My rant on government benefits

[A2P]

I don't get why people feel the need to complain about others who have them. They are used so that someone can go without being hungry. "Yeah but it's my tax money!" Well, first off, government-funded benefits are only a small part of what you pay in taxes.

If you're so angry that you're being taxed, then why aren't you chewing out that police officer who patrols your street to keep order in your neighborhood? Why don't you bitch out the construction worker that's maintaining the street so that you can travel more efficiently? How about the firefighter who might save your life one day, or that soldier that's willing to sacrifice their life in order to keep this beautiful country safe? Because your tax dollars are paying for that as well.

Why does it all have to be about the money? Why can't you be happy that some of your tax funds are spent on maintaining the life of others? Oh, it's because they're poor, right? OHHHH, it's a class thing, right? Psh.

"But people scam the government! Don't be so gullible!" Yes, I realize this as well. You think, if they need government assistance, why do they have nice phones, or a car, or whatever else that's expensive? Well, consider this - you do know that the poor can save money too, right? Perhaps they have been saving what little money they have in order to afford that rare luxury, probably busting their ass in order to do so. Don't be angry because they're conservative with their money.

Which brings back the point of scamming. I will admit, it does irk me a bit whenever I ring someone out with an EBT card, and they pull out a stack of 100s/20s. But the truth is, I don't know where that money came from, and I don't know their circumstances, so I don't judge. And if a few people (and I do mean -a few-) take advantage of the system, you know what? Let them. Because I'd rather have a few people take advantage, than to let ONE SINGLE LIFE die because they went hungry.

[kommisar]

Re: My rant on government benefits

the amount people get from welfare is tragically low and isn't nearly enough to live off of. it's supposed to be a resource to fall back on in desperation. it's such a minuscule amount of the money being thrown around it's ridic. But hey, easier to give 600+ billion dollars in tax cuts

[Snowcrafta]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I honestly agree with the fact that poor people can save money for luxury items as well. Just because you busted your ass and took on extra hours so you could afford that iPhone doesn't mean all the sudden you don't deserve welfare. It's necessary for people to give themselves rewards for their own psyche, because quality of life matters, no matter what class you're in.

I've been on food stamps before, and it was a blessing to get. I was working 36-48 hours a week making 9.50 an hour, and it still could barely afford the cost of rent, insurance, gas, bills, and recreation. It's humiliating to be the guy who has to mooch in order to have fun, and food stamps gave me an extra 200 a month to work with. I learned how to cook, and was able to have a relatively typical home life in my little studio because of that little extra money. Poor people deserve to have fun just as much as anyone else

[Izzy]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I agree and I also have no issues with high taxes. Taxes aren't inherently a problem just because it gets used poorly in some cases.

[kommisar]

Re: My rant on government benefits

it's rather the use of said tax money. it's an issue in canada as well. the people managing each department can't manage the funds they get properly and always go over and ask the government for more. healthcare spending is ridic in this province and is something stupid like 60% of the budget. pretty sure in any private company you'd be fired for mishandling that much money.

also capital gains tax heh

[Alioth]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I've been trying to get off food stamps secretly while I worked out of my old job, but the fact that my family uses that shit and I don't have any use for it is dumb. I don't even know what information of mine is on the card...oh well. I guess that I can let them do it more since my mom is going to be on unemployment. I may work at Wendy's for a bit though...just because of how ridiculous it sounds.

[adlp]

Re: My rant on government benefits

im on mobile otherwise id post a bigger response

the poor in our country have it better than anywhere else in the world

I don't like how non citizens can enroll in government programs and receive benefits when they don't bother to become a citizen

one thing a lot of people are neglecting to acknowledge is that most people that conplain about welfare don't want to get rid of it, they want it revamped.

[Afrobean]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I don't get why people feel the need to complain about others who have them.

My problem with them is that they can be denied to people who legitimately need them, while others who do not are able to scam the system to unfairly take what they do not need.

It doesn't matter to me that more tax money goes to killing brown people in the middle east than it does to providing charity to those who need it back home. The system is still broken and shitty.

For example, health care for low income folk. Not only is the service shit because money is funneled into war instead, but it's also denied to people who need service. Instead, the government DEMANDS that they buy their own private health care. Depending on the individual's income, they might be able to get a voucher to pay for some of it, but that's still bullshit.

"But people scam the government! Don't be so gullible!" Yes, I realize this as well. You think, if they need government assistance, why do they have nice phones, or a car, or whatever else that's expensive? Well, consider this - you do know that the poor can save money too, right? Perhaps they have been saving what little money they have in order to afford that rare luxury, probably busting their ass in order to do so. Don't be angry because they're conservative with their money.

