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Welfare stores are the crazy idea in today's world.
Reasons:
They have been used in the past back in the 30s depression. Were not satisfactory then and would not be now.
The cost to set these stores up, stock and run them, would cost a tremendous amount more than it costs for today's welfare program. Any cheating done under today's plan, would be insignificant compared to the cost to operate the welfare stores you suggest.
Only someone that knows nothing about cost to set up, stock, and run such a store would ever suggest such a thing.
If we figure you would need one of the welfare stores for each zip code in the United states to make them available to all people on welfare. You have to remember that the people on welfare do not all have cars to take to the store, and a big share of the places do not have a buss they can take, so it may take more than 1 store in some zip codes. That would be over 43,000 plus welfare stores. Can you imagine how much it would cost to build or lease that many welfare store buildings, and the amount of money would be required to stock them. We are talking many, many billions of dollars just to set it up. They chose the current system as it is far, far cheaper to operate than welfare stores.
And instead of the Affordable Health Care Act, why don't we kill that, take all those subsidies we are handing out to the insurance companies, and instead create public clinics where the public can get preventative care and nutrition counseling for free? Make Medicaid and Medicare for emergency care only, take all the savings, and put them into the public clinics, where poor folks can go when their kids have the sniffles without having to go to the ER? That way people have a choice between public clinics (free) and private ones (paid for), just like they do for school.
That's funny... you claim that people would have a 'choice' just like they do with school. The poor have no choice when it comes to school, they can't send their kid to a private school unless they can pay the tuition. And are you seriously thinking that people who could afford private care would go stand in a line to go to a public clinic. Reno had a public clinic, the line stretched around the block and people started lining up at 6am, by 9am they told the people still in line to go home.
People who receive food stamps do work and pay federal income taxes, yes, but they get it all back and then some at the end of the year in their tax return. They aren't *actually* contributing to federal taxes. Sorry.
That's like if a friend of mine was on hard times, and asked to borrow some money to pay the rent. And I was feeling like I wanted to help my friend, so I just gave him the money, said pay your rent, and you don't have to pay me back. And then a month later my friend asks if he can sleep on my couch, because he is getting evicted, because he never paid his rent. He instead took the money I gave him and bought beer and smokes. And when I ask him about it he says "well you gave it to me, so it was my money". And when I say no you can't sleep on my couch, he calls me an unfeeling witch who just wants him to be homeless. THAT'S what it's like.
You could say that about anything we pay taxes for. For instance, I pay taxes for public schools and I don't have kids. I'll never get that money back. Net drain for me and those parents aren't paying their fair share. By the way, I did my taxes when I was on food stamps and all I got back was what I had overpaid into the system. Again, parents who had kids and could claim them as exemptions got back way more than I did, whether they overpaid or not.
As to giving your friend money, well, he is right about it being his money once it left your hand and that's a whole 'nother story. I do believe the definition of "give" is "give", not "give with strings attached". Your friend is an idiot, but once you give someone something, it's theirs to do with it what they please. If they don't do what you want them to do, then you need to make some adjustments (people who complain about giving panhandlers money for food, listen up here): 1) don't give them any money 2) make anyone you give money to sign a contract so that you have legal recourse when they don't spend the money you give them the way you want or 3) take the money and do what you think your friend should have done with it. Pay the rent yourself or if you want a panhandler to have some food, buy him a sandwich. Problem solved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankMiller
Maybe if you want people to act like they live in a society, society should act like Those People deserve to live in it.
Frank has a point. If you are going to treat people like they're the trashiest elements in your society, don't be surprised if they live up to your expectations. We already separate those awful food stamp people from the nice, normal regular folks by holding them to a higher standard: we don't want anyone on food stamps or welfare to drink, smoke, have fun, smile, drive anything except a beater, wear nice clothes, take care of their nails, or eat anything that can be thought of as unhealthy.
That last part was sarcasm, but you understand what I'm getting at.
If I had my way, there would be a no deduction, graduated flat tax system. JUST FOR EXAMPLE, 3% tax on the first $10,000 of earned income, dividends, capital gains, etc.; 6% on the second $10,000 on income, etc., 9% on the third $10,000 on income, and so on, with a cap of $50,000 total for any single taxpayer. (So, if someone receives $20,000 in income, the tax would be $900, or 4.5%; and if someone earns $100,000, the tax would be $16,500, or 16.5%.) So, no tax breaks just because someone decides to get married and/or have a lot of kids or buy a house as opposed to remaining single and living in an apartment.
There's no such thing as a "graduated flat tax." It's either flat, or it's not.
What you have described is a progressive income tax.
Unfortunately, the chances aren't improved by much. Even if you do put a poor kid from a dysfunctional family in a great school, in many cases they will still suffer from lack of parental involvement and outside stresses imposed by them from the dysfunctional, home environment. The wealthier kids don't have to deal with the the same kinds of stress.
Right, because wealthy families are never dysfunctional.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vladlensky
several very nice towns/schools have developed a so-called bad reputation due to factors like increased diversity and lower test scores (incorporation of students from broken homes).
It's a tough thing to beat, especially when you have rich families literally running the other direction to pull their kids (and funding) out of the integrated schools.
Perhaps you should re-read what you posted, your assumptions reveal much about your prejudices.
But they can be sold for cash (the going rate around here is $0.50 on the dollar), and the cash can be used to purchase alcohol & tobacco.
To cut down on such fraud, every EBT card should be biometrically linked to its named beneficiary.
A lot of seniors have EBT cards and they depend on someone else to do their shopping for them. How is that going to happen if the person shopping for them isn't "biometrically linked"?.
I'm still curious how people can "buy" food stamps. Unless you have a card with say, $50 on it and you tell a person, "Hey, I'll give you this card for $25." Thing is, that requires a level of trust I don't think exists. How does the buyer know the card actually has that amount on it and how does the seller know the buyer will bring the card back? Because once the seller sells his card, he won't have one and then he has to go in and get another one. Once or twice of "I lost my card" and you'd think people would get suspicious.
I'm not sure it isn't WIC vouchers that aren't being sold, not food stamps, because technically food stamps, as something you can physically touch, don't exist anymore.
A lot of seniors have EBT cards and they depend on someone else to do their shopping for them. How is that going to happen if the person shopping for them isn't "biometrically linked"?.
I'm still curious how people can "buy" food stamps. Unless you have a card with say, $50 on it and you tell a person, "Hey, I'll give you this card for $25." Thing is, that requires a level of trust I don't think exists. How does the buyer know the card actually has that amount on it and how does the seller know the buyer will bring the card back? Because once the seller sells his card, he won't have one and then he has to go in and get another one. Once or twice of "I lost my card" and you'd think people would get suspicious.
I'm not sure it isn't WIC vouchers that aren't being sold, not food stamps, because technically food stamps, as something you can physically touch, don't exist anymore.
I completely agree with this. My card stopped working and it almost took an act of god to get a replacement, even with the old one still in my possession. They do not easily give out replacements. And I certainly never handed it over to anyone. It did not cover all of our groceries a month so I used coupons and sales to stretch the money. I had none to spare, even if I would have wanted to sell them.
I'm still curious how people can "buy" food stamps. Unless you have a card with say, $50 on it and you tell a person, "Hey, I'll give you this card for $25."
That's exactly what happens. A $100 Lone Star Card is exchanged for $50 cash, a $50 LS card is exchanged for $25 cash, etc.
The transactions usually occur between extended family members, neighbors, and friends.
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