what a joke and only can happen in this beloved country of ours...

[CrookedRock]

This thread is extremely interesting to read.
When I first read the OP I def had an opinion. When I contunued to read I understood that we have no clue about this particular man and the situation in which he was buying the lobster. For all I know a friend of his asked his to find out if it was possible to buy lobster with the stamps. Who Knows... Whit that being said my comments are not about this man in particular.

I do take issue if my tax dollars that are going to gov''t assistance are being used to buy Lobster or even Fillet for that matter. Maybe thats bc I know I pay an outrageous amount of taxes (and I''m not even going to discuss my feelings on the IRS). I am sure many of you have read this before but if you haven''t then you should... Dinner & Taxes
I hate to admit it, but that''s how it really works!

I do think the issues with gov''t assistance go deeper than most people think. One huge problem is our school system. I think it is amazing that there are people like Haven who get up everyday and go and see this firsthand, and do what they can to make a difference. I too have a good friend who did this for 2 years and couldn''t possibly take it any longer. So kudos to you Haven, I know it''s not an easy job. The stories my friend told me were out this world.

There are certainly people on welfare who are trying to get off, but there are also people who are trying to stay on.
Beebrisk, you were right on about your vote in Novemeber and how it could possibly make this situation a lot worse.
Holly, a big DItto to everything you have said here!

One of the things that really gets me is that I love to help people. We donate, we do charity events, I am all for it... But not when it is expected or being abused. The entitlement in this country is what really gets to me. And guess what?... the entitlement isn''t just about the needy people... the gov''t is pretty damn guilty too!

(WoW... I never usually get involved in these types of touchy threads, but this one struck a cord with me)

 

[Irishgrrrl]

For over 20 years, my Mom worked for our local housing authority, until she retired a few years ago. (For those of you who may not be aware, a housing authority is a local governmental organization that provides housing to low-income individuals and families who qualify.) Part of my Mom''s job was to place new tenants into apartments, and then follow up on any complaints they had regarding those apartments (maintenance requests, tranfers to larger apartments when necessary, etc.). Believe me, the "Welfare Queens" are alive and well.

Don''t get me wrong . . . there are plenty of people who came through my Mom''s office who truly did need the assistance and were honestly trying to better themselves. But my Mom found it awfully hard to sympathize with the ladies with fur coats, designer bags, designer clothing and shoes, a bunch of high-quality jewelry, and whose hair and nails had just been professionally done. My Mom couldn''t afford to dress this way, and she had a full-time job and had never been on welfare a day in her life. Seeing these people made her feel very angry for the ones who really needed and deserved the assistance.

Having said that, it''s true that we don''t know the lobster guy''s circumstances . . . maybe he is one of the ones abusing the system, and maybe not. It''s not fair to judge him based solely on the question he asked. But I think the point DF was trying to make is that the welfare system is being abused, which is very frustrating. If that''s the point you were making, DF, then I agree completely.

 

[iheartscience]

All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we''ve spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is "welfare queens" popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:38:23 AM
Author: thing2of2
All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we''ve spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is ''welfare queens'' popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

I was trying to think of how I could best respond to this topic, and you hit the nail on the head.

BIG

FAT

DITTO!!!!

I sometimes get depressed just thinking about how F*&%ed up the priorities in this country are. I''d rather buy everyone in the nation a lobster dinner than continue to misuse taxpayer dollars in the way that we have in this war.

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:38:23 AM
Author: thing2of2
All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we've spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is 'welfare queens' popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

Oh trust me the welfare issue is not one of my huge concerns. We've created that problem ourselves. The Iraq War is probably the biggest (at least for me) but unfortunately bc of our voting decisions it really isn't going to change. That's a whole other thread! We're hugely in the crapper and sad to say, but I am looking out for #1 right now, and that's my family.
****off to buy more gold and silver!

****

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:44:53 AM
Author: CrookedRock

Date: 8/18/2008 9:38:23 AM
Author: thing2of2
All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we''ve spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is ''welfare queens'' popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

Oh trust me the welfare issue is not one of my huge concerns. We''ve created that problem ourselves. The Iraq War is probably the biggest (at least for me) but unfortunately bc of our voting decisions it really isn''t going to change. That''s a whole other thread! We''re hugely in the crapper and sad to say, but I am looking out for #1 right now, and that''s my family.
****off to buy more gold and silver!

