Food Stamp Rant

[tntrucker]

I just got rid of a door to door steak salesman?? (never knew about them-home from work sick). This guy is selling T-bones, rib-eyes, etc. I knew I wasn't interested, but we talked and I looked at his stuff. A box with 4 t-bones/ 20.00!!! Outrageous prices! His stuff was 10-12 dollars a pound. In the course of getting rid of him, we talked. He takes Food Stamps, sells all kind of stuff to people on food stamps, he loves when the food stamps come out each month.
So while my wife and I (both employed) are in the store scanning the on sale adds- trying to buy groceries as economically as possible. Some of my fellow Tennessean's are living large! I wonder what they do after blowing the month's food stamps in a week???
I've been poor and still far from rich; but irresponsibility. Why should we support such a life? What a tragedy- people going hungry in America. How about this TRAGEDY- working people being ROBBED!!!
Got to go now. Gonna check out the reduced meat section at the grocery. Sombody has got to pay for those Rib-eyes and T-bones!
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Terry_P]

During the summer when I was in college I worked on construction to pay for school. I worked one year in the projects in Lowell, Mass where we were putting in telephone conduit along a new street they were building. I was a laborer and it was a hot summer. I remember (as I saw it happen) when the welfare checks came out a beer truck would drive up and unload at the public housing as the residents pooled their money. I then got to see the residents sitting on their pourch drinking beer while I worked in the hot sun. That stuck with me throughout the years and certainly contributed to my conservative philosophy.

[walien]

How much in food stamps does someone on welfare get in your state? That's the root of your question. They might be talked into buying steaks by a fast talking, high-pressure sales person and then end up eating not much for the rest of whatever period it is before the food stamps come out again.

Also, $5 for a T-Bone is actually pretty good pricing where I live. Was it Prime? If so, it would be a really good price.

[JohnBrainard]

How much in food stamps does someone on welfare get in your state? That's the root of your question. They might be talked into buying steaks by a fast talking, high-pressure sales person and then end up eating not much for the rest of whatever period it is before the food stamps come out again.

Also, $5 for a T-Bone is actually pretty good pricing where I live. Was it Prime? If so, it would be a really good price.

Are you saying they can't be blamed for buying an expensive steak from a fast-talking salesman?

[walien]

Blame away, but what I'm saying is that most food stamp programs aren't priced such that you can eat a nice steak for dinner every night. They're usually given enough to live on. Welfare reform was taken care of in the 90's. Yes, there are a small number of people who live on welfare. Some are in a bad way and, yes, some are lazy. It's a relatively minor cost and it beat someone breaking in to your car to feed themselves.

The OP should be looking at the details of the food stamp program in his/her state and not becoming so upset by a door to door salesman. Plus, he could be selling low priced meats that he's not telling the OP about. Who knows. There's no real detail in the post about what someone on food stamps in his/her state gets.

[kingchip]

We have the Lone Star Card here now, and I can't say how much fraud happens now. Back in the food stamp days, I watched a hugely fat man with a car load of kids pull up to the 7-11. He gives kid 1 a coupon and he ran inside and got something and ran back with the cash change. This goes on through kid 4. When last kid returns with change, he then has cash for a six pack and goes in for the purchase. I had to work for the six pack I bought that day.

[JohnBrainard]

Blame away, but what I'm saying is that most food stamp programs aren't priced such that you can eat a nice steak for dinner every night. They're usually given enough to live on. Welfare reform was taken care of in the 90's. Yes, there are a small number of people who live on welfare. Some are in a bad way and, yes, some are lazy. It's a relatively minor cost and it beat someone breaking in to your car to feed themselves.

The OP should be looking at the details of the food stamp program in his/her state and not becoming so upset by a door to door salesman. Plus, he could be selling low priced meats that he's not telling the OP about. Who knows. There's no real detail in the post about what someone on food stamps in his/her state gets.

All these possibilities are endless, but what's happening is people wasting money that hard working people earned and couldn't keep for their own families. The cost may be relatively minor to one family but is significant to the other who's struggling to feed their own.

Reform isn't over if people are still wasting taxpayer money when they are perfectly capable of working to provide for themselves.

[retired grunt]

I gotta say if I'm footin the bill for anyones groceries, They damn sure aint gettin steak if I can help it. The steak I buy is venison!

[tireman7.62x54r]

Last week my wife was at work running the cash register, a lady comes through the line with a cart full of groceries. After everything was scanned the lady still had a $730.00 credit balance on her link card. I wish I knew how much $ link card holders get each month? They don't pay sales tax either.
In our area the township passes out vouchers once a month, good for $100 of free stuff. No sales tax charged.

[pinecone70]

When I worked at the grocery store, I always had people trying to buy cigarettes with food stamps. Cigarettes are not food, yet they argued with me about it and threw fits until management came and straightened them out. They tried it again every month, and I think they must have duped ignorant cashiers somewhere.

Most of the food stamp customers then were embarrassed about having to use stamps, but they were smart shoppers. Some would blow their entire allotment on junk food.

