The point of this blog was that there are those of us out here that are working our as# off and doing our best to support our Families and sometimes things get tough and we need a little extra help, but there is nothing out there for us because we don't qualify, so we do our best with what we have, which at times is nothing.

Just now on the noon news there was a story about George Clooney donating a chunk of money to the writers on strike who are "suffering". Part of me thought, 'wow how generous', the other part said 'what the f**k. There are much more needier causes'. Shouldn't these people have prepared since they knew they would be striking around the holidays? Shouldn't their union be helping them?

Your right countygirl, this is a standard talking point from the left, they always say the right says,   "I got mine so f--- you!" but I know of no republicans who think  this way, in fact, it has been proven that Republicans give more to charity that Democrats. In his book, Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, Arthur C. Brooks presents research showing that religious conservatives are more charitable than secular liberals. He says people who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others. Included in his book is an analysis of 15 sets of data that he says all came to the same conclusion.
So, it seems that Republicans are really saying, "I worked hard for what I have, and I will help out those who are less fortunate than me, why don't you"?,

Countygirl that's because your a moderate republican.

Not all Republicans think this way.

Smokey spoken like a true Republican.......I got mine so f--- you!

There are people that are truly in need and they are the ones charities need to focus on., and yes, they are the people with little/no income not someone sitting pretty in thier suburbia house with thier new SUV in the driveway that wants more than they are willing to work for.

 

And yet the people here are clearly not in that category so your point is??

I am just curious, Why does everyone expect a handout and expect the gov't or a charity to pay for their food/bills/lifestyle?

Life is expensive, we all know that. Children are expensive, we know that too. don't have them if you can't afford them and if you do stop thinking someone else should be there to magically give you hand-outs.

There are people that are truly in need and they are the ones charities need to focus on., and yes, they are the people with little/no income not someone sitting pretty in thier suburbia house with thier new SUV in the driveway that wants more than they are willing to work for.

chigirl I am glad we are in the same boat here. Life for me and my family has always been a struggle, if suddenly it got easy I don't think we would know what to do. No one said life would be easy I just wish life wasn't so darn hard at times.

There is a quote from Mother Theresa that I have framed and it says " I know God won't give me anything I cannot handle I just wish he didn't trust me so much."

Just hang in there chigirl and hopefully things will get better for all of us...

I hear you eekitsaspider,  I am in the same boat. I have not received child support ($400.00/month) in almost a year now. The last little bit of money I received from my two daughters father was $300.00 last December (2006)!! I can not go after him for the child support without paying court fee's as we are not divorced yet and no legal papers have been filed do to lack of money. He also now lives in another state.
I too fall within the middle range of income supposedly (just under $40,000.00/yr). Which, I would like to know who makes the decisions on what the range of pay should be and have they updated that in the last 20 yrs because to live on what I make with two children is nuts where I live (Chicago area) and I refuse to move to the ghetto and allow my children to get shot just so I can have a little bit of money in my pocket at the end of a pay period!!
I am a single mother work full time and come home to my two preteen daughters ages 13 and 11.
I had to use and max out credit cards just to keep my utilities on and borrow from my 401k of which I can no longer borrow from as I have had to take out two loans. I have $0.00 in savings and live pay check to almost the next paycheck ( doesn't even get that far). I mean really, are they keeping up with the cost of living at all!! Just to have a dependable car (with over 100,000 miles on it), to put gas in my car, the cost of food, the cost of utilities going up, the cost of everything sky rocketing! How can anyone on a single income or a double normal range income afford anything?!?
I am trying to do all I can to keep my kids fed and clothed and keep them at just the normal level of living. Which by no means is above which they should be. I have no extra money coming in and now Christmas is coming. I had $300.00 left on one credit card and bought them each 2 things from the  catalog at which that credit card belonged to.  Yes $300.00 was my limit.
Where to people like me go for help? This is nuts! And all seems to be going downhill as prices continue to rise and incomes begin to fall.  Even at  a  higher end company, they were able to give just a 3% raise this year, some didn't even get that!! That is not keeping up with the cost of living AT ALL!! Hell that won't even put a tank of gas in the car. Moving further out won't help because that is just more wear and tear and even more gas for the car.
There has to be a solution. We can't all move to the same place to try to save money!
Maybe we should just end Christmas all together and add in there with that Easter and Birthdays and anything else that was once enjoyable. 
How come 20 yrs ago we were able to do it? Why not now? How come even though we made less 20 yrs ago the cost seemed to stay at a level at which people could afford things still?
I don't know I just had to vent on this subject as well. I can totally agree with what you are saying. 
Just do the best you can with what you have right? Otherwise form a Union and make a stand. I guess that is all you can do!
Good Luck and best wishes to all!! Hopefully better times will come.
Myself I am hoping to someday win the lottery to get me out of this messed up jam I am in. In the meantime it will make my children appreciate everything they DO have instead of everything they DON'T have.  Yes we could all have A LOT more but we can also have A LOT less!
 

