Still pondering why continuing tax cuts for the rich?

Did you know that the only people who will actually be paying more in tax increases are people earning $20,000 or less? Since they passed the "ongoing tax cuts from the Bush era" and voted for continuing tax cuts for the rich also.  I am just trying to understand why is this? Surely it wouldn't hurt the rich too much to pay a little bit more in taxes to help the economy and put  more funds into the economy? Maybe the rich having to pay a bit more in taxes would help at least a "little bit" for all the billions and billions of dollars we have spent on the two wars for the last 9 years?? Surely this would make sense to some???? Surely they would not grieve or lose too much if the really rich lost one of their houses out of the 4 or 5 or 8 they already have? I am  so confused and everything of late seems so backwards.

While many senior citizens on social security as their only income and also people on social security due to disabilities have not gotten any COLA (cost of living increase) in the last two years due to as the letter from Social security administration states "there has been no cost of living expenses" in the last two years!!!????......hmmm.   Every time I go to the store I have watched the prices of basic foods go up so high and the gas prices sky high and going up again for this year.  The power company here in Southern Oregon increased our monthly electric bill for everyone by $9.00 a month and it started showing in our monthly bills last month. So, certain politicians refused to vote ongoing tax cuts for people under $250,000,  until people earning over $250,000 (and up to a millions dollars) also got the tax cut.  Was this needed? Are the rich really suffering if they didn't get the tax cuts too?  Now, for people like me....we've been told "no increase in cost of living" .....and I've got to tell you this is so backwards.  I just don't get it! Because if things continue as they are and the rich always want a tax break but give many people like me "no cost of living increase" not even 10 or 20 dollars more a month or maybe the one time in one year $250.00 check to help us out a bit and the GOP keeps saying "no" to that????....but they want more ongoing continuing tax cuts for the rich...then where are we going here? This is insane!!!

I don't agree with the way Bush started these ongoing tax cuts for the rich way back when anyway...it was supposed to only a temporary thing...surely at times some in this country will have to pay a bit more in taxes to help the economy to become more strong and fluid...constant tax breaks for the rich will not solve a thing but to continue down the slow road of this economy.  It does seem that the GOP's insistence on ongoing tax breaks for the rich is part of their campaign promises to their lobbyist and corporations who helped them win their elections by using "their money" to win....who by the way those lobbyist and corporations who are now apparently "individuals" according to the Supreme court are already rich???? What!!???..so sick of winning by "money"..what about winning by telling the people "what your plan is"?..and not wanting to win so you can start "in on the ranting again" looking towards your next election???...and not using your opponent as your enemy and the finger pointing and constant bad mouthing them in order to win...how about your "plan"?? Tell me your "plan" of what you plan to do to help this country!!? ...Show me your plan speak up!..I'm sorry but so far you haven't shown any plan but to go against the president in anything he does...is that the only plan you have?.....is that how we win elections now for our states???..hello there?  Anybody home?  How about a bit of compromising? You show your lack of maturity by "never" if rarely compromising in any way.  Where is this going to get us? Your not listening to the people who are NOT ranting and raving and "threatening" others all the time, you are not listening to the majority of the people in this country at all.  We vote but we are not yelling or threatening or being mean.  But we do exist...millions of us!  We are trying to be civil and tactful.  We are adults and we are grown ups.  It seems that you DO NOT CARE about any of us as individuals and our freedoms and rights and just because some of us are living in poverty does not mean we are "low life lazy bums"!! Buy a vowel or get a clue please!!

I'm tired with the name calling I want us to come together work things out..this is not a football game....this is real life...who cares if you "score" or not.  I don't care about that.  I just want you to do your jobs....okay? That would be so nice? Stop pointing fingers, work it out, get it together. Stop acting like children fighting in the school yard.


