Biggest waste of government money ever

[MamaRoo]

I lost my job once. Since my wife and I had 2 kids, I received an extra $20.00 a week. I didn't want to do it, but we were on hard times and went and looked into food stamps. Our car was worth too much so we didn't qualify. Our car was a basic Ford Escort. Their advice? Sell our car. I asked the lady, well then how can I look for work or even get there if I don't have reliable transportation? We were in a situation where we could really have used a hand up, but since we didn't know how and were unwilling to work the system, we were forced to make it on our own. The problem that you have now is that people know how to work the system and that hurts those that could really use some help from the system.

I'm all for helping people with a hand up, but many many Americans are lazy and unwilling to put forth the effort to get ahead in life. They expect things to be easy on them.

Many?

Or some

Or just a few?

 

[Tuhmu]

I worked as a cashier at a grocery store in high school and while there were some people that really did need food stamps most did not or they weren't using them the way they were intended. There was this one couple that used the stamps to buy lobster tails and steaks, when the bagger commented on it, they said the steak was for the dog. :/

 

[bakerjw]

I will stick with many. Anyone in the workforce can see that the general work ethic in this country has fallen miserably over the last 40 years. Too few people are willing to put forth the effort to get ahead. I am not one of those people and I have seen others pull themselves out of poverty so I know that it can be done. I have 2 black friends who grew up on the South side of Chicago that worked their way out of the ghetto, for lack of a better word. They worked hard to do it. It can be done but it takes work and determination that many are unwilling to muster.

 

[Mike Winters]

The problem that you have now is that people know how to work the system and that hurts those that could really use some help from the system.

I'm all for helping people with a hand up, but many many Americans are lazy and unwilling to put forth the effort to get ahead in life. They expect things to be easy on them.

pretty much what I'm trying to say. its not the asking for a hand out that is bad, it is the fact that there are many people exploiting to system because they are lazy and self entitled that figured out that they don't have to work to survive that are making the system broken and frowned at.

 

[Mike Winters]

Many?

Or some

Or just a few?

have you seen how lazy this country has become in the last 50 years?

I will stick with many. Anyone in the workforce can see that the general work ethic in this country has fallen miserably over the last 40 years. Too few people are willing to put forth the effort to get ahead. I am not one of those people and I have seen others pull themselves out of poverty so I know that it can be done. I have 2 black friends who grew up on the South side of Chicago that worked their way out of the ghetto, for lack of a better word. They worked hard to do it. It can be done but it takes work and determination that many are unwilling to muster.

pretty much

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Show of hands, who knows that food stamps do not equate to not working?
What age groups benefit most from food stamps?
http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/Published/snap/FILES/Participation/2011CharacteristicsSummary.pdf


What does the wealth distribution look like in the US? Is a majority group of lazy sloths the most reasonable explanation for this large divide in wealth?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/120910110833-chart-average-wealth-monster.jpg
http://www.marketingcharts.com/dire.../motherjones-wealth-distribution-feb-2011jpg/

Is this what a plummeting work ethic looks like?
http://theredphoenix.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/workhours2.gif

Did you know that you can report food stamp abuse, including purchase of dog-intended lobster tails?
http://www.ehow.com/how_5510624_report-food-stamp-fraud.html


When you are asked to be angry at or blame the weakest and most powerless groups among us, take a step back and really look at the situation. This theme has repeated itself through history. We can determine how it plays out.

 

[KristyHall]

Show of hands, who knows that food stamps do not equate to not working?
What age groups benefit most from food stamps?
http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/Published/snap/FILES/Participation/2011CharacteristicsSummary.pdf


What does the wealth distribution look like in the US? Is a majority group of lazy sloths the most reasonable explanation for this large divide in wealth?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/120910110833-chart-average-wealth-monster.jpg
http://www.marketingcharts.com/dire.../motherjones-wealth-distribution-feb-2011jpg/

Is this what a plummeting work ethic looks like?
http://theredphoenix.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/workhours2.gif

Did you know that you can report food stamp abuse, including purchase of dog-intended lobster tails?
http://www.ehow.com/how_5510624_report-food-stamp-fraud.html


When you are asked to be angry at or blame the weakest and most powerless groups among us, take a step back and really look at the situation. This theme has repeated itself through history. We can determine how it plays out.

Thank you Punk-A-Doodle

 

[KristyHall]

I worked as a cashier at a grocery store in high school and while there were some people that really did need food stamps most did not or they weren't using them the way they were intended. There was this one couple that used the stamps to buy lobster tails and steaks, when the bagger commented on it, they said the steak was for the dog.

more than likely that either this is untrue, or those people on food stamps will be eating beans for the rest of the month. I have family who have been on food stamp (While working full time and going to college full time, others couldn't work as much due to injury but had to fight through years of red tape just to get compensation, and a family member who had a massive heart attack, lost her job an health insurance, then her house because she was too sick to even get off the couch to make herself soup and because of that unable to fight through the system that is required to get any help, and fell into a downward spiral of debt as she was too ill to even drive herself to the free clinic.)

There is abuse, of course, but that is like saying no one should be able to drive a car because some people are reckless, or no one should get workman's comp because some people pretend to be hurt, or no one should get sick leave from work because some people fake illness.

How about we end corporate welfare?
Or congress welfare? We loose billions a year in lost revenue due to tax loopholes for these people. Why always go after the poor? Oh that's right. It's easy to attack the poor and weak.

 

[MamaRoo]

Quote: I thought I remembered seeing this on Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/receipt.asp

 

[KristyHall]

I thought I remembered seeing this on Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/receipt.asp

thank you MamaRoo.

As I said there are those who abuse it, just as this man took his girlfriend's card and used it. I do not mind limiting the use of food stamps to necessities. I doubt most people who receive food stamps would mind. Though it comes down to what one considers necessities especially when dealing with people with food allergies or diet requirements. Then you get into the problem of " why is he buying a sprite? buying a soda with food stamps?! scandalous" could be he can't afford stomach medicine but is nauseous.
Or someone complaining about he expensive "health food" someone is buying when they may need gluten free because they have celiacs disease.
So we run into a weird tricky situation with people fighting over what constitutes staples. Also, I suspect these stories about people abusing the system are remembered far more than the hundreds of people that go through the line using their food stamps apropriately. People who work at the grocery store are going to more than likely remember that small group of abusers far more clearly than the people who behave correctly. It is human nature.