Author |
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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 6:18 pm
If they can't get a minimum wage job, they don't want one bad enough or they have serious issues. If they are able bodied, they can find work if they want it. The key phrase being 'if they want it.' Why is it the government's job to go down there and drag those people out their self-induced situation? I just don't understand that thinking process. If I need help, I'm not turning to the government for it. I'm going to my family, my church, my friends and, even then, I would never expect any of them to help me unless I'm helping myself first. I'm the only one responsible for me, not the taxpayers who are already burdened more than some can stand.
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Zachsmom
Member
07-13-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 6:30 pm
Here in CA if you apply for welfare, you have to get a job if you are able bodied. If you do not get a job within a specified period of time(about a month), they stop your payments.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 7:26 pm
Could it possibly be that so many jobs were lost in that area because of the hurricane? Large parts of NO and LA are not repaired. Many places of employment are simply gone. There are fewer jobs to be had, quite simply. And everyone needs them. Maybe it's because there is no public transportation to and from many of the FEMA slums, and these people lost their cars, jobs and homes? They have no money to buy a car. It's easy to sit back and say if that were me, I'd..... But as the saying goes, you should walk a mile in someone else's shoes, lose everything you own, get stuck in a slum village of trailers with no job and no savings, were illiterate, with no family, and then maybe, just maybe, you'd see things differently.
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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 7:39 pm
In previous posts people who currently live in NO are saying that local business cannot get enough employees and have raised the wages to entice people. That tells me there are jobs to be had if they are wanted. I also imagine there is some type of city transporation as in a bus system and I would imagine it is up and running by now. I just don't buy the 'poor me, there's nothing I can do but mooch off the taxpayers, I have no options' for every person down there. Where there's a will, there's a way. And, by the way, I have been poor with a child to support. I owned nothing but the clothes we had. I lived in a one bedroom apartment and had two roommates to help pay the bills. One of them had a car and we took turns. I worked nights and they worked days. They were generous enough to help with babysitting sometimes. We worked hard, helped each other with needs and made it work.
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Herckleperckle
Member
11-20-2003
| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 8:11 pm
Well, I'm not pissed. And I'm not against entertaining the welfare discussion here. But I do think some of you have used this thread to get on a soapbox about the topic--led by your outrage about the subject. It seems to me that it's intensely personal to some of you--almost as if the yawning mouths of welfare frauds are surrounding you and stealing food that rightfully belongs to you. When I think of everything going on in this world, well, the status of govt-sponsored welfare is simply is not the hot-button for me as it is for some of you. Did any of you watch Bush's speech last night? Or the remarks afterward by Sen Jim Webb from Virginia--who mentioned NO? Hoping that as we watch Friday's show, we are all pleasantly surprised by a meeting of minds on some level. But I'm not betting on it any more than I am betting that anyone here has changed her mind about the NO situation and welfare.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 3:50 am
they can find work if they want it. well, I see it slightly differently. A person (and their family) sometimes will have to move to be closer to a job..especially if they do not have a vehicle. To pick up and move is a tough scary decision, for a low paying job. *** I truly hope no one is getting angry here. We all have different life experiences and views. I myself have witnessed Fraud so I do rant a bit when talking about Welfare. Disabled people were being booted off and told to get off their butts and get a job, yet a lady I knew who owned $85,000 of Horses and rented a $1000 five bedroom home was getting welfare. I could never figure out how they would give her money after seeing her 'choice' of a fancy ranch to rent. anyways, I am looking forward to the next episode. Am hoping that God Warrior will crash Abassi's party and give her perspective on his TV show LOL
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 8:22 am
It is impossible to pick up and move if you don't have a vehicle or any money, and you have a family. You can't pack all your belongings and carry them to a new city. Chilli, if I may be so bold, I don't think you are giving yourself enough credit. You found some people to work with you, and you obviously worked hard and worked yourself into a better life. That takes perseverance, skills and intelligence. You seem to think that either everyone else in the world is like you, or that they should be like you. I don't think either is true. There are many people in our country and the world who lack the skills or ability to figure these things out on their own. I'm not saying they should live on handouts. I'm saying that it would be best if we had programs that took their hands and helped them find their way. Help them move to areas that do have jobs. Help them find and apply for those jobs. The FEMA trailers provided cost more than building a little 2 bedroom house called a "Katrina cottage" that is hurricane proof. It would be a better use of gov't funds to build those little houses in areas that need workers. I've worked with many people whose lives aren't working for one reason or another. They simply don't understand the system, don't understand how to navigate it, can't figure out how to get themselves out of the hole they've gotten into. It is far more sensible to help them become self sufficient, than to watch them flounder around and live on assistance. Just today, in my local paper, there was an article about how there are not enough teachers in NO. Because there are not enough teachers, the schools have waiting lists. That means children are not going to school! How can we expect them to succeed in life if they aren't getting an education??
