I am so sad right now. I need to vent and them take a break for a while. [View all]

[kelliekat44]

Today's vote to cut the Food Stamp program is really hurtful. I have worked hard all my life since 16, paid taxes, and never taken any help from the Government except a National Defense Loan for college which was paid off 16 years after graduation (1964). I married, had two lovely daughters, put them through college as a divorcee. After many years of their working and struggling they married and settled in to a family life ...not a life of ease, but comfortable enough to work hard and stand on their own without much help from me.

Two years ago, my eldest daughter ( who had worked many years in various well-paying jobs) lost her husband of 4 years to pancreatic cancer. He died almost 6 months to the day after being diagnosed. The toll of medical bills and mortgage payments sent her credit debt spiraling, not to mention a mortgage fraud scam that cost her to lose her home through foreclosure. She shortly after losing her home and moving into a rental with her two girl (5 & 6) she lost her job in the bad economy. She has been trying to obtain employment with every bone in her body. She gets calls all the time because her resume is excellent and she has the experience that many businesses really want. After calls and interviews she never gets a call back. Two recruiters have been honest enough to tell her that they really wanted her but she could not get a security clearance or clear their client's requirements because of her credit rating. Needless to say, she has been living on unemployment and SS payments from her deceased husband and on food stamps. I have been helping her all that I can and now my own money saved is practically gone.

With today's vote my heart just sank deep within me. Oh, sure, I am not going to see my children and grandchildren starve...but damn!! What kind of a heartless nation have we become to cut a food stamp program that feeds the working poor or those who can't get work. What kind of a corporate climate is out there that holds a bad credit rating against you so that you can't get a job to earn money to pay off your debts? I know very rich people who default on loans more than twice and have not been hurt by credit ratings..they just walk away whole. It made me cry to listen to the discussion on MSNBC about the reasons the RW want to cut food stamps and how they use disinformation to get their white constituents to continue to vote against their own interests and make them believe that most of the people on food stamps are shiftless blacks who just want a free handout from the government. The truth of the matter is that many, many more whites use food stamps and the majority of them are workers who don't earn enough to support their families without help. I tell you this really hurts that there are people who are so selfish and racist that they would rather not help people who really need the help because they might be black or Hispanic. It's even more hurtful to know that there are men and women out there whose sole purpose for seeking elected office is to be able to do just what they did.