Funding cuts leave many without home heating assistance in Macon

[FHwku]

http://www.macon.com/2010/12/16/1379...y-without.html

i don't wanna be too judgmental, but if you're gonna complain about being turned away from the Energy Assistance Program (it helps with home heating bills in the winter,) maybe you shouldn't do it in front of your big ass TV.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by FHwku

http://www.macon.com/2010/12/16/1379...y-without.html

i don't wanna be too judgmental, but if you're gonna complain about being turned away from the Energy Assistance Program (it helps with home heating bills in the winter,) maybe you shouldn't do it in front of your big ass TV.

Yet the TV has nothing at all to do with whether or not someone can afford heating. So yeah, you're being judgmental. There's no way that things could have been going better for her two years ago and/or she got it as a gift and/or it's really none of anyone's damn business.

Oh look, the article:

Kelley said she was unemployed for a year before recently landing a job. But her bills have stacked up while she was unemployed, and she needs the assistance.

[womblaster]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Yet the TV has nothing at all to do with whether or not someone can afford heating. So yeah, you're being judgmental. There's no way that things could have been going better for her two years ago and/or she got it as a gift and/or it's really none of anyone's damn business.

Oh look, the article:

Actually a TV does have something to do with whether or not someone can afford heating. If someone can afford a $1500 TV then they could have afforded $1500 worth of heat.

It really does not matter if the TV was a gift or not. The TV is an asset. The woman can sell the TV and cancel her $50/month cable and make it through the winter with heat and no TV.

[PiKA2001]

Yes, she probably did buy the TV during "better days" but she shouldn't have taken that picture. It just looks....bad.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Yes, she probably did buy the TV during "better days" but she shouldn't have taken that picture. It just looks....bad.

She didn't take it.

But the point is it shouldn't look like anything. People should remove heads from anuses and think before judging.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

She didn't take it.

But the point is it shouldn't look like anything. People should remove heads from anuses and think before judging.

But I did think. I think she should sell her $1500 TV and buy a $150 Vizio from Wal-Mart and use the remaining $1350 to pay her utilities.

If you go through life living beyond your means it WILL eventually catch up with you and bite you in the ass no matter your income level. I believe there are people more deserving of public assistance, like the people out there that have already pawned and eliminated their luxuries such as cable television. I'm sick of people taking advantage of the system, as should you. If the only people who used public assistance where the ones who truly needed it, there would be more money in the coffers to help them. Why should a woman who has a 50in flat screen TV and a woman who can't afford to get her children a winter coat get the same amount of assistance?

I was in line at a grocery store once and the man in front of me only had a bottle of ketchup and a 24 case of Bud Light. He ran each item as a separate purchase, pulling out a $20 bill to pay for the beer than whipping out his foodstamp EBT card to pay for his ketchup. I was tempted to ask him why he could spend $20 on beer but couldn't spend $2 on a bottle of ketchup. What bothers me the most about this is that there are people who's only source of food IS FROM THE FOODSTAMP PROGRAM.....NOTHING ELSE! If we could knock these cheaters and slugs off the program we would be able to give the people who really need help more than just $250 (or whatever the amount is) a month for food.

[amanda6035]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

But I did think. I think she should sell her $1500 TV and buy a $150 Vizio from Wal-Mart and use the remaining $1350 to pay her utilities.

If you go through life living beyond your means it WILL eventually catch up with you and bite you in the ass no matter your income level. I believe there are people more deserving of public assistance, like the people out there that have already pawned and eliminated their luxuries such as cable television. I'm sick of people taking advantage of the system, as should you. If the only people who used public assistance where the ones who truly needed it, there would be more money in the coffers to help them. Why should a woman who has a 50in flat screen TV and a woman who can't afford to get her children a winter coat get the same amount of assistance?

I was in line at a grocery store once and the man in front of me only had a bottle of ketchup and a 24 case of Bud Light. He ran each item as a separate purchase, pulling out a $20 bill to pay for the beer than whipping out his foodstamp EBT card to pay for his ketchup. I was tempted to ask him why he could spend $20 on beer but couldn't spend $2 on a bottle of ketchup. What bothers me the most about this is that there are people who's only source of food IS FROM THE FOODSTAMP PROGRAM.....NOTHING ELSE! If we could knock these cheaters and slugs off the program we would be able to give the people who really need help more than just $250 (or whatever the amount is) a month for food.

Bravo.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by FHwku

if you're gonna complain about being turned away from the Energy Assistance Program (it helps with home heating bills in the winter,) maybe you shouldn't do it in front of your big ass TV.

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Yet the TV has nothing at all to do with whether or not someone can afford heating. So yeah, you're being judgmental. There's no way that things could have been going better for her two years ago and/or she got it as a gift and/or it's really none of anyone's damn business.

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

Yes, she probably did buy the TV during "better days" but she shouldn't have taken that picture. It just looks....bad.

