Yes I still Smoke Cigarettes and I am addicted to the smoking habit - support and chat thread.

[ShariR]

I am talking about the cycle of poverty where there are 3 generations in a household on welfare and the young girls are getting pregnant so they can start getting their 'benefits' and the baby daddys are in and out of the house. Where a woman can have 5 kids and her 'boyfriend' visits and does not live there officially and she is pulling in more than $25k a year with the cheap housing and programs and medical. Why get a job? I am NOT talking about the families working 2 or 3 part time jobs and trying to provide for their families and can not get enough assistance to feed their children and make ends meet. Or the 60 something year old person who got laid off a few years ago and is spending through their retirement money to survive to collect their social security in a few years, which will not cover everything. Poverty is hitting a much wider spectrum of the population these days then in years past. And many of these people are falling through the cracks, or do not know how to work the system.

Why do you think it's widespread? Drug addicts and criminals are not eligible for all types of assistance. It's a "felony" to download a song and bonus points to create a wall street ponzi scheme. So the term "criminal" has lost it's impact anymore. There are probably more drug addicts in congress than there are at the food bank. It's an upside down world. There's a lot of myth building to get people to buy into policies that benefit the few wealthy. I am immediatley suspicious of anything demonizing the poor.

 

[aikanae1]

I was referring to my own ignorance that ppl were discussing using Pledge and Glade for flavors. It's just gross. That's my way of reigning in my focus to those who matter to me and not focus on the rest of the world, which is kinda hopeless.

Eastern medicine. LOL! I wish I still had a letter a friend of mine wrote after she moved to China when she got the flu. omfg. It really destroyed all my fantasies of "eastern medicine". She'll fly to Hong Kong before she gets treatment in a local medical facility again. I guess I'm in a cynical mood tonight.

 

[Karen N Daytona]

I am talking about the cycle of poverty where there are 3 generations in a household on welfare and the young girls are getting pregnant so they can start getting their 'benefits' and the baby daddys are in and out of the house. Where a woman can have 5 kids and her 'boyfriend' visits and does not live there officially and she is pulling in more than $25k a year with the cheap housing and programs and medical. Why get a job? I am NOT talking about the families working 2 or 3 part time jobs and trying to provide for their families and can not get enough assistance to feed their children and make ends meet. Or the 60 something year old person who got laid off a few years ago and is spending through their retirement money to survive to collect their social security in a few years, which will not cover everything. Poverty is hitting a much wider spectrum of the population these days then in years past. And many of these people are falling through the cracks, or do not know how to work the system.

In Florida, they have to go to work after two years, they can not remain on the welfare program without going to work. The old system was taken apart by Clinton. I had girls like that work for me in the call center. I know they worked only because they had to but they worked because they had to, otherwise they lost the food stamps and insurance. Funny, my roommates daughter was here in Florida for a while, she has 3 kids, they barely helped her. Her husband left her and doesn't support them, I used to when I worked. Now, they moved to be near her mother to get help.

 

[Thayamax]

 

[aikanae1]

What programs are there? You can't even get medical care. I know housing programs here haven't had even their waitlists open for ten years. Literally. Benefits don't cover the parents, just the kids. Even WIC isn't enough to live on. There are no cash benefits. All I was trying to do earlier was try and put a perspective on this by comparing all the "entittlement" programs with other costs like how much we spend on NSA spying, defense is over half the budget alone, or private prision industry that taxpayers write a blank check too. I think "entittlements" are 1/10th the budget. I'm sure they drive folks like the Koch bro's crazy though.

I am talking about the cycle of poverty where there are 3 generations in a household on welfare and the young girls are getting pregnant so they can start getting their 'benefits' and the baby daddys are in and out of the house. Where a woman can have 5 kids and her 'boyfriend' visits and does not live there officially and she is pulling in more than $25k a year with the cheap housing and programs and medical. Why get a job? I am NOT talking about the families working 2 or 3 part time jobs and trying to provide for their families and can not get enough assistance to feed their children and make ends meet. Or the 60 something year old person who got laid off a few years ago and is spending through their retirement money to survive to collect their social security in a few years, which will not cover everything. Poverty is hitting a much wider spectrum of the population these days then in years past. And many of these people are falling through the cracks, or do not know how to work the system.

