Notes and observations from this precarious thing that we lovingly refer to as “The Guam Desk.
There are only a few things about living on Guam that truly piss me off, and now is as good a time as any to talk about one of the biggest ones. I’ve written about welfare and food stamps before in different blogs, and I think it’s time to rewalk this particular piece of terra.
It’s been said before by a lot of people, including me, that welfare is a good thing if used in the proper way for its intended purpose. It’s a sad fact that, every now and then, we all run into Hard Times, in one form or fashion. Sometimes shit just happens, many times it’s shit that isn’t something we as individuals can control. It’s those times, when things start looking dire that some help might, for lack of a better word, help.
What pisses me off now and what has pissed me off about welfare on Guam in general is that some people look at it as a Lifestyle and not a temporary situation. I have heard stories where people have been on food stamps for 8 years. Eight years! They’ve been on it forever, and will continue to be on it with absolutely zero effort taken to try to get off of it, get some employment. And why should they? Just hang out, fuck a lot, and make more little welfare babies, and the money will continue to roll in. The checks and the food stamps coming in every month are taken for granted, like it’s a Normal part of life, something that their large number of kids will do when they get old enough to draw their own checks.
Now before someone tells me that I’m cruel and have no heart, let me say this. I understand that other than the tourism industry, there really isn’t a hell of a lot of industry here on Guam. No factories or companies that produce products that can be exported off island, or at least none of great value. So I totally understand that sometimes people can go a long time without work. With that said though, there has to be a limit to all of it.
Welfare and food stamps, from the very beginning, were set up to be a Temporary Situation. As I said, we all at one point or another run into problems, and some of us run into Huge Problems. These programs were set up so that people could get Temporary relief until they can find employment, so that they can be self supporting and take their place as valuable members of society.
And, the helpful kind of guy that I am, I have some advice for some of my fellow citizens, one group in particular who have been riding the Food Stamp/Welfare Gravy Train for a long time. The people I am referring to are those large ladies I see in the grocery store at the first of every month who are at least 30-50 pounds overweight and paying for your groceries with food stamps. Not only are you apparently being well fed from the largess you are getting from the food stamps/welfare, these free groceries are apparently making you quite fertile, as most of you have at least 3-8 kids crowded around you at the grocery. Because of your ability to crank out children at an alarming rate, this also increases your entitlement for more food stamps/welfare. Here’s the advice I would like to lay down to you ladies:
Stop Fucking!
Put ………The………..Dick……….Down!
If you’re not willing to do that, then at least have that worthless bastard (or bastards) who keep getting you pregnant wear a condom. Failing that, waddle your gigantic morbidly obese ass down to Public Health and see about getting your own self some birth control pills or one of those birth control meds that you only have to take every six months. Fuck what the Catholic Church thinks about birth control. Are they gonna put rice in your kids mouths or pay your rent? They are most certainly not. Besides, taking this religious argument further, if you’re fucking for fun, you are already breaking God’s law by succumbing to Sins of the Flesh. Do the right thing. In the end, it will save us all a lot of trouble, and who knows, you just might be able to find some work if you don’t have the 10 kids to care for.
You want to do something that’s Good and Necessary, Governor-Elect Calvo? Fix the welfare problem. Put a mandatory cap of 3 years on it. Start up some jobs programs, maybe some free Japanese language programs as well. The tourist industry relies on Jap speakers, and this would at least help a little bit with the burden. And, please, put something into law that, if someone moves here from another island (like Chuuk), they should at least have a job when they get here, and not go automatically on food stamps. That would help solve a lot of problems.
Until then, I’ll just continue to avoid the grocery store on the first of every month.
There are only a few things about living on Guam that truly piss me off, and now is as good a time as any to talk about one of the biggest ones. I’ve written about welfare and food stamps before in different blogs, and I think it’s time to rewalk this particular piece of terra.
