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Zero sympathy for this woman....


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Complaining about not getting federal assistance to pay her heating bills while standing in front of her large screen TV.

 

http://www.macon.com/2010/12/16/1379464/funding-cuts-leave-many-without.html

 

Sell the d#&$ TV woman! That should cover your heating bills for the remainder of winter in Georgia. I don't live all that far from her and come March our winter is done.

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You can get about $200 for that TV on Craiglist (I figure it is about a 50 inch?) My dh will be glad to know that his TV is only worth about $80 - it is safe from me (who wants to sell everything to get money to move back to NC.):D

 

ETA: Oops, no. It's worth about $275 because it is a flat panel, not just a flat screen. I wonder where it came from.

Edited by Renee in FL
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Just my two cents....

 

Before I had children, I was a social worker. :tongue_smilie:During one particular stint in Trenton (capital of New Jersey), EVERY one of my clients had:

 

1. No job (not a legal one, anyway, but we did see lots of active "basement businesses" -- little brown paper bags coming UP, lots of big brown paper bags going DOWN, and wads of cash in Grandma's bra) :lol:

2. A cell phone

3. Polished fingernails in lovely tropical colors, with painted-on palm trees

4. A fancy hairdo/braids

5. A large-screen TV, and (last, but certainly NOT least)

6. Government assistance

 

:tongue_smilie: Every one. And they would all sit there in front of the aforementioned large-screen TVs and complain to me, the stupid social worker, that they weren't getting enough in "their" checks.

 

:banghead:

 

Don't get me started. Entitlement mentality sucks.

 

And, in case anyone's wondering, there is not one quark or lepton in me that is racist. This is not about race, it's about a mindset that destroys personal responsibility and productivity and rightfully earned pride.

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Gee, I'd love a tv like that! I have old hand me down tv's. My computer monitor is even more ancient (old cream government monster that no longer gives good contrast and messes up colour). Nope, I have bills to pay. I've never had a manicure, don't remember the last time I had my hair done (other than $3 home dye and my daughter trimming it for me), etc. I agree that I don't get the kind of people that do all of those things and complains. However, there are many people that are on aid that don't have anything and really are skimping in every way possible.

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that reminds me of a big grocery store union strike we had here in Ca, they were interviewing one of the workers picketing...one of the sticking points was that they had to pay more of their monthly contribution for health insurance, something like $8 more a month...I can't remember the exact amount, but it was not large. the worker complained about this, and then said that they had other bills and they couldn't afford this..then he said...

 

"our cable bill rates were just raised, it's $140 a month now!"

 

...I stood there with my mouth open that someone wouldn't pay an extra 8$ a month so their family could keep their health insurance, would complain that they couldn't afford it, but have a large cable bill. I lost all sympathy.

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Maybe she didn't buy the tv. Perhaps it was a gift. Or she won it. I hate the entitlement mentality just as much as the next person but I also know from experience that what you see in a photo and a short caption doesn't give the whole story.

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I used to think the same way as you all...Then I realized that if you have credit, you can buy a fancy TV at Best Buy, get their credit card with no interest for the first three years, and all of a sudden that fancy TV is a lot more affordable. You can't do that with, say, health insurance or medical payments! If you could, those would suddenly get more affordable too.

 

This is not to say that this lady is being falsely categorized (I haven't watched the video, but chances are she's not). It's just to say that a big fancy TV doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Edited by Hannah C.
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Most people are idiots with their money, the underclass included. I know it is galling that it isn't this woman's money but the taxpayers, but can we really expect better behavior and a more complete understanding of finances from "poor" people than we do from ourselves and our friends and neighbors? Who here doesn't know someone who makes stunningly poor decisions about spending, investing, financing? Who here doesn't know people who have expensive clothes but nothing in the college fund, or top-notch electronics but won't buy the paint and supplies to repair the front porch, or take lots of vacations but won't pitch in to help an elderly relative?

 

Before you get started, I do know we are talking about public money. I do. I just wonder how we'd all fare under scrutiny, especially if we lack a certain degree of sophistication and a sense of our own right to privacy.

 

I think Hannah C. and Skirch make good points too.

