To correct some misconceptions
Getting on welfare and/or disability are not easy tasks. There is a lot of paperwork to fill out and proof to provide. You will be fingerprinted and those fingerprints used to determine if you are abusing the system.
Actual abuse of the system is a lot more rare than folks like to claim.
So you see a fancy car in the welfare parking lot. It's paid off. So, I should sell it and not be able to find a job just because I need a couple months of assistance? So you see a fancy car in the welfare parking lot. Gee, I'm grateful my friend who is doing better than I am was willing to give me a ride in. So, you see a fancy car in the welfare parking lot. That's cause I borrowed it cause the public transportation system stinks.
Some people had some nice things before getting down on their luck. Though these things are often expensive to buy, they often have no resale value whatsoever. A computer that someone paid $1500 for might fetch $50 at a yard sale. An ipod someone paid $300 for might fetch $15. A previously paid for cell phone can be used with a prepaid card, so why get rid of it, especially as a lot of people do away with land lines nowadays?
Drive by your welfare office and you will see, in clear language, posted everywhere, the number to call if you suspect fraud.
But keep in mind your 'evidence' of fraud may just be based on your misunderstanding of a situation.
I wore nice clothes when I was homeless. It's amazing what you can find at yard sales and goodwill. I saved up for nice shoes because it made more sense to me to purchase a $50 pair that would last five years than a $15 pair that would last less than a year. I had a cell phone. It was my only phone and the only way I could be reached. If you saw me in the assistance line, you'd see a well-groomed woman in nice clothes with sensible shoes, with a cell phone. You'd probably assume I was scamming the system. I was probably on my way to a job interview after my appointment with my social worker.
I was on assistance for a few months. I suppose I could have done without it. I could have gotten into manufacturing and retail. I was always good at chemistry. I could have turned quite the profit making and selling meth. Would you have preferred I take that path?
What was it a certain wise man once said?
Judge not, that ye be not judged
And then there is what I say:
May you always be treated with the compassion you show to others.
