There is an evil plot in the world where if you're poor, you're kept that way. Especially for those folks who live in expensive cities like Seattle. In fact despite the fact that minimum wage is now $15, we all are feeling that in what we pay at the grocery store, what we pay for paper products, etc. So what little more you're earning is going in large part to pay for the rise in costs. For example McDonalds has increased everything from 10 to 20 cents - and they specifically state that the rise in prices is due to the increase in minimum wage. They also no longer take the majority of the specials that go on nationwide.
Besides the rise in prices there's a much more, often overlooked, devious way that the system works to punish a person on SSI if they do start going back to work. While the person is not working and getting 100% SSI (which is roughly $730 a month), they are also eligible for roughly around $130 a month in food stamps, and 100% paid Medicaid/Medicare. Unlike other insurance plans you get while you work, Medicaid/Medicare has no monthly payments and you pay very, very little for medications (usually $10 or so). Now once the person goes back to work - if they're lucky enough, and capable enough to work full-time it means they'll make 160 hours a month at $15/hr which comes to $2400. This means that they lose their SSI, their food stamps, and most likely their medical coverage. So $2400-$130-$730=$1540. Now the medical coverage is going to likely cost them $300 a month which brings them to $1240. That doesn't include the cost of things like per appointment costs of typically $30 and higher medicine costs. That's going to be another $150/month... down to $1090.
So you come out ahead $1090... but then you have to pay more on your housing as well. If you are in subsidized housing you pay roughly 1/3 of your income. So on $730 you'd pay about $200 after discouts. If you're making $2400 your rent goes up to roughly $800. This means of that $1090 you're paying an extra $600 for housing which leaves you with roughly $490 extra for all your 160 hours of work.
You'd think the system would reward those ambitious enough to go out there and work... but instead it does the opposite.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
And how the hatred grows....
I had thought a few thousand folks would turn out for the Woman's March - after all, the area in front of the library where I sit is far away from the 3 mile starting point up at Judkins' Park. Instead, I first heard the screeching of the crowd around noon and it's been non-stop since then (and it's now almost 2pm). The crowd is insanely huge and appears to be growing as it treks through the city.
So once again.... what is Trump going to do for us??? Speeches are elegant and lovely, but they do nothing for the man sleeping on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. Does Trump need a count of every American who sleeps in a doorway? If so, I'll provide it. Does he need the tears of those who once believed in the American Dream and now seek out drugs on a daily basis to dull their pain??? I am also happy to go around and collect the numbers in that category.
Yes, Seattle has a 'homeless' count that it does yearly.... but instead of that I think that we need to provide a homeless count with details that shows why and how long these people have been homeless..... oh, and there's soooo very, very much more we need.....
~ Dying in Seattle as the Country Dies
So once again.... what is Trump going to do for us??? Speeches are elegant and lovely, but they do nothing for the man sleeping on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. Does Trump need a count of every American who sleeps in a doorway? If so, I'll provide it. Does he need the tears of those who once believed in the American Dream and now seek out drugs on a daily basis to dull their pain??? I am also happy to go around and collect the numbers in that category.
Yes, Seattle has a 'homeless' count that it does yearly.... but instead of that I think that we need to provide a homeless count with details that shows why and how long these people have been homeless..... oh, and there's soooo very, very much more we need.....
~ Dying in Seattle as the Country Dies
Dear Trump - what can you do for me and my city?
Today thousands are marching against Trump and his supposed racism, etc. Thanks to my neuropathy I'm marching with my fingers instead of my feet. And after listening to the speech Trump gave last night to the nation, I have some questions for him and will be sending the following document his way...
