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| image from gab.ai |
I just saw this and was, well, not amused.
Those that follow me know that I was fired in Feb of 2022 (after multiple unpaid suspensions) from my 20+ year career/job for asserting my rights to medical privacy and refusal of experimental biological products (among other things). During that time, I put my finances on lock. Out went every non-essential food item and entertainment. Outside dining and vacations. I had no idea how long I would be out of work (turned out to be a total of 5 days) or how much that work would pay.
It being the "pandemic" and all, my employment opportunities were severely limited and I had to consider that I may have to leave my state of residence. For the next 20 months, I was a contractor. Meaning that if I didn't work, I didn't get paid. This meant zero vacations as I wasn't blowing a week's pay to sit on a beach or in my apartment.
I also created a spreadsheet in order to keep detailed records of where my money went and was going so that I knew how much I needed to live. You should do this as you'd be surprised at how much you spend above your "base needs". Previously I hadn't had a need to do this as my general budgeting was fine for my lifestyle. However, for the point of this post I want to emphasize that I did not take a vacation for 2 summers (where I usually took 3 weeks total).
Now this story:
You know what, I'm annoyed by this. But this part got me:
She was also receiving funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families fund, which helped her cover her $120-a-month rent.
$120/month rent? So when she got this money, it was the equivalent of 83 months of rent. 7 years of rent. Instead she blew it on a week's trip to Miami. In essence DC gave $10k to Florida.
"But still, Miller said she was struggling to make her food stamps last.
“Groceries last us the first three weeks of the month, then it’s trying to figure out the last week of my benefits,” she explained."
Say you used one year of that rent and put towards food.
"She justified her spending by saying she hoped to inspire her children and teach them that if they work hard enough, they may one day be able to afford one of the mansions."
There is absolutely no need to make a trip to Miami to "teach" that lesson. It's called Silver Spring Maryland, and it's not far. Matter of fact, assuming she has a working smartphone, Google maps can show her kids all manner of mansions without spending a penny on airfare or bus fare.
It's one thing if a private party wants to fund someone's lifestyle. It's another thing when it's from tax payers. Many tax payers have foregone trips and other luxuries to better or maintain their lives. Even the ones who did not do not deserve to have their income extorted for this kind of behavior.