One thing that should not be cut from the Stimulus Plan: Food Stamps Increase

[Dis]

How about I just "turn the other check" when you have no heat, or when the tacky little mechanic leaves the oil plug out of your car engine or maybe when you have no groceries because there are none to be had after your little world collapses.

How about you do that, since you don't actually know a thing about me, or how I live? How about I STOP doing things like funding an entire Christmas (and yes, I mean tree, decorations, lights, food, gifts) for some family I don't even know every year, because you want to take MORE of my money, and just increase this, or that, because you don't feel people are getting enough freebiies already?

I will say those little emergencies are what savings accounts are for, however.. How do you get those, you might ask? By NOT spending on stupid so-called "necessities" like cell phones, big screen TVs, and what have you, until you actually have the *cash* to pay for them even if it's 10 years after the "masses" have them.

Just as a little aside: People are more inclined to give to others, once people stop taking from them.

 

[AllieBaba]

I've lived the life he's talking about. You know how you fix it? YOu fix the things in your life, one at a time, that have led you down that road.

If you can't get a decent job, you go back to school. It's tough, but no tougher than not being able to rub two pennies together AND not improving your lot. Or you start looking for a different job. Or you cut out garbage, cable, and eating out (I've done all those things). Or you take a look at your priorities...are you in the gutter because you're not putting your family first, and are, instead, attached to a love interest that is draining you dry? Or maybe you're spending too much on alcohol and pot to pay for a decent mechanic?

I know that every choice is a bad choice for someone who is so far down they just can't seem to break out of the water...but that's when they need to re-assess their lives and take action. ACtion is NOT expecting the government to give you a happy pill and make everything better. Action is taking the bull by the horns, making some decisions for yourself and finding a way to pull yourself up.

Foodstamps will NOT cure the world. Neither will medical for all. They are stopgaps meant to help out people until those people can support themselves. They aren't meant to take the place of self sufficiency.

Likewise, crap jobs are where people start out. They aren't where they stay. You do your time, then you get out and move up and let some other loser get his or her start where you were.

 

[AllieBaba]

Since when is "health care" part of the definition of supporting yourself?

You really have a lot of delusions about what we're "entitled" to and what is just "privilege".

You aren't "entitled" to any of those things. YOu are entitled to the opportunity to EARN them.

What were you? Hit in the head with a shovel?

Health Care is practically needed in today's day and age with the high medical costs for even the most simple of operations. If you don't have health care and get sick, you're fucked.

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

 

[KittenKoder]

Since when is "health care" part of the definition of supporting yourself?

You really have a lot of delusions about what we're "entitled" to and what is just "privilege".

You aren't "entitled" to any of those things. YOu are entitled to the opportunity to EARN them.

What were you? Hit in the head with a shovel?

Health Care is practically needed in today's day and age with the high medical costs for even the most simple of operations. If you don't have health care and get sick, you're fucked.

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

Hell, I HAVE health care myself and I still don't go most of the time (only when I need to). The primary reason health care is so expensive is because people swallowed the con that they NEED it. In spite of a few problems I have I am very healthy, so are most patients that the doctors get. Hypochondria is now our worst illness ... and the medical professions are cashing in on it at the expense of everyone. The worst thing is that it doesn't help the economy in any way. Food stamps do help the economy, and it is something people actually do NEED because of being excessively modernized.

 

[Againsheila]

Federal minimum wage is $6.55/hour. I live in Oregon, where we have that higher min wage you think is a cureall, and we, along with other idiot states, lead the nation in unemployment and inflation, thank you very much.

I don't know why your son's Pell Grant didn't cover his expenses. I'd be looking into his expenses. Of course a Pell needs to be supplemented with other grants, scholarships, workstudy and loans as one moves forward with one's education.

I know how expensive school is, thanks. And min wage jobs have NEVER supported anyone in style. The point is, you use them until you are able to make your way up. It isn't like, "Oh goody, I got this crappy job...I can just stop here and everything will fall into place..." which seems to be the way you want it.

Sorry, isn't going to happen. Minimum wage jobs are crappy jobs that support no one in style. They aren't supposed to, and they never will. They are the reason your kid is in school....he's SUPPOSED to want something better.

