Call me old-fashioned, but I have always believed that people should seek assistance not because it is an easier path to take, but because seeking public or charitable assistance is a last resort. This is much more than just a moral platitude, because I am concerned that our charitable resources are being squandered and abused. All the buzz over who really “deserves” charity brings up some issues that really need to be addressed in our community.
I wonder why some people among us like to make the sweeping statement that low-income people “have made poor life choices,” but lo and behold, when a higher income person gets into a bind, that same kind of “sink or swim” standard is not applied to them. On the other hand, I also understand how taxation levels and utility bills are so sky-high that it is now approaching a criminal offense. How many people out there really want to work and earn a living but find themselves being driven into poverty and public assistance programs by high taxation and utility bills, an anti-entrepreneur climate, and a lack of good jobs? I suspect that there are many.
We also have too many people in Auburn who abuse charity. Take food giveaways, for example. If there is a family of four hauling enough free food into their rental house to feed an army, and this hauling seems to be their full time occupation during the week, something is wrong. And how about rental assistance? It seems to me that some young, able-bodied single people view this as an alternative to taking on another paying job. And how can people who are already having trouble supporting one kid keep having more, simply expecting the taxpayer to pick up the tab?
Lisa Backus
Auburn
We also have too many people in Auburn who abuse charity. Take food giveaways, for example. If there is a family of four hauling enough free food into their rental house to feed an army, and this hauling seems to be their full time occupation during the week, something is wrong. And how about rental assistance? It seems to me that some young, able-bodied single people view this as an alternative to taking on another paying job. And how can people who are already having trouble supporting one kid keep having more, simply expecting the taxpayer to pick up the tab?
Lisa Backus
Auburn
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 6 comment(s)
Farmer's Gal wrote on Apr 2, 2008 8:48 AM:
(BTW, I've never worked anywhere where they did drug testing and have never had one. But I can stand here and tell you my employers need not worry!) "
cm wrote on Apr 2, 2008 7:13 AM:
1. drug testing would be for illegal drugs, no different than those take and have random tests for AT WORK.
2. lucky for you, you wouldnt need schooling but the majority do.
3. AGreed not all are "stoopers" just having a bad year-which I am sue a counsel/support group would aid them to see they are not alone.
There will never be a totally perfect system, but changes NEED to made. The one they use now is NOT working and neither are the "stoopers" "
Farmer's Gal wrote on Apr 1, 2008 6:53 PM:
Job training and continuing education? Must be utilized by *everyone* on assistance? That assumes everyone who is on assistance is there because they aren't qualified for a job, or for a good job, and that everyone on assistance is under-educated. Me, I've got 2 masters already -- you want assistance to pay for me to get a PhD? (No thanks, not only not interested, but it would make me even less employable in hard times, as even more "over qualified" than I was at the time).
Now, making counseling and support groups available sounds like a good idea, and I really like your idea about not "rewarding" efforts to get ahead by slicing benefits.
And I think we all wish the system were revamped in such a way as to make it easier to get off it -- not penalizing people who are slowly scratching and crawling to get ahead a little at a time is a good start.
But just watch your assumptions as to WHY "everyone" is on assistance in the first place. There really ARE decent, intelligent, good, honest, hard-working people who fall on hard times for whom the system was *supposed* to be there in the first place, who now all too often fall through the cracks and get no help at all. "
AJ wrote on Mar 30, 2008 1:24 PM:
http://911blogger.com/node/14601#comment-181132
"
vinmeister1 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 10:15 AM:
I really have to agree with you. My family and I started an informational, and charity driven site over the last year. It seemed the more we did for the community the more people wanted to take. There were actually times when we doubted if helping was the right thing to do with all the greed around us. Our last 7 years was plagued with our childrens illness and surgery and many struggles of health on our own. We would be considered a low income family but yet we still fight the good fight and help out the childrens hospitals and local venues within the community. Our daughter inspired us to keep going. She was working toward a goal of reading 500 books when in a major car accident with us. Instead of folding she hit her goal ahead of schedule. A lesson that myself and others can learn to overcome with hard work.
As bad as we were in debt from all the surgery we never asked for one dime from the community and continue to continue helping others until this day. Will we ever reach a day where we can trust everyone? Probably not but we can strive each day to help children grow and blossom into flowers, something that schools have forgotten about many times. One random act of kindness each day can change the world. Nice letter and best wishes.
The Gleason Family
TheRun4Life.org "
cm wrote on Mar 30, 2008 9:33 AM:
I think the one thing we there can all agree on is there needs to be a total re-vamp of the whole system!
I would like to see:
1. drug testing for those applying for ANY program in the system!
a. if they fail-they get a chance at a drug program.
b. random yet ALOT of drug tests while they are on the system.
c. if they fail the drug programs, GET a job
They probably don't get jobs due to failing drug testing!
2. while on the system, there are child-care programs, job training programs and continue school programs. THEY must utilize one of them in order to receive benefits.
a. a good set of counseling/support groups to attend.
3. When they do get a job, don't slice their benefits to Zero, let it be a gradual change-over. No one can get on there feet immediately after getting a job.
4. lastly, not make the system their livelihoods!
I am sure the employees who work in the food stamp office/homesite office/Heap office/medicade office/ have more ideas to add--
CITIZEN--you have reporters GO ASK!!!!! "