BANGOR, Maine — Though he holds a master’s degree in library science, Avery can’t work full time or he will lose access to his Mainecare coverage, which he said he needs if he is to receive treatment for health problems related to his cerebral palsy.
Though the University of Maine hired him to work 16 hours a week in 2009 and 2010, Avery said he was forced to cut his workweek back to 14 hours so he wouldn’t lose access to his health coverage.
Still underemployed, he now is working 20 hours a month as an Americans With Disabilities Act researcher for the University of Illinois.
“I like to work but I also like health insurance,” the 41-year-old man said while discussing barriers to economic health that Mainers and others face in a system they say penalizes them just as they are struggling to get back on their feet.
Thea is a single mom who says she lost her full-time job, along with the health insurance and the other benefits that came with it, while she was out on maternity leave.
Though she was part-owner of a small business and worked multiple jobs, Thea said she could not have earned her bachelor’s degree in social work without the help of a combination of government programs — including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, food stamps and Section 8 housing assistance.
These are just a few of the stories told by the three women and four men who took to the Gracie Theatre stage Wednesday night as part of Faces of the Poor, a roughly two-hour presentation at Husson University.
The point of the program was to allow Mainers who depend on government programs to tell their stories in an effort to dispel perceptions that they are lazy or otherwise bad citizens.
Moderator Pat LaMarche noted that the public often demonizes the poor because many do not understand how or why poverty happens.
While the stories were moving, powerful, funny and inspiring, above all they were brutally honest.
One speaker, who grew up in poverty, said he did not know bananas were yellow until he started going to school because the only ones his widowed father could get for him and his twin were the bruised, browned castoffs from a nearby store. Another, who spent time in a Bangor homeless shelter, recalled having stolen boots and other clothes to keep warm.
Before the stage presentation, more than 20 social service organizations serving the region’s low-income, homeless and otherwise disadvantaged populations discussed what they do during a reception in the Gracie Atrium.
Others who spoke were;
— Loren, a disabled retired Maine Department of Transportation worker whose pension barely pays for the health insurance plan he must keep to cover his wife, who also is disabled, and adult daughter, who has been struggling with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for most of her life.
— Brandon, who lost both parents by the time he was 17 and found himself homeless before having the chance to graduate high school. Though he once couch surfed, spent time in a homeless shelter and abused alcohol, a government program allowed him to develop construction skills and get back on his feet. He now is an apprentice at one of Maine’s largest construction companies.
— BJ embezzled money from a former employer to feed her abuser’s drug habits. She credits her arrest on a felony theft charge and four years in a southern Maine women’s prison for giving her the time, courage and resources she needed to turn her life around. Now remarried, a mother of two and full-time mentor of domestic violence victims at Spruce Run, BJ graduated from the University of Maine two weeks ago.
— A disabled veteran, Charles moved his family of five to Maine from California because he wanted to attend Bible college. That did not work out and problems with his spine worsened to the point where he is unable to work a full workweek.
— Elizabeth, who spoke with her daughter Julie by her side, is a single mother of two who was homeless until April 7. Her homelessness was the result of domestic violence.
Sponsored by WKIT and WZON, Stephen and Tabitha King’s Bangor radio stations, Faces of the Poor featured people from the community who say they were hurt by the Maine Legislature’s final budget.
“I grew up Methodist, and I remember a lot of those scriptural readings I heard in church,” Stephen King noted in a news item posted on his stations’ website. “One of them, from the book of Matthew, quotes Jesus: ‘Here is the truth: anything you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Or, from the book of Luke, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’
“The poor are just as much a part of our community as the rich. They deserve bread for their tables, a roof over their heads, clothes to wear, and shoes to walk in. When we do for them, we do for ourselves,” King said. “It’s called sharing the love.”
I wonder, what hateful disconcerting comments this article will bring?
None from me, this must have been a wonderful opportunity for other to learn about the economic effects of this Country’s struggles with greed.
Likely we wont see any, because of all those rich people that constantly blast the poor on here to “Go out and get a job” wont even read this article. They dont want to know why someone isnt working, only that they arent and they may have to spend a little extra of that fun money on taxes so that someone else might enjoy some semblence of life. I am so tired of hearing so many on these pages bash those on welfare programs when not one of them have actually gone a day without or not knowing where their next meal is coming from or where they will lay their head at night..Its good to see stories like this so that maybe, we can join forces and help each other out whenever possible.
The guy is not working full time cause he would loose his welfare care. Thus costing those of us who do work and planned a career based on being self supporting pay even more.
As far as being poor I was wicked poor. I worked three jobs from 17 to 21 to save the money to buy my own first truck. I ate allot of Ramen noodles and for the majority of that time I rented a room above a garage ( I also did odd jobs for the owner to get money off rent ) it is called a work ethic. I did it all without any programs. So don’t tell me it can not be done.
Helping others is fine however taking what one earns and giving it to someone else is not helping it is a lifestyle.
