Catholic Reparations: Denied

The charity folk rejected me. I make too much to receive assistance, despite consideration of my roomate abandonments and medical expenses. Fair enough. It was worth a try. My theory in life is that, to reach most goals, you usually face about ten failed attempts per each single success. It's a numbers game: the more persistent and determined you are - the further you will get by sheer probability.

Something that struck me is I make under 50k a year, placing me at 83% in the income distribution of my county (for a family of four). Maybe that isn't far off from everywhere else, but I was sure there were more people were rolling phatter than me. I grew up on welfare and good stamps, and lived below the 10% level most my life. Perhaps expectations of being a future lawyer, coupled with being around so many well-off kids in law school, really screwed my perceptions of economic realities.

The worst part was it took them three hours to deny me. Not two hours of waiting and then a one-hour meeting. Three hours talking to the volunteer.

Things at the Catholic Church haven't changed much. You go, sit for three hours, feel confused - and leave without any pay-off.