Edited by yellowperch
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I lived in income housing as a single parent. I worked 3 jobs to keep us off assistance.

 

It never failed to blow my mind how many of my neighbours didn't work, just sat on welfare until their youngest was in school, either had another baby, or became 'professional students' themselves.

 

My personal 'favourite' was the couples that lived separately so it didn't mess w/benefits :glare:

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Between handling tuition loans for inner city students and dh teaching in an inner city school, we have stories like this that would make your head explode. I grapple with whether to feel more pity or outrage, but pity wins, because that TV doesn't make her happy. Politicians are willing to throw money at the problem, which makes everyone feel good, but what people living in poverty really need is help... the kind of help that takes time, effort, and hard truth.

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Maybe she didn't buy the tv. Perhaps it was a gift. Or she won it. I hate the entitlement mentality just as much as the next person but I also know from experience that what you see in a photo and a short caption doesn't give the whole story.

 

 

 

Our current house heating system is dead. No chance of CPR. Due to the new energy regulations it will cost about 6,000 to replace. We're waiting to see how much of a tax refund we get so we can pay cash for most of it and do an interest free finance on the rest.

 

If someone were to try to give me a TV like that I'd sell it to make sure there was heat in the house. If we had won it I would sell it to put heat in the house. (We do have space heaters in the house and are relatively warm) I would not go on TV with a flat screen plasma TV in the background and talk about how broke I am. And if you can't afford heat then you shouldn't be able to afford cable and then the TV is useless anyway.

 

I also wouldn't try and sue McDonalds because I don't have the spine to tell my kids No Happy Meals either but that's another subject.

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Maybe she didn't buy the tv. Perhaps it was a gift. Or she won it. I hate the entitlement mentality just as much as the next person but I also know from experience that what you see in a photo and a short caption doesn't give the whole story.

 

It's possible. If someone came to my house, they'd assume we bought our tv, which is a very expensive flat panel. The reality is that dh won it in a contest at his previous job for bringing in the most business that year.

 

Of course, if we couldn't pay our bills, that tv would be up on Craigslist in a heartbeat.

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Maybe she didn't buy the tv. Perhaps it was a gift. Or she won it. I hate the entitlement mentality just as much as the next person but I also know from experience that what you see in a photo and a short caption doesn't give the whole story.

 

Doubt it, unfortunately. I saw this ALL too often as a case worker. Fancy cars, fancy clothes, nice TV....yet no money to take care of their kids?!?! Unless there are thousands of low income families winning and/or being gifted fancy TVs and such, I just don't buy it. I wasn't such a pessimist before I had first hand experience with such families. There were very few that were proactively seeking to better their situations. Many just sat back and complained about what they thought they were entitled to. Sad.

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Doubt it, unfortunately. I saw this ALL too often as a case worker. Fancy cars, fancy clothes, nice TV....yet no money to take care of their kids?!?! Unless there are thousands of low income families winning and/or being gifted fancy TVs and such, I just don't buy it. I wasn't such a pessimist before I had first hand experience with such families. There were very few that were proactively seeking to better their situations. Many just sat back and complained about what they thought they were entitled to. Sad.

 

Actually, those are just the ones you saw. A caseworker has never laid eyes on me or my children in the 18 months I have been in FL. I have never had a worker in my home. Why would you be in the homes or see people regularly who were receiving assistance? Even in NC where you had to apply in person, I saw a worker once and it was in her office, not my home.

 

For most people on assistance, you would never see their cars, their clothes, or any TVs, because you would never be in their homes. The people whose homes you would be in? You would be there because they had way more issues than simply being poor.

 

ETA: I am not saying that the abuses you mention don't happen, but rather that I don't think they are the majority. I know there are abuses, and entitled people. Please be assured that I don't feel entitled, just grateful.

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I was in my local (very small) market a few weeks ago and the people in front of me were paying with their food stamps debit card. (I don't know what it is officially called.) I would think that if one has to pay for food with government assistance, they would be buying somewhat healthy foods or ingredients for meals.

 

Nope!

 

What was on the conveyor belt?

Monster drinks, frozen pizzas, hot pockets, and candy. A lot of it. About $150 worth.