Were you eating raman noodles to pay for your health insurance? That’s pretty sad. I’m glad you were able to make it. I’m very thankful to be healthy so I can buy groceries with my paycheck instead of spending 90% of my paycheck on health insurance. People that are sickly are screwed.
The world needs a lot more people with a work ethic like yours.
True cause we are a dying breed and what will all these folks dependent on the state do when we are no longer working any paying into the system they live off of?
Did you read the entire article or just skim over the parts that suited your bias opinions? That gentlemen has a chronic disease that will not go away. He wasnt born with it nor did he ask for it. Cerebral palsy requires quite a bit of medical attention. Are you suggesting he ignore his disease and go work instead? Some are handed a crappy hand in life and your judgemental attitude is a big problem.
I agree that there are many people out there abusing the system. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. HOWEVER, do not forget that some do not want this lifestyle. They have no choice.
Here’s the thing you don’t seem to understand. If someone has a chronic illness that requires regular medications and follow-ups, that person (a) may not be able to work only part-time because of his condition, thus not qualifying for MaineCare and Medicare, or (b) may be able to work full-time, but at a job that does not provide insurance and precludes qualifying for MaineCare and Medicare.
In either case, the lack of insurance, and subsequent lack of health care, will lead that person right back to where he started as his health worsens, thus costing him his job.
You’re very fortunate that you were healthy enough to work three jobs and subsist on ramen. Be sure to check back with us if you’re ever rendered physically incapable of working, and let us know how that “three jobs plus ramen” thing works out for you then.
I got insurance for that!! Thus my point!!!
As a relative of “The guy not working full time” I feel the need to respond – after having counted to 10 a few times along with taking a few deep breaths…
You have no idea what his work ethic is – this is a man that lives life to the fullest possible from his wheelchair in his tiny two room apartment. He has a commitment to furthering his education by small steps, having taken college courses as they could be afforded – mostly online so he can do them from home instead of attempting to venture out in a world that is not as handicap friendly as we would all like to believe.
He doesn’t have the luxury of being able to own a vehicle as he is unable to drive due to his CP – please google it so you have a better understanding of what he is living with and educate yourself. This is NOT a man that is sucking welfare off the system just to abuse it – (I work full-time and have seen my fair share of the people that do that as well) – this is a man that fights each and every day to simply survive, not much of a “lifestyle” if you ask me.
As a sidenote, he doesn’t have the extra money for the bus to go to the store to buy Ramen noodles – which he, as an college educated adult that would love to have a job in the career he planned, must still eat a lot of to survive – but he still manages to scrimp and save to purchase a book for each of his niece’s and his nephew for Christmas to share the joy of his passion for reading/books with them.
With all of his hardships, he is still one of the most cheerful, smiling, loving, generous of heart people I know – it’s too bad you are so close minded in your opinions that you would never be able to get past his need for assistance to know the person he is.
5/31/2012
Fact check: He has had CP since BIRTH… kinda hard to “plan insurance” for that! So, yes – his “illness” is the point. His father was full-time military at the time of his birth as well… so they had medical insurance!
He has worked as much as possible, even with this disability (sorry – more than an illness that you can simply go to the doctor & just take a pill to recover from!) his entire life. His issue is that he WANTS to work more, but if he does he will lose the medical insurance assistance that he needs in order to survive the hand life dealt him THE MOMENT HE WAS BORN.
Sorry – but if you don’t know what you are talking about, then maybe you shouldn’t talk about it.
Fact check. His illness is not the point. The fact he worked and did not insure himself for such a illness is. Insurance on our homes on our cars and on our lives is common sense. He did not prepare thus now he and those like him are making those us us who do work and do prepare to care for our own lives without the government being involved are forced to pay more in taxes to support there lack of preparedness.
So I ask at what point do YOU think people should be held accountable for what they do or in this case FAIL to do. Or do you simply think that if you get sick just take more from the workers who pay there insurance and invest money to cover these types of things?
My grandmother lived to be 92 and was lets say afflicted with many illnesses. She NEVER worked a day in her life outside the home. My grandfather prepared and when he died in 1972 my grandmother was taken care of until she dies without any welfare or handouts of any type. So do not tell me it can not be done. If your relative had put money aside and prepared with insurance he would not need any welfare either.
Just scroll up and down,and you’ll see ’em…
No worry, we have Obuma-care to save us.
If Mitt (R)money should get elected then he will repeal the Health Care Act which means that anybody with pre-existing conditions will not be able to get insurance, so those who are on MaineCare with pre-existing conditions will be forced to remain there if they need insurance.
As Maine Gun Guy said “Helping others is fine however taking what one earns and giving it to someone else is not helping it is a lifestyle.” That hit’s the nail right on the head.
I believe in personally helping those around me that are in need, however when the state and federal government takes my hard earned money by force to squander in places I totally disagree with, that’s where I and most other taxpayers have the problem.
As far as Stephen Kings comment about everyone “deserving” food, clothing and shelter. NOBODY “deserves” anything, I don’t deserve those things I must go out and earn those things, because if I don’t I’ll be a starving homeless guy with no shoes. I don’t want to be that guy so I go to work every morning.
