I’ve always believed in the social safety net, but up until a few years ago I had no reason to think I’d need it (until it was time to go on Social Security). While none of my family or friends were exactly wealthy, most had reasonably good jobs and lived comfortable lives.

Over the past three years, my “circle of friends” has changed significantly and now includes a lot of people that have been negatively impacted by the “keep up or DIE” mentality espoused by today’s Republican Party.

My mom is on Social Security. It’s her sole income, and if she didn’t have subsidized housing she’d need to live with one of my sisters. I suppose that’s not a problem, but she really likes being independent. She’s 83 years old, and still works three mornings a week as a “granny lady” at a local kindergarten. What happens to her if the country defaults?

A friend of mind the next town over is on disability. He’s been diagnosed with encephalitis. What happens to him?

The guy I’m renting a room from has severe gout; it almost hurts just to watch him try to walk up a flight of stairs. He hasn’t been able to afford insurance, and his father recently paid off a $27,000 hospital bill that he couldn’t afford to pay. He works six nights a week and has to go in at 2:00 in the morning. It used to be seven nights a week, no sick time and no vacation. For this he gets the princely sum of $11.00 per hour.

A friend of mine who used to live in this house is also on disability. She had a bad marriage; her husband put her in the hospital a couple of times. She was in a serious car accident a few years ago, and had to have a couple organs removed as a result. What happens to her if we default?

The woman who took over her room after she moved out has her own mental issues. Her mom remarried, and her second husband killed her. She moved here from the west coast, and so far has had some difficulties getting the medication she needs to lead a productive life. What happens to her if the social services agencies are forced to close?

A former employer I recently emailed admitted in her reply “it’s a dark world out there right now.”

It sure is.