Today Ann learns about the Social Security P.A.S.S, Program, earns a little car & goes back to college.
THE GOD GAMES: Heaven & Hell...Chapter 31...HELL
The doctor began to quiz me about my previous schooling and learned that I did not yet have a degree, even though I had completed my major at Coleman College, and some of my other course-work at National University. He asked me if I had ever heard about the Social Security program called the P.A.S.S. Program, or Plan for Achieving Self Support. If you were on S.S.I., a program for low-income disabled Social Security persons, you could complete a business proposal to set up a business of your own and you would be loaned a certain amount of money against your future Social Security earnings. Under the terms, you could set up a business, or go back to college and use the money for transportation (a car) and books and other school needs. My ears perked up and I asked him for more information. He gave me the number for the P.A.S.S. program and the man who ran it for San Diego County. Then he turned to Bruce and said that he had listened very closely to him today and that if he tried to stop me from pursuing this program that he would go to the Sheriff and file a complaint against him. He suggested to Bruce that he support me to do whatever it took to write up the business proposal.
I called the man at Social Security and he asked me what I would like to do. I told him that I would like to go back to college and get my degree and then get back into the work force. I told him that I would need a car to get off of the mountain to go to the nearest college, Grossmont College in El Cajon. He said that he would send me the paperwork and that we would discuss it after I had read through it.
For the next two months I organized, planned, and created a business plan allowing me to buy a car of my own to go to Grossmont College. I enrolled in the college with a major in Sociology and a minor in Cross-Cultural studies. I signed up for financial aid to buy my books, and I received tuition free because I was on S.S.I. I had to show the reasons that I needed a car in order to go to college and as there was no transportation off of the mountain and into town. I was able to meet all of the criteria to get a car.
Ed sent a letter asking me to call him in Bishop and giving me a number to catch him at. When we talked, he asked me if I wouldn't just get in the truck and drive up to Bishop in it. He said that he would take care of me and that we could get the business started up together. I said what about the truck? It was Bruce's truck only and he would have me arrested if I should run off in it. Ed said that he didn't really think that Bruce would do such a thing. I told Ed that I was sorry but I was too afraid to do that and anyway, I was going to get a car of my own soon, and I told him about the P.A.S.S. program. He was supportive about the P.A.S.S. program and my idea of college and said that yes that would be better for me now, but in the future I would be able to drive the car up to Bishop and see him. We left it at that.
It took about three months from the time that I learned about the P.A.S.S. program until I had completed the program and had actually bought a little car. How I loved that little car and how I loved the idea of going to college again. It was a miracle that I should suddenly be able to get off of the mountain on my own. It was almost too precious that I suddenly had wings and could fly; I could direct my own life now. I hardly knew where to start. I drove to Debby's and asked her if I could live with her while I was going to school during the week. She said that I could and I went home and started packing into the car all of my precious books and my most precious memories and began taking them to Debby's house. James let me use his room to put my books and belongings in.
Bruce began to get very worried when he saw me taking my books off of the mountain because he knew that they were my single most important possession and that if they were leaving then maybe I would be following soon. He became very conciliatory towards me and stopped trying to force me to stay. I reassured him that I would be coming home to the mountains on the weekends and on some weekdays, but I wondered to myself what the truth would really be. It had been some time since I had been in school and I did not know how much time it would really involve for me to do all of my assignments and go to the library, etc.
I started Grossmont College a few days after the start of the new millennium, in January 2000. I had wonderful classes and teachers, It turned out that there was a lot of studying and research required in most of my classes and I soon realized that I would not be going to the mountains during the week. Then I realized that I needed part of the weekend to study for my classes also, and I started going to the mountains less and less.
Bruce became very depressed and although he kept up with the mining end of the business, he did nothing in the house. When I would get home from the college on the weekends, I would have to clean up all of the dishes, and washing of the clothes, and the cleaning of the house. Brian and Jim were living there with Bruce and they drank beer all day long and I would come home and have to wait on them and clean up after them. It got very old very quickly. Bruce's cat population had risen to about 15 cats and Bruce never cleaned out the cat boxes, so the cats would go to the bathroom all over the house. Then he began to let them sleep in his bed at night and they would go to the bathroom there also. It was a horrible mess to come home to every weekend. One weekend I went home and the cats had so polluted the bed that I had to change everything down to the mattress and then wash the mattress and cover it with plastic sheeting. I slept in the bed that night and it was the last time that I slept at the mountains, it was more than I could take.
Tomorrow Bruce and Ann negotiate the mountain stays, make up, and then Bruce passes away...
