I was probably mid rant this past weekend about the homeless situation and how it will probably be the reason we end up moving out of Austin while enjoying our Sunday afternoon in the backyard when we started discussing the idea that it really falls on the haves to provide for the have-nots. This idea would have promptly been met with a hearty "fuck you!" if not for it being brought up by DD's new wife and she wasn't really framing it as an attack but more of an observation. She works in some capacity with this population, so I gave her the floor and listened attentively to what she had to say. Unfortunately, I am married to another world hero who has pretty much spent her working career being the point person everywhere she works to reach to the lowest rung of society's ladder and tried to save as many as she could reach. Wife has either been a "homeless liaison" or she has been involved with the migrant populations (Mexicans), or the bilingual population in her school (again Mexicans transitioning as slowly as possible), so having been a part of this conversation for the last 15-20 years, none of this new to me.
DD's wife's take is that there are plenty of people who are "down on their luck", due to Covid-19 or other reasons outside their own fault and this people deserve a chance to be helped. I agree with that sentiment, but to me, that percentage of the homeless population is maybe 10%-20%, most are either drugged out or so counter culture that the lifestyle of living on the streets works for them. This is where I start feeling like it used to be the proverbial ant from Aesop's fable was what we all should strive to become, a hard worker that plans and saves on its hard work in the best of times to survive the downturns of bad times that always come around. Instead, we now live in a society that the partying grasshopper is the hero and for some unknown reason, the ant should also be saving to provide for the grasshopper that refuses to do for itself. I find this stream of thinking absolutely nuts, shouldn't we all be responsible for ourselves? I agree with helping a little bit, when we all hit a hard spot, but programs like unemployment should only help for a limited time while the person looks for a new job, it shouldn't be a solution to survive on.
I found the conversation interesting, but I also felt like I was debating with pillows on my fists because I already scared off one delicate flower from my house who couldn't see things like I see them, so I didn't want to go all in. I don't like that I might do nothing but work hard all my life like the proverbial ant, Wife has done nothing but go to school, working on a Master's degree, and now even taking classes on the idea of even pursuing a PhD possibly while the world has a good time, but if things get hard for Joe Blow, we should open our wallets and help him buy his beer? Why? Where was Joe when we were in college getting into debt, when Wife is taking night classes, when Wife and I decide to work in different cities to provide more income for ourselves? When I go on 2-4 hours sleep so we can save some money not paying for daycare, Sally Suckadick wasn't offering to watch my kid for free, but now I must turn around and be a good member of society and give my money happily for these idiots? We didn't just magically wake up in a large house, at one point in our lives we too were on food stamps, Boy was born while we were on welfare, yet we have worked our asses off to get to where we are, and that is what makes this country so freaking great. Help should be a temporary boost, not a lifestyle.
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