just another letter to congress... this one's about the jobs bill

I am a resident in the state of Tennessee living in the 5th congressional district. I am urging you to take immediate action. We need jobs NOW!


I urge you sign develop a comprehensive policy to help put America back to work NOW before it is too late.

As someone who has lived and voted in the state of Tennessee since 1996, I have witnessed several shifts in policy, both on the local and federal levels. I am a recipient of TennCare, and I am a member of the Daniels Class and received notification on that my benefits were being terminated. Recently.

Despite the fact that I am 37 years old and have received NO support from my parents since I was a teenager, Legal Aid refused to take my case and told me I would have to ask my parents for money. They refused to make a referral to pro-bono association, and I feel that is denying services based upon my parents socio-economic status and social class is discrimination. I cannot fond assistance from anyone locally and when faced with eviction, I was told. Verbatim, a representative at Metro Fair housing to “accept the fact that you are going to be homeless.”

And homeless I became.

Governor Bredesen is currently has invested 172 million dollars into one county in Tennessee. What about the rest of us? We need jobs too, and we need them now! Holding off until January to pass jobs legislation is too late

Even under of the best of economic circumstances, the state has often been reluctant to release state monies until they are in physical receipt of all federal matching dollars. This delays program implementation and compromises the integrity of the research design. Consistency is a critical component of effective program development and design. If we hold back state funds until the feds work put the details of this enormous, comprehensive package, our current programs will suffer as a result.

We cannot wait for a determination regarding federal funding before us to determine our state budget while before us of the programs we already are suffering financially.

When I was twenty-two years old I developed a medical condition, and it quickly became obvious to me that it would be a lifelong struggle to cope and adapt to having physical disability. I purchased three independent policies, and was still covered under a terminal liability clause under a major medical ERISA (federal) plan. As someone who also needed to turn to federal funds and intervention in a crisis, I know that if or when help does arrive, it usually too late.

That didn't work. Let me assure you that when it comes to withholding critical items like food, housing, social services, it adds up exponentially. Withholding medical care simply because of procedure and bureaucratic red tape, is shameful and cruel. The money is there, but it seems there should be a certain level of oversight and accountability if we expect it to be used effectively without delay and without excessive administrative delay and costs.

We need to have some level of accountability to ensure the timely and proper disbursement of funds. In my experience there is little recourse for persons individuals who get caught up in the complicated payment arrangements, complicated language, and the systematic, procedural delay when it comes to the processing and payment of claims. And let me personally assure you, that there is a very real human cost here as well... and unless there is immediate intervention, much more than just money will be lost.

Please sign the bill before any more jobs, homes, and future are ruined by because help did not fast enough. Please release the funds, because we are running out of time.

I am 37, and my spinal cord is damaged from years of delayed, sub-standard medical treatment. I sometimes wonder why I bothered to waste my time.

I attempted to navigate a system that simply does not work. I owe the federal government $179,902.75 in student loans. I have tried desperately to get find work that will allow me the flexibility I need while allowing me to keep my benefits and earn decent salary.

When I am able to work, I make $10.46/hour as a substitute teacher in MNPS. That job comes with no security and no benefits.

I have an advanced master’s degree from an Ivy League Institution. I am 9 credits shy of a Ph.D. in public policy. Despite having maintained a 3.83 grade point average while earning my masters, and just over 3.2 during the three years I was enrolled full time in a doctoral program.

Despite having comparable coverage, the insurance company refused to give me COBRA and would not cover my pre-existing condition even through both Columbia and Vanderbilt Universities used the same underwriter for student medical insurance: Chickering US HealthScare.

I had no break in coverage, and even purchased a private HMO (Oxford) plan that cost several hundred dollars each month just so I could prevent becoming uninsurable before my 25th birthday.

Wrong. Not only did I continue to pay for all three policies, I also had to pay for treatment and STILL wound up on TennCare and Medicaid.

