Yes, I'm on welfare and have a smart phone....

[mathnerd]

I could see if someone had a car like a brand new BMW that people would complain. But a used car? No reason to get upset over it.

Even then you never know. Okay, so maybe not right off the lot new, but somebody could have purchased a new high end car with cash, then 6 months later had some major financial troubles. I recall reading an article not too long ago about a woman who felt bad going to pick up WIC checks in her husband's (paid off) BMW. Granted, in that article the BMW was 6 years old or so, but it was paid off and reliable, so they chose to keep it so they would have reliable transportation for job searching after both of them wound up unemployed unexpectedly.

[s_stabeler]

With some benefits- unemployment being an obvious one- people seem to think you should be spending 100% of your day looking for work. As in, do nothing but search for work, eat and sleep. It can be really annoying.

[Rageaholic]

With some benefits- unemployment being an obvious one- people seem to think you should be spending 100% of your day looking for work. As in, do nothing but search for work, eat and sleep. It can be really annoying.

Yeah, I've gotten crap like that too. I remember being told that every hour I'm not working is X amount of money being lost. And others have told me that if I haven't filled out 300 applications (literally), I'm not trying hard enough (what's wrong with a couple a day?).

I just get so irritated with these competitive people who not only have to one up you, but attempt to shame you for not living up to their standards.

[Sarah Valentine]

A phone don't mean shit to me, I'm saving up extra money and am going to get my iPhone in September. But (this is from when I was a cashier) if I check you out and you use a food stamp card wearing seemingly expensive clothing I tend not to overthink it because there are a lot of really cheap look a likes, but if I see that the Cadillac parked in the first space right out my window belongs to you then I'm gonna start thinking some shit.

[TheHuckster]

I think a lot of the problem stems from the stereotype some people have of people who believe those who are on welfare have been this way for many years or even their entire lives. Therefore, it doesn't even occur to them that maybe that expensive car, phone, or handbag was purchased at a time when they were more fortunate.

Those who are well-off can, in an instant, have their lives turned upside down. Maybe it's a divorce, or a devastating fire that destroyed their home and they got screwed by their insurance company, or they simply lost their cushy job and have a hard time returning to the income levels they used to have.

What I find ironic is a lot of the people who bitch and complain about this are assuming they are taking advantage of the system, when in fact it's the exact opposite: In so many of these examples, they have expensive items because it is a temporary safety net they are using to get back on their feet.

And, yes, even in other cases where they need welfare for a very long term, there are those who have expensive items either because it was a generous gift or they spent a lot of time saving up for it. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Greenday]

Ok, but let's say someone DOES have a lot of super expensive items like a very new beemer. Should my tax money be going to that person when they could downgrade their car, buy something more low-end, and float themselves for a while on that difference? I'd personally rather my money went to people who have NO means of any cash.

[Gravekeeper]

I'd google searched "Bum With Refrigerator" to prove it is possible to be poor as hell with a fridge, but all I got was pictures of women's butts and fridges.

Oh, and 70.6% of poor households have at LEAST one VCR. No seriously, they actually polled this in an attempt to prove households below the poverty line weren't really that bad off. I mean, they have a VCR! 99.7% have a stove, those fuckers.

This is totally real.

[mathnerd]

but if I see that the Cadillac parked in the first space right out my window belongs to you then I'm gonna start thinking some shit.

But how do you know that the Cadillac actually belongs to the person driving it. It could have been loaned to that person by a more well off friend or relative. You just don't know.

[patiokitty]

Ok, but let's say someone DOES have a lot of super expensive items like a very new beemer. Should my tax money be going to that person when they could downgrade their car, buy something more low-end, and float themselves for a while on that difference? I'd personally rather my money went to people who have NO means of any cash.

That is easier said than done. If they sell their car, they are expected to use that money for rent, utilities, and food - not on a cheaper car. I knew somebody that had done this as recommended by their caseworker, and when it was discovered that she had used part of the proceeds from the sale of her old (expensive) car to buy a reliable beater that same caseworker gave her shit for not using ALL the money for rent, utilities, and food, and threatened to completely cut her off. So it's a Catch-22 situation - you're fucked no matter what you do.

I figure that if the vehicle was owned outright prior to the person going on Welfare then it's nobody's business but their own. People who have never been on Welfare don't know what it's like inside of the system quite so well as somebody who's been fucked over by it in some way. If you've never been on Welfare it's easy to sit back and say 'sell it and get something cheaper' when in actual fact it is never that easy at all. Same goes for owning expensive gadgets like game consoles, TVs, Blu-Ray players, etc. In some cases those items were gifted to them by people with a bit more disposable income, and in others they have saved up their pennies to buy these things. So why should they have to sell any of these things just because somebody figures they shouldn't own them because they're on Welfare?