The word “deserve” is the most overused word in this country. Deserve means “to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital ” sounds like something that is earned to me.
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social programs* I think you mean.
I will treat every person with dignity and respect but like northwoods said its no different then working for money. You have to be worthy of being treated with dignity and respect. Criminals, liars, people who abuse a broken system, and live life with no integrity don’t deserve my respect.
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I didn’t insinuate everyone is a criminal. However, those that are don’t deserve respect and dignity that the others receive. People are only limited by their own ambition and complacency. The mentally ill/handicap I am sure you are thinking “well they are limited by their disability”. They are only limited because society has said “ok your disabled but its ok we will take care of you for ever and ever”. When in fact many physically and mentally disabled people are capable of contributing to society and community. Welfare is an enabling system not an establishing system.
Ok, so you are a Research Psychiatrist, right? Or maybe you have a degree in Neurology? Or maybe you have a Phd in Sociology? Well, if you are not educated in a field that gives you the ability to diagnose a Human with a Neurological Disorder, why do you think you are right? Have you worked with every Disabled Person in America to KNOW, what you KNOW? Obviously you know nothing.
How about respecting me and those like me that believe that forced philanthropy is approriate? Demanding taxes is coercive. If I had more money (ie paid less in taxes), I’d give even more to United Way – they do far far more with less money than any local, state, or federal government agency could ever dream of achieving.
There is that word deserve again.
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Well I don’t think republicans hate the poor and sick (i’m not a republican BTW)
But I do happen to agree with the rest of your statement
The government takes my money and squanders it on war, and it especially makes me upset to know that one of those wars was unnecessary and illegal (pre-emptive) on a country that was not harming us in any way. Yeah, I get real upset about my tax money being used that way.
I’d much rather have my tax money help someone in need instead of it helping the military-industrial-congressional folk who rip us off every chance they can.
So people on welfare don’t rip us off either?
I’d rather keep as much of the toils of my labor as possible. I hate seeing tax monies going to support our welfare/warfare system.
Well, you had better pray, and pray a lot, that you never need help. You are so set against it, well you’ll probably… do what exactly? How will you make it when you are to old to work, not enough retirement money, and you have to ask for help.? I hope you relive every ugly thing you have said here, on that day. And I’m very glad I don’t know you.
What a terrible thing to write. I hope you find peace.
Fortunately, our society was built on the opposite philosophy to yours. The reason we had railroads that gave way to highways. The reason we have the best university system in the world. The reason we once had the best medical care in the world. All of this is based on the belief that if we build a stronger commons, the entirety of our society thrives.
You might want to read “The tragedy of the Commons”. This tells of what happens when the selfish people take control and nobody wants to continue to do their part in making us all better off. This tragedy is precisely the moral lesson that is lacking in today’s GOP. They have spent millions, if not billions, of dollars training a generation to hate those who are not successful and to place the blame of our shared short-comings squarely on their shoulders.
The messaging you seem to respond to has been carefully developed to make you think as you do. You are an unfortunate and probably unwitting victim of this widespread effort to create enough division to allow the theft of the wealth of a nation.
Distraction is for extraction.
Follow the money and it doesn’t lead to social program spending. It leads to overgrown banks, endless wars and a media monster that distracts from the truth rather than being the purveyor of it.
Well said.
Demanding taxes for social service programs is coercive. Giving to United Way or another charity of your choice is voluntary. If you want to support the poor, volunteer your time and dollars, but don’t start demanding that I or anyone else do the same.
But what happens when people don’t give? Are we OK with letting people starve or not receive treatment for a disease if they cannot work or do not have insurance?
You did not get what TheRexican said. And the United Way, takes your money and puts it into their general fund, half of which is their wages, another piece goes to Overseas programs, and whats left is split between Rehab programs and the rest of those who need help. Great idea! Dont ever get injured, and dont grow old. Rexican is rather intelligent- learn from him!
Wow you have yourself high on a pedestal. Everyone does deserve food and shelter. You work to have more than that. And taxes are NOT YOURS, that is what drives this country. YOU have no say unless through your government where it goes. That is how this country has run for years. If you don’t like it……..move to Russia!
People like you are the problem. For 27 years I worked 2 jobs. As I got older the injuries I suffered at the hands of “Bad guys”, became more and more of a problem, until I couldn’t stand or walk, long work hours. Oh, I tried, I kept going, until I landed in the hospital. So, since I’m the only surviver of my whole family, and I can’t work, I guess I had better kill myself. Cab I borrow your gun?
The people in this project are doing important work. There are several truths about the poor, most of which get shelved in favor of the most titillating or self-serving stories and anecdotes. All the carping about the shiftless poor we get in these columns is about all it is: carping. Most people in low wage Maine, those who hold part time jobs, travel over hell and gone to get to work, have to leave their pre-school kids in less than satisfactory situations, all know a good many of us are one accident, one illness, one personal calamity away from desperate poverty. They will not carp. Those who do are possibly either comfortably retired, light years away from the edge, or are scared to death it might happen to them, preferring to deny it from behind a screen of self-righteous bravado. Or, they might be just plain old-fashioned misanthropes and grounches.