Drs. write letters and sign reasonable accommodation papers to HUD and I also wrote a letter stating "things" in very "tactful" but "the truth" ways in order for me to move up to the 3rd (top) floor apartment here...I have learned that the best defense is the "papertrail" and wtiness's

You can talk all you want and complain about things but following through with "actions" tells landlords you really are serious!  It's always worked for me since my divorce over 15 years ago and having no "back up" whatsoever" all those years...it's been a rough road and when I had to "fight tactfully" for myself, I knew what I had to do and I knew I had to make a decision...was it worth it? Could I deal with hardly any sleep on a nightly basis on that bottom floor apartment?  Or would I do something about it, even though it seemed hopeless?  Well, I made it happen...problem was and still is, is that every time I have to "stand up for myself with no back up" and make it happen, it just sucks the life out of me and the stress level I go through takes months to recover.  Basic story of my life on a pretty regular basis all these years...and when you've got PTSD on top of it it's a true miracle (so I've been told) that I am still alive and living some kind of life.  But this time after renting little houses through the years and trying to stay alive and make enough money with "odd jobs" through the years due to my health issues, pushing myself to the max, mowing my large lawns with an old electric (cord) lawn mower because I am unable to use gas mowers (I wouldn't anyway we need to outlaw them and find other alternatives but we are so addicted to using gasoline for so long will we ever make the "change"?) climbing on the roofs of the houses I rented to sweep out all the leaves stuck in the gutter runs offs so the roof wouldn't cave in or leak.  Taking or how to fix anything"....I must admit a bit of joy upon seeing my landlord (in the past) drop by and saying he had no tools with him to fix what needed fixing and I opened up my large tapestry "sewing but really my "secret tool box"!  I never had to say anything or stand up for myself with that one,  other than to say "here help yourself to any of my tools I've got just about everything here!!...just had to open that tapestry stool lid tool box and watch his face turn to shock!  If I did end up having to buy a part and to fix something major myself or when I got on the roof tops and worked "manually" on getting the old wet leaves stuck in the gutter run on the roofs, well then I would usually take a chance every time and when I wrote my rent check out would deduct the amount I had to pay for a part or if I had to end up hiring someone and paying for them to fix something I would deduct that to and also put the receipt from the repair people and I would ask them to write what the problem was and what the repair cost and they would sign it and then I would put that in my rent I mailed off or dropped by the landlords place.  But I also remember all the times when I finally got it all "taken care of" I would just crumble and fall apart afterwards and cry my eyes out...knowing no one would see or hear me. So, now it's basically different and yet the "same" with housing.  How many times must I have to keep fighting for my rights?  I've lost count.  I have a hard time crying now..the tears start to come but then stop.  I am told I need to learn how to cry again.  It's a release.  I wish I could. My male friend now, he shares with me that he never realized how rough it is in the world as a single woman with no back up.  The manager woman just loves him here..and so now he see's how I am treated by her when I just ask for one simple thing to be repaired or stand up for myself and always  am "polite and tactful" about it and yet assertive if I have to.

I must tell you I never got one landlord to live up to their "threats of intimidation" to threaten to kick me out because they just didn't want to ever fix anything.  They all eventually would "see" what I am really made of despite how I looked on the "outside".  Never judge a book by it's cover is my motto!  I paid my rent always on time I always and still am a very good tenant!  Here in the county where I live they call these landlords "Slum landlords" i.e. they take advantage of  women living on their own knowing or "thinking" we women won't do anything about it out of our fear and intimidation by them.  Or they just don't want to do their jobs and lie about it.  I think most women that I've met through the years that rented and lived alone really were too afraid to do anything about their landlords "threats of intimidation"...I would always witness this and tell them that as long as we don't speak out it will continue, just like anything else in life that is just "wrong".  I learned to never show any "fear" when confronted by nasty landlords...it helped a lot.  Only thing is I could write a book or make a movie just out of that part of my life through these many years. But I don't want to remember it too much.  But maybe it might make a difference in how so many single and divorced women on their own are treated here in this country.