Despite doing all the "right" things, I was still unable to transfer benefits from one graduate school to the next.

I have not been granted any leniency by extending the amount or time permitted to complete my degree-- or allow me to transfer those credits towards another program at the same institution, and ultimately left me financially devastated and emotionally bankrupt.

Vanderbilt will not even transfer any of the credits I paid for (in spades) towards another degree at the same university since they no longer have the program I was initially enrolled in. I think it goes without saying that I do not have the financial resources available to finish my last semester, take the GREs over again, or pay the associated application fees necessary to make the time spent their worthwhile.

Throughout the three year process of filing medical appeal after the next, I acquired over 1/4 million dollars in debt due the student loans I needed to pay for my unreimbursed medical expenses.

My life will never be the same.

My heart will never be the same.

And now once again, I face losing my health care that I fought so hard to get?

Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point of investing so much in a future that I can never enjoy?

How can I justify spending so money much on an education that will never be utilized?

I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

Maybe one of these days Vanderbilt University and the Department of Education will realize it might just be cheaper to hire me that harass me.

I need a real paying job, but with the skyrocketing unemployment rate, it looks as though I will have a lot of competition.

Please do something, and do it quick. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy.

Sincerely yours,


Elyssa Durant
Nashville, TN

Complete Confusion: Career in Crisis

Career in Crisis: Complete Confusion
After being rejected from a job that pays $18,000 / year at the women's prison, a job that pays $21,000 teaching Head Start, getting fired from Red Lobster (because apparently, I am just not Red Lobster "material"
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1603546/career_in_crisis_complete_confusion.html


Career in Crisis: Career Confusion

ed phoning home ouch
~fl)L~Yl8, 2003

After being rejected from a job that pays $18,000 / year at the women's prison, a job that pays $21,000 teaching Head Start, getting fired from Red Lobster (because apparently, I am just not Red Lobster "material" I decided to go to the Tennessee Career Center to take advantage of their high speed internet, free printer paper, and ink...

now would not be the best time to mention my senior thesis-- or my grad school major, or the fact that i spent the better part life as a volunteer and advocate for children at-risk.. working to give them hope and a second chance at life.

systematically invalidating such bogus, barnum-type feedback that one typically gets from a MBTI type of personality test that is given during high school or in college. i won't bother to mention the standardization of SAT scores to help our country feel better-- or the fact that the stanford-binet was created for military issue only.

who gives a shit anymore??? if you told a me a fat bearded lady at the circus could decide my fate and tell me what direction i should choose next-- i'd take it! and throw in a fat tip for being smart enough to know that any answer-- no matter how grim, is far better than just wandering aimlessly through life looking back on what might have been-- at THIRTY! AT THIRTY!!!!

after receiving five letters of rejection from jobs that require nothing more than a GED or a high school diploma, i decided to go to the tennessee career center hoping to find a job that will allow me to afford the most basic necessities of life. toothpaste, toilet paper, cat food... i got hooked up with a counselor that afternoon. he has two masters degrees-- one in educational career counseling, and a second in counseling psychology. could this be the guidance counselor i have been asking for since.. well... since... i was old enough to know was in need of guidance?

surely someone else must have recognized i was in need of guidance, but god knows my parents weren't paying attention, and having good genes just doesn't cut it these days. but now more than ever, i realize that having all the smarts in the world won't get you anywhere if you never learned how to apply them.

i am the exact same five year old who needed to win the spelling bee. in college, i was the one to set the curve, not just make it. the one to break the rules, and, break them i did, but there is no glory in being second best, second smartest, second brightest, or second anything.

i wish i could say that after all this time i developed other ego strengths and finally felt okay with who i am, you know.... "just being me," but i am sad to report that my "condition" (diagnosis) was amazingly accurate and predictable. just like all the doctors said! i wonder if they derive joy out of being right-- if they crack open a bottle of aged liquor in my fathers office and say, "see, we told you so. we told you their was nothing you could do." and so nothing they did.

