I feel sorry for that family.  I know what it feels like to be living in Ohio and to go through rough times like that.  I think that Ohio is just rough on people.  I grew up there as a little girl and I remember how my mom and I had serious problems getting food.  For a while, we had to live with my grandparents, and they fed us well, but when my mom and I were on our own, it wasn’t pleasant.  We definitely had many down times.

Thank Elohim that I have the life that I live today.  Praise Jesus.

I’ve never lived in ohio, but times are tough all over-gas prices do make it difficult to get out and find a job. doesn’t ohio have job search programs? and I don’t mean to be cruel, but do these ladies appear to be starving?

Ah yes, the American “poor.” Grossly overweight and overfed, fully dependent yet blameless, their pudgy, entitled hands held out for their monthly government payoffs, ever complaining they haven’t been given enough of other people’s money, yet with enough disposable cash to pay for tattoos, sunglasses and big hoop earrings.

That might be the most unintentionally ironic story I’ve ever read. Struggling to make ends meet? Struggling to see their feet is more like it.

I’ve decided I can no longer work. I’m too depressed about a car wreck I was in 17 years ago.

It’s hitting all of us. We all are in the same boat here, not just those people. This may not be a nice thing to say but by the look of those people in the photos. I don’t think they are hurting much. It won’t hurt for them to skip a few meals.

I agree with ClassicLiberal.  These two really look like they’re starving to death.  Not being able to buy ice cream is a GOOD thing for them.  Walking to find work or get to work will do you some good.  I would consider myself “working poor” but I don’t depend on the government to support the children I brought into this world.  I had to walk 10 miles to work in the past and that was probably the healthiest I’ve been in my adult life, and I’m considering doing it voluntarily just to be that healthy!! Maybe instead of whining about their situation, they should get off the couch and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Wow....you have to be kidding me?  They are worried about cutting back from 12 bags of food to 7 or eight?  How about cutting back to 2 to 3 bags of food and try losing some weight! 

Granted the times are indeed tough right now, but the lady hasn’t worked a day in her life!  She has lived off the government for way too long...why didn’t she try getting a job before the economy went downhill? She has even passed down her grossly over indulgence on food to her kids. 

I completely agree with ClassicalLiberals views.  This story doesn’t even deserve our attention.

I think people here are being unfair. I find the comments from people who claim to be conservative rather disgusting. It’s also very un-Christian.
Nobody here really knows all the facts about this family’s situation. I have a lot of compassion for these people. After all, they are human beings, the same as you and me.
Why does the fact that they are overweight make people automatically think they are lazy? If you had to subsist on a diet of potatos and noodles, it would affect your weight too.
Please stop being so antagonistic towards people who are less fortunate than yourselves.

OK....was this story posted as a goof?  Look at these 2....I’m more overweight (seriously) than these 2 but we buy less groceries than they do!  Really, if this is the best example of how the poor live in this country than I personally don’t feel sorry for them.  If the people in Ohio think the cost of living is high there, move to the east coast and see what that’s like.  I’m sorry, but most poor in this country have no imagination and drive to get out of their crummy situation.

No, this story was not published as “a goof.” Click on the link at the end of the story and it will take you to the source. This is a real story which originated from National Public Radio.

Earl_Lee...are you serious?

“Nobody here really knows all the facts about this family’s situation.”

We know enough to know that a 40-year old has refused to work a day in her life because she’s “depressed” about a 17 year-old car crash. Even if you can somehow accept that absurdity as plausible, subtract 17 from 40. Why didn’t she work until she was 23?

“Why does the fact that they are overweight make people automatically think they are lazy?”

Webster defines lazy as “disinclined to activity or exertion; not energetic or vigorous.” Look at that picture once more and tell me if you think either of them is even slightly inclined to activity or exertion, energetic or vigorous. More importantly, there’s the whole refusal to work thing.

“If you had to subsist on a diet of potatoes and noodles, it would affect your weight too.”

