Families need clarity, not chaos—especially during a government shutdown.

This No Non-cents Nanna post bridges misinformation, emotional safety, and practical planning with a fresh dose of mythic discipline, legacy clarity, and sound parenting advice when they want to know what to tell their children about the government shutdown.

🧭 No Non-cents Nanna Says: Let’s Get Real About Family Safety During the Shutdown

The U.S. government shutdown began on October 1, 2025, and families across America are facing obstacles we’ve never encountered before. From delayed SNAP benefits to rising anxiety in our homes, the ripple effects are real, and they demand clarity, not confusion.

2025 United States federal government shutdown 

And now, I’m calling out a dangerous distraction: the Straw Man stereotype.

 

 

“I wish my parents had assured us they would always do their best to make responsible choices to take care of us… It is not a child’s job to parent the parents.” Malika Bourne

 

Instead of playing the angry blame game, let us put on our big-kid panties and learn some grown-up communication skills.

Why?

• The practice of misdirection and false accusation is dysfunctional.
• Why not be transparent, name the problem and figure out a solution?
• Let us learn more about Straw Man so we can identify it rather than accept it.

You’ve seen it on social media:

“Cut the 26-year-old gamer living in his mom’s basement.”

“It’s Welfare Queens!”
“All the illegal aliens are draining Medicaid.”

These are straw man arguments—misleading anecdotes designed to raise fists, not offer solutions.

They distract from real #FamilySafetyPlanning and model fear instead of discernment.

 

 

🧠 What Is a Straw Man Fallacy?

A straw man fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents or oversimplifies an opposing argument to refute it easily. Instead of engaging with the genuine issue, they attack a distorted version — like knocking down a scarecrow instead of a real opponent.

 

👑 The “Welfare Queen” Myth

• Origin: Popularized in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in political rhetoric, the “welfare queen” was a caricature of a woman (often racialized as Black) who supposedly exploited welfare programs through fraud and manipulation.
• Straw Man Setup: This figure was used to represent welfare recipients broadly, implying that most were lazy, deceitful, or undeserving.
• Reality: The vast majority of welfare recipients use benefits legally and out of genuine need. Fraud exists, but it’s statistically rare and often committed by vendors or administrators, not recipients.
• Fallacy Impact: By focusing on this exaggerated figure, critics avoid addressing structural poverty, wage stagnation, and systemic inequality — the real issue behind welfare reliance.

 

🌍 The “Illegal Immigrant Draining the System” Narrative

• • Claim: That undocumented immigrants are abusing welfare systems and causing strain on EBT and public benefits.
  • Straw Man Setup: This argument falsely assumes that undocumented immigrants have broad access to welfare programs, which they legally do not.

 

 

• • Reality:
    • Most federal benefits (like SNAP/EBT) are restricted to citizens or legal residents.
    • Fallacy Impact: This narrative shifts attention away from under-funded systems, corporate tax avoidance, and policy failures, blaming a vulnerable group for problems they didn’t cause. Undocumented immigrants often pay taxes (including sales and payroll taxes) without receiving benefits.
    • Emotional Manipulation: These straw men evoke anger, fear, and resentment — powerful tools in political messaging.
    • Deflection: They deflect scrutiny away from systemic issues such as wage inequality, healthcare access, and bureaucratic inefficiency.
    • Simplification: Complex problems are reduced to digestible villains, making it easier to rally public opinion without offering actual solutions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why These Fallacies Persist…

• • 🧺 Straw Men in the Welfare Debate: Why the “Welfare Queen” and “Illegal Immigrant” Myths Persist

    In the fog of public discourse, two figures loom large: the so-called welfare queen and the illegal immigrant draining the system. These caricatures are not real people — they are rhetorical straw men, built to be knocked down. They distort the truth, distract from systemic failures, and emotionally imprint blame onto the most vulnerable.

    A straw man fallacy misrepresents a real issue, replacing it with a simplified villain. It’s easier to attack a myth than to confront the complexity of poverty, policy, and bureaucratic dysfunction.

    • The welfare queen myth — often racialized and gendered — suggests that most welfare recipients are deceitful, lazy, and manipulative. In reality, fraud is rare, and most recipients use benefits legally, often while working or caring for others.
    • The illegal immigrant draining the system narrative falsely claims that undocumented people exploit public benefits. In truth, they are largely excluded from federal aid and often contribute through taxes without receiving support.

    These myths persist because they are emotionally sticky. They offer a villain, a scapegoat, a story that feels true — even when it isn’t. They deflect attention from underfunded programs, corporate tax avoidance, and policy neglect. They obscure the real fog: the systemic confusion, the emotional imprinting, the legacy distortion.

    As a mythic archivist, I name these straw men not to amplify them, but to dismantle them. I write for the caregivers, the truth-tellers, the legacy-builders who refuse to be misrepresented. We are not caricatures. We are clarity.

• • The effect of unpaid hospital and emergency department bills is staggering. Hospitals are shutting down. But, it is not because non-citizens are using Medicaid.
  • This subject needs more in-depth discussion. Would you like more insights? Leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

For transparency’s sake. I used to spend a week or more researching my typo-riddled blog posts. I put my heart and soul into every post I wrote. I love to study, don’t get me wrong. The problem is that my left hand ‘does its own thing’ and it is getting harder to type accurately. To address the lag in my left finger, I used Copilot to gather my thoughts, find answers to my questions, and ultimately correct my mistakes, thereby streamlining the error-correction process. Copilot is like a great secretary for someone with their hand in a cast and surgery on three fingers… oh yeah, and I have done that.

What Our Children Need to Hear From Parents

Please avoid the presumption that your child(ren) lack awareness of current events.

Trust me, children are susceptible to the vibes around them, and it is scary.

Address the situation at each child’s developmental level.

