Rules for taking public assistance

[jedimomma]

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, mostly because myself and many of my friends are now on varying forms of state aid. Taking public assistance is a daunting thing to do, generally incredibly depressing, and just all around no fun. Many perfect strangers are happy to criticize you for your dependence, regardless of the fact that they

Comments

[jedimomma]

Wow, your grandma was hardcore. I guess I've never really understood the "accept no aid at any cost" mindset. I mean, I suppose if one really believes that "anyone can make it in America" or something similar, then it makes some sense. But that's just not true, it never has been true, and it really really really really isn't true right now. If we're not willing to look out for one another, and help each other when we're in need, why are we living in a society at all? Is being an American only "I live on the same contiguous piece of ground as they do"? Do we owe nothing to each other? Even those who are doing well right now didn't bootstrap themselves--they're riding on the coattails of a rich country with all kinds of benefits.

Part of having a functional society is that there is a baseline below which people can't fall (or at least, can't fall without trying hard). Societies don't function when large portions of them are worried about having enough to eat, or how they will care for sick family members, or are being worked to death. That's where revolutions come from. There are lots of ways to create those baselines and safety nets, and people disagree about how it should look; welfare-state proponents think that this is part of the government's responsibility, libertarians think that the invisible hand will guide the social market into creating services without intervention, and so on. But the fact that the safety nets have got to be there for a society to function isn't up for debate, that's just how it is. But they also only work if people are willing to take the aid. Safety nets don't work if people are shamed into jumping over the edge of them.