jme It's different for me... Everyone in my family is a Democrat except for one, she is just hateful.  lol   And, I have the most money, I am also the most giving.  I love scooters idea of helping people in our own neighborhood. That is why i do free webpages for folks in Tehachapi and help my neighbors with yard work or supplies  Speaking of webpages, I would love to post what you wrote in your blog "Preserving Our quality of Life" on a new site I made for the Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club.   Do you mind???   If you would like to check out the site first or post it yourself it's here:   http://wud1.com/tmdc/    Let me know because I think a lot of valid issues were brought up in that statement of yours.

Sometimes I get very excited regarding this subject...sorry. I am currently dealing with being the only democrat in a family full of republicans who are all far better off financially then me. I get frustrated because they all truly beleive they help people and I just dont see it. My efforts are very immediate................ie I can feed a hungry person but my family would say that person is just lazy......and is choosing to sponge off my emotion. where my family may donate $  to a charity and they feel content. I bring up political party only because having recently moved here I have met so many conservative republicans who wont help people but actually think they are christians just because they go to church.Helping one another is so basic..............yet so often we are wrapped up in our own lives to notice our nieghbors in need. Scooter has such a great point. I also like that sparks mentioned Abe lincoln. I know so many republicans that are quite taken with him. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as well. If we loved each other as much as our selves, we would be so better off.

This is a very touchy subject isn't it?  I saw a news report the other night that was about a Christmas party for less wealthy children and it was fairly scarce in comparison to ones in larger metropolitan areas, but the point made by the woman that helped put this together was that maybe we should each help another person we know to be struggling.  Someone from our own  neighborhoods.  Unfortunately, (this is my opinion) alot of people in this country do not know their neighbors.  Our lives are all too busy to pay attention.  We are all too fear-based to take a risk in introducing ourselves to one another or involve ourselves with our neighbors' day to day struggles.  And then of course there is the 'pride' some of us feel that doesn't allow us to ask for help or let anyone know we are currently struggling.  I'm guessing it's the price we've come to expect from progress.  There was a time in this country when in some areas when the farmer next door lost his barn or home the neighbors held a barn raising party.  Some urban areas held rent parties for one another in their neighborhoods for one person or another that was having a particularly tough time of it .  Neighbors cooked a cassorole or something if they knew someone in their neighborhood was having a hard time and needed to eat.  It seems to me that progress has taken from us our humanity, in a greater or lesser degree. 

(This is a generalized opinion, of course there are people who do great charity works and do concern themselves with their neighbors stuggles, it just seems they are far and few apart from the majority)

You have a point jme...   I was talking to my mother and she said in her homeland ( Austria) they don't have homeless people because they take care of them, and they take care of the mentally ill as well.  She also said no one has to worry about medical benefits and the elderly over there are taken care of much better than the elderly here are.   I have been doing research on this since your last post and yes I agree with you now.  It's not about being a Republican or Democrat.  Although since my last encounter with aero i did run out and register as a Democrat.  lol    Although, I think there are many Republicans who agree with you as well the election proved that.  I really do hope this new government changes the negative path we have been dragged on..

I actually registered as a Republican when I was 18 because a friend of mine told me about President Lincoln...  well things have changed haven't they?

I think its great you beleive those things. I sure wish that was the case. Our country is one of the worst on the planet when it comes to providing for our elderly and poor. Theres virtually no excuse for homeless people in our country, one of many obstacles is the belief "poor people choose thier situation" or "they are lazy looking for a handout" I cant imagine why any person would choose poverty, which leads me to beleive well to do people (primarily wealthy conservative republicans who allege to be christian) invent these suggestions out of thier own greed to releive the burden and responsibility of humanist to provide a solution to such problems. Giving water to the thirsty or food to the hungry is so basic and seems to elude us as a society. If we ever do take care of our poor or elderly, maybe then we can actually have some pride in the country we currently beleive we are.

 PS try telling katrina victims " Americans will never let down our fellow Americans.  We will take care of our own. "