Dear Barak Obama,
My name is Trent Lapinski, I’m 22, and I use to be from the middle class. Instead I’ve lost two jobs this year. In fact, I just got laid off on Oct. 15th. I’ve had to move several times this year because of the unstable housing market. I can’t afford to go back to college. I have a chronic yet not life threatening medical condition and I’m about to have no health insurance. I got in a car accident because the brakes failed in my car because I couldn’t afford a better car (or new brakes for that matter), and now my car insurance is going through the roof and I was barely able to finance a new car to take me to work, the very work that just laid me off (we’ll see if I’ll be able to afford the car).
I’ve spent my entire life doing the right thing. I went to school (despite being sick), paid my taxes, voted since I was 18, I’ve been working since I was 14, and I’ve never been in trouble with the law (well, one speeding ticket).
At 19 I was nearly three years into my college education, but my family started hitting hard times (my little Brother became sick, his medical bills wore down our finances, my Mother eventually became ill and lost her job, and my older Sister had to move back home after losing her job), and I was offered a full-time job with a tech startup. So I left college and took the job to have extra money to help out my family out by becoming self-sufficient (which with my medical bills wasn’t easy to do). Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the company, and much like the rest of the economy hit hard times. I then took up a job in an industry that I wasn’t necessarily interested in, but it was a respectable company. Just four months later I’m now unemployed, didn’t graduate college because I had to work, and I’m about to lose my medical insurance.
I will survive this, as will my generation, but I believe we can do better. Please help.
–Trent Lapinski
[...] Lapinski’s Blog: Dear Barak Obama, I’m 22 I Just Got Laid Off, and I Can’t Afford College – Please Help (ugh! This was hard to [...]
Please stay strong and keep on fighting. Good things happen to good people.
I’m sorry for you man
I have no real suggestions, but to have hope, and keep fighting. Try to find a job on a bus line, and ditch the car. See if you can rent out a room in a house instead of an apt… (I think more people are renting out their extra rooms because they need the money too.)
Trent,
I know a little something about life bringing one nasty surprise after another. It sounds like you’ve been pretty much dealing with exactly that.
I had a random, esoteric, neurological illness at 19. After four months in the hospital (most on a ventilator), I got out of the hospital and right into denial. Kept trying to work and kept not being able to, thanks to the illness leaving me with severe fatigue.I ended up going on disability, though I’m now beginning to do some part-time work and hope to be off it one day.
And my husband has some physical disabilities as well, so he’s in the middle of working with Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation to see what it is he can do, since he lost his job one month before our wedding.
I am sorry that life sucks so much — especially when you know that you’ve done everything you were supposed to. You keep trying to work and to survive.
But you know all this so I’ll cut to the advice that you’ve probably already thought of (but just in case you haven’t): Go to your Dept of Social & Health Services (aka Dept of Health & Human Services in some states, and a few other variations). Apply for state medical insurance help. If you don’t qualify for that, remember that any hospital you go to should have a financial aid office, so you can prove you can’t pay medical bills right now. And most of the drug companies have applications for free or reduced-cost prescriptions, if you need them.
Also, since you have a chronic illness, you probably qualify as disabled (don’t bristle yet, I’m not done). Have you checked out the Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation? They have a lot of useful resources, including helping figure out what jobs you can do with any given illness or physical limitation. In working with them, you may be able to get a more secure job — plus support as you adjust to any new work environment.
I know the whole disability thing is particularly bad for males, with the whole macho/provider mentality. It nearly killed every iota of my pride and self-esteem to apply for disability, even though I knew it was a short-term measure. (I had worn myself down for so long trying to work when I physically couldn’t, it took me almost two years just to get back to a good baseline.)
But consider playing the system a bit. You pay taxes (when you’re actually allowed to keep a job) for these sorts of services. Now that you need them, take advantage of them. The word “disability” is a hard one to swallow/accept but don’t let that keep you from help you may genuinely benefit from.
And if your bills situation gets desperate, check all local organizations, from United Way to religious organizations (even if you’re not Catholic, they have some of the better organizations for this stuff). They can help you keep a roof over your head/utilities on.
Good luck. I’ll be interested to see how things progress — however much grim humor/gotta-laugh-or-you’ll-cry stuff is involved.
I hope the situation get for you better Trent, I’ll pray that good things will fall on you this 2009. How’s the situation so far? Just out of curiosity did Mr Obama reply?I hope u find something useful here… http://jobstaxi.com
The best of luck, be positive ya
i stumbled to your post through another blog about the recession. the situation is getting worse and worse by now. But did the stimulus package passed by the US congress bring about any changes.. i just wanted to ask.
By the way why don’t you use your writing skills to make some earnings. hope this can help a bit.
The stimulus added $25 to my last unemployment check, that’s barely toilet paper, some oatmeal, and a jar of peanut butter.
It’s not enough considering my bills and my former employed pay. I’ve already been forced to move back home, and I’m now in debt.
I’ll check out the link.