Since when is a roof over your head, food in your stomach, health care, transportation, clothes and utilities being supported "in style"?

BTW, there are a lot of people working those jobs that for whatever reason, well never get better jobs. I have a friend that's worked as a maid for many years. She has tourette's and has never collected a dime of help from anybody. Her employer just gave her a month off without pay due to her tourettes...yeah, like it's gonna get better if she doesn't eat for a month.

Minimum wage jobs need to pay a living wage in the richest country in the world and everything should go up from there.

I find it funny that those arguing the most against raising the minimum wage had a much higher spending power when they were getting minimum wage but don't want the same for those people on minimum wage today.

We didn't have a much higher spending power. We simply did without. A bus pass was something like $2.25 a week which was $9 a month for transportation vs. a car, and insurance. We didn't stop on the way home and pick up a bucket of chicken and a bottle of soda - we went home and made soup and sandwiches, or mac & cheese and hotdogs.. We didn't "need" Nike's, or Tommy Hilfiger, or what have you - whatever was on sale at K-Mart worked just fine. Health care? Didn't have it. Had to deal with OTC remedies for everything - a cold went away in about 10 days - same as if you haul off to the doctor and get a $30 bottle of antibiotics. No computer, no cell phone, small black & white TV, and no "occasional nights of entertainment out".

When is the last time you met someone on minimum wage?

 

[Againsheila]

Since when is "health care" part of the definition of supporting yourself?

You really have a lot of delusions about what we're "entitled" to and what is just "privilege".

You aren't "entitled" to any of those things. YOu are entitled to the opportunity to EARN them.

What were you? Hit in the head with a shovel?

Health Care is practically needed in today's day and age with the high medical costs for even the most simple of operations. If you don't have health care and get sick, you're fucked.

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

Did it ever occur to you that you didn't go to the doctor for those things BECAUSE your mother was a nurse? And I'm betting you did go to a dentist for a toothache, because an abscessed tooth is a serious thing and can cause death and your mother, being a nurse, would know that. Warning, sarcastic remark coming.....Unless of course, she just wanted to get rid of you.

BTW, I don't go to the doctor for a cold unless it lasts more than a week and comes with a fever, and I have health insurance.

Anybody who is working should be EARNING a living wage.

Do you really believe those bank CEOs, EARNED $18 million bonuses?

 

[Dis]

Since when is a roof over your head, food in your stomach, health care, transportation, clothes and utilities being supported "in style"?

BTW, there are a lot of people working those jobs that for whatever reason, well never get better jobs. I have a friend that's worked as a maid for many years. She has tourette's and has never collected a dime of help from anybody. Her employer just gave her a month off without pay due to her tourettes...yeah, like it's gonna get better if she doesn't eat for a month.

Minimum wage jobs need to pay a living wage in the richest country in the world and everything should go up from there.

I find it funny that those arguing the most against raising the minimum wage had a much higher spending power when they were getting minimum wage but don't want the same for those people on minimum wage today.

We didn't have a much higher spending power. We simply did without. A bus pass was something like $2.25 a week which was $9 a month for transportation vs. a car, and insurance. We didn't stop on the way home and pick up a bucket of chicken and a bottle of soda - we went home and made soup and sandwiches, or mac & cheese and hotdogs.. We didn't "need" Nike's, or Tommy Hilfiger, or what have you - whatever was on sale at K-Mart worked just fine. Health care? Didn't have it. Had to deal with OTC remedies for everything - a cold went away in about 10 days - same as if you haul off to the doctor and get a $30 bottle of antibiotics. No computer, no cell phone, small black & white TV, and no "occasional nights of entertainment out".

When is the last time you met someone on minimum wage?

One of my employees as a matter of fact.. She works full time, and goes to school part time, while sharing an apartment with another girl.

Why do you ask?

 

[Againsheila]

How about I just "turn the other check" when you have no heat, or when the tacky little mechanic leaves the oil plug out of your car engine or maybe when you have no groceries because there are none to be had after your little world collapses.

