The time I took a Government "Handout"
Prince Of Dorkness
Posts: 3,763
I got out of college (the first time) when I was 21. Unlike most students I had worked my ass off through school and a year later, I had quite a large savings in the bank and a good entry-level position in a good, solid company in purchasing which is what I wanted to do.
Then the economic reality that the company I was working for (a large Canadian department store) was run a bit ineptly by the kids of the guys who had done it for the previous few decades and I was laid off with a lot of other people.
No worries... I had some great job skills and my former manager said I did great work and could be a great reference for me.
I wasn't going to have trouble finding a job with my skills and connections and I was against "welfare" and "handouts" and people like me didn't collect unemployment. So I just lived off the rather large savings I had which was going to last me a few months and by then I'd have a job. (not a lot of 21 year-olds fresh out of college can say that. I wasn't irresponsible with my money)
Except I didn't get that job.
I wasn't the only one laid off and my short time at my previous job meant that I had less experience than the guys 10 years older than me got all the jobs I'd have been qualified to take.
So a few months later I had to eat shit and go to the unemployment office. I went in dressed like I'd be dressed for a job interview and the guy looked at me with disgust. I was a bit confused. He asked me a few random questions and found I hadn't been working for six months. He looked down his nose at me and spat "have you even been looking?"
When I explained that yes, I had but hadn't found anything that I'd qualify for but that my search continued, he looked at me again with a look of distain and said "well, this isn't just free money, you know... you're going to have to be looking for work and we're going to have to check up on you."
I told him that I hadn't worked in six months but that I'd supported myself on my savings BECAUSE I didn't want "free money" and that although I was young, I had held a job since I was 16 and had paid into the system that was supposed to be there for me if I needed help.
He begrudgingly handed me a few forms, told me I was going to have to wait 6 weeks for my claim to be processed and if I needed money in the meantime to go to Welfare and get an emergency check. While the idea was horrifying, I had spent every dime I'd saved, run all my lines of credit to their limits, sold everything I had of value and borrowed more from friends than I was comfortable with... AND I had enough food to get me through another day or two and my cat was out of cat food.
So I went to the Welfare office and I have to say it was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. The way they looked at me - a well-dressed and clean guy - asking for a "hand out." It was awful. Now.. yes, I saw a few people walk in and get their checks that I thought looked like they didn't really need it and were totally capable of working. I caught myself judging them until I realized that I'd have thought the same thing about myself.
I got one welfare check. And was hired by another company the next day. I called the guy who'd interviewed me at the Unemployment office to tell him that I wouldn't be needing assistance and he said "I guess you just needed a bit of a slap with reality."
He was an asshole.
Quickly to end the story: I stayed in the corporate grind for years until one day at 32, my husband looked longingly at a Big-Screen TV (which in 2000 retailed for about $15,000) and said "why can't you buy this for me?" He was joking, of course, but I got a big sad as we moved walked past it.
I thought to myself "we deserve nice things, too" and realized that I was no better off or safer than I had been 10 years earlier... when the company I worked for got mis-managed by any idiot further up the chain, my lifeline would be cut and I'd be back at the welfare office being told I was lazy and asking for "free money."
Soon after my new plan was set and now I have my own business and I'm in control of it all. (and without government involvement making the internet accessible to all and overseeing online money transactions and regulating online piracy, I never would have been successful.)
The moral of the story is that not everyone who gets "hand outs" is a lazy person who hasn't worked or doesn't deserve it. Just like there are plenty of those "job creator" billionaires who took their big tax cuts and didn't create any jobs other than hiring a second massage therapist.
Then the economic reality that the company I was working for (a large Canadian department store) was run a bit ineptly by the kids of the guys who had done it for the previous few decades and I was laid off with a lot of other people.
No worries... I had some great job skills and my former manager said I did great work and could be a great reference for me.
I wasn't going to have trouble finding a job with my skills and connections and I was against "welfare" and "handouts" and people like me didn't collect unemployment. So I just lived off the rather large savings I had which was going to last me a few months and by then I'd have a job. (not a lot of 21 year-olds fresh out of college can say that. I wasn't irresponsible with my money)
Except I didn't get that job.
I wasn't the only one laid off and my short time at my previous job meant that I had less experience than the guys 10 years older than me got all the jobs I'd have been qualified to take.
