It doesn't really matter where this post ends up. Bringing up your Tax dollars reeks of resentment that aid is offered to victims, though I doubt that that was your intention in this particular case. That's what tax is intended for, and the US is not unique in looking out for the fellow man's hardship. It's not just for bridgess and roads and schools. I'm not sure that other countries do much better, but I don't think that they differentiate between disasters and infrastruture as is done in the US. I seems one is (legally) unavoidable and the other is just an added burden.

Unfortunately, other posts have disappeared. Some of those put the onus on the OP. I felt strongly for this lady and her predicament ~ how is she going to manage. I don't know how her post ended up on FT but here it is.

I am sorry that my reply singled you out ~ that really wasn't my intention. What really got my goat was that people questioned her right to post on Omni, having no previous posts before. I thought it was petty ~ that people who spend a great deal of time on that BB/forum, wouldn't let it pass. It embarrassed me ~ and that's what I meant about being ungracious. We've had pages of people obstructing aisles in super-markets, many grievances and pet peeves that we don't, like robots, know exactly how to navigate.

The OP was asking for advice for her family ~ not how the ceral aisle is laid out. I'm sorry Kipper ~ I think my temper got the better of me