This will all pay off in the end--but in the meantime, I'm gonna be ticked off

Being a parent isn't easy. Being a parent, and being poor, that's even harder. It's one thing trying to get back on your feet, but doing it while making sure that your children are fed and happy, well, that's a whole different story.

You'd think that I would be a perfect candidate to get some help from our welfare system. I am a single mother, albeit, I am in a stable relationship with the child's father, we are still struggling to make ends meet and make a better life for ourselves.

I am in school, full-time, and my fiance, he works full-time. He doesn't have a great job, it helps pay the bills, but not so much that I don't have to work. But he's  putting his life on hold so I am able to finish school and get a better job, so hopefully he will be able to go to school when I have a better paying job.

But here's the catch: To be able to live semi-comfortably (aka not live off of macaroni and cheese and not overdraft on our bank account every week, which still sometimes happens anyway,) I have to work. I am really not trying to complain here, but I am struggling. I would truly like to be an advocate for people such as myself. WE CANNOT GET HELP FROM THE STATE. Although we are the prime example of people that SHOULD be being helped by the state.

There is a program called TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy Families). We are a needy family who needs temporary help. But because I work my a$$ off, and didn't immediately go to the State for help instead of continuing to work and go to school throughout my entire pregnancy and after I gave birth, I am now ineligible for help.

40 weeks and ready to pop!

                              

I wouldn't even want to stop working completely, because I have a great part time job. But my other part-time job, yeah, pretty terrible. It's borderline depressing pretty much everytime I have to work there. And it really, really, REALLY cuts into my time that I could be using to do homework and spend precious time with my precious son.

So adorable,  I know!

I went to the Department of Health and Human Services asked them what would happen if I quit one of my jobs. I would then, under their guidelines, be eligible for TANF, because I would be "underemployed." They told me that it would be illegal to do so. It would be illegal for me to quit one of my part- time jobs because  am struggling to get through everyday, and only having to work part-time would help me be able to do my school work and spend a little bit of time with my son? This would be a very temporary situation, as I only have one full semester left of school. I have to take two summer classes, and one class next semester (I just had to write that out because it is so exciting!) But I would only need very little assistance for a very short period of time. But I guess I am expected to struggle through these next three months. I have been doing it for almost three years now, I guess three more months will be a breeze.

So, riddle me this, State of Maine. Money that is given to families for TANF can be used for ANYTHING. The "welfare card" can be used as a debit card to be used at an ATM, or even used at the store to buy items such as cigarettes and alcohol. And since you can get cash at an ATM, the money can also be used to buy drugs.

Look, I know not everyone is out to abuse the system. But they are out there. Just like there are people like me out there. The only difference is, is that they get help, and I don't. And while I think it's great that people are now only eligible for 60 months of TANF, that's five years! That's five years more than what I am getting.

I clearly have no argument here, because if people are allowed to use TANF money to purchase anything they want without a second glance by the state (there are no drug tests, they don't need to show any receipts) either they are totally and utterly oblivous, or they just don't care. My guess is the latter. But how can they be OK with this? If people are allowed to buy cigarettes and alcohol with state money, that just ensures that these people will need more medical help than a drug-free person. This leads the state to have to spend MORE money on these people, because they sure as heck aren't spending any money on their own healthcare, MaineCare will cover it all for them.

I have also been kind of non-partisan, (aka I never cared much for politics and certainly didn't want to take sides, because I feel all politicians are full of it). But the idea of not dishing out money to these people for their medical problems caused by the use of drugs and alcohol is a nobel one. I will say that MaineCare has been amazing. It is basically free healthcare, with little-to-no out of pocket costs. We wouldn't have been able to survive without it. This life hasn't been all hell, it really hasn't been hell at all. But my frustrations still exist with the system-those people who need the help, the people that this program was designed for, can't get the TEMPORARY help they need. I can just hope to look back at this and be proud of what I have done, but for now, it sucks, I will begrudgingly go through the next year or so of my life, struggling to make ends meet. And then I will owe my students loans. And that will be a whole nother chapter.