****

Ditto, CR!

 

[miraclesrule]

I''m not afraid of any "gang" be it "Republican" or "Democrat", so I don''t need to watch out for anything.

Except for Rich and I look forward to that.

Having said that...I have to ditto thingof2 because that is what I had to bite my tongue on, and I am glad she said it.

The people in this country have let their countrymen down by not taking back their government and not holding them accountable and by taking the time to post on this thread instead of writing to their government official. Maybe even give them a call on a specific topic you are concerned about. Have you ever even called your senator or congressmen/women?

None of know this "lobster" person''s story. Maybe they are on assistance because someone is dying and that was the one thing they wanted or could eat. Maybe they were mentally or develomentally ill and couldn''t keep a job. Personally I would feel grateful that I was not in their predicament.

Dancing Fire,
All your recent posts are fairly negative and bash the US. Instead of complaining about complex issues that you think can be reduced to a simple sentence, why don''t show some love to the country where you were given the freedom to thrive and delve more into issues that YOU can help change. If you think a few people can''t change the government, think again...it''s about to happen. The next generation is sick and tired of the mess our generation has and hasn''t done, and they are not going to do the same.

Happy Monday....I am out of this thread.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:38:23 AM
Author: thing2of2
All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we've spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is 'welfare queens' popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

Before we go off on a tangent about the OT Iraq War, I think everyone knows there are possibly a million misuses of government money & about a billion different perspectives as to what is considered a misuse. This thread was about welfare recipients. I feel more comfortable commenting on welfare system abuses because I have witnessed it firsthand several times. I have not, however, been to Iraq, nor do I consider myself knowledgeable enough about the situation over there to make decisions for the entire country just because I hear/read news stories from the biased media. Everyone has chimed in with their personal experiences & perspectives on the issue & I appreciate that. I also would never use derogatory terms to describe our nation, but that's also just my personal opinion.

ETA: There are several threads about the Iraq War, but since this one is about welfare I thought that the whole Iraq War thing was kinda OT...people can be concerned about more than one issue. Also remember that some would not consider the Iraq War a misuse of taxes, just as you would not consider foodstamp lobster a misuse. It's all about personal opinion & I think everyone is free to state theirs without being told their feelings are invalid (i.e. shouldn't be a priority). Of course there are always bigger fish to fry, but that's not what this thread was about.

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:53:04 AM
Author: miraclesrule
If you think a few people can''t change the government, think again...it''s about to happen. The next generation is sick and tired of the mess our generation has and hasn''t done, and they are not going to do the same.

Hey Miracles!
I know you are out of the thread, but could you clarify that statement for me. As part of the generation that is fed up with the mess that has been created, I''m curious as to who is going to change things in your opinion.

 

[LaraOnline]

Date: 8/18/2008 1:25:12 AM
Author: fieryred33143
Well bee, next time you are at the checkout counter and making your decisions of what to buy versus what not to buy, look around you and see if anyone is paying attention to your cart or even cares. As opposed to those families on assistance that have an entire store of people looking and pointing when they decide that this week they’re going to splurge on Kellogg’s cereal instead of the $1 bag of cereal…you know as a little treat for the kids. Or that they’re going to get the deli cheese for the first week of school instead of the gov’t cheese. Or that *God forbid* they’re going to treat their family to a nice meal instead of the usual rice/beans/chicken meal.

Hellow Fiery Red. This post has the ring of authenticity. From an individual''s perspective, yes, it must certainly be embarrassing to provide food stamps and other conspicuous means of identification when making purchases with welfare assistance.

In Australia, currently, we don''t have such a system, and everybody gets the ''benefit of the doubt'' when fronting up to pay for goods, as welfare is distributed in cash.
However, we too have a problem with ongoing welfare dependence. It is a serious issue, and, on a community wide scale, it is a hugely expensive issue.

We (my husband and myself) are in small business. The level of tax we pay, on behalf of ourselves and our employees is absolutely phenomenal. There''s no doubting that the tax levels are a severe brake on economic growth in this country. The vibrancy of our economic sector is, on a global level, pretty dismal really (hence my presence on this forum).

Customer service (never an Australian strong point) is absolutely dead in the water, value for money is nowhere to be seen. The extraordinarily high costs of doing business in Australia make it genuinely hard for small business owners like us to get ahead - or even to make the same money as the employees!

