Just Another Rant

First of all, I admit I'm a liberal. I do not consider myself to be a bleeding heart liberal. I am also a feminist. I am not a feminazi, though. However, I'm tired of so many people suffering from "ostrich syndrome". A wise person once said, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see. Whoever he/she was, it was a very correct statement.

I hate to point this out, but our country is falling apart and failing its citizens. I don't mean the war (though that's debatable), but just in general. Prices keep rising, wages don't. At least not enough to make much difference. Utility companies are monopolies (aren't there laws against that?). Housing is scarce, unfit, unregulated, and ungodly expensive. Benefits are becoming more stringent (some companies can fire you for smoking at you home), less available, and less worth it. A Bachelor's Degree is becoming more like an Associate's Degree every day, and a Master's Degree is getting close to that status, depending on the area. Our educational system is failing our children in significant ways, and our children are expected to know how to run the country within a few decades.

Also, I'm getting really irritated with people who don't have kids, have never had kids of their own, or only been step parents for brief periods of time thinking they make the best parents in the universe. For example, there is a young woman in one of my classes who just recently discovered she's pregnant. She's been in several of my classes, and while we're not buddies, we do get along and chat fairly frequently. She is married. Brava for her. I'm happy that they're happy with the coming baby and wish them well. However, over the past couple weeks (since she found out), we've had more than one heated discussion about children. Now, she's heard me bitch (off and on for two years) about being a mom. When we've worked together on projects, she's heard me yelling at my kids and cussing at them. She also knows that my family is the recipient of a few different assistance programs. I'm not proud of it, but I won't be ashamed of it either. At any rate, she's lately decided that she knows everything about being a mom. She's also told me prior to this that she thinks most people on any kind of assistance are just lazy, and basically worthless, if they've been on it for more than about six months. I'm not sure where she came up with the time limit, but whatever. I didn't hold it against her. What I do hold against her is that suddenly, she knows exactly how she'll react when her kid decides to fry her computer keyboard, 'forgets' to turn homework for two weeks straight, or throws a tantrum. She also apparently is no longer against applying for any kind of assistance she thinks her family might qualify for. To this end, she's been asking me where to apply for what and if there are any loopholes to use. When I questioned her on it, she basically told me that if everyone else could get it, she could too. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but that pissed me off. From what she's told me of their living situation, they might need some extra help, like WIC maybe or maybe insurance. However, as much as I realize how bad the economy is for the majority of people, I don't think it's right of her to complain about the programs she's now trying to take advantage of. Especially when she's asking me how long she can push things. I don't know. But I firmly believe that until you've actually been there, done that -- no one should think they're an expert on anything...parenting or assistance programs or otherwise.