Donations? What Have You Done With Them Already?

You know, if Andrew Breitbart were alive, I have a sneaking feeling he'd be a bit more nuanced about this headline on his site: 

Americans in 'Poverty' Have TVs, VCRs, Cell Phones, Air Conditioning

This is just a conservative bashing of the poor at it's worst.

I mean, Breitbart was smart - he could understand owning an empty fridge, right? Am I supposed to sell it? Then what? Who would buy my TV? I looked - people give them away now. Put them on the front lawn with a sign saying "FREE" attached to them. A VCR? Come on. I borrow CDs and DVDs from the library. And I use the cheapest cell phone I can get (above an ObamaPhone) but - according to these genius' - I'm rich in America.

Talk about rubbing it in. It's bad enough I've tried to do all the right things, but then to have this laid on me, just as all my latest efforts crumbled? Well, that stings a little. So, let's pull back the curtain a bit, and see how this whole pull-yourself-up-by-your-boot-straps thing works in reality:

I started off divorced, paying off debts. For the last few years, after NewAge management chased me out of corporate work, I've been employed as a laborer. Landscaping, working on houses, putting up steel buildings, erecting fences, digging ditches - you name it. And, occasionally, I'd get some help from the blog. Not much, anywhere from $5 to $25 usually, but sometimes a few thousand dollars. So what's it done for me lately? A lot:

I moved from this tiny room in a house - where I was living out of a suitcase, for years, with the few things I brought with me - into this bigger one below with all my recording equipment and things:

[Click to expand]

Well, how did I get all my recording equipment and things? I had to rent a U-Haul and go to several places, across the country, and get them (long story). Keep in mind, except for the time it took for the road trip, I never stopped doing labor. But, then, tragedy struck.

My landlord, an older white gentleman, had an accident and lost his mind - literally. We lived together so, all of a sudden, I became responsible for a lot of new things, because his family lives far away and his other renter (a creep who I despised) moved out immediately. (Did I have to move, too?) I am still (partially) responsible for my landlord's care, taking him out to escape the long-term care facility he's in, making sure his needs are cared for and he's comfortable. He's my friend. I'm fine with it, and enjoy doing it, but it's still been a burden. Financial and otherwise.

So, of course, I eventually got an ulcer, followed by my lower back getting hurt. Then, one night while I was sleeping, my neck "popped". As I recently mentioned, without health insurance, my first prescription was for $800.00 and it was one of three. More followed, including lots that made me comatose, so I'd lie still and not re-injure my spine, which has happened a few times in the last 8 weeks.

And yes, I do still have a *brilliant* album I'm working on, and - along with getting my recording equipment - three things have been purchased to make that happen. Two turntables (one normal, for my records, and one digital) and a small sampler. Thank you.

And now - the latest development - I've had a manic/depressive friend/helper here, to yelp at the moon, drive me crazy by never shutting up, and (I'm grateful) making sure I can care for myself.

But according to the guys at Breitbart.com, I'm rich, because the swamp cooler works.

The mind boggles,...