How easy is it?

[Charlie P]

How easy do you think it is to get goverment assitance?

Welfare?

Housing assistance?

Food stamps?

Social security?

How much assitance do you think a family of four grossing $1,700 a month would qualify for?

[Aught Six]

I have no idea. Perhaps they'd get the equivalent of $600-$1000 per month in housing and food subsidies. State assistance would probably be easier to get than federal, but there's less to go around. I know of some people who have been on public housing waiting lists for a couple of years.

[Charlie P]

If you have no IRA's ,retirement, life Insurance and no money in the bank, you might get food stamps.

[etothepii]

ORIGINAL: Charlie P

How easy do you think it is to get goverment assitance?

Welfare?

Housing assistance?

Food stamps?

Social security?

How much assitance do you think a family of four grossing $1,700 a month would qualify for?

Yet illegal immigrants are finding great success in this land of opporunity. Why do our own citizens need these programs, and illegals by and large don't? Because they are willing to share housing, share vehicles (used ones at that), work multiple jobs, pool resources, do without cable/luxuries, etc. They work together and depend on each other. They take chances, start businesses. And don't tell me they don't face the same challenges that our own citizens do. Some have traveled thousands of miles with nothing but their reliance on brothers, sister, cousins. Few belongings, little education, a language barrier. They face discrimination, no benefits, etc. Yet they still come by the truck load. If it wasn't working out for them, they'd stop. But somehow, America is a great place to escape poverty.

Yet our own citizens are "trapped" in the cities, "trapped" by poverty, unable to escape? Please.

[BigTiny]

When I first retired, the way I was being paid did not count as income for taxes or government assistance. The lady who cut my checks said it made me eligible for assistance. So, in an effort to recover past stolen money, we applied and were approved quickly for WIC and foodstamps. It was easier than getting DirecTV. The way they pay me now bumped us off, but we spent every dime they gave us. Serves the thieves right.

[Griswold]

Too damned easy and too damned much are the answers.

I won't pretend to know the actual answers, but I look around at the sheer numbers of people who are on government assistance in my rural area, and I can only shake my head. A guy is too disabled to work, but he is somehow able to cut a rick of firewood for Joe Bob down the road to earn an extra $40. A gal in front of me at Wal-Mart whips out her food stamp card to pay for her groceries, then pulls out a wad of cash to buy 2 cartons of cigarettes and to pay for her beer. I guess I'm not a smart man but it makes no sense to me.

[30/40Govt.]

Please delete