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 7:47 pm
It is impossible to pick up and move if you don't have a vehicle or any money, and you have a family. You can't pack all your belongings and carry them to a new city I disagree emphatically. yes it is possible to take a chance and move...with the help of friends and family. IF you dont have friends and family, a person can sell their unimportant stuff and take only their precious things...by bus or mail it to themselves. Yes, this does cost a few bucks but often friends or family can lend help and $$ when they want to help out....and the person can gain self-respect when they pay that money advance back. can't figure out how to get themselves out of the hole they've gotten into. I completely agree with that statement. Often it takes a wakeup call before a person even realizes that there actually ARE options available. In some cases, a person is mentally in a hole..not neccessarily physically. A good counselling session (life coach! LOL) and a person can move on.
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Puzzled
Member
08-27-2001
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 8:11 pm
Yes, this does cost a few bucks but often friends or family can lend help and $$ when they want to help out.... Lots of people don't have any family or friends that have more than a pot to piss in. You have no money and you're going to take your kids to another city. Just where do you get the money to put a down payment on an apartment? How do you feed them until you get a job? In some cases, a person is mentally in a hole..not neccessarily physically. A good counselling session (life coach! LOL) and a person can move on. If only it were that easy. There are thousands of people who have mental problems that no one can solve, and then there are others who can't afford therapy or meds. Even with therapy and meds, life is rocky and unstable for many people.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 9:31 pm
I dont disagree. However, I was replying to what was written previously so maybe isnt as clear as I'd wish. Karuuna mentioned people who were in a hole financially because of circumstances in their lives. I added that some people are mentally in that hole and can crawl out when helped to refocus. Of course I am not stupid enough to suggest that ALL people in a hole have mental problems. I didnt do that in my post. Even depression can be considered a transient state...NOT a mental disease per say.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Thursday, January 25, 2007 - 9:42 pm
How do you feed them until you get a job? When I became fully disabled I went for two years with ZERO income. Shall I repeat that>? ZERO nil nada. There was a paperwork battle between the various factions involved in my pensions. I liquidated all my longterm investments and funds losing well over half of what they were worth when I bought them. That paid a few months of mortgage. Okay, Food. you can find specials in grocery stores. Here Superstore has a bargain/ outdate area. A loaf of Bread 0.59.....a can of beans 0.68 Chicken wieners...a four pack for 4.99 (thats a lot of wieners LOL) Bruised apples 50% off/ various fruits and vegs often at 50% on the carts. Outdated meats were always 1-2$ off of the marked price. Invest in a jar of peanut butter.....around $5. a huge bag of chinese Roosterbrand rice 10 kg is around $10. That lasts months. You can eat quite well inexpensively IF a person chooses to. I actually LIKED peanut butter sandwiches twice a day. I am sharing this not to be snarky.. but I am so tired of the excuses people make. Like the lady I know who feeds her kids crap like Mr Noodle and tins of alphagetti. For the same price she could have fed them nutritious balanced meals. this is actually a good example of people having their eyes opened to different possibilities on how to live....and someone can help to refocus their direction. maybe I survived my horrendous two years BECAUSE of my very poor childhood. I KNEW what to do and how to do it. and I also had family.... ((I think I should stick to discussing the show LOL. No one wants to hear my sob stories LOL))
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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 12:52 am
When I went through that tough time I talked about (not my only one) I had no family here to count on. I was alone 3000 miles from any family. I also had the father of my son who was stalking me and threatening to kill me. I have a hard time feeling sorry for able-bodied people who make excuses why they can't do something about their situation. There are a multitude of resources out there for those who can't figure it out. Sunshyne4u, I'd like to add to your list of providing cheaply ~ lose the cigarettes and alcohol. If you can't afford to feed and house your family, you have no business smoking and drinking. Lose the sodas, chips, steaks, etc. I see people using food stamps all the time and I'm amazed at the stuff they can buy with them instead of nutritional food. Rent a movie instead of going to the movies. Shop at Salvation Army, Value Village, any secondhand shop you can find. I lived in Georgia for 3 years. There was a section of town called the 'cotton mill houses.' That's where all the welfare people lived. There were always many cadillacs parked out in front of those houses and the women wore the best clothes in town.
