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Well I am throwing myself into the fire with this post, but I have seen about the last inaccurate and fabricated "Welfare Queen" post than I can handle.
This anti welfare attitude and villainization of the poor is WRONG.
I lived in poverty most of my childhood. My mother left my abusive father when I was one and worked two jobs to survive. Even with those two jobs, she would have qualified for welfare and food stamps. But she was too proud to do so. Thus, I lived on ramen noodles and hot dogs for most of my childhood. I was underweight and malnourished. There were more times than I care to remember that I went to bed hungry. The only decent meal I got was at school...when my mother could afford it. She also refused reduced or free lunches, which she would have qualified for. Usually, I got a PB&J and carrots and was starving by dinner time. Then I got a small serving of hamburger helper. I also didn't see doctors for most of my childhood because my mother refused to use medicaid. I am still dealing with health issues due to that.
My SO's parents were the same. They were poor and could not afford very much food, but refused food stamps. His father gardened and that was what they ate most of the time. At one point, his father made my SO eat his own vomit after he threw up a pepper because they were so desperate to not waste food.
And the reason for this and why so many children are currently going hungry (or without decent shelter or health care) in this country is because there are still tons of people who are too proud to take assistance when they need it. And it because of this prevalent attitude that people who use government assistance are worthless!!
And with this, there are people who would qualify for assistance, but choose not to do so simply because they are too proud and don't want to be "one of those people." Then they are resentful of the people who actually take advantage of the benefits they are LEGALLY entitled to and use that to push an agenda against welfare and spread myths about people who use welfare.
IT IS WRONG. You are helping to perpetuate suffering, including your own.
Also: don't give me the old, "poor people are fat in America!!" I would have been fat eating hot dogs, ramen noodles, PB&Js, and hamburger helper too if I had a different body type and metabolism. I would have still been undernourished.
Last edited by soanchorless; 05-05-2013 at 10:42 AM..
I think most of us would sympathize with your situation. Our lives are just a roll of the dice. You may have been a millisecond away from being the child of a Kennedy or Rockefeller instead of the situation you were born to.
But Government institutional welfare at the scale that we have in this country is a disaster. These children are not growing up with the values and work ethic that made America what it is today.
I'm not talking about you specifically, I'm talking about the multitudes of teenagers you see hanging out with nothing to do, no one teaching them anything about life or how to make a living.
The way they see it, you coast through school and then impregnate a girl or two and then bounce between them living off their welfare, dealing some drugs, stealing a few things to survive.
Sorry, but this is true of too many. And there are success stories as well but too many like I described.
It's hard issue to discuss because you feel for the children, but than you have lots of parents who take pride in being on welfare and have no desires to leave it. It creates a place of complacency for many people and it's unfair to those of who actually work for a living.
I think their should be a time limit on it. Give people about 5 to 7 years to get their stuff together. You could easily work a minimum wage job during that time and save up and by the time your time is up. You have money saved up and start perhaps investing during that time your on it or going to school.
Well I am throwing myself into the fire with this post, but I have seen about the last inaccurate and fabricated "Welfare Queen" post than I can handle.
This anti welfare attitude and villainization of the poor is WRONG.
I lived in poverty most of my childhood. My mother left my abusive father when I was one and worked two jobs to survive. Even with those two jobs, she would have qualified for welfare and food stamps. But she was too proud to do so. Thus, I lived on ramen noodles and hot dogs for most of my childhood. I was underweight and malnourished. There were more times than I care to remember that I went to bed hungry. The only decent meal I got was at school...when my mother could afford it. She also refused reduced or free lunches, which she would have qualified for. Usually, I got a PB&J and carrots and was starving by dinner time. Then I got a small serving of hamburger helper. I also didn't see doctors for most of my childhood because my mother refused to use medicaid. I am still dealing with health issues due to that.
My SO's parents were the same. They were poor and could not afford very much food, but refused food stamps. His father gardened and that was what they ate most of the time. At one point, his father made my SO eat his own vomit after he threw up a pepper because they were so desperate to not waste food.
And the reason for this and why so many children are currently going hungry (or without decent shelter or health care) in this country is because there are still tons of people who are too proud to take assistance when they need it. And it because of this prevalent attitude that people who use government assistance are worthless!!
And with this, there are people who would qualify for assistance, but choose not to do so simply because they are too proud and don't want to be "one of those people." Then they are resentful of the people who actually take advantage of the benefits they are LEGALLY entitled to and use that to push an agenda against welfare and spread myths about people who use welfare.
IT IS WRONG. You are helping to perpetuate suffering, including your own.
Also: don't give me the old, "poor people are fat in America!!" I would have been fat eating hot dogs, ramen noodles, PB&Js, and hamburger helper too if I had a different body type and metabolism. I would have still been undernourished.
I do sympathize for your situation. I also see a parent that taught you self respect and personal responsibility. Maybe your mom saw too much abuse of these systems and didn't want to be lumped in as "one of those people".
Well I am throwing myself into the fire with this post, but I have seen about the last inaccurate and fabricated "Welfare Queen" post than I can handle.
This anti welfare attitude and villainization of the poor is WRONG.
I lived in poverty most of my childhood. My mother left my abusive father when I was one and worked two jobs to survive. Even with those two jobs, she would have qualified for welfare and food stamps. But she was too proud to do so. Thus, I lived on ramen noodles and hot dogs for most of my childhood. I was underweight and malnourished. There were more times than I care to remember that I went to bed hungry. The only decent meal I got was at school...when my mother could afford it. She also refused reduced or free lunches, which she would have qualified for. Usually, I got a PB&J and carrots and was starving by dinner time. Then I got a small serving of hamburger helper. I also didn't see doctors for most of my childhood because my mother refused to use medicaid. I am still dealing with health issues due to that.
