I couldn’t help but feel unjustly labeled after reading Elizabeth George’s opinion column on Friday. I agree that many people blame the government for too many of their problems, and that some people take advantage of the welfare system. It has been to my discomfort that I have met these people, and I am as disgusted by them, just as I am by the smell of liver and onions.

However, George makes a sweeping generalization about what kind of people are on welfare. As one of those people, I know that the people who often benefit from welfare didn’t choose to be in such a situation.

Ever since I can remember, my parents had trouble making ends meet. Sometimes my siblings and I went to work with them. I can remember waking up at night on the weekends when I was in elementary school to help my parents clean offices and day cares. During the summers, my siblings and I helped my parents cut yards as a family business until my brothers got embarrassed by having my sister, mother and I go to work at the yards.

Honestly, there were times when we didn’t eat, and all I could worry about was finding some way to make money to help my family. School has always been important, but it was hard to care when you were hungry.

Eventually, I was of age to get a “real” job at Kroger. However, not eating, school and work caught up with me and a teacher of mine noticed. He told me that my family should go on food stamps and helped my mother apply for them.

Once we had them, my parents and I decided that I should quit work and concentrate on school like I hadn’t before. I don’t know how I would have made it through high school and much less how I would have gotten into a university like SMU without the help.

I’m not telling this story to try and guilt anybody into accepting my side of the argument. Nobody can help the family that they are born into, and I think it’s great when parents can provide well for their children. Those parents have worked hard to give their children a good life and education, so I would never ridicule their work. In fact, if I ever have children, I would only have them if I could give them such a life, and I would resent anyone trying to make them feel guilty for it.

I tell this story to show that I am not writing this because I have a soft, cushy heart or because I like to make up stories. I am the person who has been to the welfare office. The government didn’t have the responsibility to feed my family, but I don’t ever remember asking to be poor.

My closest childhood friends were far worse off than me and never were lucky enough to go to school. To say that we “refused to take advantage of the free education that was offered” to us is mistaken. Nobody owes me anything, but I don’t deserve to be called guilty for having been born into a lower socioeconomic level.

I pay taxes that go to people like Suzy the asthmatic with 12 cats, but I know it also goes to people who really need it as much as I did. I don’t see why I would want to deny the help to young children who have no fault of their situation.

I understand that Ms. George has every right to her opinion, even if it means that she may be saying that I should not be where I am now. If she really believes that, she has every right to say so.

But, I think that I speak for anybody that has been in my position when I say don’t ever call me Suzy. By doing this, you put blame on kids for the adults’ problems. We don’t deserve to be compared to Suzy, because I can assure you that even though I was as helpless as her 12 cats, they are more nourished and carefree than I ever was as a child.

Jeorgina Ahumada is a sophomore psychology major. She may be contacted at [email protected].