Punished for working?

So lately, it seems like people who fall in the "middle" range of the payscale seem to get hurt the most.

Case in point: I have been searching for a place to live in the Cottonwood area, as the 45-minute daily commute is getting old (and expensive!). I found a lovely complex down the street from my work, but was told I "over-qualify" with my income. Um... I'm working for the County, making just a few hundred more than I did as a teacher. My credit card bills (and recently negative checking account) don't seem to think I "over-qualify" at all! Turns out that, in order to live in said apartment complex, I'd need to gross $20,000 or under per year. So... I'm getting punished for having a somewhat fair-paying job?! Should I just work at the $20k level to get cheaper housing? Grr...

Another case in point: An acquaintance of mine has recently felt suicidal. She's been trying to get help by going to our local guidance center. However, she was turned away because she makes too much money! They asked her, "Are you suicidal?" She replied, "Yes." They asked, "Are you on the State health insurance?" She said, "No, I have insurance through my employer." They sent her away!!! They sent a depressed, suicidal working woman away because she made TOO MUCH MONEY.

Unbelievable! According to experts in the area, if a person who makes "too much" is suicidal, that person has very few options. What typically happens, I'm told, is that the suicidal person (or a friend) can call 9-1-1 and have the person rushed to the E.R. Upon arrival, the person will be held for 72 hours and then released. Released!! Insane! I guess there aren't many services (in my area at least) for the suicidals of moderate income.

Speaking of money, my goal for the rest of this year is to get as physically and financially "fit" as possible. It's a tough charge, I know, but I'm gonna do it! I currently bank with Bank of America, which I want to stop doing as soon as possible. In the past week, I've been hit with $140 in overdraft fees for withdrawing just $15 over my assets. Grrr... I tried to get a loan to pay off my credit cards, but the interest rate on the loan for which I was approved is almost 25%!! I'd end up paying almost $5,000 in interest in just 5 years... No, thank you.

Anyway, I must fix my finances now, while I'm young and single and have no dependents. I'm planning on taking a personal finance course at the local community college in August, so hopefully that'll help. I've found out that my coworker (who's in her early 30s) is equally clueless about finances, so I'll be our office liaison between the financial world and the county health workers. Sigh. Also, said coworker and I are both trying to get an extra job (or two) on the side, because the County doesn't pay all that well. We're both willing to be tutors for the aforementioned community college (where we can set our own hours), and I'm also thinking about being a server in a local restaurant. Perhaps I can find another thing or two also. (Who needs a life, right?) :) I briefly looked into donating an egg, but it sounds like a horrifying, painful, and time-consuming process! Sigh.

I used to work at a group home for adolescents who had diagnosed emotional and/or behavioral problems. A lot of them were in and out of the juvenile detention system, and I was astounded at how many resources they were able to obtain. For example, I mentored one girl who ended up back in juvi due to a fight with another girl. (I had been present for the fight- on a college campus in broad daylight- and I had had to restrain her. In the parking lot. With dozens of people walking by. It was bloody and stupid.) Anyway, she was a good gal who let other people get the best of her, so she wound up in juvi (again) for some poor choices. I mentored her there, and she earned her GED on the government's dime. She then took classes through a community college, and the state offered her a 4-year degree... for free!! I wish *I* had been a troubled juvenile delinquent; I wouldn't have $42,000 in student loans right now!! Man, to play the system...

Anyway, I can't complain too much; I'm at work right now, getting paid hourly, and have little to do today. It's nice to relax and putz around on the internet for a bit AND get paid for it. (Yes, Yavapai residents, these are your tax dollars at work!) I suppose my social commentary for the time being is over. Peace.