Perspective

I was going to write about our closet today, but instead, I'm taking a little detour. I recently read this post by Katy over at Non-Consumer Advocate. I entered a simple comment. What came after was completely unexpected.

I battled with typed word, trying to keep my ground. I couldn't, wouldn't back down from my stance. After all, I was pretty sure I wasn't the demon/monster/mooch/lazy-ass person I was being made out to be. So I typed and typed and typed some more. Them fightin' words. Inner B could be held back no longer despite trying to keep her hidden. And then, after a brief discussion with The Hubs, I got it. I understood their anger and frustration. Granted, I felt it was a bit misplaced, but still I saw their point. Let's further discuss this topic because I firmly believe all of our opinions matter. And go...

Ok, so a little background if you didn't read Katy's post. She kindly asked for sneaky/creative ways to add some income. Many people wrote how they did odd jobs or resold items. I added in a part in my comment about government-funded programs. You don't necessarily get cash, but you do reap some sort of benefit that will save you money or in our case, increase home value. I further went on to discuss how we had been accepted into a weatherization program where the goal was to help low-income families complete some simple money saving projects to continuously reduce their electric bills. I didn't think much of it at the time. Maybe we'd get approved, and even if we did, it probably only meant a few sunshades for the windows, weather-stripping, and CFL bulbs. What we received went above and beyond all of our wildest dreams. Duct worked replaced. A new air conditioner with heat pump (a necessity when you have 100+ degree weather almost half the year), sunshades, extra insulation, and a jumper duct system. Shock--that's how to explain how I felt when we were told by the program's assessment team what they would be doing to our house. It felt like too much, but I also didn't want/know how to shoot a gift horse in the mouth. So we very graciously accepted while still believing this could NOT be true!

Work is now almost complete, and we're still in shock. I commented about this on Katy's post because I truly wanted to help others. If we were able to be so fortunate, all I wanted was for others to benefit from such programs as well. What I received in reply were a lot of comments on how our family is mooching off the system or how it's a waste of their tax-payer dollars or how could I even be calling myself a minimalist! Bring on shock stage two. However, unlike the first experience when I was left speechless, I had nothing but words to spew this time. And I did.

This is where the discussion comes in. Initially, I thought the responders were just acting in mean, hateful ways. I tried to sift through it to get to the core of the issue. The money. Many felt that using tax-payer money was a misallocation of funds. If they couldn't afford a new A/C why should I get one for free because I'm poor? Why do I even need air conditioning when it's not even a necessity? Why was I such a free-loader and living a good life off of other people's dime? I tried to answer their questions honestly, openly, and with Inner B on a tight leash. I tried to explain that where we live, A/C is pretty much a necessity. Every summer we hear of heat-related deaths when power goes out. It's sad, but true. I know there are many people in other countries and in the distant past who live/lived in similar climates and survived just fine. However, here in the US, we are used to a higher standard of living and want to ensure every single person, no matter their income, can live comfortably and without the threat of inclement weather. Thus, I understand that ideal of it not being a necessity to some. However, I didn't quite comprehend how our family having air-conditioning made me any less of a minimalist.

As for the tax-payer money, this has been and probably always will be a heated debate. I thought and thought and thought about this one. I have a couple answers. Firstly, the general reason why we all pay taxes is because we, as a whole, are selfish and do not give enough to ensure everyone is fed, clothed, and sheltered. Harsh, but sadly true. I also find it interesting that the people who give the most in terms of percentage of what they bring in and what they donate are those who are poor. Also, if you think about it, we have been paying state taxes for over ten years each. If you added up all that money, it may cover a huge chunk of what we received for "free". In essence, we are paying for our home improvements, but in a roundabout manner. Finally, the whole issue of my tax-payer dollars. We have little to no control over that. I highly doubt this program is funded by much, if any, direct tax-payer money. A lot of it comes from grants (and many grants are funded by companies despite being under a governmental guise). Another large portion comes from the privately owned utility companies. I find it interesting that we are all so worried about where our money is going when we pay taxes, yet very few of us (myself included) take any action to see where they are going. Very few step into the political arena as a protestor, lobbyist, or politician to enact change. And that's the part that pisses me off the most. Stop complaining and take action. Our country tends to be a bunch of selfish whiners who spend a lot of time and energy complaining and little doing anything about the issue at hand. Harsh again, I know. But as the old adage says, the truth hurts.

On a final point, I had a lot of people insinuating that our family was just mooching off the system. I like to call these people Republicans or Conservatives. Maybe they are far from it, but that's generally what I hear from those groups of people (not a Conserv-Repub hater, just a trend I noticed. There are good Conserv-Repubs out there, I'm sure of it. I just need to actually meet more). From what I gathered, a lot of people have had it hard. It often seems unfair when someone gets a leg up and you've had to work your butt off for everything you have. What I don't get is why others assume we are just lazy because we received an overly generous gift. If you've been a long time reader, you surely know that my husband works his ass off as an EMT. He has a gruesome job that pays nickels and takes him away from home for long hours. I doubt the majority of people would like to put themselves in his shoes. Being an actual hero is a hard, thankless job, so to have others naively call our family lazy leaves a painful mark. This is why I was extremely hesitant to write the Upper Poor Class post. Disdain and hate fills the air when people mention that they are receiving help. I'm unsure why others feel the need to belittle some for getting help, but all I can imagine is that it comes down to selfishness. It's a hard rope to walk--help others or help ourselves. Hopefully, our society can get to a point where we just become happy that ANYONE is getting help, that our government is doing ANYTHING to help those lower on the financial totem pole. That's how I feel anyway. Call me a socialist or whatever, but I'm just thankful that people who need food, clothing, shelter, and improved shelter have options.

And that's the tale. I get their frustration at the system. I get the envy and jealousy of another getting something for free that you want, but can't afford. I understand how hard the majority of us work for the little that we have. I get what these people are saying. But is it right to take it out on the messenger? Is it right to take it out on someone who did their homework and found a way to help their family? Personally, I think not.

To end this, I'll leave you with a bit of possible hypocrisy. Whilst I was being alluded to as a huge mooch and lazy and someone feeding off the good of others, I found many who said they would easily resell goods for a decent profit. This, to me, seems a bit amoral. From my perspective, buying an item at a dirt cheap price then reselling it for ten times more is playing another human being for a fool. The Hubs tried to convince me that this is just the way the system is. Yet, at a direct level, people are buying into it. I know I did. I've purchased a few items to only resell them later for a profit. Truthfully? I felt pretty miserable every time I did this. Every single time, I felt like I was scamming people. Items have value, even monetary value, because we allow them to. When we buy things super cheap and resell them, we are essentially buying into the idea that someone other than us is dumb enough to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a silly product. Thus, the cycle continues of consumerism and buying into hot commodities. Make sense? A bit hypocritical of the people saying I was devious when they were acting in devious ways themselves (at least in my eyes)?

Let's talk. What are your thoughts on these sorts of partially government funded programs? What are your thoughts on reselling items? As much as I LOVE reading all the different perspectives, let's all agree to try and keep our Inner B's at bay and keep this thing as civil as possible. And go!