My W2 form just sent me into a major funk! - MT Wordz

    Now, I already knew I didn't do well financially this year.  It was evident every time I had to "borrow" money from my retirement account to pay the bills each month.  But, I just received my W2 form, and discovered I did even worse than I thought I did!  Working an average of 6 full days a week, 10-12 hours a day, with only 3 days of time off all year, and no sick days, I made just over $20,000.  This with over 30 years of extremely well-rounded medical transcription experience.   I've tried to apply for food stamps before, but found that I don't qualify until every last cent of my IRA is gone.  I'm already raiding my IRA, but am trying really, really hard not to!  I realize that in India this would be a great salary.  But this is California, people!  Illegal farm workers picking lettus in Salinas make more money (and have more government help available to them) than we do.  I listened with great hope and intensity to the State of the Union speech last night, hoping that maybe, just maybe, something would be said that would give me hope in this godforsaken career.  But no, although I thought many of the things that were promised were commendable, in the end, I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, after the Lion got his courage, the Tin Man got his heart, and the Scarecrow got his brain, where she then said, "I don't think there's anything in that little black bag for ME."