 

[ShariR]

I guess I just do not understand how all this works at all. When I was young the last thing I would do is forget to take my birth control pill or not show up to work. If I could not afford to buy it, I did not have it. I lived with roommates. When I first moved to San Francisco I rented a room in a boarding house and always managed to find a job. Yeah, I ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and tuna fish, but I paid my bills and knew not to make new ones. I was lucky that I was young and healthy. Those were also much different times.

 

[ShariR]

Well, looks like I don't know anything about Eastern Medicine either. Surface knowledge is not much use, like Karen said, you have to see a lot of this stuff first hand.

I was referring to my own ignorance that ppl were discussing using Pledge and Glade for flavors. It's just gross. That's my way of reigning in my focus to those who matter to me and not focus on the rest of the world, which is kinda hopeless.

Eastern medicine. LOL! I wish I still had a letter a friend of mine wrote after she moved to China when she got the flu. omfg. It really destroyed all my fantasies of "eastern medicine". She'll fly to Hong Kong before she gets treatment in a local medical facility again. I guess I'm in a cynical mood tonight.

 

[aikanae1]

Duplicate.

 

[Karen N Daytona]

I want more!

 

[DoloresB]

 

[Karen N Daytona]

 

[Thayamax]

 

[Karen N Daytona]

 

[Karen N Daytona]

Slow dance time grab your loved one or your dog or cat!

 

[aikanae1]

I guess I just do not understand how all this works at all. When I was young the last thing I would do is forget to take my birth control pill or not show up to work. If I could not afford to buy it, I did not have it. I lived with roommates. When I first moved to San Francisco I rented a room in a boarding house and always managed to find a job. Yeah, I ate a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and tuna fish, but I paid my bills and knew not to make new ones. I was lucky that I was young and healthy. Those were also much different times.

I can remember that too. It's different now. An average kid graduates with $200k in debt and if they can't do that, they drop out and basically owe that much anyway due to extra fees. It's a rigged system. They also can never get out from under it. This is a college town. 5 kids to a 2 bdm apartment. I don't see excess. I see very serious kids who feel jipped trying to do everything "right" and looking forward to a future tossing burgers. The average McDonald's worker is age 30. There are still 3 to 6 people applying for every opening. I think we have an elite ruling class of kings and queens who have no idea what real life is like for most of us and they make up stories to keep the masses distracted from the fact that they have been profiting hugely from everyone else's losses. Chances are if your income is in the 7 figure range, it's gone up 100% over the last decade. The stock market is setting new records. So where are the jobs?

 

[Thayamax]

 

[Thayamax]

 

[Karen N Daytona]

slow dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ShariR]

I do agree it is a rigged system. The problem is I do not see a solution, not with the two parties that are running the towns and states and country now. Once you fall behind there is no catching back up. Just make sure you do not get sick or lose your job, unless you are already one of the few. I am not a good salesperson or entrepreneur, I am not cutthroat enough. And that means I lose in most showdowns.

I can remember that too. It's different now. An average kid graduates with $200k in debt and if they can't do that, they drop out and basically owe that much anyway due to extra fees. It's a rigged system. They also can never get out from under it. This is a college town. 5 kids to a 2 bdm apartment. I don't see excess. I see very serious kids who feel jipped trying to do everything "right" and looking forward to a future tossing burgers. The average McDonald's worker is age 30. There are still 3 to 6 people applying for every opening. I think we have an elite ruling class of kings and queens who have no idea what real life is like for most of us and they make up stories to keep the masses distracted from the fact that they have been profiting hugely from everyone else's losses. Chances are if your income is in the 7 figure range, it's gone up 100% over the last decade. The stock market is setting new records. So where are the jobs?

 

[aikanae1]

One of my favs ....