$475 a month challenge

[DanCa]

To everyone who thinks that I am a wellfare king I challenge you to live off four hundred and seventy five dollars a month. That's the total that I recieve from ssdi. If you think that makes me wellfare king than I challenge you to live off that, and heres a hint. I also pay rent, Dr Bills, Phone, and Food. Heres another hint about food stamps. If your disability pay goes up they take that amount out of your food stamps first. Yep I am living high on the hog on disability aren't I?

God I am tired of the way people with disabilites are treated in America. Hey I wish I could drive let alone drive a Lexus. And I'll gladly go to work if you show me an employer whose willing to hire someone whose hands and legs wont work half the time.

So I now challenge you all to live on my 475 a month, oh remember that I have to pay for rent, pills, Dr Bills and food. God I get so angry sometimes. The fundies don't want me to go to church because I want stem cell, than i gotta get grief for shopping at wallmart because I have to stretch that dollar any way I can, than I have to hear that my i am retarded because my hands shake so much that I make bad grammar mistakes, now am getting charged with being a welfare king. LOL. I guess I can't win can I?

[NMDemDist2]

1. .....

:hug:

[linazelle]

3. ditto n/t

[Libby2]

2. I'm so sorry

you're going through all of this.
I'm ashamed of my fellow human beings for making you feel like that too.
:pals:

I don't know how you survive on that amount. I truly don't.

[DanCa]

6. It's 2000s I no one survives, we just ride it out :)

I am sorry for lossing my temper the social security threads were hitting too close to home.
I guess George Bush isn't the only who doesn't care about disabled people? :)
:hug: Thanks for letting me vent I appreciate it.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

4. Who Called You A Welfare King? I Got Your Back LOL

Sorry to hear you went through that. Don't let it get to you though, you shouldn't have to ever defend your lifestyle to anyone, let along someone calling themselves a fellow liberal.

For the record, I shop at Walmart too, but refuse to let those so bitter about that bring me down. I don't need to justify myself to them, and I'll be damned if I allow anyone to give me some guilt trip for any reason ever. Don't sweat it man, and God Bless.

[babylonsister]

5. DanCa, I love you for fighting the fight!

You are an example of someone who is trying to do something, and you rock for all you do! :hug:
Don't let the bums get you down! DU loves you!

[murray hill farm]

Good rant..i like it!

It is my personal opinion that every politician...no matter what office they are running for from city mayor to president of the usa should first have to experience one prerequisite for office. That one should be that before they can run for office, they, with their families, should be made to live for one year..maybe even 6 mos would do..on welfare...and to experience what it is to live that life. Then, they could run for office. Can u even begin to imagine how that would change our country..ha!

[DanCa]

13. I for one would love to see our representives make minimum wage.

How can you represent the people if you make more than the people you represent?
No one asked me though LOl.

[murray hill farm]

15. I know!

Here we are with all these good ideas...and no one asks us..geeez! That was a good rant u had going there! Bet it felt good to do too!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. People here said that to you?

That's horrible, I'm sorry you had to experience that. You have Parkinson's? It's a terrible disease and I can only imagine how it must be to see your country turn it's back on research that could restore your quality of life.

Again, I'm sorry anyone here called you such names. It's uncalled for and you don't deserve it.

[ristruck]

8. Good Churches

My dear friend.

I am sorry that you have not been accepted by some ridiculous Fundy churches. There are lots of other good places to go. I will pray that God shows you a good church home where the Christians are real.

[DanCa]

11. Thank you my friend.

And Welcome to DU. We got lots of really good people here. I am just in a funky mood tonight.

[DanCa]

9. No one per se it was that Lexus thread that got on my nerves..

I mean I expect to be called names from the neo cons, I just thought that we were supposed to be better. Of course I live in a world where I got priest calling me a toddler killer and bishops saying that I deserve parkinsons because I want to farm embryos. Lol. Welcome to the year 2000 :D
Thanks for caring. It's rare and truly appreciated. :hug:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. I understand now

That thread was an unpleasant experience.

The truth is empathy is a rarity and not enough people have had to live through really hard times to relate. Also, some people just enjoy bashing people with less material things than they have, it gives them a false sense of greatness.

Keep your head up and just remember you're a much stronger and better person than they will ever be. :hug:

[SmokingJacket]

10. Keep kicking ass, buddy!! nt

[LynzM]

12. Hugs to you, dude.

I don't know how you do it, but I really hope you have a good support network. :hug: It's so sad the way that we (don't) care for those who most need it in this country.

[ristruck]

17. It's cool

We all have nights like that. When we are the lowest we are the closest to God's grace. The institutional church is made up of religious hypocrites but God's true Church is made up of those who know how to share His love. These religious morons were the ones that Jesus lambasted.

