I called my father the other day.
Our nanny had quit on her first day - which happened to be my first day returning to work from maternity leave - and I wondered if he could help us out for a week while we found someone else.
No, my sixty-year-old dad said. He had to find a job.
A job? What about your retirement? What about the gunshop?
No, said the man who had always been The Wisest Man In My Life. The shop isn't bringing in enough money and your mother's job is killing her.
My mom is a fifty-nine-year-old registered nurse in an intensive care unit. There are no orderlies and only a few LPN's. She has to lift, tuck, turn, and position patients by herself, no matter how big they are. Last month, a patient went crazy and pulled her across him. He nearly dislocated her shoulder and she still has some bruises from the encounter.
Oh, I said. Is there anything I can do to help?
No, he said. Just don't end up like us - paycheck to paycheck, no retirement, drowning in debt, with no way out.
Oh, Dad, I said. Didn't you hear? That's the new American reality.
Anonymous
Detroit, MI
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Portrait Update: Good News, Detroit Michigan
I wrote a while back about my mom, the provider of the family, losing her job after 25 years. She was applying weverywhere for a position but no one would hire her. She rarely even got an interview. Well...someone she used to know through work called her recently to tell her he had mentioned her to a company he knew that was hiring. I'm not sure what he said but he must have said something amazing, because not only did she basically get the job on spot, they even offered her a higher salary than what she wanted. They're giving her more money, insurance, and the time off she needs. Its really pretty amazing.
Just when you think that things can't get any worse, the stars align and everything just works out. Something inside says, everything will be ok. My parents are saved this time, and I hope one day one of us will make a recommendation for someone else to save them. Don't even
burn bridges. Be a genuinely nice person, and people will remember.
Just when you think that things can't get any worse, the stars align and everything just works out. Something inside says, everything will be ok. My parents are saved this time, and I hope one day one of us will make a recommendation for someone else to save them. Don't even
burn bridges. Be a genuinely nice person, and people will remember.
Detroit, MI
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Portrait: Detroit, Michigan
I grew up in a suburb of detroit about 45 minutes away. Its in Oakland county which is boasted to be one of the richest counties in the country. I, however grew up in the poor side of this rich county. Which to many and most people, understandably, doesn't get me a lot of sympathy. But my parents worked really hard to get us there. They started in a trailer in detroit, actually THE eminem trailer park, bought a real piece of crap in Redford and then got enough money to move us to Walled Lake. My father started his own business which was really successful, until 1999 when he had a heart attack, discovered a heart disease and was forced to sell his pride and joy, the business on doctors orders. My mother worked for the same company since she was 18. Well actually there were two companies, both were real estate builders, different companies but in the same office. They had worked their way up, and right after I graduate highschool in 2002 they moved to their dream house in Highland, also in Oakland County. This is not your typical extra large dream home but it was exactly what they had always wanted. 2 years ago her boss passed away, and kindly enough left her some money in his will, and because they didn't have a retirement plan, this was a huge sigh of relief for my parents. With this money my parents did something they had been wanting for as long as I can remember, which was buy a small trailer on the Gulf coast of Florida. Its really small, very modest, but they love it. After the boss passed away, my mother continued to work for the other company in the office. But when the economy shifted and people stopped buying, their business started to struggle.
They downsized their office...they moved locations...the cut working hours. They did almost everything they could to keep it running but they hadn't sold a new house in over a year. My parents closed on their Florida house about 3 weeks before my mom lost her job. They paid cash for the house. So now both my parents were jobless, they had two homes in an economy that wasn't selling homes, not to mention they had also just helped me put many repairs into my first home. The guilt that I felt for having taken that money from them was almost unbearable. I started trying to figure out ways to pay them back, but with what I make, and having just bought my first home, there wasn't any extra money.
Mom was put on unemployment. They're still not sure what they'll do. They didn't even get to enjoy a stay in their new home before the news of my mom's job loss came through. Since then, I've had an uncle lose his job of over 25 years. And I've had 2 other friends who have also lost their jobs. Other friends have layoff EVERY Friday at their places of employment. It is a literal week to week question on whether or not you'll be working. And all of these people I'm talking about are hard working, college educated, and dedicated people. I knew Michigan was bad, and people were losing their jobs, but its finally hit home. Not just lazy people are losing their jobs.
While many people disagreed with the bailout, there would have been no hope for Michigan without it. And the trickle effect from the Big 3 going under would have been catastrophic for every American.
Anonymous
Detroit, Michigan
They downsized their office...they moved locations...the cut working hours. They did almost everything they could to keep it running but they hadn't sold a new house in over a year. My parents closed on their Florida house about 3 weeks before my mom lost her job. They paid cash for the house. So now both my parents were jobless, they had two homes in an economy that wasn't selling homes, not to mention they had also just helped me put many repairs into my first home. The guilt that I felt for having taken that money from them was almost unbearable. I started trying to figure out ways to pay them back, but with what I make, and having just bought my first home, there wasn't any extra money.