THE GOD GAMES: Heaven & Hell...Chapter 31...HELL
The doctor began to quiz me about my previous schooling and learned that I did not yet have a degree, even though I had completed my major at Coleman College, and some of my other course-work at National University. He asked me if I had ever heard about the Social Security program called the P.A.S.S. Program, or Plan for Achieving Self Support. If you were on S.S.I., a program for low-income disabled Social Security persons, you could complete a business proposal to set up a business of your own and you would be loaned a certain amount of money against your future Social Security earnings. Under the terms, you could set up a business, or go back to college and use the money for transportation (a car) and books and other school needs. My ears perked up and I asked him for more information. He gave me the number for the P.A.S.S. program and the man who ran it for San Diego County. Then he turned to Bruce and said that he had listened very closely to him today and that if he tried to stop me from pursuing this program that he would go to the Sheriff and file a complaint against him. He suggested to Bruce that he support me to do whatever it took to write up the business proposal.
I called the man at Social Security and he asked me what I would like to do. I told him that I would like to go back to college and get my degree and then get back into the work force. I told him that I would need a car to get off of the mountain to go to the nearest college, Grossmont College in El Cajon. He said that he would send me the paperwork and that we would discuss it after I had read through it.
For the next two months I organized, planned, and created a business plan allowing me to buy a car of my own to go to Grossmont College. I enrolled in the college with a major in Sociology and a minor in Cross-Cultural studies. I signed up for financial aid to buy my books, and I received tuition free because I was on S.S.I. I had to show the reasons that I needed a car in order to go to college and as there was no transportation off of the mountain and into town. I was able to meet all of the criteria to get a car.
Ed sent a letter asking me to call him in Bishop and giving me a number to catch him at. When we talked, he asked me if I wouldn't just get in the truck and drive up to Bishop in it. He said that he would take care of me and that we could get the business started up together. I said what about the truck? It was Bruce's truck only and he would have me arrested if I should run off in it. Ed said that he didn't really think that Bruce would do such a thing. I told Ed that I was sorry but I was too afraid to do that and anyway, I was going to get a car of my own soon, and I told him about the P.A.S.S. program. He was supportive about the P.A.S.S. program and my idea of college and said that yes that would be better for me now, but in the future I would be able to drive the car up to Bishop and see him. We left it at that.
It took about three months from the time that I learned about the P.A.S.S. program until I had completed the program and had actually bought a little car. How I loved that little car and how I loved the idea of going to college again. It was a miracle that I should suddenly be able to get off of the mountain on my own. It was almost too precious that I suddenly had wings and could fly; I could direct my own life now. I hardly knew where to start. I drove to Debby's and asked her if I could live with her while I was going to school during the week. She said that I could and I went home and started packing into the car all of my precious books and my most precious memories and began taking them to Debby's house. James let me use his room to put my books and belongings in.
Bruce began to get very worried when he saw me taking my books off of the mountain because he knew that they were my single most important possession and that if they were leaving then maybe I would be following soon. He became very conciliatory towards me and stopped trying to force me to stay. I reassured him that I would be coming home to the mountains on the weekends and on some weekdays, but I wondered to myself what the truth would really be. It had been some time since I had been in school and I did not know how much time it would really involve for me to do all of my assignments and go to the library, etc.
I started Grossmont College a few days after the start of the new millennium, in January 2000. I had wonderful classes and teachers, It turned out that there was a lot of studying and research required in most of my classes and I soon realized that I would not be going to the mountains during the week. Then I realized that I needed part of the weekend to study for my classes also, and I started going to the mountains less and less.
Bruce became very depressed and although he kept up with the mining end of the business, he did nothing in the house. When I would get home from the college on the weekends, I would have to clean up all of the dishes, and washing of the clothes, and the cleaning of the house. Brian and Jim were living there with Bruce and they drank beer all day long and I would come home and have to wait on them and clean up after them. It got very old very quickly. Bruce's cat population had risen to about 15 cats and Bruce never cleaned out the cat boxes, so the cats would go to the bathroom all over the house. Then he began to let them sleep in his bed at night and they would go to the bathroom there also. It was a horrible mess to come home to every weekend. One weekend I went home and the cats had so polluted the bed that I had to change everything down to the mattress and then wash the mattress and cover it with plastic sheeting. I slept in the bed that night and it was the last time that I slept at the mountains, it was more than I could take.
Tomorrow Bruce and Ann negotiate the mountain stays, make up, and then Bruce passes away...
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