I work 3 jobs, I go to school, and I am a single mother. My rent alone is more than my take home pay from my major job. The other two just barley pay for my electric, phone and put gas in my car. Yes I get Food Stamps and WIC. I bust my butt to get A's in all my classes to keep my financial aid. I am doing everything in my power to better myself and keep my daughter and I afloat. I do not have cable or Internet at home because I can not afford it. I do my homework on my phone using my data because I can not always be where there is WIFI. I can not always travel 30 minutes to my parents to use the WIFI, and if I do I have to hope it works the entire time. I was told by a friend who works for a cable company that the cable company I have offers families with low income Internet for $9.99 a month. I called them to ask about it. It does not apply to me for two reasons. One I do not have a child in school and enrolled into the school lunch program. Second, my address is unavailable for that offer. Even though it is offered nationwide, it is just not offered at my location. However, I can get Internet for only $59.99 a month with my own modem, or $79.99 to rent their modem. Really? I am humbling calling you, asking for a low income family Internet for just $9.99 a month and you think I can afford $60 or $80? People have no clue. Not everyone is cheating the system. But those of us who are trying and pushing forward sure to get cheated. Some of us are pushing hard to climb that latter of success. According to our society we need to have an education, an education that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. We need this to learn how to do our job. Then you need experience to get the job. How does one get experience if no one will hire someone right out of college? So what is the point of my rant? To show that not all of us are in it for a free ride. Not all of us want to stay on the system. Some of us do not even want to be on the system at all. Some of us have no choice. I am about to take on a 4th job. A single mom with 4 jobs and goes to school. One day I will no longer need the system. I need it now though. I just ask that those of you who judge stop and see that there are people out there like myself who truly need it. So please stop pointing fingers. Please stop judging. You never know what life is going to throw at you. You never know if one day you might find yourself needing the system too. You honestly never know.
