Posted on 12/26/2009 5:02:53 PM PST by Publius772000
On Christmas Eve, I, my three small children, and my wife, who works the graveyard shift at a truck stop to supplement our meager income, visited our local Kroger store to pick up a loaf of frozen garlic bread to go with dinner. I refrain from writing much about myself in this blog, as it seems somewhat egotistic to assume anyone would want to read about my personal life. However, on this particular night, we ended up checking out behind a group of ladies. Their hair was newly done, obviously at a salon. Each of them had had their fingernails professionally manicured. They wore expensive leather jackets. They were buying steak, chips, soda, and a cart overflowing with other items, all name brand. No Kroger or Great Value brand for them.
Their total? $170. They paid for $11 of it in cash. The other $159? The leader of the group whipped out her trusty EBT/SNAP card and scanned it through.
Now I know that there are those of you who couldn’t care less about such anecdotes. Live and let live, you say. But it bothered me. Each of these women wore clothing that was worth more than anything I or my wife own. Each of them had been pampered lately. It’s been years since my wife was able to afford a professional haircut, much less a trip to a salon. She’s never had her nails done. Yet these women, despite all this, paid for the vast majority of their “essentials”–including steak which I’m also unable to afford except on amazingly rare occasions, such as birthdays that end in a zero–with money supplied by taxes taken out of the paychecks of me, my wife, and people like us.
(Excerpt) Read more at theconstitutionalalamo.com ...
Yuck!
You really have no idea how to cook do you.
Powdered garlic is only acceptable if you are cooking something in liquid and then only in emergency.
This might be the only area I MIGHT NOT have an issue with.
If a person gets more than enough from food stamps for them and their family to live, then buys food to HELP someone else, that is great.
I know a couple who were getting $400 a month in stamps. I spend about $200 a month for 2 people, and I feel I eat pretty good. And yet THEY complained about things.
Imagine what they could do if they chose to leave disciplined and modest lives. The people THEY could bless others, with the governments largess. Especially now, with so many out of work. $200 a month could buy a lot of food for food pantries. It could provide 5 meals for Christmas, for families who couldn't afford one.
My point is not to be wasteful of money. The point is that the government hands out the money anyway. Since these people are going to get it, put it to its best use.
I've got a friend who at one time had it VERY hard. She got some food from people in her church. It was near Christmas, and she got a ham. She already had a ham for Christmas, and decided someone else she knew could use it.
Don't let anyone tell you that Medicare and Medicaid are the answer to 'health care'. Because, they are the worst at reimbursing pharmacies and doctors for the services and drugs.
I can't think of an insurance company that is allowed to wait (AT LEAST) six months before they even attempt reimbursement! And, the government is also the worst at denying claims. If they don't have a legitimate reason for denial they will invent one! Who is going to settle that? Well, that same government agency, of course!
If you think we are screwed now just wait until 'health care' (& other Obama crap) is enacted!
******
BTW, did anyone see the report on Fox News about the FAA having a $5 MILLION 'conference' on the taxpayer's?!
Party Time at the FAA; Critics Question $5 Million Gathering
That is the way I see it.
Wish I know how to starve the beat in a really efficient way.
Charities, churches, friends, can take care of the truly needy.
“... starve the beat...”
Should have read ‘starve the beast’ and my keyboard is sick still!
I’m seeing a lot more of this also even though I live in a middle class area with almost no minorities. It has suddenly become fashionable here for girls to get pregnant and not get married.
I’ve been behind quite of few of them in the grocery line picking up huge cakes , desserts and junk food paying with the cards while yapping on their cell phones.
BTW Kroger’s has some great sales and many of them double coupons. If you watch the sales carefully and stock up on the items that you normally use when they go on sale you can reduce your grocery bill substantially. Many times it is much cheaper to buy the name brand item with a coupon than it is to purchase a store brand. There are coupon clipping sites where you can purchase them if you don’t buy the Sunday papers. Also this place is great for finding out what the best grocery buys are for the week and what coupons match up for them http://www.southernsavers.com/
Oh and the Wii , it’s an awesome time waster . I love Mario Kart !
I get your point, but we are all disgusted that they don’t work, so we pretty much are against her getting foodstamps in any event.
They are “disabled” (read: fat)
$800! Surely you jest, it’s just mind boggling.
Well, they fill out papers and get teaching assitantships to start. They then fill out papers and get food stamps (true) and everthing else they can get. They learned how to fill out papers and how to find what was up for grabs. They were very good at it.
Those in Washington see the taxpayers as nothing but voluntary slaves. If we want to feed our own families after they steal their "fair share", we'll keep working, spending, building, etc. They can count on us to bring in the cash - no matter how much they spend.
She'd be ALOT more compassionate if she'd get off her lazy, fat a$$ and go to work and earn HER OWN way, and help others with money she earned HERSELF.
I don’t know how things are done in California, but around here (SC), yes, you can get a teaching assistantship to help you through grad. school and then work your tail off, teaching, grading... doing everything the professor in charge of the course is too sorry to do himself/herself. The pay barely allows you to survive, and I don’t know anybody who applied for (or got) food stamps.
A couple in Illinois made $400 a month.
how gauche! Never with the sprinkled garlic salt. Never. Gently saute garlic in the butter, then put on bread. /sarc
Actually this was East Coast. Three different people I knew lived well by applying for everything, I’m sure it took a lot of research to find all the goodies. I know about the food stamps when one of them told me and explained that it was no big deal. This was years ago but I suspect that if you are willing to learn the system you too can skate through life on the backs of others. I don’t believe that anyone of them considered anything they were doing as not honest—they were just smarter and all good liberals. Getting govt goodies as way of life can be at any level not just inner-city poor. I’m sure it applies to businesses, bankers, etc.
An assistantship is a job. So they are trading work for the school in return for reduced tuition. I never heard of a free graduate school education anywhere. You should get your facts straight.
We had a large garden this year and brought her plenty of fresh fruits and veggies this year. She also got some of what we canned for the winter. Another family in the church keeps chickens and makes sure she gets a couple of dozen eggs and a chicken every week. The rest of the church chips in with a gallon of milk, some bring a bag of flour or some venison. We have managed to keep several families fed without their having to depend on the state assistance.
Still keeping them in food and clothing is one thing, keeping them in housing and medical is quite another. That is where some state aid would be very helpful.
>>That is where some state aid would be very helpful.<<
To be fair, since that’s what the Left urges us all to be, it is not “state” aid. The State generates no money. They make no profit. They do not create money, unless you include the worthless paper being printed these days. In fact, the State has been losing money for decades because of programs being discussed here, as well as equally inefficient programs in other areas in which they do not belong.
“State” aid is actually “Americans who work” aid. We pay for it. It is demanded by the State, by force. If you don’t believe this, try ducking your taxes. You’ll either go to jail or be named a member of the Obama administration. There is no such thing as “state” aid. The aid comes from us, whether it is given freely and/or passed through churches or charities, or whether it is co-opted by the government(s), filtered through several inefficient bureaucracies, then presented to those who apply in exchange for their voting loyalties. Just a small clarification. Carry on.
Heck if they would just agree to a 5 year property tax deferment for the unemployed it would be a great help.
Amen to that ;)
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