Ticked off about Food Stamps

This morning I was commuting to work, when the news said something that damn near gave me an aneurism.  Apparently the federal government has just granted $600,000 to the state of Utah so we can give out more food stamps.  Then they quoted some lady from some BS organization like Utahns Against Starvation  (arch-nemesis of Utahns For Famine) or something, and how she was saying how super-dooper this was, because there are so many Utahns that are eligible for food stamps, but don’t know it, and how now they can educate them, so that even more people can get government assistance, so that way nobody will go to bed hungry…  These are people that make a decent living, but they still qualify for handouts.

WTF?  

I’ve seen some of the poorest people in America.  I was a Mormon missionary in what was considered one of the most impoverished areas of the entire country.  I spent a bunch of time in innercity Birmingham and Montgomery, and then saw the rural poor in places like Corinth, Mississippi and areas like that. 

And even there, there weren’t exactly people starving.  Even people on every form of government handout imaginable had TVs, phones, and air-conditioning.  Even in the nastiest projects in Birmingham, (which if you’ve seen Black Hawk Down, you know approximately what the Brickyard looked like) there wasn’t exactly a famine.  And if somebody was starving, it was because they were whacked out of their heads on crack, meth, and huffing paint. 

Starvation?  How many people actually die of starvation in America?  And then if you take things like child abuse and people lost in the woods out of the equation, how big is the number?  What, four? 

Not only that, but the poorest people on food stamps I ever saw still managed to buy name brand things like Pepsi and Doritos.  Wheras I grew up dirt ass poor on a dairy farm, but we worked for a living, so didn’t get crap from the government except for an occasional kick in the groin, and I grew up eating generic Chippos and drinking Shasta.  We did eat lots of steak, but that usually involved me killing it myself. 

Oh, but the report got better.  Because there are apparently thousands of people in Utah who are making lots of money, and have jobs, but they still qualify.  And now they were going to have a big ad campaign to inform these poor folks that they too can get free crap from the government, in fact, all of the details would be posted on the internet and these poor suffering people could get the details on their home computers.

I’m sorry, if you can afford internet access, you shouldn’t be starving.

Now if I go to Honduras, I’m willing to bet that their poor people aren’t going to find out about their handouts on their friggin’ home computers.   But Correia, you’re so insensitive, those poor Utahns only have Dial-Up!  Oh the Humanity!

Explain to me why exactly the government takes a whole bunch of my money, to give to people who the only reason they need assistance is because they’re too damn stupid to balance their checkbook, and they’ve run up tons of credit card debt?  Our system is broken, and it is only getting stupider. 

Once upon a time I got into an argument with a bleeding heart co-worker.  There was a picture of this woman in the paper, with a big old sob story about how hard her life was, and how she had five kids from four different men, but thankfully she was able to get help from the state to get by.   The ironic part and source of our argument was the brand new, 40+ inch, TV sitting behind the “poor” lady in her apartment.   My liberal co-worker thought that was just dandy.  Since I was putting myself through college by working for $7.15 an hour for 60 hours a week while taking 16 credits, rented a single room in a house that used to be a closet, and owned a TV that could fit into a shoe box, I didn’t find that giant TV amusing at all….

When I got home from my mission, I got really sick.  In fact, if I didn’t get an operation, I was probably going to die.  I lost 50 pounds over 3 months.  I couldn’t afford the relatively simple surgery.  I kept on working, scrimping up everything I could, and finally gave up, realizing that no matter how tough I was, there was no way I was going to be able to do it myself before I would finally just croak.  Swallowing my pride, I decided that I was going to try to take advantage of that same broken system I had always mocked. 

I went to the Bureaucracy of Health, Wellness, and Mosquito Abatement, filled out 2,000 pages of paperwork, and applied for help so I could get the operation.  I was turned down… See, apparently, since I had kept working lots of overtime in order to try to save up enough to do it myself, I had made $14 too much in the prior month to qualify.  No, I’m not making that number up.  My last paycheck was literally $14 over the limit.

Nope.  Didn’t matter that I had worked and saved, and was able to pay for most of it myself, and didn’t want them to pay for the whole thing.  Rules are rules, they told me, work less, and come back and apply again next month.  I told them that I would be dead in a month, but thanks… 

Finally I got my operation.  Through the generosity and charity of some people that will remain unnamed, but who I’m eternally thankful for. 

Years later, after working my butt off, and putting myself through college, and finally getting a decent paying professional job, we had our second child.  We were a single income family, as my wife is a stay at home mom, and in reality I wasn’t paid very well at all, but by working hard, being smart with our money, and avoiding debt like the plague, we were doing better than we ever had before.  So it was really fascinating after we took the baby home when we were informed that we now qualified for all sorts of free government handouts and stamps and stuff. 

