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A lot of us are not as unfeeling as you think. We've been around long enough when times were good to know that people threw away their opportunity or wanted immediate gratification. Rather than do what it took to have long term success, these people took the fun and easy way out. They never did anything to build themselves up over the long term. Then they had children. Their choices lowered the opportunities for those children. Then those children have now come into the system and are producing children of their own. It's not a race issue. I've seen it in people who come from backgrounds similar to mine. It was poor choices. You can only educate so much and them you have to allow people to make their choices based on their own free will.
Sure, some people end up with hardships that are not of their own making. That's why we have welfare programs. Unfortunately, the people who make poor choices make it harder for everyone.
Believe it or not, some of us cold, hard unfeeling people do try to help others. I know that I only have a limited amount of resources to help others. Even in my own life I have to prioritize and allocate how I share those resources. For some people, I will give money. To others, I will give things I no longer use or need. Some people just get encouragement or a smile. For others, I will actively donate my time. I prefer to give a helping hand to those I know are trying to help themselves than throw it away on someone I think will waste it.
Re: the first bolded part- Yes, I agree with your viewpoint; I just believe it's wrong for those who take the approach that 'everybody' who receives food stamps is in this category.
Re: second bolded part: I agree with that, also- and I do get kinda miffed when I see extreme waste, like people with carts full of nothing but junk, and/or very expensive products that I as a working person would not dream of wasting money on.
Recently I learned the #1 product in this state purchased on food stamps is "Mountain Dew"- a popular brand of soda. And I've also known individuals who use food stamps to buy T-bone steaks and $15-per-pound deli meats. In other words, I work and pay taxes so some individuals who don't can live beyond MY means. And it does irritate me to some degree. Not meaning to sound snide, but it seems there are too many individuals who don't care about "the value of a dollar" when it's not actually their dollar they're spending.
A lot of us are not as unfeeling as you think. We've been around long enough when times were good to know that people threw away their opportunity or wanted immediate gratification. Rather than do what it took to have long term success, these people took the fun and easy way out. They never did anything to build themselves up over the long term. Then they had children. Their choices lowered the opportunities for those children. Then those children have now come into the system and are producing children of their own. It's not a race issue. I've seen it in people who come from backgrounds similar to mine. It was poor choices. You can only educate so much and them you have to allow people to make their choices based on their own free will.
Sure, some people end up with hardships that are not of their own making. That's why we have welfare programs. Unfortunately, the people who make poor choices make it harder for everyone.
Believe it or not, some of us cold, hard unfeeling people do try to help others. I know that I only have a limited amount of resources to help others. Even in my own life I have to prioritize and allocate how I share those resources. For some people, I will give money. To others, I will give things I no longer use or need. Some people just get encouragement or a smile. For others, I will actively donate my time. I prefer to give a helping hand to those I know are trying to help themselves than throw it away on someone I think will waste it.
Have you ever been without work for an extended time? Had no one to lean on, no money for anything than noodles?
If not you don't have a clue. It is fine. You just don't get it.
My topic has escaped me..... it belongs to city data now...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarahsez
A lot of us are not as unfeeling as you think. We've been around long enough when times were good to know that people threw away their opportunity or wanted immediate gratification. Rather than do what it took to have long term success, these people took the fun and easy way out. They never did anything to build themselves up over the long term. Then they had children. Their choices lowered the opportunities for those children. Then those children have now come into the system and are producing children of their own. It's not a race issue. I've seen it in people who come from backgrounds similar to mine. It was poor choices. You can only educate so much and them you have to allow people to make their choices based on their own free will.
Sure, some people end up with hardships that are not of their own making. That's why we have welfare programs. Unfortunately, the people who make poor choices make it harder for everyone.
Believe it or not, some of us cold, hard unfeeling people do try to help others. I know that I only have a limited amount of resources to help others. Even in my own life I have to prioritize and allocate how I share those resources. For some people, I will give money. To others, I will give things I no longer use or need. Some people just get encouragement or a smile. For others, I will actively donate my time. I prefer to give a helping hand to those I know are trying to help themselves than throw it away on someone I think will waste it.
It is difficult to determine who is unfeeling and who isn't as many posters in this topic has expressed no desire to understand their opposition whatsoever. They adopt hardline stances that anybody who goes on government assistance pass X amount of time is a lazy leech. Others want to reduce the things that people can buy with snaps for no reason other than they didn't earn it. Where do you stand in this topic? You don't seem like the sort to blindly detest an entire demographic of people because of some misplaced feeling of contempt. Your last paragraph establishes that you care for the less well off, at least, and I can sympathize with not wanting to waste resources on those who won't benefit from it. However, I don't agree that their was ever a time where times was better than they are now, socially at least.
People has always made poor decisions in this country, some more than others. This hasn't changed at all in recent years. It actually had become less frequent as more people are becoming educated. Take teenage pregnancy for example. It is actually lower compared to the good ol days you seem to reference.
