Why should I support someone else?
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| Sat, 12-30-2006 - 1:24pm |
Let me start by saying that I"m new here so this may have already been discussed, but this has come up in my office several times and I wanted to get some other views of this.
I do payroll for a rather small company so I know most of the workers and their wives (most of the workers are men due to the nature of our business). There are two in particular who's wives SAH. These two are up to their eyeballs in debt. I have bill collectors constantly calling for them. That part is really their business, it is annoying but I enjoy being rude back to the bill collectors, lol.
The part that bothers me is that both wives have been in the office wanting copies of X amount of check stubs so that they can go and get public assistance (I know because they told me that is what it is for)! Why should my tax money go so that these women can SAH? I know that not all families that one parent stays at home are like this, but I know lots that are. Heck, growing up we were always broke because my mother refused to work, but we weren't on any public assistance.
So, why should I pay for a woman to SAH? Why can't she go and get a job to support her family just like anyone else?


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Unless you know these *lots of parents* intimately enough to be privy to their financial situation and lifestyle, you are making a huge judgement on people you dont even know. And define *lots of parents* in relation to how many people actually shop at the thrift stores you know of. Realistically, you might actually *know* 10% of the clientele. How does that translate into feeling confident about judging people's reasons for shopping there, as well as their parenting skills?
Shopping at thrift stores has NOTHING to do with whether or not one is a bad parent. No matter WHERE you live or what your little corner of the world has shown you.
dj
Dj
"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~
Dj
"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~
Totally agree. And I think that the people who are most *afraid* of looking *poor* are the ones out there buying up the expensive suits and such. The ones who have a strong sense of self and are secure in themselves dont give a hoot. They dont have to prove anything.
dj
Dj
"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~
Neither my husband nor I have any aversion to wearing used clothing. I hardly ever buy anything new, personally. Maybe one or two outfits a year. And we tend to keep our clothes for decades.
My kids...well, the older one got three new pairs of dress pants -- Izods -- on sale at Penney's right before Christmas. They have been worn a total of I dunno, twice each? Three times each? He came in this morning and they were an inch too short and too tight at the waist. We're going to pass them down to friends who also have a skinny kid....nobody around here minds hand-me-downs and used clothing in good condition.
So am I. Which is why I shop at thrift stores. Some of the most fashionable people I know pick up a lot of their wardrobe secondhand. Vintage is always in.
dj
Dj
"Now when I need help, I look in the mirror" ~Kanye West~
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