My Time at Walmart: Why We Need Serious Welfare Reform
During the 2010 and 2011 summers, I was a cashier at Wal-Mart #1788 in Scarborough, Maine. I spent hours upon hours toiling away at a register, scanning, bagging, and dealing with questionable clientele. These were all expected parts of the job, and I was okay with it. What I didn’t expect to be part of my job at Wal-Mart was to witness massive amounts of welfare fraud and abuse.
I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it. What I saw at Wal-Mart, however, was not temporary aid. I witnessed generations of families all relying on the state to buy food and other items. I literally witnessed small children asking their mothers if they could borrow their EBT cards. I once had a man show me his welfare card for an ID to buy alcohol. The man was from Massachusetts. Governor Michael Dukakis’ signature was on his welfare card. Dukakis’ last gubernatorial term ended in January of 1991. I was born in June of 1991. The man had been on welfare my entire life. That’s not how welfare was intended, but sadly, it is what it has become.
Other things witnessed while working as a cashier included:
a) People ignoring me on their iPhones while the state paid for their food. (For those of you keeping score at home, an iPhone is at least $200, and requires a data package of at least $25 a month. If a person can spend $25+ a month so they can watch YouTube 24/7, I don’t see why they can’t spend that money on food.)
b) People using TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) money to buy such necessities such as earrings, kitkat bars, beer, WWE figurines, and, my personal favorite, a slip n’ slide. TANF money does not have restrictions like food stamps on what can be bought with it.
c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.
d) A man who ran a hotdog stand on the pier in Portland, Maine used to come through my line. He would always discuss his hotdog stand and encourage me to “come visit him for lunch some day.” What would he buy? Hotdogs, buns, mustard, ketchup, etc. How would he pay for it? Food stamps. Either that man really likes hotdogs, or the state is paying for his business. Not okay.
The thing that disturbed me more than simple cases of fraud/abuse was the entitled nature of many of my customers. One time, a package of bell peppers did not ring up as food in the computer. After the woman swiped her EBT card, it showed a balance that equaled the cost of the peppers. The woman asked what the charge was, and a quick glance at the register screen showed that the peppers did not ring up as food. (Food items had the letter ‘F’ next to their description.) The woman immediately began yelling at me, saying that, “It’s food! You eat it!”
This wasn’t the only time things like this happened: if a person’s EBT balance was less than they thought it would be, or if their cards were declined, it was somehow my fault. I understand the situation is stressful, but a person should be knowledgeable about how much money is in their account prior to going grocery shopping. EBT totals are printed on receipts, and every cell phone has a calculator function. There’s no excuse, and there’s no reason to yell at the cashier for it.
The worst thing I ever saw at Wal-Mart Scarborough was two women and their children. These women each had multiple carts full of items, and each began loading them at the same time (this should have been a tip-off to their intelligence levels). The first woman, henceforth known as Welfare Queen #1, paid for about $400 worth of food with food stamps. The majority of her food was void of any nutritional value. She then pulled out an entire month’s worth of WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program) checks. I do not mind people paying with WIC, but the woman had virtually none of the correct items. WIC gives each participating mother a book containing actual images of items for which a person can and cannot redeem the voucher. This woman literally failed at image comprehension.
After redeeming 10+ WIC checks, Welfare Queen #1 had me adjust the prices of several items she was buying (Wal-Mart’s policy is to adjust the price of the item without question if it’s within a dollar or two). She then pulled out a vacuum cleaner, and informed me that the cost of the vacuum was $3.48 because, “that’s what the label says.” The vacuum cleaner was next to a stack of crates that were $3.48. Somehow, every other customer was able to discern that the vacuum cleaner was not $3.48, but Welfare Queen #1 and her friend Welfare Queen #2 were fooled. Welfare Queen #2 informed me that she used to work for Wal-Mart, and that the “laws of Wal-Mart legally said” that I would have to sell her the vacuum for $3.48. After contacting my manager, who went off to find the proper vacuum price, Welfare Queen #1 remarked that it must be tough to stand on a mat all day and be a cashier. I looked at her, smiled, shrugged, and said, “Well, it’s a job.” She was speechless. After they finally admitted defeat, (not before Welfare Queen #2 realizing she didn’t have enough money to buy all of the food she had picked out, resulting in the waste of about $200 worth of products) the two women left about an hour and a half after they arrived at my register. The next man in line said that the two women reminded him of buying steel drums and cement. I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.
Maine has a problem with welfare spending. Maine has some of the highest rates in the nation for food stamp enrollment, Medicaid, and TANF. Nearly 30% of the state is on some form of welfare. Maine is the only state in the nation to rank in the top two for all three categories. This is peculiar, as Maine’s poverty rate isn’t even close to being the highest in the nation. The system in Maine is far easier to get into than in other states, and it encourages dependency. When a person makes over the limit for benefits, they lose all benefits completely. There is no time limit and no motivation to actually get back to work. Furthermore, spending on welfare has increased dramatically, but there has been no reduction of the poverty rate. Something is going terribly wrong, and the things I saw at work were indicators of a much larger problem. Something must change before the state runs out of money funding welfare programs.
Christine Rousselle // Providence College // @Crousselle
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I j ust wanted 2 say this doesnt go far enough. THis doesnt go far enough. U wanna buy porterhouse stakes? you want to be buy a cake witth all the trimmings?? work for it. work at walmart. i dont want to tell MY kids that theyre future will be payi ng 4 LOOSERS 2 eat Sara Lee. I WANT THEM 2 BE WORKING 4 A LIVEING LIKE THIS YOUNG LADY, AT WALMART OR ANY OTHER BUISINESS IN TOWN!!!!!!!!
This needs to be shared with every Senator and Congressman – and to All State Attorney Generals – Something has to change to elimate this fraud
This needs to be shared with all Senators and Congressmen and State Attorney Generals – it is time to expose this fraud
My daughter experienced the exact same thing while working at a grocery store. Rude, entitled moochers working the system in every imaginable way possible.
Somehow my daughter was able to work 30 hours a week checking groceries, wait tables 4 nights a week and take 3 college classes, but the grown men and women who paraded through her checkout line each and every day with their welfare funds could not be bothered with such a thing as work.
I say it all the time. I am all for giving someone a hand up but I am sick of all the people exploiting that system and holding the rest of us hostage with it. Oh they’ll get theirs but I’m going to get mine too, and if you try to take it away from me I am going to get everyone to hate on you because you don’t care about the poor. Charity should be through a church and not through everyone’s paycheck before they are even allowed to cash it!
Excellent article.
My brother worked for a Walmart in Connecticut, he could have written this same commentary. He was disgusted by what he saw and had to go along with(store policy).
I really appreciate the attitude that you showed throughout this post. It is actually nearly perfectly in line with how I see things. I understand that there are folks who truly need assistance, but the way that welfare and food stamps are set up, basically allow folks to USE the programs whether they need them or not.
Excellent post though, and I can’t wait to see more in the future.
Glad to see glimmers of Hope in the rising generation.
I knew this was happening. I see it writ large every time I go to Walmart at the beginning of the month. Thanks for documenting it so eloquently. My guess is that you will now be visited by federal authorities accusing you of a hate crime. If so, be sure to let us know.
Excellent! I worked my way through high school in grocery stores, and through part of college at Wal-Mart. Those jobs are part of the reason I chose to vote Republican. I have been on assistance. I had my son at 16, worked 2 jobs and went to school. He was on WIC because after I quit nursing he needed very specialized formula. Even with 2 jobs I couldn’t afford it. When in college I worked at WM and went to school full time. It was really expensive! I got food stamps to help make ends meet. I was very frugal with them and always had money left at the end of the month. When on WIC and Stamps, I got off of them as soon as I could. There was once a great stigma attached to using assistance programs, and honestly, there still ought to be. Excellent article.
Not every person who receives food stamps is on welfare. Some people receive food stamps because they’re receiving unemployment payments. I live in NY state and unfortunately that’s the situation we’re in right now. I *LOVE* getting dirty looks and being demonized like I’m a “Welfare Queen” even though my boyfriend and I are both looking for jobs in a tough market. We don’t have EBT cash. We only pay for food with food stamps, but that’s ALL food. So if I pick up a birthday cake for my boyfriend (which hasn’t happened cause I usually bake it myself, but hypothetically…), I wouldn’t hesitate to pay for it with food stamps. That’s what they’re there for — to buy food.
I used to have the same attitude that you do about this issue but the funny thing is that when you actually walk a mile in the same shoes you so easily criticized, it can change your perspective. I’d rather be working, but I swallowed my pride so my boyfriend and I wouldn’t end up on the street when we lost our jobs. The next time you want to pass judgment on people for stuff like this, really consider the fact that you don’t personally know their situation and ten to one says you don’t know if they’re buying porterhouse steaks, shrimp, and birthday cakes every week.
Having been on FS before I just want to say we were very thankful that we could get birthday cakes as the toys on it were the kids b-day presents. It filled a void. I was frustrated as FS do pay for seeds and plants for gardens but Walmart never priced them as food items. It would have been a much better use of the money. We are off the system now and we are very frugal. Knowing what we had coming in and what I budget now I see why some people stay on it. It is sad that people don’t see it as a temporary program
Wonderfully written! Thanks for sharing!
It’s not hard to put restrictions on welfare and food stamps. Why won’t the government do it? This is all in their grand scheme of things to overthrow our constitution and usher in the new world order. The government especially obama preys on the uneducated. If the new world order should ever happen these people are going to be in for a rude awakening and not be able to purchase 1/4 of the things they (taxpayers) buy.
