My friend's daughter works 24 hrs. a week and her DH full-time. The SIL is a mechanic for a local farmer and works 40 hrs a week for 6.50 an hr and has been there for 7 years. The daughter makes minimum wage. That's $1760.00 monthly. They have 1 child together and receive food stamp benefits of $197. They have no other income and SIL pays child support to another child in the amount of $192 each month. The child has medicaid and gets free lunch at school. In February they receive a check ($125 approx)from welfare to help pay winter electric. They don't get rent paid, cash or insurance for the adults.

My friend would like you to know that her DD and SIL have only 1 car that barely gets them around. The DD also got Wick when she was pregnant and when the baby was little. She did not have enough milk and eggs for them to go bad. (Her nose was a little bit bent out of joint :)

That doesn't mesh with even the miniumum unless my math is wrong. So take those guidelines with a grain of salt.

FNSU
SIZE 130% MAXIMUM GROSS INCOME LIMIT, 200% MAXIMUM GROSS INCOME LIMIT MAXIMUM BENEFIT ALLOTMENT
Family of 1
$1174 $1805 $200
Family of 2
$1579 $2428 $367
Family of 3
$1984 $3052 $526
Family of 4
$2389 $3675 $668

We also have a "Care & Share" food bank. They ask no questions when you want to take food from it. A local news caster, his radio station was collecting food for the food bank. When a local construction worker arrived to give the guy an estimate for work on his home....found the garage walls lined with Cheerios. He kept a few. :0)

EBT IS a CREDIT CARD.....and....I didn't know it varied by state....so I'm in Colorado. Only know what's local. Good point!

I was talking to an elderly lady last week. She is a widow, lives alone, many health problems, including seizures, lives in a little trailer, and she applied for and received food stamps...for the amount of $16. I know another person, much younger than me, on food stamps who also lives alone...except when some guy moves in for awhile...and she gets $160 a month
in food stamps. It doesn't seem right, and don't think that when people go to apply that they tell nothing but the truth. I asked someone how they got food stamps (more like why) and they said, "Lie like a dog."

I knew another elderly man who applied but because he had a dog and a horse...the horse being 30 years old, they told him in order to get food stamps, he had to get rid of the dog and horse.

Moonie, I'm sorry if something I said got anyone's nose a little bent out, as I was only speaking of one abuse I know of personally, which has me upset....SNAP, WIC, 2 illegitimate children, 2 different dead-beat dads, rental assistance (maybe free) and a live in boyfriend (who fathered one of the children), who only works a little and then it is for cash...he recently got on SNAP too....grrrrr.....

It's a very good thing that a company like Schwann's can take food stamps, since so many people either cannot get to the store or cannot prepare food for themselves.

& it's been literally decades since grocery stores gave change for food stamp coupons;
when I was a grocery checker in the 1970's, we couldn't give change in excess of, seems like, 99 cents.

"What I don't get is why they don't revamps the system to allow people to buy necessities such as TP and toothpaste."

Let me explain it.........The food stamp program was initiated with a two fold goal. It was to help farmers get rid of surplus. They realized farmers weren't selling the fruits of their labor and a lot of it was going to waste, and at the same time because of this it was driving prices to crazy extremes in the marketplace. Yet at the same time there where people suffering from the effects of poor nutrition. This was in the 1930s.

Originally the food stamp program required the recipients to BUY stamps. For every stamp they bought they got a free stamp that could be used on things that were surplus like oats, butter, cheese, bacon, peanut butter, and other decent whole foods.

This has all changed. Farmers now get direct government subsidies to keep prices set at a certain point on some items. (A program that is also very much abused BTW. Farmers are even paid not to farm.) Recipients can buy anything they want with the food stamps except hot foods. By allowing recipients to buy anything the desire, this keeps the money flowing back to the farmers who are growing all that corn to be made into high fructose corn syrup for soda pop and BBQ sauce.

If they eliminated the food stamp program (or whatever it is called nowdays) suddenly tomorrow, farmers would go bankrupt or have to demand bigger government subsidies to survive.

If the manufacturers of toothpaste and toilet paper want in on the action they will have to use their own lobbyists to push some sort of program through to help them. I don't think they could pull that one off though.

