Disabled Blacksmith Seeks Debt Relief And Business Stimulation

by Robert F. Guetterman
(Cherry Valley, IL, USA)

I was a Blacksmith for 25 years. Over the years, I have paid off five vehicles with loans.

Through divorces and girlfriends stealing money out of my account using checks from my dresser, I wasn't able to save money to retire.

I would be working right now, but I've been disabled since 2007 after haven taken a drug for pre-diabetes called Avandia. I have heart damage and emphysema.

My thoughts for retirement were always to have my own cattle feed lot. One of my goals was to help raise beef to feed the homeless.

Another idea was to efficiently use the animal waste to either fertilize fields or make some type of contribution to the processing of bio-diesel.

When I worked at the racetrack I would sometimes make a little money betting on a race or two.

No matter how much I won, I would sometimes drive through East St. Louis and hand homeless people cash, give them a ride to the restaurant and buy them a meal.

I've always thought of others more than myself. Sometimes I would go out in the country to shoe horses. Some people could not afford to trim the kids' ponies, so I would do them for free.

I would like to have a new dodge pickup 4x4 crew cab diesel. I get turned down on loan applications because they say I don't have a credit history but I don't understand that because I paid off five vehicles on time payments.

My wife's Jeep has 115,000 miles on it and my old truck has 200,000. In 1988 I lost a pickup truck with low miles. I was getting it painted so I dropped the insurance on it. When I was out of town, my girlfriend totaled it and I lost a truck worth $8,000.

It just about ruined my business, but I didn't give up. Now I need help and would appreciate anything anyone can send my way.