WELFARE: LES MISERABLES
I recently read a blog about
welfare queens or at least people milking the system and living off government
hand outs.
There is a family I know that
falls into this category. The mother
and father are in their thirties. The
father was overweight and had leg surgery and milked disability for a number of years. The mother has never worked. They have a preteen child, and for a number
year they were totally supported by the state.
The Father lost his disability and soon after the mother filed for
divorce. After the divorce was granted
the family income increased. They have
their house rent paid, fuel paid, draw food stamps, and receives aide for
dependent children. The day after the
divorce the father moved back in. The
father worked for a while and within a year was laid off so now draws
unemployment. Recently the mother changed doctors because
her doctor would not write her a letter saying she is disabled and unable to
work: though she has never worked. They
have two cars and cable TV and pretty much live a life of retirement.
I am certain that one, if not
both of their parents have lived off the system and advise them.
Having worked for most of my
life; just to be able to retire on a fairly meager income, I must admit that
this scenario somewhat annoys me.
However, unqualified congress persons drawing six figure salaries, with
a six year retirement plans and total health care – trying to defund health care
and social programs for the rest of us – bother me more.
I feel that the bloggers that
rave about welfare recipients are somewhat disingenuous. Many of theses people are living on Social
Security and have already drawn far more that they ever paid in. They get their health care from the VA or
Medicare (A few years ago I had a stent placed in an artery – this procedure
alone cost many times more than I ever paid into Medicare.) Many of these people have drawn unemployment
–again receiving more than they ever paid in.
They use the interstate highway system, and numerous government programs
that protect them and oversee their quality of life.
We are all feeding on the government
tit to some extent. I am more concerned with the people on the
high end that are taking advantage of government programs than I am about
people on the lower end.
There is a human trait that
we all possess that urges us to look down on other people. Without having to defend our own worth we can
elevate our position if we decry others.
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the Ol’Buzzard
