A letter I wrote to Barack because things really suck.

[Hatchling]

Dear Barack;

This country needs you desperately.

I am a 56 year disabled woman, alone in the world.

Food prices have crept up rapidly eating into my $890 a month disability check.

Gas prices have caused my senior bus pass to go up in the past few years from $12 a month to $16 a month. There are rumors that the company is planning to raise the pass to $30 a month. The bus company has pared down it's routes so the are many places I can no longer get to.

I have lived in an apartment I love for 11 years . This is my home. The rent has just gone up from $450 to $600 a month.

I can't afford to stay here but there are no places to move to that I can afford either. Those prices are even higher, than the price increase here.

Section 8 waiting lists are back filled for 5-8 years with senoirs/disabled waiting for housing.

Apartments that have "affordable housing" for seniors/disabled have waiting lists for those apartments of up to 2-5 years. And there are more and more people in my situation signing up for those waiting lists.

I would move from California to a more affordable state but I can't afford it. And all my doctors that I trust are here.

I have one more month in my Apartment search. It feels hopeless and I may lose my dearest companions, my only family, my four cats. I don't think I can bear that...

Stimulus checks are useless to me. Because I became disabled after taking out student loans, they have gone into default. Any stimulus check, or tax rebate I am due is taken from me before I even see it. My doctors have filled out permanent disability papers, but they have all been denied.

The final blow for California seniors/disabled is that the 2008 renters rebate check has been canceled. We wait for this rebate each year impatiently. For those of us who still have cars, this is when they are patched together for another year. For those of us with pets, this is when they get to see the vet. It's this check that allows us to replace that broken microwave or coffee pot, buy clothing from someplace other than the Salvation Army, a chance to catch up on our bills, maybe even that once a year chance to eat out at a real restaurant.

The sad thing is this: I am not alone in my woes. So many are just like me or even worse.

With you as President, I am confident that things will turn around in this country and that others will not have to suffer as I do.

Signed,
Hatchling