You know, I'd like to feel bad for them, really I would...except their voting record and their attitude toward our country, our government, and their complete dependence on Uncle Sam have lead to so many of these consequences that I feel they're earning their "sacrifices."
I've done the years when I rolled pennies to pay for prescriptions for my kids.
I've done the years when a bag of beans and a bag of rice were our main groceries for the last week of every month.
I've driven the cars with 280,000 miles on them...and hauled along starters, extra batteries, and tools on every trip. (Oh, wait, I still do that. Never mind.)
I've gone without cable for years. (oops, still do that, too. Um...)
I have been very blessed in some ways. I've worked hard at my jobs, and never lost one. I've found new jobs before quitting the old ones. I've paid my bills and eventually was able to pay down debt. Now my husband and I were lucky enough to get a small inheritance from a relative. We decided to go on a big cruise and blow it all. (ooops, no, that's not true.) We paid down more debt, paid off our house, and made an offer on a house outside town.
We'll still drive the old cars, and do without cable...but we will be able to let my youngest have her horse and a couple more at HOME, not at the farm where she does volunteer work, (though she is keeping that volunteer job, she loves the other horses too much to quit.)
We've been careful choosing this house, so will still be able to squeak by on only one income if needed, though it wouldn't be fun. But it's necessary to plan for problems and emergencies and do what you can to meet them!
And large part of the reason we can manage this is because we "do for ourselves" everything we can. We keep our jobs, don't smoke or drink or drug away our money, don't waste it on cruises and jewelry and clothes, and do give to charity and our church. It really isn't that tough. Really.
And it's true, people in this country are so very spoiled. Most of us have no clue what true poverty is. The last mission one of our kids went on was to Mexico. They built a home for a poor family... a cement slab, 2 rooms, a couple windows and one door, a roof. It was the nicest house this family ever had. The third day of work, they went to start the walls and found the mother of the family already sweeping her new floor. It was the first time in her life she'd had a floor that wasn't dirt.
People in Mexico live in the dumps, and earn a living digging through the waste for food and anything they can sell. Some people in Africa would consider those Mexicans to be rich... that is why Christians give to missions, to help the poor in every country. And also why it's so hard to feel sorry for people that think Uncle Sam should give them free houses, free utilities, free food, free medical care, free cable, free internet, free cell phones, and free money!!
