The state I live in has decided that I’m able bodied and therefor not entitled to food. Yes, that is their position, I know they would present it that I’m “freeloading”…. but I’m just trying to keep eating, it’s a matter of survival
Now, how could I dispute that? Well the conditions are explicitly laid out;
IF I’m working more than 30 hours a week
[so it’s ON ME to make the job market bend to my will, to make employers respond. It’s work, or starve. I’ll be disputing the other conditions similarly]
IF I’m in school at least half time
[So the state compels me to engage in more debt. This is why living in a conservative state is so absurd, they have no problem doing whatever it takes to decrease their debt burden, but if someone else wants to decrease their debt burden, that’s not a valid excuse]
IF I’m under 18 or over 50
[So anyone between ages 19 and 49 has no positive right to eat. We aren’t people worthy of life, according to the wisdom of the state]
IF I or my spouse was pregnant or had children in the home
[Here’s where I say “Oh I wish”. I have medical limitations currently keeping me from concieving a child, and taking my food away doesn’t make that any easier. So people capable of concieving are more worthy of EATING, got it.]
If I am in drug or alcohol rehab
Okay, this is the one where I really get into how absurd this is. I’m a law abiding citizen, rarely drink, never use illicit drugs. This attitude, ACCORDING TO THE STATE, is anti social, and deserving of not being allowed to eat
So their position is that I should seek to meet these requirements, by the avenue of least resistance, right? Isn’t that the reasonable person standard?
Well I can drink. I have two liters of whiskey sitting in my cabinet. It was my intention to make that last 9 months to two years, but I could drink it in a few days
AND THEN, I’ve got an alcohol problem, don’t I?
SO THEN, I can attend rehab
AND THEN, I can eat.
It is the states considered opinion that I should start drinking, HARD, as soon as possible, since they can’t compel me to engage in illegal acts such as illicit drugs.
How wrong am I here? This has been bubbling under my skin for the last four days, and I’ve looked at it every way I know how.
The thing I control, ME, is capable of only one thing on this list. I’ve applied to jobs, I can’t compel them to hire me. But I sure as heck could drink myself to the point of requiring rehab, if that is what is required of me. I tried to go back to school, I couldn’t afford the debt……
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THIS is why I hate USA. We are the only 1st world nation that DOESN’T have a social welfare program to take care of it’s poor/needy. And no, what little “social program” like food stamps, etc is NOT enough, barely a band aid. Take a look at most other countries in EU- they all have universal healthcare, social programs to take care of it’s poor, more workers rights, PTO, etc. Here in the USA, if you are sick or poor or disabled, they kick you to the curb. And no heartless, you may think they treat the disabled better but no. I don’t qualify for food stamps either, and I AM disabled.
and yes, food is fucking expensive now. i don’t even want to eat anymore bc it costs so much. idkw Americans aren’t fucking out in the streets revolting or having riots. if NO ONE complains or makes a stink about it like the way Europeans do, then NOTHING will change in America.
oh no, I’m not surprised that they are just as hard if not worse on disabled. One of their conditions was IF I applied for unemployment, but the state has worked VERY hard to make sure that no one can. In my situation, if you quit because your health will not allow you to continue employment, not eligable for unemployment, and therefor not eligable to eat.
and the issue here is that jobs exist, that I could do. I admit that point, sure, but should my life or death hang on whether I can convince such a job that they have to hire me?! How on earth is this the standard? If that is the standard, the employers and agencies rejecting me should face penalties of their own, GIVEN the argument that I have a DUTY to work, they have a DUTY to employ me, given I will die if they don’t
the problem is that this stupid country has tons of jobs with shit wages. and as long as you’re deemed able, and as long as A job exists, then you’re supposed to take that shit job, never mind that it pays shit and that one can’t survive on a minimum wage job, or that it will negatively affect one’s health.
this is capitalism for ya. fuck the masses. all the wealth goes to the 1%. and idiot americans have been brainwashed to spout all this “bootstrap” and “capitalism” horseshit the elites have fed us.
USA = capitalism for the masses (poor) and socialism for the rich.
The only way my family has gotten what we have is by being eagle eyed and calculating. Most people don’t realize that the average job costs you more (in body and years) than they pay you, by a LARGE margin
so when you rebel against it, say “My body isn’t worth that price” you get major backlash, because all these other suckers are willing to drive themselves to an early grave for scraps
I don’t think they’re legit suckers, FYI, just that the owning class is taking more and more every day. We’re socialized to believe that there is a social contract, the sooner you wake up to that the social contract is now; take what you can, give as little as possible
I’ll still put myself out, for people, but I’ll never put myself out for a symbol behind a desk again
“Most people don’t realize that the average job costs you more (in body and years) than they pay you, by a LARGE margin” Wow!