Thumbs up to those in this story who used the help to get back on their feet and get educated. The problem is that for every one who uses the system correctly there are thousands who ride the system for their whole life and never work or even try
Amen, and in addition the largest problem(and one that nobody’s been able to fix yet) is that of rules and laws which, by words alone, dictate who’s qualified or disqualified without much regard to an individual’s track record as a member of society…i.e. is the person *trying* to help himself.
I imagine that King’s book of scriptures also says that society is supposed to tolerate abuse while the chiselers among the social benefits recipient group take advantage(hey, it’s free…why not!). For many years, society *did* look the other way. Now, with ballooning social benefits program costs, many don’t agree with the way benefits are too often apparently abused.
It’s interesting to note that the Federal government is starting to improve its policies:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FOOD_STAMP_FRAUD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-05-24-06-05-41
If there are “thousands” who abuse the system, I would say that DDHS isn’t doing it’s job. Don’t persecute everyone who can’t find a way to make a living because DDHS can’ do it’s job. I believe that nobody in this country should go without food just because some think there are abusers. Maybe we need some new people in the enforcement who can do their job. Start at the top! Time and time again we hear in these discussions about abusers of the system. Who are they? How many are they? We don’t even know.
DHHS has a vested interest in growing their “client” base. The more who qualify for benefits the more secure that government paycheck is.
No one in this country goes without food. If you do not make enough for food then you qualify for food stamps.
Neither of your statements is true. Remember, our bulldog governor weeded out DDHS and has ever tried to catch different agents allowing bad claims. Food stamps work for the low income families, but do very little for singles and couples with low incomes. There are Mainers who have mental disabilities or are just too low in mental capacity to take care of themselves. they arn’t going to be hired at MickyDees. What do you think? Send them over to the Blaine House or maybe we can send them somewhere else where folks have a little more compassion?
Why aren’t YOU taking care of them?
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Where have you been? I do with my taxes. It is in the Constitution under insure domestic tranquillity and promote the general welfare.
The government takes in to account your GROSS income not your net… So that makes quite a difference… $8-10 an hour looks great on paper, BUT when you know that what you get could actually be $4-5 an hour because of taxes, social security and or retirement funds of some mandated type, and not to mention the health care plan (if your lucky to have a job that y has this) all come out before you even see you paycheck… You begin to see how it becomes difficult. You could make enough money to keep all the necessities on, and rent paid for you or you and your family, but still not be able to put food on the table. In my case back quite a few years I was in that position. I was choosing what to pay so I could put food on the table. I went for help, but by the gross income I made $50 too much per month… Just $50!!!! Thank God for the food cupboards, and some friends for me… I still to this day hear stories of people choosing what day to go hungry because of the high bills they have to pay for necessities, and the fact they make just make enough (gross) income to not qualify for help… The system IS broken… I am not sure it will every be fixed, but at least here for one night we hear the cries very loud from some of these people representing a large number. I commend each an everyone of them for standing up and speaking especially when they know people will say things because they THINK they understand… When they really don’t. Great job everyone, and thank you Pat and everyone that helped to put this program on. SHAME to all the political figures that did not show up that say they are for the PEOPLE of Maine.
Agree completely! There are people that truly need our help, and by all means that help should be available to them. But, you are correct, there are those that do take advantage of the system, and I am sure everyone that comments on these boards could think of at least one situation where they know some one who either (past or present) is doing just that.
In regards the the gentleman who had to cute his hours not to lose health care – I have been saying for years there needs to be some program put into place that is a leveled health care program. This would be a program where just because you work some, the government doesn’t just take all of your benefits. I know they have other programs set up like that (food stamps for one)… But unfortunately if you are some one that has a chronic condition or a disability that means multiple appointments and office visits, without that health insurance, you are done for.
Also, please make sure you are doing what you can to help these people with in your own communities – whether that be donating to your local food pantry, donating to local charities or churches, maybe you know a family that could directly use the help – go buy them a gift card to Hannaford, Shaws, or Wal-mart. It is one thing to say that you agree that people should get the help they deserve; it is another thing to put “your money where your mouth is”.
You have it so backwards. For every one who “rides the system”, there are thousands who use the system correctly. The huge amount of fraud you perceive, just does not exist. Your judgement about someone else’s life is not fraud
Do you have proof of your claims?
I worked for DHHS for 31 years starting an eligibility worker and retiring as one of those “corrupt” middle managers. I’ve seen it all, not just the anti-poor anecdotes people spout on here. The majority are Medicaid and food stamp recipients who would not be there if they had jobs wage that paid a living wage and health insurance not because they are lazy!! You should try walking in their shoes if you think they are living a life of luxury.
