One of the reasons I was bullied in junior high? We were Welfare People. Why else would anyone have seven kids in the space of a decade? The more babies you have, the more money Welfare gives you. The truth of the matter? My father was Catholic. Birth Control was against his religion. There were other Catholic families around, with a house full, and I honestly can't say if they got this treatment as well or if I was just an easy target.
As an adult, I worked in stores and restaurants. My coworkers were prone to making the same assumption about any woman with many children, especially if she was anything less than a fashionista. Even the coworkers who got government help to supplement their meager income, or the ones who had a house full of kids themselves.
I never had children, but was often seen with minions in tow. I once had to stop my grandmother from "boxing his ears" when a man in the grocery store said something snide to us. He saw an old lady, a young woman, a teenager, a preteen, and two smaller children shopping. He jumped to the Welfare Mom assumption.
I'd be a liar if I claimed I never used government assistance. Hell, the name of this blog comes from the fact that I'm on SSDI and Food Stamps. I'd also be a liar if I claimed I've never known a woman who gave birth for more benefits, or who simply accepted that if she couldn't support her surprise baby, she could get Welfare.
I am in no way shape or form standing in judgement of Welfare Moms. What I am saying is that for my entire life THEY taught me that "having babies for government money" is a vile thing to do. But now there's talk of stimulating the declining American birth rate by... wait for it... paying people to reproduce. With government money.
The dichotomy blows my mind, especially since it's coming from the same people who refer to "the parasite class". What is the difference? Anyone who thinks it's okay to cut every birthing mother in America a check needs to reconsider how they feel about Welfare Mom.
