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Showing Original Post only (View all)My Name Is Jason, I’m A 35-Yr-Old White Male Combat Veteran…And I’m On Food Stamps [View all]
--snip--
My name is Jason. I turned 35 less than a week ago. My first job was maintenance work at a public pool when I was 17. I worked 40-hours a week while I was in college. Ive never gone longer than six months without employment in my life and I just spent the last three years in the military, one of which consisted of a combat tour of Afghanistan.
Oh, and Im now on food stamps. Since June, as a matter of fact.
Why am I on food stamps?
The same reason everyone on food stamps is on food stamps: because I would very much enjoy not starving.
I mean, if thats okay with you:
Mr. or Mrs. Republican congressman.
Mr. or Mrs. Conservative commentator.
Mr. or Mrs. welfare queen letter-to-the-editor author.
Mr. or Mrs. fiscal conservative, reason-based libertarian.
I do apologize for burdening you on the checkout line with real-life images of American-style poverty. I know you probably believe the only true starving people in the world have flies buzzing around their eyes while they wallow away, near-lifeless in gutters.
Hate to burst the bubble, but those people dont live in this country.
I do. And millions like me. Millions of people in poverty who fall into three categories.
Lets call them the lucky category, since conservatives seem to think people on welfare have hit some sort of jackpot:
Those living paycheck to paycheck? Theyre a little lucky.
Those living unemployment check to unemployment check? Theyre a little luckier.
Those living 2nd of the month to 2nd of the month? *ding* Weve hit the jackpot!
The 2nd of the month being the time when funds gets electronically deposited onto the EBT card, [at least in NY] for those whove never been fortunate enough to hit that $175/month Powerball.
I fall into the latter two categories. But Ive known people recently - soldiers in the Army who were in the first and third. They were off fighting in Afghanistan while their wives were at home, buying food at the on-post commissary with food stamps.
And nobody bats an eye there, because its not uncommon in the military.
Its not uncommon nor is it shameful. It might be shameful how little service-members are paid, but thats a separate issue.
The fact remains anyone at a certain income level can find it difficult from time to time to pay for everything. And when youre poor you learn to make sacrifices. Food shouldnt be one of them.
The whole concept is un-American. People living here, in the greatest country on Earth, with the most abundant resources, should be forced to go hungry because of the intellectual notion of fiscal conservatism and the ideological notion of self-reliance.
Are you fucking kidding me?
I didnt risk my life in Afghanistan so I could come back and watch people go hungry in America. I certainly didnt risk it so *I* could come back and go hungry.
Oh, and Im now on food stamps. Since June, as a matter of fact.
Why am I on food stamps?
The same reason everyone on food stamps is on food stamps: because I would very much enjoy not starving.
I mean, if thats okay with you:
Mr. or Mrs. Republican congressman.
Mr. or Mrs. Conservative commentator.
Mr. or Mrs. welfare queen letter-to-the-editor author.
Mr. or Mrs. fiscal conservative, reason-based libertarian.
I do apologize for burdening you on the checkout line with real-life images of American-style poverty. I know you probably believe the only true starving people in the world have flies buzzing around their eyes while they wallow away, near-lifeless in gutters.
Hate to burst the bubble, but those people dont live in this country.
I do. And millions like me. Millions of people in poverty who fall into three categories.
Lets call them the lucky category, since conservatives seem to think people on welfare have hit some sort of jackpot:
Those living paycheck to paycheck? Theyre a little lucky.
Those living unemployment check to unemployment check? Theyre a little luckier.
Those living 2nd of the month to 2nd of the month? *ding* Weve hit the jackpot!
The 2nd of the month being the time when funds gets electronically deposited onto the EBT card, [at least in NY] for those whove never been fortunate enough to hit that $175/month Powerball.
I fall into the latter two categories. But Ive known people recently - soldiers in the Army who were in the first and third. They were off fighting in Afghanistan while their wives were at home, buying food at the on-post commissary with food stamps.
And nobody bats an eye there, because its not uncommon in the military.
Its not uncommon nor is it shameful. It might be shameful how little service-members are paid, but thats a separate issue.
The fact remains anyone at a certain income level can find it difficult from time to time to pay for everything. And when youre poor you learn to make sacrifices. Food shouldnt be one of them.
The whole concept is un-American. People living here, in the greatest country on Earth, with the most abundant resources, should be forced to go hungry because of the intellectual notion of fiscal conservatism and the ideological notion of self-reliance.
Are you fucking kidding me?
I didnt risk my life in Afghanistan so I could come back and watch people go hungry in America. I certainly didnt risk it so *I* could come back and go hungry.
http://thesterlingroad.com/2013/09/19/my-name-is-jason-im-a-35-yr-old-white-male-combat-veteran-and-im-on-food-stamps/
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My Name Is Jason, I’m A 35-Yr-Old White Male Combat Veteran…And I’m On Food Stamps [View all]
WooWooWoo
Sep 2013
OP
Thank you for your service! The problem with these ignorant fucking repukes is that
gopiscrap
Sep 2013
#5
Soldiers are cheap, disposable tools the 1% uses to increase its wealth and power.
blkmusclmachine
Sep 2013
#14
The blame goes to Republicans and those who lend them legitimacy by pretending they are
Bluenorthwest
Sep 2013
#33
Just like the John Kerry Purple Hearts Band Aids. They respect our military veterans
mnmoderatedem
Sep 2013
#48
This one is for Jason. He really does understand what's going on. Kudoes. Thanks for posting:
freshwest
Sep 2013
#53
It is a disgrace that we aren't paying people in the military enough to live on
davidpdx
Sep 2013
#63