Bates Updates - Part 2

[ariel9]

Could someone explain what the history on Gil quitting his job and why he is a grifter?

[amster]

So I just watched the show on Youtube. A couple of thoughts:

Chad has a very feminine voice.

Alyssa seemed to keep her family at arms length.

Erin & Chad sounded devastated. I felt sorry for them

Zach sounds PETRIFIED of becoming a dad.

[formergothardite]

Can someone explain more about Gil's grifting? I don't know much about that other than he worked somewhere and then quit. Did he really teach a class on this? To me, grifting means being a con artist, was he involved in Con Schemes? Or was he simply living hand to mouth, begging or at least being willing to be sponsored by his Fundie friends?

Is it considered Grifting because he quit his job and then did they have to go on government assistance? That is a form of a Con to me, if you willingly quit your job, knowing you have eleventy mouths to feed.

To me it is grifting because he uses his children to con people into supporting them. No way people would give money to just Gil and Kelly. I think they said they qualified for government assistance but refused to take it because of God. :roll: They have admitted that Lawson, who went out and worked much harder than his father, has had to buy the groceries in the past because Gil couldn't afford to do so and apparently people got tired of giving stuff to them. He offers a course through ATI on how to raise a mega-family without having to go get a steady job. Basically it comes down to convincing other people to support your brood and don't let the fact that you have no income stop you from popping out baby after baby.

[anjulibai]

Gil Bates has giving talks about how to raise a big family on no income - and his advice pretty much amounts to get other people to give you stuff for free. He tells people to beg and playing up the poor children angle.

He also refuses to get insurance and has referred to going to the Emergency Room as being free because he just doesn't pay the bills. It's why he says he's against universal healthcare - because you can just go to the ER.

Yeah, I'd say he's a grifter.

[nokidsmom]

To me it is grifting because he uses his children to con people into supporting them. No way people would give money to just Gil and Kelly. I think they said they qualified for government assistance but refused to take it because of God. :roll: They have admitted that Lawson, who went out and worked much harder than his father, has had to buy the groceries in the past because Gil couldn't afford to do so and apparently people got tired of giving stuff to them. He offers a course through ATI on how to raise a mega-family without having to go get a steady job. Basically it comes down to convincing other people to support your brood and don't let the fact that you have no income stop you from popping out baby after baby.

Re: the bolded, I am not surprised to hear that people got tired of it. I bet some people figuratively close their shutters when they see Gil coming. In addition to Lawson buying groceries and making loans, it's been discussed here how some of the other kids (Erin and Alyssa come to mind, probably Zach too) who helped support the family with their respective jobs. It's also been reported that the tree business is doing well FWIW so maybe with the loss of some income from their married kids plus people losing patience with Gil's grifting, maybe Gil has had to get off his butt and work harder for a change. And now they have this new show. This is all telling me that they need money and Gil's "how to raise a family with no income" has its limits.

I saw the "Whatever No. of Kids and Counting" episode where Gil states you can just go to the ER and they have to treat you even if you can't pay. He exhibited no qualms about doing that. However I don't remember what he said about paying those bills though. ER bills can be quite high and I doubt that they would have the money especially if they were relying an a free OB/Gyn clinic for Kelly. Hope that some of that TLC money paid some of those bills, the local hospital can't love them all that much.

He claims to live debt free and without ebil guvmint assistance. But relying on your kids' money and the ER is actually incurring debt even if you don't pay it back. And grifting off other people using your own kids as part of the con instead of taking government assistance that you rightfully qualify for is more dishonest IMHO.

[anjulibai]

There have been a few articles and blog posts that reference the ER being "free". I remember that from when Erin (pretty sure it was Erin) had an injury to her hand/wrist, and went to the ER. The attitude was definitely one of "we don't have to worry about the cost because it's taken care of".

ERs can be expensive, but in my experience the bills for them go away after 7 years. There was a time in my early 20s when I had to do that because I was in college and working and couldn't afford health insurance. I was able to go to my school's extensive health clinic for most things, but there were a couple of times I ended up in the ER and couldn't pay. I was pursued for a while for the bill, but since I could barely afford food and rent, I couldn't pay it. Collections stopped after a few years and it's all off my credit reports.

I'm not proud of doing that, but I had to at the time. Love having insurance now and being able to pay my bills.

[Evilbad]

All of these fundie families remind me of that M. Knight Shamamalayayayananan movie, the Village, where the adults were all educated and chose to live away from the world, and their kids grew up ignorant of the world outside.

[nokidsmom]

It's one thing to be honestly struggling and have to go the ER as a no choice option. If one needs healthcare, they need healthcare whether they can pay or not. But it's entirely another when someone like Gil chose to quit what appeared to a decent job in favor of grifting while his wife pops out baby after baby thinking others will take care of them in some way or just not pay the bill. That's flat out irresponsible. I don't argue them going to the ER for when they really need it but there had to be some options, even if it's the ebil gubmint, to cover the kids at least and they still chose not to take it.