Screw that. 

We turned it down.  And more than anything, I was offended that it was even a possibility.  We weren’t poor.  We had an apartment, we paid our bills, nobody was starving, and for the first time in my life, actually had health insurance.  There is something inherently broken in a system that seeks out people that are doing okay, and gives them other people’s money. 

Yep, that news report put me in a great mood. 

This isn’t meant as an insult to anybody reading this who is taking advantage of a government program.  1% of government programs actually make sense, so I’ll assume you’re part of that one.  Seriously, when somebody is giving out free stuff, I can’t blame the people who take the free stuff.  I blame the idiots who give it out, especially since it isn’t really free, especially for the other sucker they managed to extort it from. 

Now, I’m quitting my cushy corporate job, and going to work full time at FBMG, my start up company.  This means that I’m giving up my fat benefits and having to buy health insurance for my family out of pocket.  At the same time, I’ve got Hillary Clinton telling America that she’s going to give out free healthcare like some sort of demented Santa Clause from Hell.  You would think that of anybody, I would be all excited for “free” healthcare, I’m gonna have to buy it myself, and that’s expensive right?

Oh, hell no.  I would rather make passionate love to a sack full of rabid porcupines that have socialized medicine.  Look how broken and wrong our current system is, and just imagine for a moment, giving the people that seek out folks with plenty of money and jobs to give food-stamps, total control over all the health needs of the entire country. 

Nothing is ever free.  Pass me that bag of porcupines…

B-Movie Review: Subspecies 4, Bloodstorm
Review of Frostbitten

31 thoughts on “Ticked off about Food Stamps”

  1. I was behind a lady at Smith’s at the check out counter. She paid for her food stuff’s, mostly steaks and roasts and such with food stamps.
    I only had a couple items… so my check out was fast. I walked out right behind her. I go to get into my 97 Contour and I notice the same lady putting her bags into her 2007 Porsche Cayanne Turbo. I kid you not.
    I wonder how much of this 600,000 bucks for the poor this lady is going to spend.

  2. I spent 14 or so years working in the public mental health field. I probably saw 1000’s of people on food stamps (and the replacement for food stamps, the Bridge Card). In some cases, I saw examples of poor money management. People would take their tax refunds (or wealth redistributions, since they didn’t pay any income taxes) and buy all sorts of stuff, like TV’s, video game systems, etc. This was the exception, though. Most of what I saw was people that were really trying to make a better life and hated being on any kind of assistance. I didn’t see much fraud in food stamps, but SSD, that is a different story.

    Utah must be pretty messed up if they give food stamps to people that can afford a Porsche or that have a decent income. Hell, even in MI, with our Dem governor and Dem legislature, welfare is mostly limited to people with kids and you can only get it temporarily. It sounds like you also have some serious problems with fraud.

  3. Many years ago (more than a quarter century) I was waylaid while on my way for Career Counseling to re-enlist in the Navy. I was given a two hour lecture about the fact that as an E-6 with three kids, I was eligible for Food Stamps. I did not go to the Career Meeting. It was enough to convince me to leave the military after more than ten years service. I went out and found other employment paying more than twice what I had been doing and never looked back. My kids deserved better than that.
    Last year, I had an experience like Ogre’s.
    While checking out I waited as the lady in front of me complained every minute about how bad Texas was about Food Stamps, and how she missed New orleans. She finishing by paying a $550 grocery bill (including four huge bags of crab claws) out of her Food Stamps.

  4. During my first year of college, I worked at a local supermarket- first as a bagger, then a checker. I saw MANY people using food stamps. Funny thing is, they never, not once, not ever, bought store brand, cut coupons, or sought bargains. It wasn’t plain label cereal, it was Kellogg’s or General Mills or nothing. None of this store brand soup- Campbell’s and Chef Boyardee all the way. They would even hand out single dollar stamps to their kids to buy candy in the checkout line.

    Anybody want to guess how they treated the people around them (like your humble correspondent)? That’s right- they acted as though they were royalty and it was our privilege to serve them in any way, even as our taxes bought their food.

    My wife is now a pharmacist, and sees the same thing with Medicaid and their scripts. Some folks will moan and groan over a $2 copay while talking on their $400 cell phone. They aren’t interested in generic drugs either; nope, since “the state” is paying, they want brand name.