While I agree with most of the qualms the writer has with people misusing aid from the state, I disagree that certain food considered “extravagant purchases” should be stopped as well. If a person wants to buy a steak, lobster, candy, what is wrong with that? Steak is good and considered FOOD and everyonre deserves to have the foods they enjoy. Should they buy it everyday and leave out essentials like fruit, water and vegetables? No. But don’t treat people who really do need the aid less than and feel you can limit their freedom in what they choose to eat.
When I was in college (35 years ago) my wife and I were just scraping by on mac & cheese and oatmeal. I worked in a grocery store, and one night 4 other college students came in. They were renting a house together and they combined their food stamps and bought 2 cart-loads of groceries with steaks, roasts, all primo groceries. I have been very suspect of our welfare system ever since.
Like most, I don’t have a problem with a hand up for those who need it – by the Grace of God as they say.
But this kind of abuse is what is destroying our Country. I too have seen it back when I worked retail in high school and college.
Instead of the Government paying farmers not to farm, how about they grow commodities that can then be sold in Government Commodity stores or in certain sections of the regular grocery store? Then, those on public assistance can get all of the rice, beans, meat, vegetables, flour, milk, cheese, eggs, etc. that they need to feed their families.
If you want more than that, well then, there’s your incentive to get off public assistance.
Absolutely fabulous job young lady. Your insight gives me hope for the future
I witnessed something like this at a Goodwill checkout. Apparently people who qualify for our tax dollars are also given a discount there and I would think it would be for warm clothing and necessities. The woman ahead of me used her card to pay for jewelry.
Another time in a Wal Mart line a woman ahead of me sorted out her groceries from her pile of CDs & movies and I wondered why until she paid for her groceries with food stamps.
I am very proud to know that there are young people with working brains out there. I also think you are very brave to report this, and it should be shared until (if) the nonsense stops.
I do understand what you are saying, but are you saying that just because they are on food stamps they shouldn’t be able to eat a steak once in a while. I too have worked in a grocery store and have seen the abuse that happens. You are correct that once you get on the system its almost impossible to get off, but some of that is the governments fault. They start trying to get on their feet by getting a job and the government pulls the floor out from under them, taking everything from them all at once. They won’t let you get things going before they take everything so its easier just to stay on welfare and not worry that you won’t be able to eat cos you make just enough money to have benefits denied. I to am a republician, but I have seen first hand through people I know that if you try to help yourself at all the government cuts you off at your knees. Reform is neede, but it has to be done in the right way.
If you try to limit which items they can purchase you are distorting the markets.
There will always be fraud in systems. Be it Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Assistance, Government Contracting, Tax Returns. You’ll get over it once you grow up and get a real job out in the real world.
Welfare queens are people voting themselves money, that is usually the point when a democracy starts on the path to implosion. Once voting yourself money catches on, every politician joins the game to exchange entitlement for votes, from there its about 100 years before the democracy dismantles because money is gone, honest taxpayers decline dramatically, every one tries to either leave the system or hide their incomes or failing that starts stealing from the system.
Just excellent, we need many, many more people of your age to start to think as you do.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here in Detroit while I was still employed with my company’s stamping plant on Detroit’s east side, I would skip out for lunch and pick up a couple things at the then existing party stores and wait in line behind the food stamp champs as they purchased their tobacco and alcohol products from the knowing store owner who would charge them dollars on the pennies for the products that weren’t approved under the welfare program. Food stamp conversions are a major source of income for inner city party stores and they are getting busted regularly in Detroit/
Inventory databases being what they are, it would be trivial to restrict WIC and EBT purchases to staple items such as milk, bread, low-cost cuts of meat, etc. Just one field in the database and you eliminate all purchases of luxury items. Why is this not a hot button issue in Maine and everywhere else?
Yes we need to stop the corporate welfare that goes on with this country. Who benefits more from this abuse, the people on welfare or Wall mart? It’s disgusting that people have to work two jobs just to afford to go to school and the only place that really reaps the benefits is that corporation, while it destroys local economies and gets job creation tax breaks as well.
Pardon me, but is the “benefit” the fault of Walmart? The decision is made by those with the ENTIRE card to spend there. Lastly would you like to provide sources on how Walmart has devalued local economies? My local Walmart has done no such thing if not having promoted expansion.
Pardon me, but is the “benefit” the fault of Walmart? The decision is made by those with the EBT card to spend there. Lastly would you like to provide sources on how Walmart has devalued local economies? My local Walmart has done no such thing if not having promoted expansion.
Wow… What an enlightened and sage experienced opinion you have developed as a seasoned observer and veteran cashier at Walmart… I will pray that you nor any of your friends and/or loved ones ever fall on hard times… I am more concerned with your lack of kindness than the welfare status issues in Maine… I am confident you will regret some of your judgments recorded here, once you have actually experienced some actual ‘living’…
Very well written, the only item I would not be too concerned about someone one FS buying would be the birthday cake.
The reason is because a few years ago, a lady wrote the local paper here, and they pubished the letter she wrote it was really sad. She said she had always worked, but because of her daughters diagnoses of cancer she could no longer hold a full time job, because of all the appointments and things she had to go to. Then at the last appointment not long before her daughter’s birthday, she was told her daughter was not going to be here much longer, if I remember right it was less than a year of life expectancy left.
She was very upset, and wanted to do something nice for what would be her daughters last birthday, so she purchased one of the fancy birthday cakes at the grocery store on fs. She stated she didnt have any money left after paying for all of her daughters care, and that her family had only recently qualified for foodstamps, (she said she’d never used them before, and that it was embarrassing to her)
Anyway, she bought the cake, and then overheard someone making a rude comment about how she should not have done that, which is what led her to write the paper, if I remember right her daughter died not long after that, and it was right after her daughters death that she wrote the paper.
Sometimes I think things are not quite what they seem. However, most of the time it seems like more people than not are abusing the system, and that is sad because it makes it so that people who need help either can’t get help, or won’t apply because of being afraid that someone will think that they are abusing the system.
Anyway, I think that there is a lot more abuse goes on than is even noticed, by people who have become dependant and who have now obtained the mindset that they are entitled to whatever that can be obtained by applying for welfare.
We need to abolish Welfare COMPLETELY. Get rid of ALL entitlement programs- Welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security- ANY program that forceably removes money from the worker and gives back to the worker or to ANYONE else. It should NEVER have been taken without the workers permission…PERIOD. It is pure, legalized theft. No exceptions.
@ME Smith- Why is it a “lack of kindness” for someone to keep the money they earned, but NOT a lack of kindness for the government to steal money from others? You are such a hypocrite. I would bet $1,000 that if someone came up to you in the street and demanded your money, you would fight them tooth and nail- even if the reason they were taking your money was to give it to the homeless. You’re full of crap.
One thing that needs to be done is cashiers need to quit allowing the abuse at the register and a lot of this would stop.
Excellent article which illustrates why all welfare programs should be turned over to states and/or counties and municipalities. A short distance between the source (who writes the checks) to the recipients might discourage this type of behavior. Somehow, hardworking taxpayers need to be able to hold welfare cheats accountable…..even using that old-fashioned method — Shame!
My first sentence should have said “I would not be too concerned about someone on fs using foodstamps to purchase a birthday cake, there really could be a valid reason”
i went to a pick n save store here in wisconsin a week ago….and unfortunatly i too have a story to share with you regarding the abuse of EBT funds,,,,,this woman had cases of soda at least 8 to 10 steaks and countless other junk food items in her cart…..i looked at her shaking my head in utter amazement and she had the nerve to tell me to mind my own business….i said lady im paying taxes for you to abuse freely so dont give me any lip about your careless shopping habits….the cashier smiled at me and said she was proud that someone had the guts to tell the person something she wishes she were allowed to do….some ppl truly need the help but a ton of ppl freely abuse it and brag about it on youtube and sadly theres even ebt videos posted flaunting its abuse….lets hope something can be done about it but im not counting on it
In the early 80′s I worked for the Township version of Welfare. Some of the files I worked on were begun in the early 1940′s & they showed up every month for the Township to pay their rent & utilities. They showed up driving Cadillacs, dressed to the teeth some wearing furs! One man was pimped out & healthy. I asked why he was on relief & was told “because he “volunteered” as a dj at a radio station & didn’t have time to work! The job was a temp job. They offered me full time. I turned them down.
I am a person using medicaid and foodstamps, why? Because we can not afford it, I was working I worked for as long as possible til my daughter’s illness had gotten worse.
I have 2 children with special needs, and I can not work due to 4/5 appointments a week, and traveling 6hours to one appointment 3 times a month!
I do agree that those who ABUSE the foodstamps and ADC should be introuble.
but DON’T give everyone on them a bad rep.
I am ONLY On it because I NEED to be!
Wish there was *thumbs up* icon for this article and many, many of the comments. She’s right. Put restrictions and time limits on social programs, and stop stealing from the tax payer’s. It will be better for the people on the programs; having limits and goals, and it will make the general public happier to help.
Extremely well written. my wife works for a grocery chain and could have written this letter. The storys she tells me are neverending wonders. sometime she sees over $3000.00 left on a food stamp card. There is MASSIVE fraud here and you are allowed to buy soda and lobster with your card. I’m all for assistance, but the way this Govt is set up, there is no incentive to do any better for yourself and get off assistance. And UNFORTUNATELY, Pres Obama wants all of us dependent on the Govt. A double whammy. My question to all the dogooders in DC, where is your never ending number of taxpaying, hardworking Americans going to come from??There is only a limited number of WORKING people. The rest are unemployed, looking for work, over 99 weeks looking for work or retired.