and by doing nothing, and i do mean nothing-- the illness will just take will its course. and i am now, in fact, nothing. nothing costs nothing (at least to them) and daddy made another fine investment. on the other hand, nothing has drained every hope, fear, security-- every chance-- and every last breath from my body. i might have believed in me. but i know i'm alive because a tear just rolled down the side of my cheek. i am home.

but i still haven't learned. for some reason with all of my failures i am reminded of in so many ways... me, myself, as i watch them play out every time i shut my eyes or open them. yes- blink.

sometimes i ask myself, how did i get here? how did this happen? what happened to all of the plans i made for myself? where did they go? where did I go? constantly replayed over and over and over again in my mind. i must be FUCK1NG CRAZY!

but at this moment, here, even as i say the words, i am not truly insane, i am merely in pain. what a tragedy that those two words rhyme-- they ruin what could have been a very profound misnomer of the human condition and the labels we hold so dear.

i am the exact same 5 year old who needed to ACE the spelling bee, set the curve, not just make it; break the rules, and, break them i did. there is no glory in being second best. second smartest, second brightest, or second anything. being second sucks. it sucks every god-damned second of the day.

and so my search for mediocrity continues and i wait for it each and every day hoping it will find me beaten and worn from the storm. all of the storms, but dammit, its still there. i still have questions those damn elyssa questions that made all my professors so proud, damn ideas, damn thoughts, damn hope.

my mother still calls me everyday to see if i went to get food stamps to feed myself, fuck her, and her fucking things. fuck diamonds and couture and fuck that life. i was here mom, the whole fucking time. just not pretty enough with out any surgery. not pretty at all, with all those damn scars.

i hope someone out there still loves me. i do actually believe that i deserve love and kindness despite the obvious fact that i am a royal pain in the ass. i refuse to work in burger king. for right now, at least.

so goodnight my dear friends. let's all try to have sweet dreams. pepe awaits, as does alanis, and a pack of smokes that i can already taste.

yes, what could have been, what should have been-- what MIGHT have been if you let me be
m.e.

"When written in chinese, the word Crisis is composed of tvo characters: One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." -JFK

Labels: Dark Night, EyePhobic, IM Phobic

darknightdurant.blogspot.com/2008/12/career-in-crisis-career-confusion.html

http://twitter.com/ElyssaD

Creating a Service Nation

I. Creating a Service Nation

Are we in this together? Or are we simply changing the faces by installing a new regime with another agenda?

This is our time to let our voices be heard. President Obama has opened the blogosphere up so that everyday common people, like you and I, can submit our questions, concerns and opinions to regarding the economic recovery plan. They are begging us to participate, to ask questions and to voice our concerns. Sign up at My.BarackObama.com. Volunteer to host or attend an Economic Recovery Plan Meeting. Share your stories at http://my.barackobama.com/sharestories

It is incumbent upon us to participate in the democratic process. This is no time to allow a few loud voices to drown out the chorus of other voices that are a rich part of the social fabric. We need to take ownership and responsibility for ourselves by welcoming everyone into the discussion. If we expect people to be held accountable for their circumstances by acting independent of government intervention, then we need to involve them in the process.

If America is truly dedicated to equal opportunity in this unprecedented time of economic crisis, we need to act big, and we need to act fast. We should be thinking in terms of equity, remembering that this is no time to allow the free market and the American people go any further into poverty and despair. All of our systems are collapsing on top of each other, and if we do not take swift and certain action, who will be left to pick up the pieces? The economic stimulus plan may be big, but drastic times call for drastic measures. With each passing day, more and more Americans lose their employer based health coverage and move closer towards indigence and indignity. This dangerous, vicious cycle bleeds people of their sense of self-efficacy, and move closer into the state of despair and indifference.

As someone who is actually ahead of the curve when it comes to being unemployed in and in a permanent of economic crisis, I was thrilled to see the grassroots movement come to the forefront of the political action and community service. However, I recently had an experience that was so disturbing and “transparent” that I am almost considering registering as a Republican in the next election.

