<comment removed> I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and views and I am not writing to put anybody down or attack anyone…but im sorry to put a blanket statement of “you can afford cigarettes, booze, drugs etc then you don't need welfare or food stamps'..” I do believe is wrong, reason being yes there are a lot of people who abuse the system I wouldn’t say the majority but a lot of people and yes those people who are abusing it do ruin it for the people who really need it.
With that being said though me and my partner are on welfare currently because we have been informed recently that the disability checks he was getting was actually welfare checks they are classed as the same thing…my partner has a mental disability something he was diagnosed with at 16 something completely out of his control because of it he has been in and out of the hospital, unable to work or complete any schooling or really do anything for himself until 2 yrs ago when they finally got his medication correct. At that point he was classed as being perfectly capable of sustaining himself…with no high school education, not training or work experience nothing….fair right…no… Now he wants to have a job…he can’t though because he has no education or work experience no one will hire him (and trust me we have tried), so next education sounds pretty easy…not he was on a waiting list he applied 2 yrs ago to re attend school to get his high school the earliest he will get in is January which is closer now but wasn’t then. Meanwhile assistance will give him $600 a month to live, that’s rent, utilities, food, clothes everything there is not a dime more…with that kind of money you have to live with someone…so he does…Me…and when we became common law he was cut why because I work (on medical leave at the moment though)…I work a minimum wage job where I can barely afford to live on my own yet I’m supposed to take on an extra mouth and shell over the $1000 a month he needs to pay for his meds…not happening….so in order for him to keep is medical benefits i had to sign up which for a family of 2 his check would be $1200 a month to live on which is bad except I have to disclose my income and the more I make the more they deduct from his money…last month we got $292 and my rent is $713…that doesn’t include utilities or food and I’ve been off work for a month now without a dime to my name, I had to borrow to pay my rent I have disconnection notices up the ass coming in… we defiantly don’t live the life of luxury as a matter of fact we do without a lot of things…heck a lot of things people need we do without…
And at the end of this my partner is a smoker…a man that smokes a pack a day why?
He was 14 when his mom bought him a pack…yes he could have said no then…now it’s too late… he wants to quit he has tried every method out there that his doctor will allow for him to quit…it makes him vomit if he doesn’t get a smoke…his insides feel like they are being ripped out of him if he doesn’t get his smoke, Something he can’t just deal with because he is required to actively look for a job (which he does) and actively attend a training course for his disability (which he does) if he is not doing these things he loses his check…even worse he loses his medical coverage
Now again I’m going to say people are entitled to their own opinion and I’m not saying any of this to bash anyone…but to put a blanket judgment like that is just wrong…
everyone needs to realize taking the majority and making statements based on the majority actually hurts everyone even the people who are in need...so walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you start to comment, criticize, accuse or judge you’d be surprised what you might learn