It is very obvious you are the one who has it backwards. I will tell you a little story to back up my statement. I was recently doing some work at the dhs building in Bangor that I was contracted to do. Four out of every five people/couples who entered the building drove up in fairly new cars, most of them smoking. Most of them wearing expensive name brand clothing , most of them with a few thousand dollars worth of tatoos on them. If that is your definition of being needy I guess you had better price cigarettes, vehicles, tatoos, and expensive clothes.None of the regulations are being enforced, did you know that all section 8 housing is not to have cable or wireless internet.. The problem is that there are thousands that are capable of working and are using the system. When I was first on my own I wore cheap clothing, drove junk vehicles ate what I could afford, would not have a tatoo if they were giving them away and dont smoke. But I held my head high because I earned my way to the good living I make now because of my work ethics. Ethics are what is lacking now. Maine is a welfare state because of the ease of the handouts, hopefully Lepage has the ball rolling to cure this plague!!!!
Pure opinion and exaggeration on your part.
Maybe you could post where these needy people are getting their free tattoos and cigarettes, I am sure there are others that woulf like that information. My guess is that the extras come a little easier when the state is feeding, housing and giving you medical!!!!!!
Facts not opinions, there is a difference
For every person who uses the system “correctly” (whatever that means) there are thousands who ” ride the system” (whatever that means) . Where do you acquire this information? I’ll bet you consider yourself a Christian and go to church on Sunday
I am and do consider myself a christian, dont go to church, pray and worship at home, as with most christians I am glad to give a hand up but tired of giving handouts!!
GOP has you focusing on the poor while they steal money from all of us. Didn’t you see the article months ago in the BDN that proved most folks are on welfare for a short period of time. This country could recoup mucho bucks going after corporate fraud, government fraud etc. If Maine could recoup the millions that has been taken illegally by our government officials we would be better off than the welfare fraud 10,000 here 5,ooo there etc
“Or, from the book of Luke, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”
I agree with Warren Buffett. When asked why he didn’t voluntarily pay more taxes he replied, ” I think on balance the Gates foundation, my daughter’s foundation and my two sons’ foundations will do a better job with lower administrative cost and better selection of beneficiaries than the government.”
Even the bible tells you to pay your taxes, giving is good and many of the rich do give to the poor but that does not excuse you from paying taxes. Doing so leaves the burden of fixing roads, DHHS, public places etc.. all that need money to be maintained up to those that not only help the poor but still pay their taxes. Matthew 21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
Where did I say not to pay taxes? I pay what is legally required and no more as I believe as Warren Buffett does that I can do do a more effective job with the money. The quote suggests personal action not a government action. Jesus is more concerned about what you are doing unto others not having the money taxed from others and given to whoever the government says. You all said to render unto God. So have you rendered unto to God along with your taxes? Given tithes and offerings? No progressive tax rates there. The Bible also says, “if any is not willing to work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thes 3:10.
Stephen King is a true believer in Christ and this story proves that. There is good in every man and woman, very proud to hear your thoughts on Matthew and Luke Stephen, God Bless you and your family.
I think a mutual friend of ours that is now in Heaven would be very happy to hear your words now. I know and you know he always prayed for you.
King is interested in the concepts of Christianity, that does not mean he walks with Christ. I am interested in stars but that does not make me an astronomer. His writing usually puts believers in some sort of bad light, not as something worth following, he portrays them as weak. I have seen the bible quoted so many times to fit the need of who ever is quoting it, twisting one verse into something self serving. I agree with helping people to a degree and I know of a net work of churches that get their hands dirty and use elbow grease to do so.
“His writing usually puts believers in some sort of bad light, not as something worth following, he portrays them as weak.”
I disagree, strenuously. People of faith are often treated very well in King’s fiction. (Reread The Stand.) FANATICS, on the other hand, are written exactly as they should be – with contempt.
A lot of people have negative feelings about all people who depend upon government programs. But one size does not fit all. I love the Bible references from Stephen King at the end of this article. He is right – the Bible tells us to help others in need and to treat others as we would want to be treated. (For those who don’t believe in God the meaning of those words should be the same no matter who said them so please no nitpicking about belief in God… I do, it’s okay if you don’t. )
It’s the politicians who work to persuade people to judge and condemn all those receiving government assistance. I know it’s not popular but I choose God’s word not the Politician’s seductions that we’ll keep more $$ for ourselves if we help others less. Again for those who do not believe in God… I still choose helping others to help themselves and treating others as we would want to be treated. It’s not a popular political position but maybe I don’t have as much (blind) faith in politicians as other people.
Mark 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Book of Luke, Ep. IV ANH “Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?”
Sounds like politics to me! :-) I’m just joking I hope you know. Well, not entirely I guess… anyone can be a fool or a fool’s fool if we choose to follow the wrong leaders. If we follow God he won’t lead us astray. If we follow politicians… well let me just say this – they are last people on earth I would ever trust! Sure, I give them all a chance to prove me wrong but so far none of them have proven to me that they are politicians for any reason other than personal gain.
Agree on the politicians, not so much on god.
Everyone agrees that some poor people lie and steal. They have so many crooked rich people to inspire them.