Do not let those evil people who do not represent the true church get to you man. Take heart, we are about to give you a victory in 2006. We will gain the House. We will get the senate and the White House in 2008. We will get things changes so that there will be better services for those who need help. We will have National Health care before the decade is over.

Prayers going out to you my friend.

[LynzM]

19. Hey ristruck

You might want to repost this as a reply to the original :)

[hobbit709]

14. Right on!

It ain't easy living on shit for money. My wife brings home about $1500/month. I do odd jobs for about $400/month. We had a housemate who was just killed in an accident, so now we don't have that part coming in anymore. Both of us are diabetics but they don't consider me disabled enough to qualify even though I can't sit or stand too long at a time. My wife is spending about $400/month on therapy, so by the time we pay the bills, groceries and dog food we don't have much left. We just hope that the cars don't break down anytime soon. As far as Walmart goes, when we go there it's upscale shopping for us-we usually hit the Dollar stores or the thrift shops. I don't remember the last time we had a real vacation. I got laid off in Feb of 2001-Thank you shrub!

[DanCa]

20. well if I had the means I wouldn't shop at 'mart either.

But until you got money you just don't have the luxury to pick and choose where you shop. There is no costco out by me and the only thrift shop in our town gives money to fundie organizations. So what am I supposed to do sit naked and starve?
Good luck on your diabetes, my neice Destiny Marie is a hemophiliac, I know it must be terrible to live with the disease. Hugs and peace to you my friend . :D hugs and peace :hug:

[hobbit709]

21. Thanks and the same hugs to you

[Thtwudbeme]

18. fuck anyone that says that to you

and tell 'em to PM me.

[Cobalt Violet]

22. I lived on SSI for a while. It was hell.

$475 a month and I couldn't afford the rent anymore.

I ended being homeless and living in a homeless shelter.

I had to give away my cats that I raised from kittens. I'll never get over that.

I had no place to put any of my stuff which had value to me. I couldn't fit everything in a backpack.

I had to realize just how little I mattered to anyone. People love to pile on the hate and kick you when your down.


This is no lifestyle choice. This was a miserable existence.

Some people haven't got a clue about this kind of hardship.

In some peoples lives the worse thing that has ever happened to them is a hangnail.

Someday they may very well be in yours or my shoes.

[DanCa]

23. Shoes

As Elvis sang, "Before you abuse, criticize, and confuse, walk a mile in my shoes."
Very nice post Cobalt, thank you for posting this. :hug:

[Cobalt Violet]

26. I was on SSI during the repuke take over of congress.

Very scary time for anyone on assistance of any kind. They are very mean people who want us all to die. That may sound extreme but I honestly believe it in my heart.

And there was no DU back then! It was terrible.

Things have gotten better for me now. I'm able to work, but getting sick is always a possibility and I can't say I'd be any better off now than I was then.


I really hope that there is a break through in medicine and that your health will improve. It can happen. :hug:

[DanCa]

28. Thanks and hang in there. I am hoping you can make it.

The disability screening process is ruthless of and for itself. I was actually asked to show the examiner how much money I had in my bank account and he wanted to know how many dollars I had in my pocket. You know having a disability is a challenge in and of itself I wish people would stop pilling on grief too it . :hug: Here's to a brighter future all around.

[Obamarama]

31. You had to show them how much you had in your POCKET????

WTF!? Did they ask you how much you had buried in jars behind your home? I can't begin to imagine what is like to go through an experience like that. I'm sorry you had to deal with such humiliation.

[DanCa]

32. I remember her exact words.

She says, "Do you have five dollars or more in your wallet?" I said, " no." She said, "Can I check to see it for our records." I was pretty hunkered off by that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. But Dan, what kind of car are you driving?

That seems to be the real litmus test today.

[DanCa]

25. I refer to my chair as my two wheel cadilac :)

Does that count? Hey if I were to lamenient my public bus card would it help me get the ladies? Nah it's the tremors, chicks dig the tremors :D

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. If you lived here,

I would drive you around.

My dad had Parkinson's. So I guess you can say I'm a sucker for a guy with the tremors. :hi:

[cssmall]

29. I don't know what's going on here, but that's what those programs are for.

You're no welfare king, may everything go to help you and if anyone dares utter a word like that to you, refer them to the statistics on abuse from the government's website.

[leftofthedial]

30. yeah, but you drive a Lexus!

I'm sorry we don't treat disabled people better in this country

hell, I'm sorry the way we treat most people in this country.

[DanCa]

33. Amen brother... A-fracking-men ! (nt)

[LeftCoast]

34. Locking

Continuation of another thread.