Story About Welfare Fraud Goes Viral on the Internet

Original Article:

Story has gone viral:

Well, here's the God honest truth about welfare. People on food stamps are living large on our money.

I can't say I'm surprised. Liberalism is a disease that infects the soul and turns good people bad.

 

I agree there is fraud in food stamps... everyone should get them, no more fraud and we can all eat simply for being American.

It's called the human condition there is waste, fraud, and abuse in everything we do. If you wanna stop it get all USSR Russia on policing the food stamp program, then there wont be anyone committing fraud on the program because they would be killed or sent to the gulag... you eventually would find lots of waste, fraud, and abuse in the food stamp KGB.

I really gotta say of all the problems this country faces people getting food should be the last bathwater around a baby we should be trying to fight. Hell, I even admire the size of the clockweights of the fellow running his hotdog stand off of food stamps, don't agree at all him using the things like that, but tip of the hat to his ingenuity.

 

Extra Extra Read All About It! Billionaires defraud millions, resulting in the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression, the loss of trillions in wealth, and unemployment at 10 percent.

Conservatives blame food stamps!

 

I am an attorney pulling down six figures and for me, a lobster is a rare treat -- maybe once or twice a year.

I resent the fact that money is taken out of my paycheck so that people who don't work can have lobsters to eat that I can't afford to eat myself.

This is theft.

If a man tried to break in my home to steal my money I would have the right to kill him.

But if the government does the same thing I'm supposed to just take it.

 

Do you ever prepare Lobster at home?

 

Landru, what does that have to do with the column? Because some people committed fraud ( to be fair some are still on trail), others aren't allowed to point out problems with the system? If my school board is embezzling money from the general fund am I not allowed to say something if the guy living across the street from me is a felon?

 

You can always quit your job, take a minimum wage job/do whatever it takes to qualify for food stamps, do it, get them stamps and buy yourself lobster with them if you really feel that cheated? And you know what, even if you did that I would not be indignant at all about your doing it. I prefer living a life were I am not able to qualify for foodstamps, cause while I don't get lobster at all (vegetarian), but could eat it rarely if I chose, I prefer all the other things I can get by being lucky enough to make enough not to qualify for foodstamps.

And it depends on where you live if you have the right to kill someone who broke into your home over only money.

 

I did once. But lobster is very expensive, even at a grocery store. We usually eat spaghetti, chicken, or cheap cuts of steak. We have five people to feed and there's no way I could do it if I bought lobster.

 

I raised and fed five kids quite well... No junk food or soda.. tons of fruits and vegetables... Of course everyone in the family was skinny... and I find it absolutely amazing that you are an attorney.

For a regular supper we would eat rice, chicken, three pounds of string beans or crowder peas, sliced tomatoes.. okra, corn. fruit salad or apple salad. or green salad.

And we ate lobster cooked at home.. as well as shrimp and raw oysters.. but very little beef... unless it was a stew of some sort.

 

I used to work at Walmart. I worked once on the fourth of July. I checked out a family of 5 who bought food with foodstamps. This including regular food items but also included stuff like candy, ice, and other things that are really just a waste of money. I was a little disturbed by this, but decided heck maybe its nice the govt. lets them buy some pleasure food every now and then. By now, I noticed that all of them, including the adults, were wearing American Eagle clothing. This seemed odd to me, because I figured Walmart or heck even something like Kohls or Old Navy would have been cheaper and left them with some extra money. Then, they purchase over TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in alcohol and pay with cash. It was not the only case I saw that day, and by the end of the day I was completely mortified with what I saw. We obviously have a SERIOUSLY flawed welfare system.

 

Did you consider a condom before having so many mouths to feed that you felt the need to equate theft self defense justified homicide from your not being able to eat lobster, and the probably less than 1 out of every 1000 food stamp recipients that buy lobster with food stamps? Cause clearly you have an issue.

 

I am struck by two things:

How much better the lives of those who really do need assistance would be if there was no or less fraud.

And..

How the working poor can't get even short term assistance, like my friend in Washington State who is trying to support his family on two part time jobs. His kids have to do without new clothes, no one in the family has a cell phone and they've never seen a lobster.

 

How long before all the Walmart workers figure out they're being chumps and quit their jobs to join the welfare mob?

When that happens, the whole system will collapse.

