Feel Like Complaining

I am not trying to make light of a situation that is touching so many lives today but I had coffee with a friend a few weeks ago and this topic came up. We have known each other for several years and know of each others struggles. My friend's husband has Parkinson's Disease, liver disease, heart problems and diabetes. He is pretty much bed ridden now because he is too weak to do much else. My friend has suffered for years with Fibromyalgia, and more recently has had brain surgery to remove a tumor. I guess it doesn't really matter what ailments they have but both of them haven't been able to work for years and now rely on disability, and VA benefits. My family has had it's own struggles, not health, but financial. We were saying that so many people now have to make choices about their needs and wants and have to make certain things a priority. We laughed and said that we have been doing this for years; it's nothing new. I do nothing different than I have for a l...

I was watching my favorite morning show, Good Morning America when they showcased a family in Texas who is dealing with unemployment. The husband was recently laid off and he said in a very serious tone that he and his wife sat down and made decisions on what had to be cut out of the budget. Then the announcer said that his wife is still working but their income was cut in half, DOWN TO $90,000.00 A YEAR . Are you kidding me? The Smith family decided they could no longer afford Starbucks or going out to eat twice a week. And their poor children will not be able to go the the 'Academy' for their day care. This family is not "Coping", they are cutting out a few fluffy expenditures. I understand that the point of the story was to show that when we cut back on expenses, then businesses have to shut down. But this family is NOT typical of the American family and what they are going through. Why not pick a family that is living on 30K or less a year. A family that can only...