RE: The High Costs of Being a Single Mother in America
In today's world the core family is usually mom and dad with kids, especially in individualistic cultures such as US (by my knowledge one of the most individualistic out there). When there's no big family (relatives and such who live under the same roof) backing you up we expect the society or government to take care of us and our family for the things we can't. And they should but sadly, sometimes they don't.
Luckily here in Finland we generally have good social services like in Denmark, as @denmarkguy said, (and in other Northern Europian countries in general). And the education is free all the way up to University! At least in Finland, that is. (Well, books have to be paid by yourself but that's small compared to the cost of education otherwise.)
I don't know how you're doing the job of several people but HOLD ON!
And like @zord189 said, (but with a little correction):
"You are a super(wo)man"
There is a general attitude in America about not expecting help from the government. About doing it all on your own.
I used to share these sentiments.
But, as I immersed myself more and more into this thing we call life I realize these Americans are wrong.
Many will disagree with me, but I am not here to speak for all. I can only speak for those families who are struggling- through no fault of their own.
I don't understand how one can leave their family. I just cannot comprehend such a thing. However, it was done to us. And I tried and tried to do it the "American" way, all on my own.
It's stupid. It is not a good attitude to have. "It takes a village to raise a child" ~ this is not a joke!
Now, I do not get very much assistance from the government at all. A bit of food is all I qualify for. Sure, it helps a little, but you are only as strong as your weakest link. I believe this goes for a government as well.
They should be there when bad things happen to their people. I am there to pay my taxes each year which pays their paychecks! Why am I struggling so hard, and going without basic needs, yet I am forced to give them a great amount from my paycheck each month?
It's a flawed system. One that once you go through hard times you find is almost disastrously to the breaking point.
When you have 800 registered schoolchildren in a county of 269,000 who are homeless and living in tents on the sidewalk, with another several hundred of us dangerously close to becoming their neighbors- something needs to be fixed.
Now.
The US system is truly flawed .
The next time anyone says that you do not deserve any support from the government, that your success and even your survival depends only on your efforts, remind them that numerous wealthy bankers would have lost most of their wealth after they failed at their "finance games" leading up to the 2008 crash. And they would not have survived on their own. Their banks and businesses survived only because they were bailed out with taxpayers' money.
In the flawed, crony capitalist system, you have "socialism" for the rich, and nothing for anyone else. The system cannot continue for long, and will eventually collapse. Fortunately, some of those elites who have gamed the system will collapse too. Unfortunately, many of them will be able to shelter and save their ill-gotten gains.
And even more unfortunately, the collapse will hurt many who are already struggling to get by. Hope you can survive, thrive and maybe even prosper.
Stay strong, and carry on ... Full Steem Ahead.
You point out some very valid points.
I wrote an article a few days ago about Wells Fargo bank giving $35,000 to build tiny plastic sheeting shelters for homeless veterans. Yes, it's good that they will be warm for the winter, but if this is all we can do for the men and women who rish their lives at the cost of their sanity in the form of lifelong PTSD, we have a serious problem.
I can only hope that something would wake people up to fix the problems in there. People, especially children, should be given equal chances for education and good life altogether so that they have the resources to return the favor as a productive member of society.
That is an excellent quote!
I hope so. It's getting so bad. We see it every day. So do "they", but they choose to focus on things outside the country instead of fixing what they created inside...
Thank you!