Food stamps are for food. Not laundry soap. It was designed to benefit farmers. There are other give-a-way programs the taxpayers support that give people the money to buy soap and stuff. And pay their rent. And buy their clothes. And furniture. And pay their kid's college tuition. Pay their heating bill. Subsidize their landline. Pay for their medical needs. Even buy them cell phones, computers, and cars all with tax dollars. True.

The average American shells out 80% of their income in taxes. It's all in bits and spurts. Federal income tax. Social Security. State tax. County tax. Property tax. (Even if you rent you are paying it as part of your rent to the LL.) Then there is sales tax on just about everything you buy. There are specialty taxes too. Gasoline tax every time you fill up. Hotel tax. Cigarette and liquor tax. Special tax on tires and batteries. Entertainment tax on tickets. Licenses to buy just to work at a job.

It's insane.

Posted by nicole__: "EBT IS a CREDIT CARD."

Not true. Not true at all.

The holders of an EBT card receive their alloted amount and it is accessed through the card at POS.

Maybe you are confused because the EBT system cards are run by JP Morgan corporation but it does not give credit. It operates more like a debit card. The person gets the money. They spend it. It does not get billed and have to be payed back.

JP Morgan is making millions by being the holders of the operating system. Something else to think about. How did that happen????

Where did the 80% figure paid out in taxes come from? Because, I don't believe they are that high.

As annoying as this all is, it's only the smallest tip nof the iceberg. Don't know about your states, but here, ON TOP OF WELFARE (which is supposed to fund necessities, but is generally used for frills by many recipients) and food stamps-- people who qualify also get: heating assistance, help with their phone bills, and COOLING assistance as well as a bunch of other freebies. DH and I don't use our air conditioner AT ALL, because we cannot justify the expense--but if you're on welfare, it's considered a necessity these days. Trust me on this one--I know it's a fact as my DH is a collector for the local utility company and he sees the checks they get to pay their bills. And many lower income families make sure to have at least one family member diagnosed with a chronic illness--so they can get out of paying their utility bills alltogether. It's complicated and I"m not going to get into the ins and outs here, but it's widespread.

Hate to tell you but our country is headed even farther in this direction. We're all about gov't intervention and not much about personal responsibility and accountability for actions and decisions. Big tax increases on the way to cover this kind of waste rather than cleaning it up and living within the budget.

Hello, long time lurker here. My husband works for Schwans, he drives the truck. He sells quite a bit of food to those with food stamps but finds it disappointing that most buy foods such as ice cream and deserts. Schwans does sell low fat items and frozen vegetables, however most with food stampsS do not buy these items. I think it is great that those with food stamps can buy from places like Schwans, however, I think that there should be a limit on how much junk food they can buy.

In my great state of Massachusetts the people who really need it go without and the ones who don't or shouldn't get assistance get more than they need! There was a story in the newspaper on Friday about a single mom who won a $5000 scholarship. The thing was that she was 25 and had 5 kids and had the first 2 when she was 12 and 14! She just lost her part time job due to a "back injury". Needless to say she was probably bringing in more a month in assistance and housing and free medical care than I do and I work full time. When I went back to school, I had to apply for a loan and now have a balance of $9000 left to pay off. Did I have a scholarship for anything? NO! What welfare should have done was cut her off when she kept having children that she couldn't afford.

"And you would NOT believe the number of doctors my daughter (the optician) waits on who have MEDICAID!"

My son in law is in med school and my daughter, his wife, is in physicians assistant school. They have to pay for their own health insurance which is offered thru the school. It totals over $4000 a year. They have no money coming in and live below the poverty line. They would never want to apply for assistance unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I know it would never happen, they are very frugal.
But, everyone always says how much money they will be making, yet the amount of money they must pay back for their school loans will be approximately $3500 a month at 6% interest. They will be paying for a looooong time. There are no tax breaks for the students,or when they go into practice, they will have to settle for $7.00 on a $75.00 bill when medicaid pays.
SOmetimes people need a hand up. Unfortunately, the values and morals of todays society teach them to get a hand out.
This is my own opinion.
Like I always told my kids "remember when you point your finger at someone, look down and see how many are pointing back."
There but for the grace of God.