 

And when the debit card wouldn't cover the taxes on the Monster drinks, the kind checker at the market took it out of the "give a penny / take a penny" jar.

 

Or how about all those times when we are behind people at the stores that are paying with WIC checks or food stamps and they are wearing brand new expensive sneakers, have their hair and nails done, and holding / texting on an iPhone? Not to mention how their kids are all decked out in the latest styles and listening to an iPod or playing on a PSP.

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Just my two cents....

 

Before I had children, I was a social worker. :tongue_smilie:During one particular stint in Trenton (capital of New Jersey), EVERY one of my clients had:

 

1. No job (not a legal one, anyway, but we did see lots of active "basement businesses" -- little brown paper bags coming UP, lots of big brown paper bags going DOWN, and wads of cash in Grandma's bra) :lol:

2. A cell phone

3. Polished fingernails in lovely tropical colors, with painted-on palm trees

4. A fancy hairdo/braids

5. A large-screen TV, and (last, but certainly NOT least)

6. Government assistance

 

:tongue_smilie: Every one. And they would all sit there in front of the aforementioned large-screen TVs and complain to me, the stupid social worker, that they weren't getting enough in "their" checks.

 

:banghead:

 

Don't get me started. Entitlement mentality sucks.

 

And, in case anyone's wondering, there is not one quark or lepton in me that is racist. This is not about race, it's about a mindset that destroys personal responsibility and productivity and rightfully earned pride.

 

 

Preach it, sister.

 

Seventeen years in law enforcement (prosecutor)- I saw this all.the.time. Here's my favorite remembrance, from my years at the juvenile division. The public defender investigator had to share a snippet of his day with me (he liked to watch my head spin 'round and 'round and my eyes roll back in my head): He was doing an intake interview on a kid coming in for a new case (like most he was a repeat customer who had graduated from the social services side of the system to the criminal.) When the investigator got to the employment question (answer-the standard "Nah."), he finally couldn't help himself, and asked the question of the kid and grandma he'd been dying to ask for years, "Has anyone in your family EVER worked?" The two looked at each other and thought about it, then started laughing. They couldn't come up with a single person. Not one. :glare:

 

QUOTE=Barry Goldwater;2275111]Since President Johnson declared a War on Poverty, we've spent $8 Trillion...guess what we got...

 

$8Trillion dollars worth of poverty...

 

:iagree:Exactly. Instead of eliminating poverty, we institutionalized it.

 

Please, don't get me wrong. I was literally sickened by the lives the children with whom I dealt had to lead. What makes me crazy, however, is that the system IS the problem, creating generation after generation of wasted lives. IMHO. Or not so.;)

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Don't get me started. Entitlement mentality sucks.

 

And, in case anyone's wondering, there is not one quark or lepton in me that is racist. This is not about race, it's about a mindset that destroys personal responsibility and productivity and rightfully earned pride.

 

Word.

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Isn't it fun when we realize how much better we are than "those other people"?

 

I highly encourage people to read the book, "Bridges Out of Poverty". It was required reading when I worked for Child Welfare and helped dispel many of the myths that people have about "those people".

 

I grew up in a tiny town in Southern Illinois in which nearly the entire town was on welfare. My parents and my best friend's parents worked, but few others did. I grew up hearing about how "they outta' just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a job" and thought the same way for years...............until I grew up, went to college, worked with a different population and did some reading/studying/learning/growing.

 

It is easy to say, "it's just this ONE THING that is the answer", but it is rarely that simple. Generational poverty is not so easily solved with judgment.

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I was in my local (very small) market a few weeks ago and the people in front of me were paying with their food stamps debit card. (I don't know what it is officially called.) I would think that if one has to pay for food with government assistance, they would be buying somewhat healthy foods or ingredients for meals.

 

Nope!

 

What was on the conveyor belt?

Monster drinks, frozen pizzas, hot pockets, and candy. A lot of it. About $150 worth.

 

And when the debit card wouldn't cover the taxes on the Monster drinks, the kind checker at the market took it out of the "give a penny / take a penny" jar.

 

Or how about all those times when we are behind people at the stores that are paying with WIC checks or food stamps and they are wearing brand new expensive sneakers, have their hair and nails done, and holding / texting on an iPhone? Not to mention how their kids are all decked out in the latest styles and listening to an iPod or playing on a PSP.