When my man first graduated from his professional degree, he headed to the UK. It''s been a sad and sorry comedown since he came home, that''s for sure!
And yet, our high-tax, high welfare system plods on. The lucky country, indeed!

sorry for long post...

 

[Julianna]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:38:23 AM
Author: thing2of2
All this talk about tax dollars got me thinking about how much money is being spent on the Iraq war. I did a little poking around and it looks like most estimates say about $300 million a DAY is spent on the Iraq war. Estimates also say we''ve spent almost $1 TRILLION so far. What welfare recipients do with their food stamps is the least of my worries when it comes to misuse of taxpayer dollars.

This country is in the crapper and all people are worried about is ''welfare queens'' popping out kids and buying lobster for dinner? Hilarious.

Actually, yes. More worried about the "popping out" of kids than the lobster situation, incidentally, but still. I can hardly name ONE SINGLE use of my personal tax dollars in this country that is not frivilous, ridiculous, shady, or any combination of the three. That includes both a fruitless, lie-based war and some useless waste of skin working on her 5th kid/5th baby daddy on my dime. My 70 hour workweeks support both of these things, neither with my explicit permission. Not that hilarious.

I shall now take a minute of silence for this momentous occassion: the first time I ever disagreed with thing2. Bleh.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:53:04 AM
Author: miraclesrule
I'm not afraid of any 'gang' be it 'Republican' or 'Democrat', so I don't need to watch out for anything.

Except for Rich and I look forward to that.

Having said that...I have to ditto thingof2 because that is what I had to bite my tongue on, and I am glad she said it.

The people in this country have let their countrymen down by not taking back their government and not holding them accountable and by taking the time to post on this thread instead of writing to their government official. Maybe even give them a call on a specific topic you are concerned about. Have you ever even called your senator or congressmen/women?

I know you said you are out of this thread & I know I might be in the minority here, but to answer your question just in case you were talking about me, YES & I have attended several fundraisers, speaking engagements, & appearances to get to know my representatives & where they stand on issues important to me. I also report people I know are abusing the welfare system without hesitation. One vote can only do so much. What will happen after this election year remains to be seen, as I have come to learn not to trust anything said by candidates in an election year!

 

[miraclesrule]

Crooked Rock: I will post about that in another thread. It''s encouraging to say the least.

As for Welfare, I suggest several good books that I have read. I can''t remember the name of the best one I read, but I can dig it out of my garage tonight and post it. A few that are fairly good are:

Why Americans Hate Welfare

Welfare Racism

Myth of the Welfare Queen

And unless you have ever been on it yourself, I don''t think you can speak to both issues. I have a personal story to tell that would illustrate a lot of misconceptions, but I have to shower before I go to work, so I don''t stink.

 

[CrookedRock]

Thanks Miracles! I Look forward to reading what you have to say! And thanks for the reading recommendations. As soon as I finish reading RP''s Manifesto for the second time I will def look into them!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/18/2008 12:15:26 AM
Author: crown1
for all those who are interested in helping kids who need food there is a great program being utilized in my area. volunteers are packing backpacks to be sent home with needy children on the weekends. there are many children dependent on school breakfast and lunch programs for meals. many of those children were not having much to eat over the weekend thus the program. peanut butter, crackers, breakfast bars and the like are being loaded into the packs for the children to have when they need.

there are many things we can do to be part of the solution. i hope all who spoke up for the needy get involved in some way.

Crown, that is a great reminder!

I was reading a lot of the food banks are running on low because many people have not been giving! I will be sure to clean out my cabinets and run to the store and buy some pb jars! Thank you!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/18/2008 12:32:16 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Yeah, if I had the choice to react with disdain OR offer to buy the person enough lobster to feed their family a lobster dinner,

I would choose the latter every time. If I ever become the former, I would rather not exist.

Of course, I would also strike up a conversation to learn their story.

I hear you! It soo reminds me of the Christmas Shoes, story!

 

[Julianna]

Date: 8/18/2008 10:29:22 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 8/18/2008 12:32:16 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Yeah, if I had the choice to react with disdain OR offer to buy the person enough lobster to feed their family a lobster dinner,

I would choose the latter every time. If I ever become the former, I would rather not exist.

Of course, I would also strike up a conversation to learn their story.

I hear you! It soo reminds me of the Christmas Shoes, story!