How about you do that, since you don't actually know a thing about me, or how I live? How about I STOP doing things like funding an entire Christmas (and yes, I mean tree, decorations, lights, food, gifts) for some family I don't even know every year, because you want to take MORE of my money, and just increase this, or that, because you don't feel people are getting enough freebiies already?

I will say those little emergencies are what savings accounts are for, however.. How do you get those, you might ask? By NOT spending on stupid so-called "necessities" like cell phones, big screen TVs, and what have you, until you actually have the *cash* to pay for them even if it's 10 years after the "masses" have them.

Just as a little aside: People are more inclined to give to others, once people stop taking from them.

I know a lot of people working minimum wage and near minimum wage jobs and NONE of them have a big screen tv. Heck, I don't even have a big screen TV.

 

[dilloduck]

What were you? Hit in the head with a shovel?

Health Care is practically needed in today's day and age with the high medical costs for even the most simple of operations. If you don't have health care and get sick, you're fucked.

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

Did it ever occur to you that you didn't go to the doctor for those things BECAUSE your mother was a nurse? And I'm betting you did go to a dentist for a toothache, because an abscessed tooth is a serious thing and can cause death and your mother, being a nurse, would know that. Warning, sarcastic remark coming.....Unless of course, she just wanted to get rid of you.

BTW, I don't go to the doctor for a cold unless it lasts more than a week and comes with a fever, and I have health insurance.

Anybody who is working should be EARNING a living wage.

Do you really believe those bank CEOs, EARNED $18 million bonuses?

If you can get someone to pay you $18 million, you earned it. Simple as that.

 

[Modbert]

One of my employees as a matter of fact.. She works full time, and goes to school part time, while sharing an apartment with another girl.

Why do you ask?

How dare she! Sharing an apartment! She should fight just like you and Allie and live by herself in your whacky financials!

Oh wait, sharing an apartment saves money because jobs these days for teenagers can't afford to pay just the bills without someone going into debt.

 

[AllieBaba]

? Are you serious?
I worked at minimum wage not very long ago. I'm one of those people who couldn't support her family on it.

Know what I did? I worked at it until I was able to get something better then I moved the fuck on. I worked to find something better..I went out and put out my applications and resumes. I went to many interviews where it didn't pan out. And I have ALWAYS been able to achieve my goal of moving up.

Do you know how many sad sacks I have spoken to over the years who, like you, insist it "can't be done" and therefore refuse to try?

Those sad sacks are 30-year waitresses, 20 year "oil change technicians" and drug and alcohol addicts. They buy the hype that assholes feed them day and night, that they don't have to DO anything, that they CAN'T do anything, that they aren't CAPABLE of doing anything, and their failures are all somebody else's fault.

 

[Modbert]

If you can get someone to pay you $18 million, you earned it. Simple as that.

Not true, don't think A-Rod has earned his contract with the Yankees thus far.

 

[Dis]

One of my employees as a matter of fact.. She works full time, and goes to school part time, while sharing an apartment with another girl.

Why do you ask?

How dare she! Sharing an apartment! She should fight just like you and Allie and live by herself in your whacky financials!

Oh wait, sharing an apartment saves money because jobs these days for teenagers can't afford to pay just the bills without someone going into debt.

What are you yammering on about? AS asked if I actually KNOW anyone on minimum wage.. Not only do I know someone making minimum wage, she's making it *work*. She hasn't missed 10 minutes of work since she started over a year ago. She doesn't come up with petty excuses for this or that, she goes to school, turns in her assignments on time, *doesn't* join her other friends in their weekend bar parties, and eats an awful lot of Lean Cuisine, because it often goes on sale 5 for $10 (which is a cheap $2.00 a meal).

 

[Againsheila]

We didn't have a much higher spending power. We simply did without. A bus pass was something like $2.25 a week which was $9 a month for transportation vs. a car, and insurance. We didn't stop on the way home and pick up a bucket of chicken and a bottle of soda - we went home and made soup and sandwiches, or mac & cheese and hotdogs.. We didn't "need" Nike's, or Tommy Hilfiger, or what have you - whatever was on sale at K-Mart worked just fine. Health care? Didn't have it. Had to deal with OTC remedies for everything - a cold went away in about 10 days - same as if you haul off to the doctor and get a $30 bottle of antibiotics. No computer, no cell phone, small black & white TV, and no "occasional nights of entertainment out".

