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It's called child abuse. It is already illegal, and no, I am not willing to pay millions in ransom to someone to keep them for abusing their kid. Billions have been spent on social welfare over the years and there are still cases all the time of abuse and neglect, so apparently taxing me more and putting me in the poorhouse isn't going to make the situation any better. Lets just skip the millions and start enforcing protection laws already on the books m'kay?
Could work... except that those laws only get put into effect if someone reports the offense... be that a neighbor, family member, teacher, ER worker... THEN they have just cause to poke into their business. Otherwise they're left alone.... too often until it's too late. (not that I mind that CPS can't kick down my door for no reason, I like the fourth amendment) These tests would be them willingly surrendering to a search... two possible things ... users with kids would be caught, forced to get clean or lose their kids... just as if someone had filed a report of suspected abuse/neglect... if clean good for kids, if they don't get clean then at least the kids are safe somewhere where food isn't a bartering tool.
Other side is that users who know they'll be caught might not apply... singles that's not too large a concern to me (except that if they can't sell their stamps they might resort to robbery but since when does America bribe people not to commit crimes?), but for those with kids... to not apply... that could cost the kids, which bothers me. But if their folks are selling their stamps 2-1 or even 4-1 to get cash for other... vices then the kids aren't getting anything anyways. Maybe the parents would realize they can't take care of them, can't even manage themselves, and find someone who can.
Mainly the reason abuses of this system happen is because nothing is really checked. You're told to bring check stubs, but if you're paid cash or you claim your working spouse/BF/etc doesn't live with you then there's nothing to check and your application gets pushed right through... put your new car in their name, and rent your place, and you've got no known assets. DHHS just doesn't have the resources to go to these homes and see for themselves if these people are telling the truth. Given the insane number people on the dole we've been told it's cheaper to just hand them all a check than it would be to actively check for fraud. Donno if that's true or not... the amount saved from benefits not given to cheats/users versus the amount invested to weed out the cheats/users... I don't know those numbers... but it makes me ill to think people are cheating, heck enjoying and bragging about it, while their kids may or may not even get a package of Ramen for supper. And to think of what kind of adult that starving child will become... a Type A over-achiever... due to being poor fights to pull themselves out... or a bum who knows the system inside and out and will live on it for life... or a drug user or... ???
