– I have a negative self-image and I am frustrated at having ended up in this situation. This is not a situation that I want to be in. I take one day at a time to get through week by week, he says. Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke is 51 years old and has struggled with severe anxiety, depression, panic attacks and heart problems for most of his life. Two years ago he had to say goodbye to his job. Lost partner Tone The former taxi driver had become disabled. This summer he lost his partner Tone to cancer. – Thank you very much for 12 heartwarming and exciting years together. My super kitty, the rock in my life, my heart stone, my beloved soul mate and my beloved deeply missed roommate, he writes on his Instagram profile. Life became more difficult without Tone. And it was going to be more difficult. YOU AND ME: Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke was with his girlfriend Tone for 12 years before she died of cancer in the summer of 2022. Photo: Skjermdump In addition to the grief, he had to cope with the transition from two incomes to one. Kroner and øre As disability benefit, he is paid NOK 18,748 a month including housing allowance. After housing expenses, electricity and food, this is the sum he has left in his account: LIVING IN POVERTY: Once a month, Knut Ragnar receives food from the Salvation Army. Graphics: news – I have nine kroner and 99 øre. A Norwegian household has received an average of NOK 18,000 in increased expenses this year. The poorest in Norway have had increased expenses of four per cent. Living in persistently low income/poverty 71 per cent of old-age pensioners 63 per cent of pensioners 27 per cent of single parents (increases with children) Figures from Statistics Norway 2022 Hegseth Bakke has several concrete wishes for the politicians. – The politicians should perhaps try to live on the income and social security like us who have at least a year’s time to live, and get a feel for what it is like, he says to news. EMPTY ACCOUNT: This is the amount Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke has left in his account after the bills for November have been paid. Photo: Privat Met the minister On Tuesday, the 52-year-old met, among others, Minister of Labor and Inclusion Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) at Fredrik Solvang’s Debate. The theme was poverty. He himself proposes an increase in social security and lower taxes to help those who have the least. In addition, he believes that the Nav meeting is challenging: – Let those who apply for emergency help not have to sit through interrogations at the Nav office. It is a very difficult situation when you are struggling with anxiety. It hurts so much, he says. Hegseth Bakke received no promises about an increase in social security from the Minister for Employment and Inclusion. She nevertheless opened up that he could be entitled to a certain increase in the payment. – The way you describe the situation, there may be grounds for you to have some more benefits, she commented. – I work to ensure that everyone has a good experience when they meet Nav, she said. Hegseth Bakke was able to meet, among others, Minister for Employment and Inclusion Marte Mjøs Persen. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news – Are sausages so boring? Having little money in your account affects what Hegseth Bakke can buy at the store. – I’m so sick of sausages, but that’s what I can afford to buy. On Thursday I indulged in a Grandiosa, it had been four months since I last ate a pizza. Hegseth Bakke receives food from the Salvation Army on the first Friday of the month. – I have enough food in the fridge for breakfast. And I have a 400 gram package of minced meat in the fridge, but do I have to divide it into four. I have to split a packet of sausages in two. ART: Knut Ragnar Hegseth Bakke posts his drawings on the Instagram account @artbyknapstruper. Portraits, birds, trees and two ladies kissing each other. Photo: Screen dump Wants a Christmas card and an eraser for Christmas Hegseth Bakke finds peace when he draws. Then he forgets time and place. On the Instagram account @artbyknapstruper, he shows off his art, which helps him in many ways. – Drawing makes me very calm. It helps me in everyday life to keep my spirits up and deal with anxiety. – The winter for me is going to be hard. All I want for Christmas is a Christmas card and an eraser to erase the guidelines on the drawings when I draw with a pencil. Send me your story Do you have a story you want to tell or a topic you want us to address in the Debate? Contact me here.
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All Knut wants for Christmas is a Christmas card and an eraser – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