So a few months later I had to eat shit and go to the unemployment office. I went in dressed like I'd be dressed for a job interview and the guy looked at me with disgust. I was a bit confused. He asked me a few random questions and found I hadn't been working for six months. He looked down his nose at me and spat "have you even been looking?"
When I explained that yes, I had but hadn't found anything that I'd qualify for but that my search continued, he looked at me again with a look of distain and said "well, this isn't just free money, you know... you're going to have to be looking for work and we're going to have to check up on you."
I told him that I hadn't worked in six months but that I'd supported myself on my savings BECAUSE I didn't want "free money" and that although I was young, I had held a job since I was 16 and had paid into the system that was supposed to be there for me if I needed help.
He begrudgingly handed me a few forms, told me I was going to have to wait 6 weeks for my claim to be processed and if I needed money in the meantime to go to Welfare and get an emergency check. While the idea was horrifying, I had spent every dime I'd saved, run all my lines of credit to their limits, sold everything I had of value and borrowed more from friends than I was comfortable with... AND I had enough food to get me through another day or two and my cat was out of cat food.
So I went to the Welfare office and I have to say it was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. The way they looked at me - a well-dressed and clean guy - asking for a "hand out." It was awful. Now.. yes, I saw a few people walk in and get their checks that I thought looked like they didn't really need it and were totally capable of working. I caught myself judging them until I realized that I'd have thought the same thing about myself.
I got one welfare check. And was hired by another company the next day. I called the guy who'd interviewed me at the Unemployment office to tell him that I wouldn't be needing assistance and he said "I guess you just needed a bit of a slap with reality."
He was an asshole.
Quickly to end the story: I stayed in the corporate grind for years until one day at 32, my husband looked longingly at a Big-Screen TV (which in 2000 retailed for about $15,000) and said "why can't you buy this for me?" He was joking, of course, but I got a big sad as we moved walked past it.
I thought to myself "we deserve nice things, too" and realized that I was no better off or safer than I had been 10 years earlier... when the company I worked for got mis-managed by any idiot further up the chain, my lifeline would be cut and I'd be back at the welfare office being told I was lazy and asking for "free money."
Soon after my new plan was set and now I have my own business and I'm in control of it all. (and without government involvement making the internet accessible to all and overseeing online money transactions and regulating online piracy, I never would have been successful.)
The moral of the story is that not everyone who gets "hand outs" is a lazy person who hasn't worked or doesn't deserve it. Just like there are plenty of those "job creator" billionaires who took their big tax cuts and didn't create any jobs other than hiring a second massage therapist.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Well in my case, I'm Canadian and we're quite proud of our social safety net BUT I felt it was for people who were incapable of working or... well, beneath me. Which is why I'm glad I went through the experience, I guess. I know that just about anyone can suddenly find themselves unable to make it without help. We pay into the system and we shouldn't be made to feel guilty for taking it back out when we need to.
I must say that those who have issues with "hand outs" have no idea what it's like on the other side of the fence. Hence the need to hurl the term derogatorily. I've only read half of the Ryan thread, but it amazes me the number of people that think that those receiving gov't services are nothing but lazy. Truly no clue there.
I would think a family with 8 kids would have it difficult even with 1 parent working full time, unless that job pays ridiculously well.
My husband worked for 20+ years and we were VERY comfortable. He suffered a massive stroke 4 years ago. I work but it's very difficult to make ends meet on my salary. He is on 'incapacity benefit' (which again, he paid into during his working years). He will never be able to work again. He does not want to be on benefits, he wants to 'do his share' to support his family. Unfortunately he will never be able to work again. He's not lazy or a scrounger, he's disabled.
Yes there are some who abuse the system, like with anything else in life. But putting everyone in the same basket is wrong.
It's time to see that people with an opposing opinion may have dimmer switch installed.
I don't believe this is true either. I believe that plenty of people are willing to pay for the "assistance" as you call it. I think for most it's a disagreement about how long. But I could be wrong.
i keep reading the comment ... "i don't want to be forced to pay into programs that don't benefit me" ... paraphrased of course ... and ... that the free market is most adept at taking care of these people ... i.e. if we had less taxes to pay ... there would be more money for people to contribute to church fundraisers and what not ...
I always see the opposing viewpoint as dimmer.
