Let me start by saying I have empathy for people who are poor, homeless and struggling to raise their children. Years ago I was homeless and my husband is a disabled veteran so let's just say - we understand. My gripe today is not with people are who are homeless, disabled or dealing with other life altering problems. I'm griping about career welfare recipients.
Alright, I'll admit I'm a bit hyped up. A friend of mine has vented to me about her wayward neighbor for weeks. I tried to avoid it but last night I found a Bowflex on FreeCycle and needed her hubby's van to help move this massive monster today. It opened up the topic of her neighbor, a career welfare recipient. It got me aggravated and I wound up going to bed late.
I woke up with good intentions. I decided to Gather for awhile. I checked the Pay It Forward list and starting reviewing posts from LoViNG LiFe including a great post about how small businessman are paying for everyone's party (click her name to check it out). Once again, I felt aggravated by our current system that allows career welfare recipients while seniors go without health care and veterans remain homeless.
So what do I mean by career welfare recipients? They never held a job in their lives. Often they are women who have several children and never get married. After all, if they get married and the man ever had a job, they may be kicked off public assistance.
Typically their other half is also a career welfare recipient from another angle. He holds a job only long enough to collect unemployment. Then he returns to his real career of dealing drugs, pimping or some other illegal activity.
Yes, we know a few of them. One recently took the system for a major ride. Her man was caught doing illegal business and she took off with the kids to a shelter for abused women. The shelter paid for food, clothes and expensive taxi rides to schools, doctors and social services. Ultimately the women went online at the shelter, scored a grant (free money) and left to bail out her man with the free money from our government.
Career welfare recipients know all the tricks we don't. How to fib to get free money. Where to find more free money. How to play the system so you never have to get a job. Who makes the policies? More lazy people who aren't in touch with reality.
That's right, let's face it. Our government officials and even the people on television are all the sons and daughters of powers from the past. From George Bush Jr. to Caroline Kennedy, it's all second generation. Do you think these folks really have to worry about where their next meal comes from, even if they are "working"?
That leaves the rest of us footing the bill. Policy makers earn brownie points with the welfare-mongering masses by creating "programs" that get canned in a year anyway. Meanwhile, the career welfare recipients are well aware of this but know exactly how to get in on everything. After all, they don't have jobs or anything else to do but grab free money. They have all the time in the world to pursue it while we work seventy hours a week.
Policy makers give kickbacks to the good old boys so they can maintain the "lifestyle they are accustomed to". Imagine if they could not drink champagne at a spa or drive a Mercedes?! No matter how big business fails, their buddies will bail them out.
Meanwhile, we are the suckers paying for it all. Middle class people working endless hours to pay our mortgage late. Veterans defending our country and being let down by the very place they defended. Seniors who worked their whole lives to watch their pensions go up in smoke while they can't afford their meds. Children who go to sleep hungry because their widowed mother is homeless and just lost her job because of outsourcing.
What the heck is going on? Mamasaid there's be days like this...
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Comments: 14
Please add the non Americans on the list. People do not think they can be on the system, oh yes they can be!
In are state if one has a disabled kid, be ready to deal with the welfare office. As I have been told, children are not disabled in our state.... hu?
Stuff like that really chaps my hide! And to think I am paying all of this money into the system and when it comes time for me to finally get some rest and retire what will all of my hard work have gotten me in return?! NOTHING! Just whatever I can save in my private retirement!
I will be the first to say those programs are great for people who really desire to become self sufficient but just need a helping hand, but my husband works with some of these systems (he is actually a fraud investigator) and the stories he tells me infuriate me!
sw
In our area, most churches and non-profits would only pay $25 towards a person's electric bill, and most would only pay that every 6 months. People went from church to church to find enough money to pay their bills. They kept tickler files in their cars - usually huge gas guzzlers - showing when they were at each non-profit last. They knew to the day and usually showed up on that day, unless it fell on the weekend.
They trained their kids to do the same thing. One day, a grandmother showed up first, asking for a $25 pledge for her utilities. She was about 65 and on SS. We helped her out.
Minutes later, her daughter showed up. Same last name. Lived next door to mom. My first question was why didn't they live together and pool their resources. But why should they...when they're getting help separately. We helped her as well.
About 30 minutes later another member of the family showed up - a boy/man aged 19. His apartment was in the same complex. Again, I inquired as to why they couldn't all live together. But our church helped him too.
That year, our church gave over $40,000 for people's utilities, rent (we'd often give $100 towards that), gas to get to doc appointments, gift cards for foods we didn't have in our food pantry...like milk and meats.
These same folks went from food pantry to food pantry. Most would only give out 2-3 days of food, figuring that the big community food pantry would be open by then. Some gave out a week. These folks hit them all and doubled up on their foods. They would claim to have 6 mouths to feed, but no one really checked them out.
I always wondered....could these folks have been millionaires...if they put their minds to doing something for themselves other than working the system?
Our local churchs have been getting together to "compare lists" and weed out those that are fraudulent. It's sad, and I'm hoping someone that is really in-need doesn't accidently get weeded out!
Our food banks are low. Church tithing is down so the extra funds for these types of outreach programs is fading. Stores that were once able to donate generously, have had to cut back because of their own economic woes.
With so many experienced abusers, it's hard to get the money to those that need it!
Son't get me wrong... I'm all for "hand ups"... but I'm quickly getting over the idea of "hand outs".