Well here I am again...this time I thought I'd talk to all those who have always wondered about where us "poor" folk get our "nice stuff". For the record nice stuff is anything that other people think we shouldn't have because there is NO WAY we could ever in our lifetimes have afforded it. Please note unlike in the USA where they have a "cell phone" loaner program, we don't here so I am going to just simply use logic and previous experience to try to help clear up the mystery. It is a shame that we have to justify ourselves at all to be honest with you, after all we already have to justify ourselves to welfare every single month. But for all those who don't feel comfortable sharing, I thought I'd help as much as I can.
First of all you have to remember that most people who end up on welfare, didn't start there in the first place. Just like anyone else they were working or engaging in life as usual before whatever event put them out of work and onto assistance. When they were engaged in life as everyone knows it, they earned money and some of the nice things they have may have in fact come from actually earning money and paying for the items they have. Yes yes I know, there are some people (likely less than 10% who have abused the system and worked under the table and spent the money on "stuff"), but I am talking about the 90% of the rest of us okay?
Cars, televisions, game systems and computers are things one can earn while they are working. They are also likely to be things you'd have when the money dries up. It isn't like you just say "hmm well I am no longer working I best sell off or give away all my nice stuff now". Sometimes there might be a program (like some in the USA for cell phones) that gives away free computers (refurbished) or other items. There is also a program called my.freecycle.org where people actually GIVE AWAY what they no longer want. We got a nice HD tv that way. The woman who gave it to us upgraded to a flat screen wall mount, and gave us her big huge HD just for coming and picking it up. Stand and all!.
Sometimes...it will be a gift from a family member that gets you the "pretty item". Sometimes in the case of a cell phone it is simply a contract that you can't escape from (I'm sure many would be familiar with that one). The company gives you a "free" cellphone, in exchange for signing a contract for x number of years. After x number of years you can upgrade if you choose to sign another contract, and on and on it goes.
Sometimes in the case of clothing it is a matter of finding things at the thrift shop. You'd be surprised how many "big name " clothes can be found at a thrift store. Oh and finally, with regards to that car you have seen people driving in....that just might belong to a friend or family member. It could also be their own car or it could be someone doing them a favor and picking something up. I have heard that there are some who are hired to help disabled adults take care of shopping, and they are certainly entitled to use whatever car they please.
Then there are those who work, but don't earn enough to break free of welfare, when they work they pay taxes. When they get a tax return...perhaps they buy something nice. My husband bought a bodhran for himself and a whistle for me when the money came. We also bought shoes and clothes for the kids. Were we irresponsible with our money? I don't think so. Remember what I said about saving money, we aren't allowed to. Also...remember this...if someone with no money who can't really go anywhere to say a movie or out to dinner doesn't have anything to do for a hobby...they will snap from the stress. Playing an instrument is a nice way to deal with stress and I'm all for it. It beats the whole drugs and alcohol thing and it lasts longer than a bottle of beer. They didn't cost much and yet give us so much pleasure, and joy is a rare commodity in a home where struggles to survive are a daily thing. So call it cheap therapy if you want to.
It is not polite nor is it accurate to ASSUME that anyone who has nice things is abusing the system. It is wrong to accuse someone of something they haven't done, simply because you think it is so. It's like assuming that because a person is on welfare that means they automatically spend all their money on drugs or alcohol or gamble it away. Yes there are a few people who do, just like there are a few very rich people who do the same while working. Addictions can happen to ANYONE, you don't have to have a specific income to qualify for that.
Perhaps instead of getting mad at all those low income people who have barely any money for food because of government cutbacks and such....you should spend more time educating yourself about corporations and wealthy business owners who not only evade taxes and put money into offshore havens, but who also seem to get a LOT more money to keep their businesses going and to bail them out of trouble they get themselves into. They also seem to get more than their fair share of tax breaks in the name of "creating jobs" which we all know by now is a fiction story since if that was the case there would be NO unemployed people.
Don't take the easy route, and for pity's sake don't listen to politicians. It doesn't matter who is in charge, they all seem to be owned by the same companies. They all seem to have a "blame the poor" strategy in place to deal with their spending issues. They also seem to think it is a good idea to have to spend more money on medical care than to just feed and house people properly so that they can spend less on all that care in the end.
So that's the back story of my family. You can choose to believe whatever you like, you can choose to blame us if you want. I am TIRED of hiding, and tired of feeling ashamed for needing help to feed my family and keep them alive while we reassemble the pieces of our lives once more. Believe me you can't make us feel any worse than we already do. Robbing people of their dignity doesn't seem to be the answer. Making someone else feel small won't make you stand any taller, and it would be nice to remember that someday, you could also be in the same situation. Life isn't as certain as it once was, profits and the wealth of those at the top mean that none of us is truly safe. I would never wish this on anyone, but I also know that I would never blame anyone if the situation was reversed.
Thanks for reading...cya tomorrow.
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