Poor people steal out of absolute necessity. Middle class people steal because they have been taught to think that if someone else is getting something, that they should get some too. So they lie to partake in programs intended to aid the poor. Company owners lay off their family “employees” so they can get a piece of the unemployment pie. They don’t tell anyone, they keep this kind of secret and at the same time condemn the people who are legitimately unemployed. Yes, there are some people who will abuse the system but…common sense should tell us all that the only people who can hide money to get a “hand-out” are those who actually have money or items of value. It’s very convenient that people blame the poor and not the real thieves.
My position is that despite the cheating of those looking for a free handout, there are still people who really need a hand-up. If we can’t figure out who then maybe we should just suck it up and chalk it up to system imperfection because you can’t stop greedy people from being greedy. If not this they will try another way to cheat the system. What we can not do is turn our backs on the poor, on the sick or on the truly needy for something they did not do and something they cannot change.
I believe solidly in helping others who need help, not just money but any kind of help. If someone uses me or takes advantage of my willingness to help… so be it. I will never regret helping someone but I would regret not helping someone.
I know poor people steal… they steal food, they steal shelter, they steal clothing but I don’t believe poor people typically steal your silver set, diamond rings, 52″ flat screens, drugs, alcohol, etc..- Criminals do that and poor does not equal criminal. There IS a difference! Genuinely poor people steal necessities for the purpose of survival. Ponder his for a moment… Can you honestly say that if you were in their shoes that you would die or allow your children or your family to die before you’d steal food, shelter, clothing?
I believe that most people would do whatever they had to in order to survive and to protect their family. They would beg, lie and steal if they had to. Sure, I know there are people who, out of convenience, would argue that they’d rather die than steal bread for themselves, their children, their family simply but I don’t believe they’re being truthful. I believe that this kind of answer is given simply because an “if” question can’t be proven or dis-proven. In my opinion people who lie simply to win a point are actually liars themselves! People who have enough or who steal from others in order to have enough are the only ones lying about being poor. What I think is that some people who actually have enough money and assets really do lie when they claim to be poor and when they hide assets and money. This does not actually make them poor people. People who lie about being poor seem to have a misconception that poor people have it easy. Because of this they seem to work themselves up and become angry (with a little help from our political parties). Then they become maybe a little jealous and this causes them to feel entitled to get in on some of what they perceive as a hand-out, not a hand-up. It’s an obvious misinterpretation on their part that the poor have it easy. They absolutely do not – not even with a hand up. They aren’t receiving BMWs, caviar and penthouses to live in off the government. They’re getting the bare minimum needed for basic survival probably based upon the cost of living in the 1950s. It’s simply not even close to enough in today’s world. In the end I think that it eases the consciences of those who lie about what they really do have to accuse the poor of lying about being poor and getting a free ride off the government. That’s not even possible but it is an easy way for people who condemn the poor, blame the poor for what the real system cheaters are doing. It eases consciences and somehow seems to justify turning their backs on the truly poor and needy. It’s just so much easier to do if you paint poor people evil. But… think about this …If genuinely poor people were lying about being poor then they could not possibly actually be poor could they? So who really is cheating the system? It’s not the truly poor doing this. These people are grateful for every crumb, every morsel, every coat, every pair of shoes, every bit of help that they receive… That’s just my opinion on the subject.
Yes, poor people might mug you on the street and take what ever you have on you that day but a banker will steal money you haven’t even earned yet.
AMEN!!!
Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
So we are supposed to be good to each other because The Invisible Sky Wizard and/or a Jewish Zombie said so?
No. We should be good to each other because it is fruitless not to be. If someone needs a book to tell them that, so be it.
At first I was angry about your comment, then I just felt sad for you. God Bless you and your belief in your own destiny… Amen.
Giving, treating people well, and all the rest is disingenuous if done to seek the back stage pass to heaven. I was hoping humanity could evolve to the point where giving was done simply because it is the right thing to do, to show we are more than just mere animals. Reading some of these posts I can see that we are far away from achieving that. I don’t need a book of mythology to tell me that taking care of the poor, disabled, and mentally ill is the right thing to do, and I find it sad that in the 21st century there are still people who do.
May the Force be with you, always.
Even if you don’t believe in a god, ( I have my doubts too)the words still have great wisdom on their own.
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Exactly, we should do it because it is right, not because you will be rewarded with the keys to Jesus’ penthouse in the sky. How can we claim to be the greatest nation in the world when people go hungry, are homeless, and can’t get the treatment they need for their mental and physical illnesses? Answer is we can’t. People need help, and we should give it because it is right, whether it is State sponsored, volunteer, or writing a personal check, people should be able to get the help they need simply because they are people in need.
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No Dane, you are supposed to be good to one another simply because you want to. It’s not a bad idea to treat people as you would want to be treated. Even if you don’t believe in God one would hope that you could find it in your heart to believe in happiness. You can’t find happiness if you are disrespectful, judgmental, hostile, angry, cruel or indifferent to other people.