I could include more examples, but there isn't much need I believe.
As a country, we are actually becoming more responsible for our own actions compared to then. The only difference back then is that women wasn't really allowed to make many choices at all, and those who made poor choices suffered far more heavily for it and has less ways to recover. Don't believe what the media tells you. Look for the truth yourself. It is only a few clicks away. We are no worse than we have been in the past. It is all perspective.
There is plenty of food stamp abuse. At my local farmers market youll find plenty of it. You know those nifty Hispanic families that huddle together into one home and receive benefits? They sell the produce theyve bought with food stamps at the local farmers market. People around here are well aware of it because this "farmers market" has produce with its grocery store stickers still on it, and isnt even in season. Del Monte Bananas in February anyone?
I had to go on WIC years ago and I was embarrassed, but thankful for it and it probably lasted a little over a year.
My husband was college educated and wasn't able find a decent job.
Anyone who sits in judgement because your life's been without hardships should be counting your blessings.
This woman is working full time to support her family, pays taxes, pays her own way in life with the exception of needing a little help with some food for her kids off and on. That's what the whole intent of the entire welfare system was set up to do.
She may not have finished college, she may not have family with the financial resources to help support her. She may not have any family that have been able to babysit while she went to school at night.
My son's been working as a paramedic, but he has a Masters in Public Policy and hasn't been able to find a job in that field for 1 1/2 years. We thought for sure his getting a higher degree would ensure good employment.
Those of you that are pretty much saying she deserves to be where she's at because she made bad choices, you haven't walked in her shoes. Even though you may be college educated, don't think for a minute you'll never be in a position similar to hers unless, of course, you come from money and look down your noses at anyone that doesn't.
You never know what life has in store for you and if you're young and making good money, I hope you're saving well for when that hardship does come because chances are pretty good that it will happen.
At least she's working full time and not sitting on her **** collecting every single benefit that the welfare system offers to generations of families that should be working for those monthly benefits they've been collecting for generations.
She is using it in the manner it was set up to be used.
That's right, if this is how you choose to live. Otherwise, get an education/skills and use them to earn a living like the rest of us.
Sure, no problem. And how does one go about getting the skills or the education? Have you seen the tuition rates lately? Grant or a scholarship? Isn't that as much a welfare program as anything else? Moreover, it'll be just a matter of time before people are complaining about their tax dollars being used for those, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Salmonburgher
Our country was established so that free men could stand or fall on their own efforts. Yes, I realize that we had to fight a civil war and have had to fight for political change to realize those goals. However, I believe that in fighting to obtain equality for all men (including women), we threw the baby out with the bathwater.
Yes. We are supposed to have values. We originally valued self-reliance and individualism, and we valued communities coming together at local levels to handle problems. We most definitely did not value the idea of an enormous central government telling us how to live.
What kind of values does a country have when it allows its people to live irresponsibly?
I certainly am not arguing that we should not help those in need or less fortunate. I am simply stating that we should require people to be more responsible for themselves.
I don't think requiring people to be more responsible for their actions is equal to enslaving others, or torturing people to death, or beheading them.
Who is calling for that?
There are posters here who want to cut off all aid to everyone and are indifferent to what might happen to the people who need the help.
If you are not arguing that we shouldn't help people in need, then my post didn't apply to you.
I wish people would be more responsible, too. But we are not fortunetellers and none of us can predict what will happen in the future.
I wish like hell my parents had taught me something about finances or cared enough to make sure I had a solid education, but they didn't. They thought I was just supposed to get married and have my husband take care of me. I knew nothing about living or life, and I was the most immature person you ever saw when I left home at 17. It took me years to acquire the knowledge of just living successfully, but I didn't know and no one bothered to tell me anything about saving money for emergencies or retirement, among other things. I learned on my own and usually that was by doing something wrong to learn to do it right.
Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, there were a lot of responsible things I should have done and didn't. But I can't go back and change those things. So where do I go from here? Even when people have finished their prison sentence, they're through paying for their mistakes to society. But people like me seem to never be through paying for our mistakes, according to some. And we're supposed to deserve the bad things that happen to us the rest of our lives because we made a few bad decisions when young?
Easy answer to that. They have a Mom who is irresponsible. She brought the bastards into the world with no regard for their upbringing. She shouldn't be raising them. Put them in foster care.
When Mom & "Baby Daddy" can come up with a plan to support their kids, they can get custody back.
Anger. Check Got it. Now can I get a list of the jobs to accommodate all these FS users?
Granted the numbers are going down and restrictions are lowing the numbers too. So, where will the rest find work???
Ahh insult as argument with the anger comment. Finding work is their responsibility.
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I don't think requiring people to be more responsible for their actions is equal to enslaving others, or torturing people to death, or beheading them.
