And thought it may work well here....
Should they go on family vacations?
Should they have a television?
Should they buy clothes from Abercrombie instead of Walmart?
Should they have cell phones?
Should they use gucci Charmin toilet paper?
Should they have pets?
Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc.

What do you think?


There were a few good arguements stating that if people dont treat themselves every once in a while they will be bitter and psyco LOL. But then again.... why not just hand them money ourselves since they are living off of our tax dollars. :dunno

Opinions?



eta: Not for emergency asst. or short term. I mean for those living off of welfare no job, not trying etc.

who, people on welfare?

who's living off our tax dollars? People who treat themselves?

Who is "they"? People on welfare?

LOL yeah I forgot a bit there didnt I ;)
Yes, those on welfare. But not for the short term or emergency asst. Those that LIVE off of it and do not do anything to help.

well, I dont think there are very many people living off of welfare w/o doing ANYTHING for it. I know in MD, you CANNOT do that. My mom is Jobs Specialist, if the people dont go to her classes and work towards employment their welfare is TAKEN AWAY.

That being said, people on welfare while they are trying to get back on their feet, they should continute to live as normally as possible while cutting the corners they need to, for example, dont eat out as much, maybe buy fewer new clothes. But, IMO, if they have children, clothes should maybe not be abercrombie but old navy and places like that. Vacations, if you are on welfare maybe not going on a cruise but if you always go to grandma's house every summer, it is my opinion that you should still go. Life sucks enough if you have had to get on welfare and if you have children I think maintaining a certain level of normalcy is key.

well, I dont think there are very many people living off of welfare w/o doing ANYTHING for it. I know in MD, you CANNOT do that. My mom is Jobs Specialist, if the people dont go to her classes and work towards employment their welfare is TAKEN AWAY.

You have to admit though there are many that do not do anything about it. They use and abuse the system. Yes there are those who are in true need and DO want to do something about it... and those that HAVE to do something about it, but I have seen many who dont and wont ;)

i think that if you are on welfare and living off of it, not just on WIC or something like that then you need to be working to get your feet steady on the ground, you don't need to be going to disney world or whatever. that should be their main focus, get back on their feet

This is what someone said about it that I totally agree with.
1. A tv? Yes, they deserve a tv. A large tv or new tv? No. Cable/satellite? No. I'm not on gov't assistance and *I* can't afford cable/satellite tv. I also can't get bunny ears to work on my tv, so we don't have tv programming. We use our tv to watch videos that we get thru Blockbuster online.

2. Family vacations? No. A day trip to the beach or camping where all they have to pay is a tank of gas? Absolutely.

3. Cell phone? No. I don't have a cell phone and I honestly don't consider it a necessity. It's too expensive. I can't afford it.

4. Charmin toilet paper? Sure. I always buy Charmin. I buy it in bulk at Costco and it costs about the same as the cheap stuff at the grocery store. As long as you shop frugally, buy in bulk, look for sales and use coupons with those sales, you can get just about anything for the same price as generic.

5. Name brand clothes? Not new, but if they can get a great deal on pre-owned clothes off of ebay for the same price as new Walmart clothes, then yeah. Personally, I'd rather buy the cheaper clothes on ebay and clothe my kids for an entire year for $100.

I think that EVERYONE deserves a treat every once in a while. When I'm working on a budget for someone, I always give them an "eating out" expense and a "spending money" allowance. Even if it's just $10 for the month. You have to treat yourself to something to keep up morale, whether it's a mani/pedi, or a pizza night, or just enough money to hire a babysitter and go for a walk or parking with dh. However, there's a HUGE difference between spending an extra $20-$30 on luxuries and $100 on luxuries.

What about me? I am not on welfare BUT I buy my clothes at walmart/target, have not been on a vacation over 2 years, and buys the cheapest (but softest:wink ) toliet paper.

Why do people assume because you have a job, you can afford anything?:mumble

Heck, we're not on welfare and never have been...last "vacation" we took was in 2004, we came to WA for a week, back then we had one child and we scouted for the cheapest rate possible, we stayed at the MIL's house so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel.
We've had our tv for 5 years, still works! no it's not high def or flat-screen, or big, it's just a regular run of the mill tv.
All our clothes come from Target, Mervyns, or second hand...and they're both awesome and cheap.
I don't have a cell phone, DH has one for emergencies though.
I don't like Charmin toilet paper, it leaves lint all over my butt...I buy bulk cheap stuff, I mean, I use it to wipe my butt! doesn't need to be $20 a pack.
We have a cat, I think as long as people can afford food/vet/shelter/proper training and care, then more power to them and their pets - and the same goes for having children.

I really think there are many people out there who abuse the system. Something needs to be done about it, our tax dollars could be going to better use, like actually helping those who are **actually** needy; protecting the environment; etc, etc.

I don't think people recieving welfare should be using government money for those types of luxuries. I believe that if people "go crazy" if they don't get something lavish for themselves every once in awhile, they should re-evaluate who they are. Material possesions mean nothing in the great scheme of things. There are people starving in the world, and these people are using government money to buy A&F clothing? There are Americans that need that money for food, shelter and clothing. They are dying so other Americans can buy luxuries so they don't feel depressed? That's disgusting to me.

Who am I to say what people that are getting welfare can and can not do. MOST people on welfare are not using the system, yes there are some that do but that is how everything is. Why punish or judge everyone on welfare as lazy bums using the system?

What are you going to do make them wear a circle on their clothes so that everyone can see this is a welfare person they are not allowed to shop here?

