Jumpin Jersey Mike’s Very Personal Blog

[symple_spacing size=”80″]This is very hard for me to talk about, but I am going to let you the reader know what is happening to me. May it never happen to you!

I will not bore you with all of the details, at least not this early on. What is happening is that I am being forced out of my home because I owe property taxes to my township which I can not pay. Notice I said can not pay and did not say would not pay. Because I very much want to be in good standing and not a deadbeat. It has bothered me from the beginning, August 2013, that I did not have the monies to pay what I am obligated to.

Why you think to yourself that he says he can not pay? Well here are the facts, notice I did not say excuses as I will not make any, it has been extremely hard for me to find a job. That is not to say that I have not worked at all, for I have had part time seasonal jobs in the past two years and I sell items on Ebay. The why of it is very simple for I do have physical limitations and do not have degrees or certificates, etc. for the practical knowledge I have accumulated over the years by learning things on my own.

I do have a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and an Associate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. My guess is you are thinking then why are you not working in a field associated with your degrees, well there is a very simple answer to that. My field of expertise was in the manufacturing of products and as you should know by now most products are made overseas, not here in the United States. So, I then went into Computer Support at a small software company. I took some college level courses while working there, but no degree. You see I am one of those who would call themselves a Hacker, no not the definition of today. But, someone who wants to know how programs/computers work at the machine code level. I am one of the very early home computer people and quite proud of it too! As time went on my physical problem(s) caused me to leave my job. This happened because I was in pain and the painkillers I was taking at the time were damaging my stomach. For a number of years my parents were kind enough to let me continue to live with them. I did what I could around the house to help out.

Then my Father found out he Pancreatic Cancer and fought it for just over a year. He died at home under Hospice care, with my Mother and myself taking care of him. It was hard on both of us, but I would do it all over again without hesitation. At that point my Mother needed me to help her. She told me that she never wanted to be put in an old age home. So, I helped out the best I could and a few years later her arthritis doctor suggested that I try an over the counter medication that might help me. Well he was right! It helped quite a bit, but I still was not physically normal. A little while after that she started to have memory problems and then developed kidney disease with her kidneys barely working. She died of this malady almost three years ago in the very beginning of 2011. It was a very big shock to me and I still feel somehow responsible for her passing.

Well anyway enough with talking about a small fraction of my background and on with my story. My nature is to pay my obligations and that I did. But didn’t I just say that I worked only two part time seasonal jobs and sell on Ebay, the answer is that I did something stupid. I took money prematurely from my IRAs. In my mind if I have the money I must pay my obligations, even if it will hurt me in the future. The IRA monies lasted until August of 2013 and that is when my nightmare started. I could not pay my property taxes at that point at all.

I looked all over the net (Internet) for any government or private program that might have helped me and in New Jersey there are none! In other states those in financial distress can get their taxes either lowered or forgiven altogether. What a greedy state we are! Please note that this is not an excuse on my part, but just a fact.

Now over a year later I have received a notice from the township that they will auction off my home in early December if I do not pay them the taxes I owe from 2013 plus interest. See the actual copy of this notice below. What I have to next do is going to cause me much pain.

Delinquent Property Tax Notice
Delinquent Property Tax Notice

If you are still reading this you have to know a few more facts. Yes, I have been looking for work. I have been looking on the Internet using Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, Craigslist, an employment agency and other sites. I have had job interviews with no job offers. It seems that I am the proverbial square peg trying to fit into the round hole. Yes, I know I am not the only one having trouble in finding employment and it must be just as frustrating for other job seekers as it is for me. Anyone have use for a slightly dented brick wall?

My physical limitations are not apparent upon visual inspection and I do not disclose them to prospective employers. Why tell them something that must likely cause you to lose a chance to get the job and I am afraid that if I did tell employers they would not even entertain talking to me.

What is causing the most stress to me is almost a toss up. Losing my home or having to give back my dog to the rescue group I adopted him from. And I do not even know if that group still exists. Joey is a Brown and White Male Dalmatian, they are very rare. He is a joy to behold, is handsome, has a wonderful personality, loves children and people in general. An all around great dog who loves to rub against me.

Joey relaxing in his chair.
Joey relaxing in his chair.

More to follow!

 

 

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