NYC increases the welfare rolls.

[Hacp]

The increase was a small line in Gov. David A. Paterson?s budget this year, but a hard-fought victory by advocates for the poor, who have long argued that the welfare subsidy was too low.

According to the terms of the budget, the subsidy will also increase incrementally in 2010 and 2011.

?What? No!? said Georgeanna Hicks, 54, as she was told of the news on her way out of the Pathmark supermarket in East Harlem. ?It hasn?t gone up in years. That is great.?

Ms. Hicks, who has been on welfare for five years, said she was thrilled at the prospect of having an increase in her subsidy, however small. As a single person, she will receive $151.10, up from $137.10, beginning this month.

She also depends on her daughter, who pays for things like her cellphone bill.

But she said her daughter recently lost her job, and is struggling to keep up with her own expenses.

Several people interviewed on Thursday said they felt nickel-and-dimed by the growing cost of living, and especially by things like the higher subway fares, the rising cost of food, and even seemingly minuscule price increases at the laundry.

Ketny Jean-Francois, a single mother of a 6-year-old boy, said she was frustrated when she noticed several weeks ago that the cost of using a dryer at her laundromat had gone up: a quarter used to buy 10 minutes, but now it buys only eight.

?For other people it might be insignificant,? she said. ?But if you?re counting every penny and every minute, it means something. It means something to me.?

Louise Ellis, 57, had just finished her monthly shopping trip with her 15-year-old son, Dequan. She spent $167 on groceries, which was covered by food stamps.

She spends most of her spare cash on Dequan, who frequently needs new shoes and clothes. ?Even on sale, they?re still expensive,? she said.

Ms. Jean-Francois, who lost her job as a home health aide last year, is a board member of Community Voices Heard, an advocacy organization composed mostly of people with low incomes, many of them on welfare. The group was part of the lobbying effort for the subsidy increase.

?It will improve things a little bit,? she said. ?But it does feel insignificant. It feels symbolic.?

Full Article Here

I highlighted the parts that were outrageous. First of all, if you've been on welfare for five years, somebody needs to kick you off. Go find a job. Second, why the fuck do you have a cell phone if you're on welfare? Scrap that cell phone and use the money to buy food. I found the single mother who complained about dryer costs to be hilarious. She wants to count pennies, but doesn't hang her clothes on a line to save money. Finally, Louise Ellis epitomizes what is wrong with welfare. She is on welfare, yet she somehow manages to find the money to buy NEW clothes for her son. There are plenty of thrift stores that sell wearable used clothing. If you can afford to buy new clothes, you can afford to leave welfare.

 

[senseamp]

LOL, $150/month? Where is the outrage?

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: senseamp
LOL, $150/month? Where is the outrage?

The fact somebody relies on that to live and decided to stop being a productive member of society.

 

[senseamp]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: senseamp
LOL, $150/month? Where is the outrage?

The fact somebody relies on that to live and decided to stop being a productive member of society.

Do you really think anyone relies on $5/day to live?

 

[Double Trouble]

Originally posted by: senseamp
LOL, $150/month? Where is the outrage?

The amount is irrelevant, this type of thing should outrage everyone. I'm happy to pay my taxes to support someone who can't provide for themselves, or provide someone who wants to try a hand up when they're struggling. I'm NOT happy about providing my hard earned money to idiots who just want to mooch off the system or just make bad decisions (welfare, and you have a cell phone plan !?). :|

 

[senseamp]

I am outraged that THIS is what you focus your outrage on.

 

[senseamp]

Also, I am sure it is a lot cheaper to add her to her daughter's cell phone plan than for her to pay for even basic home land line, so that is being very prudent.
Show me where you can find a land line for $9.99 it costs to add someone to a family plan, then we'll talk.

 

[MovingTarget]

The length of the welfare stint, I'll cede as a point. Five years is extensive. The other points, however, don't necessarily back up the 'outrage'.

A cellphone is a necessity for those with a chronic medical condition. The article states she has diabetes, which I would call chronic. To what extent the diabetes affects this person, it does not say. A cellular phone is often cheaper and more convenient than having a landline as well. Also, somebody else was paying for it without using funds from welfare. Outrage not found.

Laundry? Yeah, try going to a job interview looking and smelling like feet. That'll really get you places. If a quarter buys 8 minutes and not 10, and your clothes still aren't dry, you still need to dry them to prevent mildew. Besides, in many places you can't simply hang clothes out to dry because of high prevailing humidity or frequent rains. Outrage not found.

