>>> A "WASHINGTON POST" ARTICLE 
GETTING A WHOLE LOT OF 
ATTENTION.
IT IS TITLED "THIS IS WHAT 
HAPPENED WHEN I DROVE MY 
MERCEDES TO PICK UP FOOD 
STAMPS."
THE WRITER AND HER FAMILY FELL 
ON HARD TIMES, AND SHE DID IN 
FACT DRIVE HER MERCEDES TO PICK 
UP PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
SHE IS DARLENE CUNHA AND SHE 
JOINS US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
YOU'RE A LOCAL TELEVISION 
PRODUCER.
YOU'RE COLLEGE EDUCATED, IN A 
STABLE RELATIONSHIP.
WITHIN A MATTER OF A FEW MONTHS,
YOU FOUND YOURSELVES ON 
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
>> WELL, A LOT OF THINGS 
HAPPENED ALL AT ONCE.
SO WE WERE BOTH WORKING.
YOU KNOW, GOOD ENOUGH JOBS, AND 
WE HAD ENOUGH MONEY FOR TWO 
PEOPLE TO LIVE ON VERY 
COMFORTABLY WITH ROOM FOR 
SAVINGS.
AND I WAS PREGNANT AT THE TIME 
WITH MY BABY DAUGHTERS, MY 
TWINS.
AND TWO WEEKS BEFORE TO GIVE 
BIRTH, HE LOST HIS JOB.
HE SAW A PINK SLIP, AND THAT WAS
IT.
FOR THAT, AND IT WASN'T HALF OF 
THE INCOME HE WAS MAKING, MORE 
THAN ME.
SO SUDDENLY WE FOUND OURSELVES 
AFTER HAVING BOUGHT OUR HOUSE TO
HOUSE OUR TWINS, WE FOUND 
OURSELVES NOT ONLY WITH LESS 
THAN HALF OF OUR INCOME, BECAUSE
I WAS MAKING MY MATERNITY LEAVE 
INCOME ONCE THE GIRLS WERE BORN,
WE ALSO FOUND OURSELVES FACING 
MORTGAGE ON A HOUSE THAT WAS NOW
WORTH ABOUT HALF WHAT WE HAD 
PAID FOR IT.
>> YOU WERE UPSIDE DOWN ON YOUR 
HOME.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, THIS WAS IN
2007-2008, AROUND THAT TIME.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE FOUND 
THEMSELVES IN A SIMILAR 
SITUATION.
SO MANY AMERICANS CAN RELATE TO 
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
YOUR ARTICLE IS CALLED "WHAT 
HAPPENED WHEN I DROVE MY 
MERCEDES TO PICK UP FOOD 
STAMPS."
CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU GOT INTO
THE POSITION WHERE YOU WERE 
DRIVING YOUR MERCEDES TO PICK UP
COUPON, FOOD, MILK AND BABY 
FORMULA?
I KNOW THAT YOU SAID YOU HAD A 
SICK KID, AND THEN YOUR HUSBAND 
LOST HIS JOB.
BUT YOU STILL HAD A MERCEDES.
>> YEAH.
WE DID.
BEFORE I GO FURTHER, I REALLY, 
REALLY WANT TO POINT OUT THAT I 
WAS NOT ON FOOD STAMPS.
FOOD STAMPS IS S.N.A.P., AND IT 
IS A DIFFERENT PROGRAM.
I WAS ON WOMEN, INFANTS AND 
CHILDREN.
>> RIGHT.
>> WHICH IS VOUCHERS.
IT'S JUST BEEN A STICKING POINT 
WITH THE ARTICLE, AND I WANT 
PEOPLE TO KNOW WE WERE ON WICK, 
WHICH IS A MUCH EASIER PROGRAM 
TO GET INTO, LESS STRINGENT.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP BOTH OF 
OUR CARS, FOR INSTANCE, AND MANY
OTHER THINGS.
THEY DIDN'T CHECK US OUT NEARLY 
AS MUCH AS THEY WOULD FOR 
SOMETHING WHO NEEDS THAT FORM OF
HELP.
WHICH IS ALSO PERFECTLY 
LEGITIMATE TO NEED.
BUT ANYWAY, I WAS PICKING UP THE
COUPONS, THE VOUCHERS BECAUSE MY
GIRLS WERE BORN AT 34 WEEKS, AND
I COULDN'T BREAST-FEED THEM 
BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT LATCH 
BECAUSE THEY WERE PREMATURE.