    Even if there isn’t outright fraud going on, it is clear that the recipients of our largesse are often not only unashamed of their use of the system, but they display their own greed and profligate ways.

  5. I have seen people in checkout lines more than once getting luxury food items (one of them wearing an iPod). I think the system gets abused more than it should.

  6. Same as WendellK, almost. NC, about 27 years ago, as an E5 in the AF, I was authorised foodstamps. I was irked, I refused, but I finished my 20. What we need is to delete, in whatever fashion necessary, all these freaking liberals. I agree that if someone is unable to work, htG HANDICAPPED, then help them. But if you’re able to work, then work or STARVE!

  7. While I agree that there are definitely people who abuse the system, I’m okay with government assistance programs. Should there be more oversight? Sure. That’s definitely acceptable. But I believe that a government has an obligation to provide the basics of life to its citizens.

  8. Every time this discussion comes up, it seems everyone has an example of very well off people using food stamps. I will admit that I am tempted to question the truthfulness of these claims, but that isn’t fair. Like I said, I have seen some abuse, but not to the degree some of you see. The counties I have worked in must be doing a decent job with screening out fraud.

    If you are interested, check out this site for info on people that received food stamps in 2006: http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/Published/FSP/FILES/Participation/2006CharacteristicsSummary.pdf

    What is your solution? I think that people that get food stamps should only get them for a limited amount of time and they should be looking for a job. Over half of the people that get food stamps are children or the elderly, so they can’t get jobs (at least kids can’t). Another possible solution would be to do what the WIC program does. They provide food, but only from a list of specific products. That would cut down on people buying crab and veal.

  9. Well, to be fair, you never know the whole story.

    Could the lady in the Porsche be shopping for her elderly neighbors–with their food stamps?

    Why would anybody buy $550 worth of groceries at a time for her own use? Unless she has a serious deep freeze, could she have been shopping for a group of people? How’d she get $550 worth of food stamps together at one time, anyway?

    Of course, it’s just as likely that these people are gaming the system.

  10. Where Utah is concerend, I wonder how much of this problem (as a whole in the state) is a result of polygamy and the state gov’t sort of looking the other way?

    Or maybe not.

    -T.

  11. Honestly we should do away with foodstamps completely.

    If you actually NEED help from the government to get food then you should go down to a government run warehouse, stand in line like a good Soviet and get inexpensive, healthy food, not extra creamy mac & cheese or overpriced pre-prepared food.

    Hell, buying brand name over store brand or generic with foodstamps should be illegal … if you’re on assistance (with MY freakin’ money) than you damn well better be getting the best deal you can and not buying junk or overpriced brands.

  12. Also, before someone can qualify for government assistance for food they need to prove that they’ve canceled cable, sold their big screen TV, sold the Escalade and aren’t spending ANY of their money on alcohol, tobacco or recreational pharmaceuticals (even if they legalize them).

  13. My mom mentioned to me something she saw as a nurse training in Sheffield, England: back in the 70s, where there was a strong Labour government (who would be in bed with today’s Liberals in a heartbeat), they gave massive unemployment benefits to people. It gets better: if you have a child from newborn to 2-years old, you get even more cash.

    So what peope would do is keep on having kids to stay on dole.

  14. I actually went and applied for assistance a couple of weeks ago and am still awaiting a reply. We have 3 year old twins. My husband works and makes decent money and I attempt to transcribe at home. It gets hard, but I do what I have to do. We had applied for WIC after being told over the phone we qualified and then when I get down there and I have to take my kids with me so they can be seen, we were turned down. We don’t want this assistance long term. We have been through some financial crises lately with our mortgage and just want some help to get through to maybe the end of the year and the one time we try to get help we couldn’t. I get really angry with the fact that we have paid in taxes hand over fist, drive a 90s pickup and an 87 vehicle, and do the best we can and I see people all the time in line at the grocery store who have never paid a dime in taxes, are here illegally, and God forbid we don’t bend over backwards to learn their language so we can understand them, and they either use an EBT (food stamps) card or hand the cashier a WIC check after they stand there and try to look stupid because they have chosen the wrong food products. Now thats what really makes me mad. All I asked for was a little help to feed my babies for a little while. If we keep this up in this country, it won’t be long before we are all standing in a food line somewhere.