New clothes for Dequan? Not enough information here. I'm assuming for argument that this is an offspring. Children often outgrow their clothese and need 'new' clothes. 'New' might mean new to them, but at the very least it means on sale as per the article. Without any info on what kind/brands of clothes, you can't necessarily be outraged. Gucci? Yeah, fuck 'em. Store brand/consignment clothes? Good decision. Outrage not found (yet).

Anyone who is 'outraged' at the first increase in welfare payments in nineteen years doesn't know squat about poverty or the poor. That amount doesn't buy a standard of living worth jack squat, especially in NYC. It really is a joke of a pittance. Besides, welfare as we know it ceased under Clinton's presidency. I highly doubt she could be on the rolls for long unless she was on sort of disability for reasons not listed...

 

[fskimospy]

This thread is pretty pathetic.

You have no idea what the circumstances of this woman's cell phone bill are, but you feel like you know she can find a cheaper plan somehow.

You have no idea if this woman would even have a place where she could line dry her clothes, but you shriek about quarters in a laundry machine.

You have no idea what sort of clothes she is buying for her son.

In short, you've just decided to take a tiny piece of information and fill in the gaps with your ultra-right ideology so you can have something to complain about.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
The length of the welfare stint, I'll cede as a point. Five years is extensive. The other points, however, don't necessarily back up the 'outrage'.

A cellphone is a necessity for those with a chronic medical condition. The article states she has diabetes, which I would call chronic. To what extent the diabetes affects this person, it does not say. A cellular phone is often cheaper and more convenient than having a landline as well. Also, somebody else was paying for it without using funds from welfare. Outrage not found.

Laundry? Yeah, try going to a job interview looking and smelling like feet. That'll really get you places. If a quarter buys 8 minutes and not 10, and your clothes still aren't dry, you still need to dry them to prevent mildew. Besides, in many places you can't simply hang clothes out to dry because of high prevailing humidity or frequent rains. Outrage not found.

New clothes for Dequan? Not enough information here. I'm assuming for argument that this is an offspring. Children often outgrow their clothese and need 'new' clothes. 'New' might mean new to them, but at the very least it means on sale as per the article. Without any info on what kind/brands of clothes, you can't necessarily be outraged. Gucci? Yeah, fuck 'em. Store brand/consignment clothes? Good decision. Outrage not found (yet).

Anyone who is 'outraged' at the first increase in welfare payments in nineteen years doesn't know squat about poverty or the poor. That amount doesn't buy a standard of living worth jack squat, especially in NYC. It really is a joke of a pittance. Besides, welfare as we know it ceased under Clinton's presidency. I highly doubt she could be on the rolls for long unless she was on sort of disability for reasons not listed...

First of all, cell phones aren't more expensive than landlines and she probably also has a landline. The government gives cheap landlines out to poor people. The outrage is in the fact that she isn't using the money from the cell phone bill to get out of welfare.

We're also talking about NYC here. Yes, it has been raining the past month, but you can always hang your clothes indoors. When I was a kid, we used to hang clothes indoors. We didn't spend money on drying clothes. If you're counting pennies, you should find every way to save the pennies. Finally, new clothes are more expensive than second hand clothes. You can buy used instead. The kid is 15 years old. He should not be at the age of outgrowing his clothes. When I was 15, my allowance for clothes was two 15 dollar jeans and five 3 dollar Tshirts every year.

 

[n yusef]

Originally posted by: senseamp
Also, I am sure it is a lot cheaper to add her to her daughter's cell phone plan than for her to pay for even basic home land line, so that is being very prudent.
Show me where you can find a land line for $9.99 it costs to add someone to a family plan, then we'll talk.

This, and I doubt that this woman has space for a clothes line in New York City.

It's obvious that many posters are writing from a place of ignorance.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: n yusef

Originally posted by: senseamp
Also, I am sure it is a lot cheaper to add her to her daughter's cell phone plan than for her to pay for even basic home land line, so that is being very prudent.
Show me where you can find a land line for $9.99 it costs to add someone to a family plan, then we'll talk.

This, and I doubt that this woman has space for a clothes line in New York City.

It's obvious that many posters are writing from a place of ignorance.

How hard is it to hang a line in your apartment and let it dry when you're at work? Also, if you're really counting pennies and have spare time, you should be using this instead of the laundromat.

http://www.muji.us/store/media...d/w/a/washingboard.jpg

Edit: Hahahah I forgot these people don't work.

 

[First]

Your posts and threads are terrible. Give up.

 

[n yusef]

Originally posted by: Hacp
How hard is it to hang a line in your apartment and let it dry when you're at work? Also, if you're really counting pennies and have spare time, you should be using this instead of the laundromat.

http://www.muji.us/store/media...d/w/a/washingboard.jpg

Edit: Hahahah I forgot these people don't work.

