CMV: People receiving SNAP benefits (a.k.a., food stamps) in the United States, should not be able to buy soda pop with it.

First off, people in this thread were often making an appeal to emotions. My entire premise was divorced from emotions and adding a fiscal/health question. If being able to separate and parse a topic from its emotional pull versus the issue at hand, like a mature, rational adult, makes me "cold", then that's your prerogative. But I consider it an achievement for me to set aside emotions and look at something with rational intent.

Moreover, you should let people speak for themselves. Maybe I am rude, or maybe, people downvote because they don't follow reddiqutte and are downvoting me just because they disagree with me (against reddiqutte rules). But YOU are in no position to speak for others, that makes you arrogant and condescending. I was basically commenting that if I'm going to be downvoted, people should have the courage to explain why, instead of hiding behind their downvote. The fact that you designated yourself the spokesperson, to me, comes off as rude.

Lastly, I feel I'm exceptional at my job. Working and supporting people with disabilities is a difficult, taxing, and emotionally challenging job. However, it is consistently rewarding and I, while you may not believe it, I love helping people. All the clients I work with could attest to how much they like me and how well I do treat them.

I won't make any assumptions on your familiarity or lack of with my field, but it's not for someone who can't separate their emotions and/or understand personal boundaries. I have an enormous amount of empathy for my clients, but I also understand and practice appropriate boundaries.

There are many times that I have to be firm with my clients and reinforce the approved amount of structure we are legally bound to uphold.

Also, I did address what the person's point. The reason my clients don't have much money to freely spend is rent, our services that we provide, and other living expenses (perception meds, doctor appointments, and so forth). Our services can't control how little money they receive from the government.

One may ask, "well, why doesn't your agency charge your clients less for the services you provide?" Because it's very costly to 1. Be an accredited agency and continue to be accredited, 2. Properly train staff for each individual client, 3. Offer a competitive wage for a mostly thankless job that is (to reiterate) difficult, taxing, and emotionally challenging job. With many of our clients, they need twenty four hour care every day of the year. That means our agency has to make the wages they pay staff (such as myself) competitive and fair when we have to work at 3 AM and still be awake, work weekends, work holidays, continue to work a shift when your relief shift doesn't show up after working a ten hour shift (has happened to me personally)...You can't expect someone to want that job and do it well at minimum wage.

Even though I'm working with people who have disabilities and I love it, IT'S STILL A JOB. It's the same for those in the healthcare industry. Not only do they get paid because of their medical knowledge, they get paid because it's a human services job that requires non traditional hours, is difficult, taxing, emotionally challenging.

Human services can't run on sympathy and hugs. If that were true, there'd be no homeless and no one would ever go hungry. I wish that was the case, but that's the current reality we live in. If you can't recognize that, then you're in the wrong field. I'm not saying you can't advocate for change and be optimistic, but you have to be able to recognize how much of a behemoth this is and how it's held together by tiny bandages that doesn't address the root issues.

So please try to understand where I am coming from and try to be less arrogant. Thanks.

/r/changemyview Thread Parent