I am very poor, and I live in a red state. I make eight bucks an hour and work thirty hours a week. Half my income goes to rent; I'm barely eating. I have very limited access to health care and at my age, need it desperately. Besides my physical health problems, I suffer from several mental illnesses. I can't get professional help for those either. I have no car and have great difficulty with transportation. Recently my glasses were destroyed, but I can't replace them.
You might be surprised to learn that I grew up in a wealthy family. I went to prestigious universities for college and graduate school, where I excelled. I was valedictorian of my grad school class and later wrote a chapter for a textbook on giftedness. I've worked with children of all ages and especially enjoyed my work with teens. I also enjoyed doing group work with women. I've worked with gifted kids and drug-addicted teens; young sex offenders and inner-city gang kids. I think I'm a pretty good counselor.
I'm not alone in my poverty. I am one of 45 million Americans who live below the poverty line, and we are suffering every day. I believe that most Americans don't really understand what it's like to be poor in America today, particularly under Republican policies. Even if you were poor in your past, the experience of poverty today is very different. I know because I'm living it. I can see the particular shape of it because I know how the other half truly lives. I'm able to describe it because my excellent education prepared me to do so. I can research poverty easily because of the glorious internet. And you can read my words because of Daily Kos.