Wonder how Gil's credit report looks. Can't imagine it's a very high FICO score.

[gustava]

If they go to the ER now, are they enrolled in Obamacare?

[nokidsmom]

If they go to the ER now, are they enrolled in Obamacare?

Good question. I would guess that at the very least they would be counseled about enrolling in it. But even prior to Obamacare, I would think they would have also been counseled about enrolling their minor children in Medicaid or CHIP during an ER visit.

[HereticHick]

Is this a pic of Michael's beau Brandon, in the Gothard Mothership handbell choir?

staddonfamily.com/2014/12/31/2014-handbell-choir/

front row, 2nd guy from the right?

[Daenerys]

Is this a pic of Michael's beau Brandon, in the Gothard Mothership handbell choir?

staddonfamily.com/2014/12/31/2014-handbell-choir/

front row, 2nd guy from the right?

Don't think so. He's 100% into IBLP but that looks like a different person to me.

[Pretzel]

Don't think so either. Brandon looks quite different.

That handbell choir sounded so much better than those screeching Duggar violins to my otherwise ignorant ear.

[freethemall]

Anyone notice anything interesting in the new picture on thebatesfam's instagram? Are they finally engaged?

[HereticHick]

Isn't that her purity ring that she's been wearing for years? I dunno--do you wear a purity ring on the same finger as an engagement ring?

[thenewclassic]

Sorry if this isn't very relevant - but I think Alyssa Bates just deleted my comment off her Instagram. Although I did say "omfg", I just tagged someone and mentioned a store in the background... Would she really go through her comments and delete things like that?

Guess I may have finally been noticed by a Bates daughter :lol:

[nelliebelle1197]

Oh, I agree that it's awesome they're both working and contributing financially to their home, at least until Alyssa gives birth. I'm just really curious as to why they took this job. Does John not work full time at his family's business? Did they need the supplemental income even if he was already doing full time hours? Was Alyssa just bored doing nothing all day and decided to work just to build some extra savings until the baby is born? We'll probably never know unless they bring it up on the show, and it's not our business anyway, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super curious because if it's those first two reasons John and Alyssa will never, EVER be able to afford that "8...maybe 10 kids" she's spouted a couple of times.

Babies are freaking expensive, kids are freaking expensive, adolescents are freaking expensive, adult children that will stay home until they're married are freaking expensive. True these people won't have to worry about college tuition (sigh) but diapering just one baby alone is several hundred dollars. What if their baby needs formula because Alyssa can't produce enough milk on her own, or none at all and the kid needs to be entirely formula fed? Formula is CRAZY expensive, even the store brand massive cans from Costco or wherever.

I just think all these just married families starting out are in for a rude awakening when they realize just how costly it is to raise a family. The Duggars will sadly probably be fine with their "fame", such as it is, and if this new Bates show takes off in popularity they may be fine as well (something tells me the pockets of UPTV network don't run as deep as TLC's but we'll see), but what the hell do these other Quiverfucked families intend to do *looks at Rodrigues thread* ....oh :(

So a U.S. Congressman's son and his pregnant, reality "star" wife are working as janitors? That is beyond bizarre.

[nelliebelle1197]

Why is it "Oh poor Erin" over some miscarriages but ZooZoo got crucified when she was carrying her dead baby inside herself for months? The Bates are cleaner and prettier than the Andersons but they are not any different. If anything, ZooZoo feeds and educates her kids better and PeePee is upfront about all the hate, which actually puts them a step above the Bates on the Evil Fundie scale. And I don't see PeePee allowing his girls to travel with a molester a la Gil Bates.

It is amazing how fake sweetness and a pretty face fools people.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

This is Alyssa Bates (I cross referenced the pic with her instagram and she was wearing the same shirt/jacket/hairdo that day so it's not a lookalike) and I swear she is wearing jeans. Jeans tucked into a boot. What do you think?

Taken from Congressman Webster's public page.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Houston, we have JEANS!

[16strong]

Oh my goodness! :o We got trouble, right here in fundie city!

Is Alyssa going fundie lite? Maybe she'll have only two or three kids? Well, a girl can dream. ;)

[Marshmallow World]

Those aren't jeans - they're, um... tube skirts. For each leg.

[Pretzel]

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

To me that doesn't say much, but she simply assimilates with her in-laws (which is normal, imho). Looks like mother Webster is wearing shorts and showing a lot of knee so the standards have shifted. Where are these pictures from? Do we know if Alyssa wants them to be public? If not and if someone has them from a Facebook of someone AND Alyssa does not have access to Facebook, I'd suggest that we at least put them under a hidden tag.

That girl deserves some freedom and quiet. Even if the Bateseseses don't read here, their leghumpers do and we all know what leghumpers are able to do. :stir-pot:

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Like I said in my post, they are from Congressman Webster's public Facebook page. He posted it. She was in a parade.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Here's a link

facebook.com/RepWebster/photos/pb.188572961157305.-2207520000.1420617673./963658833648710/?type=1&source=42