I love little town, should helping people really require a pee test? How sad.

I have had the fortune to have spent almost my entire life in small town America, I don't really count Winslow as a small town or I would say I spent my whole life in a small town.  I know that some would say that the 10,000 people that lived there is the late 60's made it still a small town but it was culture shock for me, not a small town and come on people, it was the late 60's and on route 66.  It was not a small town, ok, I digressed. Anyway, I have been blessed to live in small towns for a life time.

Small towns have a charm that big cities lack, well I would have to say that was a guess as I have no really knowledge of living in a city, but I have visited them and not wanted to take up root in one.  I know that in a small town, I have never had to fear the night, I have never felt the need to not allow my children to walk to the store, or into the store alone.  I can't always buy everything I need but what I can has been on someones mind as a necessity I might need and they provided it.  We have a grocery, a pharmacy, a feed store, a lumber store, and a hardware.  We have restaurants, Churches, Schools, and bars.  We have lovely little shops where a hard working independent entrepreneur has set up their wares for us to see and enjoy.  We have a farmers market, where the lady that established it loves our community and works hard to make sure all the vendors have a great day and get to share their wares, she allows lots of items from the community, please not yard sale stuff. I love my little town.

I live where not one person would step over my body on their way to doing something more important.  I live where almost everyone knows me, knows my business and has gossiped about it.  I am not talking about the malicious mean gossips but the ones that talked about me because they cared, oh, I know their are the mean cruel ones gossiping as well but do I really care, I can't do anything about that so why try.  I know that those same people who care about me would come to my aide if I needed them. I can walk to town and 6 people stop and ask me if I need a ride.  I would and could get a ride with anyone of them but I am walking for my health.  If I ran out of gas or had a flat, I would not have to worry someone who cares about me would come along and help me out. I have never had to call a tow truck some one always sees my need and helps me get my vehicle home.  I love to volunteer in my community and have at numerous of our many establishments, the help line, the thrift store, the office of Public services, and all took me in and were just glad that I was there. I can still walk down the street in my town, smile and say hi to all I meet and they will happily reply in kind.  I know my kids one and all had a great place to live and grow up.

I do know that life in a small town may not be like living in a  big city or large town and don't really care to find out the difference. I do know that human nature in a big town is probably similar to the over all human nature of a small town; it is just that more things happen in a big city that need addressed and the family atmosphere some how gets lost as people are required to be more cautious and protect themselves, their kids and they things.  One of the things about human nature that I do know, first hand, is that alot of the people on "welfare" or food stamps or need the food bank never thought that they would be in that position.  More than once in years past, when we had to be on unemployment, we had to go to the food stamp office for help.  I have also actually volunteered there.  I do know one thing about 80 to 90 percent of the people that find themselves asking for help are embarrassed, they never thought they would be in that position, they are only there because they can't feed their kids and have no where else to turn.  I can't imagine being in such despair and need then having some one accuse me of being on drugs.  I can't imagine the complete humiliation of someone handing me a cup to pee in.  I know that alot