I have to hand it to you all: you didn’t kick my butt as bad as I thought you would over that recent post. Tresa knows me very well … it was not a well-thought-out argument … it was just something goofy that came to my mind and I put it on the blog. I don’t think I’m anywhere in Ann Coulter’s ballpark, though, right? Good.
I once had a crazy-ass homeschooling friend who found out she was pregnant with her 10th kid. She cried because the only insurance they had was from HER working at Starbuck’s 20 hours a week. Twenty hours may not sound like much, but when you’re trying to homeschool a bunch of kids, keep the house from falling down and praying to God that your husband will get some meaningful work, it can be tough. I asked a stupid question and she unfriended me immediately. It was something like, “Can I help you? Like pay a utility bill or SOMETHING?” She said anytime anyone helped them like that, they expected things in return.
I can see where she’s coming from. If I had paid her outrageous gas bill, I probably would’ve eventually made some snarky comment like, “Um, why is your heat set at 90 degrees so that I’m sitting here SWEATING when you can’t even pay the bill?”
Still, the idea of the handout drives me nuts. We are far from the Great Depression days, folks, and yet so many of us feel ENTITLED to free daycare, free medical, dental and vision care, free food, free money and outrageously low rent. I am ALL FOR people being helped … TEMPORARILY. If your life sucks for 15 years straight, though, why does that have to come out of the taxes of those who are working their asses off every day? People like my husband, who gets upset when he has to go out of town, but he does it ANYWAY because it is a damn job and pays money to support his family.
We all have our stories either backing up my idea of trading a welfare check for a Depo shot or thinking it quite controlling. I had to use Medicaid when I was 18 and had a horrible miscarriage, but never have had to go on any other kind of assistance because, frankly, the idea of it was just never played with in my house when I was growing up. It was either WORK HARD or figure something else out, but you don’t take handouts.
UNLESS …
Of course, unless you have been badly disabled through no fault of your own (I’m sorry, but being overweight or alcoholic in my world does not fly for disabled). Or your house caught on fire somehow and burned down. Or a car wrecked into you and you are in bad shape.
There are things that simply suck and things we bring on ourselves. I’m just saying we bring on babies ourselves. And then have a good 8 months to prepare for said baby. You may have to suck it up and live with your parents, ladies. You may have to go after the guy for child support and put your pride away. You may have to work 2 jobs throughout your exhausting pregnancy to save up for your own place, car or baby clothes. WHY SHOULD YOU GET FREE MONEY JUST FOR HAVING A BABY?
So save STATE FUNDS for serious crap. If EVERYONE was on the government’s boob, our roads would not be drivable, people who REALLY needed help couldn’t get it (that actually happens now), our schools would suck (oops, that’s already happened).
Where are the State’s priorities?
Crap, I’m afraid I’ve offended in a whole new way now. Well, go easy on me. My brain isn’t working right, and I’m having trouble making coherent arguments that don’t hinge on generalizations.
Really? So all poor people are lazy? It can never be about opportunity? It can never be about mental health? It can never be about being knocked down so many times because of your race, your socio-economic status, your neighbourhood, the assumptions of the priviledged that you are less than or don't have the right to the same things they have(like children) because you happen to be poor?
ReplyDeleteIf the worse thing the government can do with my tax money is provide care for people who are underpriviledged(for any reason) I'm good with that.
It's just money. And whose to say that the biracial child of a poor, black, single mother who needs help can't grow up to do something to make the world a better place. What if the child you are preventing with the madantory depo for welfare shot is the next Dr. Martin Luther King Jr or Mother Theresa?
Breeze
Breeze, I think she was addressing the serious handicap thing, and IMO a debilitating mental illness would sure fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteIt IS just money. And Kerrie *was* admitting it wasn't a well thought-out idea on the Depo thing. But what if we "prevented" the next serial killer with it? Or a child with disabilities? Are we to judge whose life is more valuable than another's? That's one thing I find chilling with that sort of argument, that the welfare kid ought to be "prevented." Incidentally, it's one thing I find chilling with yours, too. You're saying that Martin Luther King has more right to life than my non-verbal autistic son. You might not realize that that's what you're arguing, but you are... You're implying that people only have values because of their contributions to society.
Actually, I agree that people who can work ought to. I'm thinking the poor biracial kid has a way better chance of making it in this world than my non-verbal one. Help should be saved for those who truly need it.
I'm amening this post, Kerrie.
The Welfare System debate can go on and on for all time. It still doesn't change the one blinding fact about the U.S. Welfare System...
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT tailored to help someone out of poverty, it is tailored to keep them there. Big example is food stamps. I see mother's all the time truly in need and can they get food stamps? No because of the System and it's flawed check system. My late Aunt Sarah had the house next to her go Section 8. Now, here comes the gripe.
This lady was living in a home sanctioned for 5 and drawing food stamps. She moved her older 4 daughters and their 7 kids into this house, out front was a parade of Beemers and Cadillacs, and this woman was selling her food stamps for a profit and always grilling steak and shrimp.
This made me sick to my stomach to know this heifer was doing all that and because of her greedy criminal ass, there was a truly in need mother deprived because the system couldn't be bothered to check up on her. Now thew flip side is someone who truly needs the help is finally getting decent work and getting out of the hole... Or so you think. Comedian Whoopi Goldberg is no stranger to the Welfare System, she was on it and just when she got a job to get into a better life, Welfare wanted her to pay them back for all that they had used.
SAY WHAT?! Forget this person will now be able to buy things increasing tax revenue for the schools, it's more important to keep her where she is than help her.
Kerrie love, you thought your post was ill thought out. Perhaps, but not nearly as horribly thought out as our screwed welfare system.
Breeze, I know too many people on assistance who ARE QUITE SIMPLY LAZY and/or full of excuses. These people do exist. And I also know women (in my own family, no less), who are assistance simply b/c they GOT PREGNANT over and over again. I think lazy and stupid are DIFFERENT from underprivileged. I am the first one to help those who really seem to need it and who appear to be TRYING to help themselves.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Not to mention I know a woman who head up a housing dept. and sometimes they PAY people to live in government housing. Don't get me started on the people on my Meals on Wheels route who we deliver food to whose overgrown kids are living off of them in their house still and yet can't even seem to grab a can of ravioli for their parent. i've seen too much using of the system and have been there myself and CHOSE not to act that way. i'm hardly saying all poor people are lazy. where did i say that?
ReplyDelete