Budget Cutbacks Leave Family Without Power/Heating

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waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
The point is rather simple, she still has it so she is in no dire threat of freezing to death.

If any reasonable person had those items and was in danger of freezing to death because they didn't have the cash to pay the power/heating bill they would be at the pawn shop or selling them on Craigs list (since she also has a PC and can evidently afford to keep the I-net on) to pay the bill. After she did that I might say that she is truly needy. Right now she obviously isn't that desperate.

then thats her next step. she was denied (really don't people read?).

but again i still don't hold the TV against her. look at the picture. you will notice that is it for the living room. it looks like a poor person's house.

i don't care that she has the tv. i don't care she has a xbox. the system worked in this case (she was denied) and she has a job. good for her suffer the 1-2 months it takes and get heat/TV etc turned back on.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
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then thats her next step. she was denied (really don't people read?).

but again i still don't hold the TV against her. look at the picture. you will notice that is it for the living room. it looks like a poor person's house.

i don't care that she has the tv. i don't care she has a xbox. the system worked in this case (she was denied) and she has a job. good for her suffer the 1-2 months it takes and get heat/TV etc turned back on.

Yeah I don't get the outrage. It seems the system worked.
 

child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
176
106
I'm OK with government assistance programs in general. I see them as the government making an investment in citizens to improve themselves. When I was laid off from my Gateway Tech Support job 7 years ago I then qualified for government assistance to help me get an Associate's degree. While I was going to school, my wife worked full time to support us. We had a baby son at that point and were on WIC and daycare assistance while living in low income housing. When times were tough we sold personal items to help bridge the gap.

I eventually graduated from school with my degree and now sit in the 28% tax bracket. The government has already recouped the costs of helping me complete school during that two year period and more. We used the assistance to better ourselves and now I'm able to support our entire family on my income alone while my wife goes to college full time.

So, in our case, the government made an investment in us that has been and will continue to be repaid manyfold as we pay far more in taxes than we would have had we never had the help.

The woman in this article, however, is jobbing the system and taking advantage of it.
 
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child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
176
106
How's that, she was turned away. She might have tried but she was unsuccessful.

"attempting to job the system" may be more apt. She may have received assistance in the past but was just recently turned away or has never received it previously.

In either case, having a Smartphone, big LCD TV, Xbox360, etc. is obviously more important to her than paying her bills.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
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But she wasn't denied based on her situation, she was denied only because the program already gave away all the funds they had. Had she lined up a few hours earlier, she would have gotten a check.

And you know this how?
 

goog40

Diamond Member
Mar 16, 2000
4,198
1
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And you know this how?

Well, the first part is based on the article. And I'm assuming she's not dumb enough to wait in line for 4 hours if she didn't quality (big assumption here, I know).

The income eligibility requirements for Georgia are here:
http://dfcs.dhr.georgia.gov/portal/...toid=b94a2b48d9a4ff00VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD

If she's been unemployed for a year, chances are she qualifies unless someone else in the household is bringing in a paycheck large enough to push them over the limit.

Edit: That appears to be the eligibility for the Summer program, but the income requirements for the Winter program shouldn't be that different. Here's another page which may be referring to that (or it may be a separate assistance program for heating bills):
http://www.heatga.org/assistance/eligible.asp
 
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Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
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Well, the first part is based on the article. And I'm assuming she's not dumb enough to wait in line for 4 hours if she didn't quality (big assumption here, I know).

The income eligibility requirements for Georgia are here:
http://dfcs.dhr.georgia.gov/portal/...toid=b94a2b48d9a4ff00VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD

If she's been unemployed for a year, chances are she qualifies unless someone else in the household is bringing in a paycheck large enough to push them over the limit.