Since when is Social Security an entitlement Mr. CDog? I paid into it for over forty years. My employers paid into it for over 40 years. I think I’m entitled to drawing a bit of it out now that I’m old…I’m sure you’ll feel the same when you reach my age.
I also pay my medicare payments even though I’m not sick. What do I receive from Medicare? Nothing. As soon as I reached 65 the Govt starts taking it out of my SS check, even though I don’t use that benefit. Kind of like insurance, isn’t it?
Get informed before you post so people won’t think you’re such an ignoramus. Thanks.
Well said. Excellent article. I agree that Welfare should be a temporary crutch, not a life-time entitlement that some people think they deserve.
I have to say something about this tho… I do know of people who abuse the system… But, there are people who do need help. The young lady writing this story… tell me do you make enough at walmart to support yourself with no help from credit cards or your parents? I look at the whole situation this way. If you fit into the criteria of being able to qualify then you deserve them. Not having a job right now is the norm for many. If you cant make enough even if you do have a job then that says something about how the system is messed up with the pay rate. But when you live outside of your means by using credit cards… that says something about you. You are not really making it yourself. The stuff you charge on your card is like welfare until it is paid off. You are doing no less than borrowing something that isnt yours. Tell me how many people go bankrupt to avoid paying for living outside their means… You cant REPO food you eat that you paid for with a credit card. Everyone… should have to pay with cash!!! Lets see how well you live then!!!!!!!!!!!
Judgmental cashiers who have been blessed enough to not be on welfare are the reason many of us choose the self-checkout line. Especially those of us who are the majority of people on food stamps and simply found ourselves in hard circumstances, needing to use the system for a while. We don’t want to be judged for what we purchase, as we won’t judge you. We don’t want to be judged for our clothing or our iPhones — perhaps that was a gift; perhaps we are stuck in a 2-year contract. The system was created for people like us, but it is people like you who make it so humiliating.
Thank you for your observation. This permanent welfare is not helping this country.
As a previous poster said, being on public assistance used to have a stigna associated with it. I concur that it would be nice if it still had the stigma, but it doesn’t. When I was a child, my mom (single mom) had to get food stamps. She was mortified, but we needed it. She had lost her job. However, I believe we only on it for maybe a month or two. She found a job and got off the assistance immediately. There was nothing worse than paying for groceries with food stamps. It was embarassing to say the least. She never wasted that money on stupid items either. She made it last so we could eat and not be HUNGRY. She did NOT have a birthday party with a cake from the bakery department.
As for the people buying lobster and steak…that is ridiculous. I have heard several people, some on this comment section, say they deserve to have a nice meal. I say “really?” Did they work for that meal? I don’t have food stamps. I work every day and I have had some rough times where I have had to go for 2 weeks with $10 in my pocket and barely had enough gas. I am not on food stamps, I won’t go on it unless it was absolutely necessary. I don’t get lobster or steak, because I cannot afford it. If you are food stamps, then you can’t afford the lobster or steak either. You are using someone else’s money to buy extravagent items and that is NOT right. To me, this attitude that they “deserve” this is getting out of hand. Why does one deserve something expensive when they haven’t worked for it?
Wonderful article. Thank you for your excellent and well written/thought out perspective!
I am a couponer/price matching queen at “The Wal-Mart.” I am always amazed at how hard I work to save a dollar for our family and yet I see so many wasting tax dollars.
Makes me so sad.
Thank you again!
This young lady needs to understand life from a few more views than that of her own privilige and narrowminded view ( republican) in this case.
This country was founded on some very basic and humane principles,
i.e.
All men are created equal,not to be confused with what or whom we are born into!!!
I understand that people suck, but so does walmart. What were you expecting?
LOL is someone unearthing the old Reagan lie about Cadillac-driving welfare queens?! I think anyone who takes a tax credit or deduction should be drug tested.
And let us not forget that Maine is a welfare state. They get more money from the Federal Government than they give in taxes.
Lori,
You said it all!!
How much larger do you want government to grow in order to enforce your personal opinions on what types of food SNAP recipients do and do not deserve to buy?
will the list be updated annually? will it be a whitelist or blacklist? how much government money will be wasted on administrative hearings contesting incorrectly classified food items, how much government money will be spent defending lawsuits from manufacurers who’s products have been excluded?
what would be the criteria for inclusion or exclusion? what would be the criteria for evaluating the performance of the criteria for inclusion or exclusion?
Wow! Very well written article! Thank you for showing us that there is hope for the younger generation of Americans!
I have been on both sides of this issue- as a young mother with young children we were abandoned by my husband. He packed up, left with his girlfriend and never came back, never paid a penny of child support and hid on the reservation so they couldn’t come after him. We applied for foodstamps and health care for the kids. We were on for about 9 months. I was always careful to buy as much good healthy food as possible, but when birthdays or holidays came it was a blessing to be able to get them a cake and some candy because they wouldn’t be getting anything else. I was constantly disgusted when at the welfare office by the people there in brand new clothes, driving nice cars, talking on their cell phones and bragging about how much they were sucking off the government and giving each other tips to get more and how to stay on as long as possible. Even though I had paid my taxes for years it hurt my pride big time to get on foodstamps and get the health care for the kids, but I had no option. The second we were able to get off we did. I also told them NO to the cash option- I was working two jobs and I didn’t want anything more from them than we had to take. It’s embarrassing to be on welfare.
During that same time I also worked as a grocery store cashier and was absolutely appalled at the fraud going on. People would have a cart of junk foods and convienence foods to use their foodstamps on and then a cart of clothes, jewelry, games, toys, shoes, etc. they paid cash for. I personally know a woman who has been on welfare, every single program available (and yes, earlier poster, foodstamps ARE welfare) since 1997!! In her state you are supposed to be limited to 5 years max. for welfare, but she is still on it to this day. She brags to everyone how she works the system like a pro. She has a nice house she pays less than $100 a month in rent for after assistance, her utilities are paid for, her phone is paid for, her food is paid for, her daycare is paid for, her car and gas are subsidized, she has a dozen different churches provide them with Christmas and another 6 agencies/charities doing the same. Her kids (all different father’s) have 10 times the gifts my kids ever had or will ever have! She refuses to work although she is in great health. She is now going to college, again, for FREE, along with cash to live on while attending. She already has 2 AA degrees, never has worked with them one single day, is taking another AA course and a bunch of fun classes for different arts and crafts and exercise. I have turned her into the foodstamp fraud line, the welfare fraud liine, the FAFSA fraud line and made calls to the various charities and churches providing for her and she STILL is getting everything FREE!!!! It makes me sick!! Her oldest daughter is now doing the same thing- they live together and lie and say she has to pay the mom rent so the daughter gets foodstamps and cash assistance now along with FREE college for her second degree too!! She never worked one day with her first degree (which I paid for). It is generational because that is what they teach their children, these leeches on the system.
It is most definitely BROKEN and in NEED of HUGE amounts of change!!! BHO is not going to do anything about it- his goal is socialism and making us as dependent upon the government as possible is a huge help to him.
Wow you’re judgey
I want to say one other thing, don’t give this young lady are hard time. She is absolutely right. She is not judgemental. She is just being honest and if you are not abusing the system, you should completely understand the point of this article. This is about abuse of the system and those that use it permanently. Not the people truly in need, who uses it as a hand up, not a hand out.
If you are getting lobster with your food stamps, you are abusing the system. If you are buying your supplies for your hot dog cart, you are abusing the system. If you are going to the bakery to buy a fully decorated cake that is 10 times more expensive than getting a mix and frosting, you are abusing the system. If you are on your iPhone and buying lobster at the same time…you are abusing the system. But I guess it is ok, it isn’t their money right? Why be frugal?
I have been on food stamps, so don’t give me the “walk a mile in their shoes.” If I were to get on food stamps due to bad circumstances, I would buy inexpensive items and stock up. I would not waste other people’s hard earned money on lobster for one meal instead of buying 3-4 meals worth of food. I would instead be a good steward with that money and buy as much as I could so I felt good that I didn’t waste their money and made it last. Remember, this money is not the government’s money, it is the money from tax paying citizens of this great country. Everytime someone abuses the system, it puts this country deeper in debt and thus requiring the hard working citizens to fork over more cash. This assistance doesn’t come off the government money tree. Sometimes, I think that people don’t realize where this money comes from. It comes from your neighbor, the woman at the check out line, the bank teller, the plumber, etc. It shouldn’t be abused…ever. Even if you think you “deserve” a lobster dinner.
@Sheri-I don’t have a credit card! Nor would my parents let me get one. My family is not rich, nor are we poor. We’re a typical middle-class family. We don’t vacation every year. We don’t have a massive plasma TV. My parents worked extremely hard to put themselves through college (my father working 2+ jobs) so that they would be able to provide the best for my brother and I. My brother has been working each summer (and into the fall) at a seafood restaurant since he was 14 years old. He’s got thousands of dollars saved in his bank account. My brother and I understand the value of hard work thanks to the good example provided by our parents. I’m thankful for all that I have been blessed with.
My question is what did you do about it?
I agree 100% with this young woman. I worked for the Dept. of Social Services in the 70′s and saw firsthand the waste, fraud & abuse that runs rampant in the system. It’s passed on from generation to generation and they don’t know what it is to earn something from the sweat of their own brow…..just given to them without earning it in some way. Enough is enough! I’m sick of it. I see it in the stores when I check out. Paying with food stamps and WIC but they have blinged out cell phones, gold teeth, designer basketball jerseys, nail manicured, hair extensions, and 3 or 4 kids in the cart under the age of 5. Sickening!