Originally Posted by Drolefille

But the point is it shouldn't look like anything. People should remove heads from anuses and think before judging.

So, it went from "don't take a picture in front of a big TV" to "stop being judgmental because she could have gotten the TV earlier" to "yea, she probably did get the TV earlier, but she shouldn't have taken a picture in front of it" to "remove your heads from your asses."

With your background, it makes sense that you would be able to provide a different perspective, but that doesn't mean that others aren't allowed to pose questions. We don't know this woman, so this is just discussion.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

With your background, it makes sense that you would be able to provide a different perspective, but that doesn't mean that others aren't allowed to pose questions. We don't know this woman, so this is just discussion.

That assumes that others in this thread don't share Drolefille's background or that most people with Drolefille's background share her sentiments outside of a professional context (personal opinions are often kept separate from the professional).

Ain't no one posing questions and no one is pretending to know the woman in the photo. It's really just a general discussion of social welfare based on appearances and that's what the irony of the photo is--appearances. LOL.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

That assumes that others in this thread don't share Drolefille's background or that most people with Drolefille's background shares her sentiments outside of a professional context (personal opinions are often kept separate from the professional).

Ain't no one posing questions and no one is pretending to know this woman. It's really just a general discussion of social welfare based on appearances and that's what the irony of the photo is--appearances. LOL.

Why is she taking a picture in front of that big ass TV? wasn't explicitly asked, but I gathered that from the responses.

[Drolefille]

Someone who buys beer is not cheating his foodstamps. You realize that assistance is more effective if we don't wait for someone to get down to the absolute last straw before helping them, right? If you lost your job, wouldn't you prefer to get help sooner, so you could get back on your feet, rather than wait until you had nothing left? If you wait til the last minute you're going to have a much harder time regaining the status you had before. And I'm not talking about who has the biggest car, I'm talking about owning a car, having a mortgage, the things that require equity.

You've now assumed that this woman lived beyond her means because she had a TV. When you get a spreadsheet with her financials before and after, let me know. The idea that she could sell a used TV for anything close to what she paid for it is unlikely. And if you're making up scenarios why not make one up that actually favors the person you're looking at instead of judging that person for not living up to the standards you set for them - not for yourself as you're not there. That TV could have been a present from someone more well off, it could have been something they saved a very long time for and selling it could break the camel's back, but mostly it's not any of your business, nor the government's business when it comes to aid.

The myth of the welfare queen lives on *sigh*

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

You've now assumed that this woman lived beyond her means because she had a TV. When you get a spreadsheet with her financials before and after, let me know. The idea that she could sell a used TV for anything close to what she paid for it is unlikely. And if you're making up scenarios why not make one up that actually favors the person you're looking at instead of judging that person for not living up to the standards you set for them - not for yourself as you're not there. That TV could have been a present from someone more well off, it could have been something they saved a very long time for and selling it could break the camel's back, but mostly it's not any of your business, nor the government's business when it comes to aid.

The myth of the welfare queen lives on *sigh*

YES, I'm assuming this woman is/was living beyond her means just like you are assuming she isn't. Fruad happens Drolefille, don't act like it doesn't.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

YES, I'm assuming this woman is/was living beyond her means just like you are assuming she isn't. Fruad happens Drolefille, don't act like it doesn't.

Fraud is a very tiny percentage. I've worked for Public Aid, it most certainly exists but the actual data doesn't support every person you see buying cheetoes in the grocery store along with their cigarettes as a fraud.

And I hope that if you're so quick to judge someone who gets food stamps and buys a case of beer that you never ever treat yourself to anything, or buy anything frivolous unless you enjoy being hypocritical. It is possible to work full time and qualify for assistance, it's possible to have two full time jobs in the family and qualify for WIC and medicaid. These people are defrauding the government, they're poor. I'm glad that those standards are what is used to grant assistance and not yours.

If you're happy being judgmental fine, but this post started out with "I don't want to be judgmental, but..." and that's what I'm addressing.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

And I hope that if you're so quick to judge someone who gets food stamps and buys a case of beer that you never ever treat yourself to anything, or buy anything frivolous unless you enjoy being hypocritical. It is possible to work full time and qualify for assistance, it's possible to have two full time jobs in the family and qualify for WIC and medicaid. These people are defrauding the government, they're poor. I'm glad that those standards are what is used to grant assistance and not yours.

If you're happy being judgmental fine, but this post started out with "I don't want to be judgmental, but..." and that's what I'm addressing.

The bolded doesn't relate because everything I own or buy is bought with MY OWN MONEY.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

The bolded doesn't relate because everything I own or buy is bought with MY OWN MONEY.

Whatever, I didn't realize that receiving public assistance means you never get to have anything special ever. (And don't tell me you've never received any assistance, subsidized loans, tax breaks, or even help from your parents who got write offs for you.) We should just hand out beans and gruel at the workhouses, that was more efficient.