She obviously has a job (or some other means to generate income); you can't live off of $150 a month.

You see the word "welfare," and instantly prejudge and make ridiculous demands (hand washing and indoor clothes lines) on its recipients.

It's obvious to anyone outside of the American conservative groupthink that you know nothing about poverty.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Hacp

First of all, cell phones aren't more expensive than landlines and she probably also has a landline. The government gives cheap landlines out to poor people. The outrage is in the fact that she isn't using the money from the cell phone bill to get out of welfare.

We're also talking about NYC here. Yes, it has been raining the past month, but you can always hang your clothes indoors. When I was a kid, we used to hang clothes indoors. We didn't spend money on drying clothes. If you're counting pennies, you should find every way to save the pennies. Finally, new clothes are more expensive than second hand clothes. You can buy used instead. The kid is 15 years old. He should not be at the age of outgrowing his clothes. When I was 15, my allowance for clothes was two 15 dollar jeans and five 3 dollar Tshirts every year.

How do you know what her clothing budget for her kid is? How do you know how her apartment is set up and if it is amenable for hanging clothes drying lines in it? How do you know she has a land line as well?

Like I said, you're speaking from ignorance and filling in the gaps in the story with your own invented circumstances so you can be outraged.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: Evan
Your posts and threads are terrible. Give up.

Is that all you can say for the last 3 threads?The same exact thing? You are an idiot.

 

[jpeyton]

Hacp, I want to thank you for paying the taxes that help these needy people on welfare in New York. It warms my heart to know you're such a caring and generous person.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Hacp

First of all, cell phones aren't more expensive than landlines and she probably also has a landline. The government gives cheap landlines out to poor people. The outrage is in the fact that she isn't using the money from the cell phone bill to get out of welfare.

We're also talking about NYC here. Yes, it has been raining the past month, but you can always hang your clothes indoors. When I was a kid, we used to hang clothes indoors. We didn't spend money on drying clothes. If you're counting pennies, you should find every way to save the pennies. Finally, new clothes are more expensive than second hand clothes. You can buy used instead. The kid is 15 years old. He should not be at the age of outgrowing his clothes. When I was 15, my allowance for clothes was two 15 dollar jeans and five 3 dollar Tshirts every year.

How do you know what her clothing budget for her kid is? How do you know how her apartment is set up and if it is amenable for hanging clothes drying lines in it? How do you know she has a land line as well?

Like I said, you're speaking from ignorance and filling in the gaps in the story with your own invented circumstances so you can be outraged.

If you're pinching every penny, you set up your apartment to allow a line. If you're lazy, you go to the laundromat and spend your welfare checks there.

 

[senseamp]

You are ignorant. The lowest price land line is $14.99 + long distance. Her daughter can add her to her cell plan for $9.99
Looks like you are looking for someone to bash, and as a typical Republican, focus on those least fortunate.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Originally posted by: Hacp

The increase was a small line in Gov. David A. Paterson?s budget this year, but a hard-fought victory by advocates for the poor, who have long argued that the welfare subsidy was too low.

According to the terms of the budget, the subsidy will also increase incrementally in 2010 and 2011.

?What? No!? said Georgeanna Hicks, 54, as she was told of the news on her way out of the Pathmark supermarket in East Harlem. ?It hasn?t gone up in years. That is great.?

Ms. Hicks, who has been on welfare for five years, said she was thrilled at the prospect of having an increase in her subsidy, however small. As a single person, she will receive $151.10, up from $137.10, beginning this month.

She also depends on her daughter, who pays for things like her cellphone bill.

But she said her daughter recently lost her job, and is struggling to keep up with her own expenses.

Several people interviewed on Thursday said they felt nickel-and-dimed by the growing cost of living, and especially by things like the higher subway fares, the rising cost of food, and even seemingly minuscule price increases at the laundry.

Ketny Jean-Francois, a single mother of a 6-year-old boy, said she was frustrated when she noticed several weeks ago that the cost of using a dryer at her laundromat had gone up: a quarter used to buy 10 minutes, but now it buys only eight.

?For other people it might be insignificant,? she said. ?But if you?re counting every penny and every minute, it means something. It means something to me.?

Louise Ellis, 57, had just finished her monthly shopping trip with her 15-year-old son, Dequan. She spent $167 on groceries, which was covered by food stamps.

She spends most of her spare cash on Dequan, who frequently needs new shoes and clothes. ?Even on sale, they?re still expensive,? she said.