@Lori… Perhaps that humiliation will provide you with incentive to get your hands out of my pockets
This was very well written and I did not see it as directed at those that need short term help. There does need to be a safety net that allows people time to get back on their feet. There is however some confusion about accountability in our country these days. Neither I nor any other working class person is responsible for helping others evade the consequences of their bad decisions. Long term welfare needs to go away.
I have to say that although I agree partly with what you’re saying, I have seen the ‘other side’ of someone who had to have food stamps. One of my best friends and her family had to live off of food stamps for 6 months. They didn’t want to. I actually encouraged them to get some financial help. Her husband lost his business and lost all their income. He looked and looked for jobs. She did as well. They didn’t get anything for months. If they didn’t get food stamps, they wouldn’t of been able to eat. Some families have been on food stamps for years and it’s hard to get out of that type of life. Think of the people who live in some of the poorest areas in Appalachia. I have heard that if you are born there, it’s hard to get out of there. Not to be mean to you and what you said, but if someone is on food stamps, are they not allowed to have some of the advantages as the middle class? Can they not be able to eat a steak and have an ice cream cake? They should be able to have some of the same luxuries as the rest of the people who can afford them. They shouldn’t have to just eat mac and cheese and other high starch foods because that’s all they can afford. It’s just sad all around. The person that had the i phone maybe had just lost his job and had to go on food stamps and didn’t get a chance to cancel his phone. I’m not saying that people don’t ‘milk’ the system, because not everyone is honest and eventually it will catch up to them. But, I know many families who have filed Chapter 7 just this year. Many families who have been able to live a ‘normal’ life and it changed in the blink of an eye. It’s unfortunate that the families on welfare have generational apathy. But not everyone on welfare is considered ‘lazy’. Some people just have unfortunate events that take place in their lives. I stood in line before when I could barely feed my family when my boys were young and watched people with food stamps purchase all kinds of wonderful foods, while I had to stick to a budget of less than $100 per week for groceries.When my husband was in the Navy and we were a young married couple with a baby, we made $500 too much a year in order to qualify for WIC which would have provided milk, butter, eggs and cheese for us. We lived in an attic and were below poverty level. Even through our hardships and never getting assistance, it didn’t make me bitter. Over the years, my views have changed to where I can see where people need assistance. Our country is very fortunate. We have the best country in the world but yet there are poor people who live here and their lives may never change for the better.They may never get out of their struggles. I think if someone tries to find a job, works diligently at searching but yet can’t find one, it’s okay if they have to rely on food stamps. They shouldn’t be judged. They may not have the opportunities in their lives to change their destiny. None of us know what their true lives are like. We can’t judge them whether we are a cashier at a grocery store watching their purchases or in line behind them scanning what they buy. No one really knows except for God and the rest of us can’t determine their true hardships or lives unless we walk a mile in their shoes.
One mistake: That IS how welfare was intended – for aid until the children grew up. It was intended for widows who had lost the breadwinner of their families – or at any rate was expanded out of this relief for widowed coal miners. The worst mistake made was making welfare available to never married mothers and denying benefits to married women. Husbands abandoned their wives because it made economic sense to do so – and even to never marry at all.
Wow! How judgemental can you be. To believe all who receive Food Stamps do not work!!
I hope you no longer work in the public sector. No I do not receive Food Stamps and Yes! I work.
Your time at Walmart taught you that using the proof by example logical fallacy is okay. You need more college.
“Judgmental cashiers who have been blessed enough to not be on welfare are the reason many of us choose the self-checkout line. Especially those of us who are the majority of people on food stamps and simply found ourselves in hard circumstances, needing to use the system for a while. We don’t want to be judged for what we purchase, as we won’t judge you. We don’t want to be judged for our clothing or our iPhones — perhaps that was a gift; perhaps we are stuck in a 2-year contract. The system was created for people like us, but it is people like you who make it so humiliating.”
You are one of the many that did not read this. Her issue is not with those that need help. It is for those that take advantage of the system. If I lost my job – the “toys” would be the first to go. A lot of hard working people view this the same. I grew up in a working family that worked HARD and needed help from time to time. The kind of help as above. It was used for a short time – when needed – and that was it. We got through it. The iPhone, I am sure, is just one of many examples that she could of chosen to use. Another being $200 jeans, lux cars, name brand hand bags. This is what has upset people – including the writer. Nice clothes as a gift? Come on, we all know the rarity of that.
I also work for Wal-Mart in Maine, and its the same thing day in and day out. What I find even more comical is when the welfare moochers bring in piles and piles of coupons, to save money on the money that the state gives them every month? Its one thing if you are financially unstable and are unable to afford groceries upon all your other finances. I’m actually excited that Paul LePage is going to do something about this (first time I’ve ever agreed with him), but something seriously needs to be done.
I work for a collection agency, collecting on medical bills, and Medicare & Medicaide are our too major payers. Some ppl I talk to think they are intittled to healthcare, and scream at me telling me “Mediare will pay for that I don’t pay a thing” that idea of no responsibility is scary.
Thank you for writing this article. These real-life examples help to make your points clearly and definitively.
Wow! Must really be nice to be a kid making judgements on something you clearly no nothing about. My kids are on Food Stamps. I buy them steaks and birthday cakes too. You know why they get Food stamps?? Their deadbeat father refuses to pay child support and refuses to get a job. He sits around all day selling drugs. I take care of them with that food stamp money. If I didn’t have it they wouldn’t get enough to eat. I don’t make enough to afford the food for 3 children along with clothes, shoes, school supplies, doctors, rent and everything else they need to live.
I am the Father to these children. The sperm donor walked out on their mother when the smallest was 3 years old to get milk and never came back. So next time you wanna start judging why don’t you try walking a mile in our shoes. You worked one summer. I have been working since I was 15!! I run a REAL business I am a Sign Maker & Printer. My taxes pay for your Education. When you were born I was already holding two full time jobs and going to school. My wife has been able to find work in 3 years after being laid off as a Clerk of the Courts. A real JOB not some clerk at a Wal-Mart. So, yes my kids are entitled to those benefits. I pay for them with my Corporate Taxes!! Which are a lot more in one month then you have ever paid into the system.
The Republicans & the Democrats are both at Fault for our lousy economy!
Brilliant young Lady!
I gotta say using food stamps to buy hotdogs and then selling them is freaking brilliant. Wrong, but brilliant.
The simple fact of the matter is, public assistance or not, you do not buy steak and lobster with your food stamps. I am not on public assistance at all. I work 55 hours a week, bust my butt to provide for my family, my husband works nights. I went to school, got my education while working nights and paid for school by myself. I did what I had to do to get ahead, all while doing it without state assistance. There is nothing wrong with individuals who need some TEMPORARY help, this is the major problem, the system is abused. This topic makes me so angry. People have a sense of entitlement, these benefits are not owed to anyone. The person that wrote about credit cards, there is a big difference. If you do not pay your bill, there are consequences; what are the consequences for state assistance fraud? There are none, this being another problem. I do not buy steak for my family, we drive an 11 year old vehicle, I do not have internet on my phone and have a free phone that I received. Yes we may have the luxury of some items, but when I go out and work 55 hours in a week, I think I should be able to have a luxury item once in a while. I try to coupon for my family to save money, most individuals on food stamps don’t care, it is not their money.
My thoughts are all over the place, but this topic makes me so angry. I se it all too often. This young lady did a fabulous job and in my opinion did not judge anyone. It is not working individuals that humiliate those on state benefits, individuals that make such purchases and flaunt their state benefits do that and unfortunately it does hurt those that truly need the TEMPORARY benefits. I deal with unemployed individuals on a daily basis, jobs are few and far between, but there are jobs out there, especially during the holidays, but again people don’t want to work at McDonalds, etc. A job is a job-contributing member of society.
I could go on and on on this topic, I SERIOUSLY hope someone stops this horrible welfare system!
@Carl – So there was $3000 left on the card. How does that indicate abuse? That tells me they qualified for more help than they used. We need more people like that.
I lost my job unexpectedly. I qualified for food assistance for eight months before I even applied for it. Some people really don’t want to “use” the system but for their own reasons, which are none of your business, they do need the help. Churches, not the government, should provide this help. But they don’t, or can’t. Maybe because the people are taxed so much they have nothing left to give the church.
There has and will always be fraud in systems. Be it Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Assistance, Government Contracting, Tax Returns. Lets find law makers that know or care enough to fix it before it takes us all down! You’d be amazed at how much beverage alcohol and drugs etc. are purchased by selling food stamps at a discount to others or exchanging your purchase for an in store credit to take to the liquor dept..
What this comes down to is a complete imbalance between rights and responsibilities. I have certain rights because I fulfill certain responsibilities. Others demand these same rights, but refuse the responsibilities.
If all men are created equal, why do I bear the burden of work, taxes, paying for my own food, mortgage, clothing and children, while others don’t bear these responsibilities equally?
Welfare is wrong. I would feel more benevolent, more generous, if the government wasn’t forcibly taking my money and giving it to others who demand it.
There are people who need help in this world. It shouldn’t be the government who provides the help. It should come from family, church and community. Everyone I know would open their cupboards to a neighbor in need. Likewise, everyone I know is resentful that the government takes from our cupboards and supports many who demand it because thy feel it is their right to take from others.
They are not relying on the “State.” They are relying on the sweat and toil of their neighbors and the store owner in their home town.
AND Just an FYI, unemployment benefits as well as state assistance are not benefits nor determined by what you pay in and is not an “entitlement”. Unemployment benefits consist of taxes, pd for by the employer you worked for…not by the individuals’ working
Well written. Nicely done!