Like most other mammals basic human instinct is to seek a community life. Humans are not normally loners, albeit there are always some rare exceptions. If you haven’t read the book “Into the Wild” you might want to. This book depicts the sadness and disparagement of loneliness. Loneliness can make a person crazy to death. Humans by nature need other humans. That can’t happen if humans are unkind to one another.
That said, if you don’t want to be kind to others no one is going to force you into this, that’s obviously your choice. However, I would like to hope that some of the people here have at least encouraged and inspired you to consider compassion and try kindness to others. Not because God told you or anyone else to, but because you want to. Believe it or not it feels really, really good to do something kind for another human being in need.
Agreed, that was my point.
The middle class is getting thinner and thinner.
If you think your middle class and 2 of you are working a houshold to just pay bills, then rethink your values.
You bills should never be more than 40% of your income. if they are then you are not middle class. You are double employeed. once at your job and the next for the bank that you borrowed all the money from.
On the one hand – I work hard & go without food/clothing if I have to so that I can afford to rent my place and feed my family. I have had to, but currently am fortunate enough that I don’t have to make that choice every day. Why? I work hard to earn my way of living. No one owes me anything – everything is earned.
On the other hand – I believe the system is its own enemy. If you truly need assistance – help – you cannot get it until you have quit work or cut your hours down so far you’re only working to pay for the gas to & from the office. This is wrong. The system should be a temporary crutch to get you out of a tight spot & nothing more. Once you’re outta the rut you should get out. By making citizens quit working they are NOT helping them to get on their feet again – it is crippling them for a very long time if not the rest of their adult lives. This is wrong & needs to be stopped.
So my take-away is that access to health coverage adequate to cover one’s needs is more important than being able to contribute to society by working in one’s area of training. No surprise here…medical bills account for more than fifty percent of bankruptcy filings and no compassionate caretaker wants to see a loved one suffer. Let’s break this stranglehold the insurance industry has on access to adequate health care.
Some of us had a conversation the other day about the plethora of social programs. I am sure back in the 30’s when a lot of these programs started, people who were struggling were appreciative for whatever help they could get. I think many of the people who instituted them would be dismayed at how these benefits have come to be seen as a right and not a privilege. We should all be responsible for making our own way in the world and be very grateful when a person or agency comes alongside to help in whatever way they can but it shouldn’t be expected. I think it’s that entitlement attitude that gets people so irked….also, I think it’s a crying shame when these programs are set up so they take away incentive to work by penalizing people who try to work such as the man Avery who is mentioned.
Oh yes, the Gov. programs provide such a high quality of Life that anyone would feel lucky to be on welfare!!!! Really, where are your heads? People who get help, are bearly surviving- day to day. Anyone who thinks it’s a RIDE worth telling lies for, cheating, and stealing, and all that, Come on, step down of that High Horse your on and come live like the poor do! Until you do, you havn’t the right to say anyone is cheating the system.
We always have the money to bail out banks and investors and millionaires who have stolen. We always have the money for wars in order to steal oil and other resources and murder innocent men, women, and children…We always have federal money to support corporations. But making sure that children have health insurance and food is somehow bey0nd the pale…We always have the money and time to do those things that we feel are important. Poor people are just not important in the United States…The rich man’s patriotism is the poor man’s treason.
And don’t forget… Congress gets their raises every year, lifetime healthcare even after serving only one term. How does any of this translate to prioritizing the needs of the poor. All too often I hear ridiculous notions about taking from the rich and giving to the poor – about ours being a socialist country. This is about the most ridiculous and distorted thing I’ve ever heard! Seriously… it blows my mind that people actually believe that politicians and members of Congress prioritize the needs of the poor over giving themselves a raise? The bottom line is people pay taxes. We elect leaders (Democracy) who we put in charge of spending those tax dollars. Some is spent on defending our country, some is spent on roadways and improvements, some is spent aiding the needy and some is spent in salaries, wages and benefits, etc… I always ask people if they really and truly believe that our political leaders are foregoing their raises and reducing the quality of their benefits just to “give to the poor”. So far no one has heard of such a thing… but many blindly follow the politicians who tell them it’s the poor people getting all the money. I’m always stunned when people believe this illogical concept. But… fact of the matter is, they do! I guess some people are very, very gullible and that’s a good thing for politics!
Maybe this will help build empathy, and allow people to see the human face of poverty.
Pat Lamarche moderator! Bet there was no discussion about the failed unfunded policies from the past. As a business owner i had to scale down our insurance again this year.This makes three years in a row.Thank you Mr Obama for making my health care so expensive. Maybe a few more meth clinics might help.
Health insurance has been increasing for years, even before Obamacare.
Where was LePage and his side kicks? They should have been sitting in the front row!! And, LePage , who had it so Hard growing up could have told his story. RIGHT….
I could not agree more with what S. King quoted from the Bible. To me it’s just common sense. If you are able to help make it better for someone who suffers, DO IT. What goes round ,comes round. You can count on it!!!
