To ckeniley on courageous conversation about race (section 8 housing, etc.)

[Guest guest]

ckeniley wrote:

 

you obviously do not know how section 8 housing works.

Nobody forces anyone to live anywhere ....these projects were

created by liberal -socialist folks who wanted to help the low

income people.....with section 8 people can live very very

inexpensively...but I agree it is a vicious cycle and should not

exist...but, NO oNE ForCES ANYONE TO LIVE THERE....I say get

a job and pay your own rent

 

 

Dear ck ~ though I was on welfare in my early 20s and am on social security

disability now, I have never lived in section 8 housing. However, having a

house to me would be far preferable to living in a 30 foot travel trailer,

which

becomes more difficult as I become sicker with my illness. I have worked

most of my life. Even as a child, in the summer I would do summer camps for

younger children, partially because I loved children and partially to have some

money.

 

I worked when I was pregnant, and then my husband and I split up. I worked,

and went to school and took care of my baby, and because I could only work a

little, I received welfare. As a white person on welfare I can tell you that,

for me, the most important thing was knowing I had medical coverage for

myself and my daughter. Welfare also paid, for a time, for my college classes.

When they stopped that program, Vocational Rehabilitation picked up most of the

tab, and my father helped out too, so I was able to complete my college

degree.

 

I never stopped working and had many different types of jobs, working in

nonprofits for causes that I cared deeply about. At that point, I was not on

welfare. It was only when I became too ill to work that my doctor advised me to

apply for ssdi. I would work now if I could, but after an hour or two, I'd be

flat on the floor. I would live in section 8 housing now except that you have

to wait a long time, and I have heard that, with Bush's new budget cuts,

many of these social programs will be drastically scaled back.

 

In some ways it hurts me in my heart to read something like "get a job and

pay your own rent." No one person knows another's story or why they are in the

circumstances they are in unless they tell you. I have shared a lot about

myself with this group because I love and trust you all. But I have not shared

my shame at being poor, being sick, living in a trailer and not being able to

buy new shoes or clothes ... because it is embarrassing to me, and it hurts

me that I am in this situation; it hurts me that there is so little I can do

about it.

 

So I just ask everyone, please think before you say something about those

who are less fortunate. Yes there are people who scam the system. But many more

are helped by it. There are also doctors, hospitals, landlords, etc., who

scam the system too. I recently received a huge bill for some medical tests.

Shortly thereafter, I received my Medicare "statement." Medicare sends a

statement for everything that gets billed in a person's name. On the Medicare

statement, it said, "you are not required to pay this bill." I also have had a

therapist, who I still talk with every other week, who has never charged me any

copay at all.

I bless his generous heart. I guess I am saying you can't tell everything

just by looking at a person or his/her circumstances. Jai Ma ~ Linda

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivayah,

 

Thank you, Linda, for sharing your story. I admire your honesty and found your

post to be

a breath of fresh air. I have been reading all of these posts and also getting

very upset by

some of the bickering and lack of compassion going on here. There is an awful

lot of

judging going on here, which is essentially the opposite of everything Amma

teaches.

Conversation and debate is one thing, when the goal is toward understanding.

However, it

seems to me that this conversation has deteriorated from innocent questioning to

judgemental ego sparring.

 

I, for one, am looking forward to the end of this discussion and more threads

based

around our beloved Amma.

 

Jai Ma,

 

Ananthasree

 

http://www.ammaschildren.com

 

 

Ammachi, nierika@a... wrote:

>

>

> ckeniley wrote:

>

> you obviously do not know how section 8 housing works.

> Nobody forces anyone to live anywhere ....these projects were

> created by liberal -socialist folks who wanted to help the low

> income people.....with section 8 people can live very very

> inexpensively...but I agree it is a vicious cycle and should not

> exist...but, NO oNE ForCES ANYONE TO LIVE THERE....I say get

> a job and pay your own rent

>

>

> Dear ck ~ though I was on welfare in my early 20s and am on social security

> disability now, I have never lived in section 8 housing. However, having a

> house to me would be far preferable to living in a 30 foot travel trailer,

which

> becomes more difficult as I become sicker with my illness. I have worked

> most of my life. Even as a child, in the summer I would do summer camps for

> younger children, partially because I loved children and partially to have

some

> money.

>

> I worked when I was pregnant, and then my husband and I split up. I worked,

> and went to school and took care of my baby, and because I could only work a

> little, I received welfare. As a white person on welfare I can tell you that,

> for me, the most important thing was knowing I had medical coverage for

> myself and my daughter. Welfare also paid, for a time, for my college

classes.

> When they stopped that program, Vocational Rehabilitation picked up most of

the

> tab, and my father helped out too, so I was able to complete my college

> degree.

>

> I never stopped working and had many different types of jobs, working in

> nonprofits for causes that I cared deeply about. At that point, I was not on

> welfare. It was only when I became too ill to work that my doctor advised me

to

> apply for ssdi. I would work now if I could, but after an hour or two, I'd be

> flat on the floor. I would live in section 8 housing now except that you have

> to wait a long time, and I have heard that, with Bush's new budget cuts,

> many of these social programs will be drastically scaled back.

>

> In some ways it hurts me in my heart to read something like "get a job and

> pay your own rent." No one person knows another's story or why they are in the

> circumstances they are in unless they tell you. I have shared a lot about

> myself with this group because I love and trust you all. But I have not

shared

> my shame at being poor, being sick, living in a trailer and not being able to

> buy new shoes or clothes ... because it is embarrassing to me, and it hurts

> me that I am in this situation; it hurts me that there is so little I can do

> about it.

>

> So I just ask everyone, please think before you say something about those

> who are less fortunate. Yes there are people who scam the system. But many

more

> are helped by it. There are also doctors, hospitals, landlords, etc., who

> scam the system too. I recently received a huge bill for some medical tests.

> Shortly thereafter, I received my Medicare "statement." Medicare sends a

> statement for everything that gets billed in a person's name. On the Medicare

> statement, it said, "you are not required to pay this bill." I also have had

a

> therapist, who I still talk with every other week, who has never charged me

any

> copay at all.

> I bless his generous heart. I guess I am saying you can't tell everything

> just by looking at a person or his/her circumstances. Jai Ma ~ Linda

>

>

>

>