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Right there, this is a big reason why people who recieve foodstamps feel ashamed. I cannot tell you how many times I've had a cashier be rude or treat me with indifference because of shopping with foodstamps. One went so far as to tell me how wrong it is that she's not able to eat as good as my kids are eating, because she doesn't get foodstamps. *if we were buying junkfood, I could understand her complaint, but I buy whole foods, fruits, vegetables, etc for my family.*
You don't know that they are perfectly able to work, or what circumstances in their home are preventing them to work.
Maybe they would like to work, but maybe there is no work for them?
My family gets foodstamps. My husband has been under doctor's care since 2005 and his doctor has refused to release him to work. I find it appalling how many people just assume because you can move your arms and legs you should be able to work a job.
I went back to school to get a degree to have a better paying job to support my family so we wouldn't need assistance. Well, guess what? There were no local jobs for me when I finished school, even though I was told there would be. I put out several applications, and when I did get a job in the field I was trained in, we had cutbacks and I was let go.
Now my husband has recently had back surgery. He can't dress himself from the waist down, can't clean himself up after going to the bathroom, can't be left to watch the kids because he can't do anything for them, and has to wear a back brace for the next 3 months. He can't put on his own shoes, socks, pants, needs help to the bathroom, can't bend to pick up anything, not allowed to drive, and can't even help harvest the garden with me. He needs help 24/7. He does try to do more than he is supposed to, but his doctors have warned that one wrong move, he could paralyze himself. (funny, my field of training was to be a Home Health Aid, and instead of helping strangers, my training is being used to help my husband.)
Now they want him tested for diabetes. When does this end for us?
Yes, I'm perfectly able to work a job, but I'd have to hire someone to come into the home and care for my husband, plus I'd have to hire someone to watch my children.
What would you have people like me do?
Do I like that we get assistance? No. It's my worst nightmare. You have to report everything you make. Everytime I see hatching eggs, I have to report it if it adds up to more than $25 a month because it's income. I report to them everytime I sell eating eggs, or poultry, or rabbits, etc. EVERY dime I managed to scrimp off our small farm is reported. If I want to make a purchase of something (hatching eggs, more birds, a rabbit for my meat rabbits, etc.) I have to make decisions on who or what do I sell to pay for that?
Then they "refigure" the amounts we should receive on foodstamps for the next month based on what I made the previous month.
We barely get by. I'm lucky in the fact that I do manage to pay the bills each month, have got bartering down to a science, and I run to the auction each week.
I tell everyone we are on a fixed income, and that's true to a degree. BUT my husband hasn't been able to get disability, yet he's one that deserves it. He worked for years....from the time he was 18 years old until his back was injured in 2005...He's 38 now...even after his doctor told him not to work, he tried to work.
I was a SAHM, DH made enough money to support our family. Now I'm a care giver of my husband and my children.
It really bothers me when people judge people on the system, or they lump nearly everyone together, paint them with the same cloth.
"Look at that, on foodstamps. Looks like she could work a job just fine." You don't know that everyone who get's foodstamps isn't working. If they are at the store shopping, maybe they have a day off???
You can't just judge and assume because you see them spending their foodstamps that they aren't working! People who work 40 hours a week can still and do qualify for some assistance if what they make working 40 hours a week isn't enough to feed their families.
I'm sorry, I am not upset with you for your feelings on it, I totally understand. We went from High, and I mean high, Income to NOTHING! That's the hardest thing in the world. My DH didn't work minimum wage "would you like fries with that" job. He worked a dairy farm, his first job ever, and after 10 years he went to construction work, until we moved to Ohio and then he was an Assistant Manager. GOOD money all of those jobs. We paid all the bills out of one check, and the rest of the month the money was free to save, eat out, or for whatever toys we wanted.
The brand new house, the new cars, etc, it's all GONE. I'm working my tail off to build up our small farm, looking for good deals when I can. Egg money pays for most of my animal feed and toilet paper.
If you need it, you should get it. You are ENTITLED to it and it IS YOUR right to recieve it if you worked for it and paid taxes into it.
Your taxes are paying for someone else to get it right now. If you need it, get it. When your hours pick up and you are able to feed yourself, report the change, and get off it.
Also, if you aren't sure if you should report something because you don't know if it's considered a resource or not, report it anyway. It's better to give your caseworker more than they need than to with hold information that could be considered Welfare fraud. I report everything, and I let them tell me if they need to know it or not.
Do not be ashamed to get it. You pay taxes, if you need it, that's why it's there.
I hope ya'll won't lynch me now. I'm sorry so long. Lots of frustrations here....
My dear, if that's the story I would have gotten from the person that flat out TOLD me she wouldn't go back to work because she gets more income from food stamps than she does working...I would not have an issue at all. Day in and day out I hear people give me the same "pardon my rudeness" statement and eventually it begins to wear on you.
. Rice and beans is a staple everyone should have and can be played with a million different ways. Add a chicken breast to it and some seasoning and you have an entirely different meal. I can make 3 different dinners with 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 different meals with 2 lbs of hamburger that will feed a family of 4 - and have leftovers in the process, and no one goes hungry - ever. Use coupons - they are your friend and shop around for the sales in the papers - if you wait to use your coupons for those sales, especially the Buy One-Get One Free's - then you're really doing great!
