MovieChat Forums > God Bless the Child (1988) Discussion > Have things really changed all that much...

Have things really changed all that much since the 80's?

posted 18 years ago by phillipwhall3
15 replies | jump to latest

If you go by the release date of 1988 then this film is 18 years old. Teresa was given a AFDC check of $240 for herself and her child to subsist on. I always wonderered how she could ever get by on that even if her rent was $180 a month surly that would not have included utilities. Especially in a cold climate the heating bill alone must have been enormous. I always thought that was sort of lame that no one ever explained the utilities situation. Here it is 2006 and I know of a single mom in a similar situation to Teresa. No hubby around and no family to help her out you know what she gets for herself and her baby? A whopping $275 a month! A big $35 increase since 1988. Don't get me wrong she never complains and is grateful for it but how can the Government expect someone to live on that?

[–] roses888 18 years ago

Welfare is not supposed to be a permanent, longterm solution. It's to get her on her feet & have her get a job & start supporting herself. The government can only do so much for so long. There are alot of people on public assistance & the money only stretches so far for so many people that are in this same situation.

[–] phillipwhall3 18 years ago

my point was that you would have thought that in 18 years the amount would have gone up more than $35 given the increase in everything else. Of course let's not forget that the minimum wage has not been increased since 1997 either.

[–] tgs333 18 years ago

She can still get a job, the state will pay her Day-Care, she'll get assistance from HUD to pay the rent, and still get her welfare check, plus MEDICAID. And most States today have clamped down on making the non-custodial parent pay child support. So yes, A LOT has changed since the 80's.

"I'm a vehemently anti-nuclear, paranoid mess, harbouring a strange obsession with radioactive sheep."

[–] capone810 18 years ago

You make it sound so easy.

[–] roses888 18 years ago

I don't think you can get a welfare check if you work.What sense would that make? Everyone would want a welfare check plus their own regular paycheck. You have to have nothing before the system will give you anything.The more you have the less you'll get.

[–] fiatlux-1 18 years ago

I believe in my state (CT) you can (at least you used to( be able to work only a certain amount of hours a week, and still get a welfare check.
That makes sense to me; Welfare shouldn't be used as a lifelong sustenance. Its supposed to be a short term stopgap to get anyone who needs it on their feet, and working again.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
-DM

[–] roses888 17 years ago

Alot of people "abuse" and take advantage of "the system" & that's why our taxes are so high!
I have an uncle who's in his late forties and he gets disability and he's not even disabled! He's just fat and lazy and doesn't want to work! My uncle even told me he makes out better on disability than he would working. He is not trained for anything & has no education. He's says he's not going to take a minimum wage job! He got a "quack doctor" to sign the paperwork and he hasn't worked in 12+ years! Before that, he really had no work record, a job here & there at minimum wage. He lived off his elderly mother's pension in her house until she died. And then he got desparate after she died and found out how to get on disability. Forever!
Before he got on disability, he would work just long enough so he could collect unemployment - he would always manage to get "layed off", more likely fired. He is extremely manipulative.
Anyway, back to the disability fraud, he kept harassing a doctor to put him on disability and the doctor decided to, just to get him out of his hair! I feel the doctor is as responsible for the abuse of the system. There is no "follow up" to see if he is really disabled but every few years or so my uncle comes up for renewal & once again the doctor just signs the paperwork. My uncle makes out quite well, he gets the free state health insurance plus free medicine which is better than the health insurance I have & I work! He gets free heating oil, reduced electricity bill, help paying for his place to live, free home repairs, free food from the pantry's including more than one holiday turkey, lower phone bill, foodstamps and alot of other "perks". He recently got about $5,000 in free dental work including a whole set of dentures. A working poor person wouldn't qualify and would have to go without dental work! There is nothing physically wrong with him other than he is lazy! Why should he work? He's got is too good!
I really wish someone would crack down on this kind of fraud!
Thought I would share this story with you.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] AngstBoy42 15 years ago

I really wish someone would crack down on this kind of fraud!

How about starting with your uncle...?

[–] Simplythebest11962 9 years ago

Your uncle sounds hilarious.

You could write a book about his funny antics. 

[–] jmrsl 8 years ago

How does your uncle spend his time? What is it that he does all day long? I ask because, based on the portrait of him which you've so far portrayed, it sounds like he just sits at home watching television all day long. Man, how can he live with himself?

Just take take take from everyone around you in order to free you up just enough so that you can gladly do nothing at all...

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ascferme 14 years ago

No, It's much worse. As the economy grew, real wages did not and the great transfer of wealth started. Since Reagan's "welfare queen" agenda in the 80's, of scapegoating the poor in order to increasingly line corporate America's pockets, that "queen" has been artfully replaced by the corporate and banking welfare queens who are REALLY robbing America blind. Reagan's "welfare queen" never existed, she was created as an enemy of the American people to distract and convince America that those crumbs "she" recieved were bankrupting us all.

[–] Tish-The-Scorpion 14 years ago

agreed...

[–] laurenjones 10 years ago

Pretty much!