The same side

       I recently received my first external comment on a post I had written.  It was critical.  The only surprise is that it took this long.  The person "called me out" as someone who sounded like they have never had to struggle.  This is funny.  We used to hang out at a buddy's house, as kids, because his family, on public aid, could afford to run their air conditioner while we, supported by work, could not.
       Rather than launch into a post critical of those on public aid, I will use this space to target the true villains.  I am referring, of course to our public officials.  Not because they have allowed this to happen; (I feel a society that can take care of its needy is truly enlightened) but because they have mismanaged the rest of my tax dollars to the point of causing problems for everyone.
       See the whole link card program makes up a very small portion of an otherwise bloated budget.  And really, putting a better class of food in a child's mouth is not a sin.  But because it is yet another wasteful cog in the refuse generator that is Illinois government, I took undue notice.
       It isn't fair to single out this program, which at least benefits some people who need it, when our state loses more each to; questionable accounting practices, corruption, entitlement, patronage, and insider deals.
       I guess what I'm getting at, is that I fell into the trap the bastards set for me.  I started to blame other taxpayers, as though we are actually on different sides, rather than attack the corrupt system, run by corrupt politicians, who have gamed all of us into thinking we need to fight each other; rather than fight the source of our problems.  In short, if the rest of my redistributed "wealth" were being stewarded properly, I would never have given a thought to the link card being accepted by Market Day.

Link Card Accepted at Market Day

       For those of you from another state, Illinois uses something called the Link Card in place of food stamps.  This saves people who need government assistance from the indignity of not using a credit or debit card, like everyone else.
       Since, despite the taxes we pay, we don't have enough money for the schools to use on things they should have, we have Market Day sales.  I will not take anything away from Market Day.  I have tried many of their items, and found them mostly superior in quality.  This post in no way maligns or impugns (those words look weird, don't they), the products or character of the Market Day company.
       By now you're wondering if I've lost it.  How can these two items be tied together.  Link cards and Market Day.  One is a pay in to the system, the other a pay out.  Well my gentle reader, there is a way these two things are linked. (pardon the pun)
       The flyer sent home with my children for, Market Day, states that they will be accepting the Link card as a form of payment.  This is yet another example of Illinois circular reasoning.  And it's circular math.
       We under-fund schools so they need to have fund raisers.  We give people Link cards with some of the tax money that could otherwise have gone to schools.  (OK, its mostly lost as graft, but bear with me.)  They are then allowed to use those Link cards to purchase food from Market Day, with proceeds going to the previously mentioned, under-funded schools.  Like all perpetual motion machines this one will not stay running long without an outside force providing additional energy.  That would be our tax money; which feeds this great wheel both top and bottom.
       I will not speak out against Link cards here.  (That is another post.  They are readily abused)  I will certainly not speak out against Market Day.  I will say that it makes no kind of sense to allow Link cards to be used for Market Day purchases, since by their very nature, their products are priced higher than necessary.  Else there would be no proceeds to forward to the school system.
       While I would love nothing more than to rant against the people abusing their state paid food plan, I cannot.  Not out of any sense of sympathy for them, but because they are not operating outside the rules that were set down.  It's cheesy, no doubt; but completely legal.  And really, why shouldn't we all be abusing the state's coffers.  Our "Leaders" do.

       Off topic: the President's recent comments about being in favor of Gay Marriage are as insincere as they are brilliant.  I say insincere because if he were in favor, he would have spoken out months ago, when fist asked.  Instead, he waited until it was politically expedient.  Which is why it is brilliant.  He won't lose any votes for saying he is in favor of it.  However his opponent, in an effort to differentiate himself, immediately went on record against it.  This will cost him votes.  Brilliant, but insincere.