There's just no excuse

I am an employee of the Yale School of Medicine and I am funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Neither my employing institution nor my funding agency provide me with healthcare. If my boss hadn't scrounged up some $$ for me, we'd be paying $1200/mo out of pocket for Jack and I. As it is, I pay full taxes on my healthcare, to the tune of nearly $400 a month. Do you know anyone who is gainfully employed that is taxed on their own healthcare?

We live in New Haven, the site of Yale University -- one of the top ranked ivy league universities in the country. And on a list of 137 school districts in Connecticut, New Haven ranks the 6th worst, with only one third of students meeting state testing goals. Folks who live in the family-centric neighborhoods of New Haven generally pay more than $1000 per month in property taxes, and the privilege of supporting such an affluent community is to enroll our children in the 6th worst school district in the state. Private school runs upward of 20k per year -- 30k for high school. Would you send your child to a New Haven public school?

I try to avoid voicing sour grapes on this blog, but I also try to be honest about what's on my mind.

These are the issues that are on my mind: cost of living, childcare, healthcare, education. We are trying to live in the city we work in. We are trying to walk to work and avoid using our car. We are trying to be good community members. We are trying many things, but I feel like we're fighting a losing battle.

There's just no excuse!