Maybe it was the fact that Massachusetts has an agency that watches for elder abuse, maybe it is the potential negative press on the Building manager, or it could be dumb luck.

The Jerk got a call from the the state government, inquiring on the issue, and he promptly gave my grandma a 1 year lease

Phew, for a moment there I thought I'd have to write an Op-Ed piece about the Government Shutdown and Elderly 85 year old getting toss into the streets. I am not a liberal policymaker, but even I can see that the elderly are extremely vulnerable. Also for people who say, "Save" for retirement, you can't fucking save enough to be out of work for 20 years.

Hell, my grandmother did well for herself in all that time. She bought her groceries from Haymarket on Fridays, our local farmer's market, where you can get 3 pounds of potatoes for $1.00 and a 5 lb bag of onions for $2.50. She lived like that with little spending. I bought her a Flat Screen TV and DVD player, which she never uses, but enjoys the Chinese Soaps when we preset it to play for her.

I don't know about other elderly people, but my grandmother tried to be independent for as long as she could until time and attrition got to her. She lives now on social security benefits and food stamps in a government section 8 housing for seniors. Should I fee ashamed to admit that? If I based my principles on inflexible platforms; this type of thing should make me a RINO or sell-out.

No, I don't agree with that point; I want to applaud her.

She is the reason why we have a social safety net; it is not for people who do not wish to work, who want free stuff, or who live on a government bankroll without contributions. She had a full life, a rich life.

I am a traditionalist, a Conservative of another era. Perhaps people who think like me are dead already. It is not for ideology that I believe what I believe, it is the humanity around me. An elderly person, who has paid her dues to society, held constant employment until her retirement age, and who did not use many of her senior benefits before the last two years.

I wish I can make others see this truth, but I am just one man in a sea of monsters.