Laurimi, that's the whole point of this thread. I don't think many posters here are upset or angry about the idea of using taxpayer funds to prevent fellow countrymen from starving to death.

The thing I have a problem with is letting people at the public trough live so high on the hog! Welfare recipients seem to be eating better than the working class and middle class, and that's what gets our hackles up.

As I said in the beginning, I was 45 before I placed my first order with Schwanns. I love the food, but it was too expensive for our family of five. We ate lots and lots of meals that involved noodles and hamburger!

Rose

People do not understand that the poor are as influenced by
American values as everyone else. They make their choices, make their money stretch the way they see fit. Just as you do. As I read these posts I hear many people have some experience witnessing one transaction in one family's day. I am guessing there is much you have not seen in the day to day lives of these same people.

For me...it's the abuse. Period. There should be strict guidelines to follow, if people are going to use taxpayers money. You're right, "but for the grace of God". But don't keep allowing people to take advantage of the lack of restrictions on these programs.
I worked at a hospital, and had so many cases of un-married women having baby after baby, so she could collect ADC. They could care less about those children. Where's the outcry about things like THAT?

I am all for helping those that need it, but the system is being abused and people that need the help aren't getting it! I have a friend at work..she gets food stamps..I don't know how much never asked and really didn't care..UNTIL our local grocery had a large meat sale and she told us...give me your list and I will go get what you want and then you can give me the money for it. She was using her food stamps to buy items and then selling the food to us..

Oh no Thank you..that is fraud and I didn't want any part of it...but I am sure that someone took her up on it.
There is another man around town that offers his card for 1/2 the amount on it..

There was an ad on craigslist here not long ago.Someone trying to sell a litter of Pitbull puppies.He even offered to accept Food Stamps in exchange for a puppy! I'd say that was just a tad illegal and not too smart on his part since he gave a phone number!

My SIL worked for the same company as an Executive Secretary for over 20 years, then her job just "folded up." She got unemployment benefits for a while. She ended up being unemployed for four years. At one point she applied for welare and food stamps, but when she told them she was living with her parents (both over 65) she was denied any benefits. Luckily she found a job after four years, but it paid a fraction of her salary with her original employer.

I just stamped my foot on what I figured to be a food abuser ...

... it was one of those big, green tomato worms, that was denuding my tomato plants of their leaves, leaving only sticks of branches sticking up. And they really stick tight to those branches! Shoot a green stream at you when you try to pull them off - better wear glasses!

Carried out the same task another half dozen times or so.

ole joyful

"He even offered to accept Food Stamps in exchange for a puppy! I'd say that was just a tad illegal and not too smart on his part since he gave a phone number!"

You do realize that the police conduct stings using Craigslist. And yes, there are criminals who are dumb enough to fall for them.

If someone is eligible for food stamps who cares what kinds of junk or expensive food they buy with them? A certain amount of money is alloted, and when it's gone, it's gone. I couldn't care less if they buy 50 pounds of rice and vegetables or lobster. It's their problem when the food runs out.

I just can't imagine why it matters to anyone. If you want to spend your food money on the same things, you're more than able to. Just because a lot of us feel that Schwanns is a luxury, not everyone feels that way.

Nicole, this is incorrect. I also know a lady whose husband was killed in a bicycle/car accident, these being my mom and dad. My mom received SS for my brother and I until I was 18 and until my brother graduated (age 19). She also received SS for herself until my brother (younger than I) turned 16, at which point hers stopped. There was no medicare/medicaid.

I think the food stamps should given out like WIC where you are only allowed to purchase certain healthy foods. I don't agree that it should be allowed to purchase Doritos, Twinkies, or other snacky foods. Snack foods are a privilege, not a right. I can afford to buy my kids snack foods, but I don't very often. It's simply not healthy. If I'm not buying that junk for my kids, I feel obligated that other kids get it either.

Mickey15, unless things have changed a lot, I think you're correct about the SS being cut off. It also stops if you marry or have a job outside the home and earn over X amount of money. Absolutely right that they do NOT receive Medicare/Medicaid. But that SS and not food stamps. Just wanted to clarify.

I agree with the above posters stating that food stamps should be the same as WIC, only certain foods allowed.