I feel like you don't actually know anyone who really scams the government. My girlfriend's sister is awful about this. She is unemployed. Always. Her husband is unemployed. Always. For years. They get money from the government. I think it's largely because she is diagnosed as being bipolar, and this is grounds to be paid DISABILITY. Yeah, the government cuts her an unemployment paycheck because she is bipolar. She supplements this income by drugdealering pills she is prescribed. In the last few months, she's been able to: buy a 4,200 car outright, bail her husband out of jail two times (one of which was through a bondsman the other was not), and buy all new furniture for their whole house that they own. Oh, and this furniture includes not only brand new couches, but beds for everyone, including their three children. THREE CHILDREN these unemployed bastards have and they can live as they do. Assuming me working full time as I do, and living with a mother who did likewise, I could NEVER afford to be a homeowner, provide for three children, and live like they do. I can't even imagine what it's like to be able to just throw out of all of your furniture and buy new EVERYTHING. Coincidentally, I recently also bought myself a 4,200 car outright. But I'm living with my girlfriend's parents to limit bills (200 rent per month and nothing more), don't even have a cell phone bill, and I STILL had to dip into money I had invested since I was a child that was supposed to be for school in order to pay for my car that I ABSOLUTELY needed for work and school. These people are always unemployed, and would never think of going-to/finishing college.

Oh, and immediately after getting out of jail on a suspended license, this bipolar woman's crackhead husband wrecked their brand new [used] 4200 car. Not even joking, by the way, this guy is a crackhead. So there's that too.

If even one person like this is able to take advantage of the system while even one person who could legitimately use it is denied, yeah, I don't like the system.

[Cavernio]

Re: My rant on government benefits

The problem with your sister doesn't seem to be that she's on disability but rather that her and her husband resort to crime to get a lot of money. These are very different things, and it hardly seems that her disability money is what's pulling her through anything. Like, if the family were to straighten up, they'd likely be poorer than you.
I don't know how bad your sister has bi-polar, but I can easily forsee being bipolar as preventing someone from getting and keeping a job. Easily.

[kommisar]

Re: My rant on government benefits

well on ADLP's side of things, there should be more programs to educate homeless/unemployed individuals who can't afford it so they can get employment. Welfare is supposed to fall back on, not to live off of.

there are cases where people legitimately can't work, and for those people I think welfare is absolutely vital. But for people who DON'T want to work, I have a problem with.

[noname219]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I have the impression that people that complain about welfare has never been in that situation. While I never had money problems, I've hit some low points in my life and in the last months, I've come to realize that the support I got from my friends and family was what saved my ass.
Think of it this way : if nobody helps, how will they (the welfare recipients) get out of their situation ? On their own ?

While we're on the subject :

[Nyokou]

Re: My rant on government benefits

I dunno, some people do abuse it but others don't.

My boyfriend's mom receives SNAP benefits for herself, her youngest son and her elderly mom. The money they get has been cut about 2-3 times now. Luckily, she's one of those people who spends her money wisely so she has tonsss of food saved in her back pantry/freezer but it's not gonna last forever. She's been trying to get back on full-time work since she had to go down to part-time to take care of her kid but there's no guarantee she'll get a full-time position again, especially with people avoiding hiring full-time workers nowadays.

[devonin]

Re: My rant on government benefits

well on ADLP's side of things, there should be more programs to educate homeless/unemployed individuals who can't afford it so they can get employment. Welfare is supposed to fall back on, not to live off of.

there are cases where people legitimately can't work, and for those people I think welfare is absolutely vital. But for people who DON'T want to work, I have a problem with.

In Ontario, 'welfare' doesn't exist as such, the program most people are on that would be welfare is called 'Ontario Works' (which I was on for a number of months myself before I got this job.

And in order to actually receive my monthly payment, I had to prove to the office that I was actively looking for work. They would periodically ask me for a list of names and contact info of places I applied so they could check up on whether I even applied, and if I wasn't demonstrating sufficient effort, they would just cut me off.

Well now I'm the Regional Manager of a multimillion dollar business, and I am 100% happy to keep paying money into social support programs, because they helped me out when I was screwed out of work, and now that I can give back, I'm all for it.

[Snowcrafta]

Re: My rant on government benefits

Maybe it's just me, but multimillion dollar business isn't really a status symbol, since a million dollars is pretty easy to make nowadays in the tech industry. You can be a recruiter, recruit 4 people a month, and still make $700,000 a year

[devonin]

Re: My rant on government benefits

It wasn't intended to be a status symbol, so much as a mark of "I'm in a position now where a common view is to look at people on social support as leeching from my profits I'd rather keep"