Ferguson, MO--I Just Don't Care

Ryan Johnson said:

AngC- Thanks for sharing the other 2 posts after your original post. Ill be really honest with you, after reading your opening post I thought what a racist thing to say and what a racist person this person must be.......

I am glad you posted again as its clear that your issue is not with black people in general, just one, maybe two that has hurt you along the way.

I judged you by your original post without knowing more to the story ( not that it was any of my business , apart from what you wanted the forum to know) and I am sorry for judging you like that.

What I will say is that while we are fighting amongst ourselves , there are other Countries that are probably in the midst of planning terrible things against your Country and Mine .............

We have already seen it, in the terrible life changing moments of 911 and the Bali bombings.

How will we ever overcome these terrible People in the countries that are planning to destroy yours and mine, when we cant unite as one within our own Country to protect our own ??

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Well, thank you. But I would like to point out that I don't have raw, wounded feelings from some guy that did me wrong a long time ago. I'm in my mid-50s, so that was a long time ago. I now have a husband that used to be scared of horses that'll lay on the ground and give my scary stallion horsey-kisses; or who, when I came in today, covered with garden dirt from weeding and with a smudge of horse poop on my pants gave me a big hug and told me I was beautiful (though I'm not.)

But I am concerned that, even though I was not raised that way, I'm becoming racist and resentful. And I'm not sure when it started. Maybe 15 years ago, when I started using turbo-tax, and noticed that 28 percent of our income was federal taxes. That's like over a quarter of our money to the government. If I have to pay that much to the government, I could deal with it--if it was being spent on things that were shared by all. But when it's given to people that won't or don't want to work, I pretty much have a problem with it. Especially, when they lash out in the media and tell me/us I'm a piece and then go collect their check. I know... sometimes people can't work, like if they have a disability--(oh, by the way, I've got one of them disabilities (actually it's only 65 percent, backed up with a 30 year letter from the military)) but there were a heck of a lot of mornings when I just didn't feel like going to work 'cause I felt a smidge gimpy, and quite frankly the old bones were hurting. My husband would lift me up in the truck and away we'd go, but finally he said quit... and I did. What did that do for America? ...except remove a fairly lucrative salary from the tax base quite a few years before I would have quit

Anyway, I sidetracked. I've been thinking about the 1033 program "militarizing" the cops. Some good points were mentioned.

I still don't give a rats butt if Ferguson destructs. If that policeman is not found guilty; they'll probably burn the place down. Perhaps, I'm a pessimist. Let's give a hurrah for mob rule.

AngC I agree with what you said about the tax thing.I get REALLY upset when I am in Walmart behind someone who has a food stamp card and the cart is LOADED with junk food stuffs and there is nothing in it to make a decent meal except the T bone steaks.All the products are name brand-generic or store brand won't do.No use of coupons.Nails from the nail salon,fancy Smart phone and lots of gold jewelry and a Louis Vittuon bag.I can almost feel the steam coming out of my ears. In 99% of the cases these women are black and have at least 4 kids.I taught an adult basic education class and most of my students were young black mothers with several children and no man in the house.We did a unit on budgets.tried to convince them to use coupons(I even brought in the papers) and to use store discount cards for specials.They couldn't be bothered-said it was too much trouble.I wasn't raised to be racist, but I am 75 soon and will admit that I am becoming more racist every day.I am tired of people using the slavery issue as an excuse for bad behavior and laziness There are many fine black people who are disgusted with others of their race.Bring on the flames.

Bevann, I'm a cashier in a grocery store, in my middle 60's and see everyday what steamed you at Walmart. It makes us mad that they can buy the best cuts of meat when we look for the ones with reduced price stickers. They do spend a lot of money on soda's, chips and cakes. That's why most of them are overweight. You see very little fresh fruit or veggies. I work in a poor area and I see a lot of senior's with EBT cards. I feel sorry for them as they worked their whole lives and are reduced to public assistance.

