7/5/12

Feed My Sheep - Food Stamps in America

I was shocked to get this from my sister today on FB.
She "liked" it.
I was horrified!
The author is pretty ignorant about the food stamp program and apparently doesn't know that we are in a Depression where many people can not get work and the work that can be had will not provide a living wage.
Now, I have to say that I love my sister and that she is generally a good-hearted person who has extended herself to help the less fortunate, so it is very unsettling to me to see her show disdain for those in need who are not of her personal acquaintance.
I really think that if she met the people who have lost their jobs, their homes, who cannot afford health care, who cannot feed themselves or their children, she would feel differently.
If she had to find a job that would support her family and pay her own way, she would think very differently about this.  Really with all the unfairness and discrimination she has been subjected to over the years, I am astounded by her social perspectives.
I think she is a victim of listening to those greedy, fear-mongering, power hungry purveyors of evil who permeate todays political scene (especially the GOP) and who spew their hatred on so called "Conservative" TV and Radio.

The food stamp program provides an average of one dollar per meal, not the kind of living one would want to become dependent on.
Our social safety net programs are too deficient to allow people to "lift themselves out of poverty".
We need to provide more assistance, not less.

And this is an excellent example of the misdirection used by those who would deceive us about what is right and moral behavior.
This example considers animals in their "natural habitat" being encouraged to take advantage of the abundance of food that is available to them simply for the taking.
Humans, who do not live in the wild - do not have the same opportunity to feed themselves from the land.
If we were free to eat our neighbors and their pets, freely enter each others habitats (homes, stores) and take whatever we wanted (like animals) - then maybe I could agree with the sad, sick and wrong analogy in this little editorial piece.  
I can hardly believe any responsible newspaper would publish it!

For those who think it an over-reach to propose that the poor could simply eat each other, some relatively recent history could serve as a wake up call to the inherent evil of their greed and selfish thinking.

As reported in the New York Times
Horror of a Hidden Chinese Famine
By RICHARD BERNSTEIN
Published: February 05, 1997


"Near the end of 1959, with China in the midst of Chairman Mao Zedong's crazily utopian Great Leap Forward, the official Communist Party newspaper issued some dietary instruction for the masses of the country's newly collectivized agricultural workers. ''The peasants must practice strict economy,'' The People's Daily intoned. ''Live with the utmost frugality and eat only two meals a day, one of which should be soft and liquid.''

For the party newspaper to tell people that it was good for them to eat less at a time when it was also spinning fantasies about the bounty being engendered by the Great Leap was a relatively small, if telling, irony. At the larger, horrific center of Mr. Becker's account is the widespread resort among the Chinese people to...the selling of human flesh on the market, the swapping of children so people could use them for food without committing the additional sin of eating their own."

Certainly this "solution" would reduce the potential of the poor becoming "dependent" like bears in Yellowstone, on handouts from those who can afford the luxury of vacations instead of having to worry about having a home to live in or food for their children!

I mean, if we deny food to those who do not have the means to purchase it - what do we expect them to do?  Are they supposed to pull food out of their ass?  If we say, "They should just get a job!" doesn't that place us in the position of total ignorance of the condition of our national economy and employment opportunity!  How ridiculous we would be to suggest that the poor should just "get a job!"

My sister has 9 children and many grandchildren, certainly she could spare a few to feed the hungry!
I'd rather of course, that she endorsed food stamps - but you know, people do have to eat.
Survival competes with sex for our strongest instinct.
Even those who resist or lose interest in sex, still seem to want to eat - no matter what that requires of them, including crime and cannibalism.

It's amazing how easy it is to tell who only gets their  news and opinions from FOX NEWS and "conservative" radio.
They admire sentiments like these and then have the gall to call themselves Christians!
Hitler considered himself a Christian too and sold the holocaust as a service to God!

Pres. Clinton (a Democrat) years ago effectively got rid of the "Welfare Queen" that this short article proposes the recipients of food stamps essentially are - shiftless, lazy people who could care for themselves but would rather "live the good life" on the backs of hardworking neighbors.

Nothing today, could be further from the truth.