Sorry, didn't mean to get in the way of your faux rage.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
Turn on that Xbox and play some Halo Reach, it will keep the whole house warm.
 

xanis

Lifer
Sep 11, 2005
17,571
8
0
So she sells the TV and xbox...and in a few months (maybe less depending on their electric rates) she is back in the same position. Maybe they were gifts her family recieved a while back? Who knows. It is not a long term solution, so why bother. It isn't exactly like low-skill jobs are easy to come by these days. If that were different (such as say, 10-15yrs ago), I might feel differently.

I don't begrudge poor people having some entertainment, even if they are on the gov't dole. If life is all work and despair and nothing else, that makes for riots. C'mon rich people! Deploy your bread and circuses before its too late! The pitchforks will soon be ready!

I don't agree with this sentiment at all, sorry. If you've arrived at the point where you can't afford to pay for heat and electricity (basic necessities), then you should be doing whatever's necessary to get that back, long-term or short term. At least selling the Xbox and TV would buy you enough time to figure out a longer-term solution.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
I don't agree with this sentiment at all, sorry. If you've arrived at the point where you can't afford to pay for heat and electricity (basic necessities), then you should be doing whatever's necessary to get that back, long-term or short term. At least selling the Xbox and TV would buy you enough time to figure out a longer-term solution.

If she takes that Xbox to Gamestop, she should be able to get enough from it to buy a few loaves of bread and maybe a lighter to get through the next few days.
 

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
29,593
2,257
126
We need to subsidize big screen TV purchases.
smileydance.gif
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
I just don't understand why you keep saying she didn't qualify for it, when that's not what the article says at all.
I didn't say she didn't qualify, I said she was turned down.

If she can afford Cable TV and Internet then she obviously has some money coming in as that's as expensive these days if not more than heat and electric, especially in Atlanta. If she can afford that then I'm pretty sure she doesn't qualify

Her selling her TV and Xbox is nonsense. I'm sure that the vast majority of you wouldn't sell your computers if you could get assistence and the only time you would is if you had no other choice like she is probably facing now.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
126
We need to subsidize big screen TV purchases.
smileydance.gif


We've done that in NY. George Soros donated money supposedly for school supplies for children on medicaid, and the govt. kicked in $170 million in addition. The problem is that Soros wouldn't qualify what the donation was for and the way the govt. regs were written that meant the same thing.

It amounted to $200 per kid between 3 and 18 no questions asked. Ipods, HDTVS, alcohol, smokes- Flew out the doors. ATM machines were emptied. High end sports shoes went.

Know what didn't? School supplies.

It was all over the news. Cameras were at Walmarts showing the stock flying off the shelves. Best Buys too.

Our illustrious Gov. Paterson said it wasn't true, that it was all anecdotal.

Yeah.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
I didn't say she didn't qualify, I said she was turned down.

If she can afford Cable TV and Internet then she obviously has some money coming in as that's as expensive these days if not more than heat and electric, especially in Atlanta. If she can afford that then I'm pretty sure she doesn't qualify

Her selling her TV and Xbox is nonsense. I'm sure that the vast majority of you wouldn't sell your computers if you could get assistence and the only time you would is if you had no other choice like she is probably facing now.

I agree, if she has cable TV and/or internet, she should kill those services and go to OTA HD instead. I'm sure Atlanta has a good selection of OTA HD stations and an antenna would be dirt cheap by comparison.

Selling the television and the Xbox would do little to resolve the central issue at this point. As I suggested earlier, a second job should not be ruled out, even if its waiting tables. I cannot believe there aren't ANY jobs that she could do to resolve her situation.

http://atlantarecruiter.com/job_browse.php?category_alpha=0
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,266
126
I didn't say she didn't qualify, I said she was turned down.

If she can afford Cable TV and Internet then she obviously has some money coming in as that's as expensive these days if not more than heat and electric, especially in Atlanta. If she can afford that then I'm pretty sure she doesn't qualify

Her selling her TV and Xbox is nonsense. I'm sure that the vast majority of you wouldn't sell your computers if you could get assistence and the only time you would is if you had no other choice like she is probably facing now.