Dear President Trump,
I'm currently a homeless woman who's spent the past 18 years as a single mother working in the I.T. industry as a Software Programmer and Quality Assurance Engineer. Despite my many illnesses, I endured the 18 years to make sure that I could put a roof over my daughter's head and food on the table. In 2015 I came down with neuropathy in addition to my epilepsy and other health issues (it's a long list). My daughter is now 21 and on her own - happily working in a job that barely allows her to put food on the table despite the fact she works as an assistant manager at a warehouse. She's paid less than $30K/year and is given no benefits at all. Without Obama insurance she'd be paying close to $450/month for insurance - something she simply can't afford with as little as she brings in after taxes (before taxes she brings in roughly $2400/month).
But back to me .... I've had the worst past 6 months of my life as a homeless person for the first time. It's made me realize a few things...
1) There is a HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY here in Seattle. There are so many people homeless and living in tents that the downtown area has become a health hazard for all. Despite the number of people living on the streets without a home to go to, there exist next to no bathrooms in the downtown area. This means that finding human poo at bus stops and urine in most public elevators is a common daily occurrence.
2) There is a DRUG EMERGENCY. Just saying NO doesn't work. In the past 20 years the number of people on hard drugs (like heroin) has more than quadrupled. The saddest fact is that the majority of those who are using drugs now are young, white children (under 24).
3) Even for the middle class most of us live one paycheck away from being homeless - I'm an example. I left behind most of my belongings when I left my home because I simply had no where to put them and no money to buy storage --- my family lives 3000 miles away from me and was in no shape to help me given their own health issues and financial problems.
The biggest reason for my homelessness is that I'm too proud to go ask for help. I *want* to make it on my own. I tried to get a part-time job in I.T., but those appear to not exist (I've applied to an average of 15 jobs a week for the past 6 months looking for part-time work - or work where I don't have to use my hands for more than a couple hours a day).
So my questions to our new President Trump are:
1) What are you going to do about the homeless emergency in Seattle? So far all I've heard is that you're cutting the funding we get for the homeless 'emergency' we are currently battling. Have you ever been to Seattle? I'm happy to provide a personal tour of the city and it's ranks of homelessness.
2) What are you going to do to help those who have no insurance once Obamacare goes away???? You're repealing the Obamacare that has at least provided me healthcare for the past 14 months. What's the alternative??? I'm willing to work in any fashion I'm capable of .... what do YOU suggest I do? More than anything I'd like to drive a homeless initiative where those homeless could build their own tiny homes. It would be less than half the cost of other initiatives that Seattle's tried over the past decade and a half. I'm happy to provide a project outline with costs included if you like.
3) What jobs are you going to provide? Having talked to those who are homeless, I can honestly say that 75% of them really, really want to work. But trying to get a job nowadays takes a lot of work. Try applying to Home Depot yourself (please do - I'm not joking that trying these things yourself will give you a real feel for those who live in your nation).... not only do you need to have access to a computer with the Internet, but you need to be able to maneuver your way around their intricate website. Just applying to Home Depot for a friend took me 3 hours. And to apply to Costco took another 3 hours. This was once I finally realized that I needed to NOT use any of the first page of links (they're all ads with unending questions)... but needed to go directly to the company's website. I'm sure there are many folks who would never figure that out, and would simply give up.
4) What about housing? There are thousands of apartments going up in Seattle where the cost is between $1500 and $2300 for a one bedroom. And you have to make 3 times the rent to be eligible to rent. This means that a person needs to make $4500 to $6900 a month. This means that someone has to find a job that pays at LEAST $28/hour.
So that's all I'll ask since I think it hits the highlights. If you could answer these questions dear President Trump I'll don your paraphernalia and be on your side.
Overall, I believe that the pen is mightier than the sword (or the silent march).... I just hope that I receive more than an automated answer. Also, I'm not kidding on the 'homeless' tour I offered above. I think that seeing it would give you a far better perspective that anything else in today's day & age.
