I just got back from the wellfare department to apply for food stamps and financial assistance ... what a nightmare. I was surrounded by people who looked like crack addicts, psychos and criminals ... and those were the employees. ARGH! Nice to know because I'm not a baby machine I don't qualify for any financial assistance. And to get my $160 a month in food stamps I have to work at their office 20 hrs a week for free or loose my benefits ... it's called the FairWork program.  Hmmm let's see 160 divided by 4 is 40 divided by 20 is 2 ... WOW, I get paid a whole $2 dollars an hour to qualify for my food stamp benefits. That's really fair!!!

WHAT THE HE(( DO I PAY TAXES FOR???

Case worker: "Mr D, please step over here. The vaseline is on the counter ... this will only hurt a little bit. Now bend over!"

yeah but my sister and her husband and 2 kids get $300 a month and neither work anywhere.........and could work.......but why....laying around on xanex (sp?) all day is much more rewarding! 

I don't know what to tell you.  You need to eat and they know it!

Don't you love this country.......

You pay taxes to support a welfare system that supports those quite capable to get a job while those that really need it get nada.....

Those already on welfare, "earn" more than getting a minimum wage job, they have no incentives to get off the system. 

Have you applied for disability, are you a veteran? Check local charities, see if they can't help you out.

Not much else that you can do....unless you spit out a kid........

Ya, isn't it funny ... because I was born in this country, because I'm male, and because I know how to use a condom, I don't matter ... Something that really struck me as funny at the Welfare office was the form to list family members and dependents. It has spaces for 30 names! 30! That totally blew my mind! And then, the person who interviews me can't even speak English properly. I almost had to ask for an interpreter to understand HER! ?!?!?

Fortunately I'm not disabled and since I can work, and want to work, I find it totally distasteful to try and get some doctor to sign me up for SSI under false pretenses. Anyone who can work should work. If you can use a computer to type e-mails and can learn how to use programs on the computer ... you are able bodied enough to find a job. If I had no legs and rolled around in a wheelchair, I would still prefer to work full time over glomming off the government. Going to the welfare department was a last resort for me and it still leaves a dirty taste in my mouth. Of course that could be the chilli I bought at Big Lots. LOL

Quote: "And to get my $160 a month in food stamps I have to work at their office 20 hrs a week for free or loose my benefits ... it's called the FairWork program.  Hmmm let's see 160 divided by 4 is 40 divided by 20 is 2 ... WOW, I get paid a whole $2 dollars an hour to qualify for my food stamp benefits. That's really fair!!!"

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Actually, food stamps and financial aid were not invented to totally support anyone..it is a temporary service, created to help those who are looking for work to not starve while they look.

You pay taxes so you can have the privilege to recieve this welfare when you run aground from time to time. 

Yep, lots of people don't deserve them that get them..the government gives it out anyway...I have thought that way a time or 2 myself when I needed help...but then I thanked my lucky stars I was in a place where I could get some help to begin with. 

Well, you're not a failure because you haven't landed a job yet, so dont think that way. Jobs are scarce all over..and I have been passed over on jobs that I knew I could do, in favor of someone else that got there first, or just flat out appealed to the company more.

If you are over 45 however, and you feel you are being discriminated against because of age, you can go to the labor board and report it.

Ya know, there are ways of finding out..maybe find a friend who is a bit younger, who has the same qualifications as you, fill out an app for a company on the same day or something...see if he gets hired..if he does and they turned you down, thats a sure indication of age discrimination and you can sue the company for whatever they are worth

Regardless, don't give up..it'll happen :)

I'm going to say this as tactfully as I can since I just had a death in the family yesterday and am FUMING over your comments regarding people on Disability who should be working.

If you as a healthy white male can not find a job at your age. Just how do you expect someone in my position with HIV, Diabetes and medical bills through the roof, to get a  job? I know of many people in my position who can do computer stuff who would LOVE to get a job, myself included. It would have to be a job that #1 wouldn't bury me in my own debt in 30 days because of lousy health coverage and #2 would even accept someone at my age with my medical conditions.

I know you're angry at your situation. I understand that. Just try not letting it hit others who really can't help you and don't deserve to be the butt of your anger. 

That's why I posted it as tactfully as I could. You may not have meant me, I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment and it struck a nerve the way you phrased it.

In reply to:

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Anyone who can work should work. If you can use a computer to type e-mails and can learn how to use programs on the computer ... you are able bodied enough to find a job.

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I can do the above, but I can't find a job I could live on. 

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Albert Einstein