Re: your defense of several persons that does include me~ I had parents who were much older and they lost all the money that they had - quite a lot for the 1970 and 1980's by the time they died. It went for medical - the 30 year policy with Blue Cross kicked them out when my mother had one heart attack which did not even send her to the hospital. Then the buisness they sold was owner financed and dad had to repo it and work again at 70. They did have a lot of expenses and mom was not able to have some wonderful things you can do now with heart problems. Dad had a brain tumor and was in a nursing home. The help (much smaller in that time) was not there as he had a few dollars in the bank. UMM it all went when by the time they died. And 250,000 in the bank and homes and cars paid for in 1970 was a lot back then. I will not go into more but I have seen it from all sides. I am now disabled and am in section 8 housing. Am I a grungy do nothing. I worked all the time I was able. The bit I had went in the last stockmarket bit - I needed to cash in when it was tanked. Thanks for some person remembering that there are some of us in wheel chairs or walkers who are not on food stamps but do need help and did not take all the time they were able to work. And if my typos are not all fixed toooooo bad I type very badly with post polio and do try to find them prior to posting. Oh I would be glad to take a urine test as the drugs do not help PPS. Nor do I like them. I just want stem cell research. I need new motor neurons! Quinta
What strikes me most significantly is how people who've never been poor, disabled or otherwise challenged can make such broad, sweeping, self-satisfying judgment calls about such things they know nothing about. It seems that so many people that call themselves "Christian" have no problem at all determining which people don't live up to their particular standards, and therefore do not qualify to be part of the human race. (I.E. the complete antithesis of everything J.C. 'son o God' was said to teach.) Rather than empathize with the grungy unpleasant-looking people begging for change at the intersection, it is too easy for many to assume that these people actually choose to live that way, But... I don't think ONE of us would be willing to actually walk in those same shoes, because without what we have (social, material, financial) - it is impossible to imagine the nightmare of attaining a decent standard of living after having lost all of the above. And there's a whole lot wrong with a society that believes in equal rights, but "just for those that deserve it". In this system - ONE strike and you're essentially OUT. Loose your credit rating - get into a little trouble with the law - loose your spotless employment record and THEN see how easy it is to get back on top of the heap. So - for those who - in the name of financial expediency, pontificate ignoring and further disenfranchisement of those who don't follow all the rules - there should be a special place in hell waiting for them. (But 'm an atheist - so I guess karma will suffice).
