Food Stamps

Every successful person has had assistance in someway or another via a priviledged upnbrining, a good education, an aunt or uncle, a neighbor, a coach, teacher. Personally, I would not have gone to college if not forgovernment assist and now I'm a productive member of society..not sure where I would be without my education and am forever grateful..I'm more then happy to pay taxes for public assistance.I believe there are very few people who want to actually live off of assistance....not all of us have wealthy relatives to take care of uswhen need be.some people need to get off their high horses and visit the real world.

Oops..not done..most people I know who are opposed to government assist are people from very priveledged backgrounds as if th hey havnt received aid....they got to the point they are all on their own...not.

Oops..not done..most people I know who are opposed to government assist are people from very priveledged backgrounds as if th hey havnt received aid....they got to the point they are all on their own...not.

We must have had different experiences growing up. My father was a postman and my mother a housewife. I attended public school and went to a state university. I got my first job, a paper route, at 13 and kept it until my 16th birthday. I started at Radio Shack on my 16th birthday. I worked at Radio Shack all through high school and my freshman year at college. I got a job as a teaching assistant at the university my sophomore year. My college was paid for by my parents and myself. I went to an in-state university because that's all we could afford. Not my first choice of schools. I was the first person in my family to go to college.

I grew up in an 800sf 2 bedroom house and shared a bedroom with my sister until I was 10. We then insulated the attic and I moved up there. I lived there until college when I moved into the dorm.

I am opposed to assistance because in my experience people can succeed if they try hard enough. Some people truly need help and should get it. Others take help because it is easy to get. Others make a lifestyle of needing help by repeatedly making poor decisions and needing to be bailed out. My wife and I both have family members who fall into this category.

I consider that to be a privledged background...believe it or not. Great support ......or should we call it assistance ? From somewhere. Raised in a stable home with two parents, I'm guessing well fed or nourished, I'm guessing father had good benefits and could take you for appropriate medical and dental care when needed,possibly encouraged tobgo to college ,strong work ethic modeled for you , a mother that was home after school and a good public education available to you..and parents to help pay for school. Do you think everyone grows up like this? You were very fortunate. Sorry to burst your bubble but sounds like you had a great deal of "assistance".

So let me understand. Because you had irresponsible parents, the government should take someone else's money away from them and give it to you. Money that they earned through honest work.

I would rather see the government require permits to have children. Require that the parents take parenting classes and prove financial responsibility. If the government is going to interfere in our lives I would rather them require that irresponsible people act responsibility rather than punish responsible people for the actions of irresponsible people.

My parents were responsible people. Fundamentalist Southern Baptists. You know that ole Protestant work ethic. When I was in high school and friends were getting cars. I asked my father if I could have a car. He said that as soon as I could afford to buy one and pay for the insurance I could have a car. He explained that life wasn't fair and he could not afford to buy me a car. He said that in life you just have to play the cards that you are dealt.

You seem to think that stealing someone else's cards is ok. That was not the way that I was raised. Then again my parents are conservative republicans.

Rotorhead - it seems your parents failed to remind you that the cornerstone of Catholicism is charity and taking care of one another. "He who dies with the most toys wins" is not a tenet of your parents religion. Before going off on "us" paying for children of irresponsible parents, you'll be happy to know that your personal contribution to welfare programs amounts to nickels from each paycheck. The bombs we've been dropping for the past 12 years cost over 1 million dollars a piece. Everyone that has a problem with the Government pulling a few nickels of your paycheck to feed hungry children but claim to be religious should have a talk with their Flock.

I'll leave comments about requiring permits to have children to the weekly white supremacist meetings.

It sounds like you had great parents.
You do realize to implement a program such as you are suggesting will.cost money? Where will the money come from?

I don't believe its stealing, I believe it is sharing to provide to others to create a better society for all to thrive which benefits everyone in the long run. Some of my.money goes to public schools..didn't you go to a public school? Public schoo is government assist. I don't mind giving /sharing money to those less fortunate to assist in creating a better person to allow productive participation in society. I th ink there in lies the disagreement...sounds like you do mind pitching in. Imagine life without such a great upbringing and assistance from your parents and the government., and/ or you have a profound mental and/or physical disability..where would you be?

