Welfare Queen Asks For Too Much

by Bangalore 170 Replies latest jw friends

AGuest

stop raping the education system
Omigosh, yes, that, dear Beks (the greatest of love and peace to you!)... as well as stop making it almost financially impossible to pursue a good/higher education. I mean, unless you can run, jump, dunk, hit a ball, act, sing, dance, or rap... ain't much "out there" in the way of a future for many kids. And when you see some other kids (whose parents can afford acting, dancing, music, modeling, or other "lessons"... you KNOW you don't stand a chance, so why try?
I also say good [education] because for those who aren't so talented, most parents can't afford Sylvan, Kaplan, tutors, and other supplemental learning programs that give those whose parents can... and/or who attend private/prep schools... an edge. Heck, many of these kids parents can't afford paper and pencils. I've participated in enough backpack/school supply handouts to know that.
Some rests with the American people, too, though. We glorify actors, athletes, entertainers, the wealthy, even if some of these are criminals. We even glorify criminals, sometimes. But teachers? Those we entrust our childrens' knowledge to (and much of their young lives!)? Not so much. I get why, to some extent: some teachers are mediocre if not altogether incompetent, for some it's just a job, some teach their own agendas... and some school districts use books that contain such a distortion of FACTS... that it's hard TO trust. Still, not trusting ANY is stupid.
There will always be the poor, of course. Always has been, always will be... in this particular system of things... because there will always be those who just can't be anything else: the mentally/physically ill/disabled, the abused, sufferers of PSTD, the illiterate, etc. And there are those who WANT the poor to exist... because it sets them apart as rich... who stir the pot (and who tend to have more power and influence regarding all of this than most of the rest of us).
But that doesn't mean we don't try to decrease it... to the best of our individual and/or combined abilities, does it? You don't wanna do anything about it? Okay, your choice and no one should judge you. But should you really take ISSUE with the poor
Just sayin'...
Keep on fightin' the fight, dear ladies... and shedding light on the myths of poverty... and the women/children who suffer under it!
Peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA
Berengaria

Some rests with the American people, too, though. We glorify actors, athletes, entertainers, the wealthy, even if some of these are criminals.
Hehehe Shel! I typed out "and get our heads out of facebook, dancing with the stars, and people magazine", but I erased it! Because it isn't any one of those things, it's the prevailing attitude and lack of depth I was talking about.
NewChapter

FHN---what do you suppose that picture would have looked like 2 seconds before they got to the box? Exactly.
NC
AGuest

GREAT story, dear FHN (peace to you!)... and, like dear NC (peace, chile!) said, imagine the snapshot... and "captions" from commenters... just before their kind act. Gotta tell ya, as a JW I was compelled on many occasions to "think" a certain way about folks. You know, you're out in FS and see someone who "appears" to be a drunk, etc., and start to get steered across the street. Thankfully, because of my work I can sometimes recognize mental illness... and ya'll know ME: I would give my "partner" a bit of a "lesson": "You know, Brother, I'm not sure we should jump to that conclusion just because sometimes it's people's medication that makes them act strangely..."). Didn't make me a popular FS partner in certain parts of the "territory", of course - LOLOLOL!
In housing, you see it ALL, dear ones! Other than an ER... you don't get much closer. 'Cause you see how folks are "at home"... and sometimes ALL of their "dirty laundry"... which is often different than what you see out in the streets, you know?
Thanks for sharing that, dear FHN... and peace to you both!
A slave of Christ,
SA, who says, well, if we HAD to hijack a thread, this was certainly the way to do it - LOLOLOLOL!
FlyingHighNow

FHN---what do you suppose that picture would have looked like 2 seconds before they got to the box? Exactly. NC
Really. I live a block from this Wal-mart, in a very white bread Grand Rapids suburb. Around here, you usually don't see people with this kind of flair. You might see goth teens or punky ones every once in a while, but not people who look like they probably enjoy shows at the local drag queen club. I am marveling that the kids didn't cry over all the toys being placed in the box. I am supposing the kids were told what the shopping trip was all about.
skeeter1

New Chapter: There is no need to have a cow over little-old-Skeeter. Perhaps if you consider what you are doing a teaching exercise? You taught me about Haiti's cultural structure, education, and class structure. I did not know of that. I didn't take much, rather none, political science classes in college. For that, I thank you. With all of these youths, they could start a protest? A youthful population is paramount reason for the elte to issue birth control?
But, you seem to be of the mind that Haitians do not need birth control? I think they need access to free birth control. Rythem method education may be the cheapest. I used to travel alot to the Carribean. Birth control packs were less then $5 in the early 1990s. Anyway, others do agree with me on Haiti's need to control their population. Perhaps you could bend a little and see another facet of their problems?
http://www.populationaction.org/Publications/Report/The_Shape_of_Things_to_Come_Haiti/Haiti_Summary.pdf
opportunities to security issues, political stability, gender
equality and climate change adaptation.
Haiti has experienced rapid population growth for several
decades. Today, there are 339 inhabitants per square kilometer,
and the United Nations medium fertility scenario forecasts
further growth of nearly fifty percent by 2040. Neighboring
countries such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic have
experienced continuously decreasing fertility rates from the
1970s to the 1990s. In contrast, Haiti’s fertility rate increased
in the 1980s before falling in the 1990s where it remains at
around four children per woman. Haiti’s fertility rate is at a
level higher than its neighbors, which keeps the country on
track to maintain a very young age structure into the future. An
important influence on the high fertility rate is the high level of
unmet need for family planning: In Haiti, 38 percent of women
wish to prevent or delay their next birth but are not using a
contraceptive method.