Children absorb emotional undercurrents even when adults think they’re “shielding” them.

My personal example is the Bay of Pigs invasion when I was eleven years old.

The Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 was a Cold War flash point that deeply unsettled American families, especially children who sensed the fear but weren’t given context or reassurance.

🧠 Historical Insight: How the Bay of Pigs Affected Children

This historical event is probably more extreme than the current government shutdown. However, this is something I experienced and considered a relevant example, showing that children are more in tune than parents realize.

• The invasion occurred April 17–20, 1961, when U.S.-backed Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro. The mission failed, escalating Cold War tensions.
• Families were gripped by fear of nuclear retaliation and communist expansion. Children overheard hushed conversations, saw worried expressions, and felt the unease—even if they didn’t understand the politics.
• Baby Boomers recall feeling terrified: Many describe the era as one of “duck and cover” drills, bomb shelter talk, and emotional confusion. Parents often spoke around children, not to them—leaving kids to interpret fear without guidance.
• I wish my parents had assured us they would always do their best to make responsible choices to take care of us… It is not a child’s job to parent the parents. (Many baby boomers share the statement of author Malika Bourne.)

 

 

 

• Naming the challenge: Yes, the government shutdown is real.
• Offering assurance: “I’m doing my job as your parent. We’ll adjust menus, drive less, and make it work.”
• Inviting dialogue: “If you have suggestions or concerns, let’s talk at a family meeting.”

 

This is how we model emotional clarity—not panic.

 

🚫 Let’s Keep It Real

Fact: Unless someone has been approved for SSI and Medicaid, they don’t receive those benefits.

Keep in mind that not all disabilities are visible.

But, no licensed medical doctor in his/ her right mind is going to claim this alone as a disability.

A doctor will tell a patient to get off the couch and go for a walk.

And they will tell the person to eat well-balanced meals and sleep at regular times.

A doctor may even suggest blood work or a psychological evaluation to rule out other conditions that could be considered a disability.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to diagnose or give legal advice.

 

Let’s stop repeating false examples and start asking:

1. Who benefits from this misinformation?
2. Who gets hurt?

 

📣 Call to Action

 

• Let’s stop the straw men by not repeating untruths.
• Let’s start the conversation.
• Let’s protect our families with truth, not tropes.

 

To be continued…more on advice for parents in trying times…

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🛍️ Why I Started a New Shopify Store: Malika Bourne Legacy

My brand-new Shopify store is still stocking the e-commerce shelves, but is open and functioning well. Everyone is a new customer and will receive $10 off their first $100 order through December 1, 2025.

Eventually, every keepsake for sale will have a story behind it. The product page starts here: https://malikabournelegacy.com/products/

Some of my old blogs will have the e-commerce store named Heart Felt Play Store. That shop has been closed since late 2018.

I love doing business. I miss almost everything about Heart Felt Play Store.

Why I Closed Heart Felt Play Store

I’m not ‘lazy’ for sure.

In 2018, I was finally diagnosed with a rare, chronic, debilitating blood and bone marrow mutation disorder that came with my DNA. The secondary complications were life-threatening in 2018. Occasionally, something flares up. I already had fatigue from a rare adrenal issue, leaving me with one adrenal gland that overproduces a hormone. This explains my online inconsistencies and gaps.

I needed my sister, who kindly took me in to care for me.

I could no longer care for my adult child, who has advanced-stage primary progressive MS. I had to place my progressively ill son in a nursing home.

I got my strength back as long as I managed my health, and my son and I reunited to share a cheap apartment again so I could do 24/7 care in spurts, with rest in between. I continue to age, and the form of his disease continues to progress.

I am his sole caregiver – that makes me a stay-at-home-mom for a 50-something bed-bound man. And I need a part-time job, but I cannot be away from home that long.

All of the above relates to my first-hand knowledge of disabilities and how it is not so easy to get ‘free benefits’ from the government.

 

Life happens.

• We chose to do the best we can with what we have, to live a less-than-ideal, but quality life.
• We do not give up.
• We are resilient.

1. Medicaid funding and adequate support in the least restrictive environment — our home — are not a sure thing. My forthcoming publication will address my perspective on client-directed home care. In Colorado, it is called CDASS. In Iowa, it is called # CDAC. That program has changed drastically. I have depended on that small compensation to make ends meet, but the funding cuts are not helpful to our situation. With the government shutdown, we are not in a position to access qualified assistance to give me the respite I need.
2. Still, we need a stable income. (If that statement resonates with you, I have ebooks on supporting caregivers, 90% ready to be published in ebooks for the last year. Leave a comment or email my business email to get on the notification list. Malika@MalikaBourne.com )
3. To help cover the cost of publishing my books, legacy tools, and marketing, I’ve relaunched another Shopify store. It’s not about selling stuff—it’s about offering intentional gifts that help families mark moments, restore rituals, and build a legacy.
4. Personally, I have a lot of irons in the fire that are so close to being complete. But with my loss of income and his loss of supplemental financial support for supplies, we are up a creek without a paddle.
5. I know firsthand how difficult these changes are, so I wanted to share my ideas with others on how to muddle through.
6. I am not going to suggest that you find hope or faith and be passive. I will continue to offer ways to explore and evaluate potential solutions by staying calm and prepared for change, including accepting the things we cannot change.

There have been changes to the availability of the novel I’ve been promoting, but the mission remains:

1. clarity,
2. dignity,
3. emotional safety.

 

This statement is difficult to admit and remain gracious. The current publication that I have promoted, The Secrets of the Unwritten Book by author Malika Bourne, has experienced a shocking turn. I will have details later.

👉 See the full post TBA
👉 Follow @NoNoncentsNanna for updates, clarity, and mythic sanity

 

….to be continued with the focus on parenting in uncertain times….

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