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DESPARATE FINANCIAL SITUATION I gave this a lot of thought before resorting to such an action; it is a last resort as I have run out of options. For months, I've received the MLM "Make Money" bla, bla, bla ads on the Internet and I've found them insulting and annoying. That's why it is particularly hard for me to stoop to what I'm about to ask for. I don't blame you if you flame me for this, but pardon the cries of the captain of a ship that is going under, if you can spare me that measure of kindness. For ten years I have struggled to make it as a graphic designer. I've seen my business dwindle steadily with each passing year. I was always underfunded and finding that to do this client's project, I needed such-and-such computer equipment and software that I didn't have and could not afford. I managed to borrow the money for some of these needs from friends and family, but it was always "too little, too late." Gradually, things fell into disrepair. The house I'm living in is in such disrepair that when I enquired about a debt consolidation mortgage, the lenders refused. When I asked, "what about just for the land value?" they responded "by the time you subtract the cost of demolition, there'd be nothing left of the equity." I owe taxes. I owe money to friends who bailed me out of last year's near-tax foreclosure. I make calls, I telemarket like there's no tomorrow, but no one responds with a positive "yes, we're interested in your service." I spent hundreds of dollars on postage and mailed out many letters to ad agencies, any other kinds of businesses that might hire me. No replies, not even "thanks, but no thanks." Last year my net income was $311. That was a good year for me, as this year so far my gross has been less than that. My last two clients ceased operations, or moved their outsourced work to internal staff this January. I have not drawn a paycheck since February. In April, my car was repossessed. My bank account became overdrawn last month. The checks I sent to the electric company and the phone company have been return "unpaid --non-sufficient funds." I owe many people money. Usually, something breaks through and I manage to survive. This year, things have been different. It's as if everyone were conspiring to starve me so completely, that I would hit bottom. Panic set in this week as I exhausted every edible food item in the house. I have not eaten since Sunday. I have sixty cents left to my name. As I sit here in utter poverty, I am struck by the apparent gross unfairness of the situation. What I mean to say is, how can some low-life, violent, uneducated, spoiled brat get paid $26 million a year just to hit a few balls? How can some under-cultured animal spew out the auditory equivilent of vomit into a microphone and sell millions of record albums for big money? How can a liar sweet talk his way into the service of the People and then manage to divert millions into his own pockets from taxpayer's money? The list goes on and on.... ...and so I sit here, full well knowing that I have more talent in my little toe than some of these bums who just happened to know the right people, or scream at the right place and time so someone would be impressed enough to make them a star, and I, who can do wonderful things with computer graphics if some company would give me the chance, I... sit here alone and hidden away, unable to find even a small job on which to survive. Why are the men of virtue punished as such? Why do the despicable, socially-ill figureheads of society get all the fame and fortune, to the extent that they throw their lives away by smoking pot, using cocaine and living dangerously because they are so spoiled rotten and bored with their success? Good people are suffering while these bastards make all the riches! And so... that gets my frustration out on the table. And I finally come to the point: I need financial help. And so I figure that the power of great numbers is something that can work to save me... Geez... I can barely bring myself to do this. You can't imagine how many