I know this first hand. I worked for some years on grave yard shifts. Eventually I started looking at studies on the health effects. Bluntly stated: For every hour so employed I was loosing 40 minutes of life. Value of those 40 minutes? I was paid an additional 35 cents per hour for working that shift. Even if I ended my life myself I would do it on my terms and not by some awful chronic work induced disease. I quit and started a difficult journey to get to good employment. Longer road than I could have imagined and I think it has been worth it. I am grateful for the many people on here that shared and helped make the journey (still on it really) bearable and productive.
well shit, are we also losing 40min for every hour we are awake at night? bc i’m always awake at night… -_-
I’m sorry man, that sucks. The welfare system where I live is broken in all kinds of ways, but if I really needed to, I can probably find a way to get enough money from it to at least feed myself.
Not sure how serious a consideration it is, but would your state pay for your hypothetical rehab? Because presumably that would be way more expensive than just food…
Otherwise I don’t know if they have food banks run by charities in the US (that’s something people do here for those who fall through the cracks) ?
The US seems like a great place to be wealthy, enterprising, ruthless, driven. But I would hate to be poor or ill there.
the problem in the USA is that there are whole industries that benefit off of ppl’s suffering- off of ppl being being in prison, off of ppl on drugs, alcohol, etc. so there are programs that help with rehab (these industries get TONS of money), but there’s NO money in helping to feed a hungry person. hence no money to feed someone or to give homeless shelter. BUT tons of money if you throw them in jail or rehab, which costs WAY more to house or treat ppl per day, rather than just giving ppl food/shelter. but that’s capitalism for ya.
yes, USA = ruthless. great for the 1% but shit for the 99%.
and they’ve done such a good job of brainwashing the sheeple here that EVERYONE is for capitalism here, and how it’s oh so great. ppl here literally have NO idea what socialism is, or what even a democratic socialist country is (which is most of Europe).
Yep, running a for-profit prison system is pretty wild. Thankfully we haven’t followed your example on that one yet (but give it time.) Socialism is kind of a fuzzy term. I’d say most European states have significant social-democratic traditions, but in almost all cases those are being eroded by the pervasive spread of neoliberalism. Austerity, privatisation, over-reliance on unshackled financial sectors – “there is no alternative.”
The majority of voters are unwilling to countenance tax rises to pay for adequate public services, probably because they’ve been convinced by the media that the only way to raise taxes is by targeting the average voter, rather than the wealthy. The idea of progressive taxation is barely discussed. Instead we talk as if the average minimum-wage retail worker has the same financial interests as massive corporations. So any tax rises = unacceptable. As a result under-funded public healthcare in my country is in a permanent state of crisis.
that’s bc the masses are idiots. it goes back to one of my previous posts about how easy it is to manipulate the masses. hell, half of them don’t even need to be manipulated bc they are only thinking of themselves.
Yep I’ve debated so many stupid Christian Conservatives in the US…the second you mention having any kind of social programs, they start calling you a Communist.
That’s right, if you want a social safety net, welfare for the poor, universal health care, etc…you’re a Commie like ‘Uncle Stalin’ you want to enslave/kill millions and live in an authoritarian dictatorship.
These idiots don’t even know they’re so brainwashed and so easily manipulated by their leaders in the Conservative camp, it’s really pathetic.
They see no gradations in ideology…and that many advanced nations are partly socialist and capitalist and are extremely successful and they take care of most of their poor people…without having to become Marxist-Leninists. Retards.
Actually they also dig their own graves, because as the rich get richer/poor get poorer, you get a huge underclass that resents the rich…then they eventually have a revolution and overthrow them like they’ve done in the past.
yeah if I went to rehab they’d be paying for it, this particular kind of medicare fraud (the revolving door) is one of the things my state is really good at it
I’m not as surprised as I thought I’d be that they’re encouraging me into substance abuse. Mostly I’m sorry to all the poor AA folks I’ve met over the years that I flawed with not trusting in a higher power, there is a higher power, the state, and the state wants you intoxicated
also, I always had issues with step 1; admit that you’re powerless, but against this system, damn, I guess I am, at least so far
I’ll get food, I’m wiley, but heaven help the poor shlub who doesn’t have the anger and patience to learn to defeat the system
that would be me. i am the poor schlub that won’t be getting food :'(