Mom was put on unemployment. They're still not sure what they'll do. They didn't even get to enjoy a stay in their new home before the news of my mom's job loss came through. Since then, I've had an uncle lose his job of over 25 years. And I've had 2 other friends who have also lost their jobs. Other friends have layoff EVERY Friday at their places of employment. It is a literal week to week question on whether or not you'll be working. And all of these people I'm talking about are hard working, college educated, and dedicated people. I knew Michigan was bad, and people were losing their jobs, but its finally hit home. Not just lazy people are losing their jobs.
While many people disagreed with the bailout, there would have been no hope for Michigan without it. And the trickle effect from the Big 3 going under would have been catastrophic for every American.
Anonymous
Detroit, Michigan
Monday, February 16, 2009
Portrait: Detroit, Michigan
If you asked 100 people what city they considered to be the hardest hit in this economy, 95 of those people would say Detroit. Its a city with a name that elicits the strongest response from people, whether we have a bad economy or not. But its a city I love. A city that has created some of the best memories for me.
My entire life has been spent in the suburbs of Detroit. For 25 years, Detroit has been a mere 15 minute drive. I went to college downtown, my husband has played thousands of shows with his former band there. I have spent many years of my life fighting off that Detroit stereotype, because to me, the city has always felt alive. When I was a little kid, my dad worked at the General Motors building downtown. During the summer they would have these outdoor parties with tons of food and musicians and people dancing around, loving life. I never grew up knowing that Detroit was bad, I never feared the city the way out-of-towners did. Maybe I was jaded, having grown up in a semi-wealthy household, I was fortunate to never know what "going through a hard time" meant.
Detroit has always had a reputation for being rough and dirty and barren. A place you would never want to be at night. There have been a few performers to come from Michigan with their over exaggerated stories of growing up dirt poor in Detroit (by the way, Kid Rock is from Romeo which is about 45 minutes away from downtown and it is a really nice place to live). The now infamous 8 mile road was materialized in to a crime ridden "ditch" that separates the rich suburbs from the poor city.
But that was years ago. When people think of Detroit nowadays, its not an Eminem biopic that comes to mind. Its a crumbling car industry, a mayor scandal or a frozen body in the bottom of an elevator shaft. Its everything that people have thought for 50 years but 100 times worse. While I still feel that life coming from downtown, I also feel the fear and sadness. Its nerve wracking to check the news, to wonder what awful thing will happen today. The entire nation was on the edge of their seats during the auto bailout debate, but nobody held their breath more than Michigan. One evening, many months ago, when my husband and I were driving on the expressway to downtown, we caught a glimpse of the Detroit river skyline, with the Renaissance Center standing above the rest of the buildings, the GM logo catching the last rays of the sunset. And it suddenly hit me, what if this bailout doesnt happen? Our city, this beloved place of mine, would not survive. But it did happen, much to the nations dismay. The bailout wasn't a miracle, however, and the problems of this city are far from over. But when I stand outside of the old Detroit train station, all 18 stories of broken glass and graffiti, I know we will be okay. Because the spirit of the people of Detroit transcends time and crumbling architecture. I just hope to see the change in my lifetime.
PS: Mitch Albom wrote an article called, "The Courage of Detroit". Its a little long but worth the read. He sums up the feeling of Detroit better than I ever could.
Megan
Detroit, Michigan
My entire life has been spent in the suburbs of Detroit. For 25 years, Detroit has been a mere 15 minute drive. I went to college downtown, my husband has played thousands of shows with his former band there. I have spent many years of my life fighting off that Detroit stereotype, because to me, the city has always felt alive. When I was a little kid, my dad worked at the General Motors building downtown. During the summer they would have these outdoor parties with tons of food and musicians and people dancing around, loving life. I never grew up knowing that Detroit was bad, I never feared the city the way out-of-towners did. Maybe I was jaded, having grown up in a semi-wealthy household, I was fortunate to never know what "going through a hard time" meant.
Detroit has always had a reputation for being rough and dirty and barren. A place you would never want to be at night. There have been a few performers to come from Michigan with their over exaggerated stories of growing up dirt poor in Detroit (by the way, Kid Rock is from Romeo which is about 45 minutes away from downtown and it is a really nice place to live). The now infamous 8 mile road was materialized in to a crime ridden "ditch" that separates the rich suburbs from the poor city.
