freeloaders steeling our tax $$$$$$

by DaCheech 22 Replies latest social current

• 

  sammielee24

  It's obvious the people who make all the rules have no clue how hard can be to make ends meet.

  -----------

  I totally disagree. The system is designed to keep people in it and those who run it, know that. They also know that the majority of people are not cheaters by law - if the law permits a woman to have a relationship with a man and still get assistance, then the law should be changed and we can go back to the spying and calls that happened to women 50 years ago.

  I know a couple who had difficulties when they were both out of work. They went through the job hunt, used up all the cash and savings and finally looked at government assistance...they didn't qualify because during their employment days, they had accumulated some nice furniture and a couple of cars. The cars were debt free because they had paid them off by working hard, they had no large debts and one kid. The only way they qualified for help, is if they sold one of the cars because the value of the car was more than the two thousand bucks that was allowable. They not only sold all their stuff, but they did sell the car for $3,000. and were forced to live off that before attempting to qualify again.....and of course, living in a small town with little chance of employment, it set them back even further.

  For every person you see on the dole, there are a hundred more than are ashamed of the stigma - as we see here - they are labelled freeloaders and thieves when in fact they may just be the victim of circumstance.

  Not to be harsh, but every person who has an issue with a freeloader on government assistance, can't divide it up - you can't hate the single mother and then make allowances for the disabled..you can't hate the disabled and then make allowances for the elderly - it's all equally open to repulsion - the very fact that leeches would take anothers hard earned money to pay for their own obligations. Isn't that what libertarianism is all about? Being responsible for every part of your life so you don't leech off others - wean yourself off of any outside help?

  I do not believe that all people on assistance are freeloaders - I believe that there is a small percentage who abuse the system, but I believe the system itself could be a good one if managed effectively. I believe that before we keep smashing into the poor as leeches and freeloaders, that we should always start at the top because the amount of corporate welfare and subsidies are the greatest thieves. Rather than bitch about the woman and kid at the bottom using your money, the vast majority of whom will never have a pension plan or a mutual fund or despite what you think, a really easy life, wouldn't we be better off addressing the career politicians who will leave office after a few years and earn a pension of $5,000/month from your tax dollars? After all, what has the politician done for you long term that deserves your money when he leaves? Wouldn't we be better addressing the benefits we pay out to politicians - from Cadillacs, to hundreds of thousands in living costs, jet service and all the other perks that come with working half a year? In your house you lead by example - mom and dad are supposed to set the budget and teach the kids - if your leaders are corrupt and greedy, then we would be better teachers if we addressed their abuses first before we pick on those less able to defend themselves in our society.

  I too would like to see the abuse stop - and it could be stopped - but politicians and corporations have too much to lose if it did... sammieswife
• 

  DaCheech

  sammie, I agree that the system is doing this.

  the "career" politician is also reprehensible.

  how can the american dream happen, when there are so many forces against the hard worker?
• 

  StAnn

  DaCheech, in our case, we have a portion of the American Dream and the rest is "delayed." By that I mean that my youngest son has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, scoliosis, and is developmentally disabled. Our insurance (through DH's work) covers most of his bills but we still have Medicaid as a safety net. We rarely use it until the end of the year. Our insurance covers a limited amount of physical therapy appointments (60) and once those are used up, Medicaid pays for therapy for the rest of the year. My son goes to therapy two times a week.

  Now, the problem we have is that my husband's income (which is right at poverty level for a family of four) is about $50 per month away from the Medicaid limit. In other words, if my husband were to get a better position and make more money, we'd lose the Medicaid. We have had numerous hospitalizations and surgeries with our kids and don't feel that we can risk not having Medicaid as a backup, just in case something else happens. So my husband stays in his low paying job so that we can keep Medicaid.

  My son is almost 15. When he turns 18, he will received Medicaid on his own based upon his disability, not based upon my husband's income. At that time, we can then earn as much as we can and it won't affect his coverage. We have three years and three months to wait until he turns 18. So, for us, we are getting by until then.

  We've done very well for a "poor" family. We bought a modest home that is perfect for our needs. We do have a newer minivan but can only have one car because otherwise we would be above our asset limit and would lose the Medicaid. Since I'm a SAHM, we get by just fine with one car.

  If it were just me, I'd say screw Medicaid and move on. But it's another matter when you're dealing with the health of a medically fragile child.

  So the American Dream delayed, for us, means that when our youngest son turns 18 in three years, my husband will actively pursue a better paying job. We're working toward being prepared to purchase an income property at that time to provide income in our retirement. We're doing everything we can now to prepare for the day when our ambitions aren't thwarted by government policies.

  The problem is people who see entitlement programs as a way of life. They are willing to live at a very marginal level to avoid taking responsibility for improving themselves. They will never have a good life until they change their viewpoint and see these government programs as a tool and not as a lifestyle choice.