I've Been Poor

I've been poor. Not poor like a Nigerian, or a Mississippi dirt farmer, but I've been poor. Dad was laid off from the railroad in the early 1960's, and there was no work to be found because about five hundred other guys also got laid off in our small town. Mom had four children under seven and had her hands full with us. Dad found work when and where he could, did some county work to stay eligible for the welfare. Welfare, moldy cheese, weevily flour, suger with lumps of rat urine in it, rancid peanut butter. We never went hungry that I recall, but I bet Mom and Dad did. They hated the welfare, and got off it as soon as possible, but they never regretted taking it. The children never went hungry.

In the early eighties I was an idiot, and went without work. Public assistance helped out, and got me in to a place where I found a paying job. Got off it as soon as possbile but was glad it was there.

Michele's been on the receiving end of a lot of shit that began with a post about New York City providing a free breakfast to all school children, and raising rates on lunches 50 cents to pay for it. Here's some of the bullshit that she's received:

I expect poor people to not have kids if they can't afford them.

If you're so friggin' irresponsible that you can't feed your child - you shouldn't be a parent. You ought to be jailed.

if you can't afford to buy the things to make your child lunch, then the child has much larger problems than that meal. Those people shouldn't be parents.

I'll go so far to say that if you can't feed your own kids, you ought to be jailed for gross negligience.

My issue is not poverty, but the lack of priorites you'll find with these "dead beat families." Their financial irresponsibilty is not my problem.

Just simply say "I wouldn't do it again now that I have more information" and we conservatives will be satisfied.

The SIMPLE AND FAIR SOLUTION would be to give all public school children - rich or poor - the choice for a free lunch or a refund for unused meals. But i suppose then nobody would have the vaunted "badge of shame" to bash evil rich conservatives?

"Why should my taxes pay to feed a child whose mother who is too lazy too work or keep her legs closed? "

[large volcanic explosion]

Listen you fucking half witted fuckwad retarded pig fuckers... Shit happens. If you've never had shit happen, just wait. Someday it will. My dad worked harder on a bad day than most of you will ever work on your best day. Hard work doesn't prevent poverty. Neither does being childless. Most of you, if you're sample Americans, are two paychecks away from being poor. You have no savings. You owe piles of bills. Your credit cards are maxed. So cut the crap!

What you're saying is that children deserve to suffer because of the character flaws you assume their parents have. What big men you are! Willing to make five year olds go hungry just to prove that their mothers and fathers are lazy, no-good drug whores and pimps.

Have you ever seen a hungry five year old? Have you ever fed a hungry five year old? I have. And I don't want to have to do it again.

You people must kick puppies for fun, and burn crosses, too, cause you know how THOSE people are...

You people make me ashamed to be an American! We're supposed to be better than this.

-- posted by Chuck at Tuesday, September 16, 2003 | E-mail | Permalink | Main | 0 comments

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Tuesday, September 16, 2003

I've Been Poor