Immigration—legal immigration—is great. Illegal immigration is not. But this—this is obscene.

To sum it up: Federal and local officials in California are actually trying to recruit people to sign up for food stamps. They’re trying especially hard to sign up illegal immigrants, to the point of airing public-service announcements in Spanish—and a nonprofit group is holding Spanish-language classes, the title of which is “Food Stamps in Four Hours.“ And they’re telling illegal immigrants that the handouts paid for with taxes from American citizens are “not welfare”—not welfare—but their right.

Government agencies actively encouraging social dependency on government is not limited to California. Here in Virginia, social-service departments have worked quite hard to encourage families to sign up for FAMIS, the state’s Family Access to Medical Insurance Services program. The gubernatorial administration of Mark Warner actually boasted about how many families it had convinced to go on the dole. And the FAMIS program is not aimed at the poor, who already have the benefit of Medicaid. It’s aimed at working-class folk—who have been encouraged to sign up through, among other means, advertisements on city buses calling the health insurance “free” (not “subsidized” or “government” or “taxpayer-supported”).

This sort of thing makes the tinfoil-hat theory that government programs ultimately become no more than means by which bureaucracies perpetuate themselves almost credible.

Susan, you are fortunate to be intelligent, articulate, educated and self-reliant, obviously brought up to have a solid work ethnic and good values. You are also clueless about the thousands of Virginians who work hard every day at the best job they can get with their level of intelligence, training and education and still cannot provide well for their families. Yes, the ones they thoughtlessly produced before they established themselves so that they could afford them. Many people marry young, without an idea in their heads about how to survive in the real world, or the impact that children will have on their lives. It’s a done deal that must be dealt with, without punishing their children. Maybe every high school should require a course that will open their students eyes to the conquenses, lasting a lifetime, of making poor choices. In the meantime, we can’t just say,“It’s not my problem. I’ve got my ducks in a row.“

I didn’t call you a snob.  I said those comments paint you in that light.  And they do.  I made no suggestion that you were anything.  I apologize if you took it that way, and please calm down.

I think it’s great that you are involved in the community helping people out.  We need more people around here who are willing to give their own time to other people.

My problem with your argument is that you give exceptions for people who are in “unexpected circumstances”, but you seem to be against people who are trying to make a go of it at jobs that don’t have healthcare plans (you mentioned contractors and stay at home workers before).  If that guy and his wife are giving it their level best and need some help then I have no problem with that.  Sometimes 3 kids just happens.  We’ve all had health class and know how to stop it 99% of the time, but sometimes it does.  And those people shouldn’t be excluded solely because they have made life decisions or mistakes that you don’t agree with, or have more children than you think is an approriate number.

I’m all for fixing the system, and actively look for ways to help.  I don’t attack anyone. I just don’t think that some of the examples you were dismissing should have been without knowing more about particular situations.

Are “welfare mothers” a horrible thing and should it be prevented? Of course. 

Should a person be excluded or not given a fair shot simply because they don’t fit the demographic you think is appropriate for a “poor person”?  I don’t think so.  What if they’re Catholic, and follow their Pope’s teachings on birth control? Should they be marked off your list because they have too many kids even if no “getting wild on Friday nights and popping out a few more” was involved.  I think your pre-conceptions could be just as bad as any knee jerking.

“That type of tripe just makes you sound like a snob.“ So you think because I don’t sympathize with the Midlothian and Iowan couples I’m a snob?

Since that’s what you’re going to think anyway,  maybe I should quit volunteering to tutor the 8 year old I’ve worked with for 2 years now, trying to teach him to read because his mother, living with her 5 kids (one of them a 16 year old with one of her own) in Creighton Court, doesn’t have the energy to work with him when she comes home from work?  Or maybe I should just go ahead and quit driving the 10 year old third hand car I saved up $2000 to buy and treat myself to that new Subaru WRX that “looks” so good?  Maybe I should go get wild on Friday nights and pop out a few more kids so my 16 year old son (only child) will have some siblings?  Then, being a single mother, I’ll probably qualify for welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid. Then I’ll fit your idea of a non-snob, right?

