that you can afford not
to come to work tomorrow. So the ante is never there to get into the game.

Or else, you just get hit with something beyond your means, financial
or,( in the case of illness) physical, that snowballs into a death spiral
that's impossible to pull out of.

So, I've never had any experience with the market myself
but have always seen it as a casino where the high rollers
have one set of odds and most everyone else is just feeding
the slots and dreaming.

Good Luck, my friend

[MazeRat7]

50. you have one thing dead on...

"the markets are a casino"... what you are wrong about are the odds.

I started with only a few hundred dollars and pestered my broker to the point that they really didn't want to deal with me considering I was such a very small fish. Of course that was a decade+ ago....

Today, I don't use a broker and always keep large portions in cash reserve. Effectively never betting more than I can "afford" to loose on any single trade.

Its been a long trip, to come from nothing to being "comfortable". I don't give a crap about "rich"... only that my family is not wanting of anything (less bullshit like big houses, fast cars, designer clothes... etc) I be damned if the money I "risk" goes to any of that materialism crap.

But I am able to by 10 stars for people I don't know on DU because they needed them, contribute to all the candidates of my choice, hand a few bucks out to the guy/gal on the corner, and whatever else I care to do... when I was broke I could do none of those things.

Oh did I mention, my family. I've got their back.


MZr7

[Lisa0825]

20. I've basically taken a pay cut each year....

I got a good job 4 years ago, but each year since, our 2-3% pay raises haven't kept up with the cost of living. Plus, our insurance premiums and copays have gone up every year, while coverage has gone down. We used to get bonuses each quarter, but those stopped last year.... the equivalent of about a $1600 pay cut for the year. Property taxes and tuition went up a lot too. So, yeah, I feel the pinch, even though I am still making it.

[Blue_Tires]

22. been in trouble for a few years now....

:banghead:

[ms liberty]

23. Isn't everybody? Well, a lot of us are, anyway...

Since this date in 2001, I've been laid off 3 times, and mr liberty's been laid off once. We used most of his 401K when he was laid off to pay off outstanding bills. We have no credit card debt, but we still have debt (house, car, monthly bills); I've been out of work since 2 days after the election in 2004. I draw unemployment (a piss poor amount), and I'm going to school for free as my last lay-off was classified as trade related. mr liberty's job doesn't pay anywhere near what he was making before, although it is a secure job with excellent benefits, and the money will get better eventually. All in all, we're making less than half what we were making at this time in 2001. When I get thru school (in one more semester) I'll be able to make decent money for this area, but I'll need to start socking away money for retirement since I'm in my 40's now.

We're doing better than a lot of people in this area though; this used to be furniture country, til corporate consolidation and 'reorganization', and then 'restructuring', and then outsourcing to China hit. Now we have a lot of empty manufacturing plants. People who never did anything but make furniture are hurting bad, there's not enough jobs left in that field to go around. A lot of them are in school, learning new skills, but just as many are doing whatever kind of work they can to survive. Foreclosures are at an all-time high; my weekly newspaper has had at least a dozen listed every week for about 3 years now.

Investments? Ha, ha, ha. The money was never that good to begin with...who has extra money for investing when you had car payments, house payments, and kids to raise? On an average of $10-$18 an hour? A lot of people had 401K's but a lot didn't, and the people who did used them to save their houses and pay off some of their bills.

[porphyrian]

26. It's their fucking voodoo economics bullshit...

These assholes keep inflicting it on us. Eventually people who aren't in the wealthiest minority will realize that this hurts them every time and stop electing the motherfuckers pushing it.

[nini]

27. While this is true..there are varying degrees of trouble

Being close to eviction or homelessness is much more severe than having to cut back on extras like cable TV or going out to eat.

While any of these situations are a sign of not so prosperous times - no doubt.

I sympathize with anyone who is struggling but my assistance will go to those who need help with basic necessities instead of those extras we just can't afford sometimes.


