List Only - Why do people ASSume that people who are on assistance, such as food stamps and section 8 housing, are lazy?

Why do people ASSume that people who are on assistance, such as food stamps and section 8 housing, are lazy?

A lot of the people that are on those types of programs are single parents who are working hard and trying to support their families, but can't do it on their own... or are in school, etc. No, I am not on assistance, but a lot of people say that the money for these things are coming out of their pocket. Well, so is the money for the war and other things that people disagree with.. at least medical assistance, food stamps, section 8 housing, financial aid for college, etc is HELPING someone! I work and that money "comes out of my pocket" also, but you don't see my crying about it.

Public Comments

i think because if these people are actually trying really hard they could find time to do even an hour of work each week.
Honestly, 85% of people on assistance are lazy. There are some out there who seriously need the assistance and it does suck for them that so many take advantage of the system. There are people on the system who have been there for years with no effort to get off. I've seen them first hand and most people who make that assumption have also seen it first hand. Assistance should be temporary but many grew up on the system and go out as soon as they are old enough and get on the system and stay there for life and never try to better themselves. The program is good but not everyone on it is good.
Because people are irresponsible. They should not have children in the first place if they cannot afford them. One thing I happily pay for with my tax dollars are condoms.
The reason is because there are lazy people on that...ones who take advantage, and are able-minded and bodied, and could do more for themselves, but choose not to. There is someone like this in my extended family. She blames everyone else for all her problems and refuses to accept responsibility for anything, including her children (thank goodness their father is nothing like her). She's pretty sure the world should be handed to her on a platter, and doesn't like to have to fit into any kind of workplace...you mean, they make her show up and actually do her work to get paid? Shocking! People like the woman in my family give honest, hard working people who are having a hard time a bad name...but the lazy system abusers are there...be sure of that.
People assume that because most of the people who utilize the assistance are lazy.
I agree. Plus, I have needed medical assistance in the past for myself and children, but have always worked full time- I lose a chunk of my own check every pay period as well.... I put in just as much as everyone else, I see nothing wrong with using my share if I need it in a hard spot.
i'm not sure...maybe some of the people on those programs are lazy, but i know all are not! my husband was a single father for a long time before we got married, and he wound up getting on foodstamps. mind you, it took me a lot of convincing him to do so, cause i knew it would help him out a lot, but he didnt want to get the assistance from the gov't. but, it helped him and has continued to help us out. we have a large family, and we arent financially very well off. we are trying, but it will take some time, and in the meantime i am glad for all the help these programs (foodstamps for us specifically) have helped us out. my husband receives no child support or anything from the children's mom, so every little bit helps. my husband works very hard for his family, working 2 jobs, but sometimes its just not enough and you need that extra help.
Some people really do deserve the help and "money out of my pocket". But others, the ones that have 8 kids all for the welfare check, are lazy. I work my butt off for my food and housing and then they go and sleep with many men and have many kids and get more than I do. Some even get paid to live in certain homes. It's ridiculous. But for the ones that actually need it, then sure, go for help as it's the not the little baby's fault and they need to be taken care of. And if you are going to school or working your butt off and still need assistance, then so be it. That's the real reason why it's there.
Taxes have killed charity. I should have the choice to help someone, I shouldn't be forced to work for the government (which is what taxation is, forced labor) so they can fritter it away. Think of how much money could be saved if I skipped the middle man (the government) and just gave $200 a month to a needy single mother. Giving my money to someone who needs it would make me feel good, paying taxes just to fund an inefficient program for people I'll never meet does not.
We an entity like the government enables you, then most people will take advantage of the situation. I am one of those 'lazy' people. I have been laid off 3 times. Each time I used up all my benifits before going to find another job.... 6 months of support everytime I got laid off. I figured... "Hey, free money... why work?"
Because the majority of the people on the government dole are on it precisely because of bad decisions that WE the taxpayers are made to pay for. You talk about single parents like it just happens or something. What makes them single parents? Sex out-of-wedlock! In other words, irresponsible decisions! Why should we bear the burden of their bad decisions? When I make mistakes I don't expect others to pay for them. I think the only people who deserve public assistance are veterans (because they PAID their dues) and those who are truly disabled and therefore rightly deserve our charity. And I agree wholeheartedly with the poster above (sassy) who says that charity should be a voluntary decision and NOT forced upon us by the government. It worked before......and then came unconstitutional income tax laws after the turn-of-the-century.
