That is true. It is just hard to make the case that the person that needs assistance while still being able to afford the substance. When I am broke, I feel guilty buying a six pack or a bottle of whiskey and I have no children to think about.
I just feel that if there was one thing that should be ok for the Government to say, “NO” to, it would be drugs while on government assistance.
Treat them, yes. but constantly test and there must be consequences for multiple failings. I understand the slippery slope argument, it is one of the reasons why single payer would have serious issues. To force people to pay for the unhealthy behaviors of others is unfair. To make all unhealthy behaviors illegal is, in my opinion, un-American.
I believe that people have the right to use and abuse whatever they want as long as they harm no one else and can afford their habit on their own. Once you put your life into the hands of the State, the state has the right to look out for their own interests.
so, i’m full of shit because in my opinion helping people get clean makes more sense than cutting them off completely, forcing them to steal, lie and generally be shitty? you either have incredibly poor reading comprehension, or you are, like i initially thought, so ignorant and angry that you would rather just throw away people who are suffering from a disease. blank checks, crying, and funding addiction are the exact opposite of what i said to begin with. and, you did actually say something about caring and understanding by stating that addiction is a choice that is “100% the fault of the impoverished person”, and should be punished. i mean, seriously, do you really believe what you are writing?
i agree with FMABB that people on welfare are good for hitting up the grocery store on the first and fifteenth and buying the worst possible shit for themselves. that said, there’s no realistic way to stop that behavior unless we just start giving them food instead of money.
drug addicted babies has been proven to be a myth blown way out of proportion by everyone during the crack epidemic. also people on drugs did dig their own grave so idk why you’re putting it in quotes like it’s some sort of false statement, there are more than enough charitable organizations to help those that have fucked themselves over in that way, the gov’t should not be footing that bill.
After 5 years and a deployment in the service, I collected unemployment for 6 months and during those 6 months I was smoking myself retarded. I would vote against drug testing, F that.
In all honesty though I think it should require at least Voc Rehab services with bi weekly to monthly reviews. VR will make sure you are actually looking for a job and will blow the whistle on you if you aren’t. They will also find out if you are too messed up to become a productive member of society… at which point I think you should be put in some sort of government run assisted living program.
The other problem we have with our current system is that with rent in the inner city being what it is, most of the people in this situation can survive much easier on welfare + government housing than they can if they actually had a real job and tried to make rent. Working your ass off to go hungry vs being able to get by on welfare doesn’t really seem to make logical sense. So there is another problem with people getting off of welfare, which is why I think it would be easier to have the next generation break the cycle. But then, there would have to be a HUGE shift in cultural mores.
rolls eyes Why? Because I feel that even people being assisted by the government should learn to stand on their two feet at some point? Or because I recognize that people have been messed up by their circustances (self inflicted or not) and some can’t work and I feel that they should not be on their own or allowed to abuse the system. Voc Rehab is a good program and they have altered much of the guidlines and regulations to keep people from abusing the system. My mother is a Voc Rehab councilor and some of these people can not help themselves and they are not fit to work. While I am not in that field, my mother has talked about situations she has seen while at times when it has gotten bad. Welfare can’t fix everything for those who need it and those who abuse it should not be allowed to. Same for disability (which I DID work in) Excuse me for feeling that something should be done more directly to attempt to help those that actually need welfare and that those that do not need it deserve to have actions taken against them. As for my opening joke I knew it was in poor taste when I did it. However I said it because that is how the system is cheated at times.
I don’t know if it has been mentioned yet, but in NC they require info on where you applied (so that they can check it out). Unfortunately, all you have to do is apply for a job you KNOW you won’t get (like upper management somewhere), and you’re safe. It’s the same with unemployment.
On topic, I think that they should drug test. But I also think that they should give mandatory drug counceling to those who test positive instead of kicking them off of welfare.
P.S. How do you starve a lazy man?
Put his welfare check under his work boots.
(originally that joke was racist…now it is PC…yay)
This is one of the only thoughtful posts in this thread.
