As a direct result of the economic conditions fueling the Occupy Wall Street protests, I've been unemployed for three years. I'm no longer living in New York, where I lived for 30 years. And I'm no longer in the middle class, where I was for 45 years.
I used to have a fine job with health benefits. I used to own a house. I used to put part of my earnings in a savings account every month. I used to send my son to a private school. I used to own a new car. I used to go to restaurants, buy clothes at retail stores and groceries at major grocery stores, go to the theatre, take classes in subjects that interested me, go on weekend trips out of town, take the occasional vacation out of state or even out of the country.
Now I work part time for $10 an hour with no benefits--about 20% what I used to earn. I live in a house on my mother's property for which I would gladly pay her rent if I could afford it. I have no savings account any more, just a checking account. My son attends a public school--a good one, but he doesn't receive the individual attention he needs. When my car was totaled in a recent accident, I used the insurance money to pay cash for a car that's older and in worse shape than my previous one because I don't qualify for loans since my credit tanked. Dining out is not an option except for grabbing drive-through fare for my son occasionally. I've been buying my clothes at second-hand shops, the Salvation Army, and even (shudder) Walmart. I get basic groceries from the dollar stores or Aldi's, and I've even gotten food from church pantries. The closest I get to an evening out now is volunteering for our local community theatre group, and I get all my new information now not from classes and activity groups, but from the intertubes. My last vacation was in 2007, before I was laid off, and I can afford neither the time nor money even to dream of when my next one will be.
If I still lived in New York, I would be standing shoulder to shoulder with MinistryofTruth and the rest of the protesters. A modest demonstration is taking place in Indianapolis, which is the nearest city to my current home, but I'm a bit far away to join it, and I need to stay close to home to take care of my son and trade my hours for dollars. So I will use the only forum I have to shout my demands:
1. As the holder of a masters degree and two decades of experience in my field, I demand to earn more than $10 an hour.
2. As the mother of a special-needs child, I demand to be able to receive services for him from specialists I choose rather than having to take him to the county health clinic.
3. As the daughter of an elderly parent, I demand to be able to use my resources as a healthy working person to help her instead of having to rely on her help.
4. As an exhausted single mom, I demand to be able to take a break now and then by going on vacation at least once a year within the continental U.S., and maybe overseas every few years.
5. As a responsible steward of my finances, I demand to be able to place part of my earnings in a savings account so that I can have a cushion of money at all times, and to be able to invest my money if I so choose without fear of its dissipating in a cloud of corporate corruption.
6. As a consumer, I demand to be able to buy nutritious food for myself and my son at a reasonable price and to eat three meals a day instead of skipping meals to stretch my food budget.
7. As a resident of a rural community with no public transportation, I demand to be able to buy a reliable, safe car and to be able to afford to fill its tank with gas.
8. As a human being, I demand to be able to go to sleep at night without being wracked with worry about how I'm going to pay my bills, send my son to college, take care of my mother, and survive the next day, week, month, year.
I've heard countless people say, "Well, at least you have a job. At least you have food. At least you have a car. At least you have some place to live."
Here's what I say: Fuck that.
I worked my ass off in college and graduate school for many years so my life could be better than this.
I'm sick of grovelling with gratitude for the fraction of things I have now when everything I used to have and worked hard to get is gone. I'm sick of finding solace in my circumstances by rationalizing that there are others whose lives are worse. I'm sick of being told I'd better thank some anthropomorphic entity in the sky for what my life has become.
I want to work in my profession, at a salary commensurate with my expertise and experience, so that I can contribute meaningfully to the world. I want enough money to live comfortably, invest or save for the future, AND help others. I want to support my son financially, medically, educationally, and in any other way he needs my support. I want some leisure time to pursue my interests or just relax if I so choose. I want peace of mind.
I want my fucking life back.