 

It's a good post, And I'm definitely upset over the rampant waste and fraud in our welfare systems. I would easily support reforms to limit (you'll never completely get rid of it) the waste and abuse of our welfare systems.

Just remember though, Just because people see the waste and fraud does not mean everyone that uses welfare assistance abuses it. I'd love to see a study done to determine the true level of abuse.

Thank you for your time.

 

You do realize as I tried pointing out to you... that working ABOVE the qualification for food stamps is better than qualifying for food stamps? While WallMart does not always give someone such employment (I bet some of the OP complaints were about co workers), it can depending on position and lifestyle.

 

If you wanna seek this out you can easily find it. In Florida they made a law that in order to continue receiving assistance those folks on welfare in that state had to be drug tested, and they were found to be 50% less likely to be on drugs... Which ended up being a relative push for the state, before lawsuits.... Cost of testing v cost of those kicked off of welfare for doing drugs.

Turns out about 8% of the regular population in florida does drugs, and 4% of the welfare recipients do drugs.

 

Ok, So 4% of welfare recipients do drugs. We know those people are likely abusing the system.

What about the other 96%?

I don't think a comprehensive study to determine how many people on welfare are abusing their welfare to buy things they don't absolutely need has been done. There are several possible reasons why that could be:

1. The cost to do the study may be to large.
2. No interest in the subject for any group to do the study.
3. Each persons definition of 'abuse' is/may be different. Thus what one person considers abuse another may not.
4. There are numerous levels of abuse. Smaller levels of abuse are obviously better than larger ones.

I'll wait until said study is done before I judge people of whom I don't know their background or situation.

Thank you for your time.

 

I think unemployment benefits are ridiculous. They should be a maximum of 4-6 months, and should require that the recipient submit a copy of at least one completed job application form per week. Now you are thinking "oh em gee what if the poor lad can't find any work!" Well, I bet you under the threat of receiving no more handouts, he will probably find a way to earn an income. We can't all have glorious dream jobs people!

 

Don't people with businesses have to register them with the government, and pay taxes on them? If so, why isn't the government on the back of 'Hotdog Man' requesting that he pay his taxes?

The story simply means there need to be tougher restrictions on who can use food stamps, and the items you can buy with them.
Restrict people from buying a trolley load of junk and I bet you will see a reduction in the number of people queuing with their cards.

 

Interesting story, if that one isn't entirely true I'm sure there is one as bad or worse. The difference between you and I is that I think republicans (modern republicans that is) make this situation the case by their policy.

I remember in school learning about Carnegie and Rockefeller during the Golden Age. This is what seems to be the purest example of the desired Republican tax code -No taxes save import and excise tax. And although this was a turning point in America, people who weren't "on top" would live in total misery. Usually in a housing complex just off site of work and get paid only enough to eat at night, and for this, they worked 16 hour per day 7 days a week.

Your statement about liberalism being poison is unfounded. Denmark has excellent indicators and they are so socialist it's almost communism. 4% unemployment, 10-15% GDP debt, low poverty, one of the highest in social mobility, and often regarded as the happiest nation on earth. That sound good to you?

 

It isn't always that easy. It depend the job market, there are either tons of jobs going or none at all. You also need to remember that of all the jobs out there, most of them won't suit you as you are not qualified for them. Sometimes it can take weeks for a job to pop up that you are suitable for.

But I agree with you mostly. It is easy to get on unemployment and stay on it for years. In many towns, there is plenty of work, such as fruit picking, but people just refuse to do it - and that is when you have the minorities coming in and doing those jobs, which in turn leads to people complaining there are no jobs because the minorities have taken them.

 

"Minorities" is kind of a harsh way to put it. I usually think more along the lines of immigrants. or illegal immigrants. At least they are smart enough to realize that work is work and money is money.

 

Although the food stamp story is unsavory, he has a point......

 

That's nice; you brand everyone who's on welfare a fraud based on the alleged uncorroborated actions of a few welfare cheats. That's like saying that because Nixon was a crook, all Republicans are crooks as well.

The story may have went viral, but its time to treat it with anti-biotics and knock it out.

 

'Minorities' as in Asians, and Iraqi refugees - and only the legal ones! They understand they need money to survive and they work for it - and apparently, you can make some good money picking fruit.