Another well done and needed story, Jessica. I was once one of those high flyers. I came out of college with no loan to pay off and was recruited right away to a high paying job. I was no superstar, but I was competent and more importantly white and the son of a powerful man. But about 6 years ago, it all collapsed. Some of it was bad decisions made by me, and some of it was from forces out of my control. But whatever the reason, we now live day to day. I know the moment of having to choose between medicine and food. I know the feeling of driving a car that broadcasts to the world my lowly state. I don' vote republican anymore. And if I pass a guy on the freeway who is down on his luck, I don't judge him anymore . . . my mantra is "there but for the grace of God go I", and I've been very close several times. But my financial condition has killed the rage I used to carry around and forced me to look at my former condescension. And my wife and I agree that we are much happier than when we had money. Really, the only thing that pisses me off now is listening to the politicians in Washington trying to hold down the stimulus because we cannot be trusted with it. No longer is anything what it seems to be.