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Would you prefer that these people only buy food with the entitlement money, and snatch purses or burgle houses to buy alcohol & cigarettes? Because those are the choices for a lot of people.
If they truly can't afford to buy food, then they definitely can't afford alcohol and tobacco.
No because some of us know the racial make up of most people who are on welfare/food stamps.
I wonder if the racial/ethnic composition of the welfare recipient population parallels the racial/ethnic composition of the American population in general.
No because some of us know the racial make up of most people who are on welfare/food stamps.
Yes, nationwide most people on welfare/food stamps are white (although due to The Browning of America that will inevitably change some day).
My point was that because "New York" was thrown into the thread title, this guy from the Metro New York City area instinctively thought the people would be from New York City, and therefore black.
I think the OP pulled it off nicely, showing a photo of 34 white derelicts and making me realize he was talking about waaay upstate. It reminded me of the first time I went to central Pennsylvania where my wife is from, seeing nothing but poor whites as far as the eye can see.
The thread is posted most likely to see what the reaction is. And stir up controversies.
I hope those of you who judge food stamp individuals {period} NEVER have to have them. Your tune may soon change if you needed help.
I once met a guy at a "group" I was attending who befriended me, and he finally asked me one day how I was living {in a dump, on welfare and food stamps TEMPORARILY}. I told Him I had welfare {IT IS called "TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE" officially BTW} and food stamps. He promptly said "so my taxes are paying for you to live". I said "You could look at it that way. I look at it this way: in my working history I have always worked more than one job at any given time, sometimes as many as 3 jobs at once, and I paidmy taxes into the system so that one day, LIKE NOW, WHEN I NEED IT, the system is there to help me out. AND FURTHER MORE, I DO expect to be paying taxes again as soon as I am on my feet again.".
I WAS so glad that the help WAS THERE when I NEEDED it {and I am no longer on it, I am not a "lifer" on social services}.
ALSO: GET SOME FACTS: WORKING PEOPLE QUALIFY TOO! THEY CAN, AND DO have food stamps {SNAP} help too.
You can have income up to $31,008 annually*,** maximum for a family of 4 FROM WORKING AND STILL GET FOOD STAMPS! {At least in NY. To a maximum of $649 a month for 4}. SO, it IS NOT just for those who AREN'T WORKING!!
Also, HEATING ASSISTANCE for Northern climates allows for greater income! You can qualify for home heating assitance with an income of up to $50,628 annually* maximum for a family of 4 for help heating your home in winter! {from a minimum of $21 for those with heat included in rent in a subsidized or group housing system, all the way up to about $575 {for single family home + add-ons} worth of help for heating oil, Kerosene, propane}.{In NY}
These are FEDERAL programs {administered by the state}, so SHOULD be available to anyone in the USA within the Federal parameters.
*Incomes quoted may have different requirements in other states.
**nearly double poverty level
There are a few other caveats here as well.. It seems that most people have misconceptions what the SNAP program is and what it can be used for..
There are 2 basic programs.. SNAP and WIC are quite similar, but items that are allowed and who qualifies are different. Then there's TANF (Commonly known as welfare), which is totally separate.
SNAP benefits (aka "EBT Benefit"), in most states, can only be used on unprepared foods.. You cannot use them on alcohol, cigarettes, a Big Mac.. But you could use them on soda, cookies and other rather unhealthy foods. One of the 'tricks' that can be done, which I don't particularly agree with is.. Let's say you go to a chicken joint.. You could buy an 8pc chicken basket, but you'd have to buy the chicken raw.. Then you could hand it back to them and have them cook it for you.
Krispy Krunchy Menus - See the "You buy, we fry" portion of that page.. That's.. really tiptoeing the line there, to me.
WIC is basically SNAP for Women, Infants and Children. Basically, for low income families with young children. This program is VERY restrictive on what can be purchased.. Milk, eggs, formula.. Things of that nature.. No soda, no cookies.. Usually if you go to your grocery store, you see a tag that shows "WIC Qualified" below the items that do qualify for the program. Children who qualify can be no older than 5.
Then there's TNAF.. Which is what is commonly referred to as "Welfare".. Often, there is no restriction on what this can be used for. This is the one that you hear of being spent on beer, at strip clubs, etc.
now, with those definitions out of the way... What the people in this article are accused of is basically selling their SNAP cards to someone else.. If they have $100 of SNAP benefits, they sell that card to someone for $50 cash.. That is what is known as trafficking, and it is fraud.
Galaxyhi is correct in the further details as well. You do not have to be unemployed to collect those benefits. In the past few years, many of the 'working poor' have qualified for the program due to expansion of the program.
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