It’s been said before by a lot of people, including me, that welfare is a good thing if used in the proper way for its intended purpose. It’s a sad fact that, every now and then, we all run into Hard Times, in one form or fashion. Sometimes shit just happens, many times it’s shit that isn’t something we as individuals can control. It’s those times, when things start looking dire that some help might, for lack of a better word, help.
What pisses me off now and what has pissed me off about welfare on Guam in general is that some people look at it as a Lifestyle and not a temporary situation. I have heard stories where people have been on food stamps for 8 years. Eight years! They’ve been on it forever, and will continue to be on it with absolutely zero effort taken to try to get off of it, get some employment. And why should they? Just hang out, fuck a lot, and make more little welfare babies, and the money will continue to roll in. The checks and the food stamps coming in every month are taken for granted, like it’s a Normal part of life, something that their large number of kids will do when they get old enough to draw their own checks.
Now before someone tells me that I’m cruel and have no heart, let me say this. I understand that other than the tourism industry, there really isn’t a hell of a lot of industry here on Guam. No factories or companies that produce products that can be exported off island, or at least none of great value. So I totally understand that sometimes people can go a long time without work. With that said though, there has to be a limit to all of it.
Welfare and food stamps, from the very beginning, were set up to be a Temporary Situation. As I said, we all at one point or another run into problems, and some of us run into Huge Problems. These programs were set up so that people could get Temporary relief until they can find employment, so that they can be self supporting and take their place as valuable members of society.
And, the helpful kind of guy that I am, I have some advice for some of my fellow citizens, one group in particular who have been riding the Food Stamp/Welfare Gravy Train for a long time. The people I am referring to are those large ladies I see in the grocery store at the first of every month who are at least 30-50 pounds overweight and paying for your groceries with food stamps. Not only are you apparently being well fed from the largess you are getting from the food stamps/welfare, these free groceries are apparently making you quite fertile, as most of you have at least 3-8 kids crowded around you at the grocery. Because of your ability to crank out children at an alarming rate, this also increases your entitlement for more food stamps/welfare. Here’s the advice I would like to lay down to you ladies:
Stop Fucking!
Put ………The………..Dick……….Down!
If you’re not willing to do that, then at least have that worthless bastard (or bastards) who keep getting you pregnant wear a condom. Failing that, waddle your gigantic morbidly obese ass down to Public Health and see about getting your own self some birth control pills or one of those birth control meds that you only have to take every six months. Fuck what the Catholic Church thinks about birth control. Are they gonna put rice in your kids mouths or pay your rent? They are most certainly not. Besides, taking this religious argument further, if you’re fucking for fun, you are already breaking God’s law by succumbing to Sins of the Flesh. Do the right thing. In the end, it will save us all a lot of trouble, and who knows, you just might be able to find some work if you don’t have the 10 kids to care for.
You want to do something that’s Good and Necessary, Governor-Elect Calvo? Fix the welfare problem. Put a mandatory cap of 3 years on it. Start up some jobs programs, maybe some free Japanese language programs as well. The tourist industry relies on Jap speakers, and this would at least help a little bit with the burden. And, please, put something into law that, if someone moves here from another island (like Chuuk), they should at least have a job when they get here, and not go automatically on food stamps. That would help solve a lot of problems.
Until then, I’ll just continue to avoid the grocery store on the first of every month.
30-50 lbs is not morbidly obese. many poor people are overweight because the food they can afford is the cheap processed food like hamburger helper or mac and cheese. they don't get enough in food stamps to pay for fresh whole foods. they also lack nutritional education.
ReplyDeletewow, can't wait till it's your turn for judgement. I would suggest you do alot of research into anything you have to say, just so you have something to back up your statements.
ReplyDeleteGuam is ranked #2 with number of welfare cases per 100 people. They are almost double the number compared to the third state (Rhode Island). Research complete. I will happily provide you with a link to that information if you'd like it handed out to you.
Delete