re: Moms on welfare

Quoting The Doctor:" Hmm. This is true, but I'm wondering what qualifies as "welfare". I see "welfare" as having all of ... [snip!] ... we need to define what "welfare" means. Does that mean ANY assistance, or all of your finances being covered by the state?"

I agree. I'm always so confused as to what people consider welfare.  

Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:" Ive learned in life that every time you point a finger you have 3 pointing back at you. Take it from ... [snip!] ... you have. The real problem is the government making it so easy to be on welfare and so difficult and costly to retain a job. "

I do agree with this point, as well.

As well as companies expecting their employees to survive off of very low wages, despite cost of living in their given area.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Cersei ™:</b>" OP, what about the people that are on welfare but have jobs. Do you think they should try having more children? Not everyone on welfare is unemployed."</blockquote>

  and not everyone who is jobless is that way because they're lazy. There are many reasons someone might not have a job

Quoting A Beautiful Disaster:" Ive learned in life that every time you point a finger you have 3 pointing back at you. Take it from ... [snip!] ... you have. The real problem is the government making it so easy to be on welfare and so difficult and costly to retain a job. "

Agree with all of this.

i use to be on welfare or cashaid! and they made me look for a job i had to fill out applications and write it down that i was applying at that place! and if i didnt get a job i had to volunteer somewhere for certain hours!pretty much full time! 40 hours a week i hated it and was so happy to get off of it!!!

Quoting Supafly★:" When I think of "welfare mom" I think of all her family's needs being paid for by the state because ... [snip!] ... working for minimum wage can receive some type of welfare. In NYS they would have to - you know how our prices are haha. "

HA. Yeah.

Hell. I work a full time job, and make under the poverty line. Fun times, in NY. (Really, everyone must not want to go to NY after reading anything about finances that we post...)


But, yeah. When I hear "welfare" I assume that all finances are covered by the state. "Assistance" means food stamps or medicaid, something like that, to me.

Excluding medicaid, I don't think people should TTC while on assistance (cash assistance, FS, etc). Health care is expensive. But my only tiff with it is if you can't afford to feed yourselves as is, why add another mouth to that?

Quoting The Doctor:" I do agree with this point, as well. As well as companies expecting their employees to survive off of very low wages, despite cost of living in their given area."

Very, very true. This reminded me of this article.
http://billmoyers.com/2012/04/02/making-the-rent-on-minimum-wage/

I do not agree with it. I am a strong believer of waiting until you are finacially ready to have children. But that is my own personal values.
Sure, accidents happen & I can understand getting a hand up to help.

all i can say is here, welfare doesnt pay you much at all, and if your child is over the age of 2 you have to do something. if youre not working or going to school, they will make you do community service so you have to pretty much earn the $ they give you.

I dont really care. There is absolutely nothing I can do to change the situation so I refuse to get worked up about it. Such a little percentage of my taxes go toward social programs like welfare, FS & medicaid I just dont feel the need to worry about it.

Do I think its responsible to TTC while you're having trouble paying for yourself? Absolutely not. Is it something I would do? Heck no.

But, I also think TTC while relying on grants and financial aid to pay your basic bills is also stupid but I see this constantly on here.

I'll be 100% honest. I am 22 with 3 young children, and have been on food stamps for the past 3 years and my children have Medicaid. We have been doing our dangdest to get jobs and get off government assistance. We are 100% honest with the Health and Human Services office, we report any and all earnings so they can adjust our benefits accordingly. DH has had and lost several "okay" jobs over the last 3 years, and I was working at a minimum wage job for a year and 3 months working 40-70 hours a week to make ends meet. We have tried. Now DH is in school to get his associates in applied sciences(the long way of saying to be an HVAC tech). So I am sure we will have to continue being on FS's for another almost 2 years. It is a bit emberassing, but we have never just been okay or content with being on government assistance. We strive for the day we don't need it, and with DH in school for this now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and a way for us to get off of it. I now have a 12 year IUD to ensure I will 99% not have anymore babies until/unless we are financially able to. I DO think it's wrong for people to receive it and not try to better themselves. Government assistance should not be a fact of life, but TEMPORARY assistance to HELP get people on their feet. Being in this situation, I would not judge somebody else for needing the help. Whatever it takes to put food on the table to make sure the innocent babies are growing and healthy. But for people that show no effort to get a job or better themselves, that is wrong. I can't wait for the day we can call up Health and Human services and tell them to cancel our FS's and Medicaid!! That will be a much glorious day  

<blockquote><b>Quoting The Doctor:</b>" I do agree with this point, as well. As well as companies expecting their employees to survive off of very low wages, despite cost of living in their given area."</blockquote>




Right? My husband and I now both work. But we still struggle because the COL here is so expensive. The cost for my daughters school, rent and bills is just astronomical

Quoting The Doctor:" HA. Yeah. Hell. I work a full time job, and make under the poverty line. Fun times, in NY. (Really, ... [snip!] ... I assume that all finances are covered by the state. "Assistance" means food stamps or medicaid, something like that, to me."

Right?! NY and Cali are probably the 2 states that seem like the toughest to live in, financial wise.


We're under the poverty line, yet we qualify for no assistance except food stamps, which we're not on. We are on Medicaid but they just changed the guidelines so my kids and I are screwed come June when it's time to reapply. Ugh I don't even want to think about it.

My personal opinion is that if employers paid people wages commensurate with living expenses in their city, part of this problem would be solved. Not everyone receiving government assistance is sitting on their ass. Most of the people I know on any type of public aid, work full time, they just don't make enough to live here.