What Are my neighbors having for dinner?

[greeneggsandham]

Quote:
But your circumstance is different from what Em is saying. Some honest people like you do still need help and I would never say not to help the ones who truely need it.

Then there are the ones who get pregnant while still in HS go on state assistance and never get off. They just keep having baby after baby and want nothing to do with working.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Some of us see people who deserve it and some of us just see those who waste it. If we were given the *choice* to have welfare $$$ taken out of our hard earned checks each week, would any of us check yes? After what I've seen... I would not. I do have a friend that has fallen on hard times, I would lend her money and respect her decision to go to public assistance because she takes good care of her children. Her husband was laid off, not because of laziness or poor work performance, but because he was low-man on the "totem pole".

I would gladly donate birth control. As much as I would love to have more children, I am smart enough, and responsible enough to understand it would cause a financial issue. No one else should have to pay for my bad choices.

 

[sheaviance1]

Quote:
I guess I am not understanding what you mean about the system being designed to keep you on it. It sounds like it is designed to wean you off of it. I know that when I help people out, the more they make, the less they need. But, I guess that does depend upon how well the recipient manages their money, and what their perspective is, doesn't it?

I've been poor before. It is a hard life. I was poor without government assistance. I can see where government assistance could entice people to become lazy, and I have definitely seen some that have. I have also seen people work their butts off to get off of assistance and go on to be very successful in their life. Em has a very valid complaint about a broken part of the system. People who stagnate on government assistance for years should lose it, imo. I'd love to see aid programs be just that, temporary aid, not a lifetime occupation.

 

[Tanichca]

Quote:

well said, and agreed!

I think that if someone can work, than someone should. Enough mollycoddling of people who could very well be useful to society, and yet have been trained to think that even if they are healthy, smart, or in any way able, they can rely on the government to pay them for doing... Nothing!
Now, people with disabilities I can understand. If they can't work, then yes, they do need financial aid to stay alive.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Some of us see people who deserve it and some of us just see those who waste it. If we were given the *choice* to have welfare $$$ taken out of our hard earned checks each week, would any of us check yes? After what I've seen... I would not

Yes. And I'd actually prefer most things to work as follows:
-Opt to pay into a given service or not
-Only those who pay into it may use the service (universal health care, welfare, etc.)

I'd be totally down with that. I would still opt to pay for things like education for other people's kids even though I plan on not having any though. I realize that as a society, even though I can have this idea that I am self made and live on my own little piece of land, that really isn't true. If people get poor and desperate enough, if there are no opportunities for support and things like education, that will eventually come crashing down on me or those after me.​

 

[bt03]

My dad can't work because of medical problems. He can't get unemployment aid because he can't work because of his medical problems but he can't get his medical problems fixed because he has no money because he can't work. He can't get help with food stamps because he does not have the proper paperwork from unemployment because he doesn't have the proper paperwork from the doctor. He is mad that he cannot work and it is slowly killing him because he has worked every day of his life since he was 8. We buy him as much as we can afford and help with bills as much as possible too but it is really putting a strain on us because one household is expensive enough, but 2 is just, wow.

My husband's sister is on all kinds of govt aid. She is currently trying to get pregnant again because her oldest is almost 5 and the WIC will be running out soon because her second is 3 and she can't afford to put the milk, etc. on her foodstamp card because she sells more than half of the $700 a month she gets. She has said very plainly before that she wants a girl and she doesn't care about having a dad she just wants to dress it up like a doll. She hasn't had a job as long as me and my husband have been together and has no qualms about saying why work when we pay for everything she has (including her Denali).

I am trying as hard as possible to get my dad to see his 55th birthday but I'm really scared he will never see it if we can't get him the help he needs.