Ms. Jean-Francois, who lost her job as a home health aide last year, is a board member of Community Voices Heard, an advocacy organization composed mostly of people with low incomes, many of them on welfare. The group was part of the lobbying effort for the subsidy increase.

?It will improve things a little bit,? she said. ?But it does feel insignificant. It feels symbolic.?

Full Article Here

I highlighted the parts that were outrageous. First of all, if you've been on welfare for five years, somebody needs to kick you off. Go find a job. Second, why the fuck do you have a cell phone if you're on welfare? Scrap that cell phone and use the money to buy food. I found the single mother who complained about dryer costs to be hilarious. She wants to count pennies, but doesn't hang her clothes on a line to save money. Finally, Louise Ellis epitomizes what is wrong with welfare. She is on welfare, yet she somehow manages to find the money to buy NEW clothes for her son. There are plenty of thrift stores that sell wearable used clothing. If you can afford to buy new clothes, you can afford to leave welfare.

Guess I just gotta quit buying all those "NEW" clothes at Goodwill! Faux outrage much?

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: senseamp
You are ignorant. The lowest price land line is $14.99 + long distance. Her daughter can add her to her cell plan for $9.99
Looks like you are looking for someone to bash, and as a typical Republican, focus on those least fortunate.

Family plans start at 60 dollars while individual plans start at 30.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: Hacp

Originally posted by: senseamp
You are ignorant. The lowest price land line is $14.99 + long distance. Her daughter can add her to her cell plan for $9.99
Looks like you are looking for someone to bash, and as a typical Republican, focus on those least fortunate.

Family plans start at 60 dollars while individual plans start at 30.

I still don't see what the outrage is because the cell phone bill isn't coming out of her welfare check. She just as easily have a prepaid phone that is used only for medical emergency. That is waaaay cheaper than even a subsidized landline.

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: Hacp

I highlighted the parts that were outrageous. First of all, if you've been on welfare for five years, somebody needs to kick you off. Go find a job. Second, why the fuck do you have a cell phone if you're on welfare? Scrap that cell phone and use the money to buy food. I found the single mother who complained about dryer costs to be hilarious. She wants to count pennies, but doesn't hang her clothes on a line to save money. Finally, Louise Ellis epitomizes what is wrong with welfare. She is on welfare, yet she somehow manages to find the money to buy NEW clothes for her son. There are plenty of thrift stores that sell wearable used clothing. If you can afford to buy new clothes, you can afford to leave welfare.

Ketny Jean-Francois, a single mother of a 6-year-old boy, said she was frustrated when she noticed several weeks ago that the cost of using a dryer at her laundromat had gone up: a quarter used to buy 10 minutes, but now it buys only eight.

Ms. Jean-Francois, who lost her job as a home health aide last year


I could post about a couple of people, but clearly your too stupid and self righteous to get it.

 

[MovingTarget]

Originally posted by: classy

Originally posted by: Hacp

I highlighted the parts that were outrageous. First of all, if you've been on welfare for five years, somebody needs to kick you off. Go find a job. Second, why the fuck do you have a cell phone if you're on welfare? Scrap that cell phone and use the money to buy food. I found the single mother who complained about dryer costs to be hilarious. She wants to count pennies, but doesn't hang her clothes on a line to save money. Finally, Louise Ellis epitomizes what is wrong with welfare. She is on welfare, yet she somehow manages to find the money to buy NEW clothes for her son. There are plenty of thrift stores that sell wearable used clothing. If you can afford to buy new clothes, you can afford to leave welfare.

Ketny Jean-Francois, a single mother of a 6-year-old boy, said she was frustrated when she noticed several weeks ago that the cost of using a dryer at her laundromat had gone up: a quarter used to buy 10 minutes, but now it buys only eight.

Ms. Jean-Francois, who lost her job as a home health aide last year


I could post about a couple of people, but clearly your too stupid and self righteous to get it.

I didn't catch that little gem. A common misconception about welfare is that you have to be out of work to qualify. You can work full-time and still be quite a ways below the poverty line, especially if you have dependants. Interpreting it as a sign of laziness is just plain false.

 

[senseamp]

Originally posted by: Hacp

Originally posted by: senseamp
You are ignorant. The lowest price land line is $14.99 + long distance. Her daughter can add her to her cell plan for $9.99
Looks like you are looking for someone to bash, and as a typical Republican, focus on those least fortunate.

Family plans start at 60 dollars while individual plans start at 30.

Did you read the part where her daughter pays for her phone service? It costs $9.99 to add another member to a family plan.