 

Those are the ones you notice, of course. You don't noticed the harried mom wearing year-old shoes that hurt her feet and the same pants she wore yesterday because she only has two pairs, with her hair up in a bun because she hasn't had a haircut in who knows how long. You don't notice the Dad who wishes he could just find a job that paid enough to support his family. You don't notice the 13yo at the store using his mom's card to buy food that he can cook for his siblings for dinner while his mom works her second job.

 

The only ones people see are the ones that seem to be abusing the system.

 

People make stupid decisions all the time, but that doesn't mean that everyone in a certain situation acts the same. They don't. I don't have expensive sneakers, my hair and nails haven't been done since I was in college, I don't have an Iphone, and my children don't have Ipods or a PSP. Sometimes I buy frozen pizza, like last night when I was too sick to cook. My dh takes Hot Pockets to work because they are warm and easy for him to heat and eat during his 30 minute lunch. That costs him $1.25 or less per day for lunch - less than a school lunch. The only time I bought candy with Food Stamps was at Halloween becuase we had to bring two bags to the church Trunk or Treat. I might buy some at Christmas, too. I have internet because my FIL pays for it so my 12yo can use the FL Virtual School. If not for that, I would use the internet at the library (and have - ask some people who know me.) I do have a cell phone, but we share a plan with my Dad, so we get phone service for what a landline would cost us.

 

The point is that most of us would rather not be in a position to need assistance. Most of us have absolutely no intentions of being on assistance forever. I will (hopefully) pay a LOT of taxes in the future even though we pay no federal taxes now. I really don't think anyone would want my life.

Edited by Renee in FL
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Or how about all those times when we are behind people at the stores that are paying with WIC checks or food stamps and they are wearing brand new expensive sneakers, have their hair and nails done, and holding / texting on an iPhone? Not to mention how their kids are all decked out in the latest styles and listening to an iPod or playing on a PSP.

 

Or maybe they've been suffering with plantar fasciitis for months and just finally were able to purchase brand new expensive sneakers so that they can actually walk around the store to buy groceries for their family????

 

Not that this has recently happened to me or anything...:D

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Isn't it fun when we realize how much better we are than "those other people"?

 

 

It is easy to say, "it's just this ONE THING that is the answer", but it is rarely that simple. Generational poverty is not so easily solved with judgment.

 

Nope, it isn't fair to be haughty while judging, but it is hard to explain to your kids why you can't afford the things that the apts next door... that are ALL a gov't subsidized housing spot.....can afford for their kids. They have things like laptops, cell phones... and drive much nicer cars than we do.

 

My husband is only an engineer... Their husbands are.... like Tree harvesters and such... and they "get" to have tons of kids.... The more kids... well... then they get to "open" the extra room...

 

:001_huh:

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Please, don't get me wrong. I was literally sickened by the lives the children with whom I dealt had to lead. What makes me crazy, however, is that the system IS the problem, creating generation after generation of wasted lives. IMHO. Or not so.;)

 

This is exactly it. As dh and I fight our way out of this hole, we keep running into things that seem to make it impossible. The regulations make it hard to save anything. You need money to do things, but if you have money, then you lose benefits and you have to spend the money on needs. Then, when the money runs out again, you get back on benefits because you have no money.

 

It's a vicious cycle. None of these programs relieve poverty, they just relieve some of the symptoms.

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I was in my local (very small) market a few weeks ago and the people in front of me were paying with their food stamps debit card. (I don't know what it is officially called.) I would think that if one has to pay for food with government assistance, they would be buying somewhat healthy foods or ingredients for meals. - While I always try to buy healthy foods, the reality is that a very busy mom of five - convenience foods are MUCH easier. I try to not stick to convenience foods all the time. But frozen pizzas and hot pockets are very nice quick lunches or even dinners if its a super busy night. So I'm sure there has been people standing behind me in line while I bought frozen pizzas, mac -n- cheese and top ramen. Candy is a rarity ,however, and we NEVER buy Monster drinks.

 

Nope!

 

What was on the conveyor belt?

Monster drinks, frozen pizzas, hot pockets, and candy. A lot of it. About $150 worth.

