Gov't Assistance: WIC, food stamps

[Pax]

Just a thought; shouldn't we all be more irritated/angry at the billions of dollars going to bail out and subsidize corporations, than the piddly (by comparison) money someone gets scamming a flawed system?

[shootingstar]

He didn't qualify for Mass Health benefits that my clients get, but there was a safety net. A lot of his friends refused to buy the insurance and hoped that they didn't get sick or the state didn't find out and fine (tax) them.

When I was unemployed I paid just under $55.00 every 3 months to govn't for whenever I wanted medical care. Yes, you pay for years you never use them. So I did see the doctor, get blood work. I had time to see a doctor and glad I went.

Then boom, you use the health care system intensively. Like my father..totally healthy for 60 yrs. of his life. Except for fall injury in his 30's. Now he has cancer. Alot of this is covered by our health care system with maybe only subsidy for drugs.

I can't even imagine cycling in one's own country and not have health insurance.

[missjean]

Does it ever strike you the the US is a 100 pounds of cure is better than 1 ounce of prevention country?
We fund the big money social programs, but then we balk at funding programs that could help reduce the dependence on those programs.
Here in NH funds were cut for Alzheimer’s day care and caregiver support, and funding for programs that helped people with mental health issues. The caregivers who had been able to hold down jobs because they had a safe place to have their family member looked after had to quit their jobs to go on assistance, or had to put the family member in a state funded nursing home - which costs much more.

I recently had a conversation with a man from VT who works with an organization that helps women who have been released from prison. There is a high recidivism rate with these women. They have a hard time finding work, so they can get state subsidizes for rent, but it is such a small amount they can only afford to live in the bad sections of town. Not the best place to live if you are trying to avoid bad influences that landed you in jail the first time.

And then this whole movement to defund Planned Parenthood! You want less abortions & unplanned babies that will wind up on welfare? Taking away what birth control there is for poor women does not seem to be the smartest plan.

[Veronica]

Hair braids etc could be done by a family member or a friend for free (wanting to pratcise).

Could be, but they're not. This is one of my students whom I've had for two years and we talk. Her latest set took 5 hours to complete.

I know this is the Internet and all and very few of you really know me, but I'm not jumping to conclusions when I write something about my students. And it distresses me that my observations are taken to indicate a lack of compassion. Having grown up poor, I know what it's like and I take my job as a teacher very seriously. Part of that means letting them them know that a "free" lunch really isn't free and shouldn't be taken for granted and thought of as right. Oh and I guess because they're poor, I really shouldn't chide them for having Cheetos as snack either.

We're studying the American Revolution currently and you should hear the conversations in my class about taxes...

Veronica

[Trek420]

I can't even imagine cycling in one's own country and not have health insurance.

Or walking, or working, or breathing or ... so please don't

I guess now that I don't work there I can say for over 17 years I worked in disabled and elderly services at da' phone company. In some ways we were part of the safety net, often helping customers to patch together different programs.

Yes there is some fraud, ask me about the old days of California Lifeline but most truly need the help.

The stories every day would rip your heart apart; the farmer whose tractor fell on him and now is a true quad, the couple married for 50 years living far from medical care, she has dementia, he has macular degeneration, they can't sell or rent their home to move closer to town "But we are a good team" he said. Their stories still ring in my ears.

Let me just end by saying if you think you're fine, you'd never need help, it's "them" whomever "they" are abusing or using the system you may be sadly wrong.

Most of us are an unexpected diagnosis, a pot hole or car door, a car crash to ourselves or a loved one ... we're that one thing away from disaster.

Not one of us is promised another day of health, lose that you lost your job, and with that your health care. So enjoy your ride.

[PamNY]

Sometimes people hear a story, which often isn't verified, of someone who seems to not deserve public assistance but gets it anyone. They then may hear another story. And before you know it they have a generalized belief that there is something really wrong with the system and the system is full of loopholes and full of cheaters.

That really is true.

I'm fascinated that people will use a very few (or even one) examples of bad behavior to make a sweeping negative generalization. A story about a teenager who committed a crime leads to ain't-it-awful discussions bewailing how terrible young people are.

Yet a story about the Intel science award winners does not lead to extensive discussion about how smart, committed and energetic young people are.

I'm sure there are people who cheat in every area of life.

[Koronin]

Does it ever strike you the the US is a 100 pounds of cure is better than 1 ounce of prevention country?
We fund the big money social programs, but then we balk at funding programs that could help reduce the dependence on those programs.
Here in NH funds were cut for Alzheimer’s day care and caregiver support, and funding for programs that helped people with mental health issues. The caregivers who had been able to hold down jobs because they had a safe place to have their family member looked after had to quit their jobs to go on assistance, or had to put the family member in a state funded nursing home - which costs much more.

I recently had a conversation with a man from VT who works with an organization that helps women who have been released from prison. There is a high recidivism rate with these women. They have a hard time finding work, so they can get state subsidizes for rent, but it is such a small amount they can only afford to live in the bad sections of town. Not the best place to live if you are trying to avoid bad influences that landed you in jail the first time.

