[M.K. Borders]

Wow!

[No!]

If you don't take care of yourself, you are a burden to somebody else...

ALWAYS!

[tal hajus]

One of my jobs is at a video rental. I also sell cigarettes at the same counter. I will also check out a small amount of groceries. It irks me to have these individuals buy these name brand foods and junk foods with their Access card and then fork over almost 4.00 each for one or more packs of cigs. Oh, sometimes they will rent video's at 3.00 a pop also.

[Frankss]

America has the riches poor people in the world! The one thing these folks are good at, is making excuses. People risk their lives to get into this country to wash dishes,dig ditches, ect. Here we have home grown natives, given every opportunity-and yet they can not keep their heads above water. I'm tired of supporting them.

[glockmeister40]

This guy is hard hitting.

The answer to the welfare problem is complex. For example, who is the average welfare recipient? Some lazy, fat, thirty-something person with a fifth-grade literacy level (yet she can quote you the welfare laws verbatim) , buying 96 ounce slurpees, smokes and lotto tickets in line ahead of you (and ten other people) at the Seven-Eleven ? Nope. Four out of five welfare recipients are children.

Some things are obvious: The best chance for success is a sound education and work skills in a field that society values. Also, a person needs a sound work ethic. "Arbeit macht frei" as the Germans called it.

Suicide is not the answer. How about a method where the name, home phone, address and recent photo of all welfare recipients are published weekly in the local paper? This would be, IMHO, a profound motivator to get people off the welfare roles.

[demlosers]

The Merriam Webster Ditionary -- Poverty: 1. lack of money or material possesions

My definition and the Dictionary's definition do agree. The two people you describe do not fit the meaning of poverty.

The two dudes are just lazy.