Many of you here have read the diaries about Kossacks losing their jobs, their health care and their homes. The outreach to those who are suffering in our difficult times has been amazing, which I would expect nothing else from this site.
But there are many who are not writing diaries who are hurting just as much and there are Kossacks out there that have survived such tough times in the past that have a great deal of knowledge to share.
And then there is the comfort of commiserating with those who understand why such things happen, how we got there and just want to vent, rant and whine about their current economic shape. I know I'm not doing as well as I was just a year ago. Many aren't. Let's make a space for that here at Daily Kos.
So I propose a weekly series entitled "Tough Times at Kos". As I had pointed out in my diary, My Space, I think not, it's the sense of community that really makes Daily Kos home for many. Not only that, we are in the midst of exciting times and turbulent times that can pull every single one of us in many directions. The mix of emotions that so many of us are going through reaches the total range that human beings can put themselves through. But we know we can survive this.
Democrats are not quitters and we have no issues with pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, as many Republicans would have you doubt. We just try to help others along the way and don't think that we should leave anyone by the side of the road, for whatever reason they may have for falling on hard times. We just don't do it.
Now, I could tell my own story and wonder if I should (If someone asks, I will share in comments). I still have my home, my job and my health care. I know that my family is one of the lucky ones but I also know that it could change quickly. It happens all the time. But I do want to hear the stories others have to tell and I want a place that if people have questions or need help, they can come here.
This is a community, no one here is going to claim to be an expert and everyone should take any advice found on line with a big grain of salt.
My little tip of the day is something that I'm quite sure Kossacks are familiar with but I do think it bears reminding everyone.
Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,618 groups with 6,024,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on "Browse Groups" above the search box. Have fun!
Freecycle is a great place to turn to if you are need of something that you can't quite afford at the moment or you have items that you don't want to sell but you'd hate to see go in the trash.
So, please come and tell your story, provide support for others who are hurting or just lurk and learn something about the struggles that we are going through during these "Tough Times" in our Country's history. We can provide help for one another, yes we can.
If Barack Obama can stand out in the rain and address those weary souls who stood with him, then we can stand here and hold the hands of those Kossacks that are struggling right now. It's this that makes a community stronger and grows our hearts and souls.