Since Clinton's days in office those on public assistance have been those who really need it.  
Especially since Pres. Bush and his cronies robbed the nation in 2008 has public assistance been of critical importance.
But for years now Republicans have been keeping people in poverty at home, bullying and demeaning the poor, vilifying and eliminating needed social programs, while spending billions to murder innocent people abroad and make their corporate buddies richer than rich.

Oh, and of course, those who deny aid to the needy proclaim long and loud that they are all Christians!

We should respect and care for ALL of God's children and not begrudge those in difficult circumstances a roof over their head, shoes on their feet, a meal on their table and the means to improve their place in society.
When we INVEST in each other, we invest in ourselves and promote our own security, safety and happiness.

Those who promote the "let them die" mentality suggested by this little article, are too ignorant to recognise the true cost of NOT caring for the poor.  The price of health care, crime, social instability, prosecution and incarceration and the attendant degradation of family and social development that accompanies these components of poverty are tremendously more costly than providing housing, food, cash assistance and training to those in need.
It's true that "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".  The cost follows the same prescription.
And the moral costs of denying assistance to those in need cannot be tallied in dollars.
It simply destroys society when we take an immoral posture of ignoring, demeaning and denying the poor among us.

In the "old days" there was a common saying, "There but for the Grace of God - go I".
We can almost instantly fall from comfort and wealth to total social insecurity.
It is wrong and really pretty stupid for us to demean, begrudge and deny those who are for whatever reason less fortunate than we, the basic requirements of life.

I am so saddened to see that we have become ruled by greedy, traitorous vultures and that they have convinced nearly half (or more) of the population to cheer them on as they devour our neighbors and the fruits of the American Revolution.
That they do this in the guise of Christians and convince Christians to hate their neighbor and turn against God is amazing and especially revolting.

Jesus dictated a different kind of behavior - that we feed and care for the poor, that every man is his brother's keeper, that the whole of the Law and the teachings of the Prophets was that we treat others as we would be treated if we were in their circumstances. 

Proverbs 14:
31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

Matthew 25  KJV
 40 And the King [Christ] shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

John 21:
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, [son] of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry [thee] whither thou wouldest not.

Matthew 7
 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Luke 10: (KJV)
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Mark 10
13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
21 Then Jesus ... said unto him, ...go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Stated in several ways for over 100 years by various indiviuals, including (but not limited to) Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Dostoyevsky, Truman, etc. Very recently by Cardinal Roger Mahony (1998):

    "Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members ; the last, the least, the littlest."

Matthew 25: NIV
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."

James 1
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 2  (KJV)
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

"Jesus had a special sense of mission to poor and oppressed people. At the outset of his ministry, sometimes referred to as Jesus' mission statement, Jesus stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

The biographies of Jesus depict him repeatedly reaching out to those at the bottom of the social pyramid--poor people, women, Samaritans, lepers, children, prostitutes and tax collectors. Jesus was also eager to accept people who were well-placed, but he made clear that all, regardless of social position, needed to repent. For this reason, he invited the rich young man to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. (Matthew 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30, Mark 10:17-31)

Jesus commanded, "Love your neighbor." When asked to define "neighbor," Jesus expanded the traditional meaning of the word--defining our neighbor as anyone who is in need, including social outcasts: "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." (Luke 14:13)

In his portrayal of the day of judgment, Jesus pictured people from all nations gathered before him, separated into "sheep" and "goats." (Matthew 25:31-46) To the "sheep" he says, "Come you blessed of my Father, for I was hungry and you fed me..." In their astonishment they ask, "When did we do that?" And he answers, "When you did it to the lowliest of my brothers (and sisters)." Conversely, to the "goats" he says, "Out of my sight, you who are condemned, for I was hungry and you did not feed me..."

Jesus himself cared for those in need by feeding the hungry. Crowds of four thousand (Mark 8:1-13) and five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) had assembled to listen to Jesus. They soon became hungry. When his disciples suggested that Jesus send the people away to buy food, he responded by saying "I have compassion on these people..." and "you give them something to eat." He proceeded to perform miracles to feed these large crowds of hungry people."

(Adapted from J. Bennett Guess, "Biblical Foundations for Justice Advocacy," UCC Justice and Witness Ministries.)

I could go on all day about what Jesus and the Prophets have said about this topic.  When I was young I was taught that ALL money and ALL the resources of the earth belonged to God and were given us to do His work, not to care for ourselves beyond our most basic needs but to care for His children.

