People Are Becoming So Insensitive...

I found yet another post on my Facebook newsfeed that I didn't quite agree with, this is what was posted: 

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"This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future she's worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare system that she's being forced to live in! These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

Put me in charge . . ..

Put me in charge of food grants. I'd get rid of cash for potato chips or chocolate. Instead there'd just be money for the staple foods like bread, milk, potatoes, fresh vegies, cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak, pies and take-out pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Healthcare. The first thing I'd do is to provide women with birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all existing tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get more tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections at anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own accommodation.

Put me in charge of compulsory job search. In addition, you will either present a cheque stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job.

It may be cleaning the roadways of trash or painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tyres and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good".

Now before you respond that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem", consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices.

The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND while you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest.....You will vote for a "welfare" Gov't. only. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare cheque. If you want to vote, then get a job."
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I agree with some points, such as the first one about food grants. I am all for ensuring that we all eat healthier and especially if these people on welfare are getting money for food they should use it to make sure that they (and their families) are eating well and being healthy.

By the second paragraph it starts to get a little off topic. I agree that women should have birth control provided (although the kind of birth control should be optional and have more than just a couple choices), and I also agree that testing for drugs and excessive alcohol consumption should be tested for but documenting all tattoo's and piercings seems a little over the top. Why would they need documentation of these things? If the government were worried that they're spending the money they're getting on body modification they shouldn't be. Tattoo's and piercings don't come cheap, and I'm sure that if it came down to buying food and paying bills vs. getting a new tattoo/piercing the person would choose their needs over their wants. If the documentation is a health-related issue, I still see no reason to fuss over it, it's their own body and they have the freedom to express themselves in whichever way that they want. Basically saying "no, we will not give you birth control (or money) because you have many tattoos/piercings is stereotyping, it is unfair and it is wrong. 

In the third paragraph it starts to get even more ridiculous, I agree that if you're having your cost of living covered without working you should have to regularly do maintenance on the house and keep it clean and in good shape, but to actually go into someone's home and inspect it is a violation of people's privacy. I keep my house clean majority of the time and have nothing to hide but I would still be uncomfortable with someone coming into my home and judging me. It would just put stress on me and make me feel like I'm uncomfortable in my own home. Also, taking an inventory of all of someone's possessions isn't right either, that's not your business what someone has, what if they were to receive a gift or win a new TV? 

By the fourth paragraph it gets a little bit better and then a little bit worse, I definitely agree that if someone is able to work but just out of a job that they should be looking for work and having someone to push them to find work, and I even agree that if they don't have a job they can work "government" jobs such as cleaning up trash on highways, painting or repairing public housing. Those are all things that would need to be done anyway and it would not only give these people purpose to get up every day and accomplish something but it would also benefit the community as well. Directly after this wonderful idea though, it says that they will sell your expensive possessions because you don't have a job therefore you don't need it. If someone wanted the extra money they would sell those things themselves and the government has no right to take those things away anyway. What if it was something you got for yourself before you went on Welfare, when you had a job? What if it was also a gift, or won? Just because someone is poor does not mean that they deserve to have everything nice they ever earned taken away from them so that they have nothing, that's depressing. 

In the last bit of the post, the conclusion, it says that all of this shouldn't be considered violating someone's rights because it's all voluntary, and the reason why these people are on welfare is because they made "bad choices" but that's not true at all. A lot of the time, bad things happen to good people, people lose their jobs every day because there are less jobs and more cut backs. Let me share something with you, growing up, my mom and I were on welfare. It's not because she was lazy, or because she wanted to just live off of the government, it's because she couldn't. I often heard her talk about how she missed working. I am not 100% sure why she originally had to go on welfare but I know her poor health played a big part in it and it takes a long time to apply for disability and get accepted and etc. I can bet you that the author that wrote this opinion has never had to be on welfare or have serious issues making ends meet. I know this because of the desire to take the "nice" things that these poor people have and sell them or get rid of them or keep track of them. Here's a truth for you instead; most people on welfare do NOT have nice things. I remember when I was growing up I never had anything that was "cool" or "in", I took what was given to me and I was grateful for it. Not having anything made me learn to appreciate the small things in life, but that doesn't mean that we should take away everything nice that these people own. Some people need to have something nice to make them happy, if you take that away you're taking away hope. I understand the concept of "if you want something nice then work for it", I've worked for everything I have now, like my laptop, my cell phone, my first camera, my first iPod and other major purchases. I wanted them so I got a job and worked for them and it felt so much better than having them given to me because that object was proof of my success and achievements, and this person wants to take away those items that represent past accomplishments? No, let them keep them as a reminder that they worked hard for something once, and they can do it again, it's aspirational. 

Lastly, the final paragraph saying that all rights to vote are thrown out the window when you go on welfare is BEYOND wrong. Many people in history have had to fight for the right to vote and you're wanting to take that right away in exchange for some money? You want to know what that sounds like to me? It sounds like that if the government were to take all of these ideas and put them into action, they'd be scared that people would quickly realize it's not a fair trade and want things to change, but the only people who would realize this is the people who are being treated unfairly because they are on welfare. Those people would not be able to vote therefore not being able to try to make a change for the better and are under the government's complete control and become prisoners to them. (Just for the record, I have a job and support myself but I would still vote against getting rid of rights for people who are on welfare). I can clearly see that the opinion above was written by someone ignorant who has never had struggle in their life, and has never had things thrown at them that were out of their control. It seriously bothers me that people are becoming so selfish and stereotypical that they can become so insensitive to others and want them to suffer even more than they already are. Basically what this opinion says is that if someone has already lost their job, their money, their pride along with other things they should also have their rights, their possessions and any chance of happiness taken away from them as well so they're left with nothing. Come on now people, THINK ABOUT IT.