Question for Republicans who value individual responsibility?

Question

What if you lost your job, car, and all you money. Also, you had no friends or family to assist and support you. Would you seek government assistance? Just curious!

Wtfdubby, great answer. I am surprised no one has said that. You're correct, unemployment isn't a social program.

Answer 1

Sure , that's what it's there for, to help people who have fallen on hard times. We need a system that will help people when they have problems. However , there needs to be time limits on this assistance and people who have been paying taxes and supporting the system should have priority over those who have never worked. We don't need a system where people can just live off the government without looking for work or being held accountable for how they spend the money. We have a lot of families in this country who make a career out of living off welfare and they never try to help themselves get any better.

Answer 2

No reason not to for a brief time especially if you have small children to feed. Most contribute all there lives and never use it. But finding a job doesn't happen in an hour so one has to do what one has to do. Unemployment insurance is not a gift but is something we all give to just in case something bad happens. Peace When did the ACLU ever help anyone that was a Republican or Bill OReilly?

Answer 3

I lose my keys occasionally, and I fully expect to be looking for another job in a year or so, but I doubt I'd ever missplace my car, house /and/ family.

Part of taking responsibility is being prepared and building a support network. But, another part is working realistically within the environment you're faced with. In our society, that does mean gaming the system - whether it's tax avoidance when you're doing well, or sucking up the maximum of social handouts when you're not.

Answer 4

What can I tell you...whenever I wanted to work I could find a job, even now after retirement. I do know that most of the government assistance is something I have paid for in the past to use if needed. But I would personally feel ashamed if I could not do it myself as long as I was physically and mentally able. Sorry another long winded answer to just say no.

Answer 5

Yes I would, but not as a solution to my problems. I would (and have) accepted help while I worked on solving whatever the problem is. I've accepted unemployment so I could pay the bills while I looked for a job, food stamps during this time to pay for food for the kids, and such.

For me, welfare is a "helping hand", not a solution. Too many people, though, use it as a solution to their problems. This is why I support reforming the system, not getting rid of it.

Answer 6

So, in other words, if we don't value individual responsibility would we seek government assistance?

People who value individual responsibility generally stash 3-6 months of living expenses away in an emergency fund, drive cars that are paid off and have invested in their skill set enough to be able to find work quickly. So, it's difficult to imagine a situation where all of these could be taken away from someone who truly values individual responsibility.

Answer 7

The only person I know on welfare is a hard core Bush loving republican. When I lost my job after an accident and was out of work for almost 2 years I never took a cent from anyone. I guess it just depends on the person and not their political views.

Answer 8

I'm not a repub but I've NEVER asked for government assistance between jobs. In face, I've only had employment comp. once in my life and that was only for two weeks.

Answer 9

First of all if you lose your job and then lose everything else you probably didn't have any savings, which is irresponsible. If you lost your car you could ride the bus and spend every minute of the day trying to find a new job. I would only ask for assistance if I were homeless and I would get off of it as soon as possible. The problem is that there are people who think that losing your job means you should automatically apply for assistance and then they stay on it for years. The reason so many people in this country are "poor" is because they are living beyond their means. If you have a credit card and are carrying a balance on it, then you are living beyond your means. I say "poor" because the poor in this country are the richest poor in the world. They have cable television, cars, air conditioning and cell phones. I would sell every thing I own, including the silver fillings in my molars and my wedding ring before I asked for help from the government.

Answer 10

My grandmother was an illiterate, LEGAL, immigrant with 11 children when my grandfather was killed in a coalmine crash in 1932. These were the days before Soc Sec death benefits and of course, the company gave her NOTHING for his death. Can you imagine? I asked her "Nona, how did you do it?" "I had 11 mouths to feed, what else could I do? I wanted to pull the blanket over my head and die with him." was her reply?

To the day Nona died, she would shake her finger and say: "And I never went on the dole"!!!!!" She worked her tail off, raised all her kids who all at the minimum graduated from HS! How the heck did she do that?

Grandma has been dead 30 years but she is still my hero! When the tough time came, she didn't apply for welfare!

What did I learn from Nona? Responsibility, hard work, dedication to family. pride, resourcefulness.

If each one of us can't embrace those traits the best days of country are behind us.