Now This Really Bothers Me...

[neonsport]

There's a local charity here that raises money all year long to buy Christmas presents for needy children. Parents are then allowed to get a form with choices for presents, have it approved by DHS, and the forms are then forwarded to the charity. The presents range in age and price, with the most expensive being a bicycle. Apparently, they buy many (if not all) of these gifts at Wal-Mart.

Yesterday was the first day of gift distribution, and I happened to drive by the church where it was happening just as a mother was carrying a bicycle to her car. It made me feel good, knowing that her child would be having a nice Christmas, and remembering how I'd felt when I got my first bike. That good feeling lasted about exactly 24 hours.

As it turns out, a large number of the recipients of the bicycles made a beeline to Wal-Mart. It was described by people who were there as looking like a train of brand new bicycles and other gifts, waiting in a line that snaked away from the return counter. These supposedly caring parents of needy children were cashing in the presents they'd requested, and buying other things with the refunds. Not things for the children, but clothes and shoes for themselves, cigarettes, whatever.

The woman who heads the program was called to tell her of the problem, and she went to Wal-Mart to see for herself. Sure enough, it was as bad as she feared. She took out a notebook and started taking down names. When one of the bicycle recipients asked what she was doing, she said that if they were returning the gifts they'd requested, their children obviously didn't need them, and next year their applications would be automatically rejected. One woman physically attacked her.

I could understand returning something if it was the wrong size or color, to exchange it for another gift for the child. Asking for charity for your child just to cash it in for your own gain is just unforgivable to me. There has never been a time that I would have wanted anything for myself so long as my son had a good Christmas.

[Mac]

what the hell is wrong with these people?

[neonsport]

We live in a crass, materialistic world. People in general don't care about their kids, and the kids don't care about anybody, period. There's a general lack of parenting going on, and it's getting old.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[takza]

Bread and circuses as before the fall of the Roman empire? Guess how these people will cope when and if we get a deep recession. But they are encouraged to borrow and spend...just like the govt does.

[MootsMan]

In the event of a deep recession, guess who will be paying for all the give-a-ways even more than we already are !! Think about the effects of Hurricane Katrina. And don't misunderstand me on this, because a LOT of people who are hard-working citizens suffered terrible loss from that disaster, but think back to the "entitlement mentality" that was so obviously on display. It was ugly and disheartening. If this country faces a major crisis, either natural disaster or man-made, anarchy is not that far away.

Segments of the population have become WAY too dependent on government and charitable organizations, they have no work ethic or respect for anyone.
Something has to change for the long-term good of the country, but unfortunately I don't see anything on the political horizon that will take us in the right direction.

[shonuffisthemaster]

This is a bit of a long winded rant, but here goes. When I was a teenager I worked at Tom Thumb (a Midwest convenience store) and I would see people come in all the time with 3 or 4 dirty, unhealthy looking kids, buy some white bread and junk food of some kind on food stamps, then spend $50 cash on lottery tickets and cigarettes.

Their kids were also hooked on sugar and caffeine, often times from close to birth (I saw mothers put soda in there baby’s bottles, feed them candy, etc.) and then they would yell at their kids when they grew older and would throw tantrums when they were denied candy.

I grew up on Government assistance and rummage sale cloths in a low income area, but my parents had some great common sense when it came to parenting. They were very frugal, bought organic and bulk food form the co-op (I think there was only one back then) didn’t allow us to eat junk food or even pre-packaged food. Didn’t smoke or drink, were patient with us and rarely, if ever, lost their temper, NEVER hit us / etc.. As a result we grew up healthy, and repeatedly teachers / friends would be shocked to learn how little traditional “disciplineâ€

[takza]

A lot of the abuse comes from the top...as in TRICKLE DOWN. There is a lot of profit to be made by corporations in the penny, nickel...dime area and on up to big chunks of cash.

* food...only recently did "they" decide to pull the junk food and vending machines out of schools. Most processed food is refined carbs...sugars...oils. Add some monosodium glutamate and some other flavorings and you've got yourself some addicted eating and profit machines.

* health care....LOL...poorly tested drugs...lack of preventative care...poor food...big profits

* energy...look at the mpg averages for cars in Europe and Japan? No real alternative energy programs. Biofuels degrading the environment and raising food prices. Subsidized oil companies write foreign policy.

* armaments industry...US spends more on so called "defense" than the rest of the world?

* media...owned by the above corps for the most part

* financials....wall street...home mortgages...credit cards...coming back to bite...hard. The brunt of the damage...after the profits are taken...is eventually borne by the avg citizen.

* govt...owned by the above corps for the most part

* election system...controlled by moneyed interests and media

* so we have dumbed down people being continually "indoctrinated" by corp/govt controlled media and SOLD food...drugs...stocks...politics...war...entertainment.

But they ARE free to choose?

But are they really?

Yea. A lot of people have no moral compass...but where is there an example of any in the US? Hard to find? The US has rotted from the top down.

[Snax]

I believe that the right thing to do is give people one really good chance to make something of a situation or royally screw up. Obviously, the outcome determines what if any future help they get from me! Which is what brought me to owning a third car again and not having to sell the Tercel - Because we repo'd the car from the young lady who lost her license, didn't pay the insurance, nor get her GED like she promised. So now she walks. (It's going to take a huge swing in determination for us to want to help her again in any way.)