Haven't dealt much with assistance programs have you, Peter? You have the stereotype down pat, but the reality escapes you. You do not replace the infrastructure of a major city all that quickly. Also while it may have been possible for people who owned their homes and had insurance to replace them by now, people who lived in apartments and rooms are most likely still pretty much out of luck. Unfortunately most folks deal with hopelessness by drinking, getting religion, or both. That hasn't changed much in the past million years or so.
Also our society seems to think the way to deal with people who are not quite self-sufficient is to put them on the street to sink or swim. Give them some food-stamps, and a run down demoralizing dangerous place to live, then blame them because they do not become prosperous happy people. An interesting thing is that my therapist says that it is now known that addictive people have an gene that causes the source of their addiction make them feel about like normal people do about sex; kind of a hard thing for someone with less than normal willpower to deal with. I give thanks, often, that I do not have that gene. Also, the assistance system, at least in the US, is set up to victimize the assisted. You are caught in catch 22. Social Security Disability at least has a way that one can gradually get off of it. All the locally administered assistance programs are all or nothing affairs. For instance if I was able to go back to work, I would immediately lose my rent, and medical assistance. That means I would have to make more than my SS + assistance to break even. And that does not include the monster $31/mo in food stamps I would lose <grin>. Also it really nifty how they help with cost of living increases. Social Security gives you a raise from $627 to $652/mo, while the cost of fuel, food, power have almost doubled. Oh well! But wait, then they cut your food stamps by $20, and your rent assistance by $8, giving you a net COL increase of ($3). It is enough in itself to drive someone to drink. It is so absurd it is actually humorous. I often tell folks that the difference between being broke and being poor is that broke is temporary. But the other day I realized that they are not the same thing at all because when I was working I was often broke. Now that I am poor I am almost never broke, I can not afford to be because there is not enough slack in my budget to make up for any overspending. I used to feel pretty much the same way you seem to, but now I have a very different perspective. Even my attitude towards those who cheat the system has changed, because the people running it like to "just say, no" to applicants. Except for food-stamps all the assistance I have receive I found out about from someone who was cheating and thus knew all the ropes, nothing has been volunteered by the people who are supposed to help. In fact, once you find out you are eligible for some program, then you have to fight tooth and nail to get it, those who won't, or can not, do that just end up on the street bumming money for another bottle of wine, or quart of beer. BTW, this comment has nothing to do with the PESO -- graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com http://webpages.charter.net/graywolf "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" ----------------------------------- P. J. Alling wrote: > I'm not going to say you're wrong, anything is possible in Louisiana, > but if anyone is still living in a tent this long after Katrina they > probably deserve it. A lot of the relief money that was handed out in > the immediate aftermath was spent on necessities such as booze, firearms > and strippers, when it was meant for food and shelter. In other words > it a choice not a necessity. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
