Parents feeding kids

[KateMTx]

I agree with you.

It's just that we then come full circle to points that I've made in other threads about government help in feeding the poor, as it's been my experience that church soup kitchens (I'm very spiritual, but non-religious.....and I often volunteer in soup kitchens, as I believe in doing my part now that I can't work as a medic anymore since I was injured) and food banks are inadequate for the task.

Other people in other parts of the country may feel differently, so I'm only speaking about my narrow perception of a complicated situation.

Here in South Florida, we have an immensely huge homeless population, as we get crazy people migrating here from other parts of the country, as it's always warm down here. We also have a horrific drug problem, as I worked in "ground zero" of the flakka epidemic, the opiate epidemic, the crack epidemic.....and now I'm hearing whispers about crystal methamphetamine becoming more common.

All of this--in my mind--contributes (either directly, or indirectly) to kids not getting regular meals.

As I've said many times before, I don't have an answer....just the vague, fuzzy, undefined belief that a country as wealthy as ours could be doing a lot better.

I definitely agree with you on some of those contributing factors. I also think that, strange as it may seem, the very fact that our country is so "wealthy" may contribute to the problems. Our wealth has contributed to entitlement and people have forgotten what it means to work. Our dependence on the system has taken away reliance on self and family. And heaven knows I don't have the answers either, but I will continue to do my part as well to serve those around me and give back to my community.

 

[Kevin L]

I definitely agree with you on some of those contributing factors. I also think that, strange as it may seem, the very fact that our country is so "wealthy" may contribute to the problems. Our wealth has contributed to entitlement and people have forgotten what it means to work. Our dependence on the system has taken away reliance on self and family. And heaven knows I don't have the answers either, but I will continue to do my part as well to serve those around me and give back to my community.

I have to admit that you've given me an intereresting argument.

Has our vast wealth made us spoiled and entitled, thus paradoxically contributing to homelessness and poverty by eroding certian basic values?

It's as good--if not better--than a lot of the other explainations that I've run across.

I can see your points very well.

I need to think about them and get back to you.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Great discussion all.

First, when I said CPS getting involved, I wasn't jumping immediately to child removal. But CPS has the power to get the parent's attention like nobody else. If teachers see kids that are malnourished, they would contact CPS. CPS would visit with the parents, verify the kid's condition, and help educate the parents of the child's nutritional needs and various programs that can help.They can even advise the parents on some budgeting strategies. If the parents then continue to not feed the kids, then they can escalate the situation. Can anyone say that is the wrong path? I get it, far too many parents don't even take responsibility for themselves let alone the kids. But just giving them everything

BTW, Jack, you did not get a 'free lunch'. You worked for it & earned it. It was part of your 'salary'. Nothing wrong with that at all, I wish all kids would do some work & learn some responsibility.

 

[Kevin L]

I have to admit that you've given me an intereresting argument.

Has our vast wealth made us spoiled and entitled, thus paradoxically contributing to homelessness and poverty by eroding certian basic values?

It's as good--if not better--than a lot of the other explainations that I've run across.

I can see your points very well.

I need to think about them and get back to you.

Another relevant issue occurred to me after I wrote this.

Let us suppose that two kids turn 16.

With one kid, the wealthy parents buy him a fancy corvette. Let us suppose that the other kid earned money by shoveling snow, mowing lawns, and a part-time job at the grocery store, and bought his car.

I promise you that in six months, the corvette will look like ka-ka, and the cheap piece of s---t car that the other kid bought with his own money will look much better.

So, we don't appreciate our wealth, and squander it like a spoiled child who doesn't appreciate the new car his parents gave him? Is this part of why we have so many people on welfare when there are jobs out there? Did KateMTX just give me the answers to questions that I've been asking myself for decades?

I'm not being sarcastic, I promise.

 

[JackDW]

I am mixed on the CPS people. In some areas and communities, these people are life savers and really try their best to look out for the welfare of the children and family. In other areas, it is a "power trip". The CPS staff are more concerned about making themselves look good and really don't care about what is best for the children. Seems that the larger the city, the more "corrupt" the CPS staff becomes.

 

[DrPrepper]

Another relevant issue occurred to me after I wrote this.

Let us suppose that two kids turn 16.

With one kid, the wealthy parents buy him a fancy corvette. Let us suppose that the other kid earned money by shoveling snow, mowing lawns, and a part-time job at the grocery store, and bought his car.

I promise you that in six months, the corvette will look like ka-ka, and the cheap piece of s---t car that the other kid bought with his own money will look much better.

So, we don't appreciate our wealth, and squander it like a spoiled child who doesn't appreciate the new car his parents gave him? Is this part of why we have so many people on welfare when there are jobs out there? Did KateMTX just give me the answers to questions that I've been asking myself for decades?

I'm not being sarcastic, I promise.

I believe that what KateMTX said is what others on here (different threads) have been saying as well. People a while back were raised to work hard, save, and appreciate what they have. In today’s world, we have given so much to our children as (and society has given as well) that it has created a victim like mentality. It has taught people to expect things to be given to them right away instead of working for them. What has been given to them they don’t appreciate. They don’t appreciate it because they haven’t had to work for it.

 

[Kevin L]

I am mixed on the CPS people. In some areas and communities, these people are life savers and really try their best to look out for the welfare of the children and family. In other areas, it is a "power trip". The CPS staff are more concerned about making themselves look good and really don't care about what is best for the children. Seems that the larger the city, the more "corrupt" the CPS staff becomes.

Having worked with CPS on many occasions, I can maybe offer a little clarity about why this situation appears as it does.

Anytime resources are in short supply, people cut corners. That's just the way it is, and I've often done it myself as a medic when working on a mass casualty incident or in the aftermath of a hurricane.

I've gotten the impression that when budgets are allocated, it's often done by geographic area....not by need.....so Albany, New York gets a budget that's similar to New York City, as Albany will complain and get pissed off about being shortchanged in NYC gets more.

So, NYC ends up being underbudgeted.

Without adequate resources, they will then hire people who are substandard, corners get cut, workers are overwhelmed, and the administrators who run the show have to focus on high-profile situations to justify their existence in the endless scrabble for more money that every other department is competing for.

I could be wrong, but this is the impression that I got.