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I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Shizzy, can I take a stab at the reason behind the laugh? Smokey is laughing because, yes it was not the employee's idea to do this to people. It was a direct result of decisions made by the county board of supervisors, and these decisions to "crack down on fraud" were highly popular at the time. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. When times were good, we demeaned those who were on public assistance. When the economy goes in the toilet, and WE the voters might need some help, the laugh is on us. We voted these cynical heartless vultures onto the board of supervisors, and they've perched there for more than fifteen years. Now that the true effects of their decisions are becoming known, the worker at the welfare office is laughing. She saw it coming. It's a shadenfreude laugh, filled with bitterness and irony, a sad commentary on what we've done to ourselves in America.— January 9, 2010 11:53 p.m.
Jerry Don't Surf
Pistol, that's exactly right. Anyone who is cheering for yet another Chargers stadium ought to be pulled out into the rip currents and left to drown.— January 9, 2010 11:48 p.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
"Girlfrend", do you work for the county by any chance? Genuine fraud ought to be resisted, but I'd far rather see a few undeserving get a few hundred bucks than to see a LOT of genuinely needy people automatically denied because they can't jump through all the hoops that have been put up by self-righteous "public servants". That you would snidely imply that I'm somehow a welfare cheat, or was denied services, proves that you are deeply ignorant.— January 9, 2010 11:47 p.m.
San Diegans Leading Push for AIG Full Disclosure
Aguirre continues to do real public service for our country. No wonder he's been so vilified by the corrupt elite. I still like Mike!— January 9, 2010 11:16 p.m.
Dirty, Suspicious
Jay, that was a very generous comment. It's good to see an old hand helping out and giving advice to the newbie. As I wrote before, journalism is a hard way to make a living. Yet it is essential to a properly functioning democracy. It's interesting that you describe how the police decide who is or is not a "legitimate" reporter. I guess this means that an average person who is just curious about a case can suck eggs. Carolyn shows promise. Most of all, she's willing to stop, get out of her car, approach a police officer, and ask questions. Some of these San Diego cops could automatically get agressive, demand identification, and treat the questioner as a criminal suspect. So if Carolyn has the knack of getting paranoid cops to actually talk to her, she's already made a good start. An experienced editor can help her take care of the rest. She's fortunate to have you, Jay, give her the advice she needs to do better in the future. Best, fred— January 9, 2010 11:13 p.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Apple reveals the attitude of the County employees toward their "clients": All those who apply for the services they've PAID FOR IN TAXES must be "grateful, respectful & humble for the services we provide." See? You can get the help you need. But you must grovel first. Don't you dare be proud, or think that maybe you deserve some respect from those whose job it is to process the paperwork, but instead act as if they are your superiors. It's not a benefit you've paid for. Nope. It's a "service" provided by these generous public employees who condescend to help you, even though you are worthless scum who should be living on the street. Grovel. Beg. Shut up. Do as you're told. If we don't like you, we can make your life miserable. This is the problem. The County of San Diego, by deliberate policy, treats all those who use the system as potential fraudsters to be detected and denied, rather than as citizens who have been put out of work by forces beyond their control. In the eyes of the county, nobody is worthy of assistance. In their eyes, this is a gift generously bestowed on the unworthy. Few seem to remember that in the late '90s the County put a lot of effort into "rooting out fraud". There were over the top stories about how everyone abused the system, and the politically popular reaction was to make it as difficult as humanly possible to actually receive benefits. The focus was turned from finding ways to help people to finding ways to deny people benefits. Now that the economic system has tanked, due in large part to the same hyper-wealthy elites who scorn those who actually work for a living, the average person who encounters the system finds that they are treated with contempt instead of compassion. This is the real problem. Government is happy to collect taxes at the point of a gun while you are working, claiming it's for your own good. But just you try to collect on those promises. Better get on your knees and beg, be "grateful, respectful & humble for the services we provide."— January 9, 2010 11:06 p.m.
Dirty, Suspicious
I agree with Jay. Carolyn's got guts (and the constitution, something about the first amendment maybe?) to walk up and ask questions. Plus, the information about how they identify "suspicious" cars is interesting. Following up might have taken several hours of leg work, calls, frustration, and still resulted in nothing. It would have been nice, but I don't really expect polished journalism from stringers. Give Carolyn a break. She's giving it a try. According to a recent jobs survey, being a reporter is one of the worst jobs in America. You can see why. Lot's of work, often quite unpleasant, for a pittance in pay, which leads to everyone with a laptop telling you how much you suck. I couldn't do it. Best, Fred— January 8, 2010 9:41 p.m.
Hobnobbing at the Hob Nob
I've met more Dems than Reps who say they abhor the Reader. I have a Reader sticker on my laptop, and while helping San Diego Democratic campaigns in 2008 I repeatedly was told off for that. They said things like, "How could you support such a fascist rag!" This is because the publisher is a staunch Catholic who donates to pro-life causes. They completely ignore the indisputable fact that there is little in the Reader that is right wing at all. On the contrary, I'd say it's content is leftish or even libertarian (sometimes libertine). So when someone just makes a blanket condemnation of the Reader, I roll my eyes and dismiss whatever else they say...they're neither well-informed nor well-read.— January 8, 2010 5:58 a.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Ghd1234, you are hilarious! Thanks for the laugh. The way you parody a semi-literate "gubmunt werker" who can't handle criticism is just spot on. ...oh wait.— January 7, 2010 10:04 p.m.
I never thought I'd become a welfare queen
Our local government is bending over backwards to give away hundreds of millions of dollars to football teams, baseball teams, hotel moguls, over-paid city staffers, and expensive consultants... But when it comes to mothers and children at risk, they have nothing but contempt. Primarily this is a result of having a county board of supervisors that has made specific policies to thwart the poor at every step. It's not an accident. It's intentional. When they stop people like you from getting what you deserve, they brag to their republican friends about how frugal they are. The unemployment situation is unlikely to improve much this year, so you and your husband will be stuck with unwelcome free time. Please use it to get involved, volunteer on a campaign for one of the candidates running against the incumbent supervisors. Ron Roberts is especially vulnerable this year, and judging from your writing you live in his district. Spending just a few hours a week calling voters, stuffing envelopes, and helping around the campaign office (they would probably welcome your toddler) can make an enormous difference. With a new board of supervisors, San Diego could change its priorities, and start putting residents in need ahead of sports moguls when it comes to spending public money. A final thought: You have NOTHING to be ashamed of. All those years you and your husband worked you PAID for these benefits. It's not a "gift" from the government, it's them paying off what they promised when they took your tax money in the first place. Hold your head high.— January 6, 2010 11:48 p.m.