Re: "Free" meals during school closures April 20, 2020 | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 3,554 |
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freya
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CrabCake
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yurble
There's a huge difference between a car for transport, and a relatively new car like mr. neptune described. And that is often one of the reasons middle-class people are one month away from bankruptcy: they "have" to have a new cellphone, new car, new TV, and so on. If they had their priorities in order, they'd purchase used cars - as you described your parents doing, and which my parents also did, albeit because they were frugal rather than poor - and set aside money for emergencies. If you have a new car and are financially insecure, you are failing at adulting.
Exactly. I didn't think I was the only one who noticed this about the long food lines seen on the national news lately. On one, the reporter was talking to a guy in the line driving a late model Cadillac sedan, for fuck's sake. We've all heard the statistic saying that something like 60% (I can't remember the exact number but it was high) of people can't absorb a $400 emergency. OF COURSE there are some who are in dire straits by no fault of their own, but it's almost certain they're in a small minority. And government programs like "free" school meals only enables irresponsibility. IMO.
And I did not grow up rich by any means, quite the opposite. My parents probably could have qualified for assistance (this was back in the 60s and 70s) but as far as I know they never did. They both grew up during the Depression and WW2, my mom in Germany. She knew real poverty and knew how to stretch a dollar. We never went hungry, but we lived in a tiny crackerbox with one bathroom, got a few new school clothes every other year only because we outgrew the old ones, and had nothing name brand. We even shared bathwater if you can believe that. My brother and I NEVER got the reduced or free school lunches (they were a thing even back then). So I guess my perspective, like everyone's, is framed by how my parents did it, which is in stark contrast to a LOT of today's breeders who are looking for a handout at every turn.
I don't know what the verification in this particular instance is but to receive benefits from the state a family/person has to go through a verification process and the amount of assets they can own (per family or per single parent) is very low. If they own a newer car then to qualify for benefits they would have to sell it, live off the proceeds and once that (and all other assets) were exhausted they could then apply.
This doesn't stop massive jerks from trying and some will put all assets under another family member's name (outside immediate) to get benefits. There was a story a few years ago of a famblee living in a McMansion (worth over 2 million) who did just this. I don't care where you live, owning a 2 million dollar house isn't poor. That is wealthy from any perspective.
A person who owns a late model Cadillac isn't poor. It is people like this that give the poor a bad rap. It makes me angry that they are taking food away from a person who is either poor or perhaps a little better off than poor but just lost their job.
And the media has their place in this too, why interview the person in the late model Cadillac other than to piss people off watching the news? You know there are hundreds of thousands of people watching that who aren't poor yet couldn't afford a Cadillac.
I can't help but think people who arrive to unrestricted food lines in their late model cars are just lazy asses who don't want to cook or buy food for their famblees.
And the no restrictions on who can obtain food? Guess that explains why so many charities and food banks are begging for money to support school aged children. With all the people who don't need help claiming any food they can get the poor are being left out.
Re: "Free" meals during school closures April 21, 2020 | Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 1,838 |
Re: "Free" meals during school closures April 21, 2020 | Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 3,554 |
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mr. neptune
Any one remember about 2-3 years ago Donald floated the idea of "America's Harvest Box" for people receiving SNAP benefits? Critics said that food boxes would be "humiliating" to people and there was no way to distribute them. Now with the virus, why all of the sudden does America have food boxes? People don't seem to be humiliated or embarrassed now.
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mr. neptune
Oh, and as for expensive cars, I have come to the conclusion only fools buy Cadillacs, I mean spend thousands more for a GM car?