Moreover, why do some here equate ALL people who disagree with "government" forms of welfare, as people who hate the poor? For all you know, they contribute a hell of a lot more (as a percentage of their wealth) than you do - both in taxes and in charitable donations, they'd just prefer to the charitable donations because they know the tax money goes to slug races, running up more debt, hiring more useless gov't positions and printing money to hide it all.
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nonsense
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
For those of you who don't want to pay into a program that will not benefit you, and vow that you will never ever ever accept a "handout" or "free money" from your government.
Think twice.
By a simple sleight of hand it could just as easily be you.
Be careful what you wish for.
I hope you never have to collect, but having been there, I for one am extremely grateful that I was able to feed my children through some very hard times in the past.
jo
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"How I choose to feel is how I am." ~ EV/MMc
"Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends." ~ One Stab ~
Point.
That's the deal. I am all for a hand up for those Americans who are down on their luck... for whatever reason.
I don't believe the hand up should evolve into a crutch.
I also believe that tossing out the entire system because there are people who abuse it is wrong... because i know there are people who really need the helping hand. Go after the criminal ones stealing it... instead of lumping the ones in need as the criminals.
Hail, Hail!!!
Yes, there is a lot of fraud, but clearly there is actual legitimate need in many more cases.
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None of us are immune from needing a handup from time to time. Fuck knows I'm not, and have been there myself.
It'd be wonderful - rainbows & unicorns, actually :P - if the lumping would ease up on all sides.
Thank you, Johnny.
I always thought part of being American was the base principle of the strong, helping the weak... the haves, helping the have nots.
When did all of that change?
Hail, Hail!!!
"I need your strength for me to be strong...I need your love to feel loved"
I think we both feel the same on this... we are willing to pull a guy up from the gutter to get him back up on his feet. We are not going to be his sole support and we don't believe he should take advantage of the kindness of others.
And yes... the system has flaws... the basic flaw being trust. It trusts that the people receiving the charity are the ones who truely need it. I don't blame the system as much as the people... the flaw in the system is people, namely, the greed within people.
Hail, Hail!!!
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After saying all this i still have no problem with the government helping people out, even these people, i have a problem with how much we piss away to make a better gun or bomb, i don't see anyone invading the U.S.A. anytime, EVER. Perhaps we could cut the military funds and spend them on our country for a little while?
But that's just my opinion.
You have to look at it stepping outside your mind. You said somewhere else the blanket statement that the private sector is more efficient than the government. I think that's one of those phrases where it's often repeated, so eventually it's believed by many. But dig into that statement more. How do you measure efficiency? What services have been provided by the government but then handed over to the private sector only to see the company fail at executing it? Why do some areas of government get the trust of the public and others don't?
Look at food stamps. Administrative costs are kept low, where do you identify inefficiency in how it's run?
When you made the statement "providing checks", maybe you're referring to people who receive TANF, or cash welfare. The expectations of the recipient vary from state to state, but things were tightened up in the 90's and state's are raising the bar with expectations of the recipient. There are exemptions, but there is a work requirement when receiving tanf (again will vary state to state). Caseworkers also make home visits to follow up on what's being reported with the expectation. Remember that any program to develop skills and also trying to stop fraud is expensive in itself.
One can donate, but often the conservative argument relies on the notion that if taxes that went to public assistance was somehow given back to the individual, that an equal contribution to charitable organizations would occur. This doesn't play out in reality. When people get a tax kicker or 'stimulus' or whatever, they spend it on paying down some personal debt, saving some of it, and also buying crap made in China.
now when mom & dad got divorced some of the time we lived with mom and some of the time we lived with the ol' man. when living with mom i worked after school at a mexican restuarant washing dishes and making tacos, burritos & enchaladas. not to difficult of stuff to prepare. my mom got my checks come payday. this burnt my frickin ass something fierce but i knew it had to happen. she worked 2 part time jobs and attended college fulltime and we were poor as fuck. this went on for years.
i have always gave my mom money. drug money or clean... as long as our family was eating i was at ease. yes i sold pot as a teenager to help feed my younger brothers, mom and myself plus i worked. mom got food stamps and it was the farthest thing from a good time.
my friends always asked, "but chad, where's your money? you just got paid?" fact is mom got most of my money. i might of had 10 bucks or some shit to buy a small sack. life is a hash & cold fucking place.
yes dad paid child support. the fact is it costs a shit load of money to raise 3 kids and when you aren't employeed with a great or almost great job, you're fucked!
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
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