What could possibly make a lifelong Democrat change her stripes so quickly? Read on, and maybe later I will revise this note since it has become as much a thorn in my claw, and I fear my health insurance may not cover character assassination…


Long-term viability of a grassroots effort depends only upon their ability to transform themselves into an independent, self-sustaining community through partnerships with the business and faith based communities. Inter-organizational partnerships are only viable if volunteer activities and recognized and graciously accepted as a valid form of contribution without reservation, and welcome whatever contribution an individual person or agency is of willing to make.

By imposing limits on membership or by excluding others by through the strategic placement of gatekeepers is not just politically incorrect, it is self-promoting and transparent. Are we in this together? Or are we simply changing the faces by installing new guards for another agenda.

This contradicts the mission and purpose of a legitimate grassroots movement and serves only to raise questions about the legitimacy of what now appears to be a self-promoting, transparent agenda. Discouraging participation of any member of the community, no matter how small is a mistake. However, to do that it in terms of a formal, exclusionary policy, you not only de-value the individual, but you make a mockery of the democratic process and grassroots effort.

Each contribution that is made should not only be welcomed, but also celebrated. Long-term viability relies upon our ability to create a culture of giving and public service. In order to create effective policies, one goal should be to shift the focus on “volunteer” efforts through community partnerships that serve to empower individuals by legitimizing their volunteer activities and supporting those efforts.


Current policies mandate a certain number of work credits if a person is to remain eligible and in receipt of public funds. Well this just does not work anymore, because there simply are no more jobs to be found. It is important to recognize that everyone has different strengths and if we expect to function as a community, we must allow everyone to contribute and feel as though they have a role in formulating the communities we are building.

By minimizing past efforts or requiring that participants meet a certain criteria, you risk losing whatever contribution he or she may be able to make-- now and in the future. There is more at stake than just the immediate economic crisis. We need to establish a culture of giving by allowing people to take ownership in themselves and their communities. If we are truly to become a service nation, we must recognize volunteer activities as a legitimate contribution and recognize that there are many ways a person can help to build strong communities.

We need to create a way to formulate policies to include a component of good-faith efforts as a measure independent of membership dues to reflect a more progressive movement towards unity, youth empowerment, and recognize outreach efforts to both empower and promote the disenfranchised and the poor. Strategic alliances are built upon a number of independent, informal networks of people that not only cross-promote, but self-promote independent efforts and affiliations.

Right now, we need to gain access through whatever means necessary, and go banging on doors that have previously been closed to us. We must draw in those who are disenfranchised, and not chastise them for being that way. We need to open our doors and be prepared for whatever walks in, whenever it walks in. This world is changing quickly for some, but too slow for others.

Formalizing current arrangements requires recognizing the both formal and informal outreach efforts by reinforce the partnerships and alliances that currently exist. We want to engage, involve, encourage participation from all people… not just those on the forefront of the political landscape, but also those who are just now emerging as a sign of the times.

We must reach out to people from all walks of life regardless of religion, race, financial, social and political standing

Political strategists must abandon the “divide and conquer” routine. Efforts to and destroy the opposition must now be replaced with a culture of understanding and acceptance through mutual respect and admiration. This is not the time to point fingers, take sides or calculate risk.

The writing is on the wall, folks. We have already lost too much. Now it is time to rebuild.

Sustainability and viability of any emerging political, community, and values-based partnerships will not thrive unless truly embrace the culture of change; you must embrace the concept the concept not just in public, but in private as well.

Of this, I am sure.

Community action and empowerment requires more than just the ability to raise funds or get media attention. The attention needs to refocus and reorganize to include the public who are seeking more than just 15 minutes of awareness. There are in fact people out there who believe in the grassroots movement as one of social awareness and awakening, rather than one that looks just too a little too much like political ambition.

