build your beautiful self

Hi There my readers!

I apologize for the short absence. I was in the throws of getting my event together this last weekend and had little time for much else! It was definitely epic! Music was phenomenal, crowd was spectacular, weather was perfect and I am now exhausted 😉

I read an article today about the welfare reform…Touchy subject for a blog post, I know. It just got me to thinking about certain things. I am happy for the reform! At least in the context of the article I read. It states that able bodied adults without children who are not elderly will be required to work for their benefits. This is actually great to hear!

I have had my humble beginnings at life. I was raised in a blue collar family, even though my extended family was mostly comprised of white collar. My father owned his life in a sense, as he was an entrepreneur and made his own way. My mother worked for a company most of my life and has since retired. My extended family all owned businesses of one kind or another so this life has been an influence on me since I can remember.

I did have a child at a very young age however. I was young and even more emotionally young looking back on it. I was selfish and stubborn. When I found out I had a bun in the oven, I got stubborn and absolutely didn’t listen. I had no skills and hadn’t even finished high school. Needless to say, I fought with my parents about the fate of my child and what I should do with my life. I have raised myself a great guy. I kept him.

The reason this is relevant to this post, is this. At 17 I had a child. I used the system to get my child fed because I didn’t have the means or support of the father to make sure we were secure. Was I on welfare, sure was! I needed the help until I figured out what I was going to do. I had a tiny baby to feed and a big baby (kid’s biological) to take care of because neither of them were capable. The burden was on my shoulders. I got WIC, Food Stamps, Health Insurance, Cash assistance, and once I got employment, daycare assistance.

I used the money to ensure we had basic needs and boy were they basic. I didn’t have a luxurious home to go to and a fridge full of food to eat or cash to spend discretionarily. I was mortified when someone got behind me in the line at the grocery store because it was extremely embarrassing!  I got horrible health care and dental care for myself, and only marginally better for my child. It is not the “living the dream” kinda life, unless you are able to take advantage of the system, which apparently I wasn’t smart enough to do.

Soon as my son was old enough to go to daycare, only 9 weeks old, I put him in there and got myself a job making a crappy wage. It was something. I HAD TO GET OFF THE SYSTEM! I couldn’t take it! I knew I was on limited time also before they kicked me off it too! That was when they actually kicked people off of it. You HAD to find employment or else you would be on the street.

I was a user! I used it the way I should have! I got off it and struggled to make ends meet but I did it. I have not been on “the system” again! Never received another food stamp!

I lived off unemployment for a short while also. Not a great living by any means either. I didn’t collect the benefits I could have received. DIdn’t do it! I got another job! I would have ended up working a crappy job until something better came along if needed. I think that some people have too much pride or are too stubborn to work the crappy jobs that are out there for a crappy wage to make the minimum amount needed to sustain life. It is silly! But they will sit on welfare for YEARS and not be stubborn about that.

OK I am kinda ranting at this point. I just wanted to say, I am happy to hear that they are making people get off their asses and get to work! I have been there, done that, don’t plan to ever go back to that.

Cheers to reform to make our country a better place! Hope it works!