I hate politics. I will say that up front. In general, it bores me to tears and I don’t trust politicians any further than I could throw them. Though I did study political science and civics in college, that was the extent of my bureaucratic interest. It was not my major, just a some courses to count towards my degree that were required and some I even took of my own free will. Looking back, I think those courses served me well and I am glad I took them. Despite having very conservative parents, I registered as a Democrat at the tender age of 18. And a teenage Democrat I was – very, very liberal and flamboyant. I am still flamboyant but have learned to tone it down a bit as not to embarrass my kids. Due to life’s experiences, my views have changed dramatically, which is normal since a person sees thing differently looking back. Of course, my upbringing has had an impact on my views. With conservative parents and a free-spirited mind, it is not suprising I fall somewhere in the category of independent.
In my youth, I was just content to lead my life, ignorantly assuming that others more knowledgable would take the lead as I didn’t want to be bothered and I would just vote for the candidate I deemed appropriate without too much research and debating. Why bother with the real world when there is so much fun to be had? I had to get to the bar before they started charging admission and I wanted to get a seat if possible – you know, important things. Oh, I’ll have a Tiki Bowl to share with my friend Richard. I basically partied my way through college, with my friends who were basically the same as my funloving self, with some living off student loans and me getting money from my parents. I believe I did soak up some knowledge but if I had it to do all over I would have applied myself ALOT more. Youth is always wasted on the young isn’t it? Eventually and unfortunately, the party has to end sometime and it did. I ended up pregnant by a loser boy who didn’t care if my son lived or died – still doesn’t. I knew I did not want to be with loser Baby Daddy in any way, shape or form, so at that point it was just me and my son. Then sh**t just got real. It was no longer about having fun and it hadn’t been for the past 9 months. All of a sudden it was about ensuring a better future for my little boy, not about being the best dressed person at the bar. What an empty, meaningless life I had led before.
In December ’98 I was living in the Louisiana swamps(not literally) and I really needed public assistance and I could not get what I paid in when the time came to cash in my chips. There is nothing more frustrating than paying into the system and being told “no” when you are face down dead in a ditch. I remember being pregnant and denied food stamps – how heartless. The man interviewing was a piece of work, even questioning my personal decisions. Looking back I should have reported him but I’m sure karma’s caught up with him a long time ago. My only option was to move in with my parents and file for medicaid where they lived – NOT a dream come true but a better plan than I had. I worked so that we could eventually get our own place, which we did in 2002. Then things got real tough. I got fired and again from a decent paying job and there was was no safety net – no assistance to be had. Luckily my parents lived down the street or we would have starved. I wound up getting evicted because I could not pay that last month’s rent in my contract. That really sucked. That’s what I call high & dry. This one delinquency as a renter put me in bad stead until I found a private renter and we lived quietly for 5 years. We have had our ups & downs but we hit bottom and I left the country in September 2008. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would have to flee my own country to make a living, but that’s exactly what I did. I planned on being there for a year but I am still here and loving it.
The deterioration of my beloved country has been heartbreaking for me and has forced me to concern myself with what is going on in America. The economy was bad when I left and from what I see, much worse. Why would anyone in their right mind reelect the same empty suits that put us in the situation to begin with. Many of my friends have been out of work for at least a year. I get messages from friends all the time asking if I know of any job that might be available, which is funny because I have been living in Germany for the past 5 years and it seems like they are willing to relocate – almost like they are already packed up, ready to go, halfway out the door with nothing to lose. Well, to be honest, that is exactly what I did.
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