Grassroots activism is a way of life. It is a movement that by its very definition will only pass muster by reaching out to all people, not just those who can support your cause. There is more than one way that people can contribute to support of individuals and is not all about money.

Many things factor in when we consider theories of motivation; most people will never know or reveal the reasons that compel others to change. It is not always the decision to act, but the decision not to that leaves many of us without a safety net.

I received an e-mail in response to a volunteer commitment I had made only to learn that my voluntary contribution of “time” was not necessary. Not only was it unnecessary, but it was in fact, unwelcomed.

Holy Crap, did that one take me for a loop.

Let me assure you that in one fell swoop, this sentiment did more than discourage my participation and commitment to change; it devalued the fundamental message of empowerment you [the agency] claims as their own.

Without provocation, such a statement managed to kill and pervert the core message of the grassroots movement. It will likely prevent me from embracing the new “culture of change” since it devalues the fundamental belief the grassroots movement and function in this new administration. By rejecting donations, or only accepting donations that come with a pledge of financial aid, question the sincerity behind or ability to effect a change without actually believing in it. So I now moved a place of hope to a place of change… right out of the “grassroots” movement.

Actions speak louder than words, both in theory and in practice.

You would be smart to tap into the rich array of community resources by identify, embrace, and encourage sources of raw talent by recognizing the great potential that may already exist in its various forms throughout community. These are the individuals, the untapped resource, often with their finger on the pulse of the city because they have learned by doing. We should by no means minimize their efforts by rejecting their contributions as a valid and legitimate effort.

Are we in this together? Or are we simply changing the faces by installing new guards for another agenda. By publicly rejecting any one idea or contribution of a potential donor, such a statement will discourage others to volunteer. Such a statement is self-promoting and transparent.



II. Posturing for Power

This summarizes my experience working with the best of the best and the worst of the worst. When it comes to my experience working as a volunteer, I have been an outreach specialist for longer than I can remember. I do have several small affiliations tangential to the mainstream politics; however, this is my experience as an independent, volunteer, and a foot soldier in the battlefield of life, poverty and unemployment, I developed transitional affiliations to the city’s mainstream when they seek to redefine themselves by posturing for power. In the midst of this economic crisis in the “spirit of change”, many locals are lining up to be the next great leader or trying to maintain their footing in this new era of community empowerment and change.

My outreach efforts and volunteer activities are often undervalued and criticized by others who view my work as “hobbies” or “play” My impact to and abilities are often perceived to be of little value or consequence. I work as a foot soldier who is trying to get by on a total monthly income $615.00. In a feeble attempt at self-preservation, I “work” as a volunteer in the community to maintain trying to empower the others, to enhance and enrich the lives of others, and have tried to debunk the myth that all people on welfare are “like this,” or “like that”

I am not paid. I do not get donations. I do not get special privileges or access. I get information.

This has allowed me to understand the nuances that can build a person or destroy a city and they are very much interrelated and equally important.

If the grassroots movement is to survive, it must transition from a community force in action and should acknowledge the fact that it is easier to get the public’s attention than it is to retain. To gain and establish independence, a group or agency must be able to target, identify, and engage persons with legitimate professional interests by installing a network of people that both support and legitimize each other in the various public forums. Membership and involvement depends upon both the legitimacy and integrity of the structure, as well as the ability to translate social theories into legitimate social constructs that compels others to "buy in" to the community.

Evolving into an independent agency through community partnerships is more difficult than launching a campaign based on outrage and emotion. Immediate actions must now be replaced with a permanent fixture and institutional structure that encourages long-term participation independent of the intermittent conflicts that serve to disrupt the political process.

To deny people membership or access is more than just rude, it can be hurtful.

It discourages individuals from participating in the political process, which translates apathy and complacency. Furthermore, taking ownership of one’s successes and failures is a critical component of both personal and professional accountability. It allows for finger pointing and scapegoating, and just makes you look like an ass.

It benefits all of us to graciously accept whatever contribution people are willing or able and able to make. It does not reflect well on a "grass-roots movement" to take a "members only position" by excluding, condemning or refusing service or time commitments from volunteers.

Minimizing contributions and efforts of those not in, a position to give debunks the very thing you are selling, “$x.oo,” That notion that any contribution, no matter how small is not welcomed.

Volunteer efforts are a critical and valuable to involve them in the process of so that we can empower those who will be affected by whatever policy is developed for economic recovery.

Do not silence me. Do not silence others. I personally want to encourage each one of you to voice your concerns. It is imperative for us to be heard.

Obama need our help. America needs our help. Let us make this the country we are proud to call home. Let this be a new beginning for us all, and let us make this a land of real opportunity.


-end-

Is an Ivy League Degree Worth the Money?

Two days before the voter registration deadline, and another laptop goes missing. Only this time, it was not stolen by thieves or lost by the Election Commission. This time it was the Board of Education loaded up with the social security data and personal information of local school teachers.

The Tennesseean openly discusses the salary of Metro teachers in the July 6 edition of The Tennesseean. The reporter makes it sound like she has uncovered some profound secret: Teachers are underpaid. No shit?

The papers seem to gloss over the magnitude if the situation of teacher pay and mobility within Metro Nashville. I wasted a ton of money at Vanderbilt and almost as much in the Ivy League. By investing in a useless program and a worthless degree, I am the first to admit I have made some bad choices, but now I am asking for some advice. I CAN'T FIND A JOB! I can't afford to complete the application, or find transportation to get to an interview. I am beyond broke. I am so far in debt that I don't even bother to open my mail since it consists only negative balances, bank statements, and letters from collection agencies and thed Department of Education. When I found out that someone recently used my social security number to open an account in Jersey City, I was thrilled at the prospect that my credit score might actually go up!

There are a plethora of young, talented individuals like myself who would be more than willing to work for MNPS or any other company if we could simply access the resources necessary to complete the application. We all know that teacher salary is ridiculous to begin with, so no kudos to the reporter at the Tennessean for pointing out the obvious.

Currently, I work part-time as an educator with a "Masters + 30" degree. I earn $10.46/hour before taxes and without benefits. That doesn't go far. Unfortunately, I simply cannot afford the fees associated with alternative certification.

I never dreamed that I would have to apply for a social services grant simply to find a job. I never thought about fees for fingerprinting, TB tests, official transcripts, examination fees, processing fees necessary to apply a position that really only requires a GED.

The bottom line is this: regardless of good intentions or misguided mentoring, I am a financial burden to you all. I pay taxes out of your taxes. I am absolutely convinced that there must be a better way to live than relying upon government subsidies to keep a roof over my head and Ramen noodles in my tummy.

I am not too proud to beg for a job or take some free advice if it will help me to get from here to there. I need someone, anyone, willing to give me a chance to prove myself.

Help become the person I was meant to be. Try to the see the person I could become. I have so much to contribute, but few resources get there. I believe I deserve more out of life than this, and I think that if you knew me, you would think so too.

This is the reality I live in. This is poverty. This is why I'm hoping that someone out there knows someone or some way that I can contribute more to society than what I am taking.

Relying upon the "welfare" of others is a terrible way to live especially when you have something to give back. I live so far beneath the poverty line, that I am willing to work for the necessities in life that I simply can not afford such as toothpaste and internet access.

If anyone knows of some funds to help with the application fees associated simply to access community programs, grant based training programs, transportation, or internet access for career resources, I will continue to be a leach on society.

I need someone to invest in ME!

I have sent similar letters to every agency and non-profit that I have ever "worked" for. Surely the AT&T cable bill could have included a measure to assist the disabled and economically challenged such as free online internet access to internet and the online interactive PDF application-- also the only acceptable format by HR and Applicant Services for the State of Tennessee.

Surely one of these big companies coming to Tennessee can help by hiring one over educated, underemployed, and dedicated employee. All I need is a chance.