Even some WIC clients try to get sneaky and sell the formula that they receive at yard sales. If it's extra it's to be returned to the health dept. or the place they are receiving WIC.

Laurie--those hardworking indebted drs aren't who I was talking about. The ones my dd has told me about have been the ones who stole their medical education. The ones who were educated by the government because their countries desparately need medical personnel. Then, once they'd attained their degrees, they ran off to America, to make the 'big bucks'--and they arrive here with all the info they need to immediately get all the handouts possible.

Debbi Ga--you KNOW that's not true. When the money runs out, it's NOT 'their problem'. When the money runs out, these folks are hitting the food banks, they're knocking on the doors of all our churches for handouts, they're begging in the streets. Then, they're shoplifting--causing the prices for all of us to go up. And they're STEALING. There's a city near me (yes a city, not a town or village) that has NOT ONE SINGLE supermarket in it. Why? Because the theft problem has forced all that used to be there to close. Can you imagine that? An entire city without any big grocery stores? The problem doesn't stop there--the towns surrounding this city are constantly victimized. Shoplifting in the stores, city residents taking the bus out to rob houses. You can't even sit in a nice restaurant for dinner here unless you hold your purse IN YOUR LAP or you'll be a pickpocket victim (I was, even though I'm careful with mine.). The problem is, that you cannot just give people things and expect them to value them. The worth of ANYTHING we have isn't based on how much money it cost to buy, but how much effort we put INTO getting that money. When people haven't expended any effort, the things they buy hold little value to them, so they aren't careful. Dh used to always laugh when he was working in the city--at how on the first few days of the month, the women would all have new wigs, and by the second week? you'd see them tossed around on the sidewalk, in the gutter, etc. Trust me--both dh and I have worked in the city I mentioned. When that money runs out, it's EVERYONE's problem--and it's a terrible and expensive problem to have to deal with

I know a person on food stamps that is disabled. She BARELY can feed her kids, no money for gas to take them to the doctor if its out of town. I sure don't see everyone living "high on the hog" or getting rich from food stamps. (nor disability for that matter)

Nicole said " "IF" you adopt a child, it gets FREE medicare and a cash payout for the parents of $1200 a month....I knew a lady that adopted a baby. Having foster children pays. If a parent dies, social security pays medicare & SS for the spouse for life & children until they are 18(if still in school). I knew a lady who's DH was killed in a motorcycle accident"

Mickey is right about the Social Security.Here is another case. My DGS's Daddy died of a cancerous brain tumor. He (and his Daddy's first son from a previous marriage) can draw from the Social Security that his Daddy paid in from working 2 full time jobs for years. My DD,who is the surviving spouse at the time he died does not.

My BF and her DH adopted 2 children because they couldn't conceive, I know for a fact they never got FREE Medicare nor $1200/per month. Ever. Their daughter is about 34 now, their son is 32.

Now the foster children I am clueless on! LOL
Just wanted to tell what I know for a fact.

I dont really know where everyone gets their information. I guess things could vary state by state, but I'd think things would be regulated the same by the US government?
Some of the news people are sharing they are saying "years ago" so I don't think it all applies currently.

Aren't surviving spouse's only allowed to collect social security if they were married for at least ten years?

we did it the old fashion way in the 70's...coupons and hamburger 10 different ways...we did qualify for reduced school lunch and did take advantage of that. we ate pretty well on about $100 a week, for a family of 6...i'm almost ashamed on what we spend now for just the 2 of us...but then the round steak we used to buy for 99 cents a lb is now $3.85...

i do shake my head as my granmother was so ashamed of using food stamps before she passed away in the 60's when they first came out...she'd worked her entire life, first as a farm wife, ww2 in a airplane factory, and finally as a clerk for jc penneys...

it won't be so easy to get cash back if what i understand is going to happen..you'll have a cash card like a debit card, instead of the current method..it's going to cover ss checks, also...

I suppose those poeple could be lying to me about their benefits...but the SS site is full of info....

Here's another way to get paid from ss.....

"Life insurance" from Social Security
Many people think of Social Security only as a retirement program. But some of the Social Security taxes you pay go toward providing survivors insurance for workers and their families. In fact, the value of the survivors insurance you have under Social Security is probably more than the value of your individual life insurance.