Well, I don't mind helping people who need help, but I do know people who abuse the system--& thats what makes it hard to distinguish between the people who try & people who don't. However, I do have to say that paying for war is a good thing, b/c my husband is in the military and this pays for the equipment that saves his life.
Ignorance is one problem I think. There are so many circumstances that would cause people to question why someone was on public assistance. I think it gets a bad rap, too because you hear about so much fraud with it. People believe what they physically see, too. For example, right now, I'm on medical disability because of severe chronic depression. I'm doing better now, but there for awhile, I could not hold down a job. Now, I had to submit medical records from every hospital (there were 8), doctor, therapist, etc. that I've ever seen due to depression and they determined that I was eligible for disability. BUT, to look at me, you'd think I was "milking" the system because there is nothing physically wrong with me. People don't take the time to think and find out the truth about why.
There are many hard working people but some are surely lazy and because of these few lazy people the rest gets bad name. I use to have one tenent in the building I own. He was too lazy to work. He told the doctors that because of working 8 to 10 years in a diner his back is screwed up. Somehow the doctors agreed with him and gave him a certificate and his is on disability. He can drive and there is no problem. His brother offered him to get him into driving taxi but he is too lazy and just was money from disability dept and food stamps.
Because some people ARE just that. Lazy!!! I WAS on food stamps for almost a year after I had my son and things didn't work out with the father. However, I did what I had to do, put myself through school and got off all assistance as soon as possible. Those type of people I don't mind helping. It's the people like my husbands ex-wife, whom has 3 children, from 3 different father's, who have absolutely no desire to better themselves. Instead they want to sit at home, collect child support, and medical, and food stamps, and housing, and money allowances because they can. It's unfortunate circumstances for some, while other's take advantage of the system and then, yes, people get upset because they are working hard, while some (not all) sit around collecting the benefits.
People assume that people on assistance as lazy because it makes it easier for them to treat them with less respect. It doesn't help when there are those who abuse the system for their own gains. No one ever reports on the mom of 3 kids who's husband died after a long illness leaving a stack of bills and no money who kept her family together and used public aid while she worked the only job she could get at a gas station working nights and taking care of the kids by day and while she studied for a better future off of public aid using federal programs such as the pell grant for instance. People only hear about the fat woman with 12 kids all with different fathers who collects more in foodstamps than most of us make in a month and see her going out in designer clubs to party and dealing in drugs while we are eating tuna helper for the 4th night in a row after working 50hrs a week and following the rules. It's a hard thing. There are so many good people working hard and struggling on welfare but they get discredited because of the ones who don't even bother trying.
Maybe it is because people can't qualify for any of those programs if they were actually contributing to society. If people cannot or will not fend for themselves the law of nature dictates that they are removed from the gene pool. By supporting those who will not support themselves, we are weakening the entire human species.
Those programs help some, but they also enable others. I don't ASSume, I have known several people in both situations. The ones who truly need it, and the ones who do everything they can to stay on it and don't make an effort to better their situation. I firmly believe that more stringent guidelines are necessary regarding these social programs to stop people from abusing the system. Well, thanks for your tax dollars- they are paying for my college education (and that is all- my husband works very hard and does a wonderful job supporting his family).
I work for a W.I.C(women, infant and children) Clinic. That provides healthy food and milk during pregnancy, and after the baby is born. And I have to say that about 80% of the people in this program have some type of government assistance. And no.. they are not lazy. In fact.. In my opinion.. some of them are harder workers than other people that do not receive assistance. Until I started working at W.I.C, I did not realize that so many people work there a*s off.. and don't get paid Sh*t. Its that small percentage of lazy people who ruin it for the hard workers.. Well.. to freaking bad.. I pay my taxes.. and boy.. am I glad that at least my money is going to help people.. instead of politics, or war, or something stupid.