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Economic Values

Reflections: On welfare (the poor are people, too)

Our welfare system is the modern day equivalent of slavery! Thats right. Think about it. When slaves were unloaded at the docks no one cared if families were broken up. They were a cash crop. When the slaves were sold and started building there families. The master would sometimes punish the slave by selling off family members. This is really how women became the heads of household. And it follows us right up to present day.

Today 51% of all head of households in this country are women. Welfare or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) encourages this. TANF recipients have for the most part always been women with their children. Why is this? Is it because if a man is in the household it is assumed that he should be able to find work? I don't know.

What I do know is that when they go to apply for help it is like they are on that slave ship being whipped through the doors. Whipped to the next step. Sign in! (Whip) Sit Down! (Whip) Wait! (Whip). Come back tomorrow at 8:30. (Whip). The next day it is back in line, sit and wait. Although this time they are able to speak with a case worker. In a little cubical with no privacy. The case worker in the next cubical can hear everything about you. As you can hear about anyone else being interviewed around you.

The questions come next. When was your last job? (Whip) Why haven't you been able to find a job? (Whip) How many children do you have? (Whip) What are there ages?(Whip) Do they attend school? (Whip). The questions are endless. Do you have any money? (Whip) And then the case worker says. Do you receive child support? (Whip) Then they say.. Well if you do receive child support we will take that as payment towards your assistance. If you don't receive child support you will have to sign this document allowing the state to go after the children's father for support. (Whip) Oh, no the child support received by the state will not go to you it will go to the state for repayment of the assistance we give you. (Whip) If you do not sign the paper we will not be able to help you. Oh you have 1 child if in 30 days you are approved you will receive $443. a month in assistance. (Whip) We will allow you to work and make up to $1000.00 please make sure that you let us know any changes in your income within 30 days. (Whip). No also in order to receive the assistance you must go over and apply to the work program if you miss any of your appointments your assistance will be discontinued immediately. (Whip).

Once you have applied for assistance you are on the slave ship. There are no excuses here. The whipping come faster..spirit is broken quickly here. Because the poor need to be kept in their place. We can't afford to let them organize, we can't let them be proud, we need to control them so that they can't change the way the game is played.

Learn more about this author, Sopher Forbes.
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Reflections: On welfare (the poor are people, too)

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