I think some people live in another world that don't see this stuff. I don't care how much of the "budget" it takes up.
Its like talking to my fil about husbands coworker who got more back in taxes than he made in a year because all of his kids. He referred to them as his meal tickets. He said no way! Well same thing with one of my friends so she showed him her taxes to shut him up finally. And my friend needs the help. Her husband is working to jobs, one is as a police officer sad as that is part time in small town risking his life!
Not all that rare. I see and hear it daily. Sit in a place that does taxes or do them for a year for h&r block.
On the same line I am still upset that I pay so much for ins and am continuing to get bills left and right. Have four thousand dollar deductible. Or I could have choose the plan that was almost my entire check twice a month. But that's progress right? Yet people come in and tell social worker they need a five bedroom house, garage, and they will not look for a job. Give me a break. I don't go to dr unless I am dying.
There are people out there that need assistance. Obviously. They are physically or mentally ill or just struggling to get out. There are also a large amount of people abusing the system. They don't like that out there. Here our food stamps were being used to buy drugs from a local bodega for years but took a long time to bust because it looks bad for everyone, especially the govermentnt and it was never made into a big deal and actually never counted as fraud!! How is that??! So there are not big fraud numbers out there. But from experience this year I can think of multiple cases here!! Two separate pharmacies involved to.
It wouldn't be so necessary for families with children to receive EIC on their taxes if people just got paid a living wage. I'm a single mom with two children whose deadbeat dad chooses not to pay child support. I work a full time job and a part time job.
Even with all that there's no freaking way I can afford to pay for a 2 bedroom apartment and childcare, and still afford food. So I live with my parents, saving up until I can buy a house. If it wasn't for EIC there's no way I'd be able to dig myself out of this hole before the kids graduate high school.
Not everyone has the luxury of family support either. One of my really good friends from church is a single mom with 5 kids. She and her husband were fine, both high school teachers with comfortable salaries. Then she got laid off. Then her husband got fired because the school discovered he was sexually abusing students. And she found out he was sexually abusing their children.
So he's long gone, but now she's struggling to keep everyone fed, clothed, and sheltered. The kids are their "mealticket", in that they wouldn't HAVE meals if it wasn't for EIC. She told me that she basically stretches every cent from her tax return to make their mortgage payments and pay for necessities for her kids.
It is such a minuscule part of the budget, everyone really ought to be pissed at the handful of billionaires not paying their share of taxes while inflating their bank accounts off the backs of the millions of people (with and without children) working multiple jobs in a struggle to make ends meet on a wage far below the expense of living.