Call Me Stormy

Mercedes, Welfare Don’t Mix

This is the story of a woman and her family who went from affluence to living off the public dole. Darlene Acuna went from a television producer to a stay-at-home mom nursing twin girls before the family hit hard times and were forced to the welfare line. Now she and her unemployed husband pick up their food stamps in a Mercedes, she feels that she’s being judged and wants the world to treat her better.

“Everyone has peaks and valleys in their lives,” says John Phillips of PJTV. “Sometimes you have good years, sometimes you have bad years. When you have newborn kids and you’re in a situation where someone’s else’s existence is dependent on you bringing home the bacon, you make whatever sacrifices you have to make to make that work.”

Phillips and a panel composed of radio TV host Tammy Bruce, stand-up comic and PJTV contributor Stephen Kruiser and PJTV contributor Scott Ott sat down for a lively debate on the situation in this edition of  “After Hours.”