Disabled But Still Expected to Work
—Alamance County, NC, resident—
Well, I’ve had several experiences with my daddy-in-law. He was unable to work; he was blind in one eye, and he lost use of his left arm. And he went to the welfare people, and they sent him out on a job. When he went out on the job, “Man. What are you doing here?” He said, “They sent me out on this.”
“I don’t need you! You can’t work!”
And he went back to the welfare office, and they told him, they said, “You can work. We’ve seen you out on another job.” And he kept on, kept on, and said, “Well, I want to tell you something. If I paint myself black, I can get welfare, can’t I? Probably can.”
And he drew one check, and we had to send the other one back because he died.
Unfair Distribution
There’s a man right next door to my sister. He’s not even able to work, and he gets fourteen dollars worth of Food Stamps a month. Fourteen dollars. And my son down there, you know what he gets? Two hundred dollars. And he’s by himself!
“Johnny” works in transportation. He is American Indian, in his sixties, and was interviewed by Elon Student Jessica Elizondo on November 5, 2012.