When is the last time you met someone on minimum wage?

One of my employees as a matter of fact.. She works full time, and goes to school part time, while sharing an apartment with another girl.

Why do you ask?

Of course, you pay your employee minimum wage...what was I thinking? That you would actually pay a decent wage to all your employees? Silly me. Tell me, does she have a big screen TV?

BTW, How old are you? Even when I was making minimum wage, a bus pass was nearly $30 a month, now they are closer to $100.00.

 

[dilloduck]

If you can get someone to pay you $18 million, you earned it. Simple as that.

Not true, don't think A-Rod has earned his contract with the Yankees thus far.

He is getting paid isn't he ? Your value in this economy is totally dependent on getting someone else to pay you. If you can get paid, you earned it.

 

[Dis]

When is the last time you met someone on minimum wage?

One of my employees as a matter of fact.. She works full time, and goes to school part time, while sharing an apartment with another girl.

Why do you ask?

Of course, you pay your employee minimum wage...what was I thinking? That you would actually pay a decent wage to all your employees? Silly me. Tell me, does she have a big screen TV?

BTW, How old are you? Even when I was making minimum wage, a bus pass was nearly $30 a month, now they are closer to $100.00.

Yeah, well, the cheapest apartment by you is also $700 a month. We already discussed living in a place that forces you to live beyond your means, but you ducked out of that conversation.

Incidently, the company I work for sets the payscale for my employees; not me..

 

[AllieBaba]

What were you? Hit in the head with a shovel?

Health Care is practically needed in today's day and age with the high medical costs for even the most simple of operations. If you don't have health care and get sick, you're fucked.

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

Did it ever occur to you that you didn't go to the doctor for those things BECAUSE your mother was a nurse? And I'm betting you did go to a dentist for a toothache, because an abscessed tooth is a serious thing and can cause death and your mother, being a nurse, would know that. Warning, sarcastic remark coming.....Unless of course, she just wanted to get rid of you.

BTW, I don't go to the doctor for a cold unless it lasts more than a week and comes with a fever, and I have health insurance.

Anybody who is working should be EARNING a living wage.

Do you really believe those bank CEOs, EARNED $18 million bonuses?

No, I didn't go to the doctor because my mother couldn't damn well afford it. And she was a nurse. As a nurse she didn't make enough to get me braces, or to take care of throat and ear infections.

And it was the same with my friends. My best friend had a throat abcess because she had a bad sore throat that wasn't treated...but people didn't just run to the doctor every time they felt a little "iffy" like we do today. As a baby I had a perforated ear drum. My brother lived with abcessed teeth for MONTHS before she took him into the dentist to have them treated. By the time he was treated he was sick, and the pressure from the abcess was so great it sprayed the dentist when he performed the root canal.

Without anasthesia, btw.

When we pay our own doctor bills, believe me, people go to the doctor much less frequently. And that's what EVERYONE used to do.

I'm 44...I just got braces. I've needed them for 35 years. But nobody in my family felt like the gubment should buy them for me.

And a "living" wage is paying rent and food for ONE person. And the quality of the housing and the food is neglible, as anyone who has actually worked for a living and kept their eye on the ball will tell you.

 

[AllieBaba]

A "living wage" for a family of 5 would not be what a single minimum wage job brings...therefore, someone with 5 kids should be looking for something else or improving their lot through schooling.

And don't have those kids until you can damn well pay for them to live at the level you want them to live at. If you do, don't piss and moan because you don't make enough. The choice was yours, you made it, either live with it or do what you have to to improve it.

 

[KittenKoder]

If you can get someone to pay you $18 million, you earned it. Simple as that.

I have to agree with that statement. The only reason the wealthy are getting paid for doing almost nothing is because the laborers aren't fighting it at all. Instead of going after those who pay them too little they are whining to the government to do more. If all the laborers who make our lives tolerable took a week off the country would fall into chaos, but instead of showing that they just whine about not being paid enough. Increasing wages doesn't help them or anyone else, but if they showed some more backbone and stood up to those who write their checks then they would have no choice but to take pay cuts so they could pay the laborers more.

