Who here has work?

Your experiences and your husband’s experiences are not the same as some rando off the street with no relevant experience trying to get a job at the local branch library. There is a lot of competition for the low level jobs. The branch library might not have any entry level positions free, and maybe none of the other libraries in the district will either. Of course, I’d be happy to be wrong about this.

As far as relocating, I would not recommend relocating for the sake of a job. For the sake of a career, maybe I would, but not for a job that’s any old job and likely won’t last too long. An exception would be contract assignments of a couple months, which are a different beast, not a permanent move, and require a certain temperament that I don’t have.

As for working in a library, a lot is like what people expect from TV and movies, but a lot is different. Librarians are a lot more liberal than shown in popular culture, and the work environment reflects that. Also, expect to see weird shit. People masturbating in the library is only the start of it.

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I do not doubt either of you, as you are both coming from different places, however I would like to know where your experience comes from LC.

The ACA has some big holes; part time workers (even those who work multiple part time jobs) were not included in many of the best parts of the program, and there are “doughnut holes” that have left some people in a worse position than they were before the act. However, these holes were made even bigger by Republican opposition. And any attempt to stitch the holes was also blocked by the Republicans just to see if they could use it to tear the fabric of this country. They did, it worked, and now we’re likely to end up with something much worse.

Republicans will replace the ACA with something that gives people the appearance of coverage, or at least the appearance of “access,” and which may even appear to have lower rates. But it’s a zero sum game and the result will be that people will have less coverage, higher deductibles, and almost certainly be removed from the expanded Medicaid program.

As for your family’s perspective on welfare, there’s some things that they need to understand; welfare as it is generally understood was essentially ended under Reagan. Food stamps are far and away the largest government assistance program, and can only be used for food. The second largest program is unemployment insurance, which isn’t welfare at all - it’s a program that people pay into when they’re employed, and which they collect for a very limited time if they get laid off (not fired, btw) and there are limits on the amount that a person can get. There’s TANF which is a temporary program for families in need.

The biggest problem this country has is with part-time employment. More than 50% of the workforce is unemployed or underemployed, and many people work part-time jobs which offer no benefits. About 20% of the workforce is on food stamps because minimum wage is not a living wage, and companies (like walmart, notoriously) essentially use the food stamp program as an excuse not to pay their workers more. The food stamp program is a subsidy to corporate america. We could fix many of the problems (and significantly reduce the cost) if we made employers pay in to a fund to cover their part time workers, based on that worker’s number of hours worked - essentially require part-time employers make an equivalent contribution to health care as full-time employers have to make. This would actually create a surplus in the fund, since about 1/3rd of all part time workers actually work multiple part time jobs.

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May I make a suggestion?

It sounds like you really want to go to college. I used to work at a CSU and our department received some funding from various student services. Although the quality of services vary from college to college, I would make an appointment with someone from disabled student services. These outreach counselors are there to help students with special needs with their individual needs. Ask them the following questions: How do I apply? Are there reading devices for my special needs? Note-takers (if needed)? Can you help alleviate some of my transportation needs? Can you help me get in touch with someone who can help me with this? (Sometimes it’seems as simple as the shared drive board posted on campus.) Can you help me to secure grants and funding to complete my studies? (And any additional questions you may have.)

The last question is important because if the college can help you secure funding and you’re not currently contributing to household expenditures, your family can’t object.

You may have to ask for help to arrange transportation for this one appointment or you can try to email. Personally, I think in person is better because it’s easier for you to get the responses that you want rather than vague answers. Additionally, once you make a physical connection to an outreach counselor they will be more invested in helping you.

Finally, remember that most college campuses have online classes. Transportation may not be an issue for the long run. Also, I can’t remember if Internet access is an issue for you at your home. However, you can go to the local library to use their Internet if yours is iffy.

Doors will open more with some college; even wider with a B.A./B.S.

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