Here you show an ignorance of basic human physiology. A calorie is a calorie. People are fat for one reason – they consume more calories than they expend. It’s that simple. One could certainly lose weight eating potatoes and noodles. One would simply have to eat less of them. Or one could increase one’s level of physical activity, thereby burning more calories. Ideally, one would do both.

Go to the NPR site and find the full story. There’s a link there that breaks down the monthly expenditures of these fine women. They spend $250 a month on groceries. That’s hardly an amount commensurate with having to “subsist on a diet of potatoes and noodles.” Last time I checked, money buys fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other healthful foods just as easily as it does potatoes and noodles. These women don’t “subsist” on potatoes and noodles because of finances. They do so because that’s what they choose to eat. Clearly, they eat way too much of them, which necessarily indicates they’re not living in poverty. Poverty means starvation. These women are clearly not starving.

Furthermore, while you’ve got that list of their expenditures up, do the math. They get $739 of other people’s money every month, mostly in cash, for doing nothing. Additionally, their $100 rent is subsidized. Likely that subsidization is also taxpayer funded, so there’s another few hundred dollars of other people’s money for them. Subtract out all the expenditures listed and you’ll see they end up with $262 left over. That’s disposable income. What do they do with that money? Incontrovertibly, they spend some of it on tattoos, sunglasses and earrings. Is there a TV at home? Does either smoke? Is there beer in fridge? Chips in the cupboard? What other non-necessities do these supposedly poor women have? Here’s an idea: Why not buy a car with some of that extra money? I once bought a car for $200 that ran for five years. Maybe then they can find that job. Or at least maybe the one who doesn’t refuse to work can.

Like the majority of the so-called “poor” in this country, these women do not live in poverty. They have shelter. They have food – too much of it, in fact. They have clean, fairly new clothes. One is even wearing a bra. I kind of wish the other one was too. They have disposable income. There is no measure of true poverty that applies to these women.

Lastly, you called me and some others here un-Christian. Before you wave your flag of Christian superiority in everyone’s face, why not read over your bible again? I’m pretty sure one of the commandments says, “You shall not steal.” Where do you think these women get their money each month? From the government, which itself took that money by force from the people who earned it. Sounds kind of like stealing to me. And how about the deadly sins? At the very least these women are guilty of sloth and gluttony.

Compassion is a wonderful thing if deserved and when given appropriately. Unfortunately, you confuse compassion with fostering and rewarding dependence. That’s not compassionate at all.

It sounds as if ClassicalLiberal would like to see a Japanese whaling boat harpoon these girls for their blubber.
Please don’t try to distort the meaning of compassion. Compassion for your fellow human being is just that - compassion. Although The Bible teaches compassion and love thy neighbor - some people need to quote passages from the follys of revenge to make their point.
In Deuteronomy, there is a passage that says mis-behaving children should be stoned to death. Makes me wonder how many people here were hit upside the head with a rock by their mommas.

America has a problem with fat people. Not me personally, I don’t mind fat people too much. They aren’t very nice to look at, they are not usually ‘jolly’ as you would expect and they don’t smell that good a lot of the time, but I don’t consider it a problem.  But society, in general, apparently does have a problem with obesity in it’s citizens according to this thing I read in Reader’s Digest. Anyway, my point here is, if the picture of the daughter and mother of this poor family had not been included, would anyone have bothered to comment on this story?

For mmCheney:

“It sounds as if ClassicalLiberal would like to see a Japanese whaling boat harpoon these girls for their blubber.”

Not especially, no. If that’s what I wanted I would’ve said something like, “I’d like to see a Japanese whaling boat harpoon these girls for their blubber.” Nice ad hominem argument, though.

No, what I would like to see is both of them get jobs and lose the mindset that other people owe them a living. I don’t believe that’s unreasonable, nor do I believe it’s inconsistent with compassion. Fact is, people who provide for themselves tend to be happier than people who don’t, and tend to place more value on the things they have because they’ve earned them. The more compassionate position is to expect that they do so. 