Those who claim to be Christian and claim that the USA is a Christian Nation would do well to consider a little just what Jesus actually said about what it means to be His follower.

Matthew 7
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

9 comments:

  1. As is often the case - no comments here. But I asked a Science of Mind list I'm on to read this and comment and one person took me up on it.
    Here is our exchange so far.

    Danny Wink • I agree more with your sister than you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gregory Lowrey • Thanks Danny,
    Would you mind explaining why?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Danny Wink • There is religion, politics and Spirituality. These are three distinctive things and they do not mix. People try all the time but it does not work. For me speaking spiritually what is going on right now is a great big wake up call. Mankind as a species has got to learn how to control and then let go of it's negative emotions.
    So many of our belief systems are created by projecting fear. This makes us flip everything upside down. Example: I'll prove how much I love one thing by how much I hate it's opposite. We need to stop looking at what makes us different and start looking at what we have in common.
    We need to put our big boy pant on and start taking care of ourselves. This country was founded on "We the people." To me this means if we want to get things done we do not need to get it legislated. Relaying on forces outside of your control is a very weak place to come from.

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  4. Gregory Lowrey (part 1)• I don't seem to understand exactly what you are saying Danny. It sounds like you feel religion, politics and spirituality can be separated from each other, so that what we believe we are as spiritual beings, or what we profess as our religion do not apply to how we behave or think politically? Are you suggesting then that we should just let the poor starve just because there are no opportunities for them to earn an income? Is it better to turn people into criminals than to feed them? Who really relies on forces outside of their control? If you get a paycheck - someone gives it to you - just like they gave you the job that earns it. There are not many jobs available right now. If you are an entrepreneur, you rely on customers to decide to purchase your product or service. That is also outside of your control. If you live in the woods and hunt, you rely on the chance that some animal will come your way - also outside of your control. All of life is subject to the whims of Nature and nothing really is under our control, no matter how big our pants are. Isn't this why Jesus said to care for the poor? If we have resources, the opportunity to share them with those who do not IS something that is under our control. In our present economy, are you suggesting that everyone who has been unemployed or had their retirement funds wiped out, or who is disabled, etc. is simply too weak and lazy to deserve our help? Are you suggesting that you are so self-sufficient that you have never and will never need the cooperation or assistance of another person who is willing to help you by giving you work, purchasing your service or offering you sustenance if you are in need? I think that suggesting that people who are impoverished should "just get a job", or as you say "put on their big boy pants" is a position that fails to acknowledge reality. How would you reconcile that? Do you consider that if all the poor, unemployed, aged, sick, disabled and otherwise impoverished were members of, or practitioners of Science of Mind they would not be in need? Does Science of Mind not have any people in need? If Science of Mind does find people in need are they simply told to think their bellies full, etc? Does Science of Mind eschew charity?

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  5. Gregory Lowrey (Part 2 - since I exceeded my character limit)
    I'm sure I referred in my article to James 2, where he says:
    12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
    13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
    14 What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
    15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
    16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit?
    17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
    18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
    19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
    20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
    Does Science of Mind not accept this teaching?
    Perhaps Science of Mind does not accept the teaching of Jesus (or in this case James)?
    I'm afraid that your previous answer does not address the issue of what if any obligation we have to the poor unless it is that what we think and what we do are not to be connected, that we have no obligation except to ourselves and that any problem can be remedied by wishing it away.
    If I have misunderstood you, please correct my perception.
    Also, please - are you a minister of Science of Mind, or a practitioner?
    I believe that your religion is what you do, not what you say.
    When you say that religion, politics and spirituality are "distinct and do not mix" - how do you imagine that to function?
    ......................................
    Anyone else like to add something?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:29 PM

