delpmb said "My mom had to tell the cashier to put some etuff aside, she paid cash and did not always have enough, but I have to say she did a pretty good job of guess-timating
.I also remember being a teenager and making myself scarce when it came a time to pay because I was embarrassed Mom had no choice. Dad had downturns in his life but he always had a job ( and swallowed a lot of gump to keep them) he always put food on the table, but we did without a whole lot of other stuff.
We lost our house and had to rent in not so nice places. I got a job to pay for my school clothes, my brother had a part time job and paid for my school books ( those days textbooks for grade school were on the parents).
We survived thankfully we never had to ask for aid, pride paid a big part in that.
We could trade hard luck stories ad infinitum.
We are all okay now years later but "succeeding" ( whatever that means!) didn't cause me to lose my empathy for those who have not been so lucky ( I consider our family to be lucky)
Most people do not choose to seek aid it is often the very last thing they do after all other options have been exhausted.
To blithely state "but most don't even want to try. Just hands out for help, from anywhere." is a disservice,
and
"some think that taxpayers need to feed their children at school because apparently children can't learn on empty stomachs! That always make me laugh," is just mean "
Most now a days do not even want to try because there are too many bleeding hearts out there including various forms of our government.
There are families that pull in lots of cash thru child tax credit, for some it is more than a full time job pays! So feed your own children, don't expect taxpayers to do it for you!
Number one priority for families is a roof over your head, number two? Feed the bellies! Clothing comes in third, wear what you can afford to purchase.
Hundreds of families went without so called 'luxuries' before you so you do the same!
How many people cry poor mouth with a cig or cell phone in their hand? Then go home to their big screen TV?
I had someone knock on my door asking me to buy baby formula and diapers once. Holy hell, I can't afford to buy someone baby stuff! That's when the child tax credit needs to be used, every last cent needs to go towards looking after that baby!