I've needed my family in the past to keep a roof over my and my son's heads - and I'm damned lucky I had them there to help. I know the struggles all too well - it's heartbreaking at times. I wish I could help all of them :cry:

[sandnsea]

28. Low-income always struggle

It's stunning that so many people don't get that 40-50% of the country always have a tough time making ends meet. Car accidents, vehicle repairs, medical bills, any emergency is enough to throw you into a downward spiral towards homelessness. It's the common problem of making just a bit too much to qualify for any kind of assistance, and not enough to get ahead.

[Rex]

29. For months now. It is a sign of the times.

They can lie all they want to, but we feel the lie. They don't.

[kineneb]

32. down on the bottom, looking up, with no hope

so the story goes like this...

-Hubby gets laid off from WorldCom on May 1st, 2002. No one wants to hire a tech worker over 50, with health problems. That is the last time he worked. Then all the jobs he could have done are offshored.

-Spring 2003: We sell the house in the Bay Area, gaining enough to buy outright in rural Northern California.

-I find a job that pays $10/hr with no benefits. I pretend to work, they pretend to pay me.

-Hubby's health heads downhill. He has to go on insulin, and cannot get his glucose levels under control (brittle diabetes). We have to spend down all of our possible retirement money and my small life insurance policy to qualify for rural adult public health assistance. remember, I have no benefits at the job, and Hubby is going into renal failure.

-Fall 2005: Hubby's kidneys finally fail, he goes onto dialysis, and finally qualifies for disability, Medicare, and Medicaid. I quit the stupid job to be a caregiver.

-Summer 2006: We file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Now we have no debts, other than our small mortgage, so we can "live" on the $14K/year that is Hubby's disability payment.

-Fall 2006: Hubby is turned down for a transplant. So this is how we will have to live for the durance of his life. I have minor mental breakdown, eventually getting low-income subsidized therapy thorough County Mental Health.

Our only "asset" is our double-wide manufactured house and the property it sits on. With careful budgeting and help from my family, we don't run out of money at the end of the month. We are thankful for the fact we own and have low house payments; otherwise we might need to visit the food pantry and have to bum rides to get Hubby to all of his doctor appointments.

No, this has not been a good time, and no, we are not having fun yet.

[sandnsea]

38. I understand

My mother had a heart attack in 1987, my folks went through about the same thing. Hopefully we'll get my husband's blood sugar under control so we don't end up there ourselves. Anyway, I feel for you, I really do. It's damned heartbreaking, and you didn't do a thing wrong and it all spiraled out of control anyway. :hug:

[BuelahWitch]

34. Housing, utilities, food going up

Wages going down or staying stagnant.
A friend of mine who has a "good" job working for the cable company complained to me yesterday he's always broke. He gets ahead a little bit and then something comes along and takes away the little extra he had saved. He's single, no car payment, fairly low rent payments too.

[BlackVelvet04]

36. I'm out of work right now and

the job market is not looking good.

And with the price of everything up it's a bit of a struggle.

[leftofthedial]

37. a few are doing very very well

almost everyone I know is hurting badly--worse than they ever have.

[nonconformist]

42. My husband was unemployed for much of this year - we're in danger of foreclosure

He's working now, THANK GOD, and he's making decent pay. But he was out of work for so long, he exhausted his unemployment benefits. It's going to take us quite a bit of time to catch up on everything. It's been a really terrible year for us.

Luckily, our mortgage company has been really understanding and I think we're going to be able to work something out with them to keep our house. Whether or not we can keep our car from being repossessed is another battle, though. At this point, we just take things day by day.

The only thing that really helps is knowing there's a light at the end of the tunnel now. For so many months, everything seemed hopeless.

[w8liftinglady]

43. my ex was arrested.my income has decreased by 1200/mo

I;m one of the lucky ones.I'm a nurse,and am only limited by my need for sleep.but,yes-in the last 18 months,I've had my house foreclosed,and am living with my friend,my kids.I hope you guys do ok.I'm becoming a believer in communes again..til then,I play the lottery.

