Something of historic proportions is happening.

[Varmit]

Wilma, what is wrong with working for a living and taking care of yourself?  You say you can't work, I say you are not looking at the right kind of work.  There are many people that work from home.

[Wilma]

Billy, you don't know me or you would know why I can't work.  And all the work at home jobs that I have seen wind up to be scams and not really profitable.  Even stuffing envelopes would not be profitable because my right shoulder would not hold up long enough for any amount of production.  Even this early this morning there is a pain going down into the elbow and I didn't do anything yesterday to stress it. 

Do you know of any kind of work at home that would pay for the heart surgery several years ago, not to mention the 3 surgeries I have had since moving over here, or the 7 prescriptions that help keep me alive or even the broken wrist?  Oh, and there are the taxes, insurance and maintenance that comes with owning property.  Find me an at home job that will pay for all those and I can just save my social security and leave it all for my children to enjoy.

[Diane Amberg]

My Grandma lived to be 104. Shortly before she died at Twilight Manor she finally out lived her own money and Kansas took care of her. She had already made and paid for her funeral, etc. What kind of job would you have a 103 year old lady do? It's OK to take care of the vets, but she should have been tossed out?  Billy,that's very cold hearted.

[Varmit]

You're right wilma, I don't know you or your situation.  But there are jobs that can be done regardless of a persons disability status. My parents accountant is basically a quadriplegic (misspelled that I'm sure) has been his whole life, Stephen hawking is a brilliant man worth millions yet he can't bathe himself.  The point being is that everyone can find some means of gainful employment, if they look hard enough. I don't mean that as a dig towards you, just an illustration. 

Diane, our veterans are owed a debt that we can never repay in full, They were willing to make a sacrifice that cannot be labeled with a dollar value.  We do not owe that debt to every one of our citizens. Is that cold, maybe. But very true.  My grandparents were in the same situation, only we didn't have the money to place them in a home so we took care of them.  I think that too often when a person gets "old" they are put away somewhere to be visited at their families convenience.  That was not meant as a cut towards you personally, just my opinion.

[Diane Amberg]

Grandma went to Twilight Manor awhile after Grandpa died because that's where all her friends were who she hadn't already out lived. She was able to support herself financially until right at the end. Who expects to be that old? I would have taken her in in a heart beat but her friends were all in Kansas. By the way, if they really need it, don't the wives who supported those vets deserve to be cared for too? Some vets are really hard to live with when they first come home. Some never do adjust.It's sad.

[flo]

  hold on there just a damn minute.  I DO NOT live off the government.  I worked from age 13 to retirement.  I paid my social security tax so that when I became old enough to quit work, I could draw on what I paid in and I am doing just that and I don't feel a bit guilty about it. If you think retirees living on social security are living off the government, I would like to know just how you come up with that bit of information.  I worked for it, I paid for it, and I am going to enjoy what piddly amount I get each month.  Thank you very much.

[Varmit]

When SSI was first used it was based on the premise that what a person paid in is what they got.  However, the numbers just don't work that way now. People are living longer, using more than they paid in.  Why should I pay in to a program that won't be there when I am able to retire (as if thats ever gonna happen)? 

[Teresa]

It won't be there when you retire Billy.......

[W. Gray]

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI mentioned above, was created in 1974 and is something totally different from Social Security although payments are administered by that agency.

SSI payments are considered welfare and are from general tax revenues rather than from Social Security revenues.

[Wilma]

The fact remains that the money I live off is provided by a government program that we were forced to pay into.  I never questioned it because I could see that it was going to provide for my old age.  I would never had been able to save enough to enjoy what I enjoy now.  It is like paying into an insurance policy and enjoying the benefits before you die.

There are lots of government programs that I haven't paid into except through income taxes and there are lots of people that benefit from them.  I would rather have them benefit from that than to have them sitting on my front door step looking for a hand out.  I would rather have my tax dollars go for stamping out commnicable diseases than to have my great grandchildren facing possible death from them.  I could go on like this for a long time.  Government programs?  Who needs them?  I do.

And as to a pile of old tires.  Have you ever had to live by one like I do?  How do you control the mosquitoes?