I'm finding myself unusually freaked out about something, and I realize it's because a the official who will be directly involved in deciding something important to my well being is a Republican appointee, rather than a normal government worker here in my blue state.. In my experience here, the average government worker wants to actually help the people he's supposed to help-they actually care about people. I've been in the position of needing their help often as a newly disabled low income person. I'm realizing my fear is due to my understanding of the psychological quirk even moderate (yes there are moderates here) Republicans tend to have that makes them tone deaf to the needs of others. And that I'm at the mercy of one of them rather than the usual understanding, caring people who believe what you say about your situation, who can crawl into your shoes.
My fate will be decided the new person at the top, the political appointee, who made a new, tone deaf rule. I have to write a letter to this appointee to get excused from his new rule that makes me have to get a letter from my landlord in order to get something I need as a disabled person, something that has nothing to do with my landlord or housing, and is not my landlord's business. It is also not his business that I am disabled imo as long as I pay my rent. There is a danger of retaliation and losing my housing if he knows I'm disabled. Disabled renters have certain rights and this landlord does not want to concern himself with any possible future "problems". I know him and he's said as much about other issues. There are dozens of able bodied renters lines up to to take my apartment at a higher rent if I"m out. Knowing I'm disabled makes him more likely to not renew my lease. I am supposed to explain to this Republican why I need to be excused from his new requirement of a landlord letter. He has to be made to understand why it harms my well being to ask my landlord for this. He seemingly could not imagine why it might be difficult or dangerous for some renters to involve their landlords. It seems to me that even making this new rule points to the kind of person he is, a typical Republican who cannot imagine themselves in someone else's shoes.
I'm reminded what Republicans are like and what I believe separates them from us. It is the component of empathy that lets people crawl into the shoes of those who are in different circumstances than themselves. Our Governor, almost every time he opens his mouth, makes it clear he does not get what it's like to be anything but an economically secure white man. He's embarrassing.
I can't imagine the Republican political appointee will be any different. He will imagine himself in the shoes of an economically secure person, someone like a landlord not a tenant like myself who feels in fear of losing her housing if she lets the landlord know she's disabled. He won't understand the gentrification in my area and how or why I am financially and physically unable to move. He won't understand why I don't want my landlord to know I'm disabled. He will likely lack the ability to imagine reasons how my landlord doesn't know in the first place ,,even his non-political underling didn't understand how that could be. They don't understand absentee landlords...it's not "his home". He is rarely here...he owns many properties and the disabled parking space in question is not directly in front of the house. He will imagine houses like in his neighborhood...a parking space in front one house...obvious who's it is, Not our congested mixed renter and homeowner area where a disabled parking space could have been requested by any one of a dozen people.
I wrote myself in circles trying to write this letter. Everything I said required an explanation, as I was looking at it from the eyes of someone with economically secure privilege (I used to have a little bit myself, but am also good at looking through other's eyes...thanks DK!). I have no idea what to write. If I say I don't want to tell my landlord because I don't want him to know I'm disabled, it begats the question "why" and "how could he not know". He will not understand that even approaching my hands-off landlord for a letter will piss him off and in order to get one I"d have to press him. This is completely a landlords market. The rent up to now in our lead paint pealing subpar housing has been low and thus we lie low and don't complain or ask for things. HOW could I explain this to the comissioner? Too many details opens a can of worms and could make the situation worse. Not enough details and he, if he's the usual Republican, I can easily imagine would dismiss my fears of approaching my landlord as illogical because he can't imagine between the lines. I could probably do this in a conversation, but not in a letter.
How to explain to someone who believes in unregulated capitalism and lives in a house in the suburbs what it's like to be too poor and disabled to move and to feel completely at the mercy of your landlord's whims. I need my lease renewed next Sept, period. I have no where to go and no means or physical ability to move. To people with that belief system, that's just the whim of the market. He may even feel I'm being dishonest not telling my landlord I"m disabled, hiding it from him. He'd identify with the landlord.
Once again, people who are supposed to help are making me sicker with anxiety.I have no idea what to say. I KNOW approaching my landlord for a letter is an very bad idea. I am lucky he renewed my lease this year as it is.
Maybe the Commissioner won't be a typical Republican.