10 I WAS PUMPING AND EVENTUALLY 
I HAD TO SUPPLEMENT WITH FORMULA
AND THEN SWITCH OVER TO FORMULA.
AND AT THAT TIME, FORMULA WAS 
ABOUT $15 PER ONE CAN.
AND I HAD TWO CHILDREN TO FEED.
AND I HAD TO FEED THEM FORMULA 
FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF.
BECAUSE OF THEIR PREMATURE BIRTH
AND JUST THE DIFFERENT DIETARY 
THINGS THAT THEY PARTICULARLY 
NEEDED.
MOST CHILDREN START EATING 
SOLIDS AT 1.
>> DARLENEA?
>> YEP?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK, WHY 
COULDN'T YOU SELL YOUR MERCEDES?
WHY DIDN'T YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND 
SELL YOUR MERCEDES INSTEAD OF 
GOING ON ASSISTANCE?
>> WELL, WHAT'S THE POINT OF 
THAT, HONESTLY?
WE HAD -- IT WAS A 2003. 
>> THE POINT IS MONEY.
>> WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A COUPLE
OF THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR IT, AND 
WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO BUY A NEW 
CAR, BECAUSE I WAS WORKING AT 
THE TIME WHICH I THINK IS ALSO 
BEING GLOSSED OVER.
AFTER MY MATERNITY LEAVE, I WENT
BACK TO WORK.
AND I NEEDED A CAR TO DRIVE 90 
MILES ONE WAY AND BACK THE OTHER
WAY.
AND HE NEEDED A CAR IN CASE 
THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY WITH OUR 
KIDS.
SO TO SELL THE MERCEDES, TO TAKE
THE TIME TO PUT IT UP, AND THEN 
TAKE THE TIME TO GET A SALE AND 
THEN TAKE THE TIME TO FIND 
ANOTHER CAR THAT IS MAYBE LESS 
RELIABLE, THAT IS GOING TO -- WE
NEED CAR PAYMENTS ON OR WE CAN 
PAY TOTALLY OFF BUT IT'S A 
BEATER AND IS GOING TO BREAK 
DOWN EVERY TWO SECONDS AND WE 
HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS AND IT'S
ALWAYS IN THE SHOP, THERE IS NO 
REASON TO DO THAT.
SO WE DIDN'T.
WE HELD ON TO IT. 
>> YOU ALSO SAY YOU LEARNED THAT
POVERTY IS A CIRCUMSTANCE, NOT A
VALUE JUDGMENT.
WHAT ABOUT THE IDEA THAT IN THIS
COUNTRY, HARD WORK CAN LEAD YOU 
OUT OF POVERTY?
DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT THERE ARE 
MANY PEOPLE ON ASSISTANCE THAT 
ARE NOT HARD WORKERS.
AND I FEEL THAT THAT WOULD BE 
THE MAIN POINT OF THE PIECE 
ITSELF.
YOU DON'T GET INTO POVERTY AND 
HAVE TO RELY ON GOVERNMENT 
ASSISTANCE BECAUSE YOU'RE A 
LAZY, QUOTE/UNQUOTE, WELFARE 
QUEEN MOST OF THE TIME.
THESE PEOPLE ARE HARDWORKING 
AMERICAN CITIZENS.
THEY'RE WORKING TWO AND THREE 
JOBS.
AND WHEN YOU ARE BROKE, YOU 
DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO FIND OUT 
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY.
YOU'RE BUSY SPENDING IT ON FOOD.
YOU CAN'T PAY YOUR RENT.
AND WHEN YOU CAN'T PAY RENT OR 
PAY FOR YOUR CAR PAYMENT OR PAY 
FOR A SPEEDING TICKET, THAT $200
I CAN PAY NOW, THEY CAN'T PAY 
IT, AND IT TURNS INTO A THOUSAND
DOLLARS PLUS OTHER FINES.
>> AND YOU'RE RIGHT. 
>> IT'S EXPENSIVE TO BE POOR 
THAT.
>> IS A PERCEPTION IN THIS 
COUNTRY THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO 
NEED ASSISTANCE ARE LAZY OR THEY
DON'T WANT TO WORK.
AND I'M
