Think before you post

Living in an internet-based society, we have the world at our fingertips.  We post every thought we have on our social media sites.  We take pictures of our dinners and put them up for people to see.  For the most part, it's all harmless.
Then, I run across something like this:

I LOVE someecards most of the time.  They are usually heavy on sarcasm, just like me.  This one, however, just made me mad.

You see, my children are on medical insurance provided by the state of Minnesota.  They also receive grant money from the county to help with expenses that typical families do not have.  Know where all the money comes from to fund these programs?  Yep, taxes.

Believe me, I would much rather be a working mom with two kids in school who have never been sick beyond your everyday run-of-the-mill childhood illnesses and injuries.  If you know me, you know that I have two daughters and both have had heart transplants.  I have spent countless weeks in hospital rooms with my children, basically living in various ICU rooms.  A situation not conducive to working a job out in the "real world."  It's not that I sit around and eat bon bons all day long.  Or collect state support and then go out and buy lobster tails and steak.  Yes, I have an iPhone.  It's one of the third generation ones (in case you weren't counting, Apple is now on their 5th generation.) and was given to me as an upgrade when my phone conked out.  Yes, my children have an iPad.  It was gifted to them to help with their special education needs.  And it has helped immensely.

My husband works.  As much as he can.  Going through two heart transplants in three years takes away more hours than you'd think, especially when you have another child at home that needs to get to school, be fed, etc.  The money that we make is of course much less than we'd like to, but we are thankful that our children are here and make whatever sacrifices are necessary to provide a great life for them.

I guess what I am trying to say here is this:  be careful what you share.  You could be hurting someone like my family, whose only choice was to put their children on state medical insurance.  Who have an income in their family and pay their fair share of taxes, but need an extra push.  Whose lives are nowhere near where they thought that they'd be.  Who'd rather that you didn't judge them based on their needs, but on what's in their heart.

I know that there are people out there that abuse the system.  I'm not naive.  But that doesn't mean that everyone who's getting a little help from the government in one way or another is scum.  Or ghetto.  It also doesn't mean that we aren't thankful for those taxes you pay to fund the programs that we need.  

Next time you see someone at the grocery store with a Coach purse and an iPhone whip out her WIC checks, don't judge.  You don't know if that purse is even real.  And if it is, if it's a gift.  You don't know who bought her that phone.  Or who pays for it.  You don't know where that woman has been, or where she is going.  

You also don't know when it might be you that needs a little help.

So before you push that "share" button, think about the people around you.  Do you know their full story?  I bet you don't.  I hope it leads you to be more thoughtful in regards to what you post.