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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!caip!topaz!ll-xn!nike!lll-crg!lll-lcc!well!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020
From: mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Thomas J Keller)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Poor People/Lazy People
Message-ID: <919@gilbbs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Sep-86 04:05:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: gilbbs.919
Posted: Thu Sep 18 04:05:07 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Sep-86 18:18:02 EDT
References: <1010@cad.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Gil's Place, Santa Rosa CA
Lines: 72
Summary: great idea...too bad that Reagan doesn't allow it anymore

In article <1010@cad.cs.cmu.edu>, mjc@cad.cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio) writes:
> From: mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Thomas J Keller)
> >  Sure, there is work available for *MANY* (not all) who are able to work.
> >  BUT, can one earn a LIVING WAGE doing the work that is available.  In most
> >  cases, no.  According to every survey and study I have encountered, of all
> >  the "new jobs" being created by the economy MOST are minimum wage jobs.
> >  It is simply not feasible to provide for a family on minimum wage.
> 
> Fine.  Rather than not work and collect everything they need from welfare,
> why don't they take the minimum wage job and only get in aid the difference 
> between that income and what they "need" (by welfare standards)?  It's the
> lazy people who decide they don't need to work *at all* in order to receive
> enough money to live on who are ripping off the taxpayers.

   Well, gee.  What a wonderful idea.  Unfortunately, people *USED* to be able
   to do just that.  Many people in fact DID take minimum wage jobs, and 
   collect only what they needed as assistance over their pay.  Then Reagan
   was elected to the presidency.  One of his earlier actions was to do away
   with such programs, "to save money."

   Try checking out the facts next time.  This was a harmless enough piece
   of business, involving a legitimate question.  I get so sick of the idiots
   who claim that welfare recipients are living in "comfort."  I suggest that
   these self-righteous jerks just *TRY* to survive on $456/month for a single
   mother with one child.  Then I will listen to their evaluations of the 
   "comfort" welfare recipients live in.

> 
> And by the way, while it isn't possible to support a family on minimum wage,
> I do know individuals who are supporting themselves on minimum wage or
> thereabouts.
> 
> The implementation of the current welfare system leaves a lot to be desired
> (as does, probably, the system itself).  The system does little to weed out
> the lazy bums (who are probably a small fraction of welfare recipients), so
> they take advantage of it.  I'm tired of supporting cheats and bums with my
> money; I don't object to helping the genuinely poor.   (And yes, I *do*
> consider it to be *our* money, not *theirs*.  They have no right to it; they
> are merely receiving it as a gift.)

   Oddly enough, I agree that your money is yours.  What the "libertarians"
   fail to comprehend is that the very opportunity to produce wealth is a
   benefit of the society in which we live.  Therefore, it is not completely
   unreasonable that each individual return a small portion of that wealth
   to society to provide for societal needs.

   I'll tell you what, when I see the people bitching about welfare trying
   to do something constructive about $600 toilet seats, $45 nuts and bolts,
   and multi-trillion dollar SDI boondoggles, **THEN** I will pay some 
   attention to their complaints.  I say they're just using the poor as
   scapegoats, because the poor aren't in a position to fight back.
   (of course, *MANY* of the so-called "libertarians" who bitch so loudly
   about the government make nice comfy livings either directly or indirectly
   from the government they hate so much)

   I have said before, and I will say again:  I do not accept that society
   or any individual in society has the right to expect a person to devote
   their entire workday to performing functions to meet that society's or
   that individual's needs, and not pay the worker sufficiently to live with
   dignity and pride.  It is not reasonable to expect people to do your
   dirty work for you, and to live in poverty and degradation as their
   reward.  Anyone who claims otherwise is a self-serving, inconsiderate
   jack ass.

-- 

Disclaimer:  Disclaimer?  DISCLAIMER!? I don't need no stinking DISCLAIMER!!!

tom keller					"She's alive, ALIVE!"
{ihnp4, dual}!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020

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