Quote:
Originally Posted by gunnels
I don't think that this illustrates abuse as much as it illustrates irresponsibility or just plain stupidity. As someone whose family has been on stamps for a few years now, I can tell you that that person went hungry later that month. We made 12K last year and get around $150 a month in stamps. So I guess we could be gluttons for a day and buy steak and lobster, but then we wouldn't get any more money until next month.
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This personal experience actually illustrates exactly why this weird anti-welfare camp annoys me. They'll use images like this as memes to circulate the idea that the welfare system is a scam and everybody is getting free money for not working. It's a wholly Republican feeling where I'm located, but ignorance knows no political boundaries.
My family has also used foodstamps in the past. If we hadn't been granted them, we would have gone hungry. Foodstamps are not checkcards with no limits, and as a large family we had to be selective with what we bought with them.
I'll often see sentiments such as
"If you can afford cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, cable, and porn, you don't need food stamps."
Not only are such memes attacking strawmen, they show zero empathy for their fellow man. I've personally witnessed an astounding lack of altruism coming from Christian conservative Republicans, in my state at least. Jesus was a socialist passing around free welfare, according to their holy book. I don't mean to set up my own strawman, but these people, whom I know personally and work with daily, disgust and morally offend me.
Now, if we're not speaking personally, I don't think wanting welfare reform is a bad thing. I can understand that people don't want their tax dollars going to waste. I am, however, in favor of a type of socialist and non-judgmental Government mandated altruism which extends to all citizens, not just the financially insecure -- so I find arguing welfare as a United States political issue a waste of time with my views being so far left field.