Balance

Why is it every time I drive past the Welfare office, all the cars outside are new SUVs and the clients are wearing designer clothes? The more kids you have and can't afford, the more money you get. I have nothing against why Welfare was created. I believe it does really help people who are down on their luck. But, and this is a BIG BUT, some people have been on welfare their entire lives. And I mean entire. Their parents raised them on it, and now they use it. When people get laid off during a recession, they can only get unemployment for a short time and are expected to look for work. But when someone gets laid off, they do want to work, they just can't find a job that pays as well as their last one. The welfare system needs to be adjusted. Their should be a time limit and certain qualifications that should be met. For one, welfare should pay for no more than 3 children. I understand that "accidents" happen, but with condoms being so cheap and birth control being practically free, there are no "accidents". And 10 accidents, really?! Second, the parents on welfare should be required to look for work. There are temp agencies out there that would love to help. If you quit or get fired from 3 jobs, no more welfare. Cut off completely. There's this phrase I was raised with: "You do what you gotta do to put food on the table". That should be the standard drilled into the heads of people on welfare. Third, and last, people who take in foster kids have to undergo random inspections. Show should welfare beneficiaries. If you are found to have a lifestyle above what your welfare stipend is providing, then you're well enough on your own and clearly don't need welfare. Give that money to people who really do need it.

Here's a good question. Why is it legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet but it's illegal to drive a car without a seatbelt? Which one is more deadly?

What's wrong with this picture?

When we are children, we are taught that drugs and alcohol are bad. We have it drilled into our heads that drinking is bad and that drugs will ruin our lives. And we believe the people who taught us this and know that they are right. When we grow up, we still know this, yet our actions would suggest otherwise. Drinking is so commonplace that they serve alcohol in practically every restaurant, at every corner store, at every grocer, and it's a standard to have some in your house. We use alcohol to celebrate events, to morn our loses, and to make it through the day. You hear the phrase, "everyone's doing it," when it comes to drugs which does have some origins in the truth. But, there are a few of us who have seen the dangers and outcomes of drugs and alcohol in our friends and family and choose not to participate in them.

So, why is it that when you tell someone that you don't drink, they look at you like you're some kind of alien? It's actually easier to tell someone that you're the designated driver than to simply say, "I don't drink." Everyone loves the designated driver because it means that they can drink more than they were planning on and they know they'll still get home safely. I do like being the designated driver, because my friends are going to do what they want, regardless, and I know that I'll keep them safe. But those same friends are unaccepting when I simply say, "nah, I don't drink." What's worse is when I add "anymore" at the end. "I don't drink" requires an explanation. "I don't drink" is a bizarre phrase to common people. Those three words that we we use a million times a day become something unrecognizable when strung together.

I am likely the only person on the planet who grew up to be an adult without EVER sampling any kind of drugs. I have close family members who smoke marijuana on a regular basis. "Everyone is doing it" is a common phrase because of the truth behind it. "Everyone is doing it" has it's roots because everyone has tried it. People are fighting for the legalization of drugs so they can validate something they're going to do anyway. I have never tried it. I do admit that I have been tempted and even came close once. But, the foreseeable benefits do not outweigh the foreseeable risks. So why is "I never have" such a strange thought to people. "I never have" bodes such obscure looks on peoples faces. "I never have" makes me an outcast or a freak. As parents, we never want our children to do, or even sample, drugs but when we find out that someone's parents have succeeded in this endeavour, we ask ourselves "what is wrong with this person."

Why do we...

Why is it that we are different people when we're with different people? Do the people that we think we are the closest to even know the real us? Do we even know the real them? How can a married couple get divorced after 20 years citing that they never knew each other? Why aren't we still friends with people we grew up with, but couldn't have imagined life without them then? Maybe the people who only meet us once really know us because we never had time to show them we're someone we're not. Why does it come so naturally? I'm not the same person with my boss as I am with my grandma, but I don't lie to either of them. What does this say about us as people? As friends? As grandchildren?