When you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors benefits. These include widows, widowers (and divorced widows and widowers), children and dependent parents.

SS

Surviving spouse under retirement age can collect only if supporting 2 or more children under age 16. Medicare not available, Medicaid/food stamps require needs qualification.

Surviving spouse can start collecting deceased spouses SS at age 60 - but only 70%(subject to law being changed). There is a sliding scale that is dependent on age when surviving spouse starts to collect....ends at 100% when surviving spouse reaches their retirement age.
Again, no Medicare until age 65, and Medicaid/food stamps are based on need.

Surviving spouse can remarry and continue to collect only if they started collecting BEFORE remarriage.

A "death benefit" of $250 is paid on death of spouse. One time deal.

A surviving spouse can collect on deceased spouse, and then switch to their own, at any time....but you cannot switch back and forth.

Medicare is based on claimant's age, not the age of a spouse. The only way to get Medicare under age 65 is to get "Social Security Disability", which is for those who are permanently disabled and unable to be employed. To claim this, the requirement to having contributed anything to SS is waived...but there is a wait time of 2 years for Medicare coverage unless doctor's report shows terminal illness with an expected life expectancy of less than 24 months.

I have personal experience in all these instances.

Addabella - divorced surviving ex-spouses has first claim on SS benefits of deceased ex-spouse who had remarried.
This happened with BIL - he had remarried, but the first marriage lasted over 10 years. His first wife had "first dibs" on his SS. Existing widow had no claim on SS, even tho they were married over 10 years.
MIL also collected on ex-husband's SS, even tho they had been divorced and each remarried for over 25 years.

Not exactly. Benefits to divorced or widowed fall into a complicated set of criteria. It can depend of the age of the widow and even the age at the time of marriage and also if one of them is still raising children from the marriage. There can be cases where both ex-spouse collect in full without it affecting the other one. Sometimes not.

They keep changing the rules for Social Security every couple years and that doesn't make it easy to follow.

http://www.ssa.gov/gethelp1.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Widows

No $250 death benefit towards burial if single and no spouse. Only if married and the surviving spouse gets it. When that person dies, there is no death benefit for a surviving relative.

Surviving children over 16 get benefits directly - not to the surviving parent. My sister used to demand that her other 2 children sign their checks over to her, because she got nothing from SS for herself after she had only 1 child under 16. She did not want to go out to work, or lose food stamps...so basically, they supported her.

"They'd hand the clerk a food stamp coupon (sometimes $50) and get the change back in cash. Should not be allowed!"

That was never allowed. Ever. That is totally against the rules and always was. First of all, I don't believe they ever made food stamp coupons in $50 amounts. Secondly, change was given in coupons - not cash. If the amount was for less than a dollar, stores gave either chits or coins.

{{!gwi}}

Surprising, our government overestimated the intelligence of the recipients, and did not put any exclusions on what could be bought at stores when the food stamp program was implemented. They never thought put an exclusion on liquor, beer and wine, I guess because it never occurred to them that people would buy it instead of food. This was later rectified.

---------------------

"I dont really know where everyone gets their information."

Some read up on it to get the facts. Others seem to just make stuff up like announcing that McDonalds accepts food stamps.

--------------

A while ago in the news it was reported that ATMs in casinos will take EBT cards and dispense the cash. Receiving one's welfare benefits as a cash payout on a casino floor is way too tempting to misuse the funds intended to buy cribs and baby clothes.

Makes my head spin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Casinos EBT Cash

A couple years ago, I would've been agreeing with all the belly aching about food stamps.

Today, I agree with arcy; you have no clue what goes on in people's every day lives. You see them use food stamps once on something "extravagant" and you condemn them. Doesn't everyone deserve a little extravagance once in a blue moon? My dh has been unemployed for over a year; we have not had to use any assistance, THANK THE LORD. But if we ever do, I sure hope no one judges us.

yes, some people use and abuse the system, but others are just trying to hold on! I heard a saying just this morning; something about having a "prickly heart".....I sure don't want to have one!!