Rapid population growth has also resulted in unsustainable
Rapid population growth has also resulted in unsustainable
Rapid population growth has also resulted in unsustainable
environmental pressure on limited arable land. Today, because
of declining agricultural productivity, the country only produces
47 percent of the food it needs. The use of firewood as its
primary energy source compounded by demographic factors
has exacerbated deforestation and soil erosion. On top of
naturally broad temperature variations, Haiti has witnessed
longer droughts, shorter but more intense rainy seasons and
more frequent tropical storms in recent years. The interplay
between human and environmental factors has significantly
increased the country’s vulnerability to climate change
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

To achieve short-term recovery strategies and long-term
development goals, Population Action International
recommends that the U.S. government, working in
coordination with the Haitian government, other donors
and in-country civil society partners:
1 Increase investments in family planning and
reproductive health, including meeting the needs
of youth.
2 Support programs that respond to the needs of
a large number of youth and focus on education,
vocational training and jobs.
3 Include age structure and broader demographic
factors in efforts to foster political stability and
security.
4 Support policies and programs that promote
gender equity and advance the legal rights of
and economic opportunities for women.
5 Develop and fund integrated approaches to
climate change adaptation and environmental
sustainability that include family planning and
reproductive health.
NewChapter

Hi Skeeter. I had just been studying for an exam for hours, and a large part of that was to look at the situation in Haiti. Look, I want them to have available birth control too---I have nothing against that. My heart was aching from what I had been studying, and then I pop on here in the middle, and read what looked like blaming them for their situation and suggesting that if they would just practice birth control, their problems would be solved.
I don't know the exact state of birthcontrol there. From what I've studied, I'd take a guess that nobody is really concerned about making it available, about teaching it, or anything else. A tiny portion of the population keeps the rest suppressed and poor. This is heartbreaking since Haiti is the only nation where slaves fought for their freedom, and then were an independent nation! That's quite an accomplishment. They were subsistence farmers---growing what they needed to live and a bit to sell for other expenses. The one percent (and it is 1%--which is just a coincidence to whats happening with OWS) destroyed their land. The deforestation has made much of it unfarmable and unlivable. The 99% have no power, had no way to stop them, and weren't considered in any decision, even though they were the ones directly affected.
All upper education is offered in French, a language no one will teach the majority. Education increases the use of birth control. On top of that, the country is heavily Catholic---they practice a mixed religion of Voodoo and Catholicism. So think about that. Their only brush with education may come from sources funded by the Catholic church. (I am conjecturing here---just going on what I understand of the culture and circumstances) and if that is the case, who is going to teach them about birth control?
I just want us to tread lightly, to open our minds up to other's reality, to judge fairly. When we blame the disadvantaged for their struggles and dismiss the huge obstacles that are put in their path, maybe calling them mere excuses, we don't get closer to fixing the problem. We aggravate it.
Sorry that I got intense. Sometimes I feel too strongly for others, and I am a protective person. When I see what I perceive as someone kicking an injured person, I react. Obviously you did not know how complex this situation was, and did not realize how truly abused this population is. But it would not be wrong to give the benefit of the doubt until we know better. It would not be wrong to assume maybe there are parts of the story we don't know about before we judge too harshly. It really wouldn't.
NC
skeeter1

I completely understand the stress of exams. I'm sure you are glad the test is over. Now, relax and have some egg-nog with some Southern Comfort in it.
Catholics liks births. Makes for more catholics. WTS doesn't like births. Kids hurt field circus and might drive followers away by brightening their lives. Perhaps we send the JWs into Haiti? They will teach everyone to read, print literature, and talk of remaining single and childless as Armegheddon is close at hand. LOL.
Skeeter
NewChapter

WAIT A MINUTE, THESE PEOPLE HAVE REPRESSED, THEIR FARMLAND HAS BEEN WASTED, THEY SPEAK A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THEIR OWN LAND WHICH IS DONE BY DESIGN---AND YOU WANT TO THROW SOME JW'S AT THEM????
Have you no heart? odeargod---the horror, THE HORROR!
AGuest

A brief aside to address the topic of the thread (peace to you all!)... apparently, "welfare" fraud isn't limited to "queens" (of the female or any other ilk), families (with or without kids, real kids, that is), the unemployed, the poor... minorities... the criminally inclined (per se)... or even Americans:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9468363-benefits-scam-greek-ex-cop-invented-19-kids
I love this topic! Its opportunities to educate get better and better!
Peace!
A slave of Christ,
SA, who wonders what Wal-Mart shoppers in Greece look like

Welfare Queen Asks For Too Much

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