 

[greeneggsandham]

I will let you all know that in RI they are trying to crack down on welfare fraud.
I know someone who thought they could "work" the system and it caught up with her when her two boys were 6 and 7. The state had found out she had TWO welfare accounts under two different names. Not sure how she did that.
She has since been court ordered to get a job and to pay back the state a nice amount of $53,000.00. Her boys are with their father and are doing fantastic.

 

[EmtheFishLady]

Yet another problem I have with it. I've seen very deserving people turned down for any assistance. Seems the only ones who get it don't really deserve it.


I think a lot of you have taken my posts out of context and missed the point. I never said everyone on welfare didn't deserve it. I said THEY don't. I've never been on any assistance and I never will. I can be incredibly sure of this because I have too much pride. I think I'd rather starve. I don't judge people on whether or not they are on assistance, I judge them on whether or not they're trying, and these people are not.


A man I respected greatly once said "Without welfare some would starve...the rest would get out and work."

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
I guess I am not understanding what you mean about the system being designed to keep you on it. It sounds like it is designed to wean you off of it. I know that when I help people out, the more they make, the less they need. But, I guess that does depend upon how well the recipient manages their money, and what their perspective is, doesn't it?

I've been poor before. It is a hard life. I was poor without government assistance. I can see where government assistance could entice people to become lazy, and I have definitely seen some that have. I have also seen people work their butts off to get off of assistance and go on to be very successful in their life. Em has a very valid complaint about a broken part of the system. People who stagnate on government assistance for years should lose it, imo. I'd love to see aid programs be just that, temporary aid, not a lifetime occupation.

I understand what she is saying.

For example: Say you are a single mother of one child, making $18,000 a year. (This is all hypothetical, I don't know what the actual numbers would be.) So you are getting daycare assistance. Say your full time daycare costs $4000 a year, and you pay half. Now let's say you get a raise and you're making $19,000 a year. Ooops, that's the cutoff for daycare assistance for a single parent with one child. Now you've actually gone backwards because instead of paying $2000 a year for daycare, you're paying the whole $4000. 18,000-2,000 = 16,000. 19,000-4000 = 15,000 (Please note this is a very simple and limited example.) This is what she means when she says that in some ways welfare is designed to keep you on it.

What we need is welfare REFORM, not the complete elimination of welfare. And I think drug tests are an EXCELLENT idea.

 

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
I guess I am not understanding what you mean about the system being designed to keep you on it. It sounds like it is designed to wean you off of it. I know that when I help people out, the more they make, the less they need. But, I guess that does depend upon how well the recipient manages their money, and what their perspective is, doesn't it?

I've been poor before. It is a hard life. I was poor without government assistance. I can see where government assistance could entice people to become lazy, and I have definitely seen some that have. I have also seen people work their butts off to get off of assistance and go on to be very successful in their life. Em has a very valid complaint about a broken part of the system. People who stagnate on government assistance for years should lose it, imo. I'd love to see aid programs be just that, temporary aid, not a lifetime occupation.

I agree it is desinged to keep you on it. For an example:

We live on about $1200 a month plus $350 for food stamps and free medicaid for the 2 kids.

I am a stay at home mom and a full time student.

IF I were to get a job making say $8 an hour (which would be good pay around here and is what I was making 4 years ago)

$8 an hour - 8 hours a day = $64 64 x 5 = 320 320 x 4 = $1280

Okay I have 2 kids that are not in school, I would have to take Cooper out of preschool more than likely to get a sitter. So 2 kids in daycare would cost me about $40 a day so $200 a week, $800 a month.

So we are down to 1280-800 = 480

Then factor in the fuel IF I could get a job close to home it be at least 30 miles a day. So we will say $7 a day in fuel, 7 x 5 =35 35 x 4=140

480-140= 340

Plus I have to pay insurance on both kids and don't forget to take out all taxes and other things from my check. Oh and forget about school too so I can't advance any further.

Do you understand now how it doesn't let you wean off? We would be worse off if I were to get a job then we are now. Plus factor in all the wear and tear on the car from driving it every day.