I would rather die

[werepossum]

I know a family that could very much use some gov. assistance, they have chosen not to take any. I say kudos to them. For them they would rather lose their house. What a contrast to so many others.

Well - to a degree. Do they have children? If so, they may be teaching their child a valuable lesson, but the disruption may also result in that child being ultimately less valuable to society by not effectively pursuing an education.

Unemployment, disability, food stamps, obamaphone, tuition reimbursement to name a few I would never accept. Some are worse than others. My tax return for example is my money to begin with, so I will take every penny of that I can get back.

Unemployment and disability are insurance not handouts. Student loans are loans not handouts

Given I pay a substantial amount in tax I don't consider the rest handouts either, should I ever need food stamps for example.

Exactly. Unemployment and disability are part of your compensation as an employee, part of the cost of employing you. One could make an argument that all such government benefits are essentially an insurance program, a covenant that you will pay taxes, in return for which if you ever need these services they will be available. As such, the logical argument would be that one should properly feel shame in taking charity or government handouts to the degree that one's own bad decisions led to it or when one is taking benefits fraudulently or without need.

 

[werepossum]

I'm on disability. Never on unemployment or food stamps or any of the other programs that go with TANF and so on. I have gotten charity food assistance and, I get some of my medication from manufacturers free programs.

I'm not ashamed to be on disability. It isn't much money. The emotion I feel is bewilderment Disability is complicated. It's a full-time job to get through the mess. My daughter and younger son nearly lost their jobs getting it done.

If it's any consolation, I'm likely to die soon.

To the OP, I grew up in a mennonite community, where there are a lot of things that you are supposed to feel ashamed about (like wearing the wrong color bonnet). You might consider joining that. You would be right at home there - as long as you don't mind hard physical labor from dawn to midnight. They do not believe in taking government handouts.

If it's any consolation, I'm likely to die soon.

You should not be ashamed to take disability or charity; one does not choose to get ill. As Lotus says, disability is insurance you pay involuntarily; even whether you take more than you paid in is immaterial, for that is the nature of insurance. Likewise, you should not feel ashamed to take private charity if you truly need it, for it is freely given and is a charge from G-d to provide to those who need it. Those who should be ashamed are those who take hand-outs by choice, not by need. As for Mennonites, they don't believe in taking government handouts because they take care of their own, because charity is a personal charge from G-d rather than Caesar. Mennonites who cannot support themselves are not left to starve, but are supported - with a lot more compassion than you'll likely find at your disability office.

I hope you do not die soon. The warmth you bring to the lives of those you touch is worth more to society than society must pay to support you.

 

[WackyDan]

Unemployment, disability, food stamps, obamaphone, tuition reimbursement to name a few I would never accept. Some are worse than others. My tax return for example is my money to begin with, so I will take every penny of that I can get back.

Look, I'm a conservative and even I find you off base a bit here. Unemployment is part of your benefit package from your employer enforced via state law. They pay into the state's unemployment pool for your ability to have those benefits *When you need them. Granted, the unemployment insurance terms were vastly abused these last few years, but that wasn't by citizens, but by gov't creating the capability to be a "99 weeker". Normally, unemployment benefits are limited to 26 weeks. As a benefit to those that actually work, I find it funny you don't support it.

Disability is being abused certainly... But my buddy who has no use of his legs and never will was sent a letter last year by the Social Security Administration stating that he was healed and no longer needed disability. *He'll never walk again. He had to drive over 90 miles one way to attend hearings... He had to have a complete medical review... and after seven months they finally reinstated his benefits, admitting error in dropping them, but NOT paying him the back benefits he missed... And I might add that he works at the local 911 center so he is being productive and offsetting what he needs from the gov't. This is not the guy that they should be worried about... But actually my neighbor's ex husband who has been on SSDI for over twenty years who also lives in free housing, yet walks around just fine, mows the lawn, etc... You're telling me that asshole can't be retrained or take an office job of some sort to either get off SSDI or augment it with his own income?

Obamaphone - abused pure and simple, we know this. Tuition assistance, often abused but a worthwhile program.

Many more.....

Point is, we have these systems in place to help people and they are supposed to help people when they truly and really need it. However, we allow them to stay in these programs indefinitely - for life and create generations of "lifers" that have no ambition, no ability to move up and out of them. These programs are now so overburdened that the amount of benefit they provide is limited, and the benchmark for being on them means that you have to be at rock bottom and lose it all before you qualify. Solve that part of the issue and reform the federal and state level public assistance programs and you now will have programs that are able to help EVERYONE...and lessen the burden on the productive tax payers.

 

[Phokus]

This is probably the OP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwpBLzxe4U

 

[mistercrabby]

Do you think your great grandfathers were freeloading scumbags because they may have gotten a bowl of soup in a breadline during the great depression, when a 25-30 % of Americans were unable to find a job for years?

 

[child of wonder]

OP sounds like my cousin.

"People who receive government handouts are leeches! Entitled Liberal scum!"

Meanwhile his wife sits on unemployment for the max duration including the federal extension then goes back to college using government subsidized loans to pay for it.

 

[Jeff7]

OP sounds like my cousin.

"People who receive government handouts are leeches! Entitled Liberal scum!"

Meanwhile his wife sits on unemployment for the max duration including the federal extension then goes back to college using government subsidized loans to pay for it.

The usual response if confronted with that: "It's not the same thing! Everyone else is abusing it, we're not."

 

[Theb]

So if you lose your job and burn through your savings what will you do? Commit suicide? Lay down on the sidewalk and wait to die?

 

[Eureka]

I understand the concept of not leeching off the government. I believe in getting what I earn.

However, some things are just part of what I earn. Unemployment is something that's paid forward. Same with social security. I work in the US and therefore contribute to the US's wealth. If/when hard times hit, then I expect to get something back for contributing to the wealth. While I'm working I don't expect anything back, but if I don't have a job, I paid it forward and so I will take unemployment.

Hopefully, I won't have to file for it any time in the near future. Or ever.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Than take a government handout.


When did it go from people being ashamed to be given other people's wealth to people expecting and demanding it each month as their right ?

I dunno, started with an unamerican commie hippie muslim atheist named Jesus i guess.

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 

[TheVrolok]

I dunno, started with an unamerican commie hippie muslim atheist named Jesus i guess.

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

I don't believe the part is about hating "the gays," so it doesn't count.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

I don't believe the part is about hating "the gays," so it doesn't count.

Actually, it kinda is talking about that too if you think about it... It says not to.

Also goes hand in hand with what Jesus said was the most important commandment.

Jesus was a smart feller, too bad his "followers" don't give two sheits about anything he ever said that they can't use to justify hatred against others. I suppose they need that to feel special.

 

[child of wonder]

The usual response if confronted with that: "It's not the same thing! Everyone else is abusing it, we're not."

His response is that he's paid a lot in taxes so that's why they're entitled to it.