Families on welfare are not unworthy just because they need help, many people on welfare DO work. The problem is if you are a member of the working poor you often have three/four jobs. You often can not GET the help you need. When my mom was just divorced from my dad she was working full time long hours in a factory. She got a one dollar raise and they decided we did not need food stamps. Never mind there were days were there was literally no food in our pantry. It is not like we were living high on the hog either we just needed a tiny bit of help as my mom got used to being the only parent and we were denied. Because that one dollar was going to make a huge differance in what we could afford.

So yeah after seeing how HARD my mom worked to take care of us three girls I resent it when people just assume all welfare families are lazy bums milking the system.

Who am I to say what people that are getting welfare can and can not do. MOST people on welfare are not using the system, yes there are some that do but that is how everything is. Why punish or judge everyone on welfare as lazy bums using the system?

What are you going to do make them wear a circle on their clothes so that everyone can see this is a welfare person they are not allowed to shop here?

Families on welfare are not unworthy just because they need help, many people on welfare DO work. The problem is if you are a member of the working poor you often have three/four jobs. You often can not GET the help you need. When my mom was just divorced from my dad she was working full time long hours in a factory. She got a one dollar raise and they decided we did not need food stamps. Never mind there were days were there was literally no food in our pantry. It is not like we were living high on the hog either we just needed a tiny bit of help as my mom got used to being the only parent and we were denied. Because that one dollar was going to make a huge differance in what we could afford.

So yeah after seeing how HARD my mom worked to take care of us three girls I resent it when people just assume all welfare families are lazy bums milking the system.

I don't think anybody is judging. Good heavens, I say that alot on message boards. :rolleyes

I grow annoyed watching people buy lottery tickets, soda pop, Cosmo and Twinkies with their EBT card at the grocery store..

exactly leftover!!!

just like how much it pissed me off seeing katrina victims using their fed. $$$ to get tattoos or strippers.

No one is judging the people who actually have a need for Welfare. However, those who are abusing the system do give people a bad impression. My mom worked 3 jobs and went to school at night. She took care of me and my brother by herself; she didn't qualify for welfare, we went without a lot of things, food included sometimes. I know what it's like to go through actual need, and it ticks me off that there are people out there practically yanking that money out of the hands of the ones who truly need it, and spending it on unnecessary things.

I am wondering though, yea noone is juding those that truly need the help and are willing to help themselves. But HOW do you separate those who abuse it and those who really are trying? Do you put a big WA (welfare abuser) sign on their forehead? And how do you determine that exactly? I mean, my mom was forced to be on welfare for about 6 months after she got divorced. She was looking for work actively and was trying very hard to get off of welfare. However, it does not mean she wouldn't try and still treat the kids once in a while. So if she was seen at like Baskin Robbins buying 'brand name' ice cream, would she then be considered a Welfare abuser? If she got my brother a pair of Nike's at the thirft store, but noone actually knew that because they looked pretty new, would she be judged for being on Welfare and her kid wearing Nikes? Ya know what I mean? Its hard to just classify someone as an abuser. Everyone deserves a little bit of an indulgence once in a while, ESPECIALLY if you are in a very hard situation where Welfare is your only way out.
Don't get me wrong, I also get completely irritated at people who just pop out babies and sit at home all day and don't even try very hard to get themselves out of the hole they dug themselves into. BUT I have to say, I don't agree that is the majority of people on Welfare. I think a percentage of bad apples ruin the image of a person on welfare all together.

So here are my answers:
Should they go on family vacations? Maybe not full on vacations, maybe a weekend getaway like camping or something inexpensive
Should they have a television? Yes most definitely
Should they buy clothes from Abercrombie instead of Walmart? Only if its from the Thrift store
Should they have cell phones? Cell phones nowadays are A LOT cheaper than regular house phones, so if they don't have a house phone, then yes, they should have a cell phone.
Should they use gucci Charmin toilet paper? Gucci Charmin Toilet paper? LOL didn't know there was such a thing
Should they have pets? Honestly, no. I am not saying they couldn't provide a loving home, however, they would not be able to financially support a pet how they shold be. If a pet gets sick, it MUST be taken to a vet, and if someone doesn't have the money to do that, then that pet will suffer.

our entire welfare system needs to be revised!!!

our entire welfare system needs to be revised!!!

I agree completely on that.

I think it's one thing if a person is actively looking for work, they should be required to do so..

I have been on welfare before, it sucks. To me it was embarrassing, humbling, and made me feel ashamed. I busted my butt to get off of it.

I have always had a cat though.. It sounds gross, but I need one in my house right now because we have so many mice. Some people in low income-high crime areas might need a dog for protection too..

We live barely paycheck to paycheck as it is, and we go without alot of things already. It's called budgeting, and living within our means. Granted DH did make a HUGE purchace with his re-enlistment bonus, but after 22 months in Iraq, I think he's entitled to it..

Good debate topic BTW....

Who am I to say what people that are getting welfare can and can not do. MOST people on welfare are not using the system, yes there are some that do but that is how everything is. Why punish or judge everyone on welfare as lazy bums using the system?

What are you going to do make them wear a circle on their clothes so that everyone can see this is a welfare person they are not allowed to shop here?

Families on welfare are not unworthy just because they need help, many people on welfare DO work. The problem is if you are a member of the working poor you often have three/four jobs. You often can not GET the help you need. When my mom was just divorced from my dad she was working full time long hours in a factory. She got a one dollar raise and they decided we did not need food stamps. Never mind there were days were there was literally no food in our pantry. It is not like we were living high on the hog either we just needed a tiny bit of help as my mom got used to being the only parent and we were denied. Because that one dollar was going to make a huge differance in what we could afford.

So yeah after seeing how HARD my mom worked to take care of us three girls I resent it when people just assume all welfare families are lazy bums milking the system.

I agree with you.