And then this whole movement to defund Planned Parenthood! You want less abortions & unplanned babies that will wind up on welfare? Taking away what birth control there is for poor women does not seem to be the smartest plan.

I so totally don't get it either. I really wish more preventative care would be covered and provided actually. I must give credit to a previous company my husband worked for in this category. As part of their health care (although not part of the health insurance) they would refund upto $200 a year for anything that was health/exercise related. Things included gym memberships, bicycles, exercise bikes, ect.

I also don't get the whole let's defund Planned Parenthood and while we're at it, make abortions impossible to get, even in medical necessary cases (Georgia law, which did not pass the state Senate) and make birth control illegal. On the last part I had visions of having to find my local drug dealer so I could buy birth control.

[Owlie]

I so totally don't get it either. I really wish more preventative care would be covered and provided actually. I must give credit to a previous company my husband worked for in this category. As part of their health care (although not part of the health insurance) they would refund upto $200 a year for anything that was health/exercise related. Things included gym memberships, bicycles, exercise bikes, ect.

I also don't get the whole let's defund Planned Parenthood and while we're at it, make abortions impossible to get, even in medical necessary cases (Georgia law, which did not pass the state Senate) and make birth control illegal. On the last part I had visions of having to find my local drug dealer so I could buy birth control.

That drives me crazy. There's a disturbingly large number of people who don't want birth control covered by insurance, demand abortion be outlawed (or create a degrading series of hoops to jump through), and want Planned Parenthood defunded....and these same people also make a huge stink about WIC, Medicaid, and forms of social welfare programs. You can't have it both ways...

This thread also reminded me of this Cracked article. Yes, it's Cracked, but I think it's still somewhat relevant.

[Koronin]

Owlie, Exactly.

[zoom-zoom]

Perhaps we should make any man who wants Viagra prove that they are actively trying to get some woman pregnant before we pay for their ED meds. Oh, wait a minute. Guys with ED are more often older, and so, by default, they are not likely to want more children.

Hmmm. Something screwy here.

They should have to go through an invasive pelvic exam, just like we have to when we want a prescription for hormonal contraceptives.

[Irulan]

Perhaps we should make any man who wants Viagra prove that they are actively trying to get some woman pregnant before we pay for their ED meds. Oh, wait a minute. Guys with ED are more often older, and so, by default, they are not likely to want more children.

Hmmm. Something screwy here.

There were a whole bunch of bills restricting viagra proposed in various state houses/sentates, requiring among other things: a psychological examination, a note from a spouse, cardiac stress test, and so on.

[PamNY]

This thread also reminded me of this Cracked article. Yes, it's Cracked, but I think it's still somewhat relevant.

I'll bet there's a lot of truth in the Cracked article.

[salsabike]

I'll bet there's a lot of truth in the Cracked article.

That's a good article.

[zoom-zoom]

I identified with most of the first page of that Cracked article. We had very little. We didn't have medical insurance until I was already in college and my mom got hired in a full time support position at my former school. We went without a phone quite frequently and had our power shut off on more than one occasion. My family certainly qualified for assistance, but my dad was too proud/stubborn/stupid to take it.

I still have a difficult time eating fruits and veggies. I never really developed a taste for them and when I'm hungry I crave toast and crackers (gimme a sleeve of Ritz crackers...mmmm...). Sometimes I really do prefer canned fruits and things. The texture of a lot of raw veggies kinda makes me wanna puke.

I'm terrible at saving money. We never had money to save. My hubby's upbringing was a polar opposite and sometimes we struggle to understand one another on financial stuff. But I still remember how offensive his mom was years ago, she was very down on my parents for not paying for my college...but my folks had another kid in college (at Northwestern) and still had 1 at home. They also live in a relatively high-cost area. My ILs, on the other hand, had only 1 kid and lived in an area where housing was dirt cheap. They also both made about twice as much as my folks. And my DH's grandparents had bought stock when he was little that essentially paid for his tuition in full for all 4 years. My MIL was a special ed teacher, so she (of all people) should have had a clue about financial struggles that families face.

[Atlas]

Could be, but they're not. This is one of my students whom I've had for two years and we talk. Her latest set took 5 hours to complete.

I know this is the Internet and all and very few of you really know me, but I'm not jumping to conclusions when I write something about my students. And it distresses me that my observations are taken to indicate a lack of compassion. Having grown up poor, I know what it's like and I take my job as a teacher very seriously. Part of that means letting them them know that a "free" lunch really isn't free and shouldn't be taken for granted and thought of as right. Oh and I guess because they're poor, I really shouldn't chide them for having Cheetos as snack either.

What do you suggest we do? Cut all those programs so no one can benefit? There will always be people who scam things, but for all the anecdotes I'm sure there are twice as many people who are grateful for those safety nets and don't outwardly say that. The family you're talking about could very well be scamming the whole system, I don't know and I don't really mind because there are a lot more people who are benefiting. Just because I don't need those services now doesn't mean I won't in the future and I'm happy to pay into them. It'd be ideal if no one ripped off a well intended program but that's not human nature.