  15. I just want to start off by saying that although I too have seen people abusing the system, I simply do not agree with doing away with government assistance programs. I have seen the black woman with 7 children who hasnt worked in years but wears expensive name brand clothes and fancy jewelry. I have seen the white trash that laughs at the register because her food stamps pays for her margarita mix and expensive steaks.But I have also seen the families that are kind enough to share what they have with foster children and truly need the help to feed them. Or the single mother who simply can not make it on her own because the man she had a baby with was not the man she thought he was and decided raising a child wasn’t what he wanted to do. You can not eliminate a system that truly helps people that desperately need that help…even if there are those that take advantage.At a time like this, with unemployment on the rise, gas prices through the roof, the price of food projected to continually increase over the next few years(on top of the current price hikes) I think it is safe to say our economy is not in an ideal state right now. I am a recent college graduate and my husband is in the military.We have ALWAYS worked hard.I worked 2 jobs and took 16 credit hours a semester for 4 years while raising 3 children all under the age of 8. I am certainly not lazy nor did I enjoy taking my food stamp card to the register of a grocery store. It is a shameful feeling.I learned early on how to stretch a nickel into a dollar, but sometimes people just need a little damn help.

    On a side note it is no ones place to judge.The fact of the matter is as a bystander you do not know the “whole story”. Personally I would rather have my tax dollars spent to feed the American people instead of the billions of dollars a MONTH that is being spent on the “war” in Iraq…which as we all know is/was a REPUBLICAN (not a liberals) handiwork.

    1. Thank you very much for that post…I was starting to lose faith in people reading all these hateful posts!! I’m a single mother I go to school so that I can soon support myself, im not the lady driving the porsch, my car barely runs at all!!! Ive worked my whole life and never asked for anything, i’ve been eligable for unemployment several times but never took it out of pride. But with my daughter, screw my pride. I will do anything to keep her healthy and fed. And yes it is embarrassing, especially with people like these that come up with their own conclusions. Reading your post was nice after all that garbage talk. THANK YOU!!

  16. Not all people abuse the system. I am a newly single mom of 4 children. I work a part time job because theres no full time jobs available in my area. I live in a very small country town. I dont have the gas money to commute over 2 hours to a larger town which has more jobs. Or am I able to afford the childcare if I did that. It took me 3 months to get food stamps. During which I had to borrow money to get food. It was either have my electric shut off and get kicked out of my rented house or eat. Yeah theres alot out there that do abuse the system but then there are cases like mine that we wouldnt eat if it wasnt for the system. Programs like this were put into place to help people in their time of need. And they takes months in most cases to give that assistance because of the people that abuse it. Instead of judging people without knowing what they are going thru. Maybe look into your own life and help someone else in need. Alot of people dont have internet they use ones in public places or someone in the family. And its going to get worse in this country with so many companies shutting down.

  17. i cant stand the fact that i work hard pay taxes , drive a 96 vechile have 1 6 yr old and twins on the way, i have to pay for everything i have and its not easy, its a struggle i see people who make less then me with nice cars , nice clothes new shoes, get hair done, and are getting food stamps and public assistance, section 8 you name it they got it, but i dont qualify thats ass backwards to me, when i do find out i qualify since i have two kids on the way im gonna get everything i can from the government, maybe i can get a better car now and nicer clothes and expensive shoes too just like them

  18. I cannot believe how some of you think. I am a single mother on food stamps. (in Utah) I work part time and I go to school part time. I have a very beat up car that breaks down on me every-other month, and who gets under the hood to fix the damn thing?? ME because I cannot afford to take it to a mechanic. I do buy name brand cereal, but only because with the use of coupons and sales, they are cheaper than off brand. And I am sure many on food stamps do not use coupons, because it is humiliating, I always go through self checkout because I have a stack of coupons and a food stamp card and I am not proud of that. I dress nice and I look nice, not because I have money to spend on nice things but because I know how to stretch my dollar so I do not have to look like a bumb, I buy clearance clothes for $3, and get make-up nearly free with coupons and deals at Walgreens. I take care of the things I do have so that they can last 5-6 years. I make very little money, under 10k per year, and I get $200 per month in food stamps, and that barely cuts it. So now I am sopposed to feel bad that I take advantage of Gov.t programs that are there to help people like me? I am sopposed to read these comments and choose to withdraw from the program and forgo things like Milk for my Son and Fresh Veggies? I have yet to see someone on food stamps driving a nice car, in fact when I see someone else with the food stamp card they are usually looking more stressed out and tired than I am, and I barely scrape by as it is. The only time I have ever seen someone abuse the system was when a friend of mine was working at walmart and a woman was swapping bar codes to get things cheaper, she said the food stamps did not last her family even two weeks and she did not know what else to do. Now granted that is wrong, but give me a break, stop trying to make those of us that need assistance feel bad about it, believe me we already felt bad from the moment we signed the application. And I have been humiliated in the grocery store checkout line because of food stamps more times than I care to remember. Go find something else to b*tch about and leave us poor people alone.