Great write up! This info is sadly no surprise, but must be shared nonetheless.
“PISSED OFF at Judgemental Children” you need to just pipe down. If you took the time to read the article which clearly you didn’t then you would’ve seen she was “passing judgement” on those who abuse the system and do nothing to get off of it. So for all your accusations of people being judgmental you’re clearly the judgmental one here cause I doubt you even read the article or else you would’ve known that. An somehow my mother was in a similar situation as yours worked 3 shitty jobs and went to school full time an still managed to support me and my brother making sure we never went without anything that we needed. Me and my brother had no clue the sacrifices my mother made and all while NEVER GOING ON SOCIAL SERVICES, so by the sounds of things you and your “family” don’t really need it much cause I doubt you’re making less then an paying more in taxes and bills then my mother did seeing as how we live in NY one of the most taxed states. So really quit being a hypocrite cause I doubt you need social services near as much as you’re making it out to be or else you wouldn’t be getting fucking steaks an amazing birthday cakes for your children. People like you make me fucking sick you really do cause there are people who make sacrifices for their family an not going on social services when they don’t need it oh and are also not feeling like they’re entitled to anything in life like clearly you do, cause let me tell you something the only thing you’re entitled in life to is breathing and basic civil rights. Feeling entitled to money that isn’t fucking yours isn’t something you’re fucking entitled to. So please just shut up cause people like you honestly do make me sick an we need drastic reform to make sure shit like that stated in this article NEVER happens.
Clearly some people here did not get the JIST of what you were saying. Those of us with half a brain understood completely. ABUSE folks. If your on welfare it’s NOT OK for you to have an Iphone and it’s NOT ok that you get to buy lobster tails, or hold up a line and be rude to the cashier because you think you are entitled to that vacuum for $3.48.. Give me a break! When I went through hard times, I scaled back.. it’s called sacrificing and I sure didn’t have a $300 phone with a $100 a month cell phone bill and purchase Lobster! Your not entitled to what I earn! Great Article hon, you nailed it!!
I don’t know. I actually don’t see as much of a problem with that. It at least shows a sign of some economic thinking. Ifbthey can get more for less then there is less of a chance of them complaining like the real moochers out there. It shows a possible push to step out of the position their in, which is the actual purpose of food stamps, temporary assistance to get you on your feet.
Isn’t spending Food stamps, putting money into Americans pocket helping the USA out, any? Plus, why do people on FS should be made to eat low grade meats, and the cheep stuff that’s loaded with sodium and preservatives? Geesh, I guess us po folks will never win.
Well no, they are not meant to eat “lower quality” meals, only within their means.
Putting other people’s money into the socket of others doea not necessarily help the rest of the country. Eventually you run out of everyone elses’ money. It doesn’t create jobs only maintains a few.
Awesome article! Thank you so much for summing it all up! I agree with you 110 percent
I HAVE walked a mile in the shoes of some of the people who are on welfare and assistance. The difference is, I worked my tail off to get OFF of it as soon as possible, because I know how easy it makes a person decide it is smarter NOT to work and ride the system. I also did not want my daughter growing up thinking it was a viable option in anything other than absolutely necessary circumstances. Face it, people are hurting. Many more right now are on assistance than has been for many many years. They need it to feed their families, and pay their bills. But I can say there are many who abuse the system and ruin it for others. Lobster and Steak on food stamps? I would never have even thought about it. Do I understand needing to use what you are given to keep things at a “normal” for your kids’ birthday? Yes. But purchasing a cart every month of junk food and stuff that is not necessary all because you have the money, when the hard-working people I know can not afford to sit down at a steak dinner more than once every six months, just makes me sick. Short term assistance should be completely available to anyone who needs it. Long-term…no way.
I completely agree with everything you have said! I work in a grocery store, although smaller than Wal-Mart, we see this kind of thing everyday. Someone will come up to pay for their “groceries” with their EBT card. Then after this transaction is all said and done, they pull out a wad of cash and want to buy cigarettes, lottery tickets, and alcohol. If you have the kind of money to be supporting your addictions, then you don’t need the assistance that so many others are denied!
I for one am against government welfare programs. If there is a desire of the public to help the destitute, let the public do so at their own discretion. Private charities are far more efficient and would receive more donations if people weren’t bound to giving 30% or more of their incomes to an inefficient state involved in acts of charity they have no constitutional mandate to undertake.
Thank you, Christine. Providence should be proud to have a student as intelligent, insightful, and articulate as you.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Give him a fishing pole and you feed him for life.
The State is not the savior of mankind.
The entitlement mentality runs so deep here in Maine. Watch how long it takes for one to cross the street, or fist fight over the closest possible parking spot for a large person to conserve each and every calorie, ride an expensive little scooter, and then demand to have beer, cigarettes and tattoos paid for by my tax dollars.
I am so sick of it.
I have to say that abusing the system is wrong. But you do not know the stories behind the people that go through your line. And to judge them, or to eqaute them all as “losers” or “moochers” is also wrong. My mother used foodstamps to put food on our table, without it we would have gone hungry. My parents are both hard working people but just don’t make enough to cover the basics. We often didn’t have a phone, and we never had cable or internet growing up or any other extras. I’m all for reform and fixing the holes in the system, but there is a real need for Welfare.
You made some good points but your one sided understanding of this problem frustrates me. You can’t make a fair and equal agrument without understanding both sides.
Good start, but it doesn’t tell me much that I don’t know from being behind the entitled man who was upset he couldn’t buy a half-gallon of milk (rather than a full gallon, much more economical per unit) with the WIC benefits his presence in the household was probably hidden to receive.
Tell me something that actually surprises me:
- The guy from Massachusetts was using benefits from his state in yours, yes? I travel a lot for work but it had never occurred to me that one state’s EBT cards could be used elsewhere. Did you have anyone come from farther away? Maybe they were on a long vacation from not working, and not exactly traveling coach? Maybe they relocated from a high-cost-of-living, high-benefit state without sending in a change of address and are abusing the use-it-anywhere part of electronic benefits transfer?
- The ‘S’ in SNAP stands for “supplemental,” and money is fungible. What were some of the bennies supplementing?
The article is good writing, but the outright examples of abuse are thin. For two summers of your life I suspect you can dig in and find better.
By the way, the State of Maine also pays for this class of people to not only shop at Walmart all day, but to go online day and night. They own the internet and can flood posts like there is no tomorrow. The rest of us have to go to work so we can stay up all night and post.
“What, young man, do you do for a living?”
Answer: TANF
24 year old able bodied men playing video games all day because the doctor signed on saying “Attention Deficit Disorder” and now they are “disabled” and go about breeding. They do not feel like a man, so they must prove it. Each breeding means another welfare recipient for the working class.
I don’t care what the story is: you don’t work, you don’t eat.
Great post. And my boss is an alum of Providence.
When someone on welfare has a bill it is added to their check, this is why they can have a cell phone and cable TV.
Lynn, I was one of 10 kids and my mother and father worked as many hours as they could and refused food stamps. They had their dignity.
You could have done without the oreos.
Where is your self respect?
First of all, I agree with JenB. The first time I saw responses about getting a cake for a birthday, I thought ‘Do you know how much a cake from the baker costs? I could get mix and frosting and make about 4 for the price of that 1 cake!’ Too lazy to actually make a cake, I guess. Secondly, no, if you are on FS or WIC or whatever, than you can’t eat like you did when you were working. Microwave ‘convenience’ foods shouldn’t be allowed on those programs. What happened to buying flour and bread, ground beef, vegetables and noodles and actually ‘cooking’ a meal?
I used to have a good job, but got laid off. Looked for work for over a year to no avail. I collected unemployment. My wife also lost her job in that year and we looked into FS. But our unemployment was higher than income limit by $60 a month and since we don’t have children we couldn’t qualify. I eventually found a job for 40% of my previous income and took it. It paid less than unemployment. That company lost its contract and I am now unemployed again. My wife is still unemployed. The bank just filed a notice of foreclosure on our house.
Now, do I feel like I should be entitled? No. Do I eat the food I used to? No. Our budget for groceries is $25 a week. We have never gone hungry. We cook all our meals, don’t go out or order in. To feel that you are ‘entitled’ to steak, lobster, store made cake or the like is just plain wrong. I understand the occasional ‘hand-up’ but even then, it should be used way more responsibly. We cancelled her cell, dropped the land line and cable, do our clothes shopping at thrift stores. I have no sense of ‘entitlement’ or anyone oweing me anything despite our situation.
Crousselle – very well written and visionary article. We need more of you in this world.
Since we have to have a government license to have a dog, why not start licensing cats? Then we can use the money to give to the walmart deadbeats who keep making babies?
Just be thankful Allen’s Coffee Brandy is one of the five food groups for Mainers.
This, along with Marlboro, Wild Turkey, and Diet Pepsi can be ingested with Ice Cream to make up a healthy balance for my food stamps.
I agree our system is messed up but I want to show both sides of the coin. My husband and I were doing fantastic, bills paid, little extra in the bank, etc. Then our lives took a nosedive in 3 months. My husband was diagnosed with a cancer that most don’t survive. Then to top it off, I got laid off during the recession. We had to go on state insurance and thank God we did. If we hadn’t gone on Badgercare, we would have lost everything. Evantually I did get back to work, but only 28 hrs a week. “Yes, I would prefer to work full-time but I can’t work more than that. The reason is because even though he survived the chemo treatments, the chemo treatment was so severe, it did the worst things imaginable to him. 1. Toxic Neuropathy. He can no longer grip a hammer, hold a drill or do anything basic for what he used to do. Somedays I have to hold his hand so he can sign papers. How can someone like that work? He has to use a walker and has had 3 surgeries. 2. Heart damage. He has had a heart attack and due to the neuropathy, he can’t feel heart attacks. He can’t exert too much and will be having bypass soon since the chemo messed up the bottom of his heart.
