Inside the Transition: Melody Barnes

[MeloJoy07]

Congratulations on your new appointment!

It is an honor to share my name with someone who like myself wants to see change in the lives of many. I pray that we both get the desires of our hearts.

My Best,

Melody

Aka...The other Melody Barnes :)

[grafight]

I guess my comment wasn't approved, so I'll try again: We are deep in debt because of medical bills. My wife gets no health insurance even though she works practically full time at an elementary school, and we own a home we can sell. On paper we make just barely too much to get help, yet we can hardly make the minimum payments and interest on debt grows faster than what we can pay. When my wife gets sick, it costs us thousands. Are we doomed to bankruptcy?

[Mohfarah]

Do you really expect your question to reach and then be answered by Melody Barnes.

[gennytte]

Sell your home, sell everything you own that you possibly can (clothes, books, knick-knacks), get a dirt-cheap apartment, sell your car, and take public transport. (If you can't sell your home, rent out a room to someone for cash.) Eat beans and rice (no meat; too expensive.) Cancel cable, internet, cellphones. If you do ALL this, you will soon be saving money and not in debt. I know it's hard and not fair; you're used to having these things. But so many already do without.

[grafight]

Thanks for the replies. Of course I'm not naive enough to think all these comments will get responses. But some will, and some already have. Also some posters advice. Gennytte, thanks for the reply. Between Mortgage and over 20 years of medical I owe over 175,000. If I could sell my house for what it's worth, it would help. Your suggestions are nice, but they would be like putting a band-aid on the Titanic.

[kidd13news]

Congrats to her.

[grafight]

Dear Melody Barnes: Congratulations on being appointed to the Transition Administration! It has taken 8 years, but finally Government moves into the XXI century!

My family is in deep debt because of medical bills and lack of health insurance. My wife and I both work. On paper we make too much to get help, yet debt interest grows faster than the payments we can afford. We own a home we can't sell, and we can't get a loan either because we owe too much. Are we doomed to bankrupcy?

[IloveJesusYesId0]

Why are ratings disabled?

[khz1962]

Welcome, Melody Barnes! I look forward to seeing the changes that President-Elect Obama and all of his team bring to this nation and our international community. Welcome! And I am wishing you much success and happiness in your new position

[clwaltz]

Thank you for all that you do.

[onehotbill]

Congratulations. Good luck and wishing you much success. May we become the change we seek.

[cmrlynch]

Do you concur with Gov. Kulongoski (D-OR) that the infastruction stimlus should also include funding to State Universities as well as bridges (expect of course for Ketchikan, AK residents)