[fintstone]

Where I grew up, people worked hard and were proud that they made it on their own. People were lean and hard, and made their own way. Nobody went hungry...although maybe a bit short on protein. Food was free as someone would always share seeds and help you plow your field (or yard) the first year...but you ate well or poorly based on how much work you put into that garden. We grew just about anything you find in a grocery store to eat in the summer and canned/preserved enough to last all winter. We planned ahead and grew enough staples each summer (like potatoes, beans, and onions) to have enough every day for about a year and a half...just in case this year (or next) there was poor harvest. We also raised enough to feed a cow, a pig or two...and a bunch of chickens. Of course you always shared with the elderly/relatives. Lazy folks that didn't plant enough, care for or harvest/preserve enough usually came up a bit short. They only did that once. Having to buy food from a store with your limited coin sure was tough when it was essentially free (except for your labor) in the fall. Heat for your home was pretty much free as well...depending on how much you swung that axe or pulled that crosscut saw in the summer determined just how warm you would be in winter.

Once they stared passing out food stamps and food commodities, many quit bothering to grow food. Why work hard in the hot sun when food was "free"...and you could buy sweets, cupcakes, processed food, etc? Why cut wood when you could get your heating oil "subsidized?" Before you knew it, many were obese as they quit working their gardens and ate food much higher in calories. Thanks Uncle Sam. What they really needed were jobs.