My colleague wrote a wonderful editorial called My Whining on her blog, The Pen Wheel of Red, White and Blue. Here is my reply to her….
Mallorie, I think you wrote a great blog and I agree with you. I will bravely admit that right now I receive food stamps (aka Lone Star card). I am recently divorced and like you I am in transition. I was a stay at home mom for 9 years. Now that I am a single mother of 3 children I know that going to school is the best thing I could do for me and my children. Working, being a full time student, plus raising 3 children was too demanding for me. I quit my job and now focus on school and my children. I have a lot of pride and walking into the Health and Human Service office and waiting in a long line to ask for help was very humbling yet humiliating for me. I did what I had to do so that I can give my children the future they deserve. With the help of the lone star card, student loans and grants, I am able to survive.
With that said, when I have to sit in line at the Health and Human Service office to turn in paperwork and things, I am appalled at what I see and hear in that place. I have actually overheard a pregnant woman with 3 small children that were all misbehaving say to another woman, “yeah this is baby number 4, I can’t wait to pop him out so I can get more money!” I have also heard a very young mom tell someone in line, “I am so mad that my baby is ugly, I never thought I was going to have an ugly baby! I regret not having that abortion.” I have sat in bewilderment asking myself why the hell I was there and how I ended up among these people.
To answer your questions, NO you don’t get drug tested, they don’t even look that hard at your income (they “trust” that you are honest-- a couple utility bills and a pay check is all they ask for to prove income and expenses), and there are no social workers watching you or your children. The people that work there seem like they all hate their jobs. I get infuriated when I think about how many people the government is enabling to be losers! Yes I am glad that there is help for people like you and I who are trying to better ourselves but unfortunately about 90% of the people getting assistance don’t look like they want to be better, they are perfectly satisfied with the money the government gives them! The system is obviously flawed, lazy people are getting help and hard working people are struggling.
With that said, when I have to sit in line at the Health and Human Service office to turn in paperwork and things, I am appalled at what I see and hear in that place. I have actually overheard a pregnant woman with 3 small children that were all misbehaving say to another woman, “yeah this is baby number 4, I can’t wait to pop him out so I can get more money!” I have also heard a very young mom tell someone in line, “I am so mad that my baby is ugly, I never thought I was going to have an ugly baby! I regret not having that abortion.” I have sat in bewilderment asking myself why the hell I was there and how I ended up among these people.
To answer your questions, NO you don’t get drug tested, they don’t even look that hard at your income (they “trust” that you are honest-- a couple utility bills and a pay check is all they ask for to prove income and expenses), and there are no social workers watching you or your children. The people that work there seem like they all hate their jobs. I get infuriated when I think about how many people the government is enabling to be losers! Yes I am glad that there is help for people like you and I who are trying to better ourselves but unfortunately about 90% of the people getting assistance don’t look like they want to be better, they are perfectly satisfied with the money the government gives them! The system is obviously flawed, lazy people are getting help and hard working people are struggling.