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I worked at a retail store for quite a few years, and was in management, so I did hire employees. Often, they were "welfare to work" applicants needing to meet their work requirement in order to continue to receive food stamps, etc. I learned after a while to avoid those applicants. Once hired, they rarely showed up for work. The reason? The Department of Social Serviced never checked to see if they were actually working the job, the workers only had to show that they were on the "payroll". If the case workers had called, I would have told them they were not showing up for work, and were calling out "sick" and doing very little in the way of work when they did bother to show up. But they never bother to check.
I had one girl who did show up for work and did assigned duties, that is until she was approved for a subsidized apartment. Once approved, all work ethic stopped, and she called out sick repeatedly until we let her go, and then applied for unemployment benefits (which I'm sure she received.)
These people are scam artists and know how to work the system. It's disgraceful.
I know a few people on welfare, each in different, one girl who was on welfare, she was perfectly capable of working, her kids were older (before Clinton changed the rules).
One day we were unexpectedly hit with a bad snow storm. We were all at work. My MIL was very nervous about us getting home safely. The welfare girl (who lived with her mother) came over MIL's house. They were standing at the window looking at the snow coming down hard. Then welfare girl said... "now what fool would be out in that snow?" To which my MIL became angry and said "those fools out there working to support your fat ass, now get out!".
She wasn't too happy when the new laws were enacted and she had to work.
I knew a girl who was on welfare (that was before Clinton changed the rules).
One day we were hit with a bad snow storm hit. We were all at work. My MIL was very nervous about her kids getting home safely. The welfare girl (who lived with her mother) came over MIL's house. They were standing at the window looking at the snow coming down hard. Then welfare girl said... "now what fool would be out in that snow?" To which my MIL became angry and said "those fools out there working to feed your fat ass, now get out".
Get what? If people are capable of working they have no business living off someone else hard earned money.
We are reacting to symptoms though. The jobs that came back after government ruined the economy are low paying. They don't pay enough to raise a family even with both parents working.
"Speaking as a liberal, I agree with Maine. I have seen first hand how dependent people are of the system once they get used to it. People will purposefully cut their hours at work to remain qualified for social services."..................... You make a major generalization ,does it happen ,yes,but your statment alludes to "all" people and you are wrong on that assumption.Just becuase you know one person....sorry ,no.
No, I did not intend to say "all". This is why when I made that statement I was very careful not to use the word "all".
But ultimately, there are a lot of people who have become dependent on the system. Talk to any social worker you can get a hold of and the will tell you about how it's always the same people coming in for help and that it passes from one generation to the next.
I speak from first hand experience having worked in various organizations to try to help uplift poor people out of perpetual poverty. One of them you might recognize: Habitat for Humanity.
I also have many friends who are social workers. All have told me the exact same observations. There are many people who are trapped in perpetual poverty because of the fear of getting off the system. What's worse is they pass it onto their children, which is why social workers always see the same people across several generations coming in to apply for benefits. This is also why teenage pregnancy among poor people is insanely high. So many children grow up not seeing any other route to live their lives except get pregnant and apply for social benefits.
In order to solve the problem of poverty, we must recognize all aspects of it, regardless of how politically incorrect these aspects can be.
Again, trust me when I say I am as liberal as one can be. I do not hate poor people who remain dependent on the system forever. I have nothing but love for them. And sometimes, acts of love can be perceived as something else. I understand that.
I don't have all the answers. What I do know is the current system clearly does not work. People in perpetual poverty continue to be dependent on the system and they pass this onto their children and their children's children. It is a cycle that keeps repeating itself. If you can't recognize this fact, then how can you even begin to talk about how to help poor people?
Added by edit.
And to be clear, I am more than willing to put 30-40% of my income into helping uplift people out of poverty if I knew it would really achieve this goal. But again, the current system clearly does not work. Most of what causes poverty is ignorance and the lack of motivation. Unfortunately, there is no system in place right now to tackle either one of these major causes of poverty.
Liberals have sold government dependence so deliberately well, that even doing 24 hours of approved volunteer work a month for a capable adult became too much for more than 9,000 people.
Many areas don't have enough volunteer jobs for everyone. Most people would be working a job paying real money if they were lucky enough to have an employer offer one to them. All a person can do is fill out the job applications. There is no way to force the employer to offer you the job.
Never been to Maine, but around here you have to find your own work to meet the required hours and even the volunteer jobs are in such high demand that most people never even get considered for them. The state isn't required to help you find anything and simply looking for employment doesn't count as meeting the requirements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroWord
I refuse to believe that poverty will always be with us. I am convince there is a thread of future history where the problem of poverty can be solved once and for all.
Jesus said the poor would always be with us.
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Originally Posted by user491
I don't understand why poor people use those check cashing places that charge you $5 or so to cash a check when you can open a free checking account at most banks.
I haven't seen a free checking account in a long time. The closest I've seen is where you have to have a minimum balance and so much in direct deposits each month in order for the fees to be waved.
I know a few people on welfare, each in different, one girl who was on welfare, she was perfectly capable of working, her kids were older (before Clinton changed the rules).
One day we were unexpectedly hit with a bad snow storm hit. We were all at work. My MIL was very nervous about us getting home safely. The welfare girl (who lived with her mother) came over MIL's house. They were standing at the window looking at the snow coming down hard. Then welfare girl said... "now what fool would be out in that snow?" To which my MIL became angry and said "those fools out there working to support your fat ass, now get out!".
She wasn't too happy when the new laws were enacted and she had to work.
Rather than be angry at her, you guys should have tried to help her understand how to uplift herself out of poverty and thus out of the system.
Psychologists actually have a term to describe the mental/psychological state people like the woman you described are in. They call it "learned helplessness". It is the mental state where a person believes that no matter what he/she does the result will always be the same, which is him/her being poor and helpless. In such a mental state, a person will not even try. Barely getting by is good enough. And if it means living off the system so be it.
Poor people who are trapped in the perpetual cycle of poverty due to learned helplessness deserve our love and help in whatever way we can to uplift them out of such mental state. The problem of poverty is definitely not a problem that cannot be solved by throwing money at it. We have thrown billions upon billions of dollars at it and nothing has changed for the past decades. It's about time we try a different approach.
With this particular problem (poverty), I disagree with both approaches by mainstream liberals and conservatives. Liberals want to solve poverty by keep throwing money at it. Conservatives want to solve it by stop throwing money at it. Both have very simplistic view of the problem.
I assure to both sides. Keep throwing money at it will not ever lift anyone out of poverty. Neither is cutting them off.
Too bad there's too much pride flying around for anyone to even notice this post. *Sigh*
Glad you can get work for everyone in the country so we can get off your dime!
Oh so your saying they can't find work? So Democrats want to flood the employee market even more with open borders and illegal immigrants. Duh!
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and said "those fools out there working to support your fat ass, now get out!". 
