This I Argue
Dear Congressman Robert
My name is Cassandra Abney with a two year old and a baby in my wound. I am a
struggling mother that is reaching out to you because I believe you have the
ability to change things and I believe in you. The requirements that the
government has to get food stamps, medical or even cash benefits is hard to
obtain. As of January of 2014 it has gotten even harder to obtain. The
government has it so now they go by your gross income instead of your net
income. As you can see here CLICK . The problem with that is you don't even see the money they are using
against you.The government has it that if you work, You might as well not even try to apply. It's either your working to pay your bills or your staying home worrying how your bills are going to be
paid but you have food in your belly. I am grateful for all the help that I get
and I don't want it to seem like I am complaining but as of right now I need
more help. I haven't always been this way, I had a nice paying job. Working as a cocktail waitress at Harrahs Philadelphia Casino. I Was able to purchase my own food, pay my bills and have a little extra to do things with. I
was far from rich but I was comfortable enough to get a goodnight sleep. When I
got fired from my job at 5 months pregnant, I was distraught. I didn't know
what to do, I couldn't get a new job because who was going to hire someone that
was five months pregnant? I was already a liability, so me finding another job
went quickly down the drain. As hours turned into days, days turned into weeks,
my food quickly started to dwindle. I didn't know what to do. I looked to my
government for help by applying for food stamps and they turned me down. Since
I got fired the third week in march, they had to use the paychecks that I
gotten that month to determine if I would get food stamps or not. Of course I
was denied and was told I had to wait till next month to reapply.
In the documentary "A place at the table" it talks about real people going through
situations like myself. Barbie a single mom of two kids was struggling to make
ends meet. She was receiving food stamps and it wasn't enough for herself and
family. By week number 4 she was trying to figure out how food was going to go
on the table. I know your probably thinking okay why didn't she just get a job,
She was trying to be lazy and just collect checks but in reality when she did
get a job working for our government. Things got worse! Now she had money
for her bills, but now that she has a job she is no longer eligible for food
stamps. Her bills are paid but now Barbie and her two kids belly's are hungry because now she's not elgible for food stamps.
Do you think that's a way you to live congressman?
For that month I had to figure out how I am going to feed myself and my daughter. I went to a food bank
and it was embarrassing, I told myself that I would never need to go there. Also
in the documentary it talks about people just like me had to go to food banks
just to make ends meet. If the government would sometimes help non profit
organizations or even donate food to these food banks that would help a lot. The
government has the chance to make a change for our community! The people there
are sometimes grumpy because a lot falls onto them. They aren't offered that much
help and sometimes they run out of food, When there's a long line of people still waiting for a chance to get food on there table. Congressman, Can you imagine seeing hundreds of people who has been waiting in line for one to two hours for food and then YOU have to be the one to tell them you ran out of food. That's not a good feeling. Even though they try to make you feel comfortable, It just isn't an environment that makes you feel uncomfortable. The help I gotten from the food pantries was all the help I had for a month, It made me feel empty and like a bad mother. I always thought the government was suppose to help you when you are in
need and y'all weren’t there.
That month was the scariest thing I ever had to deal with, looking in your fridge seeing how empty it is. Scrapping together food just to get a meal so my
daughter and I can eat. Just trying to keep my head above water so that I can survive.
I had to wait till April to reapply and show that I had no income whats so ever.
It becomes an issue where I have to decide if the electric needs to be paid or
my daughter and I need to eat. My electricity has been threatened to be cut off
numerous times and each time I had to set a agreement just so I could have it on
a little longer.
I know a month may not seem like a long time to you but it
does to me, So I can only imagine how people do it for months at a time. It's
not as easy as people think it is to get help and to get assistance from the
government. The government makes it close to impossible to get help. They go by
your gross income basically the money you never see which I think is unfair.
It's either you make just enough to pay your bills but no money for food or you
don’t make enough to to pay your bills but can eat.
I Cassandra Abney know how it feels to struggle, I know how it feels to not know what your next meal
was going to be. I sat in watch my mom struggle with five kids working and
barely getting assistance. I vowed to never had to do that myself. So as I sit
here writing you this letting I am begging you to help more people like my mom,
myself and everyone else out there struggling to eat. The guild-lines to get
food stamps or to even get any type of help is close to impossible. Our kids
have to eat and if we are struggling to do so we look to our government to help
us. So what I am asking for you Congressman Robert, Maybe you can make the guidelines to get Food stamps, goes by your net income instead of you gross income. Or Make so when you do get a job you can only stay on the program for 2 months so you can get back on your feet. As a mother and a person who has been struggling, you start to get desperate when you can't get help from outside sources and get terriefied when you look to your government and they turn they back on you. So now i'm writting you directly begging you to help us. To change the guidlines. Increase the income for the eligbility for food stamps. Donate to food banks, help non profit organizations. There's so much you have the power of doing. With that power you can change so many lives!
