http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419387/postsI had to go to the laundromat to dry some larger items. Figured I'd drop my items off and return in 40 minutes, after some light grocery shopping.
There was a woman there with 3 young children (6, 4, & 2 yrs. I'd guess). She was doing more laundry than any human being I'd ever seen; every flat surface in that place and every basket had a least a foot of clothing on it. She was very nice, asking her kids to move, so I could get around in there. I put my things in the dryer and left, returning later.
My stuff wasn't dry yet, so we started to talk. Turns out she was doing ALL the clothing they owned. Bottom line is this:
Husband lost his job as a landscaper (but paid by the boss as an independent contractor). No unemployment check.
They were subsisting on her disability check of $ 655. I forgot to mention that she clearly had something physically wrong with her. I didn't want to ask but it appeared to me that she had MS, we had a family friend with it years ago.
They were staying at a local hotel (all 5 in a room) and that's the reason for holding off on laundry; the onsite machines charged about 3 X the laundromat. So how were they getting by without clean clothes? On Fridays, the local secondhand store has Free Fridays where they put out things they want to move...free for the taking. In other words, for her 2 school age kids to wear clean clothes to school they were wearing clean donations.
The hotel costs $ 675 a month. Utah passed some sort of tax this past year that goes into effect when you are in a hotel longer than 28 days (becoming official Utah residents, I think) the hotel has to pay a tax, which they pass on, of course. Evidently these folks came up here from AZ looking for work.
A decent car pulled up and a man came out. It was her husband. By now I'm nosy, of course. (In case you're wondering, I had to put 4 more quarters in the dryer for 40 more minutes. Those comforters are murder to dry.) I could hear them talking amongst themselves about what time they had to return the car. Evidently they borrowed it from someone just for this laundry trip. While the husband was looking for work, the fuel pump on their own car went bad. He got a bus ride home, leaving the car off the street for more than 24 hours and St. George PD not only ticketed but towed the car! I know these cities need money but geez.....
The funny thing about this lady is she wasn't complaining at all. She didn't have an attitude about the gov't owes her this or that. She just folded and folded and told me things as I asked about them. But, she wasn't sure where they would be able to find work, as in which state.
Her husband, in the meantime, had taken some of the finished laundry back to the hotel, evidently. When he returned for the next load he opened up a subway sandwich...one of the small ones. I don't know what the size is, 6"? All I know is my 23 year old son could eat 3 of those in 5 minutes flat. And he split it with her! This is at dinner time, right after the Rose Bowl..'bout 6:00 here. I was like WTF, is this dinner?
When my stuff was done I told her I brought too many quarters and to take them in case she ran short. All I had left from my own brief shopping trip was $ 20 and I handed it to her. She protested, saying "but you're out of work, too" but I said I don't have 3 little kids that are depending on me. She tried to hand it back saying "He doesn't want us accepting any help." I said, then stick it in your bra and don't tell him. I got in my car and came home.
Now....I'd like Mr. Obama to tell me WHEN THE HELL IS HE GOING TO WORRY ABOUT JOBS? Especially for people like this family.
And how the hell does he justify ANY kind of AMNESTY even being considered when there are families like this around who want NO handouts but a job???
----
Interesting encounter. Could be a scam, but if it is the fact she pulls it off in part by working and apparently coordinating a pretty bare-bones and demanding life would be unique.
There are certainly people in this world living exactly the life she presents. And they are the ones for whom welfare was originally intended to help. You know the old line, “A hand up, not a hand out.”
Could be she does laundry for the neighborhood to help make ends meet and has found a way to supplement her income with her hard luck story.
I am a very generous person, just ask my wife who cringes anytime I tip or encounter someone down on their luck. In this case I would take her at face value and give what I could. If it's a scam the money won't make a big difference to me. If not, she certainly needs it as badly as I do.
4 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 4:33:27 AM by jwparkerjr
It's not Obama's job to provide or make jobs.
BUT (I rush to add before I'm lynched)...
It IS his job to make conditions such that businesses can grow.
His bailout put billions of dollars where it can help out his little dem pals, and big businesses that give big donations.
As for giving aid to those businesses which actually create jobs for folks like this?
The answer is, that "liberal compassion" we've always been told about. They are for altering society, and who cares how many bodies pile up?
