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Today's Poll: Do you think people who can't work should receive government assistance?

By Howard B. Owens
Gary Spencer

I voted "Yes" but would also agree with TP that there are many who "won't" or "don't want to" work and the system is set up in a way that some folks get "benefits" (I hate that phrase!) that they are not "entitled" to (I hate that phrase also!). There needs to be much clearer definitions of "can't work".

Well, I'd like to stay and gripe some more but......off to work!!

Jul 3, 2012, 7:54am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Ditto what TP said. That's who assistance was meant for. Those who voted "no," why not offer up reasons why? I can't stand it when people are willing enough to point and click but won't take the time to present a reasonable opinion.

Jul 3, 2012, 7:55am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

My definition of someone who "can't" work is a person fighting for their life. Everyone else has some kind of job skill that they can learn to use.

I was at the goodwill store in Henrietta the other day and a blind man was working the register. He was very personable with conversation and didn't miss a beat scanning items into the register and counting money. He had a device that told him what denomination each bill was and the register repeated information back to him as well. He was just as fast as any other cashier and he was WORKING.

I remember another blind man at Xerox coming into work with his guide dog every day. There's a woman here at Xerox Square with some very obvious physical limitations. She hauls her butt to work every day and never complains.

There's simply no reason not to work for the vast majority of people. Modern technology and innovation has made it possible for quadriplegic individuals to be productive and lead as fulfilling a life as possible. I'm pretty sure Stephen Hawking proves that.

It's easy to fall back on a disability but there's no reward and no dignity in it.

Jul 3, 2012, 8:36am Permalink
Cheryl Wilmet

Back in the 90's I was all of a sudden a single mom with 2 little boys. I needed assistance from DSS. I eventually lived in 3 counties in WNY with help from DSS. Erie county embarrassed and ridiculed and told me I wasn't allowed to work until my youngest was 3 years old. Livingston County was the nicest but I was only living there for a few months. I moved to Batavia to be close to my family. When my son turned 3 I started going to Job Development. That was the beginning of 95. That summer I was approved by DSS to attend an 8 week program at GCC to see if I was eligible to go to college. I had to log in 8 hours a day at the college and prove where I was at all times and my timesheet was signed every week by my teachers. I jumped through so many hoops to get a degree and with the help of Job Development, Linda Jones, and DSS I was able to graduate. I have been off of DSS since October of 1997 and have not gone back on it since. I understand if you need a skill but when I see that education wasted to stay on welfare cause you didn't really want to work any way, that kills me. I was probably in a group of approximately 15 women that first summer and I can honestly say that I know 8 people who never bettered themselves and never got off of welfare. There should be a system in place to penalize the people who go to college while on welfare but never get a job.

Jul 3, 2012, 9:00am Permalink
Jennifer Keys

Doug, many people who are chronically on welfare also have a mental illness that impacts their ability to work, their ability to function in society on a daily basis. Sometimes it takes years to get approved for SSI and even after I believe you can get food stamps because it isn't enough to live on.

Jul 3, 2012, 9:14am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Yes ma'am, mentally ill people would certainly fall into the the "can't work" category. I would say that they fight for their life every day. I'm thankful that I've been able to work and hold down a job for 3 decades without losing my marbles more than a couple times. I found them again so if you ever see me shake my head, you'll be able to hear them rattle around in there
:-)

Jul 3, 2012, 9:39am Permalink
Michelle WIlliams

Jennifer, not everyone on DSS is eligible for other benefits. I was a healthy, able bodied individual until 2007 when a woman broadsided my car and broke my lower back. Due to insurance laws in the state it happened in, the doctors did a minimal surgery and sent me on my way. In 2009 my back broke again and I now have 12 inch rods, two fake discs and permanent nerve damage in my lower back and legs. I spent 9 months in a wheelchair before the second surgery. I was given a mandatory 2 year disability for the surgery because the bone has to grow around the hardware before you can start lifting weight, standing, walking or sitting for any substantial length of time. I live with constant swelling, pain and spasms due to the delays in my treatment. Since I moved to Genesee County, I have applied at DSS numerous times for assistance. I cannot afford to feed myself 3 meals a day yet I am told that I do not qualify for food stamps based on my SSD payment. (I eat one if I'm lucky.) I cannot afford Medicare but I make too much for MedicAid so I must use what little income I get on my prescriptions each month. I cannot get any assistance for rent, utilities or cash assistance even though my check cannot support a single person even if they lived in a one bedroom studio. By the time utlities are paid, food is bought and daily household items (personal care, cleaning supplies, etc) I could still not have enough.

There are people who desperately could use assistance who do everything in their power to apply for it and to ask for the help and yet the county fails to listen. Meanwhile I'm sure many of us know at least one person who is able bodied and able minded who refuses to work or continues to have children that they cannot support. I would love to sit down with the people who make these decisions so that they could see the large gap in who gets the benefits or not.

For those who say people are not entitled I believe that people should be made to prove why they need assistance. They should also be made to prove a need for the assistance on paper using bills to prove their monthly expenses and they should be required to sit with financial counselors who can cut some of these expenses. I know numerous people who receive assistance who pay 800 or more a month in rent, walk around in name brand clothing and their house is full of pizza boxes, pop and beer cans, etc. Someone should start visiting people on assistance to look out for this type of abuse because someone like me would be so grateful for even a small amount of what most get.

Jul 3, 2012, 1:23pm Permalink
Mary E DelPlato

I didnt see a yes and no option together. Yes if they trully cannot walk. And are bedridden. And pee their pants in public and drool....Other than that....NO!

Jul 4, 2012, 3:10pm Permalink

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