A bit of politics

Because I try not to post political stuff on most of my online stuff I'll post it here mostly because I think this is so well said.  Here is the link: https://medium.com/p/e3454354d692 

His experience with the SNAP (what I knew as Food Stamps) is very similar to mine except that it was his parents using it not him.  I've never known them to be a luxury by any stretch of the imagination.  I've used them twice in my life for about 6 months at each stretch.  Thank goodness they were there both times.  And guess what?  I had a full time job both times and still couldn't make ends meet.  Stunk to high heaven.  No, I didn't enjoy being on them.  Yes, sometimes I splurged with them and got a decent meal of a steak.  Ya know what?  That meant I ate a lot of things like rice and other cheap stuff the rest of the month because my allotment was blown. 

I just ran across a receipt from one of the 6 months the other day.  For two of us it was $139.00 a month.  Yes, that was supplemented by a part-time job and a full-time job so that wasn't all we were spending on groceries but pretty darn close.  There are still a lot of things you aren't allowed to buy with those.  Rightly so as they are a FOOD supplement.  Also, the food has to be food that you have to cook.  No deli type stuff.  But still that is not a lot of money to put food on the table.  To be honest we probably still qualify for them now that we have two kids.  We don't use them because we are just able to make things work if we are careful.

Yes, we could abuse the system and eat a little bit more comfortably or out a little more often but I see no reason to.  You see, I've paid my taxes that help to pay for programs like this since I was 14.  I've had at least a part-time job since before I was probably legal to work.  I understand people not wanting to pay for someone who doesn't need it.

My point is the same as this gentleman's that most people that use these kinds of programs don't really use them by choice.  They use them because they need a hand up or a stepping stone if you like your metaphors.  For whatever your reason is at that point in your life you can't make ends meet and you need a bit of help.  It sucks to ask for that help too and you do your best to get on your own two feet as fast as possible too.

So there is my little bit of a soap box moment for you.  I get frustrated with all politicians, most of whom appear to have never wanted for anything for a moment in their life telling us lowly folks how we are supposed to live.  I would have loved to have been able to afford their schools, lifestyle, cars, and all that.  I don't want their lives but I would love to afford them. I much prefer my life out in the sticks even if I'm a lot further down on the economic ladder than they are.

I'm going to bet that I know how to do a lot more than they do and I like that.  I like that my financial situation has required that I learn how to cook, bake, chop wood, can, raise animals, hunt, dress out at animal (whether hunted or purchased), and I can still go out to dinner at all the fancy places and hold my own in most conversations.  Sure a little more money would be nice, but I'm going to bet they say the same thing.  I heard a great analogy for that.  I think it was a family member that described it as a gold fish theory.  A gold fish grows to the size of their bowl, so do our spending habits.  We spend what we make.  Oh so true!