[MrsEclipse]

Cheaper cars don't tend to just be less expensive. They tend to be, well, cheaper. As in they aren't as good quality. And it's not just a downgrade in social status or whatever. It means your car is inferior, and it is more likely to break down. It's especially tricky because with a new car, you don't know all of it's tendencies and troubles (and the guy selling it isn't going to just come out and tell you what's likely to go wrong. You're going to need to find out on your own, or get a trusted mechanic to look it over for you which costs money, too.)

So, I'm just picking round numbers here, say you have a car you could sell for $5,000. You find a car that you can purchase for $500, because you still need a car to get to job interviews and get groceries home because you don't live in a city with a subway and the bus comes once an hour if it feels like it (thank you, My Hometown.) That extra $4,500 might go towards rent, food, utilities, and other necessities. More likely, though, a huge chunk of it is going to be used towards repairs to keep the new car running so you can actually use it, because this car is just plain cheaper and cheap things fall apart faster. At least with the good car, you knew how it was and if you're smart, you were maintaining it before you got in financial trouble.

I'm not saying that no one should ever sell a good car and get a cheaper one. If you're going to be on assistance for a long time, you might not be able to continue taking care of the pricey costs that come with maintenance of a nicer car, or you may be very good at finding cheap, reliable cars. Or other reasons. But short-term, you're taking a huge risk downgrading the car, and it's important to think of more than just that $4,500 difference you could be using on groceries.

[Greenday]

I'm not talking about $5,000 cars though. $5,000 cars are not expensive cars. I'm talking cars that are worth like $15,000 or more. If you can sell a car and make $10,000 profit or more after buying a decent used car, is there no personal responsibility to help oneself out?

[MrsEclipse]

There is personal responsibility. That's why you're looking for a job in the first place.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I see both sides. On one hand, I'm working class and I do have a lot of expensive crap. I have some expensive jewelry, two designer coats and a mega ton of DVDs. Some people would assume that I'm making like a bandit based on those things. However, the jewelry was gifts, one designer coat was bought in a sale for £50 knocked down from £300 and the other was bought for me by Fiance; and the DVDs? All picked up cheap from the local pawn shop. XD I've been given the stink eye by people the time I went to the council office to discuss my housing benefit, just cuz I was wearing one of my designer coats. Just cuz I'm working class, doesn't mean I can't have nice things.

On the other hand... I work in retail and I've seen plenty of lazy arses who are on benefits who have giant SUVs, spend money like water and are basically living off the taxpayer. A colleague of mine lives near a woman who's never worked but rakes in the benefit. She goes on four or five holidays every year. I haven't been on holiday in about eight years, cuz I can't afford it. So while there are poor people who have nice stuff who have a good reason for having it, that doesn't take away from the fact that lazy shits who rake in the benefits while sitting on their arses DO exist.

[BlaqueKatt]

I'm not talking about $5,000 cars though. $5,000 cars are not expensive cars. I'm talking cars that are worth like $15,000 or more. If you can sell a car and make $10,000 profit or more after buying a decent used car, is there no personal responsibility to help oneself out?

well this woman explains it pretty well

That’s the funny thing about being poor. Everyone has an opinion on it, and everyone feels entitled to share. That was especially true about my husband’s [paid in full before they met]Mercedes. Over and over again, people asked why we kept that car, offering to sell it in their yards or on the Internet for us.
When you lose a job, your first thought isn’t, “Oh my God, I’m poor. I’d better sell all my nice stuff!” It’s “I need another job. Now.” When you’re scrambling, you hang on to the things that work, that bring you some comfort. That Mercedes was the one reliable, trustworthy thing in our lives.

And considering they had kids born premature and all the health issues with that, reliable car necessary.

[Greenday]

well this woman explains it pretty well


And considering they had kids born premature and all the health issues with that, reliable car necessary.

I guess I better go out and buy a Porsche! It's worth more than my Mustang so it must be more reliable.

It's quite possible to buy a used car for a few thousand dollars that will last you years. I bought my first car for about $4,200. It was a 2000 Cavalier and that was in 2005. It had 60k miles on it. I gave it to my step-dad when I got my Mustang in 2012 and he still drives it with few problems.

She was in a shitty situation. No doubt about it. And if that article is from last year as it seems, her car was over a decade old so I doubt it was worth a ton still. But I'm still talking about people who have cars that are only a couple years old. If things got tough for me, you could bet I'd sell my car and buy a used one to help me float myself until I'm back on my feet. Asking for assistance wouldn't even cross my mind.