I used to work at a gas station when I just moved back to the east coast from California. I lived in a lower/middle class neighborhood. Nearly EVERY customer who came in to buy junk food (honey buns, doritos, donuts, etc) would drop a &20 or a $50 and in one case I remember a &100 dollar bill, and purchase Lottery tickets, cigarettes & cases of beer.

I began wondering...why the hell are these people using my tax money to buy unhealthy junk food and using their cash to buy what I would consider privileges?

People would come in and complain about the price of gas and health insurance. If you didn't spend your money on cigarettes, lottery, scratch tickets and alcohol you'd HAVE money for gas and health insurance.

I worked out the numbers.

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes across america right now is $5.65

if you smoke a pack a day that's $150.00 a month you spend on something that can kill you. The case of bud light at the store I worked at was about $14.00 for a 12 pack. If you buy even two a week thats around another $100.00 a month. Lottery and megabucks is unpredictable, but if your gambling with your cash you have a serious problem anyway.

anyway my point, is that it's not that prices are high or that the rich are greedy, it's that the poor are more often than not STUPID with their money. With $300-$400 a months you'd save by not drinking, smoking & gambling you would have plenty of money for a gym membership, the best health insurance money can buy and still have some left over to put towards other bills.

I'm sick of this. I see people doing this shit everyday and pisses me off!

It's not a matter of the rich keeping poor people down, it's the poor needing to sacrifice their addictions & cravings of luxury consumption. You can't afford it don't buy it.

Not to mention if you didn't drink and smoke so dam much you wouldn't have to complain about the cost of health care because you'd be a whole lot healthier. Not to mention if you're going to buy food with my taxes can you at least buy healthy food? Salads, fruits, vegetables etc? Instead of potato chips and donuts?

My two cents.