|
Here is a copy of what she sent to Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Michelle Bachman (yes, she lives in that district, poor dear...), Mark Dayton, and her state Senator and Representative:
Dear public representative,
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is (withheld for privacy), married 8 years and mother for 3 years. Our family has been struggling ever since the birth of our son, (name), who was born at 28 weeks weighing 1lb 12oz. We are part of the working class. I work in retail and my husband works for a small business.
The last few years, we have had to make hard choices involving finances. After spending 2 months in the hospital, our son needed special care and attention at home so daycare was not an option. I chose to give up my job to become a full time caregiver for our fragile baby who has grown into a strong and happy toddler. We don't regret this decision for one second. During these years we have been so thankful for programs such as SSI, WIC, Early Intervention, Early Childhood, and especially MA. I don't know how we could have coped without the extra help which has kept us on our feet, able to keep our home, and continue to maintain our middle class (albeit lower) lifestyle.
Through this rocky economy we continue to pay our bills, pay taxes, and maintain small comforts. I now work part time as my son's independence grows to help contribute to our monthly costs. We are struggling with large credit card debt, but we have a budget plan helping us move in the right direction to managing our debt.
Our son continues to need help with his health and development. He is part of special needs programs for school and often needs specialists for occupational therapy, speech therapy, and specialty pediatrics. The road to a "normal" childhood is a long one for preemies and now that he is moving into his preschool years, we see our road is still far from being done. Our goal is to enroll him in regular classes in kindergarten and find full time employment for myself. My husband and I have both considered more school to bump us into higher paying jobs and keep us headed toward growth, both financially and in our careers.
I'm writing to you today in the hopes that you will see how much help and good these programs have made for us. We have been fortunate enough to still have jobs when so many do not. We hope in a few short years, we will not have a need for these programs, but we are so thankful they were in place for us when we did needed them.
Our family hopes that you will vote to maintain these programs which keep families like ours from tumbling into financial crisis and look in areas that do not take support from families. I can only imagine how difficult your job is now and how much pressure you must have, but taking away these programs will only perpetuate a dependence into more costly, long term programs.
Please think about our family and the thousands of others like us who rely on your vote to keep us moving on the right path.
Sincerely,
The (Name) Family
I am so very, very, VERY proud of her.
lovingly,
Bright
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
