GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE! Boom. Why, while in line at the grocery store, must I have to watch a fashionably tasteless person that looks like they've spent more money on their outfit than their children's, pay for groceries using government assistance and then use their own money to buy alcohol. Does the government not screen these individuals? Why am I as a taxpayer forced to enable this?
When I got out of the military, the first thing I did was file for unemployment. I thought it was justified, considering I had just spent four years being a slave to the government and because I was moving to Austin, a brand new city to me, to start school after taking a 5 year break. I figured I needed to give myself an opportunity to not only adjust to civilian life, but also adjust to being in a foreign place and learn how to 'learn' again. I called the unemployment office one day, and was impressed by how I was being treated so sincerely for being a vet and applying for benefits, so I thought to myself "no big deal." Weeks later, I called to ask about why I had not heard anything and received a different tone of voice on the line than the last. The lady who I was speaking to this time was very rude, and told me "Ms. Rivas, you wrote on your application that you weren't willing to quit school. If you aren't willing to quit school to obtain a job full - time, then we cannot offer you our services. Unemployment is a way of helping people when they are transition from one job to another. It isn't a means to put people through school."
I was enraged at her assumptions that I was trying to milk the system and not only that, had the audacity to be rude to me from the time she answered the phone. She didn't even know me. I asked her, "Okay, ma'am but that is exactly what I am doing. Transitioning. Is there a reason you are being rude to me? You're acting like I'm a stoner kid who got fired from pizza place. I served this country honorably so that you could thankfully live safely in place where these programs even exist. And you're treating me like I'm a piece of shit because I am not willing to quit school and because I have the desire further be a productive member of society?"
Maybe I should've told her I was working on my G.E.D. and couldn't quit night school. These individuals I see in lines at the grocery stores, using W.I.C. and the Lone Star card....is anyone watching their discretionary income? Are they being drug tested? Is there a social worker that stops by their residence to make sure they are attempting to progress and contest their life struggles? Or do we really let people habitually use government assistance as a means of income and bypass those who really just need it temporarily to transition from one stepping stone to another? Is anyone watching them, watch their kids?
One could only hope that each family that receives these incentives is being observed by someone who can determine whether or not they are actually benefitting from them.
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ReplyDeleteMallorie, I think you wrote a great blog and I agree with you. I will bravely admit that right now I receive food stamps (aka Lone Star card). I am recently divorced and like you I am in transition. I was a stay at home mom for 9 years. Now that I am a single mother of 3 children I know that going to school is the best thing I could do for me and my children. Working, being a full time student, plus raising 3 children was too demanding for me. I quit my job and now focus on school and my children. I have a lot of pride and walking into the Health and Human Service office and waiting in a long line to ask for help was very humbling yet humiliating for me. I did what I had to do so that I can give my children the future they deserve. With the help of the lone star card, student loans and grants, I am able to survive.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, when I have to sit in line at the Health and Human Service office to turn in paperwork and things, I am appalled at what I see and hear in that place. I have actually overheard a pregnant woman with 3 small children that were all misbehaving say to another woman, “yeah this is baby number 4, I can’t wait to pop him out so I can get more money!” I have also heard a very young mom tell someone in line, “I am so mad that my baby is ugly, I never thought I was going to have an ugly baby! I regret not having that abortion.” I have sat in bewilderment asking myself why the hell I was there and how I ended up among these people.
To answer your questions, NO you don’t get drug tested, they don’t even look that hard at your income (they “trust” that you are honest-- a couple utility bills and a pay check is all they ask for to prove income and expenses), and there are no social workers watching you or your children. The people that work there seem like they all hate their jobs. I get infuriated when I think about how many people the government is enabling to be losers! Yes I am glad that there is help for people like you and I who are trying to better ourselves but unfortunately about 90% of the people getting assistance don’t look like they want to be better, they are perfectly satisfied with the money the government gives them! The system is obviously flawed, lazy people are getting help and hard working people are struggling.
I felt like I was being overly brave by writing this and worried I was going to offend someone. The funny thing is that I was honest on my application about not wanting to quit school and you mentioned that they "trust" people will tell the truth and some do not. Thanks for your feedback and understanding my point of view.
ReplyDeletePosted this on the wrong blog, but here ya go. Thought this was a great entry mallorie.
ReplyDeleteIn her article (which she describes as whining, but I label as brilliance), Mallorie R. describes her problem with government assistance. While you can definitely sense her irritation, she cleverly composes her commentary on the "fashionably tasteless person that looks like they've spent more money on their outfit than their childrens, pay for groceries using government assistance and then use their own money to buy alcohol." I completely agree with her, but if I were to verbalize my point of view, there would be a great deal of racially stereotypical comments.
She continues to describe her difficulty in filing for unemployment, which I feel is a situation which justified government assistance as a stepping stone in the transition back to a civilian. I have a family member receiving government assistance, and definitely would have an earful to tell her if she took blatant advantage of a system designed to better your well-being. I've seen people receiving the same assistance, who either have a pathetic job or none at all, and use this aid to fund their bad habits. Congrats! Get assistance in groceries, so you can spend money on booze and weed, while you live in income based housing, and raise kids who are likely to end up in the same situation as you. Way to have some purpose in life. (I couldn't stop myself, there's my short rant on the subject.)
Mallorie also provides some solutions to help determine if those receiving assistance are even attempting to better themselves, such as drug testing and oversight of those in this programs.
This article has flow. It explains her argument, provides her own experience, and proposes some solutions. Not much to critique, I think she did an excellent job.