It's that she's got all this stuff and all the expenses that go with it and then she has a cow that she can't get more.

Whether she is qualified or not, she feels entitled to live beyond her means (and like others said, that isn't the Taj Mahal she's in) then no one should feel obliged to be sympathetic.

News flash- we don't owe her shit and she's not happy about it. It's the attitude.
 

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
29,593
2,257
126
We've done that in NY. George Soros donated money supposedly for school supplies for children on medicaid, and the govt. kicked in $170 million in addition. The problem is that Soros wouldn't qualify what the donation was for and the way the govt. regs were written that meant the same thing.

It amounted to $200 per kid between 3 and 18 no questions asked. Ipods, HDTVS, alcohol, smokes- Flew out the doors. ATM machines were emptied. High end sports shoes went.

Know what didn't? School supplies.

It was all over the news. Cameras were at Walmarts showing the stock flying off the shelves. Best Buys too.

Our illustrious Gov. Paterson said it wasn't true, that it was all anecdotal.

Yeah.

This story makes me cry. :'(

Poor Gov.Patterson
 

bfdd

Lifer
Feb 3, 2007
13,312
1
0
If she takes that Xbox to Gamestop, she should be able to get enough from it to buy a few loaves of bread and maybe a lighter to get through the next few days.

Friday I got 6 loafs of bread, a buttermilk cake and some hotdog buns for 10 bucks. Not shitty white bread either, whole grain or multi-grain, the good shit.
 

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
Friday I got 6 loafs of bread, a buttermilk cake and some hotdog buns for 10 bucks. Not shitty white bread either, whole grain or multi-grain, the good shit.

And that's about how much she will get for her Xbox and a game, $10. That was my point.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
It's that she's got all this stuff and all the expenses that go with it and then she has a cow that she can't get more.

Whether she is qualified or not, she feels entitled to live beyond her means (and like others said, that isn't the Taj Mahal she's in) then no one should feel obliged to be sympathetic.

News flash- we don't owe her shit and she's not happy about it. It's the attitude.

Like so many on this forum..cough..cough..trident..cough..cough
 

iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
6,240
1
0
I notice the TV as well.

I hope that they save their money by not having cable and cellular phone as well because those costs may offset the power assistant needs.

Funny that my family came to Canada (we lost everything in the war, and owed the Canadian government $10,000 CAD because they sponsored us) and the government was willing to give us $1200 a month for welfare, but my dad refused to take it and went to work for $900 (he was ripped off by the contractor because it was way under the minimum wage) a month after we were in the country for 30 days (I went to work a couple of month later at 14 year old, 40 hours a week not including 2 paper routes, and still have school on top of it). Welfare came to us and asked my dad to fill out an assistant form so that we get $300/month supplement so that we can eat, but he declined upon principle that my family are not parasites of society. My siblings & my daily ration were 2 pieces of white bread for breakfast & 2 pieces for lunch, a teaspoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of butter. Super were 3 small bowl of white rice and a bit of vegetable + 2~3 ounces of caramelized salty chicken. After 3 years of living like beggars we purchased our first house and paid it off in 3.5 years (mortgage interest rate were 18.5%). And, a year later my dad and I purchased our second house and gave it to my eldest sister for her wedding a year later. 1.5 year after that my dad died of cancer and I had to carry on helping out my younger sisters (put 2 sister through university, and my mom went to work for the first time in her life...total of 4 years), and my mom and I purchased 33 acre ++ built a nice 2600 sqf weekend house just outside of town.

Sorry, to sound like I'm bragging, but the gist of the story is that anyone can make it if they put their sweat and tears into it, because immigrants that came to Canada/US from all parts of the world did it and still are doing it.

I have sympathy for poor/handicapped people that needs help that I regularly donates my time and money, but I absolutely detest those that are capable but are too lazy to work. It might do some good if the government use the welfare money to send them to some poor country in Africa to live/volunteer for a year so that they sees how the other half live.