Grandparents raising grandchildren; the upside, the downside

My husband and I have been raising two grandsons for 7 years. We have also raised these two grandsons for 3 years when they were infants. So, we have been raising our teenage grandsons for a total of nearly 10 years.

I would love to know when the County is going to recognize us the same way they recognize the natural parents ~ allowing us to have the same benefits they gave the parents; i.e. food stamps, day care, subsidies for utilties, etc. It's time for the County to realize ALL benefits should follow the child.

These children have the same needs now as they did before we got them. They still have to eat (food), they still have to bathe (utilities) and so forth.

Corruption in government, part 1 (City of Cleveland, County of Cuyahoga, et al)

What the hell is with the corruption in every aspect of government - federal, state, county, and city? Why is it that we, the taxpayers, can't even get a county job in Cleveland because of cronyism. It is now unfolding in Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County, that it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know. Now that it has been exposed measures are being taken to assure that all people have an opportunity for employment in local government. But what about reparations for those of us who have applied for jobs in the city/county in the past? Our applications would never have even been considered.Now that brings me to this:What the hell is with the BLOATED SALARIES that government workers rake in vs. private sector? I don't see any progress or modifications to help the money crunch or anything with my county's workers that make them deserve the salaries that they receive.. .for example.....the $48,000 salary the juvenile court clerk receives to send out the 18 letters per week that I receive from the juvenile courthouse regarding the ONE custody battle I am involved in, where they pay full postage rate of $0.44 vs. pre-sort. Or the incompetent magistrate who spends the first two hours our "face-time" reviewing our 4 foot file in front of us while we pay our attorneys $200 an hour for that privilege and she is raking in her 6 figure salary as we sit and watch her do so.

Bank of America is scum...

After having an account with BOA for the last 11 years, with no late payments and no negative credit issues, they have chosen to ruin my credit! How you may ask?First they jacked my interest rate up to 14.99% and then lowered my credit line by $12,000! That in turn negatively affects my FICA credit score because I am no using more of my credit line then what was reflected prior to their change. The 14.99% interest added $200 in interest to my MONTHLY payment, where as my payment was $323 a month, it is now $523 a month. Why would a bank try to ruin a loyal cardholder's credit? And who out there can stop them?I think it should also go without saying that I was given no proper notice of these changes to my account before the changes were made.If you are caught in the same web as me, here is the address to write to the corporate offices of Bank of America, as this was their only suggestion to discuss the matter further. The employees are not empowered to give you anything especially a rate reduction.Bank of AmericaAttn: Corporate HeadquarterPO Box 15026Wilmington, DE 19850