Also, if you’re going to assert that “the Bible teaches compassion and love thy neighbor,” you probably shouldn’t follow it up one sentence later with, “In Deuteronomy, there is a passage that says mis-behaving children should be stoned to death.”

For winona:

It’s not that they’re overweight per se. Their bodies, like everyone’s, belong to them to do with whatever they choose.

Rather, it’s the dichotomy of article entitled “Poor Ohio Family Has to Scrimp on Food” being accompanied by a picture of two extremely overweight women. These people are most assuredly not scrimping on food. To say they are is absurd.

To answer your question though – no, I don’t think as many people would’ve bothered to comment had the picture not been included. That does not, however, negate the validity of comments related to their weight. They’re being portrayed as unable to buy enough food through no fault of their own. This absolutely makes their weight and other lifestyle choices germane to the discussion. It’s not at all unfair that these things be commented upon.

Don’t look like any of them are starving to death--now does it?
Move someplace where you can get a job and are able to get to it.

Bravo Classical Liberal for your well thought out responses.  I am overweight and I completely agree with you.  However it is not as easy as peopole think to “Just lose weight” I have tried for years.  It is much more difficult when you get to a size like the women in the picture, a size which I hope never to be. 

You are correct we have choices.  We can eat less and we can eat better.  It’s a good start to improving weight, but doesn’t always solve the problem.  I personally buy much less groceries then this family and live in a higher income state.  I persoanlly believe it’s about changing your lifestyle adn that is something these peole need desperately.  The obviously need education on how to accomplish that. 

Yes I would have commented on this article even if the pics were not included as there are blatant statements in there about never working a day in their life and having to reduce from 12 bags of food with extra Ice Cream to 7 bags of food with no Ice cream.  Those statements alone tell me these people overindulge.  These poor poor people have no ice cream now and we are supposed to feel compassion?

If you are getting money from the goverenment why not put it to good use and go to school while your out of a job and get some education!  There are government grants for that as well.  Then at least you will have a better chance of obtaining a solid job.

I don’t watch much of the daytime talk shows. Stuff like “My Wife’s Cheating With My Mother” doesn’t interest me. They’re probably lying just to get a free hotel room anyway.

But every once-in-a-while somebody does a show about fat babies. My Three Year Old Weighs 200 Lbs - Pay dirt! I usually call my Mom, “Hey ma - channel nine - quick hurry - fat babies!! They’re gonna show ‘em eating, Yeah I’m taping it.”

They always bring some doctors on the show, or else it would seem like exploitation. “What should they do doctor? Well, they need to stop feeding him so much.” And they sometimes let Richard Simmons hug them at the end of the show.

Fat babies are a show unto themselves. Put on some background music and relax - Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk” works well.

If you tried to get your kid on the Fat Baby edition of some show, but it wasn’t fat enough would you be disappointed? “No, No, Mrs. Johnson we’re not saying your daughter isn’t fat, but she’s just not ready for showing. Now once in a while we have a fat school kids show. If she works hard and applies herself, who knows?”

I don’t care if they are 12 years away from puberty, if your baby has boobs, get it a bra.

Shhhh. Stop, do you smell that? It’s another stinkin’ reality show waiting to happen! Somebody needs to get these people some proper self-preservation instincts and teach them how to live. That’s an extreme makeover for sure. How about we model it after the Mennonites in Pennsylvania? We could all learn to be a little more self-sufficient in these troubled times.

they dont look there starving 2 bad 2 me. People need 2 stop making excuses, use public transportation. You dont need junk food. My father didnt speak english when he came 2 this country. he was a janitor for 10yrs. work hard and stop making excuses. stop being lazy

Looks very much like they are not starving. Could be that they spend all their money on food???

I grew up in Michigan, and remember people like these, waiting in line at the Welfare office for their handouts, while tax payers like me supported them!  It doesn’t appear like these two, and maybe the child in the other photo has missed too many meals!  Give me a break!  Even Ohio has jobs, if they are willing to do whatever it takes to get off welfare.