Like the most of the Topics in this section of the forum, I strongly believe that it stems back to our "Brilliant" governments, and I use that word VERY loosely

I agree Ryan.When a person can get more by not working because there is so MUCH govt assistance where is the motive to work?The class I taught in Adult Basic Education gave me an education. The program was called Even Start a family literacy program.I taught the adults basic education towards getting a GED or high school equivalent diploma.There was another teacher for the children age 4 to school age.Lunch and snacks were provided and free transportation. Hard to get people enrolled and then even more difficult to get them to attend on a regular basis.End of year party with lots of free things and parties all during the year.Had 1 girl who finished her requirements and was ready to take the GED test which required $25.She didn't have it and we could have given it to her, but we felt it was her responsibility to get the money.Suggested she borrow it from a friend, hock some of her gold jewelry(looked like MR.T around her neck)she didn't and never took the test.My best students were 2 Hispanic ladies who got their GEDs.1 of them I used to pass walking about 2 miles to school every night.When I discovered she was in my class I picked her up and took her home 2 times a week. I

still keep in touch with her and she went on to college.The other lady works in her husband's dry wall business in the office.These Mexican ladies were not used to handouts and knew if they wanted to get ahead it was up to them.I ALSO blame our government.We pay for people to have more babies so they can get bigger government checks.Responsible people don't have more children than they can provide for.

Living on government handouts isn't limited to any specific race...I once knew someone (family) who was always down on their luck--always someone else's fault you know. They finally moved back to their home province, got back on welfare, then talked about "now that we have income...".

Now that bugged the heck out of me! Welfare isn't income--it is a hand up until you can get your act together and get a job and start earning your own keep. At least in my world. Obviously there are those who feel if they have welfare income they don't need to do anything else. Why work for a living when you can have money handed to you?

Perfectly said Minimor

Not that I think it will make much of a difference to some of the youth on welfare/benefits/dole here in Australia, but the government has just introduced "work for the dole". A required amount of job applications must be

completed monthly in order for you to receive the handout. This only applies to the "youth allowance" section under the dole (Aus equivalent to welfare) .

Now saying that I don't have very high thoughts about it.......... I work for a Hire company that produces temporary power to building and construction sites across the state of Victoria. I recently advertised for a delivery driver and the amount of youth allowance applicants that applied well outweighed other applicants... I conducted interviews over two weeks and generally asked the same standard set of questions to all applicants.

The question or the answer I should say that floored me the most was "Why are you applying to work for my company and what sets you above the other applicants that applied" ??

I kid you not I had at least 5 say the same thing - " We need to apply for jobs to receive the dole, can you sign this form to say I have applied so I can get paid before the weekend" ????

Ummmmmm NO I CAN NOT , this interview is over, I will email you if you are successful in this application or not, thanks for your time......

As you can see another great idea by the Australian government ........

Whats next ?? make the elderly work for the pension.?? may aswell, they already earn less than illegal immigrants........ And really what have our elderly done for Australia ???????????.......................... That's right, they fought to protect it, they worked their butts off to build it and they created the foundation for the country I live in .............

Ryan

Ryan--that does surprise me at all--I hear a lot of people here say the same thing--that they had to drop off x many job applications per week, they don't really want the jobs they applied for! Sad, sad, sad.

A good idea that is hopeless because people will work harder to avoid a job than they would ever have to doing one.

I've been contemplating this situation, and I still really don't care about Ferguson and all its problems. Let it burn.

CBS aired a piece a few days or so ago; they interviewed 3 young black men who threatened: “To be honest, if they don’t come and restore these neighborhoods for these people, like when you gotta go travel miles to Walmart and to get gas and stuff like that, it should be right here. If they don’t restore this community for people who stay here it’s gonna be heck to pay…" That portion was followed up by a few minutes with a former gang member who works with such young men, and he told the camera that "they" (meaning me, as a consumer, I guess) have to give young men like these jobs; then he informed the camera that these young men can do things like "paint, mow grass, some can work on furnaces, clean, vacuum, put up windows and mini blinds." Lots of kudos to the former gang member for trying to help these young guys, but come really? ...mow, paint, vacuum? Really? From what I can tell, Ferguson is a lower middle class neighborhood. Who in the immediate vicinity is hiring for vacuuming, mowing, or whatever? Not to mention, when you looked at these young men, they really weren't anyone I would let into my house. We live in a technical world, and they can mow and vacuum. If I wanted my furnace repaired, I would find a manufacturer rep., licensed, bonded etc. Not some thug-looking guy with tattoos all over that looked like the tattoos came from his gang or his last prison stay, and more than likely marked time in some government-funded program which he completed without realizing how a furnace works.