AUGH! SKIPPERS! The constant positive attitude!! It buuuurnnns!! Hee hee!

*hug*

 

[VegasAngel]

DF post & a lot of similar titles show up frequently on another board/forum I visit. If you think some of the comments in this thread are offensive you havent seen anything. On this other board they tell Welfare folks to stop popping out kids they cant feed, ask why they have a computer, wii fit, cable t.v. anything someone may consider a luxury if they are receiving assistance etc..

Had I heard someone ask if food stamps paid for lobster I probably would have been a little shocked. Personally I never even notice how people pay for their items in the first place. I dont want to be quick to judge either since I dont know their situation. There are plenty of people who use assiance in the way it is intended & people who dont. That can be said for a lot of things in life.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/18/2008 9:53:04 AM
Author: miraclesrule
Dancing Fire,
All your recent posts are fairly negative and bash the US. Instead of complaining about complex issues that you think can be reduced to a simple sentence, why don''t show some love to the country where you were given the freedom to thrive and delve more into issues that YOU can help change. If you think a few people can''t change the government, think again...it''s about to happen. The next generation is sick and tired of the mess our generation has and hasn''t done, and they are not going to do the same.

Happy Monday....I am out of this thread.

miracle,
you''re wrong about the way feel. the U.S. is the greatest country in the world. i was proud to become a U.S. citizen (legally

) in 1977. the reason why i haven''t comment on the Olympic thread cuz i''am anti China

infact, everyday i have lunch with couple of friends that are pro China,they try to convince me that China is the greatest country in the world. i tell them that w/o the U.S., China wouldn''t be so powerful.we the U.S. make what China is today.

 

[merlinthecat]

The benefit system is grossly abused here in the UK too.

I think it''s fair to assume that if someone is on welfare, you would expect them to have a modest life style. Most tax payers would object to paying for cigarettes, alcohol and luxury items (and I would class lobster as a luxury item). Even if it was a special occasion, it doesn''t make sense spending limited funds on things that are non-essential.

I think DF made a very valid point when he said that in the Western world we don''t really know what REAL poverty is.

Just my 2c

 

[aliciagirl]

I just want to share a personal story that is really hard to share along the lines on not judging other people, even those who are, God forbid, stealing your taxpayer dollars.

My mother gets government assistance. It''s not because she lazy. It''s because she is severely mentally disabled and is totally unable to maintain a normal, adult relationship, let alone have a job. She no longer is able to live on her own, but when she was, she embarrassed herself in the store all the time because she honestly didn''t understand why she could and couldn''t spend money on certain items versus others. When you talk to her, you can''t tell that she''s severely schizophrenic... she seems like a relatively normal person who is a little bit shaky because of her meds and sometimes laughs out loud or talk quietly to herself. When I was younger, I witnessed people just like all of you giving her a hard time at the grocery store because she didn''t understand exactly what was covered and what wasn''t, like that makes her some kind of terrible, awful person. Even as a kid, I wanted to just yell and scream at these people that everything isn''t exactly what it seems. Sure, she seemed mostly normal, but she wasn''t. Not even close.

This isn''t an issue of people abusing the system because I understand that lots of people do. But you don''t understand this man''s situation or anyone else''s that get government assistance. And I truly hope that any one of those people who gave my mom a hard time have to experience just once what it was like to be her shoes.

How about doing something to change the current system instead of assuming everyone who uses it is abusing it. I, personally, would rather have one person''s life be changed or, in my mom''s cased, saved, even if that means there are 50 others who abuse the system.

I guess because of that I should just move to a Socialist nation.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 8/17/2008 7:32:23 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
i was in line at an asian market waiting to pay for my stuff. this guy walks up to the cashier and ask ''do you take food stamp for live lobsters

'' LOBSTERS??? Wednesday,Thurs,Friday... you''re on welfare and having lobsters for dinner on taxpayer''s money.

wonder why they don''t want to work

I once saw a woman trying to buy a twelve-pack of beer with food stamps, and that disgusted me. I agree that food stamps are meant to be used to buy food for the poor - rice, beans, pasta, milk, peanut butter - those are nutritious, inexpensive foods that could last a poor family through many meals, instead of wasting a lot of money on one meal. I think that they should only be eligible for certain types of nutritious food, not junk food or luxury items. And if this particular person was trying to do a celebration dinner, how about a nice lasagna? Could feed many more people for a fraction of the cost

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/17/2008 10:13:48 PM
Author: MC

this entire thread is annoying. Haven''t you posted that you''re supported by your wife???? Many times, I recall.