So let me understand. Because you had irresponsible parents, the government should take someone else's money away from them and give it to you. Money that they earned through honest work.

I would rather see the government require permits to have children. Require that the parents take parenting classes and prove financial responsibility. If the government is going to interfere in our lives I would rather them require that irresponsible people act responsibility rather than punish responsible people for the actions of irresponsible people.

My parents were responsible people. Fundamentalist Southern Baptists. You know that ole Protestant work ethic. When I was in high school and friends were getting cars. I asked my father if I could have a car. He said that as soon as I could afford to buy one and pay for the insurance I could have a car. He explained that life wasn't fair and he could not afford to buy me a car. He said that in life you just have to play the cards that you are dealt.

You seem to think that stealing someone else's cards is ok. That was not the way that I was raised. Then again my parents are conservative republicans.

Interesting...so many things left unsaid, but understood anyway...

What do you think of this?

"In the past 10 years alone, Americans have given Israel the equivalent of approximately $200,000 per Israeli family of five. In addition, there have been weapons subsidies, loan forgiveness programs, special trade preferences, and other generous gifts from American taxpayers to Israel. In fact, despite being one of the world’ smallest nations, Israel receives more U.S. tax money than any other country. "

I don't mind giving /sharing money to those less fortunate to assist in creating a better person to allow productive participation in society.quote]

I don't believe most people mind helping someone become a productive member of society. That is what the welfare system was created for. The problem lies in what the system has become. I personally know of several people who live off the system and are more than capable (healthy, educated, functional) of being productive. One, when asked why she didn't get a job, told me "why should I when I can get all this money for doing nothing?". Another lies to the government stating she is a single parent to get more $ for her child's education - she is married & living with her spouse (both have good high paying jobs and make at least 4 times what I do). Before anyone asks, yes, I reported this abuse to the correct agency. What was done....nothing, nothing at all.

I watched a news report about the "free cell phone" program. They interviewed a woman who opened her purse and showed the reporter 12 cell phones she got in the past few days. Each came with 250 minutes. When asked why she had so many her response was, "why not, they are free". She just went to different locations in her city and got the phones - no ID needed, no tracking of it at all.
The free phone program -Lifeline - was started (I'm relying on memory now so don't flame me if I'm incorrect) under the Reagan administration to provide land line phones for shut-ins, disabled & elderly so they could always call for assistance. How did this get turned into the ridiculous program it is now? I believe we should still provide a means of contact for assistance, however, a land line will do or just a cell phone with NO service (you can always call 911 on any cell without a provider). Why do we have to provided multiple phones with 250 min each to people? How much is this costing tax payers?

I do not object to helping to create productive members of society (as my previous post about having people provide 40 hours a week for their check - that is productive). I object to my money that I work hard to earn being used to create an entitlement society.

BTW - Sheiba, I grew up eating "government cheese & bread" as a kid. Yes, I had two parents growing up but they got divorced. I got my first job at 13 and a 30 hour a week job at 16. I worked my way through college, paid my own bills, finished a degree while working 40 hours a week AND taking a full credit load at the same time. Somehow I was able to become a productive member of society. Yes, I got assistance along the way in Pell grants but I used that assistance to become productive - that is what I think government assistance should do.

 

"In the past 10 years alone, Americans have given Israel the equivalent of approximately $200,000 per Israeli family of five. In addition, there have been weapons subsidies, loan forgiveness programs, special trade preferences, and other generous gifts from American taxpayers to Israel. In fact, despite being one of the world’ smallest nations, Israel receives more U.S. tax money than any other

Singling out a true ally in Israel, and ignoring the billions we give Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, etc., while not understanding the reasons why we give money to countries is troubling in 2012. Any American who isn't squarely behind Israel's struggle in that region, and anyone who views Hamas as victims is grossly uneducated on the subject.