Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From what I can tell, welfare fraud is a lot like voter fraud -- a general belief that it exists but few examples.
We have tons of examples of fraud committed by public officials, not to mention the campaign money floating about buying influence from those who are supposed to be making decisions in the best interest of us all. Yet no one has their knickers in a knot over that kind of fraud which is costing us all a ton of money.
The problem is that for some of us, I think, who believe that there is widespread fraud have this opinion because of our personal experience with people "on welfare", and then this seems to be confirmed by the occasional news story about it. Also, the reason that I think there is widespread fraud is because it is so easy to commit. For example, I know that some low income stay-at-home women make quite a bit of money babysitting, although that income, which can equal a thousand or more dollars a month, is neither recorded nor reported. No records equal no proof.
Also, I think -- please correct me if I am wrong here -- that at least in some states, cash can be withdrawn from EBT cards, and as we all know, cash can be used for almost anything. In my opinion, using cash that is meant for essentials for things like cigarettes is at least a form of fraud. However, $10.00 for a pack of cigarettes here or a DVD there is hardly worthy of a news bulletin -- but just because there is no proof of this, just hearsay or anecdotal evidence, does not necessarily mean that it is not true.
Oh, and just btw, many people -- and I am one of them! -- are every bit as outraged about corporate greed as we are about welfare "cheats", but this is a thread about changing welfare, not about the corruption of some billion-dollar corporations (which I agree is much worse than someone using welfare money to take their kids to Chuck E. Cheese's).
Last edited by katharsis; 01-22-2016 at 08:41 AM..
Do you really expect people with a liberal arts degree, minimum wage jobs, and student loan debt to save for a rainy day? Let us know how that works.
You are not entitled to other people's money because you decided to get a liberal arts degree, a minimum wage job, and student loan debt. If you can't figure out how to save for a rainy day, that's YOUR problem. Not anyone else's. If it can't be done, then change your own circumstances.
You all should be far more concerned about the obscene amount of corporate welfare, fraud, bail out money, and our ridiculous military spending that does not even take care of the veterans who come home than you should be about the roughly $13 per year that it costs taxpayers to contribute to social service programs.
As I have said before, if you are so damn concerned about your $13 not going to help people you consider worthy, I will write you a damn check.
Someone is lying to you are you are believing them. The roughly $13 per year does not cover all social service programs, that's absurd. That $13 covers TANF, maybe. But all of the other social service programs BESIDES TANF cost almost the rest of all taxes that are paid in. The rest of the government, the NON-social service programs, INCLUDING the military, are mostly paid for with borrowed money, NOT taxes.
Corporate welfare, fraud, bail out money, and even military spending are very small when compared to the amount of money spent on social security, medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, food stamps and welfare, housing assistance, daycare assistance, school grants and loans, foreign welfare, etc etc. If you add up ALL the handouts, ALL the social service programs, it's like 90% of all tax dollars brought in.
I pay, what, over $25K in federal income taxes every year? So yeah, I'll take that check from you, sure. 90% of $25K is $22,500. Let me know and I'll tell you where to send the check.
Ok, now do everything you did with two kids, one still in diapers, a run off father who refuses to pay child support, with a run down 15 year old car that may or may not run any given morning, while you also live two miles from closest bus stop where you have to take public transportation when the car doesn't work, all while working two jobs and relying on your elderly mother to babysit.
Do all that and THEN get back to us with how hard it is.
Three weeks, SMH
It doesn't matter how hard it is. Life is hard. You are not entitled to other people's money because you had 2 little kids with a deadbeat.
Your kids are entitled, because they are kids and cannot provide for themselves. I'll feed your kids any day of the week. But YOU (the generic adult), YOU are not entitled to a single red cent.
And you were young, single, childless, and healthy. That's why you were able to do all you did. Now take any one of those benefits you had away - take away your health, or throw in a kid or two, or a disabled spouse, or being over 55. It wouldn't be so easy then, and that's what you and the other posters on here clearly don't see.
Being in any of those situations isn't "pissing and moaning about it" much less "sniveling" (do you even see the hate and disdain in your word choice?), it's life and it happens to the best and worst of us, and it doesn't make us sniveling whiners, it makes us human.