My SO's parents were the same. They were poor and could not afford very much food, but refused food stamps. His father gardened and that was what they ate most of the time. At one point, his father made my SO eat his own vomit after he threw up a pepper because they were so desperate to not waste food.
And the reason for this and why so many children are currently going hungry (or without decent shelter or health care) in this country is because there are still tons of people who are too proud to take assistance when they need it. And it because of this prevalent attitude that people who use government assistance are worthless!!
And with this, there are people who would qualify for assistance, but choose not to do so simply because they are too proud and don't want to be "one of those people." Then they are resentful of the people who actually take advantage of the benefits they are LEGALLY entitled to and use that to push an agenda against welfare and spread myths about people who use welfare.
IT IS WRONG. You are helping to perpetuate suffering, including your own.
Also: don't give me the old, "poor people are fat in America!!" I would have been fat eating hot dogs, ramen noodles, PB&Js, and hamburger helper too if I had a different body type and metabolism. I would have still been undernourished.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PullMyFinger
I think most of us would sympathize with your situation. Our lives are just a roll of the dice. You may have been a millisecond away from being the child of a Kennedy or Rockefeller instead of the situation you were born to.
But Government institutional welfare at the scale that we have in this country is a disaster. These children are not growing up with the values and work ethic that made America what it is today.
I'm not talking about you specifically, I'm talking about the multitudes of teenagers you see hanging out with nothing to do, no one teaching them anything about life or how to make a living.
The way they see it, you coast through school and then impregnate a girl or two and then bounce between them living off their welfare, dealing some drugs, stealing a few things to survive.
Sorry, but this is true of too many. And there are success stories as well but too many like I described.
Enough to destroy America.
Both good posts.
There are very valid viewpoints on both sides of this issue.
I do sympathize for your situation. I also see a parent that taught you self respect and personal responsibility. Maybe your mom saw too much abuse of these systems and didn't want to be lumped in as "one of those people".
So neglecting my health and letting me be malnourished was a good thing then, I guess?
Well I am throwing myself into the fire with this post, but I have seen about the last inaccurate and fabricated "Welfare Queen" post than I can handle.
This anti welfare attitude and villainization of the poor is WRONG.
I lived in poverty most of my childhood. My mother left my abusive father when I was one and worked two jobs to survive. Even with those two jobs, she would have qualified for welfare and food stamps. But she was too proud to do so. Thus, I lived on ramen noodles and hot dogs for most of my childhood. I was underweight and malnourished. There were more times than I care to remember that I went to bed hungry. The only decent meal I got was at school...when my mother could afford it. She also refused reduced or free lunches, which she would have qualified for. Usually, I got a PB&J and carrots and was starving by dinner time. Then I got a small serving of hamburger helper. I also didn't see doctors for most of my childhood because my mother refused to use medicaid. I am still dealing with health issues due to that.
My SO's parents were the same. They were poor and could not afford very much food, but refused food stamps. His father gardened and that was what they ate most of the time. At one point, his father made my SO eat his own vomit after he threw up a pepper because they were so desperate to not waste food.
And the reason for this and why so many children are currently going hungry (or without decent shelter or health care) in this country is because there are still tons of people who are too proud to take assistance when they need it. And it because of this prevalent attitude that people who use government assistance are worthless!!
And with this, there are people who would qualify for assistance, but choose not to do so simply because they are too proud and don't want to be "one of those people." Then they are resentful of the people who actually take advantage of the benefits they are LEGALLY entitled to and use that to push an agenda against welfare and spread myths about people who use welfare.
IT IS WRONG. You are helping to perpetuate suffering, including your own.
Also: don't give me the old, "poor people are fat in America!!" I would have been fat eating hot dogs, ramen noodles, PB&Js, and hamburger helper too if I had a different body type and metabolism. I would have still been undernourished.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PullMyFinger
I think most of us would sympathize with your situation. Our lives are just a roll of the dice. You may have been a millisecond away from being the child of a Kennedy or Rockefeller instead of the situation you were born to.
But Government institutional welfare at the scale that we have in this country is a disaster. These children are not growing up with the values and work ethic that made America what it is today.
I'm not talking about you specifically, I'm talking about the multitudes of teenagers you see hanging out with nothing to do, no one teaching them anything about life or how to make a living.
The way they see it, you coast through school and then impregnate a girl or two and then bounce between them living off their welfare, dealing some drugs, stealing a few things to survive.
Sorry, but this is true of too many. And there are success stories as well but too many like I described.
Enough to destroy America.
I agree with both of these viewpoints. Yes, we do need to help people in need ~ but people currently on welfare that are able to work (but just don't want to) - need to get off the welfare rolls. The welfare mentality (and I am a liberal) does pass down from family to family and generation to generation. I saw it a great deal in my old state.
I guess I should add that because my SOs father chose personal responsibility over using healthcare he couldn't afford, he died of undiagnosed leukemia when my SO was 9, leaving his wife a single mother.
I agree with both of these viewpoints. Yes, we do need to help people in need ~ but people currently on welfare that are able to work (but just don't want to) - need to get off the welfare rolls. The welfare mentality (and I am a liberal) does pass down from family to family and generation to generation. I saw it a great deal in my old state.
Again, what jobs are these people going to take that will actually get them out of poverty? We have an 8% unemployment rate, and that is a low estimate. As much as I do not like Obama, this is not his fault or that of welfare. It is a natural result of globalization and efficiencies with technology.
Last edited by soanchorless; 05-05-2013 at 11:36 AM..
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