"Simplicity is the last thing a person considers as he is madly searching for the secret to life" ~Marlena De Blasi
I’m a simple guy, I don’t ask for much, expect much less and very rarely end up disappointed. It’s not that I live a life of Riley, nor do I live like Ebenezer Scrooge, my existence is comfortable enough.
I spent the recent American holiday with family, many of whom are very comfortable in life, some of whom had no food to speak of in their houses. It is this latter group that I wish to discuss. I’ll leave it at the fact that they are relatives of the spouse of one of my relatives and leave it at that, lest they learn to read and come after me for liable.
This particular family lives off of the work you and I do every day, that’s right they subsist solely on TANF (welfare for those of us old enough to remember the stigma that went with that), food stamps, and a monthly check they receive for their two children, both of whom suffer from genetic defects directly related to their fathers drug use. They also cannot stay in any one place more than a couple of months it seems, for failure to pay their rent generally, nor can they seem to keep the utilities on for the same reason.
After the grand holiday feast the conversation turned to “black Friday” and the deals that could be had on plastic pumpkins in the local china marts. This particular person of whom we are speaking was going on and on about the fact that they were going to go get a 37 inch flat panel 1080p LCD television for the living room because by god they needed it.
Did I mention that they had no food in the house, and no “money” to go buy more because the couple hundred bucks he had in his pocket was earmarked for the T.V.? Yes you read that right; the money he had could not be used to purchase food because it was for the T.V. He then proceeded to beg borrow and plead the remainder of the money necessary (another two hundred) off of family members who could ill afford to loan it to him (those on that side of the family who could have paid it out of their lunch money were ill inclined to do so).
No wonder I feel that we are all about to circle the drain as a society. It never dawned on him that the brand spanking new shiny idiot box (and in fair disclosure I own two, paid over a grand a piece for them, but then again I paid cash, my own cash and only purchased them when I had the cash to spend, my children never have nor will they ever want for food to eat or warm blankets on the beds) would not continue to function after he failed to pay the power bill this month because he owes everyone in the family money (which they will probably never see again) and his rent is due, and after a short discussion about how much money was coming in versus what was being spent he could not see that his sustainability for the month of December was about, zero.
What about food I inquired, “well you see we get food stamps on the first”, ok, it’s the freaking 25th of November, far as I can tell you have 6 days or so before the first of December and you have nothing, I guess I know where all the leftovers went to, at least the kids will have something to eat, until today or so, and well going hungry for a day or so is good for the soul, or so thinks this individual. Never mind the fact he’ll probably spend thirty percent of the money he gets at the local bar before the money ever sees the inside of his house, or with the local herb dealer if you catch my drift.
I personally have nothing against either, if you have the money to burn either place more power to you. But for the love of Pete make sure its money you can burn, not money you should be spending on food for your children, and I can hear it now, who made me arbiter of how they spend their money, no one. I just felt the need to put it out there, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had this experience that just makes you shake your head.
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