 

And when the debit card wouldn't cover the taxes on the Monster drinks, the kind checker at the market took it out of the "give a penny / take a penny" jar.

 

Or how about all those times when we are behind people at the stores that are paying with WIC checks or food stamps and they are wearing brand new expensive sneakers, have their hair and nails done, and holding / texting on an iPhone? Not to mention how their kids are all decked out in the latest styles and listening to an iPod or playing on a PSP.

I don't know how it is in other states, but in our state the WIC income level isn't as low as, say food stamps are. A lot more families qualify for WIC, especially if they have lots of kids. I have five kids as stated above and we also get WIC. Now I don't ever get my nails done, rarely get my hair done. I also have a cell phone that I text on occasionally. But what the typical bystander may not see just from looking at me, I didn't buy the phone and I don't pay for the bill. It was a Christmas gift to me from my parents, and they put me on their family plan. My boys also have Ipods and Nintendo DS's. Those were saved up for Christmas gifts. Should I not have bought them those because we're on WIC?

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Preach it, sister.

 

Seventeen years in law enforcement (prosecutor)- I saw this all.the.time. Here's my favorite remembrance, from my years at the juvenile division. The public defender investigator had to share a snippet of his day with me (he liked to watch my head spin 'round and 'round and my eyes roll back in my head): He was doing an intake interview on a kid coming in for a new case (like most he was a repeat customer who had graduated from the social services side of the system to the criminal.) When the investigator got to the employment question (answer-the standard "Nah."), he finally couldn't help himself, and asked the question of the kid and grandma he'd been dying to ask for years, "Has anyone in your family EVER worked?" The two looked at each other and thought about it, then started laughing. They couldn't come up with a single person. Not one. :glare:

 

Since President Johnson declared a War on Poverty, we've spent $8 Trillion...guess what we got...

 

$8Trillion dollars worth of poverty...

 

:iagree:Exactly. Instead of eliminating poverty, we institutionalized it.

 

Please, don't get me wrong. I was literally sickened by the lives the children with whom I dealt had to lead. What makes me crazy, however, is that the system IS the problem, creating generation after generation of wasted lives. IMHO. Or not so.;)

Generational welfare is what I so have a problem with. There is a work ethic that is missing in these families. Then to add insult to injury it is a self-perpetuating system. Edited by Parrothead
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That said, yes if a person can't afford to heat their home then they should be selling luxuries like TV's and video game systems for sure!

 

There has been a few times where things were super tight and we were very close to taking our TV's or video game system down to a pawn shop or something just to get a bit of extra money for the month. We would have done it though if it came down to not having enough money for the basic necessities of life!

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Isn't it fun when we realize how much better we are than "those other people"?

 

It is easy to say, "it's just this ONE THING that is the answer", but it is rarely that simple. Generational poverty is not so easily solved with judgment.

 

I don't think anyone said they were "better" than those other people. A lot of people said they had experience with people ripping off the system. You can't discount it - some people do make it a lifestyle. I, too, had an aunt who bragged about never having worked and encouraged her teenaged daughters to have babies asap so they could also start collecting.

 

I have much more sympathy for the people, like those on this board, who work their *sses off and still can't make it. Call me whatever you want. (shrug)

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Or maybe they've been suffering with plantar fasciitis for months and just finally were able to purchase brand new expensive sneakers so that they can actually walk around the store to buy groceries for their family????

 

Not that this has recently happened to me or anything...:D

Can you tell me which sneakers those are? I have plantar fasciitis and my foot is killing me. I have inserts that I bought from the podiatrist's office (not custom ones--my insurance won't pay for them). I start therapy January 3.

 

ETA: if anyone who goes to the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati sees a blonde haired lady limping around, that's me. :D 'Cause I'll be all over that place even though my foot will be on fire.

Edited by gardening momma
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I highly encourage people to read the book, "Bridges Out of Poverty". It was required reading when I worked for Child Welfare and helped dispel many of the myths that people have about "those people".

 

 

 

I'm looking for this book. I may have to request it through ILL. It is so incredibly difficult to get out of poverty, as Renee in FL said. You cannot save any money up while still receiving benefits.

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