MC
do you really believe that ?

and do you also recall many times i said....wife and i have separate accounts ?

 

[meresal]

Date: 8/17/2008 7:51:58 PM
Author: Skippy123
Maybe it was someone''s birthday and was wondering if they could splurge once? I don''t know, just a thought?

I''m sorry I don''t ever do this, but I can''t read thru 4 pages of posts, and if I''m way past this, then please just ignore...

But I agree with Skippy, this is exactly what I was thinking. Maybe an anniversary, or a birthday. If he was doing this on a regular basis, then he probably wouldn''t have had to ask in the first place.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 8/18/2008 11:24:45 AM
Author: aliciagirl
I just want to share a personal story that is really hard to share along the lines on not judging other people, even those who are, God forbid, stealing your taxpayer dollars.

My mother gets government assistance. It''s not because she lazy. It''s because she is severely mentally disabled and is totally unable to maintain a normal, adult relationship, let alone have a job. She no longer is able to live on her own, but when she was, she embarrassed herself in the store all the time because she honestly didn''t understand why she could and couldn''t spend money on certain items versus others. When you talk to her, you can''t tell that she''s severely schizophrenic... she seems like a relatively normal person who is a little bit shaky because of her meds and sometimes laughs out loud or talk quietly to herself. When I was younger, I witnessed people just like all of you giving her a hard time at the grocery store because she didn''t understand exactly what was covered and what wasn''t, like that makes her some kind of terrible, awful person. Even as a kid, I wanted to just yell and scream at these people that everything isn''t exactly what it seems. Sure, she seemed mostly normal, but she wasn''t. Not even close.

This isn''t an issue of people abusing the system because I understand that lots of people do. But you don''t understand this man''s situation or anyone else''s that get government assistance. And I truly hope that any one of those people who gave my mom a hard time have to experience just once what it was like to be her shoes.

How about doing something to change the current system instead of assuming everyone who uses it is abusing it. I, personally, would rather have one person''s life be changed or, in my mom''s cased, saved, even if that means there are 50 others who abuse the system.

I guess because of that I should just move to a Socialist nation.

Alicia, I''m sorry for your mom''s troubles. It''s a shame that she''s treated this way by people who make assumptions about her based on the fact that she receives assistance. In my opinion, your mom is exactly the type of person who SHOULD be receiving assistance . . . she''s a good example of someone the system was designed to help.

As a taxpayer, I have no problem at all with people like your mom receiving assistance. And you stated that she truly has trouble understanding what can/can''t be purchased with food stamps when she goes shopping. My issue is with those who "work the system" and try to get assistance that they don''t need and shouldn''t be able to qualify for . . . people who understand full well what can/can''t be purchased with food stamps, but try to buy things they shouldn''t anyway (alcohol and cigarettes, for example). In my opinion, these people are taking away valuable benefits that could otherwise be extended to people who really need them . . . like your mom.

 

[aliciagirl]

Date: 8/18/2008 11:41:51 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 8/18/2008 11:24:45 AM

Author: aliciagirl

I just want to share a personal story that is really hard to share along the lines on not judging other people, even those who are, God forbid, stealing your taxpayer dollars.


My mother gets government assistance. It's not because she lazy. It's because she is severely mentally disabled and is totally unable to maintain a normal, adult relationship, let alone have a job. She no longer is able to live on her own, but when she was, she embarrassed herself in the store all the time because she honestly didn't understand why she could and couldn't spend money on certain items versus others. When you talk to her, you can't tell that she's severely schizophrenic... she seems like a relatively normal person who is a little bit shaky because of her meds and sometimes laughs out loud or talk quietly to herself. When I was younger, I witnessed people just like all of you giving her a hard time at the grocery store because she didn't understand exactly what was covered and what wasn't, like that makes her some kind of terrible, awful person. Even as a kid, I wanted to just yell and scream at these people that everything isn't exactly what it seems. Sure, she seemed mostly normal, but she wasn't. Not even close.


This isn't an issue of people abusing the system because I understand that lots of people do. But you don't understand this man's situation or anyone else's that get government assistance. And I truly hope that any one of those people who gave my mom a hard time have to experience just once what it was like to be her shoes.


