"Why I Was Wrong About Welfare Reform"

[AGBF]

Just a thought... maybe because they can't afford birth control.
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There is a very easy and $0 cost way to not having any more children.

Women who do not want to make a bad situation even worse just stop having intercourse.

Drastic, yes. But if it is your only alternative ........

I actually find it hard to believe you wrote that. Ceasing to have intercourse is never, unfortunately, a woman's "only alternative". Men are usually a woman's only way out. The poorer she is, the more likely she is to be forced into having intercourse just to stay alive or to keep her children alive. Not too long ago I read Crime and Punishment. (Some of us discussed it on the Pricescope book forum.) The heroine of that saga is a case in point. The ultimate virtuous woman is forced to sell her own body so that her family does not starve. And it is her purity and love of God that saves the protagonist.

AGBF

 

[ruby59]

Men are usually a woman's only way out.
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Or their worst enemy. And this is what our young women need to be taught. Males do not equal men.

ABGF, not specifically you, but all I am seeing here is excuses, not that behavior needs to be changed.

And I will ask you. Did you read my article on the abuse of EBT cards.

No one seems to be addressing that.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Men are usually a woman's only way out.
_____________________________________

Or their worst enemy. And this is what our young women need to be taught. Males do not equal men.

ABGF, not specifically you, but all I am seeing here is excuses, not that behavior needs to be changed.

And I will ask you. Did you read my article on the abuse of EBT cards.

No one seems to be addressing that.

That is what liberals do they just keep coming up with excuses for welfare recipients instead of ideas on how to get these people off of welfare. Notice they don't reply to my posts about poor Chinese immigrant families?

 

[chrono]

DF,
Don't forget the Chinese immigrants who purposely come to the USA pregnant to give birth to get automatic citizenship. Yes, there are Chinese immigrants who abuse the system too.

 

[siv1]

I have done a lot of thinking about the welfare system for many, many years (30) since I was a young divorced mother with 2 kids and couldn’t make ends meet. I worked, was going to university, and trying to support my kids without any support from their father. I received low income housing, food stamps, and a child welfare check for the kids. The benefits I received were cut, and when I inquired about it, the caseworker told me, her exact words, “You should quit your job, quit going to school, and just stay home. You would be better off financially”. I told her that there was something wrong with the system. Here I was trying to make a better life for myself and kids and being penalized for it.
Welfare should be there to help the ones that try to help themselves. It should NOT be a way of life. Benefits should not be cut for the elderly that have worked all their lives and paid into the system. The people that are mentally or physically unable to work should be supported. The ones that are NOT willing to work should NOT get anything. Before I hear about no jobs, etc, anyone can flip hamburgers, or mop floors, or wash cars. As far as transportation to get to and from work, some sort of public transportation could be utilized with vouchers. IF someone wants to work, they can. Welfare should help SUPPLEMENT income.
As far as the kids of the people unwilling to work, put the kids in foster homes with people that DO work and help supplement them. Therefore, the ones unwilling to work are only hurting themselves. If the parent wants them back, then they will get a job.
Working and bringing home a paycheck, no matter how small, is a feeling of accomplishment. It makes a person feel better about themselves. When someone begins to have pride in themself, they are willing to try harder.

 

[Dancing Fire]

DF,
Don't forget the Chinese immigrants who purposely come to the USA pregnant to give birth to get automatic citizenship. Yes, there are Chinese immigrants who abuse the system too.

I think most of them are here on tourist Visa?... and no I am not happy about these so called "birth houses" it doesn't matter to me if they are Chinese or not.

 

[packrat]

siv, when i was younger and the factory where I worked was getting rid of my job, I looked at going back to school, b/c that's what everyone said you're supposed to do. That's the only way to "make money", you have to have a college education or you're a loser. So, I went to the office at the community college and asked about scholarships and to find out what kinds of loans were available. The woman asked how many kids I had, I said none. She said, no, honey, it's ok, I just need to know so we can figure out how much help we can give you. I was so confused. I don't have any kids...She looks up at me, and says "you're 25 and you don't have any kids?" Nooooo..."Oh..well, honey, there's not much I can do for you then." I said are you serious? I can only get help to go back to school if I have a child on my own? She just shrugged and she's like, I'm sorry, that's how the system works. There's help available for those who qualify..I said, ok, well, what do you suggest I do? My job is ending and I already live at home b/c I don't make a whole lot. She says well, you have two options if you want to go back to school and get free help-you can quit and stay at home for 6 months and provide proof that you had no income for that period of time, or you can have a baby. You have to provide proof that you're in need of help. You already have a job technically, so you aren't really in need of help to go back to school, the system requires you to do it on your own. So, I went home in tears, and busted my ass to pay for my loans for the few semesters I went to school. 15 years later and I still make less than what I did at that stupid factory job.

The system as a whole is broken. I'm not sure how to fix it but we need to work at trying to come up w/a solution. It's no different than anything else tho-all we do is point fingers and place blame. When any solutions are broached, we ridicule, we talk down to one another like we're so far superior, and then we play innocent and rabble rabble rabble at each other. Well..the extremes do, seems like..the middle is busy banging their heads against the wall and pulling their hair out b/c no one will shut up and listen.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I have done a lot of thinking about the welfare system for many, many years (30) since I was a young divorced mother with 2 kids and couldn’t make ends meet. I worked, was going to university, and trying to support my kids without any support from their father. I received low income housing, food stamps, and a child welfare check for the kids. The benefits I received were cut, and when I inquired about it, the caseworker told me, her exact words, “You should quit your job, quit going to school, and just stay home. You would be better off financially”. I told her that there was something wrong with the system. Here I was trying to make a better life for myself and kids and being penalized for it.
Welfare should be there to help the ones that try to help themselves. It should NOT be a way of life. Benefits should not be cut for the elderly that have worked all their lives and paid into the system. The people that are mentally or physically unable to work should be supported. The ones that are NOT willing to work should NOT get anything. Before I hear about no jobs, etc, anyone can flip hamburgers, or mop floors, or wash cars. As far as transportation to get to and from work, some sort of public transportation could be utilized with vouchers. IF someone wants to work, they can. Welfare should help SUPPLEMENT income.

