"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. ... My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." -Mitt Romney
Of course this statement upset me originally.
Who is he to assume that everyone within that 47% is that way?
Then I realized I am part of that 47%.
I work full time, and pull overtime every week.
I just moved into a new home (renting sadly and not owned).
I pay the same bills the majority of American's pay every month,
most of them on time.
9 times out of 10 I juggle my bills just to keep our heads
above water.
We depend on $138 every month in government aid to keep 3 weeks worth
of food in the house.
I am not the woman you see at the register with my nails done every week (while
I have them done I go weeks without fills),
buying steak, ribs, or name brand food.
While I do carry a designer hand bag and I have an Iphone...
My Juicy Couture hand bag cost me about 8 months worth of saving
and my IPhone came from craigslist after about 6 months worth of saving.
I do not have health care.
I do not live in a section 8 house.
While I struggle nearly every week just to keep gas in my car,
juggle all our bills,
and just try to stay a float
I do not feel that this country owes me anything.
I do not believe that I am a victim.
I do not believe the government has a responsibility to care for me.
I do not believe that I am entitled to anything.
I realized today that two years ago I was unemployed for 10 months.
It was my own fault; I wasn't laid off or fired.
I quit my job for a really stupid reason.
My life sort of fell apart because I believed the words of boy who promised
to care for me.
In that 10 months the only government aid I received
was $200 in food stamps.
While I depended on the people around me a lot
I managed to not only feed myself
but keep a roof over my head, keep my car insurance, cell phone, and food in my belly.
(Thank you to those who helped me.)
I never realized that for those 10 months I could have received unemployment.
When I think back, I think of how I really could've used that money.
I'm glad I didn't take it.
I also think back to how when I did get my job, I never reapplied for my food stamps.
My thought was, at that time, I didn't need that $200 any longer
and some where a family really need that money.
Last night, for the first time, I went to a food pantry.
I wasn't there to volunteer.
I wasn't there to donate.
I was there because we needed food.
Just enough to float us for a couple days until we can afford to go to
the grocery store.
Yesterday my boss gave me a $10 gas card
and a $20 bill.
I work extremely hard at my job to make enough money
every week to keep us from drowning.
What I do feel is owed to me is a President in office
who cares about the fact that I am probably considered
middle class.
What is owed to me is that I bring home a $500 pay check every
week and I shouldn't still be on the verge of drowning.
I shouldn't be making the kind of money I do and have to visit a food pantry.
I deserve...America deserves a President who cares about this.
Who cares about the people who have less than I do.
Mitt Romney...Is not that person.