I know all the stress and way too much physical work and constantly pushing myself beyond my physical capabilities contributed a great deal to my health issues getting worse through the years. So, now here I am living in housing through the county.  Having apartment inspections all the time, watching every penny I spend, not eating on some days because I am not well enough to go buy food or I have to wait until food stamp day the next month.  I hate using food stamps when I have to and I hate feeling like I am on probation or something.  I am beyond humiliated, but by nothing I've done.  I lay "low" and am always careful. I have no record of any kind and as many always say to me "you are so squeaky clean" and so you see that not all people living in poverty are drugs addicts or criminals or "lazy" as I have heard and "read" so many comment and say those kind of things over and over these days.  There are good, mature, responsible people living in poverty by the millions and trying their darn best to just survive and feeling humiliated by needing the help from our government.  I would rather go live in a tent up on some nice mountain and pick berries to eat on, then live like this!  But I know I wouldn't make it....but I could try to.   I want my freedom to be able to make it on my own again!  I tried so hard for so many many years to!  I gave it my all and more for so very long!

So, as usual back to the "constant" paperwork to "prove myself worthy" to the government "rules" and constant inspections and taking care of this and taking care of that and feeling so invaded of my privacy!  But, yes I am now on the 3rd floor and it's so quiet and all my neighbors down the "enclosed hallways" (it's like a New York type apartment) are so nice and they like me too....but you never know who's going to move out or "in"....so many have moved out of here of late, as it used to be a retirement apartment complex...but since HUD took over a few years ago, many of the much older senior citizen have decided to move out and frankly I don't blame them.  It used to be so different all these years living here now it's not the same for them.  I miss all of them...but I've got a great view and I fought long and hard to move up here (even though they only gave me one day to move and clean, all my friends here brought my stuff up here on their walkers from my bottom floor apartment and the manager who tried to "intimidate me" and say there was "no problem with the man making noise above me all night" watched us all slim, fragile with walkers get my stuff up there...and my male friend here helped with a few heavy things..I don't have much.  I moved in here with just my TV and computer and a futon to sleep on and I was rewarded with a nice bed and other nice things as time went on!  So, I fought the "good fight" without ever raising my voice and I made it happen! Too bad most of my life since single it has been this way.  But at least now I have not had to mow any more lawns or do repair work (well maybe a few things from time to time at least I know how to a bit) or get up on the roof to manually sweep out the crappy muddy "ancient" leaves out of the roof gutter...that was hard to do!  It's been almost two years now that I have not had to do so much manual labor on yards, etc..etc..etc.  We have an elevator and I use it when I shop for groceries and use my basket with wheels to put all the bags in...and when I take my trash out. But I try to go up and down the stairs when I can.  I make myself so I can try to keep my muscles working.  I also love to walk but my damaged foot is "permanent' from my fall about a year and half ago.  I just found out it's permanent and I need to get special shoes and foot gel pad things for my foot.  I also was just diagnosed with "osteo-arthritis" and was told that my falls have "escalated" this condition ten fold. Now at least I know though I must admit I am a bit stunned about this...I was so used to the chronic pain I didn't know any better! Ha...I deal with pain well I'm told...it's par for the course...I don't mind it as long as it's not acute!  Dr. told me I'm a trooper when he did the scans and showed me all the damage.  He said I've lived more than "a cats nine lives" and I said "yes I do believe this is true, but I am still here"!

As Elton John said in his song "I'm still standing"...yeppers you bet...I just wish I had more time to enjoy life and be creative again.  That is who I am...I've lost it..not enough time...somehow I must find it again.  I will get there I know I will.  Being pulled in so many different directions in order to "take care of it all" I hope that soon life will calm down for me.  I see more calm and peaceful days and "acceptance" for me come the new Chinese New year, the year of "the Metal Rabbit" which is exactly what I am....it will be my year come February 3rd, 2011!

Calling all angels, for the help I always need from them...and I know higher power and my special guardian angels are always looking out for me...I feel them...it's so weird I know but I just always feel it.

All for now...in my "life as it is"!

P.S. sorry if some of this post is not written in a "flowing" way and might confuse you a bit.....I'm just letting off some steam and really don't feel like correcting it...took enough time just writing this..got to make something to eat...now let's see I think I have some milk and cereal left before food shopping day.  Can't wait to get to the pantry on the first Monday of next month.  Most of the things they have are expired and some of it "blue" with mold but there are a few things I will find...canned beans...bread and pasta.