No more tears
Cassandra Abney
Dear Congressman Robert
My name is Cassandra Abney with a two year old and a baby in my wound. I am a
struggling mother that is reaching out to you because I believe you have the
ability to change things and I believe in you. The requirements that the
government has to get food stamps, medical or even cash benefits is hard to
obtain. As of January of 2014 it has gotten even harder to obtain. The
government has it so now they go by your gross income instead of your net
income. As you can see here CLICK . The problem with that is you don't even see the money they are using
against you.The government has it that if you work, You might as well not even try to apply. It's either your working to pay your bills or your staying home worrying how your bills are going to be
paid but you have food in your belly. I am grateful for all the help that I get
and I don't want it to seem like I am complaining but as of right now I need
more help. I haven't always been this way, I had a nice paying job. Working as a cocktail waitress at Harrahs Philadelphia Casino. I Was able to purchase my own food, pay my bills and have a little extra to do things with. I
was far from rich but I was comfortable enough to get a goodnight sleep. When I
got fired from my job at 5 months pregnant, I was distraught. I didn't know
what to do, I couldn't get a new job because who was going to hire someone that
was five months pregnant? I was already a liability, so me finding another job
went quickly down the drain. As hours turned into days, days turned into weeks,
my food quickly started to dwindle. I didn't know what to do. I looked to my
government for help by applying for food stamps and they turned me down. Since
I got fired the third week in march, they had to use the paychecks that I
gotten that month to determine if I would get food stamps or not. Of course I
was denied and was told I had to wait till next month to reapply.
In the documentary "A place at the table" it talks about real people going through
situations like myself. Barbie a single mom of two kids was struggling to make
ends meet. She was receiving food stamps and it wasn't enough for herself and
family. By week number 4 she was trying to figure out how food was going to go
on the table. I know your probably thinking okay why didn't she just get a job,
She was trying to be lazy and just collect checks but in reality when she did
get a job working for our government. Things got worse! Now she had money
for her bills, but now that she has a job she is no longer eligible for food
stamps. Her bills are paid but now Barbie and her two kids belly's are hungry because now she's not elgible for food stamps.
Do you think that's a way you to live congressman?
For that month I had to figure out how I am going to feed myself and my daughter. I went to a food bank
and it was embarrassing, I told myself that I would never need to go there. Also
in the documentary it talks about people just like me had to go to food banks
just to make ends meet. If the government would sometimes help non profit
organizations or even donate food to these food banks that would help a lot. The
government has the chance to make a change for our community! The people there
are sometimes grumpy because a lot falls onto them. They aren't offered that much
help and sometimes they run out of food, When there's a long line of people still waiting for a chance to get food on there table. Congressman, Can you imagine seeing hundreds of people who has been waiting in line for one to two hours for food and then YOU have to be the one to tell them you ran out of food. That's not a good feeling. Even though they try to make you feel comfortable, It just isn't an environment that makes you feel uncomfortable. The help I gotten from the food pantries was all the help I had for a month, It made me feel empty and like a bad mother. I always thought the government was suppose to help you when you are in
need and y'all weren’t there.
That month was the scariest thing I ever had to deal with, looking in your fridge seeing how empty it is. Scrapping together food just to get a meal so my
daughter and I can eat. Just trying to keep my head above water so that I can survive.
I had to wait till April to reapply and show that I had no income whats so ever.
It becomes an issue where I have to decide if the electric needs to be paid or
my daughter and I need to eat. My electricity has been threatened to be cut off
numerous times and each time I had to set a agreement just so I could have it on
a little longer.
I know a month may not seem like a long time to you but it
does to me, So I can only imagine how people do it for months at a time. It's
not as easy as people think it is to get help and to get assistance from the
government. The government makes it close to impossible to get help. They go by
your gross income basically the money you never see which I think is unfair.
It's either you make just enough to pay your bills but no money for food or you
don’t make enough to to pay your bills but can eat.
I Cassandra Abney know how it feels to struggle, I know how it feels to not know what your next meal
was going to be. I sat in watch my mom struggle with five kids working and
barely getting assistance. I vowed to never had to do that myself. So as I sit
here writing you this letting I am begging you to help more people like my mom,
myself and everyone else out there struggling to eat. The guild-lines to get
food stamps or to even get any type of help is close to impossible. Our kids
have to eat and if we are struggling to do so we look to our government to help
us. So what I am asking for you Congressman Robert, Maybe you can make the guidelines to get Food stamps, goes by your net income instead of you gross income. Or Make so when you do get a job you can only stay on the program for 2 months so you can get back on your feet. As a mother and a person who has been struggling, you start to get desperate when you can't get help from outside sources and get terriefied when you look to your government and they turn they back on you. So now i'm writting you directly begging you to help us. To change the guidlines. Increase the income for the eligbility for food stamps. Donate to food banks, help non profit organizations. There's so much you have the power of doing. With that power you can change so many lives!
No more tears
Cassandra Abney