Welfare

I guess I had it wrong all along. Welfare isn't a government run benefits program to help you pay bills after having lost a job and before finding a new one. Apparently it is a life style one should strive to attain.

I once lived in a house where I was the only one working. The other two families were on welfare. I was making minimum wage at the time and I did resent the fact that some of my tax money was going to support these freeloaders. There was nothing wrong with any of them that they couldn't go out and find a job. Maybe it would only have been just a McJob, but at least they'd be contributing to society in some way, rather than getting a free ride on the taxpayers dime.

Come 'cheque day', they'd call for a taxi (I couldn't afford a taxi, I had to bus it around town) and head down to the local beer store to pay a couple of cases. What money was left over was spent on nutritious foods for the kids like Cheetos, Frito-Lay BBQ, Snickers and macaroni and cheese dinners. Afternoons were spent getting a tan while complaining they weren't being treated fairly by the system.

One couple had a child and came up with the brilliant idea that if their cheque increased for one baby, it would increase more for another. They set themselves the goal of reproducing yet again. Hey, it worked for their parents, why not them? I never believed that welfare begat welfare until I was exposed to these clowns.

Someone came up with the great idea that instead of issuing these people money, they should get food stamps instead. This raised a great hue and cry with the recipients being righteously outraged that anyone should be able to tell them how to spend 'their' money. And it is 'their' money, don't you know? They are entitled to their entitlements after all. And besides, how dare anyone suggest that they be made to stand out by handing a cashier food stamps instead of cash? What a blow to the self esteem that would be!

After this idea was shot down, another surfaced which contemplated having these people do some government style make-work projects. This angered not only the recipients but the local unions too, who fought the idea that it was not fair to hire non-union help temporarily. Never mind that dues would have been collected, the unions had a closed shop and didn't want any outsiders coming in.

These people don't even have to go to the local welfare office to collect their cheques. Someone might see them and that would be demeaning. Therefore we have to waste more taxpayer dollars on stamps to mail their money to them.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to pay rent, bills, food, laundry, utilities and gas for the car on $7.25/hr. Heck, even UIC pays more than that.

Yup, welfare is the way to go. Subsidized rent, free medical and legal help and a cab ride to the beer store. Does it get any better?