  19. FACTS:

    Based on a study of data gathered in Fiscal Year 2005:

    77 percent of all benefits go to households with children, 16 percent go to households with disabled persons, and 9 percent go to households with elderly persons.

    34 percent of households with children were headed by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of whom were women.

    The average household size is 2.3 persons.

    The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $648.

    Household size- Maximum Allowable Income to Qualify for Food Stamps

    1
    $ 851
    2
    1,141
    3
    1,431
    4
    1,721
    5
    2,011
    6
    2,301
    7
    2,591
    8
    2,881

  20. I am a single mom with 3 boys. If it were not for my 3 boys, i would have never applied for food stamps. Yes, I agree, a lot of people are abusing the food stamps. I am not one of them. I am driving a peice of crap car, living with my dad, and trying to go back to school. But these people are making us all look bad! yet, I have some nice things from before i was struggling, and christmas, birthday gifts, not things i bought myself.

  21. ok now let me get this straight so people who dont abuse the system are getting bashed as well, oh ne ne I say, I am on food stamps yes I have internet yes I am a parent as well and need the net to Attend school aka HACC of York in pa. and yes I recieve a SSI check as does my fiance’. our daughter gets wic but at the same time I see where yes some people abuse the system , heck I bum rides from people to go and get food infact had to do it yesterday, I normaly buy store brand stuff unless there is a 10 for 10 sale, and thats how most people on foodstamps live , yes roasts can be bought but we go for SALE items make the money stretch as far as possible. and I give my time to help in the community when I can , fixing comps for free for elderly or other people in the same boat as me so I do what I can till I get my certs to get paid for it. we make under 1200 a monthe , 550-rent-40 electric and pay water serwer and trash and still have to pay for meds and laundry diapers and other miscilaniouse items ontop of the tripple play so bulls round out to about 800 a month on average and 980 on months where other bills W/S, and Trash come in. so no we are not all beating a system you pay for all that diapers and whipes powder feed 3 mouths and say you got left over my checking account is 2.13 until 2 weeks from now so quit saying people deserve less and look at the guy carrying groceries for his girl and daughter 6 blocks stop and offer a ride, obama wants a change and it starts with us not gov.

  22. Yes, that is my real name. Yes, I am a not-so-proud holder of a “California Advantage” EBT card. I must say that, although I look at your comments with understanding, I am sickened by what I have seen on this page.

    Pay attention to this: You aren’t the only ones who pay taxes. I pay taxes, and until I was fired a couple months ago, I was paying A LOT of taxes. I wasn’t making a lot of money, either; it’s just the system we have in place requires taxes, and I was paying them. I am 24 years old, and since I started to officially work at the age of 18, I have paid well over $10,000.00 in taxes. Keep in mind, most of that money went towards Bush’s pointless war.

    So my dad, who I lived with and shared finances with, decided to croak on me last February. Depression aside, I was left on my own. I still made it through, though barely. I had what one would call a “Good, but not significantly lucrative, job.” Many months I would trade utilities for food, or vice versa. Granted, I’m no angel. Out of high school, I look back and can safely say that I was rediculous with my money. But that was years ago.

    Due to office politics, one of my bosses successfully engineered a plot to have me fired. To add insult to injury, they made sure that I would be denied unemployment benefits. So, all I had were my last paycheck, and my drive to keep living. I’ve been looking for a new job ever since.

    First, my gas was shut off. My girlfriend comes over on the weekends, and she was subject to cold showers each morning (as I am EVERY morning). We also had to rely on the microwave, and she bought an electronic skillet for my apartment so we could finally cook.

    Then, it was the food. Having no money, I relied on a large bag of Top Ramen I had previously purchased for such an emergency. I went through the whole bag.

    Then it was the rent. Last month was paid entirely by a loan from my aunt, which placed her in a hardship. This month? I refused to ask anyone for a loan. I’m tired of making my problem my loved ones’ problem. I decided that if I didn’t pick myself up off the ground, then to the streets I go. I don’t want to take anyone down with me. So far, I haven’t gotten an eviction notice, but I know it’s coming.

    Now, I am waiting for my water and power, and internet to be turned off. The internet is a large part of my job search, but most importantly, the power lets me revise/print my resume, and the water keeps me hydrated. I don’t know what I’m going to do.

