Dear President Obama,
I have found myself amongst the many throngs of both American companies and individuals; tinkering on the verge of bankruptcy. Although my situation may not be as severe as say, a money laundering CEO, I too have found myself fall victim to this current economic situation.
In order to pay for school without straining the American banks, I turned four years of college into six and a half almost entirely out of pocket years, by sacrificing and starting at a community college to transfer. I not only put faith in myself but in my country as well, that upon graduation I would find a job to pay back these student loans. Well, the job market is tough right now which I’m sure we’re all more than aware. And since I am still claimed as a dependent to my father in order to maintain health insurance, I was never eligible for any of these stimulus packages that were offered by the government. Nevermind the fact that I have worked extremely hard, often times full time PLUS a part time job, while attending school full time for the past EIGHT YEARS OF MY LIFE. I was not eligible for a measly $600 or $700 as a stimulus.
So I ask you, Mr. President; please pay more attention to those who are working hard to advance themselves and are succeeding little by little. Some of us do not come from rich parents. Some of us have annual college tuition that costs more than our family income (as a direct result of the current automotive situation). You do not see us struggling by means of welfare, foodstamps and horrible credit because we are cautious. We make many sacrifices to prevent a further economic downturn. We are excited about our future and want nothing more than to succeed, but we know that it is a tedious, frustrating process at times. We have proven to work hard, sacrificing many hours that could be spent on schoolwork, family and friends, to work full time and pay our rent. We have perfect credit, and we live paycheck to paycheck, while slowing increasing our financial debts. We did not prematurely bring any children into this world because we are responsible and know that we are in no condition to support another life while we are trying to make a life for ourselves. Take a minute to consider those who have made sacrifices incomparable to others our age. Lighten up when you charge a full time student $1,500 in taxes for the year, when she only made $16,000 to start out with and already paid $2,000 in taxes. It’s amazing that we’ve learned how to adapt in places such as New York City, to live off of $16,000 a year, but to pay an additional $1500 come tax time just because we are dependents? It’s like another slap in the face. But, we cannot move to less prospering cities that are falling apart because there are no jobs.
So please, Mr. President, let’s get a grasp on who we are trying to help out in these hard times. I am not asking to redistribute the wealth, because those who have worked hard for their money do not deserve to be taxed more in order to pay for those who have not worked nearly as hard. I am simply asking that you not forget about those such as myself when the stimulus packages are distributed.
Sincerely,
Working students from lower middle class families of America