How do people here in NYC, on welfare of EVERY type, still afford…?
…the ability to go out to the movies, buy name brand glasses, have an iPhone (and even give their kids an iPhone bc we all know what a great example that is), go clubbing, have parties..and even have extra money to buy cigarettes (a pack a day) and alcohol?
I wouldn’t say this is limited to NYC, at all, but I’m just curious. I have run into TONS of people here like this. I work at a hospital. I am currently conduction my rotations in The Bronx. Yes, I know it’s not the ideal place. But I cannot help but to notice that almost EVERY single person is on Medicaid…half of them can’t speak a lick of English…and others are popping out their 4th-7th kid. I enter their room and they are on their iPhones…putting on their gawdy jewelry, etc. They even have time to take a break outside to smoke. Some are in there because they were smoking and drinking too much. They have nicer clothes than me..designer clothes.
How do you do this while you’re on welfare? I went to undergraduate school with a lady who was on her 4th kid. She didn’t work AT ALL. Had an apt., food, baby diapers, child care..everything…AND she was ALWAYS going out to the movies, shopping for Coogi, eating out and taking her kids to eat out….how do you even beat the system like that? Craziness……….
Fifth–they already are. I was born here, my Dad did 20 in the Navy. I was homeless at 17.couldn’t get ANY type of medical care at ALL. Now you can call me one angry taxpayer.
Filed under: Designer Baby Clothes
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Let’s see their rent is covered by Section 8, heating bill by LIHEAP, food bill by Food Stamps and WIC, daycare is paid and medical insurance paid (and with no deductibles and low co-pays). All the essentials are paid for. So any money you do acqure can be used for luxuries.
Years ago I worked at Foot Locker. The 3rd was the day all the welfare recipients got paid. We used to dread working the 3rd, and we saw the same people in every month replacing their one month old shoes.
Nicholas Kristoff wrote a column on this phenomenon just a few days ago:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/opinion/23kristof.html
I’m sort of split, part of it I think probably has to do with the irresponsibility of what one might call the socially poor — those who are poor because they didn’t study in school, stole things, what have you. But I think we also have to remember that in many cases, it’s all these people have. They go back to a slum. So they’ll dress well on the street because it’s how you get status in a slum community. No SUV’s, no McMansions.
The other thing is I’ve come to believe that people need a certain amount of this, that it’s a powerful drive in human nature. And you have that whether you are rich or poor. We expect that the poor will live "virtuous" lives without any entertainment or possessions. But we don’t live that way ourselves, and we couldn’t live that way.
You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until all these illegal aliens are entitled to more health care than people who are Americans and have worked all their life.