Thursday, September 12, 2013

A matter of priorities

So one of my employees (part time) asked if I could give her a ride to the food pantry, where her husband boyfriend would meet her and take her home.  This would save them a 15 mile round trip...As it isn't too far out of my way I agreed.

I get requests for donations for this (and every other local) food pantry in the area all the time. I don't donate.

Now I really don't care if you get your food from a food pantry...But when I saw the other folks there, waiting in line for a chance to get FREE food, donated by other people and/or businesses, I actually grew angry (again).

There was not a single person in line that didn't sport at least three tattoos. Not small one either. Several were obviously new. I'm talking serious artwork, likely costing big bucks.

Not a single person didn't have a cell phone....Not a basic talk only type of cell phone, but a smartfone. Every.Single.One.

And to be truthful I didn't see a single person there who was anywhere near starving.  All of the women and most of the men looked as if they could lose 30+ pounds and still be healthy. No one was starving.

If you've got the means to have a smartfone and spend all that money on tats, then you are making the choice to have to depend on charity for sustenance.

But there are jobs going wanting around here. Part time, yeah, and not the best pay, but jobs nonethless.


ETA: this goes along with the above

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5 comments:

  1. FrankCThursday, September 12, 2013 at 4:47:00 PM CDT

    Agree with you about the people who aren't in need collecting free food. But that news article didn't dig, or dig deep enough. How many of the people they interviewed had a job but were laid off? How old, or new, are their various appliances?
    Just laid off "I know I'll sell my 5 year old washing machine." Don't think so.

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  2. DivemedicThursday, September 12, 2013 at 9:07:00 PM CDT

    At least donations to the food pantry are voluntary. What kills me is the EBT card system. I "donate" to that regardless.

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  3. ogFriday, September 13, 2013 at 6:17:00 AM CDT

    Certainly poverty doesn't mean here what it means elsewhere.

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  4. TOTWTYTRFriday, September 13, 2013 at 7:38:00 PM CDT

    We have the wealthiest poor people in the world.

    My daughter, who is very liberal, was incensed a while back because she saw a woman with an at least $200.00 acrylic nail job using her EBT card to by a shrimp ring.

    Rush Limbaugh was right when he said that the poor should be taxed at a higher rate because it would give them an incentive to work harder and make more money.

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  5. Old NFOSaturday, September 14, 2013 at 1:59:00 AM CDT

    Sigh, I'm truly not surprised by the 'entitlement' generation using and abusing the system...

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