My Dearest Family and In Laws,
You have requested that we not speak of politics when we happen to talk. It upsets you too much. Allow me to apologize and give me a minute to think…..
Let’s see where does that leaves us?
My husband and I are both unemployed. We depended upon my his income for the majority of our living, since his salary far exceeded mine. He has applied for roughly 300 jobs in the last increasingly desperate eight months of unemployment. But this might raise the issue of jobs, jobs, jobs…which could lead directly to when he was suddenly fired because he worked for a company without a union. Or, how we learned about that pesky “professional exception” for overtime pay when he worked nearly 80 hour a week. And we don’t want to talk about worker rights and corporate profits.
You already knew we survive on unemployment benefits, which is off limits because it is a government subsidy that was extended by Congress. We cannot mention that this benefit will run out before too long. To utter the phrase “food stamps” is equally forbidden as it is upsetting to even think of and, besides, since its’ demise has been proposed in Congress, I must remain silent.
You asked if we are paying the mortgage. Can’t answer that since we applied for the few federal programs out there for troubled home owners. Don’t ask about the bank because the feds have no banking regulations that force the banks to modify loans or work to avoid foreclosure and we are at their mercy. So I just can’t answer especially since it reminds me of the financial bailout, another unmentionable, and I just saw that Wall Street is rolling in profits again.
How about fun things like meeting friends? No, that won’t work since the only friends who have time, meet us at protest marches about, well, politics. Our latest recreational pictures are from the same foreboding events.
When you said “how are you?” you might have been referring to the chronic condition I have and the follow up check my doc insisted I have, but haven’t. That too leads me to think of my ebbing supply of pain meds, in turn making me wonder about Florida’s thriving pill mills for relief which the governor is under fire to close so maybe I ought to hurry but I won’t go there…. Or perhaps you meant the medical risk my husband faces and if he has any medication left. But since we have only been able to afford a miniscule amount of face-to-face with a physician, we really don’t know. You might have been aware that, even though I am creeping towards the age of Medicare, Planned Parenthood will still do cancer screenings for me and you might get confused and think I am (teehee) pregnant and want an abortion! I will clearly not remind you that this entire topic is also a point of contention with the rest of you, being ‘covered’, therefore can’t relate. You have also pointed out that health care is not a constitutional right and we certainly understand. Plus, this is precariously close to the subject of social security disability I have been urged to consider yet again, its’ that damned DC politic that renders it off topic!
Now this one is always safe, the weather. But let’s keep in light lest we wander off to global warming or disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes that bring to mind entities like FEMA. You know where that can lead since some in Congress are saying we don’t need the EPA. If we keep drilling here off our coast, well, maybe the price of gas will come down but just in case, you know, shhhh. I might slip up and mention that my husband applied for a job at the planned nuclear power plant a few miles north. Too many connections there.
Oh, please stop me from mentioning the jobs my husband has searched for since most of them are in the Middle East and you know what that means. Uh-huh protests, foreign policy and war!
To be fair, I guess I should warn you not to ask about other family in my home state of Wisconsin since many of them are mad as hell and, oops, protesting in Madison. My mother is doing fine but that is thanks to Medicare, Medicaid and social security. What a ‘free loader!’ She is almost 92 now but those are only government give-aways! On the other hand, good thing she is getting up there. Those programs will not be around long either if some in Congress have their way. I so wish big government would stop meddling and make more budget cuts!
So, what was it you wanted to talk about?