Sam's Club Ponderings

As I was walking around Sam's Club looking at the steaks for a little Surf and Turf
I overheard a woman with a cart loaded down with name brand items on her cell phone talking about how the steaks and ribs will take up two books of stamps. Good job deciding what is regulated government officials, and for that matter, American people who have voted them in to office. (Insert sarcastic tone here) I sure am glad she is having steaks and her kid wears pampers while Joe Shmo works forty hours a week and lives on hamburger helper to make ends meet. People complain about socialism and the basic practice of collectivist principles but honestly, as a person who works with the public everyday and actually experiences the education and maturity level of our average fellow American, I can tell you that this theory and practice aren't so far off base from what many people NEED to have basic functionality. The "No child left behind" Act from 2001 should have been in place many, many years ago. If you think about it, the fault can't be placed solely on the undereducated and immature low functioning populous group. The people with the power to change this are the very people that complain today without action. Without parents to teach common sense and work ethic we are left with only our schools to make sure that we have a highly functioning population. If our schools needed an ACT in order to get the job done then there is more to be done. The blind can't lead the blind and one generation of ill fated people become the next before you know it. After all, falling in love and sex are two of the greatest joys and most entertaining things in life and those are free. While the governments have put protective actions in place and require licensing to drive a car, hunt, fish, or even have a dog in many places... Any person is still free to have a child and take this child home from the hospital to any location. People are permitted to smoke cigarettes indoors around these infants causing lifelong health issues that place a large financial burden on the government, i.e. tax payers. The location isn't checked over to make sure it is clean and safe or even verified as a permanent residence. ANYONE can have a child and do whatever they want with it until the child does go to school and the good, standout teachers notice that there are issues. These teachers, try as they might, can't raise this child. They have them during school hours along with 20 other children for only one year. Then the child moves to the next teacher who may or may not care or notice.

To bring this back to the aforementioned woman I overheard shopping. They handed this woman, who obviously has lost control of her resources at some point in her life, food stamps. FREE money to spend at the grocery store and the only stipulations are that she can't purchase things that she can't eat. Like Dog food or make-up. I wonder if she is required to take courses in money management or even explain how she got where she is. Does she know that she can feed a family healthy meal for very little money? I don't pretend to be all knowing and say that everything in my life is in order, but I know how to shop on a budget, I know how to cut up a whole chicken and make a pot of beans taste like a pot of gold. (And have had to do this a time or two) I don't think it is right for hard working Americans to pay taxes and go without steak, ribs, cell phones; name brand food items in high volume... while others who aren’t employed get the luxury of choice and extras. I don't think that she should be permitted to spend the money she does bring in on cable and Internet extras while people with no government or organization assistance struggle for the access to basic cable. I speak to people daily who have CAPCA (a United Way affiliate) pay the utility portion of their bill while they pay EQUAL the amount in cable and Internet. I understand that all families want cable for entertainment but a basic package would be fine. The difference there is that basic cable is twenty-five fifty and most people getting assistance pay upwards of ninety to one hundred dollars. Life isn't fair. But this is certainly something that needs to be reviewed. The money should be spent wisely. If we know how many children there are and what the dietary needs are shouldn't there be basic groceries required with little money allocated to choice selections. Shouldn't someone teach the people who take this assistance that it is temporary and not a lifestyle?
I believe that my source of pride and honor derive from my basic ability to take care of myself. I truly hope other people get to experience this self worth first hand. The assistance is meant for people who have fallen upon hard times and need a little help to get back on track. I am so proud to live in a country that offers a helping hand. However, this shouldn't be misconstrued as a HAND OUT because we all know who foots the bill and how that can affect a struggling person’s family. I am almost 29 years old and my husband and I both earn a good living and have no children. These aren't things that plague me personally but they do strike a nerve. I guess my point is this- Rules, regulations, laws, stipulations, and acts are all in place because we know that something is wrong or has been wrong for a while. We need to understand that this world does need change and hope that we can all be a tiny part of this change. I wish I could explain to government that the "teach a man to fish" rule of thumb actually works.