Yes, and you better be glad you live in the US in the 21st century. Any other time and place in the world, and the person with poor health, a kid or two, a disabled spouse, or over 55, is left to starve and die. Ancient Rome? Starve and die. Victorian England? Starve and die. Living naturally, off the land, in tune with nature? Starve and die.
Anyone who complains they don't get free "comfort food" when they "want", is a sniveling whiner. A human sniveling whiner, sure.
While this is a GREAT idea, Kraft, Kellog's, Heinz, General Mills, Oscar Meyer, and many of the huge corporations that own these popular brands wont have it. For example, my father was a social worker in NYC. Recipients would come in and say that finances were tight and wanted to see if they could increase their benefits because they were running low on food by the third week of the month. He would go through the budget and then ask if they clipped coupons or bought white label brands for their family with less sodium and sugar and sometimes larger portions. Do you know that the majority of them would respond to him "We dont eat that" or "my kids dont eat that".
Consumerism has made people of all levels of society so careless with spending. Even our poorest are affected. I like your idea but these corporations that control the government wont want to loose the profits of these mentally enslaved people who are spending big money on their product.
I am also sure that the Michael Jordan sneaker empire wouldn’t want to loose out on their biggest client that equates their product and vice with social status in the hood…
Recently there was a welfare fraud bust in a nearby rural small town. The entire investigation went on for over a year before the cops rolled up and arrested the store owners and employees who were selling welfare recipients illegal products, and paying 70-cents on the dollar for SNAP cards. I'd like to know what this Big Bust cause the taxpayers, but nobody is admitting anything. I'm sure the bill is much higher than the actual fraud.
The welfare system is too easily scammed. So, why do we continue to use it.
I'd like to hear some ideas on how people would change it. We all complain about it, but never offer solutions.
My idea would be to do away with our current welfare cards. Build a Welfare Store in every neighborhood that needs one. Similar to Sam's Club, only a welfare recipient can enter and shop there. Stock these Welfare Stores with only approved goods (no beer or tobacco products). All Welfare Stores must keep their computers up-to-date with local recipient names and how much welfare money they have in their account. Nobody but the recipient can access those accounts, and yes, proof of identity will be a must every time they shop. A photo ID only. Welfare recipients can only shop in their local Welfare Stores where their names are on file. Any recipient that doesn't like that can go to work and earn the privilege of shopping wherever they want to shop.
What do you all think? Good idea? Bad? Feel free to post your thoughts and solutions. America is not about to let people starve to death, so please let's save the "Cut 'em all off welfare" arguments for another thread.
Would never happen because you are cutting into Sam's Clubs business by doing that... basically the government competing against the private sector.
While this is a GREAT idea, Kraft, Kellog's, Heinz, General Mills, Oscar Meyer, and many of the huge corporations that own these popular brands wont have it. For example, my father was a social worker in NYC. Recipients would come in and say that finances were tight and wanted to see if they could increase their benefits because they were running low on food by the third week of the month. He would go through the budget and then ask if they clipped coupons or bought white label brands for their family with less sodium and sugar and sometimes larger portions. Do you know that the majority of them would respond to him "We dont eat that" or "my kids dont eat that".
Consumerism has made people of all levels of society so careless with spending. Even our poorest are affected. I like your idea but these corporations that control the government wont want to loose the profits of these mentally enslaved people who are spending big money on their product.
I am also sure that the Michael Jordan sneaker empire wouldn’t want to loose out on their biggest client that equates their product and vice with social status in the hood…
Good point. I feel sorry for the shmucks who waste money on brand name everything. For most things, the store brand is just as good.
I don't think they should be put in different stores. But the kind of food that food stamps can be used for should be constrained. No frozen food, potato chip/Dorito/cheese twist type foods. Only Select beef or lower. For chicken, no breast meat. Only legs and thighs. Same for turkey. For fish, no haddock/scrod or shark/tuna. Swai is fine, so is mackeral. They can buy organic food even though it has no value over regular and is too expensive for people like me. If that's what they want go for it.
Beggars can't be choosers.
WTG Troyfan, maybe next time you walk past a vet or active duty soldier and thank them for their service you can throw them a chicken thigh
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
