Warning: This Is a Rant

Keep scrolling if you're looking for rainbows and unicorns.

My girls have been without medical insurance since Oct. 2012 when their dad was laid off. As coincidence would have it, I was laid off about the same time. I can't afford insurance for us right now, so I applied for temporary health benefits from the state of Arizona. Unfortunately I was too upfront and honest when I filled out the mountains of paperwork and during each of the in-person interviews.

Today I was informed that my girls were denied benefits. Why you might ask? Excellent question! I asked said question myself and was told "You make too much money." Naturally I asked, "What do I possibly need to do to qualify if my income is already at poverty level?" This is what I was told, and I quote, "I can't tell you what to do, but you need to stop bringing in income. Stop freelancing and submit a statement stating that you will no longer solicit new work."

So the bottom line, according to our government is, don't try to help yourself. Do nothing and THEN you'll qualify for assistance. Assistance isn't there to help those that help themselves, silly me! Assistance is specifically designed for a-holes that don't want to be productive members of society and would rather live off the system. Good to know.

This is a stunning representation of how broken our system is. I don't care what side of the political fence you're on, you have to agree that this isn't working. Even as Ayn Randian as I am, I absolutely believe that as a civilized society, we should pool our resources to temporarily help those productive members that are in need. And furthermore, pool our resources to care for citizens that are NOT at all able to care for themselves. But to create an entrenched system that rewards apathy and lack of effort and yet denies security to the producers, the creators, and the people that truly carry this nation on their shoulders, is utterly nonsensical.
 
Is that what we're supposed to tell our young entrepreneurial men or women that are trying to build something of value, something that contributes not only to the economy, but to the energy and spirit of our great country, 'don't try', 'stop contributing', 'do nothing'.... Is that what we're supposed to tell our kids? And what then? What if everyone gives up because the life is being squeezed out of the doers? What happens to the takers when there's nothing left to take?

Just a little food for your Tuesday thought. Brought to you by the letters B and S ;)