Welfare, the man, and the Blue Line

Until I started riding the train, all that I knew about welfare fraud came from the ramblings of newspaper journalists and other pundits who decried how abused the system is. Having spent some time on the train, I realize that how to "get yours" from the man is a more common topic than the weather, or what you did last night.

I've learned more about GR (General Relief), SSI (Social Security Insurance), Section 7 (disability), Section 8 (free housing)... than I would have ever learned otherwise. Listening to people talk about the welfare system is like listening to a bunch of computer geeks ramble on about their favorite technology. Acronyms are flying all over the place, and unless you know what they are talking about, it sounds like gibberish.

"I got me my SSI, but I'm not even trying to get that job. They'd be takin the Section 7 away if I'm working, and fuck that... I got mine."

"You know, she's on the list for that section 8, but that's some fucked up shit over there in those projects. They need to be cleaning those places up, just about anyone can be living there."

The rants go on and on, usually revolving around how much the welfare sucks, and how the benefits aren't good enough.

I heard a good one today. This guy was on the phone, and all he was doing was bitching about how he has a check, and he has to pay taxes on it. "I got this check, but they're trying to take taxes out of it. What the fuck? I get my SSI check, now I get this other check... and they want taxes."

The reality of the situation, the fact that the only reason this guy is getting an SSI check is because OTHER PEOPLE are GOING TO WORK and PAYING TAXES on their earnings never even entired into that guy's head. Yeah bro, I don't want to pay taxes either. In fact, I don't want to the government to be taking my money, so that you can be riding the train to court, and getting a free check every month. Yet it happens anyway, suck it up man.