How about doing something to change the current system instead of assuming everyone who uses it is abusing it. I, personally, would rather have one person's life be changed or, in my mom's cased, saved, even if that means there are 50 others who abuse the system.


I guess because of that I should just move to a Socialist nation.

Alicia, I'm sorry for your mom's troubles. It's a shame that she's treated this way by people who make assumptions about her based on the fact that she receives assistance. In my opinion, your mom is exactly the type of person who SHOULD be receiving assistance . . . she's a good example of someone the system was designed to help.


As a taxpayer, I have no problem at all with people like your mom receiving assistance. And you stated that she truly has trouble understanding what can/can't be purchased with food stamps when she goes shopping. My issue is with those who 'work the system' and try to get assistance that they don't need and shouldn't be able to qualify for . . . people who understand full well what can/can't be purchased with food stamps, but try to buy things they shouldn't anyway (alcohol and cigarettes, for example). In my opinion, these people are taking away valuable benefits that could otherwise be extended to people who really need them . . . like your mom.

I too, have issues with people who "work the system" but how do you truly know? You don't.. unless you personally know the person/work for an agency that provides for them. It's easy to make assumptions on people's appearances, but you don't really know. We have a wealthy family member that sends my mom second-hand clothes. They're nice, sometimes even designer. She, of course, doesn't know that but it makes people pass judgments even more. I'm just saying, unless you KNOW FOR SURE what someone's situation is, you don't have a right to comment or complain or pass judgment.

People who really do need the help don't wear a sign that says, "I'm disabled. I deserve the handouts" ya know? This lobster guy could have easily been my mom several years ago. And all the people who passed judgment would suddenly feel bad.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/18/2008 11:40:30 AM
Author: meresal

Date: 8/17/2008 7:51:58 PM
Author: Skippy123
Maybe it was someone's birthday and was wondering if they could splurge once? I don't know, just a thought?

I'm sorry I don't ever do this, but I can't read thru 4 pages of posts, and if I'm way past this, then please just ignore...

But I agree with Skippy, this is exactly what I was thinking. Maybe an anniversary, or a birthday. If he was doing this on a regular basis, then he probably wouldn't have had to ask in the first place.

Yes, our Skippy is the eternal optimist - gotta love her!

My first inclination would be to wonder why, if someone wants an elaborate meal for a special occassion coming up, they would not save their own money to do so instead of using their foodstamps, which are intended to go much further than a couple meals & not for a few expensive goods. I love the WIC program because it requires that the purchaser buy basic, healthy foods for their children. It always caused some delay in the line whenever I had to check out someone who was new to the program because sometimes they would pick up Kool-Aid instead of Juicy Juice or CocoPuffs instead of Shredded Wheat, but I was happy to correct them & explain the rules to them. As a cashier, I always tried to be discrete and professional when ringing up people on welfare because I know it can be embarrassing. I don't know about other states, but Indiana has the EBT debit card where no one can even tell you're using foodstamps because you just swipe it through the machine like any other card payment.

ETA: Aliciagirl - I hope you don't think I was saying in ANY of my posts that people like your mother should not receive assistance. I know that many people don't understand the system fully, but I guess I just *assumed* that most people on welfare aren't looking to buy expensive food that most people generally don't buy with their foodstamps...maybe I am wrong. There are no details on the OP man's situation, so all that is left to do is to give opinions based on our assumptions.

ETAA: I would also venture to say that most of the PSers who have contributed to this thread *ARE* involved in the political process & *DO* perform some type of charity. My impression with PSers is that they don't often speak without personal experience, nor are they all talk. However, I understand that assumptions are often all that we have on a forum such as this.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 8/18/2008 11:45:40 AM
Author: aliciagirl

Date: 8/18/2008 11:41:51 AM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 8/18/2008 11:24:45 AM

Author: aliciagirl

I just want to share a personal story that is really hard to share along the lines on not judging other people, even those who are, God forbid, stealing your taxpayer dollars.


