"Y
our Voice" just got Laryngitis
Hello, My name is lane and I thoroughly enjoyed screwing Doug out of his college benefits. Hey, what do I care? I'm rich! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...
Your state representative is your voice in congress. They are elected by you and paid by your tax dollars. They are your employees! They work for you! Knowing that, you would think that anytime you needed them they would have your back. I mean, that only makes sense right? Well... let me tell you my story.
After my service had ended in the marine corps, my wife and I decided to stay in the Washington, DC area for one year. She had just gotten a job with a veteran's hospital and I had ten years to take advantage of my education benefits. Or so I thought... After the year had passed, we moved to Illinois, where I grew up, so that I could attend a University free of charge through a little program known as the Illinois Veterans Grant which was the determining factor for my enlistment in the first place. So you can imagine my surprise when I was told, upon enrollment at Western Illinois University, that I was ineligible for the Veteran's Grant that I had served four years of my life to obtain. "How am I NOT eligible?" I asked. I was told that in order to receive free tuition, I would've had to return to my "home of residence" within six months of my release date. And in theory, all I had to do was put my father's address, in Illinois, on my release papers instead of my own in Maryland and I would have been okay.
So how come nobody told me this before it was too late? Why was I told by my recruiter that I had ten years to receive all education benefits? Why does that ridiculous rule exist in the first place? I was born and raised in Illinois! I served four years of my life as a resident of Illinois! So why did I NOT receive the benefits promised to me upon enlistment? So I did what any red blooded american veteran would do... I called my congressman!
Lane Evans! Illinois state representative! He'll know what to do. He'll have my back. After all, he works for me, right? Well... guess not. For THREE MONTHS I was in touch with three different offices of Lane Evans. I pleaded my case and they just passed me around and referred me to "someone who could help me." I never once spoke with Lane Evans and after the three months was over and I had about $3,500 in school loans to pat off, I received one final letter from my brave, noble congressman saying, "We're sorry, there's nothing we can do for you... thanks for the four years of your life though. Have a good day and, by the way, vote Evans!"
Nothing you can do! NOTHING YOU CAN DO!? You are a congressman for god's sake! You are supposed to speak up and defend us when the government pushes us around, and there's nothing you can do! Tell that to my wife who took a huge pay cut moving to your state because apparently you don't feel that nurses deserve to get paid very much for the work they do. Tell that to my daughter who's had to move away from new friends and family, yet again.
Lane Evans, you should be ashamed of yourself. Your spineless decision to do nothing for me is what motivated me, in part, to create this site. And if I ever see you in public, I will personally humiliate in a way that you've never known. Let my experience be a lesson to the rest of you! You truly are on your own! Do NOT let the government take advantage of you the way they did me. IT IS NOT RIGHT! Do your part and DON'T ENLIST!