Lone Star Stamps

Today was the final straw - FB is officially deactivated.  Someone I thought differently of before, posted a semi-complaint about food stamp recipients being allowed to use their food money at Papa Murphy's, a pizza chain that does everything but cook it for you.  Because it is not "cooked" food, it qualifies for a purchase on the Lone Star Food Card which, in case you didn't know, is the modern version of food stamps in the state of Texas.  Funny thing is ... I am on food stamps.  I have a Lone Star food card that helps me feed myself and my family.  Like MOST people receiving these benefits, it is not something I am "Proud" of ... it is a necessity ... much like eating itself is a necessity.  So what is the big deal?  What is the difference between buying all the ingredients to make a pizza at home and cook it versus buying it all ready to go, you just have to cook it yourself?  Considering a Papa Murphy's pizza can last us for three meals, I consider it a bargain on many levels, not the least of which it is a time and energy saving option for an exhausted single Mom such as myself.

Geez, where do people get off anyway?  I thought this person was loving and open minded and yet, here she is surprising the heck out of me with her lack of compassion.

Life moves on and we all deal with our own demons ... she is a single woman who has dogs, not kids - and I am sure she has never been reduced to having to apply for food stamps in order to feed herself.  Just a note - you can't buy pet food with food stamps - or alcohol, or cigarettes, or anything that is precooked, although you can use it for cakes from the bakery which definitely makes for a happy birthday for some kid who might not get a cake otherwise.  Is it such a big deal?  Are people who ask for help morally "bad" people?  I have had a job and paid taxes since I was 12 years old.  I have worked full time, with often a part time job, for most of the last 25 years.  Isn't paying into a system for 25 years enough to qualify for help when you really need it?  I know there are people out there who abuse the system ... but they are the vast minority ... more newsworthy but still a minority.

Two papers to finish writing and only this depression and writers block stand in my way ... there is no magic bullet ... like a cold, it takes time to swing back up into a productive zone of operation.  Depression is like diabetes in a way - it is a daily maintenance thing without the pain of a needle prick.