Poverty is systemic, and it will always exist. Just like The Grey Area said previously, welfare is the price we pay to not be Ethiopia. Ignorant ass mother fuckers like Faceme think everything is a mother fucking gravy train. Being broke, and ending up in the system is not some ticket to a lavish life style. The reason you may see some people buying steaks instead of being conservative is that they don’t know how to act when any amount of money is given to them. People living hand to mouth sometimes don’t know how to manage money. What a shock. It’s kind of hard to practice that particular skill when you’ve never had anything.
Further, government assistance, particularly food stamps, do not address issues that people with children have when they’re living in poverty. Foodstamps don’t buy diapers. Food stamps can’t help with a baby sitter so some one can watch your kid while you look for a job. Food stamps won’t pay daycare bills. Children make this issue insanely complicated. I know most of you guys don’t have kids, so you wouldn’t know, but child care is fucking highway robbery.
There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to children, especially children in the system who’s parents are on welfare. It isn’t as simple as people are making it out to be, but I’m not shocked, because it’s really easy to not understand shit you haven’t been through. Especially in regards to some of the ignorant ass mother fuckers on here.
And this is why you’re an ignorant fuck.
And all of that is meaningless. You pay taxes. Congratulations. Your bank account does not refute what was said. Nor do the 25 people who’ve been to your house and ate the 150 dollars worth of food. Your garage doesn’t excuse your ignorance, nor does your two cars. Your gray hair and lack of weekends does not make your point valid. The fact is, you, just like most every one else, contributes very little to the system. The system works mainly due to the contributions of the wealthy, not somebody who left gamestop and has two cars.
You may have a point about some people on welfare, but don’t sit here and act like the system lets everybody live how ever the fuck they want, and do it lavishly.
he says. I’m really glad we don’t have your ignorant fucking ass telling people how to live or what to do.
You obviously dislike these people, and that’s your business, but don’t parade around your opinion as one that is informed, because you really don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.
It’s a little difficult to grasp the concept of a budget if you’ve never had money. Contrary to what you may think, people don’t just “smarten” up. Discipline and common sense aren’t common. If they were, your parents would have made the right choice and threw you off a fucking cliff and saved us from having to hear this ignorant ass bullshit. I really wish your parents had made that decision. Also, I’d gladly hang out with somebody on welfare rather than some self righteous piece of shit who thinks he knows what’s better for people because he has “four digits in his bank account!”.
Just popped in to say I love Ronin’s post and his avatar.
As for the OP topic, sure, why not. But only if we had a public healthcare system that enables addicts to get good help and care instead of taking away addicts’ money and saying have fun with less than shit.
While I may have been a kid in the welfare system, I’ll be damned. It was no life of luxury, I’ll tell ya that. Even with the help, we still lived paycheck to paycheck. My mother was in and out of hospitals due to health problems and a whole mess of other shit. We didn’t even have a car for longer than a few years either. So yeah, me and my sister were fed, and financially helped in the medical aspect by welfare. Fuckin’ cry about it. My daddy wasn’t a lawyer and my mom couldn’t work. Shit happens. Either way, we weren’t buying name brand clothes or $10 steaks for food. We didn’t go on vacation and only went out to eat on special occasions. We ate what the parents cooked and that was that. If you didn’t like it, your best bet was nothing at all or a box of macaroni and cheese.
Not all people who’ve been on welfare wasted what was given. Yet because of the people who have abused the system, a lot of people who need the help are getting screwed over. At this point, if you can get it, good.
Drug testing, literacy testing, and a fuckload of other testing. On top of that, there should be mandatory programs if one fails any of these tests. I have a big problem with paying taxes in order to feed people too lazy to get a high school diploma but who cry that they don’t have money and need support for society. When there’s no drive to better oneself, people simply won’t do it.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. The single mother of four needs money to support her family. Her job is already full time and I have absolutely no issue with helping her out. Temporarily. This isn’t Cash for Life. It should be assistance for a certain period of time which is used to get the person back on their feet and pull their own weight.