The 99%

Kelly: As I was checking my Yahoo! email, I came across this article. It's about this banker. Just read it; then read my comments.

This guy is in the 1%

EXCUSE ME?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I think I just threw up in my mouth. More and more I am understanding what this "1%" consists of. And more and more I am incredibly despised by it. It literally makes me sick to my stomach that there are people in my country that live like this. And now for me.

I make $5.50 an hour working a simple desk job; part of the package deal at Berea is you have to work. Speaking of which, I get paid on Friday. Half of my earned paycheck will automatically be deducted to pay off the $485 (give or take)  worth of books and other course fees. 5% of that will go towards my church on Sunday because I have been slacking in tithing so for now I am starting smaller. I am paying for my own cell phone and my own food. I also owe sums of probably a couple thousand dollars in bills that currently I cannot afford, thus I have sent them home for my parents and I to try to come up with how I am going to pay them.

Every day I thank God that I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach and at least some money to get by. Dear America, we have GOT TO STOP BEING SO SELFISH. We have it MADE compared to what most do not have. End rant.

Holly: It just makes me sad because these 1 percent-ers really don't know how it feels to just barely make it by.  I mean, that's pretty much a prereq for getting into Berea: you have to be poor.  I'll be frank, growing up I didn't have to worry about not having clothing, food, or electricity.  But I know plenty of people who did.  And I've seen $50 in my parent's bank account before.  I've seen them make sacrifices for Kelly, my brother and I.  I would HARDLY consider $350,000 a year and wanting to upgrade to an even bigger home and sending your kids to private school a "jam", just fyi. 

"People who don't have money don't understand the stress."  The stress? Oh my, I don't even have a snarky comment for that.

Dear universe, MONEY DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING! Go spend time with your family, take up a hobby, partake in random acts of kindness, volunteer, adopt a stray kitty, whatever!  I absolutely cannot stand the fact that the majority of Americans have this "bigger, better, best, gotta-have-it-all, do-it-all, get-to-the-very-very-top-by-any-means-necessary-and-screw-the-rest-of-the-world" mentality.  It stinks.  As for Kelly and I, we're just trying to find out WHAT it all means! 

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the beautiful day and take the time to reflect on all that I DO have.  I hope you readers do too.  You'll find you're a lot more blessed than you realize, money or no money.  :)