My point? We went on food stamps and state insurance to live. We have a young daughter and would it have been better to lose our home due to massive medical bills and should she go hungry because we needed help? I cried when we went on assistance because I was ashamed that we needed to stoop to that, they were the ones to tell me to not be ashamed and that everyone needs help at some point in their lives.
If someone wants to buy some soda, a cake or even a steak, it’s money they were given to use. But here’s the thing, they are only given so much to spend in a month and if they choose to blow it in one shopping trip, it’s there problem. There were times my daughter wanted gummy worms or some cookies. Is it her fault her daddy was dealt a raw deal and she should go without? I admit, there was a time or two I would buy my daughter a Disney movie so what, that was my hard-earned cash from my job and if we chose to do that instead of taking her to expensive fast food joints or to the movies. A movie is something to watch more than once at home and it’s thrifty. Buying a CD is cheaper than a live concert. I watch people mismanage money in all walks of life, I watch people drink up their paychecks in a weekend and ask mommy and daddy to pay their bills, isn’t that welfare? We are no longer on the state insurance because my husband is now on Medicare for the rest of his life. Do you think a 51-yr old is happy sitting on his butt at home, absolutely not, he would give anything to work. Sometimes in life, choices are made for you. I always laugh listening to people I know who will party every weekend or go on extravagant shopping trips to Mall of America or expensive vacations and then cry about not having money and family will bail them out. It’s just a different form of assistance. It’s all gross mis-management. I can tell you we only got $350 a month to eat on. We had a garden and canned a lot ourselves and bought our meat in big bulk to save lots. I would use the money to buy noodles, potatoes, milk, bread, the staples needed. I remember feeling so ashamed because I could see eyes scanning my cart to see what I had and I got to the point I would shop out of town so if I did get judged at least it wasn’t anyone I knew. We don’t know what goes in some homes so please don’t lump all in one category. There are 3-4 generational welfare manipulators out there, but there are some of us that just needed to live. We are now off the insurance and EBT card, we still struggle, but we manage. This article just confirmed what I always felt, people are looking in the carts and judging. No one bats an eye watching a mother who has their baby in the cart who has 3 cases of beer and 10 bottles of booze and 6 cartons of cigs with nothing but junk food as long as it’s paid with their money. Is that any better? I couldn’t buy anything but food with my card and I made plenty of good choices, but there were times I would get my husband ice cream because it was the only thing he could stomach after chemo, was that wrong? If my daughter wanted chocolate syrup in her milk once in a while, is that wrong? Look, I’m all for people being responsible, but if you start telling people what they can and cant buy to put in their mouth, that’s ridiculous. My parents would come visit to help out when I needed to spend time with my husband at the hospital and they would eat the food in my fridge, it was EBT food, was it ok for them to consume it while I was at my husband’s side? Just try to not jump to conclusions until you know all circumstances in every situation.
I really agree with what this young lady is saying. Why is my college graduate daughter paying in half of her earnings as taxes? Since she has worked hard to get her degree, and works hard at her job, she has to pay for those teenage unwed moms. I am not saying that there are not people who truly need help but so many abuse the system. If you have one child, get welfare, and then have another one, YOU should have to pay for the second child out of your own pocket. One of my other daughters who went to school and works, needed dental work done….no help for her but she was told “well if you had a child” you would qualify for help….our government programs are designed to keep you on government aid instead of giving a hand up they give hand outs…
I agree with most of this, but I do have a few comments to make. My husband and I receive food stamps and Mainecare. I am a full time student and mother. I worked and paid into the system, and my husband always has and continues to. I pay for my groceries with food stamps and I have an iPhone. I had an iPhone long before the need arose for me to be on state aid. I am pretty sure that the $25 that I pay for my data package would no relieve me from needing assistance, and I claim with the state what my true earnings and expenses are. Also, I have purchased steaks with my food stamps. The lobster and enormous birthday cakes, I can semi understand the critism, but how can somebody be judged for buying steak? I just finished my first semester with a 4.0. For me welfare is not a way of life but a way to make ends meet until I can do better for myself and my family. I do not really appreciate judgement about my iPhone and steak purchases.
And there are people like myself that started working at the age of 14 and in 1998 I became disbled and I live on a very fixed income and I do have a EBT card and the state helps me with my medical, because I worked most of my life and mim. wage. And people that have retired that there income, does not pay the bills and they have to go on EBT card and medcaid. And we paid into these programs when we were working.and now we have to sign over our life insurance and all our belonging to be sold by the state when we die.
I am on welfare. Screw you people. I have 4 kids and don’t want no stranger raising them. I have 4 baby daddies who don’t pay no child support to me. The thing is that the other kids in school all have nice cell phones to text each other.
I demand cell phones for my kids.
I have four kids.
Why should my kids be looked down upon by your kids?
I demand a cell phone for each of my chlldren so they can call 911. Skool should not be demanding homework but give out iPads to help my kids.
This Christmas, their Skool gave me an iPad and I said that I got three other kids what do you expect them to do share? It is not fair.
If I had a job and was a tax payer I would be so mad right now.
To NIKKI: The reason why we all have a problem with them buying steak and lobster is that those of us footing the bill and paying for those food stamps CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY THE SAME THINGS because we are paying for these people’s food stamps.
To the gal who said we should walk in her shoes: I HAVE walked in your shoes, been on food stamps briefly when my daughter had a heart condition before her surgery and I had to shut my daycare business down and stay home with her because she couldn’t be around other kids in a daycare. I still didn’t abuse the system – didn’t buy the expensive stuff, but continued to buy as I always had, keeping in mind that just because I was getting some help from the taxpayers temporarily, it didn’t give me the right to buy a bunch of expensive extravagant food. I was very careful what I spent it on (this is back when they actually had paper stamps). Because of my careful spending, I ended up with extra at the end of every month and when I went off of food stamps, I actually had enough to pay for a full extra month of groceries. I KNOW what it’s like, and it doesn’t give those on it the right to abuse it by buying food the rest of us can’t afford to buy. There should be strict limits on what types of food you can buy with it – no junk food or only a small amount of it, basics like beans, veggies, fruits, meat, dairy, stuff so you can make your own meals – which is what many of us do now in order to survive and eat. They should NOT be able to purchase soda, candy, or other crap like that.
Exactly….. there must be limits to what you can purchase. The basics, bread, milk, beans, etc. No lobster, crablegs, sodas, etc. Heck, I cant even afford lobster!!!
Karen, since you are “disabled” and do not have a job, how do you even pay for online service to post here?
P*ssed off at judgmental children,
Was your wife holding out for a management position for the last three years a la “cousin Eddie” from Christmas Vacation? Maybe if she had lowered herself to working at WalMart you wouldn’t be collecting welfare to feed her children.
Kristen, you know damned well that you don’t pay $25 per month for iPhone service, but closer to $100 a month.
You get my tax dollars to pay for your food while you have a $200 iPhone.
It is wrong. You are stealing.
You’re a smart young lady… I’m glad you saw the reality of what has become of our country. It’s up to all of you young to spread the word and make others realize what the liberal left have done.. This once great country has turned into a hand out entitlement society. And those of us, and now including you, that would dare want to take these entitlements from these poor destitute people are evil.
Sad time for most of us!!!!
Well written!! I experienced the same feelings when I worked at a pharmacy for nine years. We had a drive thru and people would pull up in their brand new cars, one time even a Lexus, pull out their Medicaid card for their prescriptions. Or they would come to the counter with a handful of candy and soda and pull out their food stamps. If a medication was not covered by medicaid, it could’ve been $5.00, most would not pay for it, “it should be free, that’s why I have insurance”. Insurance??? I thought you paid for insurance. I was a single mom, lived in an apartment, that I paid for, had insurance from my job and drove the same car I had since I was sixteen until I was 24. While I still worked and was raising my son, I decided to go to school to better myself. I now have a wonderful husband and we both work and sometimes we still struggle. But it humbles us and we do not have a sense of entitlement, as I saw from many of my welfare customers.
This whole system is so screwy. If you can afford to buy a cell phone and a huge TV and drive a newer vehicle and buy cigarettes and booze, then you can afford to buy your OWN FOOD. I drive a 20-year-old car, have a small TV, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and I struggle every month to make ends meet. I work 60+ hours a week and I RESENT the fact that those who live off welfare have all of those things that I don’t have – the big TV, the new car, etc. Something is seriously wrong with our system when those who are supposedly poor and need help have nicer and newer stuff than those who are supporting their butts. People who call themselves poor in this country have No CLUE what poor really is. Poor is people living in huts or tin shacks in Africa or South America with dirt floors who wonder where their next meal is. Very rarely are people in this country POOR.
That being said, for the person above who was disabled, the system was meant to help YOU, the disabled, the person who truly can’t work. I have NO problem helping somebody who truly cannot take care of themselves due to no fault of their own. That’s what we as a moral people SHOULD do. I do have a problem helping those who just plain don’t want to work and just want to enjoy life while the rest of us work our tails off and have no life in order to support these lazy butts.
Defining problems are easy, lets come up with solutions!
Yes amazing article, instead of cutting corners in education and increasing taxes on the more fortunate so that the less fortunate can continue to spend careless money.
good read!