Did you miss where I said “I understand needing help in unexpected circumstances - debilitating illness or death of the breadwinner”?  I have no problem with helping those who actually need help through little or no fault of their own.  What has been advocated and implemented for decades, though, is not that kind of help.  Instead, our society has said, “We don’t want to appear to be cold-hearted, so go ahead and live however you want, do whatever you want, we’ll pick up the pieces of your life for you and any kids you breed”.

Part of that “massive repair” is to start speaking honestly about the abuses, without knee-jerk reactions to call people names who speak out.  All the ad hominem attacks do is perpetuate and expand the abuses, all in the name of not wanting to “look like a snob”.

If people are trying their level best and the best they can do is a minimum wage job, and they need a little help with the rest… well, that’s what we’re supposed to be about, isn’t it?

“Better decisions with their lifestyle choices? Gorging at a trough? If all you can make is $5.15 an hour, why are you producing children?“ That type of tripe just makes you sound like a snob.

The system is abused. We all know that. the system is broken, and needs massive repair.  But the people who need the system, and who deserve our help, shouldn’t be lumped into your examples, and shouldn’t be left (literally) out in the cold.

Help fix the system. Be part of a democracy.  Don’t just complain about it.

On CBS yesterday morning, there was a segment once again lamenting the gazillion people who can’t afford healthcare INSURANCE.  The family chosen to illustrate the hardship?  A couple in Iowa with two young children, $20K income, mother a stay-at-home realtor (shown working at her computer), father recently lost his job and currently working at minimum wage temp positions.  Sounds bad, right?  Then we find out they own a home with enough land to pasture their 2 or 3 horses, and are especially upset because they can’t afford a grief counselor for the wife who recently lost a third baby!  The taxpayers had picked up the bill for the pregnancy and birth, and the family was covered by Medicaid except for a short time when the husband took a slightly better paying job (the children had remained covered).

Maybe if they would give up the horses and big home and STOP TRYING TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN it wouldn’t be so hard to empathize with their ‘plight’.

The couple with three American-born children - I think its safe to say the taxpayers paid the hospital and doctor bills for the childrens’ births and will also pay for their schooling.

The obvious answer is to amend the Constitution so that the automatic citizenship clause doesn’t apply to children of illegal immigrants.
- As for FAMIS - several years ago there was an article in the RTD about the program and the state’s efforts to ‘promote’ it through advertising and handouts in the schools.  I remember one couple interviewed who praised the program as having been beneficial for their family.  I had a hard time sympathizing with their tale of woe because they lived in what appeared to be a nice middle-class home in Midlothian (picture included in the article), had 4 or 5 children, father was self-employed (contractor?), mother was a stay-at-home mom who was homeschooling.  They didn’t seem to have a problem with taking money from taxpayers who are more responsibile with their lifestyle choices. I find it hard not to resent such selfishness.

As for minimum wage - if all you’re capable of earning is $5.15/hour, why are you producing children?  I understand needing help in unexpected circumstances - debilitating illness or death of the breadwinner - but to produce 2 or 3 children when you don’t have a job and no better prospects than minimum wage - why is it then the obligation of those who act responsibly to sacrifice in order to provide for your children?

The idea that our government is a trough at which citizens and corporations are entitled to gorge will be the root cause of downfall of this country.

The insurance you refer to FAMIS is for working class families’ children. Many jobs do not offer
benefits. Children can not choose their parents or income level of their parents.

I never get too riled about what is done in California (unless its human abuse or something). Too far away…they have totally different demographics anyhow. Let ‘em have their food stamps. I’ll continue to buy my own grub at Ukrops.

Bart, you’re right. The system is broken. Hopelessly broken at this point.  And those people in California should be put out of business if they are actually LOOKING for people (who don’t need it, by your implication) to put into the Food Stamp program.  But simply screaming about the building being on fire isn’t going to help put out the flames.

You have a publice stage. You should use it.  You’re bright enough to point out the problem, and rightfully so.  So go that extra, incredible step and offer up a reasonable, intelligent solution to this particular problem that is helping to decay our country.

Here’s hoping.

That’s a real shame. It’s no wonder so people in this country have developed such a sense of entitlement.

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