STUPID TENNESSEE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICIANS
I was born in Texas. I have lived in Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Ohio, Colorade, Oregon, Washington, and a little bit in California. Texas, California, and Iowa were when I was very young and I have no memory of those places. Though through my Dad I retained a love of The Houston Oilers who are now the Tennessee Titans which is even better. Tennessee is the state I have lived the most in and I consider it home. All places have there good and bad. I especially love how even in today's age a lot of Tennesseans, especially in rural areas will wave and say Hi to any one they meet as if your were a friend or neighbor. Makes you feel at home. Tennessee also has a unique culture and heritage. But there is 2 things that just really annoy me and are so frustrating.
1. TAXES. Tennessee is still using an antiquated sales tax, instead of a more appropriate income tax. There is a 5.5% tax on all food items and a 9.75% tax on everything else. Compared to the other 50 states. Tennessee has the highest sales tax rate and along side New Hampshire are the only ones that doesn't have an income tax. This means the poor and middle class residents of Tennessee are footing the largest percentage of take home pay. At the same time every year they cry that there is a budget short fall and more services and programs will have to be cut, except their paychecks of course. Add to that increased prices in gas, 85% increase in price in last year, and the resulting raised cost of food and goods due the gas prices and you have one messed up system that is headed down economic ruin highway and were wondering why all the rest of the traffic is turning around and going the other direction.
2. SOCIAL SECURITY AND DISABILITY. I have several health problems, that combined have left me unable to work. So I have applied for Social Security Disability so I can get some help getting my medical problems addressed and hopefully back on my feet again. Yet here again Tennessee leads the way into stupidity. Tennessee has the worst record of handling of disability cases. In Tennessee 99% of applications for disability are turned down. On first appeal 97% are denied. On second appeal 95% are denied. Third step is a court appeal, at this stage 70% are APPROVED. Because of the practice of habitually denying all applications except for a few extreme cases, all cases have to wait for a court decision on their disability claim. This though has caused a HUGE backlog in the court system. Which leads to 1-2 YEARS wait for a court date. This means those who have no income and can't work and need help usually have to struggle through 2-3 YEARS of appeals and waiting to finally get approved. During this time your left to wait and try to make due through help of family and friends if they have anything to spare to help you. In my case that has meant living with my mother and my minor brother, 17, for 3 years now. My clothes are all old, full of holes and several have had to be thrown away after reaching more holes than fabric or down right indecent to wear anymore. I have big feet, 13-14 EEEE. I also due to the way my legs turn slightly out, a small birth defect, i wear through shoes in 6-12 months at best. Also because of size my shoes easily run me $80-$120 a pair. This means I am left with shoes that are worn through and barely holding together. This also means years of mediocre state health care for just the basic of health problems. Also having to use food stamps to get food. My mom and younger brother make ends meet through my Dad's social security money since he died suddenly 5 years ago and what work my Mom can get that provides here with a flexible schedule so she can work around my brothers school schedule and events. Thanks to some generous church members he is attending a private school but that means no buses, which means she must drive him to school and pick him up after. This leaves me as burden on my family while I wait on the stupid bureaucracy of the Tennessee government.
Thats the end of my rant, stepping off the soap box. ;-)
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