food stamps and how they make people feel

reply to post by Celestial1


That is a hard story to read. I take it during the period of time your mom was working to death you were raised by your grandparents or babysitter? I shudder to think if I had to replace my husband's income.

The type of jobs that are available to moms getting back in the workforce today almost ensure you can't have more than one job. Well, that is all the types of jobs I have encountered. At least the ones I could get. They require you to be available when they need you. No steady schedule. For about four months I worked all three shifts in one week because we needed the money. I have my problems, and that just about did me in. It worked out that I only had one full 24 hour period off. Technically I had two days off, but the way the hours were, I swear I only had one day. One of the days off, I get home dead tired in the morning from Graveyard shift, then have to wake myself up after a short nap. Force myself to stay awake so I could go to bed that same night, since I had to get up in the morning for the day light shift. Yep, that was my day off if you really want to count it as such.

The only saving grace was that my husband was laid off, and out of work during that time period. He was able to babysit our three. Otherwise all the money I made would have gone to a babysitter.

I admit, not every one is capable of doing what your mom did. She was healthy enough, and had enough drive and energy to do so in the midst of a terrible depression she must have felt with her husband in jail. Well, that is if she loved him.

I'm glad there is not the stigma today as there was back then. Otherwise there would be many people not receiving food stamps who should be. To dehumanize someone for something that is most likely out of their control is not right. What happened to your mom in the store was not right.

There is another major difference between the time your mom received them and today. Every eligible adult has to have a job, or be seriously looking for one to be on food stamps. They only give a limited grace period for not obtaining a job. I don't know how some go on them and stay on them almost all of their life. I have been off and on too many times to count. Maybe the stigma wore off for me. Things happen. Pay not steady, job loss, and etc.

I also found out that if a person is on unemployment, they consider it unearned income. They do not give that income any deductions, and reduce the amount you otherwise would receive. I seen it happen. The lady told me that if my unemployment was actually earned income that I would get more food stamps rather than less. S

I talked to them about the work requirement since my unemployment was running out, and they did say they lifted some of the work requirements due to the bad recession we are going through. I got laid off from my company last year. My husband is now at another new job, month 7, and seems to be going well. Except this company may fold at any minute.

In the meantime, the doc said I'm probablly getting arthritis in my leg/hip. It hurts me to move it at least once a day now. A sharp pain where I can not move it for a couple of minutes, and then have to adjust it slightly before being able to move it again. I have to see him every six months for thyroid and being border line anemic. I'm going to have to take thyroid, and the max amount of iron medicine for the rest of my life. Along with a mega dose of vitamin D every month.

I try to take them regularly, but sometimes I run low on money. I have to wait until the next pay which comes every two weeks. When I don't take the medicine, I can feel it. Sometimes I can feel it even when I do take the medicine. I have another issue I won't discuss. This would prevent me from holding down three jobs like your mom did. My husband is earning the most he can currently.

If you want to bash me for not being able to do what your mom did, then so be it. Realize not everyone is capable of using the system as you think it should be used.

The system has it's flaws. Yes, it may let some stay on welfare that should not be on welfare. More importantly, it allows families to fall through the cracks who really do need welfare. Just one dollar higher than the max allowed, just one check over for the month, just one cash bonus, and you are out. You would need to reapply. The system is really set up that once a family reaches the point that they supposedly do not need foodstamps any longer, they are struggling just as bad if not worse than when they did receive food stamps.

Yes, I've been there. It is not because of an increase of bills or unnecessary expenditures. For example a large family recieves $750 in foodstamps a month. The income increases $500. The family looses foodstamps. Now the family now has to either reduce the food, or try to find something to cut out of their budget.

Another poster mentioned about children not having enough to eat. I do think that either the family is one of the ones that fell through the cracks, or the parents are too stubborn to try to get food stamps due to the stigma placed on them. It could have been they exceeded their time limit, and got kicked off. I honestly don't know which is worse.

If those children don't have food due to the parents using the food money on gambling, drugs, alcohol, and etc, then those are the deadbeats of society. They are the scumbags that should be shunned everywhere they walk. Those are the ones that society should be ashamed and angry at.

Originally posted by obzerver
i think we as americans need to form up and make it less acward to get food stamps theres people i know are out there who dont take them because they cant stand they way it feels to be on them we need to open our hearts

i have them but and i dont mind but i know that there are peopl to proud to use or take them maybe we could find a less formal way to present the help so it doesnt sound like help

People SHOULD feel uncomfortable accepting food stamps from the government. Food stamps are designed for short term emergencies only to help a person whos down on their luck get back onto their feet. Thank god I have never had to use this program but if I ever do, I can tell you that I would be doing everything in my power to find another job to become self sufficient again. Once a person is comfortable accepting food stamps, it is very likely that they will start to loose motivation to find work. They then look towards other entitlement programs. Once you go down this path, It is difficult to go back. I see this first hand with my own brother's babys mother and many of my friends from college. There are hundreds of jobs available in the city I live in but no one wants them because they feel they are too good to start out near the bottom working at a grocery store or bank teller.

Its almost as if it doesnt pay to be productive anymore because you can make close to the same salary sitting on your butt watching tv all day. I really worry and pray for those that depend on the government. We are already bankrupt. Whats going to happen when we reach our borrowing limit and the tax base has fled because it is too expensive to live or do business in this country anymore.

Im far from being rich but I can tell you that if they keep raising my property taxes, hitting me with thosands of dollars of special assesments and keep creating a hostile business environment, I will just cash in my American investments, take all of my capital and move to a country that wants me to be there. Let the brain drain begin!

vote mike lopez ill make sure some day we can all have 200$ a month for food so we can go to something extra


by giving you food money i hope to give you money to do the things you like

vote mike lopez legaliz pot its a part of the ozone layer we shouldnt whipe it out