Ready. Aim. Fire.

I. am. not. politically. correct. PERIOD.

I have little to no tolerance for those who will not help themselves. PERIOD.

Do not confuse this statement for "those who can not help themselves."

There is a difference. A HUGE difference.

This morning a woman (fifty something), her daughter (thirty something) and granddaughter, came into my office. The smell was.....well....not good. As my grandmother always said....."soap is cheap", definately alot cheaper than the cigarettes they were smoking to help attain the nice aroma.

The woman was in front of me complaining about how nobody would pay for their bill, which was over a year old and we have NEVER hassled her about paying. She was irate that no one else, not the father-in-law, not the government, not a life insurance company that they had failed to pay their premiums to.....nobody would pay it.

My insides were tightening, the hair on the back of my neck began to stand up, and my heart began to race.

Attitude is everything. EVERYTHING. And hers sucked!

We have written off more than our share of bills. There isn't one person that works here that doesn't realize that death is unpredictable, and most people aren't prepared. For people already essentially living paycheck to paycheck, there generally isn't any left at the end of the month for a funeral bill. I mean, afterall, what are we going to do? Dig the person up? Not hardly.

Some people just do not have it to give, others send in $5-10 a month. But is the awareness. The acknowledgement. And the TRY!

There is a level of respect reserved for those who want to do the right thing, but are not able. There is an honor in trying.....

For me, however, there is NO honor in sitting back on a well-able backside bitching because NO ONE else will step up to the plate. PERIOD. And it was obvious that she certainly wasn't going to.

When the thirty-something daughter, marched her three year old angel faced daughter up to me pushed her towards my desk and says...llike a parent bragging on their child....."She is three. She has had seziures. We had DFS declare her disabled. (AND I QUOTE) She gets a check every month!"

I wanted to grab that little girl and run. What type of life do you have being introduced to the world as ".........disabled.....she gets a check every month now!." As if the pride comes not from the person she is and will grow to be, but yet from the fact that, at 3, "she gets a check now."

My voice and my words barely stayed in check as I continued to offer our help and services to these people.

"These people" are the people who make me question the system. "These people" are the people who make me support (go ahead and throw stones) some Republican policies. There is something to be said about being accountable for yourself, whether willingly, or forcefully. I am not unaware of the flaws in the system or the party. I do not support/or not support someone because of the political party they are affiliated with.....but their standpoints. And many times, I find that I, *gasp* agree with the elephants.

I feel thesystem is in place to help those who really trully need it, and yet those who need it, often times the elderly, do not get it because of capable individuals who refuse to do for themselves. These are the *people* I refer to. I have worked in the medical field, in banking and now in the funeral home industry and have seen "these people", in all of these occupations. My experiences have shown me that often times the people who need the help the worst are the last to ask for it....... It has also made me skeptical of the people who walk throught the door with their hand already out.

I have worked for, as my husband has, everything we have. Nothing has been given to us. We are no strangers to hard work. As cheesy as it sounds, it is our heritage. It is how we were raised and it is how we will raise our children. If you are able to work...... you do.

I do know that my world is a little different than the city life I read about in other blogs. I have a deep respect for Jen at "droolstreet", although I am generally a silent lurker there, I am inspired by her stories and I silently cheer her on with her quest to eradicate homelessness and the entrapments of poverty.

So where do I fit in? Am I somewhere in the middle. Can you straddle the fence, so to speak? It is rural here......am I so far removed from reality that I can't see the hand in front of my face? Maybe I am just a country girl that is too naive to "get it".

Enlighten me. (and let the stone throwing begin)

Comments

Becky said…
Throw stones? No way! I am throwing roses to you. Trash is trash. There have always been people like those you described who have never known an honest days work, yet expect everyone else to provide for them. I think there is at least one in every family! While I am not sure what to do with these people, I agree that they are just a drain on the rest of us. Our tax dollars at work!
Girlplustwo said…
ahhh..well..you know i am going to have a bit of an opinion - (thank you, by the way, for your kind words)

i think more than anything, it's very easy to see the person who is acting like a jerk and let that define the issue. I like to think about it in terms of the root causes - poverty, lack of affordable housing, health care, child care, and that some are so beaten down they are forced to find a lot of ways unstomach-able to me (is that even a word?) to survive their lives.

And it's a shame that that happens, because I think it takes our focus off of the real issues and makes it easier to tolerate the crisis of domestic poverty. I've had many moments thinking "why the hell i am even doing this" over the years when faced with this sort of thing, but in the end, I try and go back to how I'd like to see our communities thrive and start again.

good post, friend.
Bobby The C said…
You;ll get no stones thrown at you from this Democrat. I agree. I do not believe inm continuing a problem. I think most people think Democrats feel that way when in reality, we don't. I want and will continue to support policy that helps those down on their luck and those who cannot help themselves. Will a few of these nogoodnicks slip by in the system? Yes they will, but ask yourself, are you willing to risk not helping just because there are people who take advantange of "the system?" There will always be those jerks who use their kids, use their own afflictions and just downright cheat the system. We still need to be there for those who cannot.

