I am so SICK of hearing about this stimulus package!  How about making something happen! 

All I hear is "the middle class is suffering" from people who are NOT middle class.  Let's step into the shoes of the middle class for a moment shall we?  I am a middle class citizen who is lucky to still have a job and am still just hanging on to my house by a thread.  I actually hate payday because I have to juggle my bills around and decide what has to be paid and what can wait.  I live in Michigan and it has been -20 below zero so my heat bill for the month was $200, so I know I have to jump on that one.  I have to because they will shut your heat off!  I have had it happen with my electricity but thank goodness it was only -2 degrees that day! 

Now now let's move on to someone who has lost their job.  Bills keep coming in, creditors are calling non-stop, the kids are hungry and need new coats and mittens, the car is on it's last legs, the furnace breaks down (this happened to me over Thanksgiving), you are worried about getting kicked out of your home due to inability to pay the house payment or rent, if you don't pay $100 to the electric company tomorrow the electric will get shut off, and the list goes on and on.   Number one, this person has to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.  Number two, this person is intently watching everything he/she can about the stimulus package.  Number three, this person sees no light at the end of the tunnel because the stimulus package my take awhile to start stimulating according to those working on it (who are of course not middle class).  In addition, they hear about how this stimulus package is going to be distributed among banks and other business institutions.  Number four, this person is soon going to lose all hope.

What needs saving right now are human beings; not banks, not car makers, not investment companies.  PEOPLE!  Wake up! 

Think about this for a minute government people.  The last stimulus check that was sent out about a year ago did not do any good at all.  I think I received $600 and it went directly to bills.  I don't think it was used like the governement thought; people did not go out and buy new tv's or any other "luxury" items.  They could not afford it then and things were not half as bad as they are today!  Can you imagine what would happen if the stimulus package was actually used to help "people" directly?  Here's my favorite example, I heard this from another I-Reporter and I love it.  How about the stimulus pay off the homes of anyone making under, oh let's say, $50,000.  Can you imaging the uplifting of government perception by the American middle class!  People would actually be able to begin spending again and living happy lives.  The stimulus package would begin to work immediately, not in 1 or 2 years.  Plus the middle class would finally receive the break they have deserve!

The middle class has been working like dogs for years and right now we are a dying breed.  I know there are days I just want to give up, I just can't stand being on this endless treadmill of working and working and still not getting ahead, only further behind.   I'm 40 years old and don't even know if I will ever be able to retire.  I work in the healthcare industry and see retirees come in who have lost their supplemental insurance from GM, Ford, etc. after putting in their hard earned 30-35 years and it makes me sick!

Gee, we middle class sure have a lot to look forward to huh?

Melissa S.

Lake Ann, MI