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Rehtse
Member
08-17-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:24 am
Sunshyne4u, I'd like to add to your list of providing cheaply ~ lose the cigarettes and alcohol. If you can't afford to feed and house your family, you have no business smoking and drinking. Lose the sodas, chips, steaks, etc. I see people using food stamps all the time and I'm amazed at the stuff they can buy with them instead of nutritional food. Rent a movie instead of going to the movies. Shop at Salvation Army, Value Village, any secondhand shop you can find. I'm amazed (outraged) that they put all of their food stamp eligibles first and then they put the divider bar and then put all of their fancy non-eligibles on the conveyer belt. I wonder where the money for those items comes from??
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Scooterrific
Member
07-08-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:29 am
What's alphagetti?
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:51 am

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Scooterrific
Member
07-08-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 9:58 am
Wow! Thanks MB! I've never even heard of it nor seen it in stores!
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 10:00 am
Sunshyne, when speaking about people living in FEMA trailers who are refugees of Katrina, they have NO assets to sell off. They lost EVERYTHING in Katrina. I don't understand why people don't get that. They have NOTHING. They don't have money to mail something to themselves. They have NO money. So what would they sell in order to move? I really don't think you all get the enormity of this difficulty or the situation they are in....
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Rehtse
Member
08-17-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 10:10 am
Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. They could walk.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 10:38 am
Rehtse, how many miles? 100? 200? That's where the jobs are... And where would they get a deposit for that new apartment? Maybe live in their cars? Oh, wait, they don't have cars. They'll just have to live under a bridge. Oh wait, people won't give jobs to people who live under bridges.... All I'm suggesting is that Pres. Bush live up to his promise. That he would help. Go into those FEMA villages. Find out what skills people have. Match them to jobs in other areas. Help them secure those jobs, move them and give them a deposit on an apt. What's so wrong about that? Oh wait, they're just lazy bums who don't deserve a handout after surviving a horrible tragedy.
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Rehtse
Member
08-17-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 10:49 am
How did people survive the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression? Who helped people out back then? People in Louisiana and Mississippi do not have a monopoly on bad luck. The blasted hurricane took place over 12 months ago. Do you mean to tell me that in all of this time these people are still waiting around for the government to come take care of them? If they are, then maybe someone should give them a wake-up call and let them know that help ain't coming.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 11:19 am
I don't see what the Dust Bowl has to do with it, although they still had their horses and wagons and could move and many did. And FDR implemented programs to restore the devastated areas. Oh wait, the president acted to *restore* the area! Hmmmm..... I don't understand the anger toward other human beings who have fallen on hard times. I thank God that when I was homeless and broke, people were kinder and helped me.
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Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 1:48 pm
(((Lexie sighs and gives up...)))
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Rehtse
Member
08-17-2005
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 2:05 pm
Don't give up, Lexie. There's Part II tonight. Maybe this episode will help us build bridges. By the way, I am sure that I have come across as being very cold-hearted and elitist. While I may not agree with some of the views expounded upon on this thread, I do value everyone's insights and opinion. Heck, I learned that there was such a thing as alphagetti, so it was worth exchanging ideas at least for that! Enjoy the show tonight! 
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 2:07 pm
I agree, no one should give up, unless you are determined to make other people agree with you. Since that will never happen, it's kind of pointless. We are all different, and will always see things differently. That's what makes the world go round, as they say! 
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Emeraldfire
Member
03-05-2003
| Friday, January 26, 2007 - 2:28 pm
I live in Louisiana and lived through Hurricane Rita. You don't hear much about it but it was just as devastating. We were able to get out in time, but many people in my city lost their homes and now almost two years later there are still homes with "blue" roofs and the campus I work at still has buildings that are condemned. We were the lucky ones. Take a look at the town of Holly Beach, you can't, it was wiped off the map. Take a look at Cameron, they ended up with half of a courthouse and half of a school left after the hurricane and that is it - no houses. These are not lazy bums, they are proud people. Some said they will never return and have started a life elsewhere. To others this is their home and they want to move back. They're living in FEMA trailers right now but would much rather live in their own homes. You have to understand that they fled the area like they were supposed to and came back not to a home in rubble but to an empty space where their homes and belongings once were but had vanished from the storm. They need the government's help just to let them know what the next step is and how to go about doing it. I have to admit that I'm shocked at the lack of compassion and the feeling of contempt toward these people. They were not asking for a handout, just guidance and a place to stay while they got on their feet. Also, over here in southwest Louisiana, if you are not familiar, most towns are not in walking distance so walking to a job is not an option. I too am a single mom, who after a divorce went through a very hard time getting back on my feet (without assistance). I was one of the lucky ones that made it. However, when I see someone who needs a helping hand I feel empathy not contempt because I know but by the grace of God that could be me. I would like to know if these hard feelings are directed toward people who take advantage of help or for everyone that asks for help, even if it's temporary?
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