But that was years ago. When people think of Detroit nowadays, its not an Eminem biopic that comes to mind. Its a crumbling car industry, a mayor scandal or a frozen body in the bottom of an elevator shaft. Its everything that people have thought for 50 years but 100 times worse. While I still feel that life coming from downtown, I also feel the fear and sadness. Its nerve wracking to check the news, to wonder what awful thing will happen today. The entire nation was on the edge of their seats during the auto bailout debate, but nobody held their breath more than Michigan. One evening, many months ago, when my husband and I were driving on the expressway to downtown, we caught a glimpse of the Detroit river skyline, with the Renaissance Center standing above the rest of the buildings, the GM logo catching the last rays of the sunset. And it suddenly hit me, what if this bailout doesnt happen? Our city, this beloved place of mine, would not survive. But it did happen, much to the nations dismay. The bailout wasn't a miracle, however, and the problems of this city are far from over. But when I stand outside of the old Detroit train station, all 18 stories of broken glass and graffiti, I know we will be okay. Because the spirit of the people of Detroit transcends time and crumbling architecture. I just hope to see the change in my lifetime.
PS: Mitch Albom wrote an article called, "The Courage of Detroit". Its a little long but worth the read. He sums up the feeling of Detroit better than I ever could.
Megan
Detroit, Michigan
Friday, February 13, 2009
Portrait: Newport, Michigan
I worked for a health insurance company in Detroit Michigan, but I always dreamed of being home with my children We already had 2 girls and I was finally pregnant with #3 our boy. We had decided early on in that pregnancy that I would finally be able to stop working and stay home with the kids, having 3 kids in daycare, plus my commute would not benefit us with me working any longer. 3 months into my maternity leave, October 2008 to be exact I resigned from my job. Even with giving up our extra income, our medical and dental benefits and a nice cushy desk job, it felt good. In our eye it was worth everything we just lost for me to be home.
On December 3rd, 2008, my husband calls home. "I was just fired" he said. I yelled at him for the lame joke he was playing, but the silence on the other side said a lot more. This was not a joke. 2 months ago, we had 2 incomes, then one and today we have none. Next to nothing in savings, 3 children, 2 of them in diapers, and we now have no money living in Michigan, who just happens to have a 10% unemployment rate, the highest in the nation.
I don't remember much for the next couple of weeks, I know I cried alot. Feeling sorry for ourselves, wondering what would be if I just held onto my job a little bit longer, and not resigned when I did. I could be going back to work and we would have some money. 3 weeks before Christmas. How were supposed to give our children the things they longed for, the things they searched for and circled in the toy books? So many thanks goes out to our friends and family, they all pulled together. We had a great Christmas. Probably one of the only Christmas' that I enjoyed getting toilet paper and laundry soap as presents. They kept our spirits high, and told us to hang on. Something will happen they would all say. They also told us to hang onto each other, because financial burden is the #1 divorce cause. We listened. We didn't play the blame game and held on. We stopped paying our bills. The bills we worked so hard at always paying on time and never missing a payment. They started to call, they started to demand. Still we hung on, hoping and praying a prayer that so many others were saying as well.
Then it happened. Just when we thought we weren't going to be able to hold on for one more month, he got the call. That call that said, "Can you start Monday?"
We got the 1st paycheck today. Boy oh boy, can I tell you how good it feels to be able to put some money in the bank. I never thought I would be able to say it felt good to pay those bills, but today, you will here me say it sure felt good.
Tasha
Newport, Michigan
On December 3rd, 2008, my husband calls home. "I was just fired" he said. I yelled at him for the lame joke he was playing, but the silence on the other side said a lot more. This was not a joke. 2 months ago, we had 2 incomes, then one and today we have none. Next to nothing in savings, 3 children, 2 of them in diapers, and we now have no money living in Michigan, who just happens to have a 10% unemployment rate, the highest in the nation.
I don't remember much for the next couple of weeks, I know I cried alot. Feeling sorry for ourselves, wondering what would be if I just held onto my job a little bit longer, and not resigned when I did. I could be going back to work and we would have some money. 3 weeks before Christmas. How were supposed to give our children the things they longed for, the things they searched for and circled in the toy books? So many thanks goes out to our friends and family, they all pulled together. We had a great Christmas. Probably one of the only Christmas' that I enjoyed getting toilet paper and laundry soap as presents. They kept our spirits high, and told us to hang on. Something will happen they would all say. They also told us to hang onto each other, because financial burden is the #1 divorce cause. We listened. We didn't play the blame game and held on. We stopped paying our bills. The bills we worked so hard at always paying on time and never missing a payment. They started to call, they started to demand. Still we hung on, hoping and praying a prayer that so many others were saying as well.
Then it happened. Just when we thought we weren't going to be able to hold on for one more month, he got the call. That call that said, "Can you start Monday?"
We got the 1st paycheck today. Boy oh boy, can I tell you how good it feels to be able to put some money in the bank. I never thought I would be able to say it felt good to pay those bills, but today, you will here me say it sure felt good.
Tasha
Newport, Michigan
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