Girl Posted on Facebook During 7-Hour Welfare-Office Standoff

[obdigore]

I live in South Carolina, if there's even a dusting of snow there's an even chance school will be cancelled for the day.

I live right down the road from a middle school, I can look up the street and see the roof.

Kids living in this neighborhood are picked up/dropped off by bus all the time.

I think that is lazy and stupid. All the schools in Minnesota (we get a tad more snow than you guys and good luck getting school closed) are pretty much if you live 1-3 miles from the school you are walking.

[PizzaSHARK]

Human rights are things like food, water, and reasonable shelter and clothing.

All of these things cost money. You can't get money without a job.

Realistically, you can't get a job without internet access. Not today - either you have someone find the job for you (using the internet) or you find it yourself. Even Wal-Mart and McDonald's require you to do everything online.

[babalou1]

This is from someone that knows several people on SNAP.

You need:
1. A copy of your last 3 months worth of bank statements.
2. The name of ALL your banks and account numbers.
3. A copy of all your bills
4. If you are receiving aid from anyone, a letter from said person (signed, dated, address, and telephone number).

If you fail to provide any of these items, you have 30 days to provide them. If you fail to do so, your will be denied and closed.


I have a daughter that is 2 years old, when she gets older im getting her a cell phone. No ifs, ands, or buts. 10 years from now, by the time she's 12, I would feel its inexcusable for her to not have a cell phone.

A lot of people feel that way now. If my daughter was 12 today, you bet your ass she would have a cell phone no matter what our living situation was. Especially with multiple children. To not get your kid(s) a cell phone with all the issues running rampant today, is almost negligent imo. Either kid goes to school and gets sick? Call. Goes to a friends and wants to leave? Call. Gets hurt? Call. Movie over? Call. If I need to reach them, for ANY reason, I know that I can. Peace of mind IS 100% a neccessity when you become a parent. Also, IB4 "You kid can ask to use the phone" Hell no. My kid will never need permission from anyone to call me. If they need me, they have a way to immediately get in touch with me. End of story.

When I was younger (30 now) I got a pager/beeper and my parents gave me coins to use a pay phone when I was done where ever I was at or incase of emergency. Same thing applies to cell phones today. $20 gets you a cell phone + mins (air time and internet time bundled together). Id pay that $20 for piece of mind, so I KNOW if my daughter needs me, there is a fool proof way for her to contact me or me contact her. 20 a month isnt going to feed you, but will ensure you piece of mind when you kid is not at home.

Last thing, anyone that says: "Your kid shouldnt be anywhere that requires the need for a cell phone" is an idiot or doesnt have children. Everyone in this thread has at one point in time when they were younger, walked to a friends house or to the corner store, school, or just simply walking around with a group of friends (or riding bikes, or whatever). Everyone here knows damn well that if cell phones were as cheap then as they are now, you would have had one. Mostly because your parents forced you to take it. "Just in case".

[PizzaSHARK]

There's a difference between a phone for emergency usage and a toy. Your little girl won't be making an emergency contact via Facebook - she'll use the phone. So why not buy one of the cheap little clamshell or candybar phones and call it good?

That's the point here. It's not that the girl in the article had a phone - like you said, it's perfectly understandable - but it's that they were pretty clearly broke and she had a smartphone. Again, difference between phone and a toy.

[Makronette]

Literally every single person that comes into the grocery store I work at has some kind of smartphone. Most of the people that come into the store have food stamps and on top of that, most of them buy junk with it. It isn't one race either. It is mostly blacks and whites, though, with some latinos paying with $100 dollar bills.

Saddest part is that I'm not even kidding.

A little off-topic, but:

A few months ago a lady bought $75 dollars worth of candy with her food stamp card.

EDIT: My post is sort-of out of place, but ok. I hate people that leech off of everyone else.

Seems like they should copy how we have our Milk/food tokens over here, they are given to those like me who have at least one child/baby and are on benefits, they can only be used to buy Fresh Milk, Baby forumla and Fresh/Frozen Veggies, would slove issues with stupid people spending their tokens on junk food etc etc.

OT: There could have been a number of ways she could have posted on Facebook, it's disturbing that she seemed aware of her Mothers possible intentions to kill her and her brother and then shoot herself, poor kids shouldn't have had to be in that situation at all.

The Mother could have done with actually applying for her tokens correctly but it seems she didn't.

[Deleted]

this shows the mother was crazy. If the girl had an i-phone it's clear that the mother spent the money wrong from start. So that's why they didn't have money. Yet she went and demanded more then shot her girl. I'm sorry for the girl, even if she survives she might get a trauma (both phizical and mental) from what happened.

[skrump]

So remote internet access from an Iphone or similar device is poverty in America?

Really?

Actually most welfare offices in the united states have public computers set up so the occupents can browse job listings or deal with other government related crap.
Not to mention when you take hostages you generally confiscate their cellphones so this girl probably had quite a few to choose from if needbe.

Last but not least parents in the states are indeed dumb enough to give their kids cellphones even when in poverty because they believe the phone is likely to help keep the child safe (everyone is a perverted child molesting rapist and the kids just aren't safe without a phone to hear the mothers tell it)

---------- Post added 2011-12-08 at 03:23 AM ----------

that is true.... however with any smart phone you need a data package and last time i was checking into a new phone (nov last year) they were all 30 dollars or more, plus txting and ....well using it for what a phone is for minutes.

my phone bill is upwards of 100.....

I am able to connect to my facebook with a prepaid Verizon phone which I only pay $15 a month for

[Snow White]

One of my moms friends works in a welfare office and they have 4 public computers there, so I'm assuming that's how she was able to access the internet.

Then again, the mother owned a gun, so I really wouldn't be surprised if the daughter did indeed have a cell phone.

[Purlina]

One of my moms friends works in a welfare office and they have 4 public computers there, so I'm assuming that's how she was able to access the internet.

Then again, the mother owned a gun, so I really wouldn't be surprised if the daughter did indeed have a cell phone.

Some guns are as cheap as $75-$100, and we have no idea when or how she got it.

It could have been bought when they where doing better financially. Or passed on from a relative.


I have no idea why people assume that all guns cost a ton of money, they don't...

[Marimba]

Depending on what paperwork she needed to present she might not have been a dead-beat, she might have just been really unlucky. I needed a specific form from the HMRC and it took near a month to get that paper in my hand.

I don't know about every system in every state, but I had that exact problem and I called the office to let them know, as long as they know you're making an effort you can usually get some kind of extension.

---------- Post added 2011-12-08 at 08:52 AM ----------

You do know that internet access was declared a human right by the U.N., don't you?

More evidence that the U.N. is largely a joke of an organization.