First off I did not read all the pages, just the first page so if I am saying something taht is off track or not following the conversation I apologize. I just was reading some of hte things said and they REALLY struck home for me and would like to comment on them. And here I go.

Quote Originally Posted by Marigold2 View Post
If you are on welfare be it a week or a year or 10 years it is because for whatever reason you cannot take care of yourself finanically. Welfare helps that is what it is there for. People on welfare declare themselves unable to support themselves. Is that not correct? What other reason is there to be on welfare? You can't support yourself and you go and apply for help in food stamps and housing etc..

We need to make people more responsible for themselves, educate them so they can work and make a decent living.
One of my best friends is on food stamps and she is one of the hardest workers I know. She has 2 kids and one on the way. She is a cook at a restaurant and the reason shes on food stamps is because in this economy it is VERY hard to support a family on one income. Her fiancee works, but odd jobs because it is very hard to find jobs that keep people year around around here. I believe she wouldn't care about food stamps or assistance, but because she has children she wants them feed and clothed. I personally do not find welfare bad, only when the system is misused (which I have known a few) who purposely choose not to get a job beause they do not feel like working.

How are we supposed to educate people if they do not have the money? And what if people are responsible but they just do not have the money to go to college? Is the government supposed to pay for that also?

Quote Originally Posted by Marigold2 View Post
When I refer to people mentally unable to support themselves I speak of people who are depressed, bi-polar, vets with PTSD, people with all types of mental disorders are on welfare. Many homeless people also have mental disorders and are not on meds, even when help is available. Having a mental disorder is nothing to be ashamed of, welfare is there to help. People unable to hold jobs, cope with life because of mental illness are on welfare and yes that is what it is there for. People who suffer from depression are in deep pain and deserve help.
I am talking about those that abuse the system not those that deserve our help. I never mentioned people who lost their job. The only slackers I mentioned are those that have numorous kids with different fathers who will not or cannot support themselves. No where in my post did I bash anyone who is hardworking. I am talking about the Jerry Springer/Maury Povich crowd. And don't kid yourself they make up a huge amount of welfare people and take huge amounts of money. In these difficult times anyone of us can lose our home, or job. We are hard working, honest and deserve help.
Alright I am not trying to start a fight but i found this comment very uneducated. I have Borderline Personality disorder which is listed as a mental illness. If left untreated mental illnesses can lead to where you can not work anymore, but i think we should help educate people to get help before it gets to that point. First off, meds does NOT fix everything. When someone has a mental illness it requires therapy and sometimes therapy and meds. I believe that getting people help for their problems rather than putting them on a welfare program for food stamps and housing is more important. Whereas that is important also because people need food and a roof over their head, but they also need the help that could help them with their mental illnesses. People can not change the world but they can start in the small corners of their area.

Secondly the comment about not having people on welfare who have numerous kids with numerous fathers, did it occur that they may also have numerous mental illnesses that cause them to make the poor choices that got them into those situations so therefor they would "qualify" to be on welfare. I am just pointing out some thoughts that I had as I have been through the mental health circus for years and have met many different people in many different situations that have been on welfare and that have not. These were just my thoughts that crossed my mind due to where I have been and waht I have seen.