I've also been pondering the militarization of the police. Apparently, five people in Ferguson have also been pondering the problem and thus have filed a $40 million lawsuit (against some of the individual police involved and also various police departments; not too sure on the details of that part and too jaded to look online.) One guy isn't quite sure whether he fell in a sewer or a creek after the police "pounced" on him. Maybe they'll bankrupt the police department, and then they won't have to worry about those nasty police lurking about.

Yup. I still don't care about Ferguson. Maybe someone could build a fence around it. A big tall fence.

By the way, my husband's birthday is approaching. I've been 'anti-adding-more-guns' in our household, because guns cost too much; I prefer to pile our money into our house/property. But this year, he got his wish and had to pick between an AK or an AR. He's decided upon an AR. I don't know, perhaps next week, I'll be on one of those reality shows as a doomsday prepper.

oh, one last nitpick on militarization of our police.

If I were dumb enough to be a police officer, I would want full body armor, some nice weapons, an M1 Abrams, and a couple nuclear bombs. Be that as it may, one criticism I've seen in the media is a mention of "use" (or lose) regarding the 1033 program. The specific phrase that the media seems to misinterpret is that the equipment has to be placed into use before 1 year or the particular department will lose the item. And according to the media, that requirement makes police use the item. Like for example, if the police get an M16, they have 1 year to use it to ...like shoot somebody dead... or it gets taken away.

If you go to the DMIL website and read the specific terms, it does say "place into use." That means it should be placed into service; i.e., available for use, checked in and out, documented, etc. The media grabs ahold of that phrase and well, quite frankly, they get dumber than usual with it.

For sure we are living in a crazy world. Having or not having ethics is not limited to ethnicity. I think it boils down to whether the individual person has honor.

Things that go boom sure are fun! We took the husband's b-day present out to check it out. I'm kind of wondering whether I should have got him a bit more caliber. I haven't shot anything of this type since an M-16 years ago. I've been reading all the stuff on the internet about "assault weapons" written by people that aren't too terribly familiar with firearms. This thing wasn't the least bit scary. In fact, I have to say, the husband's new AR is a great "girl" gun. It's lightweight and doesn't kick much; the stock is adjustable; which for a small woman like me is a good thing. hmmm, perhaps, he might have to get something else.

errr, I guess that doesn't have much to do with the original topic.

vickie gee said:

For sure we are living in a crazy world. Having or not having ethics is not limited to ethnicity. I think it boils down to whether the individual person has honor.

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Yes indeed. OR..................................... you could just callem a conspiracy theorist and completely ignore any and all facts.

Back to the original topic.... I agree, mimimor, that living off the dole is not limited to a specific race.

But... the media presents it to me that a certain race is not only living off "welfare" but also complaining that it's not enough. That is my perception. And I'm really tired of being nickeled and dimed to death. And then being told that I am not calling somebody by their latest moniker or that basically, I pretty much suck, because I'm not providing enough just irritates me.

I spent years as a single person, without deductions, where the government took about 40-42%. Then I was married and taxes (just federal taxes) (both of us without tax write-offs) was costing over ONE-THIRD of our income. That's just federal taxes. So after a lifetime of working, I/we bought a house. That reduced our tax pay-off abit; but I was still peeved off. We can afford it; I saved all my money when I was working. So I quit. I removed my income from the tax rolls. How much is enough? How much am I supposed to pay for failed programs? tick enough of us off, and there won't be anyone paying.

I gotta' tell you; I now suck off the government teat. I encountered a bit of a disability when I was active duty. So I get a veterans disability. Shoot me--I feel like I earned it after 30 years. It's less than a single mother with 1 child earns on welfare/various programs.

I guess the people on EBT cards feel they earned it too. I guess the people with free cell phones feel that they earned the USF fee that I pay each month. A little sour grapes here--I don't feel I can afford a cell phone, so I don't have one, but I pay for other peoples.

By the way, I took my husband to Walmart once to look for a particular type of popcorn. It was hugely embarrassing; he's kind of a little guy, but he has a deep, loud voice. He hates corporate welfare-type businesses. I was glad we got out of there without him getting into a fight.

