Food Stamps or formally called food stamps, hear about the new revisions...

[falcon9]

Wow!  

I'm not a Bible thumper but:  "Judge not lest ye be judged."

Non sequitur; everyone judges.

Being broke is a full time job.  You have to jump through hoops, if you know where to find them.  I'm on EBT/SNAP and I have to provide copies of all my bills and proof of income twice a year.  I don't get cash because I don't have kids.  The system doesn't even help you get basic necessities like toilet paper and tooth paste.  Do you know how that feels?!  When you ask around to find help they send you to the food pantry or give you an outdated list of phone numbers.  I live in a small town, in a rural county and don't have a car.  To get any kind of housing help or job counseling I have to go to one of the bigger cities in the neighboring counties.

I know how being broke feels, yes.  I also know how being told that assistance available to others doesn't apply to me therefore, I was on my own to do something about my situation.  I did.

I used to work in aerospace, but I don't have a degree.  Today the employers want people with degrees, certified training or three years experience in the specific job that they're offering.  The job I did was the only place of it's kind in the region and now it's closed.  I have other training, but it's obsolete now.  I did caregiving until I got injured, but no one's hiring my skill set and experience today.  If I didn't get help I'd be living in a cardboard box or six feet under.

I understand the need for assistance in those instances where people aren't trying to "game the system".  The rock-and-the-hard-place problem is that, while assistance is needed, the government agencies which provide the bulk of it are operating under deficit spending, (there's not enough money to go around, no matter who needs it and how badly).  We need some unpopular triage in that area.

Does being on assistance mean I can't wear descent clothes if I have them?  I don't have a clothing budget so soon I might have to wear my good clothes for everyday.

Of course not.

Does being on assistance mean I can't drive a friend's nice car if they offer it because some of you might be offended?

Why would anyone be offended by your driving a friend's car, (unless you're implying that the inference might be 'look at the car that person on assistance is driving!')?
 

Does being on EBT mean I can't buy an occasional treat or good meat because someone else can't figure out how to eat healthy on a budget?

If you can figure out how to budget for meat at today's prices while on EBT, you're a better budgeter than most on EBT.

What have you done to fix the system or help someone stand on their own two feet?  

Well, I participated in the Peace Corp. during my college years and more recently, built a wheelchair ramp for a neighbor who became disabled in a car accident, (this was not asked for nor, compensated for beyond a glass of lemonade after it was done).  What have you done?

Don't wait around for the "other guy" to do something while you complain.  We're all in this together.  Take positive action.  Volunteer to teach someone a skill you have that they need.  Volunteer to take someone with you when you're going somewhere they need to go.  Donate your used goods instead of throwing them into the landfills.  Use your energy to become part of the solution instead of adding to the problem with your rants, please.  

I have done more than "rant", (although such "ranting" doesn't actually add to nor, detract from the problem it can make people more aware that there is a problem).

[Phx0808]

All that government assistance needs to go to training and teaching people how to make a living instead of handouts.  

"You give a person a fish, and they are fed for a day.  You teach a person how to fish, and they are fed for a lifetime."

I agree... I have a bachelor's degree and years of experience and can't find a job. I don't have food stamps or health insurance and do some self employment things, but the real jobs just aren't out there. McDonald's wouldn't hire me because the manager thought I would move on when I found something better.... So these kids you have working for you, now are going to stay around after they finish school? I also proved this point when he confessed the current employee who been with him the longest, had been there a little less then a year and she has announced that is she is leaving in May, after she graduates.

I just don't get it...

[ckaliszewski]

Clearly, government-run programs lend themselves to abuse and fraud.  You would think that they could come up with better ways to check for both but apparently, that's not a priority 

Exactly! I get really pissed when I see people who are obviously abusing the system. It is a waste of my money as a taxpayer. I also donate to charities and I sometimes feel that people who should not be getting the help from my donations are getting them. 

[lgemini]

I would like to know about the person story, before I judge that person.  My story has to do with people who assume that all disable people will have food stamps.  When I was at a store the cashier assumed I was going to pay my bill with food stamps.  To her surprise I did not have food stamps I paid with money.  

[banderson5]

yes, i know how you feel. we make $100 too much to qualify. how crappy is that?

[blondie71]

I agree with the part of people taking advantage of government funding I see it all the time.  I particiapate in government funding with help with food and a portion of my rent being paid, but when I was able to work I did, and I was a single mother, granted we didn't have everything we wanted but we had the basics.  Sometimes I feel quilty using food stamps but with what my husband gets on disability and I have no income that little bit of food stamps feeds us at least once a day, and I don't go out and buy expsensive cuts of meat I buy like I am paying for it becuse it has to last all month.