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I drove my Mercedes to pick up my food stamps
[Deleted User]
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Re: I drove my Mercedes to pick up my food stamps
I have just met way too many that were on the other end where they would do just the bare minimum to keep all of their government aid. I try my best not to judge especially if it looks like they are trying but sometimes it is really hard.
Harry Styles = Life Ruiner
There’s a lightning in your eyes I can't deny
Then there’s me inside a sinking boat running out of time
Without you I'll never make it out alive
But I know, yes, I know we’ll be alright
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J. 1.14.13 my reason for breathing
it's not the exception to the rule. you only say that because you assume "normal" look joe shmo on that you interact with everyday, see everyday, and don't think less of them isn't on assistance. people you come in contact with everyday in every which way may be on assistance and going through a tough time. but you don't think "oh, look at that freeloader using my tax dollarz!" because they don't fit whatever welfare queen image that you have in your head.
exception to the rule. getthefuckouttahere with that nonsense.
NO RULZ.
I worked a well paying job, drove (drive) luxury cars, have nice diamonds and handbags, and iphones. Hair and Nails done and nice clothes. I lost my job the day I told them I was pregnant, it didn't fall into our strict plans and budget. My pregnancy was rough and I was on bed rest for most of it (14 weeks and on) but was fortunate enough to collect unemployment. It wasn't what I was used to but we made it work by cutting spending, selling things, and keeping baby expenses at bay. My DH owns a construction company, income isn't very consistent and this was as the market was just coming back in our shore town.
At 12 days old my DS was hospitalized and the conclusion was that he had a milk protein allergy as well as a stomach virus he picked up in the ER. They put him on Alimentum formula - I didn't know at the time but it is VERY expensive and being a first time mom I had no clue it was even a possibility. After mourning not being able to breastfeed and my child's medical emergency we were faced with a very real problem - we couldn't afford to feed him. A realization we found out on my first Mother's Day - the day we were released from the hospital in the aisle of Target. After calling my DR in hysterics we were told WIC would cover Alimentum if we qualified.
I was at the office the very next morning with all the paperwork on the website and a Dr's note in hand for the Alimentum. We actually made $25 a month more than what was allowed to qualify - a can of Alimentum was 2x that. I fought and fought and with my Dr's assistance we were given WIC. My Baby could eat.
I tried to sell my BMW but no one was buying so that's what i drove to get my WIC checks, my DH wasn't thrilled at the idea of me selling my engagement ring either (family heirloom) and my Iphone plan at the time wasn't any cheaper than the flip phone (I had paid for the phone when I was still working) I am SURE that I was judged every time I went in the grocery store line or pulled into the WIC office for my qualification meetings. I stopped using WIC the day DS was allowed to go off Alimentum but I have never felt more blessed in my life than being granted that assistance that day. I have to believe as I am in the grocery store and I see the tired mom putting up her month's supply of formula that she is feeling blessed to be able to feed her baby too - and maybe her Iphone, skittles, and ering are more a reminder of failure to her than of cheating the system.
Sorry for the long story but it's something that hits home hard.
This is actually my career, and I hate the stigma associated with it. I know so many people who won't come apply for assistance just because they don't want to be judged. I actually love that we have an online process now, so you don't have to actually come to an office. We still have a ton of kinks to work out, but I know it's helping people who would not apply otherwise.
I think the kicker of it is I had always been fortunate enough to never really have to give public assistance or those that get it a second thought. That's why it kills me that most people don't realize that no matter how good their job is, it really only takes one big event to set off the chain reaction of needing assistance. And that's only for the people that aren't in cycle of poverty, for them they never had a chance. The "welfare queen debate" just opens my eyes to how people of fortunate circumstances can be more ignorant than those they judge.
This. I'm not single, but we budget to the $ due to daycare costs. I can't qualify for daycare assistance due to making to much, but if I stopped working or worked less to meet the requirements I wouldn't need daycare( if I wasn't working) or wouldn't make enough to pay for other things. So instead we budget and scrape by.
I am curious as to how/ where you have met "too many" that were on the other end. I do this for a living and it has been my experience that the overwhelming majority do not want to be at DSS and do not want to on assistance. There are those who play the system, but in my profesional experience, they are the exception, not the rule.
It might do you good to research facts on SS/ Medicaid/ Medicare fraud. There is a wealth of legit info out there that can dispel some of your misconceptions.
Is that worse than a Mercedes?
A whole lotta shit changed from when I got then (for free) and when we went on WIC.
I tried multiple times to sell or give them away but, shocker, no one wanted a crippled horse or an ancient horse when rideable young horses were being abandoned.
We even looked into euthanasia but the vets wouldn't because the horses were healthy, even when I said I was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford to feed them.
It was not a good time.
After a few months, MH went back to work and we no longer qualified, so we phased out of the program.
The way I think of assistance, its focused around the kids. So I'm more concerned about babies and kids getting the food and other things they need than the occasional cheat who finds a loophole in the system. Bc what hhappens when a family doesnt get the assistance they need? Its mostly the kids who suffer. And that makes my heart hurt.
I also worked with another person who told me to my face that he knew exactly to the penny how much he could make a year and maximize government aid.
My mom was a social worker and she also told me stories about how a lot of the people that she dealt with would have had more productive lives if they would take their prescribed medicine and stay off of the drugs and alcohol.
I also know of people who have successfully transitioned off of welfare through hard work at making themselves more employable including a co-worker who has told me stories also from when she was on welfare.
When I was married to my ex-wife, I was making roughly $6.00 to $12.00 an hour and me ex-wife started out at around $8 and kept going down. I was working full time, going to school almost full time and I always made it a priority to have car insurance and health insurance. There was times that it was rough to go to the dentist or the doctor's office.
Hopefully this will give everyone here more information on where my initial answer came from. I have lived among the working poor and was one of them for a good while myself, it is rough but people can escape from it. I also have relatives that hate the ACA because they make too much for subsidies but don't have the money to cover the price for even bronze level coverage.
As for the second point... You do realize that staying off the drugs and alcohol isn't that easy, right? And that taking pills isn't super simple for someone with a mental illness, right?
I'm glad you made it out but there are people who work JUST AS HARD AS YOU and don't make it.
As for the kids not being fed, you did call CPS, didn't you?