Dear All;
From a Face Book - Hansi Nufer some
pointed welfare humor. Although in a sense it also makes a point about the
perception of welfare.
Should there be a helping hand and a safety net
when someone hits one of lifes speed bumps provided by local churches, charities and social organizations and privately funded? Or should there be involuntary taxpayer funded government handouts
with a hammock that comes with room service?
Ron Getty
The Welfare Application Office:
This morning I went to sign my dogs up for welfare. At first the lady
said, "Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare." I explained to her
that my dogs are unemployed, laze around all day and won't work, can barely read and write and have no frigging clue who their Daddy's are. Plus they expect me to feed them, and provide them with housing and medicalcare. She looked in her policy book to see what it takes to
qualify. My dogs get their first checks Friday. Damn, is this is a great country, or what!?
Dear Ron,
Good one! Loved it! But, the two choices you present are not entirely divergent in today's hammock socioeconomic environment. Private charities routinely receive grants from local government entities (taxpayers), and religious organizations are pretty much subsidized tax-wise by taxpayers. Wherever we look, government pops up, BOOO!!!
BTW, I totally believe Hansi's story is true, not a metaphor at all!!
Marcy
This has been bouncing around on the internet for a while. If you lose your job and run through your 99 weeks of unemployment and still can't find work you won't think it's so funny.
Not everyone down at the welfare office wants to be there, go and pretend you're applying sometime, it's charming. If I don't find work or die soon I'll be going for my final intake interview soon, I'd really rather be in a country where the government is not strangling the economy and get a job, but that's not an option. Also lazy does not even begin to cover what's going on down there, put on your grubbiest hoodie and go take a look for yourself, get steam cleaned and sand blasted afterwards, enjoy.
Sorry if my sense of humor seems a bit off, it's been a tough couple of years. Aloha, B.
Dear Barrett Horne
Sorry to hear about your misfortunes. Obvious curiosity since you hadn't mentioned - what type of work are you looking or have been looking for in what fields and city/state wise where have you been looking for it?
Ron Getty
I live here in San Francisco, I'll take anything I can do, not being picky anymore. Looking everywhere but no money to move or do much else. Rusty odd skillsets, 55 years old, situation not good.
Got anything, know anyone who does? Let me know. Aloha, B.
Dear Barrett,
First, you are assuming that we have not been through tough times; as far as my own case, that is an incorrect assumption. Secondly, the e-mail IS funny because the writer is not talking about folks like you, me, and perhaps others on this list who have experienced or are experiencing temporary challenges. The e-mail is talking about the folks who prefer to live on our tax contributions. If you say those folks do not exist, you have not been observant!
Now for your own current challenges. My own experience has been that talking to people, any and every people, telling them you are looking for a particular type of work can lead to contacts that can help you; and I hope you are using that approach as well as the formal channels.
Good luck. Hope you will find something soon.
Marcy
Hi again Barrett,
A thought just occurred to me since you said you live in San Francisco. I am familiar with the St. Francis Living Room Foundation, on 350 Golden Gate Ave. They are not a job finding organization, but they do have a social worker who assesses folks' needs. Maybe you have been there already, but if you have not, I think it might be worth a try. If you decide to go, and if you like, you can say I recommended that you drop in. The social worker's name is Pedro. They might say you are too young at 55, since they work mostly with seniors; but no harm asking.
Marcy
Thanks Marcy,
Got on the CAP and paid my rent today so I'm semi-stable for three weeks. Weather's beautiful and I got a nap, life is good. I'll check it out.
Aloha, B.
Good to hear it, Barrett! Sometimes living one day at the time is the best we can do!!
Marcy