So this is 51% of our country, how sad
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So this is 51% of our country, how sad
| Tue, 11-11-2008 - 10:16am |
A video showing just what we've been saying.
| Tue, 11-11-2008 - 10:16am |
A video showing just what we've been saying.
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Exactly.
I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure
i see what you are saying and i agree...i hate seeing any system abused, especially one that is intended to truly help people.
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i see what you are saying... but even if she cancelled her cell phone, she would still proably need assistance. even if she didnt have a cell phone, she wouldnt be getting $30 less in 'welfare'... as far as i know, expenses like cell phones, cable and internet arent factors when applying for aid. i might be wrong depending on the state and the kind of aid... so even if she does have all of those things, she is still eligible.
but i do agree, things like cable and netflix are unnessary.but
yeah, right.....i agree...there are exceptions...i don't deny that.
but there aren't always exceptions...and those are the cases i am talking about.
i forget, but it hink you aren't too far from worcester....do you remember the mother who had 2 small children, and something tragic happened this summer, and when emergecy personel came to the scene, they discovered that the family was living in squalor, had no electricity (in the middle of the summer)...had insufficient food to feed the small children, and rotten milk in the fridge.....BUT...the mother had run an extention cord to the neighbor's house....so that she could have power to run her laptop, and she was on the internet all day long...
those are the cases i am talking about....maybe she could have powered her refrigerator!? IMO chosing the computer over the fridge was a poor choice.
and maybe if she was that desperate, she could have sold the laptop and bought some food?....
there are exceptions...but there are also a LOT of poor choices that lead to desperate times....and poor choices that keep people in desperate times.
sure there are "perhaps" scenarios...but not most of the time.
-Kristen
yes, and don't experiences like that make you think that some reform is needed, that something needs to change, not just adding more benefits, but tightening the "belts" and taking a hard look at where the money goes, and what it is spent on?
i never said i don't like welfare...actually i believe I said I am in support of it…..
I also believe it is mis-used, and IMO that needs to change.
-Kristen
"Your employer and the goverment did.
KAREN
yes, i agree too....
i would just like to see the dirty bathwater disposed of, rather than allowing it to get dirtier as we add more dirt to the budget....i am all for keeping the baby.
-Kristen
>>>but it is a place where i can see it firsthand, so it is on my mind.<<<
I think this is why personal aide is such an easy target.
"I live IN Seattle and I haven't seen the things you've claimed"
KAREN
since no one likes my cell phone analagy, let me just tell you all that i chose that as my example because i knew someone in that situation....it was a luxury (it was at a time when cell phones were relatively new, not the primary phone) she didn't need it..
sure, some people save money now by having a cell phone and no land line....but not everyone..
sure some people need them for medical reasons, but not everyone.
as far as the internet being necesary.....i dissagree....sure it is helpful, and one of my priorities, but i have dumped cable / internet before when money got tight (i also picked up a second job on top of my full time 60hr/week job, and my volunteer coaching job in an inner city youth league)...keeping me responsible for myself...i sure didn't want to work that long, or pick up that extra job, but IMO sacrafices need to be made before resorting to public aid....
IMO public aid should be a last resort, not plan B
and sally could go to the public library to use the internet (as i did) for the things that are "necessary".
and no one needs cable....but most people recieving aid that i know have cable, some have very elaborate packages too!
oh, and yes, i think you are right, she wouldn't get $30 less in welfare.....but if she used that money in another way, it would help her more in the long run...that is what people don't see....that money could accumulate and help her be more self sufficient...maybe not immediately, but that is the point, it isn't about instant gratification, it could pay her groceries for a month out of every year....it could pay some fees for schooling....etc..
it prob wouldn't change her budget month to month, but people REALLY need to be focusing less on month to month, and more on long term objectives...if they ever want to be self-sufficient.
I do not use my experiences that i have listed here to judge the whole system....(I also have experiences where the system has helped people i know) but at the same time, i chose not to ignore them ,to shrug my shoulders and say "meh...it happens...." beacuse it shouldn't and it is VERY expensive, and if it didn't happen, there would be more money in the budget for other programs that are important too.
-Kristen
i agree that it needs improvement. but when i start thinking about what that actually means, my mind scatters all over the place...let me demonstrate...
a person who abuses
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