    So two days ago, I received my EBT card. I waited until I was in an extremely drastic situation to get one. Why? Because when I didn’t want to be seen as a deadbeat. I didn’t want to see myself as a deadbeat. But the time has come, and I am on what you would call, “government cheese.” But guess what! I was given a total of $122 for food this month (which I am going to stretch like you won’t believe; thank the good spirits for Trader Joe’s!). I think that’s a fair trade for the over $10,000.00 I have paid in taxes so far.

    So next time you think that YOU are paying for those food stamps, remember this: YOU are wrong. We ALL pay for them, and right now, I can say I am happy that we do. I am out of ramen, and I know what hungry feels like (although I can’t compare to children in Somalia). I know what it feels like to lose weight, not because of a correct diet and exercise, but rather because I am wasting away. If that’s how you want me to die, then use your corporate dollars to lobby against food stamps. The politicians would be happy to take your money.

    Oh, and my iPod? My girlfriend bought it for me for Valentine’s Day. What did I end up getting her? A card and a $5 beanie baby. And oh yeah, it was her birthday yesterday. I couldn’t get her ANYTHING! When your life is hell, you take what you can get.

  23. Well sheesh, where to start. I have real issues with both sides. The people here who are on welfare and struggling to make better….but then somehow attributing those programs and the help they receive to obama is just silly. He does NOTHING to help people in real need. Along with you getting a nominal increase in benefits he is also EMPLOYING a huge govt worker force that does nothing but give you a hard time trying to get that help.

    I have heard many conservatives say….well heck, why don’t we just give people a 14k check and hope that helps get them out of a bad situation instead of building more buildings and employing a huge govt worker program. You people getting welfare are getting squat in benefits compared to the administrative costs of those programs. Your caseworker gets approx 40k a year to make you sit for hours out in a dirty waiting room to do paper work that takes five minutes to do. And then they stand there chatting with other workers the rest of the time. The more they can increase the population in need the more secure their job is. Don’t kid yourself that they are trying to really help you.

    Thinking that obama is on your side because he wants to give you, effectively, a bigger block of moldy govt cheese simply makes you appear ignorant. People like obama rely on you being stupid enough to believe the lie so you will continue to be less than what you should be, always needing to feed off the govt so they can garner your vote….to only make you rely on govt longer. It’s a vicious circle…one that is designed to keep you from becoming a personal success for yourselves and your children.

    Welfare is and should be only a stepping stone to self reliance….and are they really giving you enough to get there? No. They give you enough to continue being on welfare only. Now remove the cost of do-nothing agencies and govt workers and put that in the hands of people who have real needs….then you would have real help. But that is NOT what obama wants, he wants you dependent.

    Now for those who are whining about helping others in need. Seriously? You don’t think people ever need a hand up? You don’t think as a civil society we should find a way to reasonable do that? Well if not then you are a sad excuse for a human being….and on top of that America has a long history of being a selfless nation…you might want to remember that is part of what has made us so great. Does that mean a lifetime welfare role? Absolutely not. But it does mean honestly helping others so they too can become part of a participatory system.

    You’re sitting there complaining about people who are struggling and completely missing the bulk of the taxes put towards the welfare system….administrative costs. The money that is put towards building new buildings, all salaries, all supplies…right down to the thousands of rolls of toilet paper. And I think we all know that govt NEVER looks for a deal on anything.

    I know most of you realize that we give more in welfare to people who are here illegally then people who are not. Education, housing, transportation, utilities…now remove the illegal element, remove the gross govt overhead….and you’re down to less than a third of what the welfare budget is. Now lets removed the general gross over spending the govt does for their pet projects, giving their staff bonuses, remodeling costs, ‘business’ lunches, etc. Remove govt grants for “art’ that is anything but art, regulatory agencies that are not regulating anything, science grants that one year tells us milk is going to kill us and the next that milk extends our life spans. Or how about the trillions we throw at other countries around the globe just so they can say how much they hate Americans. My gosh, the govt is a behemoth of stupid….and here you sit complaining about making sure if a child, one of our own children, eats or not. You’re attacking the wrong people.

    And you people who are thinking that it is govt that gives you everything, well you’re just as ridiculous. Every hard working person, yes especially those evil rich people, are the ones feeding you and your children. Hello people, the govt creates NOTHING, it is the people who are paying taxes that fund every single social program….and everything else…this country does. Try a little appreciation for once.

    For those people who want to live off the welfare system for the rest of your lives without trying to better your circumstances and have children to increase benefits….well I’m sure you stopped reading long ago….you have no real character or pride to do much of anything anyway.

