Share Your Story: The Flip Side of the Coin

How have domestic programs helped you or someone you know? Why is it important to you that Congress protect these programs?

Head Start makes it possible for me to go to work, knowing that my daughter is cared for, safe and getting a jump start on her education.
Without unemployment insurance, my family and I would never have been able to make our rent payment when I lost my job.
I worked for 30 years, and Social Security has helped me stay afloat in retirement, without leaning too hard on my children for support.
Medicaid and Medicare together provide my aging mother with the range of care she needs, including her long term care services.

Irresponsible spending cuts are threatening domestic programs that support low-income people like Social Security, Medicaid, Head Start, child care assistance, family planning, Pell Grants, housing assistance, maternal and child health care, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, and more. We know that cuts to these programs will have an extraordinarily harmful effect on women and families across the country. It's a price we can't afford to pay.

Hedge fund managers and CEOs with corporate jets are one side of the coin. The rest of us are the Flip Side of the Coin.

Please share with us how domestic programs have helped you and your family.

Please note: The views expressed in the stories below are those of the authors themselves and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the National Women's Law Center. All statements of fact in these stories have been provided by the individual authors, and the National Women's Law Center cannot and does not vouch for their accuracy. The Center will compile the stories and may use them, in whole or in part, in our advocacy efforts.

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Your Stories

Nyla Jebousek

, OR, attorney (disabled/inactive)

I am a child abuse survivor. I married in 1969 at 17 (I think he saw me as a way to avoid VN), and at 19 was on AFDC, shortly after having my first child, when my husband was in 4 months active duty with the National Guard and the government paid no spousal benefit. I went back on AFDC after my second child, and leaving my first husband, at 21, until I was 29, taking care of my kids full time. My son attended Head Start in 1976. I went back to work full time in 1980 when both my kids were in school full time. In 1983 I suffered occupational disease from work activities, and enrolled in a retraining program, earning my AAS in 4 terms. My job had been meanial and paid poorly, but I did not work nights and weekend so I could b be around my kids when they were not in school. That was 2 more years in evaluation and school, with a low workers' compensation replacement wage rate. I worked one year as a paralegal until my wage subsidy was exhausted and my job eliminated. I struggled to find work with my disabilites, kept taking classes part time with my pell grants, was attacked by my ex-husband and hospitalized with 2 back surgeries, and took temporary work with the US Census Bureau and a local governmental agency. My unemployment benefits were dismal but crucial. In 1990 I got my first permanent paralegal employment representing injured workers until 1993. I attended the University of Oregon on my lunch hour. In 1993 I remarried,and with my husband's insistence, returned to school full time, finished my BA in 1994 and started law school the next week. My children were both in college at the same time as I continued my attendance. I also took on the case of my mother--in-law, who was suffering elder abuse at the hands of her step son and son.After law school I became an Amercorps attorney at Legal Aid, representing women exclusively in DV/SA civil cases - restraining and stalking orders, child custody cases etc. After finishing my service, I started my own private practice representing injured workers and DV/stalking cases. My husband, disappointed in my financial performance, divorced me at age 50. I was exhausted and later discovered I have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. I am now on Social Security Disability. I cannot get a spousal SS benefit from my exhusband because he divorced me before we had been married for 10 years, so he would not be responsible for spousal support. He left me unemployed ( I had to move to another town and start my practice again) and unemployable. I feel like I have been doing my best and hanging on by my fingernails my whole life, only to be left in poverty, as I started out. $.77 cents on the dollar, or less, my whole life (my daughter too), time off for child care, injuries, school/retraining, and abandonment. Now the State of Oregon has started charging 6% compound interest on my deferred property taxes (they are way too high in OR due to low corporate tax rates) so I am in a tug of war with the state over my home and trying to leave something for my daughter, who is getting $.77 cents on the dollar, has huge student loans and works with foster kids, and for my son. I remember when welfare allowed moms to be full time homemakers, so you could stretch your food stamp dollars by raising a garden and making food from scratch. Who has time for that after working full time? The social safety net has saved me all along the way, barely, and I have tried to give back. If the length of marriage for spousal benefit was shortened to 8 years (how many men have done what my ex did to avoid spousal support?), or credit was given for 20 years cumulative (I have over that for 3 marriages) and a choice for the highest benefit, my life would change. I could afford to pay my property taxes and every winter would not be a challenge to heat my home. Is this something you would consider adding to H.R. 1374: Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act of 2013? I wonder how common my situation is. Probably more common than I can imagine. Thanks for reading this.

Mariana Moculescu

Bucharest, Romania, Actress

Thank you! This case became public in Romania. Mariana Moculescu was denigrated by her daughter's father, a famous musician of pop music in Romania. The father of her daughter, Horia Moculescu, said in newspapers and television about Mariana Moculescu, the mother of his daughter, she is a prostitute. Do you have e-mail?Mariana MoculescuPRESS RELEASEConsidering that in several TV shows from TV station PRO TV, in which Mrs. Mariana Moculescu was invited as a guest, her right to a public image was violated, being discriminated and humiliated, Mrs. Mariana Moculescu through her lawyer Attorney at Law Florica Ciutacu PhD, had started the legal proceedings against TV show ”Happy Hour” producer Mr. Catalin Maruta, as well as against national TV channel PRO TV.Also, Mrs. Mariana Moculescu will file, through her lawyer, a criminal complaint against the TV producer Mr. Catalin Maruta, as well as against the legal entity PRO TV for fraud and discrimination.Given the frequent practices of discrimination used more and more in mass-media arrangements from Romania, Mrs. Mariana Moculescu calls for the support of international media and also the support of the organizations defending the human rights, to receive a fair and objective treatment from the media from Romania and as well as from competent entities which should monitor such slippages on journalistic approach, in terms of some cases which violate the international human rights law.We mention that this case of Mrs. Mariana Moculescu presents a unique complexity regarding the right to a public image as well as her other non-patrimonial rights, Mrs. Mariana Moculescu being in this moment in legal confrontation with several media institutions from Romania, such as: PRO TV, Antena 1, CanCan Tv and others.

Trina Fletcher

prattsburg, NY,

IM NOT SURE WHERE I WOULD BE TODAY WITHOUT Medicaid and child care assistance. I became a single mother early in my sons life. I had no choice to get help where I could back then. His father had become a missing person who jumped state and I could not afford many things let alone housing. Healthcare and childcare I worked full time and still could not make ends meet. My son was a recipient until the age of 15. His dad paid up his birthing and confinement and 20.000.00 child support.
I am now remarried and have 2 beautiful children. I am now a parent educator wishing my son had been involved in head start. I had a wonderful daycare subsidy for my son. I only had to pay $1.00 a week working full time back then. We live in the same school district and we have a 2 parent income. Its unfortunate that daycare prices are beginning to be out of my income. This summer I will be paying $36.00 a day. It concerns me that I cannot find quality care in my area and have to pay all balances by June to get summer care. Unsure of the position of a hard working married couple struggling to make ends meet.

Erika Elkins

Portland, ME, thankfully - retired

I sued judges who have covered up the theft of my inheritance (since 2002), was thrown into jail (9 1/2 months) and had my 18-year home taken from me - in the "hopes" I'd drop the federal lawsuit, filed in 2009 here in Portland. I didn't give in. (Simply put: FL District Judges have no jurisdiction over a Maine resident. And covering up theft is a crime, which not even judges can get away with. Thanks to a US Supreme Court's decision - fraud upon the court is fraud - I can't loose!)Without my Social Security income and subsidized housing - this millionaire would be on the streets.But - I have God - the Constitution - and U.S. Supreme Court behind me and am confident this will be won.And when it is, I plan to support your fine mission and any other worthy causes available to assist womenand to raise our voices for (my daughters, my grand-daughters) every women! Erika

asma

lynchburg, virginia, financial

I worked in another state and had no problems with services, however when i moved myself back to Lynchburg , Virginia. This town has so many problems with people getting services and everywhere you turn , they turn the other cheek as if they don't know you. Congress should pass a law that small towns are not excluded from obeying the laws of the US Constitution. Any minority group or persons can not be turned down for services no matter who they are. Shame on Lynchburg. There are many people in this town who had problems obtaining services. So they should speak up and Complain!!!!!!!!!! open the public's problems to Congress and local government officials.

Claudia Bertrand

Vernon, CT, Disabled

I worked in corporate America for 28-30 years. I paid into Social Security and Medicare for all of those years. In 2000 I was diagnosed with severe lumbar stenosis. Due to the fact that I already had a 90 degree scoliosis no surgeon would even dare operate on my back for the painful stenosis. I tried medications, land and water physical therapy, and injections in my spine, but nothing would take away the terrible nerve pain I was experiencing.In 2005, after struggling to work every day for four to five years, my doctors insisted that I apply for Social Security Disability. After 18 months I finally was approved for SSD in 2005. I now depend on SSD for my income. And living in CT, one of the most expensive states in the union, it is not easy to make ends meet.I also now depend on Medicare for my only medical insurance option, because I cannot afford private health insurance with my SSD income.I do not have cable TV because I cannot afford it. I only have a cell phone for emergencies and do not use it on a regular basis, again because I cannot afford it. Some months I have to put food on my credit card because I cannot afford to buy food until I received my SSD again the next month.People like myself should not have to suffer even more with future cuts to Social Security because our government used the Social Security fund for other items. If the government had left the Social Security money for Social Security payments for people who have put into Social Security, we would not be in the mess we are in now.We need to fight these cuts with all the might we have! The government stole our money that we put into the Social Security system, and now we are being penalized? If I had put that money into a retirement account I would be living far better than I am today. But it is a mandatory law that you MUST put into Social Security. Thus it should also be mandatory that the government provide us with our SS income!!Bad management on the part of the government of the Social Security fund should not translate into making the senior and disabled population the scapegoats!!

DIANA AND TOM MULLER

WHITSETT, NORTH CAROLINA, TEACHER AND ENGINEER

IF WE SAT IN CONGRESS AND HAD AIDES TO HELP US ...WE COULD HAVE WAITED TO 70 YEARS OLD TO RETIRE. IT TOOK LONGER AND LONGER TO GET READY TO TRAVEL TO WORK. WITH A BAD BACK AND OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS...TEACHING WAS TOO DIFFICULT WALKING UP AND DOWN STAIRS WITH CHILDREN....4 FLIGHTS IN MY SCHOOL....MY HUSBAND WAS UNABLE TO KEEP DRAWING OR FABRICATING ----HIS HANDS DID NOT WORK WELL ANY MORE...................i MADE IT TO 65 AND HE MADE IT TO 66..................THANK GOODNESS WE HAD MEDICARE!!! WE WERE ANGRY THAT AS WE APPROACHED RETIREMENT THE AGE FOR US WAS RAISED TO 66 FOR ME AND 67 FOR MY HUSBAND....WE STARTED PAYING..... EXPECTING TO MAKE IT TO 65..............NEVER REALIZED HOW HARD IT WOULD GET OLDER ..... WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER!!!!! RAISE THE CAP!!! FOR SOCIAL SECURITY...RAISING THE AGE HURTS WORKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leslie Hoffman

Mission Hills, CA, Disabled Stuntwoman

I am a disabled stuntwoman, who has been trying to find an Advocate to help me with my situation. I was injured at work and should be getting Occupational Disabiity from my SAG-Producer Plan. They are denying me this Plan because they say my Social Securtiy Award Letter does not say I was injured at work. First off Social Security does not affix blame as to how one was injured, they only decide that a Person IS disabled. Also Social Securty in their computers list two on my injuries but in the Award Letter they only state one of the disabilities. I have tried to get Social Security to right their mistake. THEY WILL NOT DO THIS and in fact have "lost" my application requesting an Appeal Hearing. I sent this to them by Return Reciept Requested, they DID receive my request. That was a year ago. I sent them another this year and still hae not heard from them.In the meantime the Health Plan perjured themselves to a Federal Judge and won a Summary Judgement.I have been trying to find an Advocacy Group to help me. So far I have been unable to find one. Do you know who any Organization that helps the Disabled or Women?

Catherine H

Piscataway, NJ,

During my working years, I participated in the employee-sponsored retirement programs and paid my taxes. I never minded contributing to the social safety net. Surprise! Wall Street took away much of my nest egg several times over the years. Social Security is the only reliable source of income for me. Now Wall Street wants to take that, too, with sneaky behind the scene political schemes. As a retiree, Social Security and Medicare keep me from overburdening my children and others . Keep Social Security, Medicare and Medicare strong and solvent!

LU

, CA, retired teacher, salesperson

I too am a senior relying solely on SS income for my retirement. I had a very small retirement fund as a teacher but had to cash it out when I was broke and homeless.Now I do have a home but just barely, I'm 67 and not able to afford things like: cable TV (the only TV available in my area), internet connections (I use the public library for 1 hour when they are open)--they are closed more now because of financial crisis. I don't have enough cash to fix anything that breaks in my home or on my car...Speaking of which, the gas prices make driving very special now. This isolates me further! I live in a small town in N. Calif. and need to have friends! Most of my friends I left behind in a more urban environment when I moved here....I could not afford more cuts in my income! I rely on free food for once a day meals now as it is!Don't cut my SS any further!!

Share Your Story: The Flip Side of the Coin

How have domestic programs helped you or someone you know? Why is it important to you that Congress protect these programs?

Please share with us how domestic programs have helped you and your family.