[StBernard] Expanding higher ed access for low income students

[Westley Annis]

Wendy,

I don't want to argue with you.  Yes, I do know what it is like to work in 
fast food and at a drive thru.  The last time I did it was right before the 
hurricane for a mom and pop deli in the parish.  Yes, yes, that is indeed 
very hard work.  Yes, people that work at that job now are working very 
hard.  My two college kids do it now.  Cane's and Starbucks.  I never did 
say that this was not hard work.  If fact, that is what I mean by hard work.

  I was married at barely 18 and had my first child at 19.  We had to move 
to another state for my husband to pursue a college degree in the field he 
wanted and I worked at guess where?  Wendy's.  He worked the night shift 
after school at a convience store (7-11 back then).  We made the minimum 
wage.  It was hard.  Times were tough for us.  Customers were nasty and rude

to both of us.  One guy came in and had all this change in his mouth and 
spit it out on the counter as payment.  I am not a princess. We had no 
schoolarships, Tops did not exist.  We had student loans that had to be paid

back and it took a long time.   Jimmy Carter was president and interest 
rates were high.  All of what I am explaining is hard work and a lot to put 
up with.  But it can be done if a person wants it bad enough and is 
persistant.  Some people think it is too much trouble and effort and will 
not go through it because it is too hard.  I'm not saying you.  You have 
achieved a lot.  We didn't have any family support for babysitting or 
anything else.  We lived 1,000 miles from St. Bernard where all of our 
family was.  My parents didn't want me to get married or move away so I got 
no help from them and they couldn't afford to help anyway and I knew that.  
We rented a used mobile home. When he finished his degree after 4 years we 
moved back home.  I don't have a college degree.  We moved back with two 
kids and one on the way.  This was very hard work.  But we made it.  My 
husband went to classes and educated himself on investments.  So he learned 
how to invest wisely for us.  That is why I don't agree that our investments

should be taxed at 100%.  Things are easier for us now, yes.  We are in our 
mid 40's and have paid our dues and put our time in.  Some people tell us 
now, oh you are so lucky.  As if all of this was handed to us without any 
work or hardship on our part.  Well while we were living on beans everyday 
when we were young and struggling, they were working at the alumium refinery

or the oil refinery, making a nice wage, driving nice cars and buying homes 
and now they say we are lucky.  While some women were staying at home, 
having the luxury of raising their babies and getting to stay with their 
children,  I had to bring mine to child care so I could work, which broke my

heart.  But I did what I had to do so we could hopefully have a better 
future.  And it paid off, so I don't want to hear about how "advantaged" I 
was.  Yes, there are people in the world worse off than me.  There will 
always be people worse off.  Just as John mentioned, the movie "In the 
Pursuit of Happiness",  they were worse off than we were.  All I am saying 
is that if my husband and I could do it, most people can do it.  It's very, 
very hard, but it can be done.  Don't assume that I think working at Burger 
King is beneath me.  It is not, but don't assume because I don't have to do 
that anymore that I feel it is beneath me.  I respect all jobs and everyone 
that works, my father taught me that because he was a laboror.  He would say

don't think you are better than anyone, because you are not.  The garbage 
man deserves your respect because he is doing honest work.   He was right.  
But lets not argue.  Let's try to understand each other and our situation in

this life.  I hope you and your family can come home soon and be prosperous.

Laurie