02 Jun 08 13:20, Cindy Haglund wrote to Roy Witt:


 RW>> Don't tell my employer, but today a man from the apartments at the
 RW>> entrance to this community came knocking on my door today. He told
 RW>> me a story about how he and his wife have been unemployed since the
 RW>> Owen-Corning glass manufacturer shut down their plant in this area.
 RW>> How they didn't have the money to spend on luxury items (although he
 RW>> had
 RW>> alcohol on his breath) and that they needed their Dodge pickup


 CH> Reminds me of a picture in the Star Telegram (Fort WOrth) re a story
 CH> on low income (40K) families getting aid for repairs on their cars.

 CH> This picture told a story all of it's own. Let me describe it and you
 CH> tell me what you see. It's  warm summer night. the couple is standing
 CH> in front of their well lit house (can't see much of that and it might
 CH> be rented)- by their... new... SUV.... He's smoking and she looks
 CH> like she's headed for the health problems obesity are known to cause.

 CH> Now okay. It is NOBODY's Business that they are both engaging in self
 CH> abusive habits that by no means are cheap. It is nobody's business
 CH> what kind of car they own.

 CH> My question here is: Why, if they can afford this lifestyle (big car,
 CH> bad habits somebody else will pay for the consequences of) - why
 CH> should they get aid for that car's upkeep? Why don't they just get a
 CH> smaller cheaper car? If they gave up their bad habits they might be
 CH> able to afford keeping the car in good shape... hmm.

We have an aquaintence in San Antonio who fits that description. Although,
she's not obese, doesn't smoke and can't afford to buy a new(er) car. The
one she has was paid for by her husband's life insurance, after he died in
02. It needed $700 repair today and I loaned her half of that to get it
out of the shop. His medical bills were put on her shoulder, even though
he was 20yrs retired Air Force. She'd give you the shirt off her back,
even if you are her no-good druggy grandson who doesn't work, doesn't lift
a finger to help around the house and bitches because she won't take off
work to take him to the local bar. I would have kicked him out years ago,
but she didn't have the heart. So, he and the rest of the family dragged
her down until she had to get two jobs to pay for it all. At 63 she had a
heart attack and nearly died. Did anybody lift a finger to help her or
take care of the house? Nada. Last Tuesday, her house went up on the
auction block at the Bexar (bear) county Texas court-house steps.

                R\%/itt



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