It’s getting scary for Americans. From $70K to assistance from the food bank

I know that our fine, upstanding, Corporation assisting Bush Administration is assuring us that this whole credit / housing market mess is just a “blip” on the US economic screen, and that all the “indicators” still project a strong economy, but Americans just don’t seem to be feeling it.

From CNN:

When she was laid off in February, Patricia Guerrero was making $70,000 a year. Weeks later, with bills piling up and in need of food for her family, this middle-class mother did something she never thought she would do: She went to a food bank.

It was Good Friday, and a woman helping her offered to pay her utility bill.

“It brought tears to my eyes, and I sat there and I cried. I was like, ‘This is really where I’m at?’ ” she told CNN. “I go ‘no way;’ [but] this is true. This is reality. This is the stuff you see on TV. It was hard. It was very hard.”

Guerrero is estranged from her husband and raising her two young children. She’s already burned through her savings to help make ends meet, and is drawing unemployment checks. She has had to take extreme measures to pay for her interest-only mortgage of $2,500 a month. In fact, her mother moved in with her to help pay the bills.

Guerrero even applied for food stamps, but was denied.

My emphasis.

This is where we really are.  This is what is really happening in the United States of America, Right Now!

Our government is bailing out Corporations but is denying food stamps to people that cannot afford to pay an interest only (aka sub-prime) mortgage that was likely given to this woman by one of the Corporations that the government is likely assisting by printing more money to lend to them.  In his radio address last Saturday, President Bush stated that he was not for mortgage reform for citizens holding sub-prime mortgages.

It is shameful, dammit!

“I never used the system. I’ve been working since I was 15-and-a-half. I needed it now and it turned me down,” she said.

Just shameful…

On Wednesday, a key government report on the battered housing market found new home sales fell to their lowest level in 13 years in February, suggesting the nation’s housing market is still struggling.

Americans also have been attending in large numbers foreclosure fairs where mortgage lenders, financial planners, and counselors offer tips to hard-hit homeowners. For the people who are struggling with money, there are plenty of Financial Planners Mandurah (and all over the world) who can help improve the situation. For those with low income, planning finances is a necessity.

“Our economy is struggling, and families in the ‘Inland Empire’ and across the nation are hurting,” California Rep. Joe Baca said, referring to an area of Southern California in his district.

“Our housing market is in a state of crisis due to rampant abuses of sub-prime lending, and unemployment is rising. At the same time, the cost of necessities such as gas, healthcare, and education continue to rise.”

On Wednesday, a key government report on the battered housing market found new home sales fell to their lowest level in 13 years in February, suggesting the nation’s housing market is still struggling.

Americans also have been attending in large numbers foreclosure fairs where mortgage lenders, financial planners and counselors offer tips to hard-hit homeowners.

“Our economy is struggling, and families in the ‘Inland Empire’ and across the nation are hurting,” California Rep. Joe Baca said, referring to an area of Southern California in his district.

“Our housing market is in a state of crisis due to rampant abuses of sub-prime lending, and unemployment is rising. At the same time, the cost of necessities such as gas, healthcare, and education continue to rise.”

If you have any extra, please donate to a local food bank or volunteer to assist stocking and giving out food to people in need.

We are a proud people in this country, and we don’t like to ask for help.  Right now, people just like Patricia Guerrero who have worked hard all of their lives are finding that they need help.  Lets be sure to do whatever we can.

x-posted at EENRblog.com

14 comments

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    • brobin on March 28, 2008 at 19:01
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    my mind.  

    Shameless are those in our Government who would allow this to happen and stand by and thumb their noses at people in need.  As usual.

    • KrisC on March 28, 2008 at 21:12

    after my husband made $86,000 last year.

    As of right now, we owe three months rent, we’re two months behind on all of our bills, except our credit cards…which are maxed out, but we are making min. payments on them for fear of killing our credit.

    When we turned to our local resources, they didn’t have any money or food to help us out so we had to sell one of our cars to have money to eat with, which is alright…less insurance to have to pay, less gas & maintenance too.  But now we have one car for four schedules and no public transportation near us.  It gets interesting.  Keeps you humble, I guess.

    The electricity is on, my internet bill was paid for by my father so we could communicate.

    Luckily my husband is a good bow hunter, he got a deer this past season and stocked our freezer, we are also able to dig for clams, bay scallops, oysters and we caught quite a few good fish too.  At least we are able to live off the resources around our woods, ponds and ocean.  I couldn’t imagine having to do it in the city, there just aren’t the possibilities of survival there.

    It’s hard even admitting this happened to us, especially when there are young children involved, it’s hard to explain to them why we don’t have much food to eat.  And that’s where we were at, just like Patricia Guerrero, we couldn’t believe it was happening to us.

    My husband started working again two weeks ago, happily, now we’re just waiting for the payroll to catch up….waiting..!

    • Pluto on March 28, 2008 at 21:45

    …and stocking up on more and more food. Way more than I can ever eat.

    With any luck I’ll be out if the country before I ever have to use it. It will be the greatest of pleasures to know it will be distributed to those in need.

    • srkp23 on March 28, 2008 at 23:55

    But how did she ever afford a $2,500 mortgage on a salary of only $70K?  

  1. from being bankrupt and needing the local food bank.  Except for the privileged few, we have all been “trickled down” to the point of being broken.  And ha, ha, they think we can save for our retirements?  Who are they kidding!

  2. Only I had the audacity to ask for help and was told by some to go to hell. This really turned me off to orange. Those that kicked me never retracted one word or apologized.  

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