This is an interesting article titled, "Does anyone have to be poor?" and it related to a few posts that I encountered on one of the threads. (Can't find the thread in question. Sorry.)

Among its many thoughtful points, I am quoting a paragraph on the value of the expanded child tax credit. I live with a cynical person who works with a poorer segment of the population, and she believes that the parents receiving the credit were just spending it on drugs and booze. There is evidence to suggest otherwise.


"Another line of evidence is the expanded child tax credit passed in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan. It was a short-lived benefit, since Congress shamefully allowed it to expire. But while it was in effect, it reduced the child poverty rate in the U.S. by almost one-third. It kept 3.7 million children out of poverty. Survey data shows that 91% of beneficiaries spent the money on basic needs like food, clothing, rent and school supplies."

The thread(s) discussing the Florida governor's stunt of flying immigrants to Martha's Vineyard mentioned a cost in the millions. It really makes you wonder about how we manage to find money for certain project/services/products etc., and then claim that we can't fund services to help people in need.

. . .from Baltimore County, Maryland.

My main motivation is money. I am on the typical limited Social Security budget.

I have friends who are in Edenton and they love the idea of my moving there, which is a wonderful feeling. Yay! Somebody wants me! (I'm not close to my family, one of whom not only believes that Hillary Clinton had someone murdered, but whispered about it in his kitchen, as if she was going to get him, too. But, since I was there, I guess he figured that I was a potential assassin? I'm not, actually, which is why you shouldn't fear welcoming me to NC.) But the thought of relocating given my age and bare-bones resources is very scary, of course.

I checked out Edenton's Chamber of Commerce website and it sounds lovely. But who in their right mind would put out a website that announces, "Our Town Sucks. Don't come here"?

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated. And don't be afraid to play Devil's Advocate. This is a big decision and I need to see matters clearly.

Thank you!

Full disclosure here, I did not hit the link to read further on this little piece of click bait.

"An Influencer and OnlyFans Star Is Facing Backlash After Saying 'Nobody Wants To Work These Days'
'It seems like nobody wants to work these days,' said Tara Lynn, a Tik Toker and OnlyFans model, in a recent video. . ."

Now, with only an older person's cursory understanding of Tik Tok and OnlyFans to speak from, I would like share a few thoughts on Ms. Lynn as well as one of the Kardashians who advised women to "get off their asses" and another one who once said something along the lines of, "We all [the Kardashian family] work hard every day!"

The kind of work that people are "rebelling against" (for lack of a better term) involves either standing or sitting and being either pushed and strained or bored and strained (from repetitive motions) for many hours at a stretch while dealing with demanding, often unreasonable supervisors or customers and having to hold back from any normal human responses. And this sort of work, more often than not, does not pay a living wage.

This is the sort of work those sorts of people don't want to do, either, if they were being honest or had an ounce of self-awareness. These people have instead managed to monetize either their looks or their various opinions ranging from vapid to outrageous. They spend their days sitting in front of a camera in situations where they have a great deal of control.

I'm not prepared to say whether or not what they do qualifies as "work", but it is a far cry from the options that are available to the people that they are criticizing. Life can be difficult even for the pretty and rich and well-placed, I know. But the people making those sorts of sweeping comments about others not only have not walked in the shoes of the ordinary wage-slave in our current socio-economic system, they clearly don't want to.

They make their own living by seeking our attention. Most people work their asses off while being ignored unless they make a mistake and the boss or some customer with a grievance decides to treat them as a lesser being.

People are willing to work these days. They just want to be treated as, you know, people. And they want to be paid well enough to live like people and not animals in utilitarian kennels.

However, it doesn't move me to outrage.

Even though outrage is a perfectly valid response to so much that is happening around us, it is exhausting.

It's good to get off the "Outrage Treadmill" which raises our physical responses but doesn't get us anywhere.

So, this personal essay is from OnlySky, a website dedicated to secular values and it is written by an emotionally eloquent doctor.

The title makes reference to something called a "Code Lavender", but it doesn't deal with Gay Rights. It does deal with being fully human, which is what Gay Rights is really all about.

Let us now pause and reflect along with Dr. Eve Makoff. The Night I Called Code Lavender.

"Unacknowledged and unaddressed, grief threatens your integrity. Whether you are one to explode or implode, the potential damage to your psyche, to your body, or to your relationships is enormous."

As someone whose mental fortitude was shattered after a short time helping scared, suffering people sign up for Medicaid, my hat is off to Dr. Makoff and others like her.