    Ok people, let’s get with the program. Stop letting politicians (and that is directed mostly at liberals since they lie for sport) tell you about the evils of rich people and conservatives…who, by the way, instituted civil rights in this country….and start using realistic logic. Don’t let yourself be used just to garner a vote…especially if you are a working citizen….my gosh, YOU are the one paying these dolts to do YOUR bidding. Stop kowtowing to them and make them do the work they are WAAAAAAAAY overpaid for. We do NOT owe them, they owe us.

    My gosh people, get a sense of pride….we’re blessed to be Americans….let’s start acting like it. Stop letting an over-bloated govt continue to grow itself until we are indentured for generations to come.

    And you welfare people and obama supporters….please, what is it now? Almost 12 TRILLION dollars to support all the spending obama has done in the last couple months for the long term? Don’t even try to justify it by saying he is for the poor people, he’s going to make us ALL poor…and you are going to stay there too….and with a lot less rights to try and fight it.

    Ok anyone who doesn’t believe in God, stop reading now….God Bless this country and our brave patriots who hold honor dear and love of family and country more dear.

  24. I work for a social service agency in Texas that helps needy people with food. We do not get any government funds. We are supported entirely by churches, individuals, organizations, & probationers doing their community service by donating food. We screen out clients and the first time, we help almost anyone, but if they come back, they must have at least applied for food stamps. We have many clients who just can’t feed their families with the amount of food stamps they get. Yes, some of them come in in big, fancy cars but they usually borrow them from a family member to get there because they have no transportation themselves. We have many who pay an enormous amount of rent in proportion to their income, but this is because the HUD waiting list is 2 years long. Yes, some people do abuse the system but there are others whose income seems to be low enough for food stamps who say they cannot get them. We screen our clients thoroughly and those who start abusing our services get a “DO NOT HELP!” put on their files. I don’t know about where you people live, but here I know someone who makes minimum wage x 40 hrs. per week and they don’t qualify for food stamps! They have no assets, either. However, I agree with a post I saw on another site. If everyone who is on government assistance was required to take a drug test and cease assistance to those who tested positive, we would be spending a lot less of our tax dollars on assistance. Also, stop helping the illegals. Also, I believe that people who buy liquor & cigarettes should not get food stamps. If they can afford those, then they can afford to buy food. It makes me sick to see a woman come in our agency and ask where she can get formula for her baby, then take a pack of cigarettes out of her purse and puff away as soon as she walks down the stairs from our offices. I don’t agree that our food stamp workers are highly overpaid and do almost nothing. has that poster ever been to a food stamp office? There is usually a line of about 20 people waiting to be interviewed and about three workers there to see what they want. I was going to apply for a job there once until someone I know who works there told me that sometimes they work until 8:00 p.m on weekdays and work some Saturdays. And she barely made enough to be off of food stamps herself. I don’t like Obama myself for many reasons, but he is trying to cut food stamp waste. He just put into law a federal asset limit which states must go by now and that is going to put about 300,000 people off of food stamps. Some states had no asset limit before this. if more families would help their own extended family members, we as a nation might not need so much government assistance. Also, if more churches would band together and form organizations like ours to assist only people which we screen thoroughly, then there might not be as much need for government assistance. I’d also like to say that I don’t believe in sending so much assistance overseas when there are so many truly needy people right here in the states. Help our own first!

    1. “If everyone who is on government assistance was required to take a drug test and cease assistance to those who tested positive, we would be spending a lot less of our tax dollars on assistance”

      Except that the states which have tried that found that it did not cut expenses (it’s more expensive to do drug tests than to pay the benefits which should not be paid to criminals),
      AND
      it’s been ruled unconstitutional to do a test on everyone, with no RAS that they’re using drugs. If there is RAS, they’re already allowed to test, and if the test shows someone is using illegal drugs they are not allowed to receive benefits for a certain amount of time (for the first offense… I think the second they’re banned for life).

  25. I am ashamed of all you people who say that people are taking advantage of the welfare sytem–you don’t know for sure that they are, and especially you who are mormons on here, I think that you have forgotten one of the greatest commandments, judge not, that ye be not judged, and love one another as Jesus has loved you!

  26. You people are all a bunch of damn hypocrites!! where do you get off talking people down just because they have received welfare?
    bad things can happen to anyone!! my husband and I both have nice cars, a harley, and a dirt bike. We went on vacation and when he came back, my husband was fired!!! we had no extra money saved and two young babies to feed. I guess we should just sell our cars and end up with 100 bucks in our pockets after the bank gets their cut and then walk to find a job right? life happens and it can happen to anyone!!! rich, poor, average, or single college student trying to pay for books, rent and groceries at the same time. All of you with negative comments need to get over yourselves and pray that it never happens to you.

