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Ha, I was living with a women for awhile on the SNAP card in my younger years. Or maybe it was WICK? I can't remember all these gubmint handout programs. I got a first hand look at what kind of diet can be supported on the government's dole. You can buy enough food to eat comfortably for a month, or you can buy prime rib, steak, seafood, for 2 weeks, and eat top ramen for the other weeks. Either way, you can do about as well as any middle class family on food cards.
Why were you living with her if she was already having a financial struggle that would qualify her for food stamps?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
I keep reading things like that as well.
Yet my son has friends who are single and in college and they are getting the max which is $200/month (Texas)
Well if so, they won't be getting it for long. No kids? You've seen proof of this amount? Something missing here.
The problem with free-market solutions is that we have to be ready for the consequences.
To the folks who have risible personal anecdotes of standing in the grocery line next to a "typical food stamp person": assume that you're a business owner. Would you hire this person, even at minimum wage? Would you train them? Would your business prosper with employees like that? If so, then here's your labor pool right there! If not, then what sort of employer would hire these people?
Some people are on social-assistance as temporary crutch to tide them over rough times, such as illness or divorce. Others - probably many millions - simply don't have enough labor-value in a true free-market to survive. So what should society do? Enslave them in labor-camps? Execute them? Put them on a boat to Cuba? Seriously, what can society do, with able-bodied adults who just don't offer enough to employers to justify their employment?
I also hate paying taxes to support people who could work in principle. So what is the solution? I'm listening....
Why were you living with her if she was already having a financial struggle that would qualify her for food stamps?
It was a temporary situation while I looked for a house or apartment of my liking to rent. I was paying her $350 a month in rent. She actually benefited immensely, and also illegally since the state was covering the expense of her housing. What's more, they were even OVERPAYING by about $60/month for her expenses. Gotta love our efficient government in action.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBest
How can I get on this free ride? I'm hungry.
Yes. First step is the most fun. Have a few children. The more, the merrier. Next step, suddenly quit your job. You might also want to commit a few felonies to reduce the chances of ever finding meaningful employment going forward. Final step, hold your hand out. You'll never have to worry about paying silly bills, competing for that big promotion, or working silly OT again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohio_peasant
The problem with free-market solutions is that we have to be ready for the consequences.
To the folks who have risible personal anecdotes of standing in the grocery line next to a "typical food stamp person": assume that you're a business owner. Would you hire this person, even at minimum wage? Would you train them? Would your business prosper with employees like that? If so, then here's your labor pool right there! If not, then what sort of employer would hire these people?
Some people are on social-assistance as temporary crutch to tide them over rough times, such as illness or divorce. Others - probably many millions - simply don't have enough labor-value in a true free-market to survive. So what should society do? Enslave them in labor-camps? Execute them? Put them on a boat to Cuba? Seriously, what can society do, with able-bodied adults who just don't offer enough to employers to justify their employment?
I also hate paying taxes to support people who could work in principle. So what is the solution? I'm listening....
Some of these folks do work. They just don't earn enough to support their families. The real answer is to get rid of these crutches and expect businesses to compensate their workers with a livable wage. It's not the tax payers job to make up the difference for every Walmart employee scanning groceries and stocking shelves.
And to the point I was making... Why should I bust my behind to earn a middle class income and afford a middle class standard of living if the same could be had without any contribution? For me, it isn't about the taxes. The government could probably print the expenses away for all I know. It's about the principle. If you expect a certain standard of living, you should also be expected to work for it. There will always be those who get a bum deal, but that's life.
Kinda makes me feel like a sucker when I realize I could have the same things I have now while expecting tax payers to pay for it all. I imagine all the folks making just over the poverty line feel even worse. Some of them work 2 jobs just to afford an apartment, crappy car, crappy food.. They are likely living a lower standard of living than the welfare crowd. How is that fair?
The problem with free-market solutions is that we have to be ready for the consequences.
To the folks who have risible personal anecdotes of standing in the grocery line next to a "typical food stamp person": assume that you're a business owner. Would you hire this person, even at minimum wage? Would you train them? Would your business prosper with employees like that? If so, then here's your labor pool right there! If not, then what sort of employer would hire these people?
Some people are on social-assistance as temporary crutch to tide them over rough times, such as illness or divorce. Others - probably many millions - simply don't have enough labor-value in a true free-market to survive. So what should society do? Enslave them in labor-camps? Execute them? Put them on a boat to Cuba? Seriously, what can society do, with able-bodied adults who just don't offer enough to employers to justify their employment?
