Personal Update

Looking forward to 9:30 am tomorrow (Friday). According to the caseworker, that's when the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card should be loaded with the "food stamps"...you know they don't actually use "stamps" anymore, right? Actually, it's not really called the food stamp program any more either. It's now SNAP, as in "Oh, snap!" Either that or it stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. For folks like us who have VERY little income (or anything else really), this is terrific, in that it means we can have reasonably good food we would not otherwise have. After paying rent, utilities, computer payment, insurance, etc., it will still be a challenge to find a way to get the non-edible items that you can't buy with the EBT card. Toilet paper is considered a necessity for most Americans (even rednecks) even if you don't eat it.

For both my wife and I, this has been the norm in general all our lives and for almost everyone else we have ever personally known. Amazingly neither of us are either black or hispanic or any other "minority" group...unless you count the poor as a mino...nah, they are a huge majority now. Well, we could be (and are, at least one minority - atheists:). You might say maybe that's due to lack of education...the food stamps, not the atheists, except she has a high school diploma (I only got a GED). On the other hand, when we were in the Food Stamp (that's what it really is, regardless of its name) office, there were clearly poor folk in there. You could tell by their dress - if that's not considered "elitism". That is, they were dressed like we were...old, raggedy jeans and t-shirt type clothes (though a couple of black guys dressed poorly also had $100 sneakers on). With a couple of interesting exceptions. I noticed one white lady and one black lady who were both dressed in finery (by our standards). Looked like they might be insurance executives or something.

The rich white lady (and who could possibly dress like that if they were not rich?), was telling another woman (notice how "lady" only applies to the rich ones - the others are women) about one of her relatives who was working at a menial job in the local KIA plant, even though he has a Master's Degree, because that's the only job he could find. The conversation went on and I learned about a piece of property they were buying for $17K (she actually said "K"), and about how their other property was decreasing in value...then I had to shake my head and look around to remember we were in a food stamp office. What the HELL was such a person doing in here!? Well, I can understand if somehow she doesn't have any income but it seems fishy to me that they somehow have thousands of dollars to buy property but can't buy their own food, and I can't buy a can of soda at the moment.

Turned out the case worker said I'm also eligible for Medicaid now, in addition to Medicare. So far I can't see how that's any help to me. It might well pay some of the doctor bills, but that ain't helping ME cuz I wasn't paying them anyway. It's helping the docs, so I won't complain too much. But since we will now get both food stamps and I get Medicaid, I am supposed to be eligible for a free cell phone from Uncle too. Never could afford one before. I am definitely NOT a talker type person, but I will generally take anything I can get that is free and useful. I figger if I fall over there is a chance I can get 911 dialed before I go out, which might help me live a bit longer.

Lot's of folks really hate the idea that some might think "the world owes them a living", but I say, damn strait it owes me a living, and a damn good one too! By "world" I mean of course, the human society. Just like it owes the same to every human everywhere, who will partake of it. Most like to rag on the poor about that, but things like Social Security are available to everyone, no matter how many millions they may have, and I think such folk are parasites. Totally support "means testing" for all government assistance programs. If you got plenty of means, use yer own damn means and leave the rest for those who do need it.

I got a little depressed there for a while, not so much to do with the poverty; I'm used to that. But, about Myspace going to hell without even the requisite handbasket, and even about Keith Olbermann being suspended. Not that he is of any particular importance to me, but the notion that a company - any company - can dictate to any employee what they can and cannot do with their own money on their own time...sounds fascist as hell to me. I think we would be well advised to remember that it doesn't HAVE to be government directly who can stamp out freedoms.

There's a TV commercial running locally now for some sort of financial advisor thing and the guy asks something about where do you see yourself in five years...I almost smacked a guy who was interviewing me for a job once for asking me that question. I was indignant enough at the very idea of being interviewed before they told me whether I had a job or not, but asking that question struck nearly all my "stupid detector" nerves. From his point of view, it was a very reasonable and standard question. From his point of view my confused appearance and stammering for an answer showed him I was not qualified for the job. From my point of view, it's dumb as a sack of dog turds to ask anyone where they "see" themselves in five years. The truth is, no one has a clue where or even whether they will be in five years. *sigh* ok, blood pressure up, so that rant done.

Okay, I'll hush now.

TRB