When I first wrote about the trend toward de-stigmatizing food stamps, I was a little shocked. I hadn't been paying attention to the various forms government aid took since...well, since I managed to get off of government aid. Not long after that first post, I wrote a second, about the swelling numbers on food stamps--at that time, there were a bit over 40 million people dependent upon the government for their daily bread (or daily arugula, as the case may be).Y'all should go read the post.
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5 comments:
Thanks, Tam.
I went and read the post. I concur with all he wrote, even though I'm about ready to sign up for the thing myself. I'm certainly eligible, and desperately need the thing. I was thinking about signing up last year but decided to wait until after the election, for the reason he mentioned.
At my age (in my seventh decade) and with no recent job history in this town, I have been told I should not even bother to apply for jobs around here. I'm living on alms from my congregation and what little pittance of my inheritance I can pry loose from the lawyer I mistakenly hired to manage it.
It sure would be nice to get some nutritious food again. (I don't think I've bought any red meat in over a year, for example.) I hold the Cooking Merit Badge, it being required for Eagle, so that part is no problem.
Justthisguy- As HH's husband belive me I know she(I made sure to check before marriage) isn't talking about cases like yours but out of the tens of millions those who find it easier to game the system that work an unpleasant job until they can do better.
The famous "Work Americans just wont do" line should be something like work Americans wont do when they can get the same material benefits for being able to fog a mirror.
Odysseus, the Senior Warden at my church gives me a ride there every week and manages an Ace Hardware store around here. He has admitted that I could walk right into the store, and with a day or two of familiarization and training, do any non-management job in the place.
I offered to work for free for a day or so, to show what I could do, and he said something like "Corporate would never allow that." HR would probably toss my job application, too, for insufficiently recent references or failed credit check. Whoever heard of a credit check as pre-requisite for a menial job?
He's not even allowed to hire casual labor for cash to help with inventory for, say, a day or so.
I have been out of the official labor market for so long that I had not realized how bad the formalism and credentialism had gotten.
I would try for a small Mom-and-Pop business, but they can't afford to hire anybody, and a lot of them are applying for food stamps themselves these days.
Y'all tore that Lainus dude a new one. Well, I guess if he didn't lie about his resume, he'll put it to good use!
Some day I gotta write something impressive enough to start a Tamalanche...
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