[and-justice-for-all]

46. When "They" speak of the economy

its in reference to such places as MANPOWER, McDonalds and Wal-Mart.

I, for one am working ever so hard to save and pay off debt, if I lost my job I would be fucked. Sometimes it feels secure, but other times I feel like I am on the brink of losing it.

There is no such thing as security in a job anymore (even if you goto college and get a degree), every company is only concerned about its share holders and making as much money as possible without any regards to the slavering people they screw over.

Money + Religion = POISON

[OneBlueSky]

47. it may be that progressives don't spend every waking moment of their time . . .

and every ounce of their energy "looking after #1" and chasing the almighty buck . . . as many Republicans -- particularly neocons -- seem to do . . .

[Sapphocrat]

49. My re-cap.

Laid off from $110k/year job on 12/27/2000. Unemployment benefits ran out after 26 weeks. COBRA ran out after 18 months. Officially joined ranks of uncounted "discouraged workers" after 500 resumes and exhausting all networking contacts, who were in the same boat. Made it through about three years on savings, two Roth IRAs, and borrowing against my own life insurance. Now, I'm too old, too long out of a job market I don't even recognize anymore, and I'll never work in I.T. again -- and I've got a back so bad I can't be on my feet for an eight-hour McJob.

What meager "living" I earn now (which is well below the poverty line) comes solely through my T-shirt and bumper-sticker designs. The hope that somehow, I'll finally figure out a way to get enough traffic (that's all I need: traffic) to deliver an income I won't be ashamed of anymore is the only thing that keeps me working at it, seven days a week. Maybe I'm utterly delusional, but it's the only hope I have left, and goddamn anyone who takes that hope away from me.

AFAIC, I did everything in my power to remain a productive member of society, and learned that The American Dream is a stinking lie.

It pisses me off when anyone suggests that maybe I didn't plan for the future, so now I'm reaping what I sowed. Well, guess what, smug people: I never planned to be out of work for six years. I really believed I would be unemployed no more than six months, tops. But, golly, all of a sudden, all those headhunters who were bugging me every day at my last job suddenly disappeared -- literally: They closed up shop, too.

And I'll tell you one more thing: As glad as I am to see some DUers get the help they need, and as good as it makes other DUers feel about giving, I hide every donation thread I see, because they make me feel sick and miserable and fucking worthless, because I used to be a person who didn't think twice about shooting off hundred-dollar checks to just about any charity that asked, and now I can't give a thing, and I'd rather be dead than accept one thin dime of charity myself, from anyone.

So count your blessings, people. Think of me Christmas morning when you're ripping into your presents; I can't buy anyone anything.

So, there's my story. Next time anyone asks how a hardworking, taxpaying, once-successful American who never took advantage of the system could end up like this, I'll just direct them back to this post.

[kineneb]

51. we so understand

see my post (#32) above. Stay healthy. Try to think good thoughts.
:hug:

[Swede]

52. If you have a house,consolidate your debt.

Then cut up your credit cards.

[SlipperySlope]

53. This *is* a self-selected population.

Keep in mind that the participants of DU all choose to be here for one reason or another. If someone was completely happy with their lot in life, they are probably not as likely to go looking for other like-minded people.

But if someone isn't happy with the hand they've been dealt, they just might go looking to find out how they ended up getting the shaft, and find themselves here. I mean, look at the posts above, a lot more unhappy campers than happy campers.

[Rosemary2205]

54. I take it with a grain of salt

A few weeks ago someone on here said they had 3 masters degrees and was upset because they had to take a 30% paycut and is now making only about 100 grand a year and may end up bankrupt. One of the pharmacists at my local drug store was bemoaning no raise in 2 years and he said his wife had to go back to work to keep them from bankruptcy. He makes about $80 grand a year.

I appreciate that upper middle class people struggle when the economy contracts but I have no sympathy for someone with 3 masters degrees who can't make ends meet. There are just too many people in this country who were not fortunate enough to be born with the intellect or opportunity to obtain 3 masters degrees who are working at or near minimum wage who are REALLY struggling.