    Dpc. No trouble in understanding your reaction and no fuss with you reasoning. Just an observation. I don't think any of us would pass up giving a starving dog or cat some food.
    We all have done it a thousand times. They seem so helpless and in some cases are helpless. Nor would I every deny a bowl of oatmeal to any undernourished child or any adult physically unable to provide for themselves. My ZION is in fact drawn from the sharing of food and work. I want very much to make the thousands we are talking about independent, prosperous and nourished. Now to the rub. Most of us stand back here in the shadow and read or be told what we are doing to help solve this problem. We feel we have neither the power or resources to enter into the fray. But we do pay taxes to the agency taking on this problem and so we do feel part of the effort. In feeling part in the solution (from afar) we feel some ownership. We begin by looking at ourselves and our neighbors and we search our early teachings for some help from God. Having done that we conclude that its important to give to those needy persons PROVIDED THEY HAVE MADE EVERY EFFORT TO FEED THEMSELVES. Our problems then is we have only limited information as to who is getting the aid; are they in need; are they making an effort to feed themselves and finally, is this a short term or long term need. I will personally come to school and cook oatmeal for kids that come from homes where food doesn't exist because of the depression. But I object to anyone cooking meals for a twenty five year old person who elects to sit on the curb all day and smoke cigars. Year after year.
    Tough love. Indeed not. I find nothing in the scripture that would argue for enhancing the plight of the poor, but I do find many definitions of the poor and none of them is built on a rejection of responsibility. Having said that, let me further say, if the system has prevented some of the poor from climbing the ladder, lets change that. On the other hand if opportunity is present let's challenge everyone to be the best they can be. Don't feed the animals really needs to read, "Don't feed the folks capable of feeding themselves."

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    Replies
    1. I certainly have to agree with you.

      Just as with the Florida law requiring drug testing of welfare recipients finding only 2% positive for drugs - not the gaming of the system that was wildly proclaimed, I suspect that the people who do abuse the food stamp program are few and far between. As in Florida for all the people who receive assistance to be villianized is just wrong.

      So I propose that if we err, that we err in feeding a few who could care for themselves instead of starving the many who legitimately need assistance.

      As I understand it, many of the current reforms proposed to the system are to eliminate those who do not truly qualify and I think that is a good thing.

      I agree with you that those who can care for themselves but won't should not be encouraged.

      I would go even further and suggest that when found out, they should be required to pay back the assistance they received through their deception.

      Still, the overall tone of this clipping and much of the National sentiment (especially from GOP politicians but also sadly from regular people who just have to know better, is that people should just do that which can't be done, that the poor should, as Ron Paul said, be let to die rather than extend to them the hand of charity and friendship.

      So many people, whole families have been kicked out of their homes, many, many illegally and had their jobs outsourced so profits could be increased while faithful workers who made companies profitable in the first place could be discarded.

      It's just sickening to me.

      When people are blamed for being the victims of rampant, unrepentant and uncontested greed and corruption and it is proposed that they should "just get a job" when everyone knows there are no jobs, when it is suggested that every one of them is like the slacker you refer to - is just heart-rending to me.

      And when those people who are lucky enough to have a job and a home, take vacations and buy more than they could ever use, proclaim that the poor, sick and dispossessed should be left to suffer and die while they pound their chests and declare that they are Christian - my blood just boils.

      Anyway, I agree with you. Thank you for your good comment.

      Delete
  7. I came across this report today that might give a little real world insight to what has been a mostly philosophic discussion.
    How do we deal with immediate needs while we chew our armchair perspectives. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have an armchair that is.
    http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/07/welfare_reform_results_few_job.html#incart_river_default

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:36 PM

    I really appreciate this post. I am a single mother of 3 now for a year and we are very grateful for the assistance we get. $290 a month for my three kids - it's a stretch to feed 3 teenagers on this but we make it work. I shop at discount grocery stores and use coupons. Also - we hunt. So that helps with the meat bill AND it's healthier. :) AND I plant a garden every year for fresh veges.

    If we chose to use the food bank it's only when we seriously need it, AND when we're doing ok, we always give back and pay forward.

    People complain about this program being for lazy non working folks - that's not entirely true. I work 40hrs a week. I sure could get a second job however, I chose to spend my off time raising my kids, doing activities, running them to their sports ect... They need to be productive members of society - responsible, honest, hard working. I need to be home to teach them that.

    For all of the years I was married and didn't need the help, I've paid into the system so that other single parents could raise their kids with a little help. Now it's my turn. I won't need it forever, just a little while. But felt the need to say that I'm one of the responsible SNAP users - and we spend our snap very wisely.

    ReplyDelete