So You Think People on Welfare Shouldn't Own Cell Phones?

repost from: http://www.blogher.com/so-you-think-people-welfare-shouldnt-own-cellphones

As you see by the title of my blog page, yes, yes I am a welfare mother. There is a misconception that all people on welfare are lazy, drug addicted, uneducated, dregs of society. Well I am here to tell you that misconception needs to be changed. The simple facts of the matter are that many people like me on welfare are single working moms.
I make no excuses for the choices I have made, like being in love with a drug addict, or that I played a role in my own demise from a bright future. I have made a lot of irresponsible choices along the way to this somewhat happy stage of my forty-something life. Choices that led me to be on and off of welfare for the last 18 years. I have also worked or been in college for those last 18 years. I work at a job that pays me $11.00 dollars an hour, and I have benefits; benefits that I cannot afford. According to the poverty guidelines our state has set for welfare recipients I still qualify for full coverage Medi-cal and food stamps. I have two children that are on my welfare case. Not ten...
The thing that got me writing this blog was, believe it or not, Facebook. I was Facebooking it on break from my job, and I ran across a status that an old high school friend had posted. Something to the effect that she was irritated that someone getting their medication from the pharmacy she works at with Medi-cal benefits had a cell phone with better apps than hers. Well, of course I was reading this on MY cellphone. She went on to say that people on welfare had no business owning cellphones.This really got me thinking  how whitebread that statement was. Whitebread is a term I will frequently use for people I view as conservative.

So I had to post a comment back. It basically said that I was sorry she felt that way and that she must feel that way about me, because I too received assistance and worked. I went on to say that my cell phone is my only phone, and that I had commented via my facebook application. Well, if that did not ignite a firestorm. I will admit that throughout the morning I checked for any notifications regarding her status. She went on to comment later that, it was ok if I had a cellphone, OUCH, just not people who abuse the system. Like I needed her approval  to have my cellphone -- Cricket didn't even do a credit check!
During the day I kept track of comments left, and the women who did respond all agreed with her. The last person to respond commented that she had just left a Von's grocery store and was in line behind a woman with a multicolored weave and a Juicy Couture track suit, with Rockstar nails and Coach shoes and a Gucci bag. This lady in front of her was complaining about the size of the cereal box she was getting. according to the commentator, with her "foodstamp card thingy". She went on to say that she and her husband who are school teachers work very hard and that they have a budget, blah blah blah blahzooo. I imagined her voice sounding  like the Peanuts schoolteacher as I read this, "WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH." So me, being the type who has to have the last word, commented back.

I explained in my post that what that lady was complaining about was probably the WIC program, because with food stamps you can get any size of cereal box! I went on to say that her multicolored weave was probably a "kitchen weave," and her namebrand clothes, shoes, and purse were all probably knockoffs found at the local flea-market and the "Rockstar" nail polish could be found there too! I then explained that the WIC (learn more) or Women Infants and Childrens program were vouchers for specific healthy foods for pregnant, and lactating women and children under five. The food stamp program (learn more) is funded by the USDA as is the WIC program. Then I closed with this little thought: I told her to take a look at her students in whatever school she was teaching in and try to guess which one would go without any dinner that night, a meal most of us take for granted. Maybe their parents let pride stand in the way of getting assistance, maybe they worry about the people that would smile in their faces and then grumble behind their backs in that grocery store checkout line. People like her.

I did this all from my handy dandy pre-paid Cricket cellphone. So I had the last word I think because I received no other notifications. So thanks friend, and friend's friend for inspiring my first blog! I love to inform misinformed people, think of it as community service for the assistance I get!
Right now so many people are going without -- sometimes because of misinformation, sometimes because of pride. The economy being what it is I don't see less people on aid anytime soon. Working class poor, people who live paycheck to paycheck like myself, will make the best of  it. That is, after all, what we have learned to do -- or do without.  I will feed my kids whether I pay cash or use my benefits, because we know all too well what it is like to be hungry. I try to be a no nonsense kind of shopper (it helps that I am a great cook, but that is another blog), but every once in a while we eat a steak bought with food stamps. The hardships I have endured with my children -- everything from hunger to homlessness -- have made us who we are today. I do not live with regrets, because anything I have lived and learned has been well worth it. Now I have the opportunity to write about it -- on the computer I own with internet service. Something else people on welfare should not have. OOOPS.

New form of Simultaneous Global Ceasefire proposal sent to David de Rotheschild an obligation to create a true egalitarian Earth

From Chris Curpin's Facebook Feed

We humans definitely have the capabilities to change of how we share our gift of Earth, by giving up maintenance of the global familial and economic class system and ending the wasteful, immature and exponentially unproductive game of currency acquisition.  We owe consideration of the quality of life for all the children and all the future generations by moving to a cooperatively organized planet to allow all 7 billion or so of us, to fulfill our innate natural tendencies of our human nature to create, discover, experience, connect and collaborate with each other to create a rich diverse life tapestry with infinite permutations and combinations of sensory (all our human senses: known and unknown) fulfillment.

How?

Equalizing our resource use (arable land - community gardens/greenhouses: getting to truly know your neighbours and ensure food security, letting the wilds become wild again/moving all human encroachment/ethical hunting of happy animals for those still needing to eat meat (minimally), optimal minimal personal living space, cleanly sourced natural resources: no monoculture/wasting and damaging our water-air-land).

Project managing our tasks that need accomplishing to create our necessary infrastructures to share our planet Earth by having all of us contributing by equalizing our energy and time output, continually innovating and developing our technological tools to maximize this outcome.  We would also randomly rotate each of us, across the globe to fulfill all tasks we discover we need fulfilled, with less pleasant (always with maximum safety) fulfilled with shorter time, faster rotations.  No more slave labour, no more one person or group of people's threatening or actually taking away someone's ability to live/livelihood.

This shows true love for each other on our planet, by allowing all of us to truly live (everyone will truly have more free time to live and be who they are solving your dilemma of "Been working hard lately need more time to relax").

Truly free to pursue life, with the only stipulation of not negatively affecting and effecting someone else's life, non-consensually and exploitatively.  The Golden Rule, which all religions and non-religions (atheist or agnostic), profess.  We end concentrations of power, wealth, resources - No "One World Governments" - with select few making decisions as to what they feel best for everyone, while padding their own pockets, power and egos.

To arrive at this possibility, we have to initiate and achieve a Simultaneous Global Ceasefire for say starting with the date of 11/11/2010 "  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=601622343#!/event.php?eid=295274480091&ref=ts  " We will share the knowledge of the true cash flows, power flows and ego flows which continue to enable conflicts around our world, barbarically sacrificing our brilliant and potentially brilliant coexisting humans, both young and old, male and female to torture, rape, maiming, resulting psychological trauma, murder.  Time to end our idiocy, and truly enable our greatness.

After a great global reflection period and mourning time, we hopefully could come together to enable our collective consciousness to realize the dissolving of our political borders, truly sharing our world with the possibilities of random rotational organizational groups, with better delegation to eliminate high concentrations of power and the potential of corruption.  No more wasted energies and time of easily controlled false democracies of elections.  By sharing all our human knowledge and awareness in all our ways of learning and teaching, we will finally have a truly educated and aware global human population, fully capable of living ethically. On 11/11/2011, we will hopefully come together to start to enable and initiate our consensually, continually innovated, non-exploitative "Ecologically Sustainable Global Societal Model" - " http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simultaneous-Adoption-of-an-Ecologically-Sustainable-Global-Societal-Model/166375859682?ref=ts   " 

I have come to know and understand the actuality of achieving these possibilities, because I have received so much priceless magic and serendipity and so many wonderful people have welcomed me into their lives, without any potential gifts of currency, goods or services - just my gift of myself.  I propose this for all humans to decide, and we owe it to everyone, especially for all our children, and all those currently suffering and  dying.

This also will fulfill the 7th Fire Prophecy, which Indigenous Peoples from around the world, have brought forth knowledge and awareness of a time when all humanity will learn to coexist with nature, without destroying everything that sustains us, while living fun and exciting lives, continually innovating and surprising each other and affecting and effecting each other's senses, consensually and non-exploitatively.

David de Rothschild and all Your Mates you have connected with, will you help bring these achievable possibilities to fruition?

"style is infinite. the perfect outfit is a craving that cannot be satisfied, that in itself is a beautiful thing"

A good friend of mine is moving  back to winnipeg. Her boyfriend went mental last night and they broke up i'm pretty sure. She moved here with her boyfriend to start a new life for themselves. she is pregnant with their child, and they wanted to have a fresh start out here in the west.

I applaud their efforts and i really think that they would have made a great life for themselves.

Her boyfriend is apparently bi polar, and I really can relate to that. My father is bi polar and has been for my entire life. As far as I know, he has been in the hospital 3 times. two major episodes and 1 recent minor one.
The last stemming from issues with his medication and aging. As you grow older, the chemical composition of your brain changes, and thus your body will require different dosages of the particular medication that you are on.

The main difference between my father and my friends boyfriend is obviously age, and life experience.

There are two sides to being bi polar. the manic and the depression. My dad is a manic, meaning he gets loopy and can see, smell and hear memories with extreme clarity. I can only imagine what that kind of 'power' is like. I am extremely envious of this, not to the point of wanting to become bi polar clearly, but you could imagine what that could be like.

chris is different. he gets depressed. and along with depression comes the obvious issue of harming yourself and the ones you love. this is what happened last night. he went off into the night with the intention of harming himself or possibly others. I hope that he is ok, and is in the hospital or at the police station where he belongs, getting the professional help that he is entitled to. I really enjoyed hanging out with him. mostly because we are both from winnipeg and can relate to alot of situations and we do know some of the same people from there.

I wish amber and chris the best of luck in whatever they do, and I'll see them both sometime soon.

nice day

Today is the first nice day that calgary has had in about 2 weeks. it has been rainy and cold for so long that ive forgotten what good weather is like. I was hanging out with a friend, and then i went down to 17th ave. and was presented with a $25 dollar gift certificate to the chinook mall! I love random giveaways.

I took the C-train to the mall and ate some A & W, got a coffee from 2nd cup and came back downtown.

I'm starting to read a really good book about the soviet union. apparently the USSR was so big it had 11 different time zones... fucked uppp!

Story of my life

i have a personal life and a work life and im a god damn professional

well, maybe the title will say it all, but you can all probibly guess where this post is going.
I really do not enjoy getting harped on or harassed by people outside of work.
There is a reason why I go to work and its to escape my personal life. I like to make money, but its also a good way to kill time and meet a lot of interesting people. especially if you work in the restaurant world.  Theres a reason I leave all of my work related issues at the back door. Guess what that is, maybe perhaps? Its god damn annoying to have your 'friends' tell you what to do and how to run your life based on shit that has happened at another restaurant. Maybe this 'friend' happened to work with the chef of the restaurant previously, and has something to say to me about how i conducted myself at his former bosses establishment.
I'm totally fine with that, but if you think that doing so while im at the bar singing kareoke with my friends is acceptable professional behaviour you've got another thing coming. I've lost some good friends this way. They have some incredible ego to stoke and I really don't want to be a part of that behaviour. People are way too hung up on looking cool, looking awesome and generally being a fucking rock star. The only place for rock stars is on stage, playing hair metal where they belong.

People like to focus too much on the image their restaurant is portraying. This is a very important aspect of any conceptual restaurant but you really can't just be an image and not a real person. I have style and I'm also a unique individual. Nobody skateboards like me, nobody cooks like me and nobody plays the guitar exactly like me. There are so many things that have influenced me. In my cooking, I look towards my former chefs Alex Svenne and Scott Bagshaw. I use my experiences in Japan to shape and also influence the flavors That I develop within certain dishes. I look to my parents for their take on morals and ethics like most people do.
I play guitar the same way my dad has been playing his whole life. He was influenced by the blues. Robert Johnson, BB king, The Beatles, Elvis, The Beach Boys and the Ramones. Thats the type of music i grew up listening to. My dad was cool enough to actually just listen to that stuff without being a pretentous knob. Yeah, guess what... I most definately listened to the ramones before you did. I also listened to Beck before you did, because I got made fun for doing so in grade nine. The only person that knew what was going on was Brodie Sanderson and he's one of  the few people I talk to from high school still.

I have my own image, and its not based on what ive seen on tv. Tv is a make believe world where hundreds of people get killed constantly on the other side of the world. Planes crash, storms rage and all the while we north americans sit on our asses, eat copious amounts of free food, throw out way too much food and just generally get our lives handed to us on a platter.

I work for what I get and I'm proud to say that I can work, and still help out within my community. Once you realize that you are insignificant, then you can start to do something to change this world. Once people that you have never met mean more to you than your friends... thats when you can make a difference.

http://alexandersvenne.blogspot.com/2010/09/now-what-should-i-do-with-pumpkin.html

Repost to Bistro 7 1/4