Sunday, July 20, 2014

Real Talk

The kitchen still isn't clean, but I'm working up to it. I printed out the application for the grocery store job, filled it out and checked it over. I'm going to take off at noon tomorrow from The Asylum and run to turn it in. I figure I have a better chance of catching a store manager there if I go on Monday.

I also bought groceries yesterday, so that's done. We've been getting boxes of food from various sources here and there. Sometimes Big City churches set up in the library parking lot on weekends and hand out assorted goodies. Aunt Moses gets a load of leftover food bank stuff from the school about every two weeks and she always splits it with us, so I'm stocked up on every kind of pasta you can imagine, a case of instant mac and cheese and several pounds of rice and flour. Somehow we've ended up with a stash of vanilla pudding mix, so I picked up some bananas and some vanilla wafers at the store. I've been craving banana pudding.

When people start talking smack about lazy people living on hand outs, just keep in mind that both T.A. and I have full time jobs, but sometimes Aunt Moses' little care packages are the only way we make it from pay-gone to payday.

I'm not sharing this for pity or to get attention, I just see so many people online posting stuff about welfare, handouts and how people just need to get a job.

We have jobs.

The problem is simple. The rate if inflation, the cost of living, has greatly exceeded the rate of pay increase. I had a better life 18 years ago, more "disposable" income for luxuries like clothing, decent shoes, doctor visits, etc. when I made $6 an hour.

Think about that.

The poor aren't getting poorer. The middle class is getting poor. As the gap between the haves and the have nots narrows, those yelling about welfare taking money out of their pocket, will eventually find themselves with their own hands out, dumbstruck and wondering what the hell happened.

Those are my thoughts for today. Please share your comments, just keep it nice and respectful. We'll talk again soon.

Later Taters.

posted from Bloggeroid

5 comments:

kenju said...

Retired people have a hard time too. The cost of food (as everyone knows) is skyrocketing, and some days I think we might have to subsist on beans and cornbread 4 days a week. I wouldn't actually mind that too much.....LOL

Good luck with the store - I hope you like what you see and get the job.

poopie said...

I make really good money and barely make it

Anonymous said...

It's not a fair system we have, and that's for sure. Things are swinging the flat-out wrong way, but until those who now have don't have it anymore and we're all slaving for the richest 0.0001% who laugh at us from their palaces, nothing's going to change all that much.

-Debbie Downer

Frank said...

When I was a kid (I'm 69)a family of three could live just above the poverty line on one bread-winner's minimum wage salary.

Think about that.

rennratt said...

As one who actively works with food pantries, I can back up everything that you said in this post. It's not laziness, it's lack. People are struggling; money is tight.

Most of the people that visit our local pantry are combined households (to avoid homelessness), multi-generational households (various reasons), the elderly and the underemployed. At the end of the day, people are having to choose between rent and dinner. That's just not right.

That said, if you have any ideas for pantry donations, please send them my way over on FB. [We're promoting "Clean Sweep" for August: cleaning supplies and personal care items.]

Love and hugs to you and TA. The store you're applying to is my FAVORITE PLACE (after the library), and is apparently an awesome place to work. Good luck.