    1. Lacy,

      Wake the hell up. You had nice cars, a Harley, and a dirt bike, but you didn’t have savings, food storage or liquid assets? You couldn’t take care of your kids because your husband got laid off (after spending more money on a vacation)?

      That sounds like a personal problem. Grow the hell up, be an adult, and take care of your own damn business. It is called prioritizing. Look into it.

      I was unemployed for 4 months this year. Because I don’t have a Harley, don’t have fancy cars, and don’t have a dirt bike, and I don’t go on vacations unless I’ve got plenty of emergency money in the bank, I WAS JUST FINE. My family still ate. We still paid all our bills.

      Cry me a river.

  27. I would like to say. I am one of the ones that drives a nice car and have a EBT card. My husband brought me this car. It is older model but it is a nice care. I am not giving it back because I need transportation for me and my children and to look for a job.
    My husband and I separated due some personal reasons and I move to another state we both own a house in. Financially we were doing fine but the economy got to us. We had our personal problems and I left. I needed to leave. I have two children. I move into the house. I got a part time job working only 20 hours a week @ 8.50 an hour and sometimes less hours than that. I am still looking for a full-time but it seems like it is nothing out there. I even apply for housekeeping, cashier at gas stations, Walmart, jobs I would normally would not work at. They just say I am overly qualified. I normally work in an office making pretty decent money. My daughter got diagnose with epilepsy and I got diagnosed with endometriosis two months apart. I had surgery and went back to work 3 days later which people look at me like was crazy. I am no way shape or form lazy. I do what I have to do. I have been putting taxes in the system for over 18 years. So now I am spending money on medicine for me and daughter. Endometriosis is not my only illness. I have HBP and borderline diabetes and no I am not fat or obese. It is one of those things when genetics play a part. The money I get from part time job I use for medicines and copay for dr visit. One day I had to chose between medicine and food. I am very proud and would not apply for food stamps. I look at my children and had to make a decision. No, there father is not deadbeat dad. He pays for school clothes and mortgage where we live at which it is not much. I am saying all of this because you really do not know people what people going through. I worked at DSS and I never judge because you never know when you will be in that same situation. Alot of people are two pay checks from living out on the streets.

  28. I have 3 degrees, 20+ years of varied work experience, and have been looking for work for a couple years now. I even tried going back to get another (job-specific) degree, but due to disabilities was cut from the program (teachers were not willing to make reasonable accomodations; yes, it’s illegal). I’ve been through all the classes at my state-operated jobs center, including individual resume and job search help. I even apply for scut-work entry-level jobs which I was overqualified for in high school.

    Nothing.
    Well, I’ve had 2 interviews, followed by emails that they’d hired someone else, and even got hired at one place for a day, before I told them I needed to work part time for my health (to maintain medicaid, because they didn’t offer insurance for 3 months, and then I couldn’t afford it, and they fired me. Again, yes it’s illegal.)
    Usually I just get a computerized rejection email.

    I’ve been teaching firearm safety classes now & then, and some months I can pay my bills. Most months I have to accept money from relatives, and they can’t keep paying my bills forever. April looks to be a lucky month, because I have a class scheduled 30MAR and if everyone shows up I’ll be able to pay my bills.

    I’m on medicaid & food stamps, and if I weren’t I wouldn’t be alive.
    I hate it. I want to pay my own way. But I am very grateful to have the help.
    When I get a job I will once again be paying taxes, and I hope they go to someone like me.
    I have internet in large part because that’s how companies expect people to apply for jobs now. (Also, it’s less expensive than going to McD’s or SBX & using their wifi every day. Healthier too.)

    I have a $100/year membership to Planet Fitness mainly for my physical health, but also because it helps me fight depression. I get out of the house almost every day, get some exercise, get a shower… then come back home to sit alone and be depressed while I get more computerized rejection emails. There are still days when getting out of bed is too difficult, and I think about shooting myself.

    I try to buy low on the food chain ’cause it’s cheaper & healthier. Yes, I occasionally buy a small beef roast or a piece of salmon, but more often I’m eating rice & beans, or a bag of nearly-expired salad from my grocery’s 99c bin. Breakfast is a glass of milk & a banana. Yes, I occasionally buy a junk-food treat, but the last time I did that the box of Zingers lasted me several months.

    So I’m educated, experienced, looking for work, trying to improve my health, and getting nowhere. I’m trying to use what I’m given frugally. Then I have to deal with the people who think I’m a leech because I’m getting some of my tax money back to help me live.

Leave a Reply to Amanda Smith Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *