Government Assistance

This blog topic may get a little hairy, so I will ask if you are easily offended to please just skip this and read my next blog :-). Today I had my first official appointment at the Wic office. My appointment was at 3:30 at the Guadalupe location. I am by no means racist, but I was definitely the minority and quite uncomfortable. Maybe its the hormones, but I had to keep telling myself "you're not pathetic" and don't cry. Like I said, my appointment was at 3:30, 4:15 rolls around and I go up to the office and the lady says "who are you again?" Seriously?!?! It's only like a 12x12 waiting room and I have been here for 45 minutes. She assures me it will only be a few more minutes, but there is still someone in front of me. At this point I'm starting to get really ticked off because I am watching people who arrived after me go in. So I start talking to the other receptionist guy and he was like well I'll start doing your paperwork so it will go faster. Then the girl says, well I guess since the other people were walk ins and arrived after her she can go first. ??????????. Yes, ?????????. Now I am really p.o.ed. Since when do you send walk-ins before appointments? Well I finally get back there and have to answer all of these weird questions. I asked the lady about eligibility requirements for when I start working and it is ridiculous. I am taking a significant pay cut to work with Bank of America, starting only at 13.50, but I barely skim by on the income. When my rent right now for a one bedroom apartment is $700, my car payment is $300 and I already live paycheck to paycheck making more than $13.50, how am I going to afford to provide a decent life for my child? The eligibility requirements increase the more children you have, so let's think about that for a minute. Now this really irks me. My feelings about it are actually expletives, but I'm tyring to cut back on those. I guess the U.S. citizens tax dollars only go to people who pop out lots of children and are jobless. I have no problem with stay at home mothers because their partners support them or whatnot, but this is different. I do not pay all this money to the government for baby makers to live on welfare and other government programs and when I am a single mother trying to just do what I can to get by and give my son a good life, I don't "qualify for anything." That message is clear, don't try, just live off the government. Not that you really get much on this program. For example, $8 a month for fresh fruit and vegetables. What the heck grocery store are these people shopping at? Thats what, 3 tomatoes these days? It's stupid.

By the way, what is it about pregnancy that says "poke me!"? As if us pregnant ladies do not get poked and prodded enough they had to poke my finger today. Something about unwrapped pokers out of a walmart tupperware caddy doesn't sit well with me. Like, why the heck do you need to know about my iron? Are you my doctor or does it add .50 cents to my checks. Really!? Anyway, today sucked.