Angc, I hear 'ya. I went without a cell phone for years.

I hate to go in Walmart but I go around once a month and always try to go without my husband because he starts speaking his mind about who you see in the checkouts and what they are getting and paying with. I went in the dreaded WallyWorld today to get a cell phone cover and some screen savers for mine and picked up a few groceries while there. I had to wait 10 minutes at the checkout for someone to take stuff off their bill, transfer x amount to this card and that card. After that group of people left I was checking out when a couple behind me stepped up to tell me they liked my shirt very very much. It is a bright red t-shirt that says WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, has "her" picture in the middle (hands flailing in the air) and BENGHAZI at the bottom. I just laughed and told them it always brings interesting comments, usually from young people running the checkout and then I take the opportunity to answer whatever question their curiosity brings. Told them one time a young lady asked me "does that mean you like her?" They got a good laugh out of that. Well, the young girl at the checkout kept reading saying she "did not get it." When I left the lady of the couple was still explaining to the young lady and anyone else within earshot all about treason. I thought of Mark Levin and how he is always saying "shut up while I educate you" to his callers. I wish all the people that let the taxpayers pay their way in life would get educated about how this handout money is not growing on trees. What I look forward to in life is one day being able to pay for someone's layaway at Christmas. That someone will be somebody I can tell is working and doing everything they can to not live off the dole and just could use some help. Ok, the weekend is here and I am stepping down off my soapbox to enjoy being home and cooking the food I paid for and do some de-stressing. Hope everyone has a good weekend as well. Cheers!

vickie gee said:

... I the weekend is here and I am stepping down off my soapbox to enjoy being home and cooking the food I paid for and do some de-stressing. Hope everyone has a good weekend as well. Cheers!

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Sorry, I probably got a little too intense. I guess whether or not I pay my little smidgeon of taxes makes no never mind. I guess I probably feel guilty for not working.

We had a wonderful weekend and as a bonus found some really nice hay for our little goobers to eat this winter. I guess I need to keep my perspective. Thanks!

AngC, you were not at all too intense. Enough is enough. The middle class and lower middle class is being pushed into poverty and if someone has earned disability from the private sector or the military I say reward them instead of the diddicheckcome? bums.

I think there is an increase in America waking up. The blacks in Ferguson sounded angry that Obama "has not been doing anything for them." I am not sure what that means. I hope it does not mean automatically find a policeman guilty. I hope it means they realize nothing is being done to create jobs. I wish it meant they are getting wise to the fact that the same government that increases the check every time an unwed mom births again is the same government that is paying for and encouraging the abortion of over 50% of their race. There are more and more conservative black people emerging in politics. Of course they will be dubbed an Uncle Tom. But there is an awakening. I work with a black man that right off the bat I offended by speaking my mind about election before last. Nowadays there is hardly a day that goes by that he does want to talk politics/religion/sports/general philosophy with me. He has gone from thinking we had the anointed one leading our nation to telling me he recently read "a book" that a black person gave him that has convinced him the free world is currently being led by the anti-Christ. I told him that I certainly don't know. What I really try to point out to blacks that seek my view is that in the 1950s fatherless black homes were almost unheard of and that blacks were at the bottom of the list of people committing crimes. I tell them to ask themselves what happened?

Question--do welfare recipients there get a different form of payment to use when buying groceries and such? I just wondered, because here they get a check from the government--so they pay by the same methods we all do--there is no way I can tell where the person in line ahead of me got his money from. (which seems to me much less irritating and stressful for me!)

Yes they have the EBT (electronic benefits transfer) card which they use like a debit card but it suppose to be for food only. Some states also use TANF, I believe that can be used to get cash out of an ATM. The cards all look the same in my state, so you know when they are using an EBT.

Another problem that happens here is they will use the EBT card for groceries and then actually sell those groceries at a cheaper rate to someone they know for cash for booze, cigarettes, etc....

Here in MI you pay a 10 cent deposit on all cans, bottles. So if you buy a case of soda, you pay an extra $2.40 just for the cans. EBT holders will buy 10 cases of soda, dump it out and return the cans for $22.40.