My Economic Stimulus Package

Had fun Friday night: I was actually off on a week-end! Hung out with friends. After I paid rent and utilities I only had a few dollars left until next Thursday. The only food I had in the house was a couple of cups of potato flakes, half a stick of butter, a few leftover components of MREs and two bottles of lager. Between Friday and Monday, all I had to eat was a bowl of (horrible) spaghetti, a bowl of mashed potatoes and some crackers.

When I got ready to leave for work Monday, there was an envelope from the IRS, but it wasn't the brown kind that a check comes in, it was a white one. When I opened it, I discovered that my tax return of $1080, which I was counting on to put me ahead on bills had been turned over to the Department of Education to pay on a student loan that I thought had been paid off long ago. I never received any communications from them about it, they just took it. So, now, I am not getting shit back, and I am fucking broke. That's my Economic Stimulus Package.

Right now, the US Government is in the middle of bailing out every big corporation and all the rich motherfuckers that put us in this mess, to the tune of hundreds of billions of fucking dollars, every bank and lending institution that put greed ahead of sense and faces bankruptcy and every goddamned, ass-licking, haemorrhoid-sucking corporate officer that is responsible for this mess, and paying for their fucking golden parachutes, and I can't even have my motherfucking $1080 so I don't have to live in abject poverty and can maybe, maybe get a hot meal. Is there something wrong with this picture? Huh? WHY CAN'T I JUST HAVE MY FUCKING MONEY!!!!!!!!!!

You know, I hate to say it so early in this administration, but I haven't seen or heard anything about stimulating my economy. I don't want to be a nay-sayer, but all the money seems to be going to people who make a hell of a lot more money than I do. There is talk about paying off mortgages and bailing out people so they don't lose their houses, but I can't afford a house. I haven't heard anybody step up and say, "Hey: let's help this poor guy pay his rent!" I haven't heard anything about anybody doing anything to help the underpaid and underemployed to secure a living wage and benefits. You know, I doubt if I will.

I know it's awfully early to start saying things like that, but I remember the Reagan administration with the "trickle-down" theory: all I got was trickled on. So, is all this money slated to go to all those people who have so much more than I do supposed to "stimulate" the economy so that I will make more money and get benefits and not have to go without eating to pay bills? I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it. I'm sorry I didn't foolishly take on a mortgage I couldn't afford or betray the trust of the employees and stockholders of a multi-billion dollar company and utterly destroy it. If I had it to do all over again, maybe I would. Such behaviour is rewarded in our society.

I scraped together some change and got lucky: I won $2 off the Monopoly game at work, which gave me enough money to buy three cheap frozen dinners. I ate one of them last night for dinner and one for lunch today. I ate the last one tonight for diner. I have a little beer left, and then I will have nothing until I get paid, Thursday. Thursday, after I pay what I owe on rent, maybe, just maybe, I can buy some food and have enough to wash clothes on Sunday. Thirty-six hours without food is easy for me. I just don't see why I have to do it, when so many others don't have to. I guess they are just better than I am. I hope they sleep well at night. I won't at least for awhile.