Perceived Imbalance

"Why does the government give poor people big refunds while charging others more on their federal taxes?"

It is tax season, and you know what that means: endless bitching. You are guaranteed to encounter tweets, posts, blogs, and quotes like the one above related to how much of someone's paycheck that the government is keeping, how unfair it is, and how people are "doing their part to support the lazy Americans."

I have posted about welfare before, but a fresh round of bitching by middle-class white people beckoned me to continue. You see, I don't think of welfare as simply helping lazy people. Do I think that this happens? Yes. Do I think it is a majority? No. But even if it was a majority of welfare recipients that were abusing the system, I'd still support it. To me, it is not an issue of giving to those undeserving of it, but rather contributing to our society; the poor, the broken, the underprivileged, the disenfranchised people who haven't had all of the opportunities that I have, which has not been many, to be sure. This is called optimism.

I have a cousin that shall remain nameless, who is a staunch conservative. She got into my ass a few years ago about welfare and how wrong it is that we hardworking Americans pay our taxes just to "waste" it on education benefits poor people, single moms, and the like who apparently don't deserve to go to school. Mind you, in most cases, there is no way that they could otherwise afford it.

The rub is that this cousin and her siblings were raised on Social Security benefits after the tragic death of a parent. This cousin qualified for numerous grants and scholarships to go to college but also used government grants and federal loans to pay for it. Her family uses and has always used, Medicare and Medicaid. All of which fall under the welfare umbrella.

"Nay," says she. "Not those programs. I mean like food stamps and government housing."

First, you conservatives cannot pick and choose who qualifies for what programs. Second, the housing in question is terribly shitty, and in the most crime-ridden places that one would never want to live near. Third, food stamps and WIC benefits do not provide the best components of nutrition, unless you count a solid block of cheese and Juicy Juice as adequate. Though I agree that there is a ton of money bled into the system needlessly. But as I've said before, does that mean that we cut all of it off and let God sort 'em out?

No, it means that the welfare system needs even more oversight; hiring thousands of social workers, caseworkers, inspectors, interviewers, etc. to sort through the mess and systematize the processes; i.e. weed out the shitbags. Conservatives don't like the idea of investing more money in hiring these professionals, even though that is exactly what we need to streamline our welfare system.

This example is typical of the short-sighted right-wing thinking that baffles me: we want regulation and government oversight, but only on the programs that directly benefit us, and all with less government. That's like me saying that I want a glass of water, but without a glass, and don't use any water.

It didn't take long for me to invalidate everything that she stands for. That, and she supported Palin, so there you go.

It usually does not take long for people to reply in unison: "Hey! I'm struggling too! Where's my goddamn help?"

Let's get real for a second. I'm struggling as well. But I also just bought a new car and another slightly-used one in 2013. We go out drinking. You probably bought a lot of shit last year, too. We all hang out and have a good time. We all have a lot of shit that we don't need. We cannot really say that we are truly struggling. Times are tight, sure, but we're not leaving our day jobs for a night shift at Denny's just so our kids can eat a can of cold green beans while we wait until the end of the week when we can get our lights turned back on.

I came from dirt. I came from a childhood of extreme poverty that didn't clear up until I was a teenager. I ate the block of cheese and Juicy Juice. I duct-taped my shoes together in cold Indiana winters. My dad worked three jobs to afford the duct tape. That is struggling. 

I had to join the Navy during a war to be able to somewhat afford school. I adamantly disagree with those that say this is what the poor have to do/should do to be able to afford school. I don't think that forcing our youngest citizens to be soldiers (unless they are lucky enough to have wealthy parents) if they want to go to college is fair, or moral. I want to hear a senator or congressman tell their kids, "if you want to go to college, you'd better enlist."

In my mid-20s, I devastated my whole life in a car accident that left me with less than nothing financially. The result? I lived on a generous friend's futon for free and rode a motorcycle one hour to work every day at an asylum. Have you ever wrestled schizophrenics for eight hours a day with a broken sternum, shattered rib cage, and a face made of loosely stitched hamburger, all for $10.25 an hour? That motorcycle was my only remaining possession beyond a garbage bag full of clothes. That is struggling. 

I built myself from the ground up. I repaired my credit score from 350 to damn near 800, bought shit, got a house, all while looking this good. I have since had a kid and have somehow not needed government assistance, although I am glad it is there, just in case. I have consistently found work that I was underqualified for and kicked ass at it day in and day out, forgoing a lot of the good times that I should have had and will likely never have.

Would I like for everyone else to do what I did? Of course. But not everyone has my drive, to their detriment. That doesn't mean that we can't, or shouldn't, help others. That only means that I'll always be more successful than they are. 

I believe that a society is only as strong as its weakest citizens. I want America to always be the greatest nation in the world, bar none. I won't sit by and let the powerful overrun the poor, the weak, and the outcast. I fought for my country as a whole, not just the best parts of it or it's wealthiest citizens.

I want the sick, injured, and infirm to find affordable health care without going into bankruptcy, as I almost did after my accident. I want the hungry to eat and the homeless to find shelter. I want people to be able to go to school to make for a more educated American society rather than duck out early because they know that they'll never amount to shit. Marginalizing anyone based on their social standing leads to the very attitudes that discourage success and prosperity in America.

Why not do our best to help those that will be consumed by this instead reach up and climb out of the maelstrom of poverty and anguish? Why should we not push up those who would eventually pull us down without intervention?

But to simply answer the question of why the government gives poor people bigger refunds while charging others more on their federal taxes; because poor people spend their money poorly. Rich, smart people invest their money, save it, etc., which does nothing for the economy. Poor people buy TVs, Dodge Darts, and lotto tickets.