[quote=CA renter]
Have you ever been in a poor family’s house? Somehow, I doubt it.
[/quote]

For someone who claims to try and keep it civil, your comments reek of calling me ignorant. Have you forgotten that I have somewhat recently graduated College? Many of my friends graduated into a very awful job market. One lost his job 3 times in a year and a half. Another has been looking for work for 2 years. Both with a decent pile of student loan debt. They did not collect food stamps nor welfare, some didn’t qualify for unemployment insurance, because they had not yet been employed. One of my closest friends accidently got pregnant and had a kid (she is married), she was marginally unemployed and then unemployed and the other was in the middle of grad school, yet somehow they managed to stay of government assistance and buy health insurance. Currently my parents would qualify for food stamps and welfare after my dad’s last employer stopped paying him but did not lay him off, but they have enough assets to keep their pride.

I suspect though that this is not the kind of poor people you are referring too. You are referring to the type that have themselves on their heels with poor decisions and seem to constantly take steps back. Well I know a few of those people to, but to spell that out seems a bit unflattering.

In my view neither group of poor people needs free stuff, they need opportunity.

I wonder if you have ever been to a poor persons house.