State Cut Backs

As we are looking at ways to cut back our budget, apparently the state is doing the same.  We live in a little town with no mass transportation. Columbia is not too far away but still an expense to get there.  There is no mass transportation to get you there if you don't own a car.  This makes the employment office that John has been training at very important to the local population.

Every day people come in there looking desperately looking for work.  Many of them do not have the means to go to Columbia to look for work. 

Well, it is closing.  The state is closing a lot of their employment offices.  They are talking about having satellites in the libraries and such but it seems that no firm plans have been made.  If anyone has looked at the unemployment rates in South Carolina they would realize that we have a problem here.  I can't imagine that closing the employment offices in remote areas is going to help with that situation.

I am shocked and saddened that the powers that be that made this decision didn't think about the people who are served in remote areas.  For many it will now be a hardship to try and visit an employment office.  So many of them don't know how to work on the computer to look for employment.  They do not have Internet services at their disposal.

For us it is just an annoyance.  It was a convenient place for John to do VA training. He gets paid a small stipend during training but not enough to make a big impact either way.  They may find him another place to train at but it will probably be further away which means more of a gas expense for us.

..........
Right now we are evaluating our lives and where we want to go from here.  I started school with the intent of having a fall back in case something happens to John.  He was concerned about me supporting the kids alone.  He does have life insurance but we also have a lot of kids!

My first thought was that I would get a job right out of school.  I have been asked to apply here in our county.  However, I am conflicted.  I have found this semester that I need to be home.  Right now I leave the house about the same time that the kids do and get home 15 minutes after their bus comes.  Sounds great.  But part of the problem is all those things that I typically do while they are in school are now done in the evenings or on the weekend.

Yes, I know that this is how many families are run.  However, we have taken on the responsibility of parenting children from hurt places and I am seeing the negative impact of not having 100% of me here while I am at home. 

Big decision, hard decisions.  We need to decide what is best for our family.