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Old 05-23-2014, 12:08 PM   #132
The exploding boy
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Location: "I'm a quivering collection of the worst and least helpful emotions: fear, anxiety, terror, paranoia, indigestion, dishpan hands..."
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This is gonna be a sanctimonious (and TLDR) canadian post but whatever, as someone from a country where you can pretty much get welfare if you just apply for it a long as you can prove (and there's not much hoops to jump through there) your'e either not getting an income or at least not enough, i find the idea of food stamps sad and humiliating. Like oh well we're gonna help our poor some i guess but since they cant be trusted with actual money, let's make sure they really are using this for food and have to actually show it when they buy it. hopefully the shame will get them to pick themselves off by the bootstraps and get off them.

i mean my mom was on welfare earlier this year (she had to get operated for a tumor on her ovaries, that the government was paying of course, so couldn't work for a bit) and she still had property worth about 100 000$ that she was trying to sell and was staying at my brother's. She wasn't technically poor, but they still let her have some. In America people would scream entitlement. Personally i'm glad to be in a country where the moment you're unemployed for whatever reason, the government is ready to step in to help you. There's been countries where they've been talking about guaranteed minimal income, I think that's a terrific idea. I've heard it mentioned by a party here.

What I dont get about America (and i know this likely doesn't apply for anyone here) is that there's always this cliche of proud to be an American and all and it seems to me if you're proud of your country, then there should be a sense of solidarity, you should want to help your fellow citizens. But not in america, for a lot it seems your fellow citizen is your enemy. It's like i'm proud to be in a country where the guy next door is dying while i've got more than plenty and i'm not willing to part with one cent of it to help him with because you know, bootstraps.

Quite frankly i don't give a shit that part of my taxes goes to help people get healthcare or welfare (well ok so at my income level i dont pay lots of taxes...). Even if some of these people are abusing it. That's part of the cons but you can't throw away the system just because a small % are not deserving of it. That still in total losses does not in any way get close to the amount of taxes the 1% are not paying by putting their money in fiscal paradises anyway (and anyway ive known quite a few people on welfare, none of which i consider were abusing it). I don't care to pay because everyone else is also paying for the right of me to have it too. And if i somehow DON'T need it (well everybody will need healthcare at some point, but welfare), then that means i'm making enough money to be able to afford helping others get it.

i know im preaching to the choir but i mean....fuck.

 
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