Amanda's Post!

TAKING ACTION!

The more I’ve done research on the topic; I need to be honest the more my views have started to shift. When I signed up to do a blog on drug testing welfare participants I really wanted to focus on drug testing welfare participants as a means to end the misuse of federal aid. However I don’t want my intentions on the topic to be misunderstood. I think that the purpose of setting forward drug testing welfare participants is just one step in a positive direction of stopping the misuse of federal aid. I mostly mean that I see people all the time selling their food stamps, charging people rent when they live in their homes for free and using federal money for reasons other than getting their life on track. For my action plan I helped the EBT department put an end to the misuse of food stamps. I work at a grocery store and the companies ask that if we see anything out of the ordinary that we report it. Last week while I was at work I overhead a man trying to sell his food stamps to a man in the parking lot of 70$. He told the man that he was in a bind and needed him to use his food stamps and give him cash in return. The man agreed thinking the man needed the money for gas, rent or something meaningful. Trying to help the guy out he bought his groceries on the EBT card and in return gave the man cash. After making my manager aware they videotaped the transaction and some one observed the man after leaving the store. We watched the man leave our store, wait on the corner for 10 minutes and proceed into the liquor store. He had then been spotted on camera during several transactions doing the same thing. To take action I wrote a letter along with my co-workers to the EBT department expressing our concern for the misuse of their aid. Although we would have done this anyways as a store procedure, I used that as my TAKE ACTION again misusing federal aid!

• Reflect on how taking this type of action connects with democratic values.

I think this action connects with democratic values because it gave us an opportunity to voice our concern to a company that is providing federal aid to those in need. It’s impossible to catch everyone who is selling their food stamps, charging rent or committing different types of financial fraud so everything that people in the community can do is helpful. Doing this didn’t make me feel proud, however it did give us a sense of accomplishment that this man would have to go in and explain why he was doing, what he was doing and will be help accountable for his actions. Whether that should be getting drug tested to continue receiving aid, so be it. If someone can think of a different solution it would be important that they have a way to discuss it with people who can implement it into law. Some of the websites below give examples of people to write to, petitions to sign and places for comments on the topic for new suggestions.  

http://welfareabuse.rallycongress.com/1199/ DRUG TESTING WELFARE PARTICIPANTS 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57440941/govt-takes-new-steps-against-food-stamp-fraud/ Article against food-stamp fraud

• TEACHING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE CLASSROOM. ABSOLUTELY!

I think it is extremely important to teach social justice in the classroom. This is because in today’s society understanding the differences and changes in your community is key. Some students may come from homes where basic knowledge of social justice is not present. Although it may be a touchy topic for some students I think social justice in the classroom is necessary. However it is extremely important that when teaching social justice you focus on two sided opinions. Students are often influenced by what adults tell them, if you only express your side of an issue students are also likely to side with you. I found this interesting website about integrating social justice in the classroom for you guys to take a look at if your interested! http://ctfd.sfsu.edu/feature/top-ten-strategies-to-integrate-social-justice-into-the-classroom.htm  

• What do you think about that quote of
• “Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies”
•  I think this is important because social justice had such an impact on our nations history. Without struggle we can not celebrate success. For generations people have been fighting for equality and to be recognized for what they believe in. All the topics presented in these blogs do a wonderful job in showing that even in a new and developed generation people are still struggling for social justice. Their will always be a case needing support and people to fight for it. I think this quote is key to the struggles our country has faced and will continue to face!