Friday's Odds and Ends

A recent news report shows that in many states across the country inmates in state or federal prisons are receiving unemployment compensation. In Arizona, it was reported that $1.1 million was paid to prisoners in the last two years. In one case in Los Angeles, it was reported that an inmate’s two girlfriends allegedly cashed $20,000 in checks over a year and a half—then the inmate and other gang members used the money in jail.

I saw this covered on ABC Nightly News earlier this week and thought it was the most absurd story of government-agency inefficiency. That only lasted until I read a comment in the Talking Points feature in the Sunday Dallas Morning News. (I was a bit late in catching up with my weekend paper.)

A woman in Michigan was collecting $200 a month in food stamps after winning a $1 million state lottery jackpot. Her reasoning "I feel that it's OK because I have no income and I have bills to pay. I have two houses."

To their credit, the state agency has suspended her benefits, but that is little consolation to the people who were really in need who didn't get help because she thought she was entitled to her food stamps.

These two stories illustrate just one of the problems with assistance programs. Ideally they would help only those who need help, but that doesn't always happen. There are too many programs and too few people to oversee those programs to catch instances of fraud and misuse and put a stop to them. That makes it so easy for people to tap into the cash cow and to hell with the rest of the folks.


Something in a more positive vein that I read this week is a comment by former first lady Barbara Bush. She was asked about the current GOP campaign and this was her response, "I think it's been the worst campaign I've ever seen in my life... I hate that people think compromise is a dirty word. It's not a dirty word."

Amen, amen.

Whats Wrong With This Picture?

A friend sent this message the other day and it really resonated with me.  I have edited the letter some to hide identities and for space constraints.

I'm so angry with the government in this country.  Not newly angered just still, and for more reasons.  My good friends and neighbors have both been unemployed for months now.  Both have lots of experience in retail, warehousing, etc, but so do thousands of others in the same boat.  What worries me is that I'm slowly watching them lose everything, and I know my friend is despondent, depressed and frightened.  She told me yesterday that she dreams of suicide. She's so not that person. She's me...the kind who sees the glass half-full and finds humor in everything...but something has stolen that person and left behind an empty shell.

Her biggest fear is becoming homeless. Her husband just received his last 1/2 of unemployment, which in itself creates a struggle, but now he's done.  There is no way they can live on $268 a week when they have a $575 rental, car payment and utilities...not to mention food. They haven't paid their rent this month, which incurs a $50 late fee as additional punishment when they are already down and out.

Two days ago, they stood in a long line at the senior citizen center to get free food.  I've been giving them what I can, have paid their electric bill once, and also we've bought things from them.  But that's sad too... I've watched their recliners be taken back, their washer and dryer disappear, and I know their Internet, which has become a priority because of all the resumes they send out daily, is eventually going to go.

Then I watch the news and hear about 6000 + earmarks  (6,714 earmarks worth $8.3 billion) ....ridiculous expenditures for a Nikita Khrushchev hiking trail, billions to study idiotic crap that can wait until America is healed, and I want to vomit.

I don't know where to turn to help my friends.  They are both depressed, have given up, and I fear for them both.

It's Christmas.  Isn't this supposed to be about family, love and celebrating goodness?  I fear it's lost on some of us this year. How can we celebrate when our friends are slowing drowning and Congress is more interested in waging their own little wars against the opposite party.

 Unfortunately this scenario is probably playing out across the country, and to solve the budget deficits local, state, and federal governments are trying to cut from the bottom instead of cutting from the top. Why is is always the little guy that has to suffer the most?

If you are interested Here is a link to more information about the earmarks and what they are costing.