1. Lock in the (democrat) votes through dependency on welfare programs.
2. Promote fraud, waste, abuse. Burn through those tax dollars.
3. Demand “the rich” pay more to support the welfare state.
4. Take down a once successful freedom loving capitalistic society.
5. Totalitarianism!
Christine, you’ll be able to write another great article just based on the many ridiculous comments you are getting here. Great job. You hit the nail right on the head.
If you research the Colward-Piven strategy from back in the 1960′s, this is all by design. It was claimed that Cloward-Piven failed, but in reality is was just delayed.
Going to college isn’t a “right.”. If you can’t afford to go to college and feed your family at the same time, you decide which is more important. It isn’t up to the government to feed you or your children.
When I worked in social services I used to ask expectant parents how they were going to support their child. The vast majority said “TANF” as if it was a career choice. Maybe if people had to worry about how to support their kids, and didn’t feel so entitled to welfare, they would act a little more cautiously in regard to procreating.
Good piece! I’m looking forward to more from you. Thanks!
It is a well thought out and intelligent article. No one article (this is not a full documentary it is a singular article) is designed to or has the capacity to explore every crevice of every perspective of the issue being discussed.
Those of you ranting about how not everyone abuses the system or accusing the author of being judgmental clearly do not have a firm grip on the English language or are reading from such a biased perspective you could not see her repeated comments of understanding that there is a legitimate need.
The article acknowledged the legitimate need and also indicates clearly that it is in response to abuses to the system, not legitimate need. And you also show your liberal venom through launching personal attacks against someone who has a differing opinion.
Try to pull your head out of your own ass, gather the courage to look honestly at yourself and your life and implement a plan to turn it around. That does require a bit of personal responsibility, if you can handle it. And before you tell me to walk a mile in those shoes, I have and well more than a mile.
I love my job.
Let me explain.
My job does not pay much but it pays:
The rent and utilities
Food
Medical is covered fully
Free college tuition (though I don’t go)
Internet access
Cell phone
Cable TV
Xbox games and connection
There is a little left over for beer each month.
I don’t have a boss, I make my own hours, meaning I sleep until 11 or 12 noon each day.
I take breaks whenever I want.
I go wherever I want and most places give me a discount.
Some days I don’t have to get up if I don’t want to.
Most days I just play video games, watch movies and relax.
I am not up for any promotions and do not push myself.
Every day is stress free; no boss, no struggles, nothing.
I am a welfare Maine recipient.
I get paid for keeping a pulse. This I have been able to do for more than 38 years, and have been paid for almost 20 years to do so.
I suspect that I will keep this pulse going a long time since I don’t wear out with stress of a job like you have.
As long as you will keep the politicians worried about my well being, the longer I will live my stress free, work free, care free life.
THANK YOU hippies of Maine! Thank you for your compassion for me.
do you know the circumstances of these people? The iPhone may have been a gift. Last I knew lobsters were food. You make all these judgements without knowing the circumstances behind them. Sort of a typical conservative shoot from the hip kind of comments. The guy running the hot dog stand may not make enough money to live off so he may qualify for food stamps. I hope you never find yourself in the position of some of these people that are use food stamps and welfare and noone subjects you to the same attutude that you have.
when they allowed the use of EBT (credit cards) it took away the humility people once had about being on assistance. its easier now to be on foodstamps and nobody knows..i am not saying those on assistance should be dirty, or that they can’t buy their child the coolest cake at wal mart..but having to rip out those paper dollars was alot harder than swiping a card..probably easier to track the spending and what its spent on though if using a card. I agree, they need to taper people off if they get a job. me and my fiance both work 40 hrs a week and my kids and i have health insurance, but our fridge is bare three days a week, and we rarely can afford fruits or veggies…it would be easier to not work and get help.
jaycee,
clearly the iphones are all gifts, and the $100 per month is paid for by someone else, and Lobster is an essential food group.
Typical liberal nonsense.
I can’t afford Lobster and I can’t afford an iPhone because I work at a job.
If you want to pay more of your paycheck to the Walmarters, do so on your own free will and stop judging us!
Why can’t I buy deoderant with my TANF? You know I be stinkin
i have to agree with this post in some ways even though i am a single mother and receiving foodstamps and maine care. i dont recive much but every little bit helps i do feel embarrassed that i have to lean on public assistance to help feed my son and pay for medical attention. i have tried in the past to file for child support but they told me my sons father was on tanf and not resposible to pay for child support even though his partener was working full time. his father passed away last year and i found out my son is not eligble for survivors benifits because his father did not work enough (you dont pay in they dont pay out) understandable. But the woman over the phone told me to call my local welfare office i was offended i receive as much help from them as i can get i work full time and pay taxes i couldnt imagine purposly relying on tanf. i have been on tanf in the past for a few months and i tell you what 350$ a month doesnt go far. so please tell me this am i a welfare queen?
My thoughts are simple; we cannot condemn everyone because they buy cake or steak with foodstamps. Welfare isn’t the only area in which fraud and waste exist; all classes in our society has cheated the government (if you please) Therefore when we try and come up with a solution; our focus should not simply be EBT, Medicaid or TANF and ignore the other causes.
This problem is bigger that all of us.
NAMJ
@Crousselle – I do not want to enter this heated debate. I just wanted to say to you that you beautifully put into words the way that I feel. So many times I think, “My goodness, must be nice to have your bills paid for you” especially when I see homeless people in Maine who do not qualify for benefits because they don’t have a physical address. No one should be homeless or hungry in any state; when you deny people of the two basic needs that human beings need I think it is sickening. We need to reign in our spending so that the people that need assistance can get it. A friend of mine worked most of her life as a hair dresser and was diagnosed with brain cancer. She spent her savings on the chemo and went to apply for assistance; she was denied because she had “made too much in her working career”. Apparently, the state doesn’t give a damn if you’ve worked hard your entire life and your life savings went to pay for your medicine. She died 7 months after her diagnosis receiving hand outs from family and friends and putting off bill collectors because, what the hell? She was dying anyways, right? Makes me want to continue working…real motivation. I’m a firm believer of helping those who help themselves, and I believe that when used correctly welfare is a good system, but I also believe it needs severe reform with a 2 yr time frame. Two years is plenty of time to find and secure a job and a realistic time frame to make the necessary living changes you need to make for your family. We need to seriously re-evaluate how we view members of our society especially when you will service an individual with food stamps, but you will not do the same for a homeless begger who just needs some pocket change to get a cup of coffee to warm up on a cold winter day.
Dear Capehart:
If you have “4 baby daddies” maybe you should consider permanent birth control. God knows I don’t want to pay for any more of your kids!
I agree – the money is not managed well. We as a NATION have developed an entire “gimme” generation.
I am a single mother with a young son. I have no extended family. I bust my butt every day on the job and it is still not enough to pay all of the bills.
I don’t have a fancy phone but I do have one – I don’t own any credit cards but I do have an EBT card.
My side of the story – I think it sucks to be judged by the cashier checking me out – she has not walked in MY shoes – she doesn’t know my story. I pay taxes too so I do not feel I should be degraded because I don’t want to eat bread and water with the aid provided by the state.
I know all about the people related in this story. We have to adjust attitudes and not just take away benefits. How many dependent people do well going cold turkey? Massive reform and knowledge on how NOT to be addicted to the system.
Instant gratification…it is a deadly disease. If I teach my young child anything it will be to stand on his own two feet.
Maybe some people DO work. FULL TIME jobs and just fall short. Does that mean their kids should go WITHOUT birthday cakes ,etc? Maybe people shouldn’t be so quick to judge, and try walking a mile in their shoes ….
I’m glad some one is paying attention. Great article, I hope this makes it into the hands of lawmakers who have the ability to change this gross form of capitalism!
I can save billions of dollars:
Take down all the walls and remove all immigration laws.
One thing, though:
If you come to this county, you cannot get any welfare benefits whatsoever, until you have paid taxes for 10 years.
Immigration would come to an abrupt end.
I took my neighbor to Wal-Mart on Sunday. She and her husband are taxpayers who nearly lost their lives (and their children) in a car accident, when their sedan was t-boned. They are not financially on their feet yet, and their car won’t be ready for a few more weeks. She has EBT and it’s a godsend. I saw only wholesome food going into her cart. She is slightly afraid to leave her children to go back to her mid-level executive job and she’s the major breadwinner, but she’s making up her mind to go back soon. Her husband works a loading dock and his money goes to rent and utilities. I am glad there is somewhat of a safety net. Think of people who have it worse than my neighbors! We will all have a peaceful Christmas, with three children and a mother who could have been killed.
We had a low-class patient at the doctor’s office I worked at who started not paying her $10. co-pay. Once her amount due reached $100. she started becoming very belligerent every time we told her she had a balance and needed to make a payment on it. Yet she still expected a same day appointment when she got sick. The arrogance of these people is astounding. I then went through her drive-thru at Wendy’s and I should have told her to bill me later. After all I needed to eat, right? And why should I pay for something I “need”.
mommytot,
you can make a cake instead of using my tax dollars to buy one at a bakery.
I make my kids cakes and dont do welfare.
I see this daily in the medical field- it is never ending……
I can make as many babies as I want as long as I love them.
You can and will pay for them.
How dare you judge me for judging you when you judged me and my babies!
Free iPhones is a RIGHT of the poor like me and my babies!
Mel,
Maybe if the government didnt take money from your paycheck to support its programs, you wouldn’t need to extra help with food stamps.
welfare was never intended to be a permanent way of life, but a TEMPORARY helping hand.
I think everyone on welfare needs to be drug tested monthly in order to get there welfare..half the ppl are crack heads who can work but don’t. It’s disgusting.
Excellent article Christine!