I also hate paying taxes to support people who could work in principle. So what is the solution? I'm listening....
they can all do something-even if it is cleaning up the neighborhood for their food stamps. Everyone is capable of doing something to contribute to the society, aren't they? maybe they could volunteer to help the kids with reading at the library, growing a garden, helping animals at the shelter/zoo, or something-whatever they might like to do that would be beneficial.
it would weed out the users, and there would be zero reason to be angry at the remaining recipients-and then it would be a legitimate program.
of course, our congress likes us all fighting-because then we aren't looking at THEM and the money they are spending.
It was a temporary situation while I looked for a house or apartment of my liking to rent. I was paying her $350 a month in rent. She actually benefited immensely, and also illegally since the state was covering the expense of her housing. What's more, they were even OVERPAYING by about $60/month for her expenses. Gotta love our efficient government in action.
Yes. First step is the most fun. Have a few children. The more, the merrier. Next step, suddenly quit your job. You might also want to commit a few felonies to reduce the chances of ever finding meaningful employment going forward. Final step, hold your hand out. You'll never have to worry about paying silly bills, competing for that big promotion, or working silly OT again.
Some of these folks do work. They just don't earn enough to support their families. The real answer is to get rid of these crutches and expect businesses to compensate their workers with a livable wage. It's not the tax payers job to make up the difference for every Walmart employee scanning groceries and stocking shelves.
And to the point I was making... Why should I bust my behind to earn a middle class income and afford a middle class standard of living if the same could be had without any contribution? For me, it isn't about the taxes. The government could probably print the expenses away for all I know. It's about the principle. If you expect a certain standard of living, you should also be expected to work for it. There will always be those who get a bum deal, but that's life.
Kinda makes me feel like a sucker when I realize I could have the same things I have now while expecting tax payers to pay for it all. I imagine all the folks making just over the poverty line feel even worse. Some of them work 2 jobs just to afford an apartment, crappy car, crappy food.. They are likely living a lower standard of living than the welfare crowd. How is that fair?
My guess is that you failed to look at the list of what the money can be used for, but enjoy complaining. My wife and I spend about $100 a week on food alone, and that doesn't include date night. You present an image of some glamorous lifestyle on food stamps. Most people who receive this are desperate, and you should consider yourself fortunate to not be in their shoes. More empathy, and less whining would be a good start.
I wasn't even responding to the article, which I did not read. Merely commenting on my first hand observation.
My average grocery bill is $30/week.
It's not about the little bit that is taken out of my paycheck to feed low income families. It's about the principle... Why should anyone's money be used to afford these folks the same standard of living as mine, or better?
Let's see-you can only afford $30 a week for food and a family on assistance has as good if not better standard of living as you. You need a better paying job, bro.
You're being disingenuous with your posts-I think it IS about the paltry amount of money you're forced to give to the poor.
Trust me on this-you're one slip of a brake pedal, a couple of mutating cells or some other catastrophe away from being in the same place they are. You may think you're immune from bad luck because you "work hard" (everyone thinks they work hard, btw), but you ain't.
Why were you living with her if she was already having a financial struggle that would qualify her for food stamps?
Well if so, they won't be getting it for long. No kids? You've seen proof of this amount? Something missing here.
$200/month is the max you can get for a single person in Texas.
I keep reading that people get a lot less and they have jobs.
Maybe these college kids get the max because they don't have jobs ?
Why were you living with her if she was already having a financial struggle that would qualify her for food stamps?
Well if so, they won't be getting it for long. No kids? You've seen proof of this amount? Something missing here.
Wow..50,000 questions. No I haven't seen proof. But there's no reason for me to doubt what he's telling me.
He's 21 and in school and working and paying his way and comments on how he has to watch his spending while his friends don't because they got these food stamp cards.
I wish there were people like you though that worked in our government offices that approve these applications. I'd wager we wouldn't be worrying about fraud/greed/corruption if there were more people like you that scrutinized applications and asked the hard questions and used that big rubber "REJECTED" stamp.
(please take that as a compliment)
$200/month is the max you can get for a single person in Texas.
I keep reading that people get a lot less and they have jobs.
Maybe these college kids get the max because they don't have jobs ?
You cannot get food stamps in Texas if you are a college student UNLESS you have a job or are considered "unfit for employment" (and can prove it, medical issues and so forth). You have to be working a minimum of 20 hours a week, or if self employed, earning the equivalent. If you are not working then you have to participate in a work search program. So someone might get the maximum for a short time in that scenario, where they are not working but participating in the work search activities, but most often those activities conflict with school schedules.
The article said that the monthly food stamp allotment was around $260 a month for a family. I suppose a family could survive on that if they only had one meal a day or if they cut their meals with sawdust to stretch them.
Besides, what's the big deal? Your contribution to the food stamp program is probably a tenth of a cent a year. IM me your address and I'll send you 10 years worth of your contribution.
Food stamps are designed to be supplemental. That's why the word supplemental is in the name of the program. The foodstamp benefit for a family of 4 is $688/mo which goes down as income goes up. Most people have some form of income.
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