Kudos,
Mindy Weidner
mina.weidner@gmail.com
206.395.5534
Dear President Trump,
I'm currently a homeless woman who's spent the past 18 years as a single mother working in the I.T. industry as a Software Programmer and Quality Assurance Engineer. Despite my many illnesses, I endured the 18 years to make sure that I could put a roof over my daughter's head and food on the table. In 2015 I came down with neuropathy in addition to my epilepsy and other health issues (it's a long list). My daughter is now 21 and on her own - happily working in a job that barely allows her to put food on the table despite the fact she works as an assistant manager at a warehouse. She's paid less than $30K/year and is given no benefits at all. Without Obama insurance she'd be paying close to $450/month for insurance - something she simply can't afford with as little as she brings in after taxes (before taxes she brings in roughly $2400/month).
But back to me .... I've had the worst past 6 months of my life as a homeless person for the first time. It's made me realize a few things...
1) There is a HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY here in Seattle. There are so many people homeless and living in tents that the downtown area has become a health hazard for all. Despite the number of people living on the streets without a home to go to, there exist next to no bathrooms in the downtown area. This means that finding human poo at bus stops and urine in most public elevators is a common daily occurrence.
2) There is a DRUG EMERGENCY. Just saying NO doesn't work. In the past 20 years the number of people on hard drugs (like heroin) has more than quadrupled. The saddest fact is that the majority of those who are using drugs now are young, white children (under 24).
3) Even for the middle class most of us live one paycheck away from being homeless - I'm an example. I left behind most of my belongings when I left my home because I simply had no where to put them and no money to buy storage --- my family lives 3000 miles away from me and was in no shape to help me given their own health issues and financial problems.
The biggest reason for my homelessness is that I'm too proud to go ask for help. I *want* to make it on my own. I tried to get a part-time job in I.T., but those appear to not exist (I've applied to an average of 15 jobs a week for the past 6 months looking for part-time work - or work where I don't have to use my hands for more than a couple hours a day).
So my questions to our new President Trump are:
1) What are you going to do about the homeless emergency in Seattle? So far all I've heard is that you're cutting the funding we get for the homeless 'emergency' we are currently battling. Have you ever been to Seattle? I'm happy to provide a personal tour of the city and it's ranks of homelessness.
2) What are you going to do to help those who have no insurance once Obamacare goes away???? You're repealing the Obamacare that has at least provided me healthcare for the past 14 months. What's the alternative??? I'm willing to work in any fashion I'm capable of .... what do YOU suggest I do? More than anything I'd like to drive a homeless initiative where those homeless could build their own tiny homes. It would be less than half the cost of other initiatives that Seattle's tried over the past decade and a half. I'm happy to provide a project outline with costs included if you like.
3) What jobs are you going to provide? Having talked to those who are homeless, I can honestly say that 75% of them really, really want to work. But trying to get a job nowadays takes a lot of work. Try applying to Home Depot yourself (please do - I'm not joking that trying these things yourself will give you a real feel for those who live in your nation).... not only do you need to have access to a computer with the Internet, but you need to be able to maneuver your way around their intricate website. Just applying to Home Depot for a friend took me 3 hours. And to apply to Costco took another 3 hours. This was once I finally realized that I needed to NOT use any of the first page of links (they're all ads with unending questions)... but needed to go directly to the company's website. I'm sure there are many folks who would never figure that out, and would simply give up.
4) What about housing? There are thousands of apartments going up in Seattle where the cost is between $1500 and $2300 for a one bedroom. And you have to make 3 times the rent to be eligible to rent. This means that a person needs to make $4500 to $6900 a month. This means that someone has to find a job that pays at LEAST $28/hour.
So that's all I'll ask since I think it hits the highlights. If you could answer these questions dear President Trump I'll don your paraphernalia and be on your side.
Overall, I believe that the pen is mightier than the sword (or the silent march).... I just hope that I receive more than an automated answer. Also, I'm not kidding on the 'homeless' tour I offered above. I think that seeing it would give you a far better perspective that anything else in today's day & age.
Kudos,
Mindy Weidner
mina.weidner@gmail.com
206.395.5534
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