About the SS and widows benefits. They must keep changing it LOL. My DSIL was married about 2 years to his first wife. It is my understanding that my DD "makes too much money to qualify for benefits". As does his ex wife. However, should their circumstances change in the future either one can file for benefits. DD wasn't married to him for 10 years either.
I am not sure but think what DD said at the time is that DSIl's benefits was split evenly down the middle. Half goes to his oldest son who is 13 and half to my DGS.(I suppose in their mother's names?) Then again if I understand it correctly if either the ex wife or my DD claim spouses benefits it will come from their son's checks? So actually it is best to leave it as it is.
That is mostly second hand information above, all I know is DSIL wasn't married 10 years and that's what I'd always heard too.
How did we get from food stamps to Social Security? LOL

One other thing I did remember after posting the first time is I do know of a idiot who uses his son as a "meal ticket" to get everything "free" he possibly can. Rent,food stamps.medical etc. He conned the boy's mother into signing over custody when she was at a fragile point in her life. He then works for cash so he has spending money and doesn't report any of it. So yep, there are people deserving of the help and people that are able to work and support themselves but are liars,cheats and conivers! LOL

Regarding food stamps, Debbyga said she doesn't care what the money is spent on, whether it's junk or expensive food. I disagree. If a person is on assistance (from the taxpayers) for food stamps, their medical expenses are probably also paid by the taxpayers. So fill up on Twinkies and Doritos and Pepsi and when you become obese and develop diabetes, etc., the taxpayers will foot the bill for your treatments, drugs, and hospitalizations? That's just wrong. There are consequences in life for poor decisions. Don't make the taxpayers pay for them!

I just don't understand how it will be possible to monitor what people buy with their food stamps unless the system is completely overhauled and run like WIC. Of course, that would be a major undertaking, and one I don't see happening anytime soon.

I still stand by what I said. When the money is gone for the month, it's gone. And I don't know if I believe that everyone who gets an allotment of food stamps is living it up on Doritos and Pepsi, and getting huge and unhealthy. Of course there will be some like that, just like there will be some who are not on food stamps doing the same thing.

Azzalea, it sounds like you live in a very scary place. I wonder just how much of this you have personally seen or experienced, or just how much is heresay. (I mean wigs in the gutter???--come on)

You are talking about people not valuing what they don't earn, and I agree with that to some extent, but my comments were not about my feelings about the food stamp program.

There are always going to be those in need, and there are always going to be those who try to beat the system. I just can't worry about what they buy, be it Doritos or carrots. That's on them.

In Texas, people who adopt special-needs or minority children who are already wards of the state get subsidies until the child turns 18.

I'd like to think that this is because Texas is generous & kind-hearted, but I think it's really because it's cheaper than warehousing the kids.

"I just don't understand how it will be possible to monitor what people buy with their food stamps unless the system is completely overhauled and run like WIC. Of course, that would be a major undertaking."

How? It would be very easy to do. Right now we have it so computer scanners pick up the fact that certain items are not allowed to be purchased with food stamps. Shoppers no longer have to sort the purchases for the cashier into two piles as to what is allowed and what is not. All that would have to be done is to disallow certain things like soda pop, from being picked up as a FS purchase by the scanner. These computer scanners in grocery stores are truly amazing. Really. They read a bar code written on the packaging. Look on the packages you buy (usually at the bottom but not always) and there will be some skinny black lines printed on it AKA the UPC or EAN.

Scanners are so good nowdays that they even catch errors when trying to redeem cents-off coupons. Lots of time I've not read the fine print correctly on a cents-off coupon and the scanner rejected my purchase or the coupon or both.

It would be very easy to train the recipients right off the bat with general shopping guides like "No soda. No chips. No candy bars." and then revamp the list at a later date to get more specific, training the recipients things like to differentiate in the cereal aisle, between Count Chocula and All Bran.

The WIC program runs smoothly with no problems limiting people to only healthy real food items. In fact they could expand the WIC program to include more foods and more recipients and eventually just scrap the SNAP program altogether. (But that won't happen due to agricultural lobbyists.)

I wish this were more regulated. I pay way too much in taxes. Schools in my area suffer from lack of funding. To see such disregard for government funds is disheartening. I don't think poor struggling people should be banned from life frills, but such things ought to be earned with their own dime.