My mother gets government assistance. It''s not because she lazy. It''s because she is severely mentally disabled and is totally unable to maintain a normal, adult relationship, let alone have a job. She no longer is able to live on her own, but when she was, she embarrassed herself in the store all the time because she honestly didn''t understand why she could and couldn''t spend money on certain items versus others. When you talk to her, you can''t tell that she''s severely schizophrenic... she seems like a relatively normal person who is a little bit shaky because of her meds and sometimes laughs out loud or talk quietly to herself. When I was younger, I witnessed people just like all of you giving her a hard time at the grocery store because she didn''t understand exactly what was covered and what wasn''t, like that makes her some kind of terrible, awful person. Even as a kid, I wanted to just yell and scream at these people that everything isn''t exactly what it seems. Sure, she seemed mostly normal, but she wasn''t. Not even close.


This isn''t an issue of people abusing the system because I understand that lots of people do. But you don''t understand this man''s situation or anyone else''s that get government assistance. And I truly hope that any one of those people who gave my mom a hard time have to experience just once what it was like to be her shoes.


How about doing something to change the current system instead of assuming everyone who uses it is abusing it. I, personally, would rather have one person''s life be changed or, in my mom''s cased, saved, even if that means there are 50 others who abuse the system.


I guess because of that I should just move to a Socialist nation.

Alicia, I''m sorry for your mom''s troubles. It''s a shame that she''s treated this way by people who make assumptions about her based on the fact that she receives assistance. In my opinion, your mom is exactly the type of person who SHOULD be receiving assistance . . . she''s a good example of someone the system was designed to help.


As a taxpayer, I have no problem at all with people like your mom receiving assistance. And you stated that she truly has trouble understanding what can/can''t be purchased with food stamps when she goes shopping. My issue is with those who ''work the system'' and try to get assistance that they don''t need and shouldn''t be able to qualify for . . . people who understand full well what can/can''t be purchased with food stamps, but try to buy things they shouldn''t anyway (alcohol and cigarettes, for example). In my opinion, these people are taking away valuable benefits that could otherwise be extended to people who really need them . . . like your mom.

I too, have issues with people who ''work the system'' but how do you truly know? You don''t.. unless you personally know the person/work for an agency that provides for them. It''s easy to make assumptions on people''s appearances, but you don''t really know. We have a wealthy family member that sends my mom second-hand clothes. They''re nice, sometimes even designer. She, of course, doesn''t know that but it makes people pass judgments even more. I''m just saying, unless you KNOW FOR SURE what someone''s situation is, you don''t have a right to comment or complain or pass judgment.

I do understand what you''re saying, and I try very hard not to judge others based solely on outward appearances. Appearances can be very deceiving. As I stated in my post above, we can''t judge the lobster guy based solely on the question he asked. He may or may not be unfairly taking advantage of the system. But, in my mom''s job, she did know for sure what those people''s circumstances were. And, based on what she knew about those people, it upset her (rightfully so) that they were working the system and taking the benefits away from those who truly needed them. She had to watch that happen every day, and it just broke her heart, but there wasn''t much she could do.

 

[Haven]

I respect everyone''s opinions in this thread, and I''ve enjoyed reading all of the posts.

Elle, thank you for sharing your story. I know that must have been hard.

I''m going to echo the sentiment that I hope the feelings these topics have evoked in you encourage you to go out and do something about the injustices in the system, regardless of which side of the fence you fall.

Talk is cheap. You don''t like the current system? Go do something about it. Vote for leaders at every level. Get involved in the political process. It is your obligation as a citizen of this country to either participate, or remove yourself from the discussion. In my opinion, of course.

And there are a lot of people who need help who will not abuse your outstretched hand. It can be as simple as walking around with coupon books to local restaurant chains in your pocket, hand them out to people begging for change. Donate exra clothes and blankets. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or shelter. Make sandwiches and pass them out. Buy a newspaper from a homeless man peddling them on the corner. Work as a volunteer coach for an after-school program. It all helps. I''m not a bleeding-heart type, but I am a human being, and compassion is the most human of emotions.

 

[aliciagirl]

Indy - I know that''s not really what any of the posters that have posted are saying. But lots of people seem to be judging this man and others without truly knowing their situation. Maybe this guy didn''t understand that lobster is a "luxury" food, I know my mom wouldn''t have. And in my mom''s case, she could have easily remembered eating it when she was younger and normal and thought it was good so it made sense to buy it. Not because it was a nice dinner or it was expensive. When I know someone is abusing the system, it makes me angry too. But when I''m unsure, I try to think how people judging my mom made me feel. If anyone had truly known her situation, they wouldn''t have criticized her. Maybe if we all knew this guy''s story, it wouldn''t seem so bizarre.