 

[Againsheila]

This is the mentality of the white-handed, soft bellied ding dongs raised in a culture which refuses to let people see the dirty underside of life.

"Practically needed"?

WTF is that? I'm PRACTICALLY the Queen of the Fucking World. I'm PRACTICALLY a supermodel.

Health care has always been expensive and hard to obtain. You think it's bad now, when I was a kid, we didn't go to the dentist for toothaches, colds, or anything other than severe fevers that lasted a long period of time. And my mom was a nurse. It just wasn't done. You know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE AND NOBODY HAD INSURANCE.

Now at least healthcare is available....we didn't even have any reduced cost clinics or anything like that where I grew up. They weren't even common, except in the big cities. Now they're everywhere. Sliding scale clinics, charity programs at hospitals. And the poor have no problemo at all qualifying for medical for their kids. It's the people in the middle..the ones who make $14/hour, who are just over the allowable income standard, but who don't make quite enough to pay that $500/month premium for health coverage, who are screwed.

And when you have a medical issue and you have to pay for it...too fucking bad. Yeah, it sucks, but there you have it. It sucks to be poor. Set some goals and pull yourself up instead of waiting for Big Brother to give you those braces.

You're also fucked if the engine from a jet falls from the sky and hits you in the head, or you're rear-ended by a semi truck and decapitated. You're fucked if your plumbing freezes. You're fucked if an ice storm takes out your electricity. You're fucked if a serial killer happens to focus on your home for a night of fun.

That doesn't mean it's my job to wrap you in bubble wrap and put you on the shelf, and spoon feed you Gerber's rice pap and wipe your fucking butt. Take care of yourself, loser.

Did it ever occur to you that you didn't go to the doctor for those things BECAUSE your mother was a nurse? And I'm betting you did go to a dentist for a toothache, because an abscessed tooth is a serious thing and can cause death and your mother, being a nurse, would know that. Warning, sarcastic remark coming.....Unless of course, she just wanted to get rid of you.

BTW, I don't go to the doctor for a cold unless it lasts more than a week and comes with a fever, and I have health insurance.

Anybody who is working should be EARNING a living wage.

Do you really believe those bank CEOs, EARNED $18 million bonuses?

No, I didn't go to the doctor because my mother couldn't damn well afford it. And she was a nurse. As a nurse she didn't make enough to get me braces, or to take care of throat and ear infections.

And it was the same with my friends. My best friend had a throat abcess because she had a bad sore throat that wasn't treated...but people didn't just run to the doctor every time they felt a little "iffy" like we do today. As a baby I had a perforated ear drum. My brother lived with abcessed teeth for MONTHS before she took him into the dentist to have them treated. By the time he was treated he was sick, and the pressure from the abcess was so great it sprayed the dentist when he performed the root canal.

Without anasthesia, btw.

When we pay our own doctor bills, believe me, people go to the doctor much less frequently. And that's what EVERYONE used to do.

I'm 44...I just got braces. I've needed them for 35 years. But nobody in my family felt like the gubment should buy them for me.

And a "living" wage is paying rent and food for ONE person. And the quality of the housing and the food is neglible, as anyone who has actually worked for a living and kept their eye on the ball will tell you.

Congrats on your braces, I'm 53 and never had them in spite of a birth defect in my mouth which would require both surgery and braces to repair. When I had a tooth broken as a child, it was pulled rather than fixed, and yes, it was a permanent tooth.

Your mother was an idiot to put her child in such danger, most dentists, especially back then would have taken payments. I would think a nurse would know better. Heck, I'm not a nurse and I know better. If you really want to compare who was poorer as a child, the first time I had a dress that didn't belong to someone else first was when I was in 4th grade, my mom bought 3 dresses for $5. and one of them was ugly, but I had to wear it.

If we had a livable minimum wage, people would need the "gubment" to help them. Why do you believe we should be subsidizing businesses who don't pay their employees enough to live on, and that's what it amounts to when they don't get paid enough to survive.