5 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 4:35:23 AM by Darkwolf377 (Bostonian conservative, atheist prolifer)
Thanks gang, but I did what nearly every freeper here would have done. So no credit necessary or even desired.
What’s bothering me so much is, as far as I can tell, this family didn’t do this to themselves. Not some single mom spitting out kids she can’t afford. Certainly not a welfare family. Kids were well-behaved, polite, and helpful to their mom, I noticed.
I did ask her about approaching the church (nearly all are LDS here) but they were unable to help her at this time. I imagine they are overwhelmed with requests. The newspaper is begging for contributions to the food banks. There are also a lot of illegals here, so that isn’t helping things. The Mormons are very generous, so I’m figuring if they say “no” it’s because they have nothing to give right now. I did tell her to call the local Catholic church on Monday; most folks don’t realize there is one here in S. Utah, but there is. Like the Mormons, the Catholic church won’t require membership in order to help someone.
I guess it was startling a bit. It’s one thing to read these cold statistics in the paper, but quite another to see it in front of you.
These are scary times.
And Obama has pissed away 1/4 of his term, leaving people like this out to dry. While bailing out investment banks so they can pay their bonuses.
And I’m getting mad.
7 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 4:42:36 AM by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
Yeah, Ohio is “home” to me but I live here in St. George now. But I’m going to move in a couple months to Texas so I can be closer to family and find a job. We’re getting inundated here with people from AZ and NV. And yes, the amigos need to head home. It’s bad enough that they are draining our state gov’t of services (food stamps, medical) but now they are ripping the charitable safety net as well. The Mormons have a very well organized and supported safety net that is open to all. But now, even they are scrambling.
Utah had, I believe the largest percentage leap in food stamp use, the last time I heard the stats...a couple weeks ago.
14 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:06:53 AM by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
Speaking of kids...there are govt programs that help feed young children...
http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/aboutwic/and at least in some states, the children get free medical care. If these folks are not aware of these programs...well, nobody on disability can be unaware of them.
16 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:19:16 AM by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (STOP the Tyrananny State.)
The Catholic Church around here (Delaware) now has almost all of their services in Spanish and is full of illegals.
21 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:37:17 AM by AUH2O Repub ( SPalin/Hunter 2012)
I don’t like the idea that the husband doesn’t want “any help” with 3 kids to support. It sounds like these folks would be eligible for some aid, welfare, food stamps, etc. They should apply for that aid immediately, they can always drop off when they find work. I also wonder if they don’t have any family that can help them out. I too don’t like to ask for help, but that attitude can also be prideful.
It was nice of you to be kind to them. And of course you are right about Obama’s uselessness. As for amnesty, well, if the Dems want to turn a disaster into a catastrophe in 2010, I say bring it on.
30 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 6:37:14 AM by jocon307
These are probably people who vote for Democrats and support Obama. I have a niece who has hardly anything tried to tell me how great it will be once we get health care for all and they can get out of their terrible plan. Or a brother who just got his hours cut by 1/3 all the while telling me how the stimulus is working. These people can’t comprehend it’s the government that causes these problems.
While I understand your sympathy, your money would have been better used supporting conservative candidates who can build jobs.
32 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 6:59:10 AM by HarleyD
Government checks make people passive - and non-conservative congressmen planned it that way.
36 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 7:06:56 AM by donna (3rd largest workforce in the world: UK National Health Service (Chinese Army is #1))
He’s better off without the unemployment insurance.
The only way you can collect on Unemployment Insurance is if you are unemployed and then you can only receive it if you are trying to go back to work as an employee. You pay far more into the system than you ever gt back, except for those who refuse to work as employees for their employers and keep losing their jobs.
First rule of thumb, rely first on God’s Providence, then always work as diligently as possible for Him as a good steward. Too many people think they are helping out by creating false systems of hope, diverting the attention of the needy away from freedom to bondage to a counterfeit system of provision.
42 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 7:18:19 AM by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
Just another day in Obamaville. I wonder who they voted for?
43 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 7:18:37 AM by RC one
How about the rest of the Democrats? When are they going to start to consider people like these and stop tinkering with the junk they are trying to pass, stuff like this health insurance bill and cap and trade?
That is not what they were sent there. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we vote them out in 2010 and 2012?
53 posted on Saturday, January 02, 2010 7:57:02 AM by maxwellsmart_agent
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