WoW! siv1, Wish there was 20 million more people think the way you do ...

 

[redwood66]

I have done a lot of thinking about the welfare system for many, many years (30) since I was a young divorced mother with 2 kids and couldn’t make ends meet. I worked, was going to university, and trying to support my kids without any support from their father. I received low income housing, food stamps, and a child welfare check for the kids. The benefits I received were cut, and when I inquired about it, the caseworker told me, her exact words, “You should quit your job, quit going to school, and just stay home. You would be better off financially”. I told her that there was something wrong with the system. Here I was trying to make a better life for myself and kids and being penalized for it.
Welfare should be there to help the ones that try to help themselves. It should NOT be a way of life. Benefits should not be cut for the elderly that have worked all their lives and paid into the system. The people that are mentally or physically unable to work should be supported. The ones that are NOT willing to work should NOT get anything. Before I hear about no jobs, etc, anyone can flip hamburgers, or mop floors, or wash cars. As far as transportation to get to and from work, some sort of public transportation could be utilized with vouchers. IF someone wants to work, they can. Welfare should help SUPPLEMENT income.

WoW! siv1, Wish there was 20 million more people think the way you do ...

+ 1 million.

 

[AGBF]

Men are usually a woman's only way out.
_____________________________________

Or their worst enemy. And this is what our young women need to be taught. Males do not equal men.

ABGF, not specifically you, but all I am seeing here is excuses, not that behavior needs to be changed.

And I will ask you. Did you read my article on the abuse of EBT cards.

No one seems to be addressing that.

Your EBT cards are about as relevant as cotton candy is to a discussion of the role of how women have always been and are currently treated in situations of extreme poverty everywhere in the world. Try "teaching" women who will otherwise die not to become prostitutes!
When I referred to Crime and Punishment, I referenced a young woman who lived in the most squalid poverty. She didn't need lessons; she needed food. The author of the original article I linked argues that our country is coming to resemble Bangladesh, that our children are growing up hungry.

AGBF

 

[ruby59]

Your EBT cards are about as relevant as cotton candy is to a discussion of the role of how women have always been and are currently treated in situations of extreme poverty everywhere in the world.
_____________________________________

Relevant to this discussion.

Relevant to part gypsy's comment that should children be punished for our mistakes such as not having food or shelter.

House cats that $90 more in food stamps is not incentive to having another child.

Your own that children are starving and no one is bailing people out.

Ksinger that it is not the children's fault and no food harms them not their parents

Or Monarch - what would they eat on weekends

This is the discussion I am speaking of and responding to.

What goes on here in the US, which is why I do not respond to Arkie who lives in Australia.

You can only fix things one step at a time.

Or you can just sweep the whole thing under the rug because it is just too big to change.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I would never blame the children I'll always point the finger at irresponsible parents.

 

[siv1]

siv, when i was younger and the factory where I worked was getting rid of my job, I looked at going back to school, b/c that's what everyone said you're supposed to do. That's the only way to "make money", you have to have a college education or you're a loser. So, I went to the office at the community college and asked about scholarships and to find out what kinds of loans were available. The woman asked how many kids I had, I said none. She said, no, honey, it's ok, I just need to know so we can figure out how much help we can give you. I was so confused. I don't have any kids...She looks up at me, and says "you're 25 and you don't have any kids?" Nooooo..."Oh..well, honey, there's not much I can do for you then." I said are you serious? I can only get help to go back to school if I have a child on my own? She just shrugged and she's like, I'm sorry, that's how the system works. There's help available for those who qualify..I said, ok, well, what do you suggest I do? My job is ending and I already live at home b/c I don't make a whole lot. She says well, you have two options if you want to go back to school and get free help-you can quit and stay at home for 6 months and provide proof that you had no income for that period of time, or you can have a baby. You have to provide proof that you're in need of help. You already have a job technically, so you aren't really in need of help to go back to school, the system requires you to do it on your own. So, I went home in tears, and busted my a$$ to pay for my loans for the few semesters I went to school. 15 years later and I still make less than what I did at that stupid factory job.

The system as a whole is broken. I'm not sure how to fix it but we need to work at trying to come up w/a solution. It's no different than anything else tho-all we do is point fingers and place blame. When any solutions are broached, we ridicule, we talk down to one another like we're so far superior, and then we play innocent and rabble rabble rabble at each other. Well..the extremes do, seems like..the middle is busy banging their heads against the wall and pulling their hair out b/c no one will shut up and listen.

I'm sorry you also know first hand how the system is screwed up.

Can I ask if the factory is still around? Most of the factories around where I grew up are long gone. All of the auto manufacturers went overseas where they didn't have to pay the high taxes and could get cheaper labor. A subsidiary manufacturer just opened in the last year. It employs around 400 people. The main auto manufacturer that closed employed over 5000 people. That was 1 plant, not all of the subs that were in business because of the auto manufacturer, that also closed.

IMO, the only way to fix the welfare system is to bring jobs back home. Companies are not going to come back if they have to pay huge taxes and can still freely bring their products back to the US for sale. That's what I don't think a lot of people understand.