eye95
Well-known member
When I first joined the AF (as the sole support of my wife and infant daughter), I was eligible for food stamps. We refused them and were able to pay rent and buy food as well as all other necessities. Of course, that meant we had to forgo some niceties. We had a 7" B&W portable, drove a $300 rattletrap, used a cheap picnic table for a dining room table, rented stick furniture from the complex, bought generic food, abstained from the night life, etc.
We scraped and scrimped, but we made it. Without government help.
A few years later, when my daughter entered school, we we eligible for reduced-price meals for her. We kept her well-fed, thank you very much, and again refused this gratuitous government handout. The school was quite upset with us. By our refusal, we reduced the number of "poor" people attending the school, thereby reducing the size of their federal handout.
What a mindset we have built in this country! We have no idea what "poor" really is. We have no idea how to fix what people now call "poor."
We scraped and scrimped, but we made it. Without government help.
A few years later, when my daughter entered school, we we eligible for reduced-price meals for her. We kept her well-fed, thank you very much, and again refused this gratuitous government handout. The school was quite upset with us. By our refusal, we reduced the number of "poor" people attending the school, thereby reducing the size of their federal handout.
What a mindset we have built in this country! We have no idea what "poor" really is. We have no idea how to fix what people now call "poor."