How much more of a hit can people take? The future looks extremely bleak to me. Bernie, I am so frightened for next year, as I struggle daily this year. I drive past the gas stations and see the price go up! Those prices are going up even 10 cents a gallon in one day!

What about heating fuel next year? I spent this winter with my heat turned down to 53 degrees, varying it only for a few hours after I returned home from work. I have my master’s degree and am a teacher. I am struggling so hard in my new home. It’s a double wide and I’ve waited 50 years to get my own home. Now, I am worried I won’t be able to keep it as everything else is going up, except my salary, which next year will only go up slightly more than 1 percent. The middle class is no longer the middle class…I’ve slipped into the lower class after a winter of double heating costs and now these new economic hits.

How much more of a hit can people take? The future looks extremely bleak to me. I worry constantly about how I am going to pay my bills.