[40CalJoe]

As a general rule, I don't buy temperature sensitive food from fast talkers from the back of a truck. Ask to see his temp log, or take the temperature of the steaks you are about to buy. My guess is he won't even have a thermometer. Ever here of food borne illness, like e-coli?

Much safer ways of buying steaks with or without food stamps, no matter what the price.

[Terry_P]

I buy my steaks every year when I get my hunting license.

I think many/most people are embarrassed by their hardship and I feel bad for those that have lost their job and are just trying to feed their family. The ones I have no tolerance for are the able bodied that are just lazy and always looking for a handout. I remember one perfectly able young man (20's) that was being interviewed by FOX during the Katrina disaster that said the government should give them each $50,000 that they ******* deserve. That is the welfare arrogrance that just sends me over the top.

[40CalJoe]

The collapse of the Roman Empire came from within. Why? Because more and more citizens realized they could look to the government and the treasury to meet their needs. They eventually ceased to function as a nation as more and more citzens stopped being productive and contibuting to the tax base. Has a familiar ring to today's population, the government owes me.

[mrkirker]

In our state, alcohol and cigs are not on the food stamp approved list. A business taking stamps for such items will lose their acceptance permit when audited.

Whatever the process, someone, somewhere, will find a manner in which to 'beat' the system. While the food stamp program does have it's level of fraud, the overall good that it accomplishes outweighs the affects of the 1%-ers who abuse the program.

[big donnie]

Do these guys come around at food card time. I had one at my door two days ago. He drove a '99 Dodge pickup with a chest freezer on the back. I never gave a though to the temp of the food, good tip, but he was not going to take no for a answer till he noticed the 357 on my backside. I have no problem helping families in hard times,but some feel that they are OWED without effort from them.
I always offer a hand to others, but the other hand is always ready to defend.

[Trouble 45-70]

In our state, alcohol and cigs are not on the food stamp approved list. A business taking stamps for such items will lose their acceptance permit when audited.

Whatever the process, someone, somewhere, will find a manner in which to 'beat' the system. While the food stamp program does have it's level of fraud, the overall good that it accomplishes outweighs the affects of the 1%-ers who abuse the program.

In Food stamp Communities, there are always those who will buy Food Stamps for a fraction of the face value so Cigs, Booze and Drugs can be purchased with cash.

[walien]

All these possibilities are endless, but what's happening is people wasting money that hard working people earned and couldn't keep for their own families. The cost may be relatively minor to one family but is significant to the other who's struggling to feed their own.

Reform isn't over if people are still wasting taxpayer money when they are perfectly capable of working to provide for themselves.

What's the alternative. The government running a program to just give food to people? I'm still waiting to hear how much people get in the OP's state. It's likely a lot cheaper just to give food stamps or a card each month than to run a program like that.

The alternative is also to cut welfare, but then you'd end up with a higher crime rate, which, again costs more. Welfare reform was taken care of in the 90's. There will always be some people on it, but the number was reduced by the legislation. I don't much like people living off of my taxes (and I actually pay quite a bit), but in the end, in the US it is a small number and the other economic issues here are much more relevant. Have a look at how Social Security spending, Medicaid and other entitlement programs will balloon as the baby boomers age.

The steak I buy is venison!

I hope by that you mean hunting. Otherwise, you need to hang out with Terry P more. I'm backing the call on venison. Haven't had it in ages.

[JohnBrainard]

The alternative is also to cut welfare, but then you'd end up with a higher crime rate, which, again costs more. Welfare reform was taken care of in the 90's. There will always be some people on it, but the number was reduced by the legislation. I don't much like people living off of my taxes (and I actually pay quite a bit), but in the end, in the US it is a small number and the other economic issues here are much more relevant. Have a look at how Social Security spending, Medicaid and other entitlement programs will balloon as the baby boomers age.

Any evidence to back up that claim? How do you know you wouldn't end up with more people working?

[ampaterry]

Tntrucker, this is not as unusual as some here seem to think.

I happen to know a lady who is on the TN system.
Free medical.
Public housing.
SS Disability income.
Free cell phone, with free minutes every month.
And her foodstamps?
$300 a month, for JUST HER with no Dependants.
That's $10 a DAY folks.
Can she eat a $6.00 steak every day of the month?
Yes she can, and have several bucks left over for side dishes as well.
My wife and I have never spent that much on groceries in a month for BOTH of us.
The idiots who figure the amount of foodstamps to give people (from OUR money!) need to extract their heads so they can see what is happening in the real world - - -

I remember when I was a kid, my mom read an article in a magazine about budgeting. Times were hard in the late 40's, and someone had written a budget article on how to feed a family of 4 for $50 a month.
It made my mom mad as HECK, because she fed a family of eight and had NEVER spent that much.

I had a friend that had been laid off once and gone on foodstamps in Indiana. He told about how at the end of the month they would have all these stamps left over, and would buy canned salmon and things like that to give to their relatives.

People on foodstamps that expect sympathy from me have a LONG wait ahead of them.