This is just purely insane

As an alcoholic, I realize that for me to survive and someday hopefully thrive in this world - I need to be honest. Not some of the time, but all of it. That doesn’t just mean with other people or friends, but in all my affairs. For years, my wife and I have battled to keep our heads a float from mounting bills.

These bills weren’t acquire by “lack of control” but things that were rather beyond our control. When Betty got cancer we went deep in the hole. And as we worked our way out of it, our prescription drug plan changed and the cost to acquire the drugs she needed more then tripled.

But we kept trying and working and doing our best to keep our word. To be honest! Doctors provided a service and they respected me enough (and you too) to accept our word. I’ve watched so many people stabbed creditors in the back without any remorse. They go bankrupt and within a year they got brand new credit cards, cars, and all their toys are back. Why? I’ve searched for that answer so many times. Why can’t I screw these people the way others do?

It’s not foolish pride, but rather something our parents believed in - their word. Heck, I remember the first time I walked into a bank to ask for a loan to buy a car. It was the late 70s. All I had to do was prove that I had a job. That’s it. I got the loan, mostly because of my word.

Today, try going into a bank and ask for a loan based solely on your word. No credit checks - just your word.

It upsets because I battle every month wondering how I will be able to pay everyone and yet save money for gas and for food. But as I worry about it, I see people spend $25-$50 a day buying lunches, or getting $2 soda’s at breaks and the every ending scrap paper trail of lottery tickets.

It upsets me because in the business section of The Lincoln Journal-Star (NE) newspaper they had an article about people who file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and how within a year they got more credit then they know what to do with. Yet, the people who file Chapter 13 (paying a % to their creditors) can’t get any money. They’re screwed because they were trying to correct a wrong.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m insane… is being honest all it is cracked up to be?

This entry was originally posted on Monday, August 13th, 2007