We who live near the big cities see it quite regularly. However, I also see those that the system helps and changes their life.

I hate it when my taxes go up, but I would rather pay more and possibly help people than pay more for some idiot to send kids off to fight an unjust made up war.

Timber, I agree with you, I just want you to know where I am coming from too.
Amy said…
I have seen it in both worlds, the city and the rural life style. And let me tell you that just because one is called "white trash" and the other is called "beat down by the system" they are the same people. People to LAZY to get up and help themselves.

I too, Timber, align myself with the Republican party. I feel that they want Americans to get up and work as opposed to sit at home and wait for a hand out.

Since when did this country and its citizens start to believe that you can get something for nothing? Why shouldn't those that have the ability to work have to work for a living?

Why do Americans think that they are "to good" to dig ditches, roof houses, lay bricks, pick up trash, work on chicken and hog farms, etc.?

I grew up in a place where hard work defined the character of a person. You were proud to work, at any job, and you NEVER took a hand out. It sickens me that people are allowed to sit on their ass and recive a check from the government for doing nothing.

People like to think it is a political problem and that government officials should fight about ways to fix. Well let me tell you it is not a political problem! It is a moral problem. We has Americans have become tolerant of this type of behavior. We no longer want to speak up and do the right thing for fear of one of these liberal, politically correct, jackasses trying to make us appear unamerican for questioning why hand outs are given.

I am not opposed to helping those that truly need help. I know some very proud people who should seek government assistantce but will not.

I am strongly opposed to continuing a system that allows the loudest person screaming to decide what is best for this nation.

My question is when are Americans going to take back America?
The Sour Kraut said…
I, of course, agree with TMS- and I agree with Exambo to an extent.

I think we should all-blue and red-choose the moral choice of helping those who can't help themselves. Isn't that God's teaching? There will always be those who take advangage of the system. Shame on them. However, I believe that most people are honest and good.

I think this idea of not wanting to work hard for a living is not a political idea, it's a cultural idea in today's society. This generation is the first one that hasn't seen really hard times. They think it is their Gog-given right to have what they want and attain it by any means possible. Again, shame on them.

We have every conveniece at our fingertips, we are constantly told by the media and people like Oprah (and I like Oprah) that we should be happy at all costs. She always sends the message that personal happiness comes before the happiness in our relationships. I completely disagree. It's that selfish attitude that is ruining marriages. But I digress...

Political correctness is a gray area for me. While I think it's necessary not to offend others, I see the US losing it's identity. Our nation is young and it's ideals may not stand the test of time.

I'm getting more and more frightened by the division of the political parties. It's easy to generalize what they stand for. I don't ever recall hearing someone being called unAmerican for questioning "handouts" but I have heard countless times people being called unAmerican for questioning why we're involved in Iraq. I agree with TMS...we were deceived by our current administration as to why we got involved in the first place. We aren't over there because of the terrorists. We didn't take action on them when we had the chance. We are there because of money and self-interests. I can't get riled up about individuals asking for things they don't deserve but sit quiet about our President involving a whole nation in something unscrupulous at the cost of thousands and thousands of human lives.

That is the real crime happening today.
Bobby The C said…
I also have to believe that if Jesus, God, or whatever prophet or higher power you believe in would have you "help the least of these." Opinions are just that, they are of the moment. I would ask that you sit and in the quiet of your heart not pass judgement on a situation you do not live, have not lived and by the grace of Allah, God or whomever will never live. It is easy to say get up and work when we (I did too)were brought up that way. We were not objectified, harassed or whatever. I am irritated and sometimes truly pissed off about hand-outs for those who expect them, but not irritated enough to forget those who do need them.
Bobby The C said…
I hope everyone reading my comments here understands I am addressing the rhetorical "you." I love discussions like these and hope I have not offended anyone personally.
The Sour Kraut said…
Way to fire us all up! What's next...religion?
The Sour Kraut said…
TMS and I are worried that we mad either you or your readers mad. Please forgive us if we did so.
Kim said…
TMS and TSK.....no I am definately not mad. I value everyones opinion whether I agree with them or not. It is what makes this country rgat and everyone unique.

I love all the comments and am glad that so many people commented.

I am just sitting back thinking about the next controversial subject to bring up...maybe I will take your suggestion and talk about religion...

Wait, I think I have already done that. What else????? Any more ideas?
Kim said…
I obviously can't spell....

translation: rgat = great.
The Sour Kraut said…
KF-

Will you take on a challenge with me? I would feel more secure by having a blog pal along for the ride.

Through OTJ I found crazy hip blog mamas. I joined up. I want you to join also. Let's see if we can...

1 - blog weekly (about our kids)

2- increase our traffic

Are you with me??

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