# 'I've been on food stamps and welfare.  Anybody help me out?  No.'

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 10, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207 "2014-11-10T02:08:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207/1 "2014-11-10T02:08:53Z")

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I just saw [this nine-second clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwpBLzxe4U) (uploaded in 2009) of actor Craig T. Nelson ‘gives us all a lesson in how personal responsibility beats government intervention. “I’ve been on foodstamps and welfare, did anyone help me out? No.”’

It’s _never_ a handout to the recipient. It’s only a handout to those undeserving lazy people. :rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207/2 "2014-11-10T02:14:19Z")

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Well, capitalism seems to be about winners and losers. Most people must be losers for the system to work. Can’t let all the losers starve. It’s not like they can go off in the woods and live off the land.

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207/3 "2014-11-10T02:51:40Z")

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I think we have had a thread about this Craig T. Nelson video before, perhaps back when it first came out. It is a bit like the “Keep the government’s hands of my Medicare” thing. Just cluelessness, I think.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-on-food-stamps-and-welfare-anybody-help-me-out-no/704207/4 "2014-11-10T03:11:26Z")

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> [@njtt](#):
>
> It is a bit like the “Keep the government’s hands of my Medicare” thing. Just cluelessness, I think.

Or 'Don’t steal from Medicare to fund _socialized medicine!_ :eek: ’

Or [Dr. Ben Carson being glad his Welfare mom wasn’t dependent on the government](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17887686&postcount=379).