Welfare Junkies

"I really like to travel and live free like a nomad. I don't like working, it ties me down and i've been fired from every job I ever had."

"Rather than minimum wage work in the US, I'm considering traveling a few months because I have US citizenship. I have great qualifications and work experience, but I'd rather collect welfare and have free time."

This is what a lot of folks who come into my store are thinking. I deal with peoples ACCESS cards and what i see on there is ridiculous! I see this one couple with only two kids come in and have over 1,000 dollars a month in food stamps. Now tell me that the government isn't screwing the rest of us somewhere.

My town is full of herion addicts. And most of them are on food stamps and cash assistance. I'll get started on cash assistance people later. I work hard for my money and so does my husband. We both pull long hours so we have enough money to pay the bill and have fun. I will admit I have been on food stamps before. A long time ago. For only three months. Just to get us up on our feet. After that we didnt need it anymore. Even though we still qualified for them we chose not to take them.

Some of my customers use up there food stamps on soft drinks and candybars. No joke. Day after day they come in and buy just that. Now cash assistance people. You know how many times I ran cards off of cash side to get cash back and use it on cigarettes and lottery. Alot! Its not fair that our tax dollars are paying for lottery twice! Its a bunch of shit.

This one group, every day like clockwork, comes in and buys cigarettes. Three different kinds, for three different people. Lottery, and softdrinks. All off their ACCESS card. She has a Gucci purse. Her nails are ALWAYS done up. I am talking acrylic nails. With airbrushed designs. NEVER a day that her nails don't look perfect. Top of the line sneakers, and the cutest damn clothes. Where did the government go wrong?

Another couple...Both herion addicts. Her boyfriend deals drugs around our town. He is currently in jail because of it. One child. Name brand clothes. Same professionally done nails. Nice snazzy car AND jeep. Both working part time jobs. (When he isnt in jail) Making a killing on food stamps ($800 a month) and ($600) cash assistance. Pulling cash back to buy cigarettes and alcohol.

One of my customers is very overweight. Nice girl. But doesn't work because she is overweight. She gets disablity because of it. She also gets food stamps and cash assistance. I didnt think you could do both but I guess I am wrong. Again she buys cigarettes and softdrinks. Cases of them.

I could go on and on. I thought the purpose of the ACCESS card is to pay bills with the cash side and buy "food" with the food side. I guess I was wrong on that one too.

I know people who have babies just to collect the welfare. No joke...for some reason people tell me these things. I dont know if its because they trust me or just got comfortable with me because I have been their cashier for years.

Regardless we should do something about it. But can't. Many years ago, I knew this one chick who claimed a child on her application that didnt live with her. He was her step son who lived with his mother and only came to visit every once in a while. She got away with it too. I called her in and reported her. They investigated and she won. She still gets welfare. She had a spare bedroom and just so happened to have him stay they same damn day that they came to investigate.

HOW DO THESE PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH THIS!?

I am done venting!

A Cat's Meow In Ghost Town

My hubby and some friends wanted to go to a haunted "thing" on halloween night. Neither of us wanted to drive far or spend an over priced fee. So we sat and pondered. We were so bored. Then I remembered when I went geocaching up in Laural Run at the old tannery. The Pandemonium.

Legend has it Pandemonium got its name because early settlers had a huge argument over what language to use in church. English, Dutch, or German. People were getting frustrated over the lack of compromise. "one guy jumped up and said. 'we may as well name the town pandemonium because that is what this is.' The name stuck"

All that remains is a patch of hallowed ground...Pioneer Cemetery and remnants of the old tannery. A very large and destructive fire occurred on the top and south sides of mountains in 1914. People died there and the Pandemonium...now known as Ghost Town is report to be haunted.

On Halloween night we all ventured up to visit Ghost Town. It was a creepy drive. A very long and narrow, dirt road is the only way up the mountain. Once we arrived, we all put our windows down, then heard a very eary cats meow...like a hissing growl almost....Then (I know you wont believe this) but the radio turned up a bit. We all screamed.

We sat there a little bit snapping pictures, hoping to catch something on camera. We were there for like 10 mins...(In the truck, after the radio thing we were afraid to get out of the truck). Then we drove up to the cemetery. We didnt make it two feet from where we were, when a truck turned on its lights behind us. We all screamed and floored the gas. We didnt hear the truck pull up..and cant figure out why it sat back there all that time. We were a bit freaked. He followed us up to the cemetery where we pulled in. Thankfully he went straight. Didnt see much there. So we drove home. It was quite a spooky night. We hope to find a better place next year.