Grumpy Gray Mare

An Eeyore day

Yes, I am grumpy on a sunny, warm July morning. Why? I have been reading the news. Being an ostrich would be much easier and relaxing, but that’s not who I am.

The other day I read a column from Arca Max. The writer shared a story from someone who has a nice Victorian home converted into pleasant apartments. The homeowner lives in one and has a big dilemma. None of his applicants can afford to rent any of the apartments. The applicants are all hard-working people. His rents would eat up more than half their incomes. He says his rents aren’t unreasonable.

Compared to what? Statistics are that in many cases a person needs to work 80 hours a week to be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment. That means a couple both need to work full-time. For singles, they would require roommates. Affordable housing is becoming harder to find as low-income residences are being squeezed out by new luxury constructions.

Something else is going on here too. Have you heard of asset management firms? These are very big companies that invest clients’ money to earn big profits. During recessions and housing crises, as we’ve seen in recent years, these corporations began buying up distressed and foreclosed homes. They want to maximize profits for their clients so with these investments, the first thing they do is jack up the rent. People who could no longer afford the rent had to move.

Seniors and disabled people frequently live in mobile home parks. Corporations have gone in, purchased the parks, and then raised the lot rent so high it became unaffordable for the homeowners living there. Do you know how much it costs to move a mobile home? When the residents couldn’t afford to move their trailer nor afford the jacked-up lot rent, the corporations moved in and forced the luckless homeowners out. Those residents were left with nothing.

Here in New Jersey, for every 100 families desperately needing low-income housing, there are only 31 units available. But it’s not just my state. There is not one state in this country where two minimum wage earners can afford a two-bedroom apartment.

And why? Do we blame our legislators? They make an easy target, don’t they? They do bear some of the responsibility, of course, because corporations have bought them. The fault really lies with the corporations who are only concerned about profits. They willingly donate money to the campaigns of legislators to ensure that they can continue to gouge the middle class and avoid paying taxes.

Legislators are supposed to represent the voters. However, they are lured by greed. Their salaries are such that they cannot possibly understand the circumstances of most of their voters. I hate to say this, but I have to include the Democratic legislators as well as the MAGAs and other Repubs.

For example, legislators don’t know what it’s like to be hungry. It’s more politically correct to say “food insecure” but why obfuscate? It reminds me of the book 1984 where Newspeak confuses and twists the meanings of words. Legislators don’t have to go to food pantries, and they don’t have to skip meals so their children can eat.

We are one of the richest countries on the earth. Why should almost 27 million people be hungry? Here’s one reason and it’s got to do with greedy companies again. All food prices have been increasing over the past year. At the same time, benefits have been cut for SNAP (food stamps).

I can tell you how the increase in price has affected us seniors on a fixed income. We haven’t been able to buy some of the foods we used to enjoy because we can’t afford them anymore. Chuck steaks are unaffordable now, never mind a sirloin or prime rib. We pay more for chicken, which used to be inexpensive. Even hot dogs are outrageous. Forget deli food. We buy produce only when it’s on sale and stick with generic brands for other products. We don’t buy sugary or salty snacks—way out of our budget. We get the popcorn kernels and make our own. Even after cutting back and making changes, our grocery bill is up a good $50 a week or more.

I can’t imagine trying to manage with a penny less than our income. Too many people are in that boat. The legislators are clueless; the large companies don’t care.

Corporations don’t care that, as humans, we should look out for each other. Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and those actions that only people struggling financially seem to understand, care for, and help whenever possible. It’s why we drop our last dollar bill in a jar at Wawa to pay for some child’s medical bills. Modern-day robber barons are only interested in helping themselves and no one else.

Big Pharma is another conglomerate that has no consideration or concern for the people who need prescriptions. Jonas Salk never patented his prescription for the polio vaccine; he wanted it to be widely available to everyone. Because they felt it should be widely available and because they believed doctors shouldn’t profit from a prescription that would save lives, the inventors of insulin sold their patent for $1.

Let’s just talk about what Pharma did to insulin. I have friends who are diabetic and who had to ration their insulin because Pharma jacked the price so high they couldn’t afford to take it as needed. Skipping doses of insulin is dangerous. It can cause death. None of my friends died, but they suffered. However, across the country people did die from rationing their insulin. For those of us on Medicare, thankfully President Biden got legislation passed that capped insulin at $35.

In my case, my copay for Enbrel (which treats rheumatoid arthritis) was $600. I was fortunate that my doctor has been able to give me free samples for over a year. Meanwhile, I filled out forms with the drug manufacturer showing that I didn’t have the income to afford the medication. I got a letter saying they would send me the Enbrel at no cost, but it’s been over a month, and they haven’t.

I have to space out two of my generics. One treats dysthymia and the other is for osteoporosis. They are each $50, and I can’t afford to get them at the same time. In fact, I had to split the osteoporosis prescription into three. I take one pill a month and each pill is $50. These are generics. Forget taking a name-brand prescription.

In spite of feeling like Eeyore today, I still kindle a flame of hope that things can get better. I read a book that inspired me. Douglas Abrams interviewed Dr. Jane Goodall, the famed anthropologist, conservationist, and humanitarian. The book is called The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times. Today would be a good day to reread the book.

I am also inspired by Rev. William J. Barber II, recently a retired pastor from the Greenleaf Christian Church in North Carolina. He is also an activist and co-founded the Poor People’s Campaign. He is a supporter of fusion politics, meaning to bring together those whose voices go unheard or are marginalized: the poor, the suffering lower to middle classes, the ones who are experiencing discrimination and bigotry. He is inclusive of everyone, no matter the race, religion, or social class. He reminds me of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. He is himself disabled and has been arrested at protests before. His motto is “Forward ever, backward never.”

I am also not going to sit back and watch. I have been a fighter and an advocate since I was a child, sticking up for my Deaf parents. I have walked picket lines and participated in a sit-in to support health insurance and disabled rights. Now I’m not physically able to do those things but I can work phone banks for candidates. I checked to see if New Jersey has a chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign. It does and so I signed up.

Maybe nothing will change; maybe it will. Whatever the result, I feel that at least I’m doing something to try and make the terrible things better. It quiets the Eeyore in me most days.