In this age of government entitlements, I understand that paying my own way might be a difficult concept for a lot of people to comprehend.

When did it become so accepted to be on Welfare or food stamps or government assistance of any kind? I am proud of the fact I own a nice house and a good car and have a solid job. None of this was given to me. I worked for it. I did not expect money from anyone, especially from the government.

It is disgusting to me to see the abuse of these programs by people who know how to work the system. To see someone so high or drunk they can barely stand, pay for their bottle of soda and bag of chips with an Access card, and then pull out a wad of cash to get cigarettes and lottery tickets just makes me want to scream.

I see this all the time in convenience stores. I did not know soda pop and potato chips were necessities.

The Acess cards should be allowed only at grocery stores and only for the basic food groups — ones that are needed to sustain a healthy life. I’ve seen people using other people’s cards to get snacks or pop, because it’s free for them.

Why is this allowed? Is there no oversight? Why did I ever get a job? I could get an Access card, Welfare, free medical, free cell phone, help with housing, help with utilities, pretty much whatever I need from the government, but I wasn’t raised that way.

I like the idea of paying my own way. I do not want to be dependent on the government; the government should be dependent on us, the tax-paying citizens.