I would have to be starving to accept food stamps, and I would be ashMed to purchase extras with money provided by other people.

Debbie, I do live very near (less than 2 miles) from the most violent city in the country. It's ghetto from one end to the other, there are no good sections of this city left where decent people can live. It IS very scary. The info I posted was absolutely FIRST HAND, and only the tip of the iceberg. You see, I used to teach in that city and my husband is a utility company bill collector who visits these people in their homes. If you think what I posted is scary, you'd be absolutely terrified if you ever actually saw the city.

Back on topic--sadly, the people who live there are 4-5-6th generation welfare families. Most don't have or remember any relatives who worked for a living. Collecting welfare, food stamps, and other forms of assistance IS the family business. They have no education, and honestly--many don't know that it's NOT good for their children to be fed bbq potato chips and soda for breakfast. My state is spending an unbelievable amount to keep these people going, keeping them housed, fed, cool, stocked with phones, etc.

I think in this discussion, we have to remember that there are 2 very distinct groups of people who get food stamps and other assistance. I don't think anyone here has a problem with offering short-term help to those who have hit a temporary bump in the road. That's what the system is for and I think we're all glad the aid is there for those folks. But it's abominable that those of us who work hard, scrimp at home, save coupons, wear old clothes, don't use air-conditioning, who limit the size of our families to numbers we can support---then have to turn around and pay huge amounts in taxes to subsidize those who are content to scam the system unnecessarily. That's the thing that those of us who are upset are complaining about.

Azzalea, you nailed it. Your 3rd paragraph says exactly what I'd have said if I'd had the words! Thank you.

I worked pt at Walmart until a couple years ago- My biggest peeve was food stamp cards. I had a young mother with 4 or 5 children unload on my line. They had cases of candy bars, boxes of individual chips, beef jerkey, granola bars, pops, juice paks, all kinds of that type of groceries (?). I asked her if she was doing the concession stand for the games and she said- no- these are for my children. out of the whole sale, the only things I could remotely consider food was a pkg of chicken nuggets and a bag of frozen corn! I ran a tape like I needed to check to see something charged twice, and kept it. almost $300. junk. I showed everyone I talked to. This is why I worked 70+ hrs a week- so my taxes could help someone else...?!?
I also saw people who I know were paying for others food with the card, and would cut their order off when it got to 50 or 100. I heard of people selling their benefits for 50% face value.
I heard of other stores doing wic for junk cereals, chocolate milk, and other ILLEGAL items.
I took my grandsons wic voucher for formula shortly before midnight on the expiration date, and because a woman needed to exchange her pepto bismal, the clock on the register turned midnight as the checker started my order. Kicked it out as expired. I had already had to BUY formula because his mother misplaced the voucher, and didn't find it until that night, so had to BUY more. She didn't get FS, only wic...because they stayed in my home and wasn't elligible. So I got to feed her and her other child, and my son and grandson....glad that mess is straightened out....lol

Technically it isn't costing you any more if they buy chips with those food stamps than if they buy fresh fruit. I just wonder what makes you think you'd be any more in favor of those 3rd, 4th or 5th generation welfare recipients buying healthy stuff with those stamps.

Let's face it, we're sick and tired of those who feel entitled. We're sick of our tax dollars going to pay for people whom are fully capable of working for themselves. That's certainly understandable and a whole other issue. No matter what kind of government program you offer, there are always going to be those who can find a way to scam the system. There are those who I'm sure find a way to scam the WIC program as well.

Good point; however, if the stamps only allowed for basics, I wonder if less people would grab them up, and those funds could pay for something else.

I like how my church welfare program has a warehouse where needy members can shop . It's wholesome food, and theoretically members are expected to give back in the form of service. The church values self sufficiency. Of course, there will always be entitled takers in the world, and there are a ton at church, but the plan in place is brilliant.

I agree with Azzalea...I know the city she is speaking about - grew up in one of the close surrounding towns, and even went to HS for 3 years in that city (the school relocated 50 years, however).

It's bad, very bad, and probably one of, the poorest and most politically corrupt cities in this country.

It's a shame....60 years ago, it was a thriving middle-class mid-sized city.