The people of Maine are being led astray. We are being heavily propagandized to hate the poor. There is a reason for this. It distracts us. It keeps us busy. It appeals to the base instincts we have. What, you ask, is the purpose of creating this mass distraction? The answer is simply that it enables the deception and theft of our riches to continue. In reality, more money has been spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than in the history of welfare, TANF and unemployment insurance.
The reason for these petty arguments over whether the poor are getting too much of the hardworking peoples money is that it provides cover so the big dollar looting can continue.
We are fighting our neighbors over the crumbs while the rest of the loaf is being hoarded by a very small few. These same few own the media and pump up the vitriol every chance they get. Why did it take 30 years of wage stagnation for the issue of inequality to even be raised? The answer is that the media was allowed to concentrate in a few hands and they decide what we talk about.
We now live in one of the most fundamentally unfair and stifling countries on the planet. We have found our way back to the 1920s and the prognosis is precisely the same. Rampant destitution, declining opportunity, a gilded age for the elites and powerful control over government and media aim to keep those divisions secure.
Sadly, we must wait for it to crumble before we can have a voice in how to fix it. Make no mistake about it, it is crumbling.
Each time we destroy a social program and drive another soul into destitution, we sacrifice the gifts and potential that person could have provided. The truest measure of government effectiveness is how well the potential of the people is converted into progress. By this measure America has not been governed since perhaps the 1960s.
i can’t help but wonder where all you brave souls talking trash about the poor were last night. you could have come and used your real identity and shown your face, maybe even said your name, and spoken plainly to folks who were prepared to meet you and have a conversation with you. instead you hide behind fake names and throw invectives like so many rotten tomatoes. (by the way… invectives are insults)
guess you’ve got the brass to bully in private but a tidge too timid to voice your tripe in public (by the way tripe is a flavorless worthless substitute for real meat in someone’s diet)
when you decide to grow a little courage i welcome you on my show. www.zoneradio.com/pulse until then… try not to violate too many more commandments. you’ve already made a sham of ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’
by the way, courage is what those po folk on stage had in spades.
A friend who was a single mother to 3 children, after her husband passed from a car accident, once said “I am not looking for a lifeboat across the river of life. Instead I’m just asking for some arm floats to help keep me from drowning.”
She is now a college graduate, working a great respectable job. Another example of someone who found themselves in a bad space they had no control over and did what she could.
But I’m sure someone here will still have something negative to say about unfortunate circumstances as well. Can’t please everyone.
The “Penny Health” is quite popular in California and New York. For example it offers the low income health plan. Also offers health insurance for individual with pre-exisiting conditions.
Poverty is the most misunderstood social issue. I relate, on an intensely personal level, with every story in this article. The policy makers in Washington, and at the State Level show no inclination to set aside their preconceptions of Poverty. So long as they are allowed to pretend WE don’t exist, (Yes, WE) nothing will ever change.
We, too, have Human Rights. Most of which are violated every minute of every day. I recently did a lot of reading at the Human Rights website, and the UN website. Our Soldiers fight to protect the Rights and Lives of innocent victims all over the World. Our Diplomatic Corp works tirelessly to secure Rights, Freedoms, Medical attention, Fresh Water, and Nourishing Food for peoples of many Nations.
Yet here in The Land of the Free, our Congressmen sit on the Committees for Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Social Security, in short all the Social Programs lumped together, and overseen by one group of policy makers, and has been for a very long time, and they say and do the same things every year. They really should pat themselves on the back, because they have made the lives of Americas Poor worse every year with out ever having to shoulder the responsibility for it.
They yammer about having to cut costs, but never look at the Bloated Budget they give themselves. They have so many staff members, there is literally a person to carry their stuff, get the door, dress them, get their food, everything you and I do for ourselves, they have a staffer for. Go to the Congressional website. Click on everything you can, and read. You will see where the biggest part of the problem is. They are Rich- and care nothing at all for the suffering of others. Their actions show what they are about. Not everyone in the Congress is greedy and heartless, that is a fact. But the ones who are have the power. We fight over who will be a better President, while the Power Hungry in the Congress count their money. Most of America doesn’t even know who are making the laws we have to live by. You have internet- go to the dot Gov. sites, watch CSPAN and hear it for yourself. The full sessions, not the trumped up party programs. Go to the Congressional Committee sites and read the transcripts, then Call every Congressmen and tell them what you think. Or, call the big news organizations and tell them what you found on the Congresses website and how much its hurting your family. Just be heard.
Talking about the problems faced and the trials suffered by the poor is a good thing. But we really need to get down to doing something about it. I was a republican. I’m not anymore, not after reading about what really goes on, on their own web sites too! I’m voting for Obama, and I’m going to do my best to let America know who, in washington, is causing so many people to suffer for the Crime of Poverty.
My name is Katherine. I’m Disabled. I suffered severe Child Abuse, which is the cause of my Disability. I Refuse to be Invisible, not for one more day. Poverty Can Be Eliminated. All we have to do.. is stop suffering in silence.