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 Uncle Entitlement: A Salute to Dependence Day Tammy Sue Barkhard, a third-generation Welfare recipient who lives in Tyrone, said that she gets a little misty when she hears the Star-Spangled Banner on July the 4th. It's a special day for her. "I think about George Washington crossing the Mississippi on that special day in July and creating a country that makes no distinction between the slothful and the truly needy," Barkhard said. "It's a good day to reflect on what this country owes me. Plus, a few of my babies were conceived on July 4th." Her live-in boyfriend, Dwayne Scott Arrington said he, too, enjoys the celebration of their complete and utter dependence on the government. Arrington said has never held down a job, but recently held up a convenience store for some spare cash to buy meth. "I like to kick back and have me a beer, eat some dogs and burgers, you know, pretty much what I do every other day," Arrington said. "Shoot, it's like havin' a holiday on a vacation day. I feel like I should get double time or somethin'." It will be a special day for the entire family. Thanks to a lax criminal justice system, Barkhard, Arrington, the six children and most of their fathers will be together for the Dependence Day festivities. As part of those festivities, the family holds their own fireworks display, literally--they hold fireworks and firecrackers in their hands and toss them at each other. "I'd say it's largely symbolic," Arrington said philosophically. "We know that the local hospital has to treat us whether we have insurance or not. One of these years, I'm gonna blow off my thumb and get me a bionic one." Barkhard makes sure there's lots of food, too, by making a special food stamp run to the grocery store. "Those food stamps sure comes in handy during celebrations," Barkhard said. "Most times I just trade them for booze, because we don't get any booze stamps, yet. But we do have a Democratic congress, so we'll keep hoping."
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