I worked for Arby’s for more than five years. I’d see people pull up in brand new vehicles and ask to use their EBT cards! But what got to me even worse was a few of my employees… One example was this young woman, who made a pretty good living off the government cheese. In fact, everyday she’d tell me about some new program she was exploiting. Meanwhile, I’m slaving away, working 50+ hours a week, for a meager salary(well below the cost of living). I know what some are thinking right now – “Arby’s doesn’t pay enough to make a living.” Well, truth is, she could have worked full-time hours, if she wanted to. She could have even moved into management, if she wanted to. As she could do her job very well, when she wanted to. But if she worked too many hours, she wouldn’t qualify for as much assistance! And Arby’s would even cater to her! That meant her hours were capped at 30 per week. If she was gonna go over, I’d have to let her go home, and run short-handed. Nothing I could do, while keeping my own job. By the way, her wage from Arby’s, plus cash assistance, was about 50% more than mine, as a manager. She lived with her parents, and two kids. Her mom was making like $16/hr watching her own grandkids as a ‘PCA’. And her dad was likely collecting enough pension to pay for the whole lot of them. I didn’t get a number off her for that, but I know railroad pensions have a reputation for generosity.
I feel your anguish, Christine.
To those of you who believe the author is being judgmental – Take a good look at yourself. You see a picture of a young, pretty, white woman, and automatically you assume she has not known hardship or strife. That she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never having lived a real life of the underprivileged. Do you know her? Have you met this woman? Do you know anything of her story that you haven’t read here? Who are you to judge? At least she has given examples, and related observations from her own experiences! She didn’t say they had no right to buy a cake. She asked why they needed a ‘big’ cake! Didn’t here a peep about the good old buck and a quarter box of cake. Steak and lobster? Quite frankly, I wouldn’t care if someone spent their entire EBT on one meal. But guess what, while I think the whole program is too generous; I’m quite sure they’re not getting enough to pay for lobster a few nights, and eating like college student the rest of the month. I’d doubt they’re doing that anyway. Chances are they’re making up for it at the local food shelf.
Perhaps the author is a little too kind.
Ok, so I was about to wrap this up when I happened to scroll up to see a comment that I’d previously skipped. I’m all for a lively exchange of opinions, and perhaps a tiny bit of attacks, but this post has indeed struck a nerve with me. And I shall respond to it exclusively in my next comment.
Those who accuse & judge this young woman for being “judgemental” against those who abuse the system are hypocrites! You chastise her but yet make assumptions. Those on welfare & food stamps need to be held accountable, just as I’m accountable to my employer. I believe they need to keep receipts for every dime spent & if after one month, things don’t jive, then good bye assistance. They should only be allowed to purchase food where an electronic receipt is issued & those receipts are entered into a database, where calculations are easily made at the end of every month. It doesn’t compute = ZERO money! I doubt most people who have nice nails, iphones, nice clothes, etc were given those items as gifts. We live in an entitlement society. Try talking to people who actually have to issue Welfare to a good deal of people who are only out to abuse the system. I realize that some people absolutely have no choice and for that, please apply! Soda, candy, chips, etc should not be items that those on Welfare should be able to purchase…only healthy items. I’d like to see stores giving free vouchers of fruits & veggies to folks because at the end of the day, a lot of it goes bad & to waste. Losbster & luxury items should be a “no no” but sometimes,steak can be purchased at a great price. I’d rather see a child eat steak, fruit, & veggies than candy or sugary cereal. Perhaps buying a birthday cake, every once in awhile,could be approved by the Welfare worker. I know someone, whose partner was a Welfare worker & she would try to hold people accountable, cut them off after the five year limit, but they called the governor’s office (who was a Dem at the time) and get approval to remain on assistance. It seems to me that’s keeping people down so they’d vote for you. These two are Democrats too, but the truth is the truth. If you’ve ever read Ruby Payne’s book about people in generational poverty (not situational poverty, there is a difference), she talks about what is important to people in poverty & a big one is entertainment. That’s why you will see 15 satelite dishes in front of a shack of a home or a brand new car, huge tv, etc. Her book isn’t to judge people, but I do take issue with it at times. Again, where is the accountability? There are some people who are too physically or mentally ill to ever work & I’m glad there is a safety net, a very tiny one, but one nonetheless.
mommy of 2 special needs…. Did you read the article completely? Most people understand that hard times happen but Welfare and entitlement programs were not supposed to replace a job, self-reliance, and personal responsibility, they were meant to help when circumstances beyond your control put you in a situation in which you needed help. What the article was pointing out is that there are far too many able bodied people taking advantage of a system designed to help those down on their luck. Abusing it to the point that those of us working and paying taxes are becoming angry and resentful. As a poster put, “if a person wants to buy a steak, lobster, candy, what is wrong with that?” Here is what is wrong; I buy my own groceries and can’t afford to buy steak, lobster, and candy most of the time so why should I be OK with someone who is depending on the fruits of MY labor to buy their food buy something I myself can’t afford? Poverty should be uncomfortable so people want to get out of it. Our current system has allowed way too many people to live comfortable lives at the taxpayers expense, and I am tired of being told I am mean and greedy when I get angry at people who are perfectly able to work that refuse because they can live well off MY work.
While it is a viscous cycle I would agree, you’re missing another fine point. WHO GOT THE MONEY? Wal-Mart! Who lobbys congress to NOT make the changes. Wal-Mart. You see what you fail to miss is that Wal-Mart owns one of the top 10 fastest computers in the world. They won’t publicize it, but that computer system tracks every SINGLE purchase in every store in the country down to the item, store location and register number that it was purchased at. They KNOW this fraud goes on but not only want it to continue but the lobby to keep exactly what you describe happening. They dont want the flow or the loopholes to stop on any of that. That billions in lost revenue. So again it is a viscous circle.
Voting Republican will NOT fix this!
it’s not the people who recieve helps fault it’s a faulty system. We have received food stamps in the past and I bought steak and Lobster, but the Lobster I bought was only 4 dollars. It doesn’t matter what they buy with the stamps. You only get a certain amount every month so if they want to buy lobster and caviar who cares. they’ll go hungry the rest of the month.
I agree with the majority of what you said. I myself and my family are currently on food stamps at this time. My husband was laid off from his job in June and has still not found a job that fits his line of work. He has been on unemployment since July and as of January we will have no income because his benefits will end. I am a stay at home mother of 2. There are alot of people who abuse the system. I just wanted you to know that not everyone does. Thank you for your article.
Well, Well, It’s not only the lowly south that has this problem!!! Some people work two and three jobs while these freeloaders are enjoying the fruits of everyone else’s labor!!!
This is why you vote “Republican”? Maine is a Republican run State deary…they have no one to blame but themselves.
A very well written article… most of us agree that the misuse of food stamps and state aided funds is wrong… that is simply a no brainer… the rub comes in who determines what is just and unjust…. we all can see… prime rib & lobster seems a bit over the top for all of us budget conscience people… I own my own business and work a gazillion hours a week, I eat lobster once a year for my birthday and steak a few times a year…. It would not be my place to tell people what they can purchase…. but with only X amount of dollars… it only goes as far as you are smartly buying…
Living on state/federal funding your whole life is OBVIOUSLY another no brainer… I am against it, GET A JOB!! That said… thru my own work within my community, I will say that some people can not work, can not hold a job…. do not be confused…. I am not talking about those making a career of working the system… but the few, the real people that suffer from real issues…I have been up front and personal with soup kitchens and neighborhood centers…. not everyone is trying to “get one by” the system…. those people deserve our help… the true question and issue is… how do we help the deserving, the people who really need the help… some of which will ALWAYS need the help…. they should not be penalized for the ones that abuse the system…. It is NOT about making a judgement against others… but about using good judgement!!
Well, the only thing I can say about this situation is that people on FS are allowed a certain dollar amount per month, if I’m not mistaken. If they choose to blow it early on expensive food, then later in the month, they will be suffering…the only thing I feel bad about is the children who may not benefit from their parent’s poor decision making with the food choices. The total dollar amount can be spend more wisely, but if it’s their choice to buy steaks,etc…they will suffer in the long run (or maybe they don’t need the benefits to begin with)…and I don’t agree with the people who are on public assistance and have Iphones or the equivalent….even if the phone is free, the monthly plan and data plan are more that I can afford, and I don’t qualify for this kind of assistance…
Missy, when I was growing up BEFORE THERE WAS WELFARE, people worked 2-3 jobs in order to take care of their families, even if it meant slinging burgers in a burger joint. You do what you have to in order to take care of your family, and NOT depend on others to do it for you. You said, “My husband was laid off from his job in June and has still not found a job that fits his line of work.” Why isn’t he working 2-3 jobs in the meantime while he is looking for work in his line of work and not taking unemployment? I don’t mean to come across as a mean ogre, but seriously, why isn’t he just working other types of jobs in order to pay the bills…and why aren’t you working? Why should we the taxpayers pay for you both who are clearly able bodied from the sounds of it because he can’t find a job “that fits his line of work” and you are home? I totally get the wanting to be home with the kids, I really do, and I commend you for that, but why not get a job while he is home and can watch the kids so you can afford to live?
I work 60+ hours a week and until recently worked 80 hours a week for most of my adult life. My job field has been lost thanks to gov’t mandates destroying my work field. I now work 60+ hours a week having taken a 25% pay cut and don’t something that isn’t quite the same as my previous field that is more difficult to do physically. I barely scrape by and am praying my car doesn’t die at 20 years old because I can’t afford a payment, BUT I live w/o gov’t assistance. Even if I qualified, which I suspect I do for energy assistance anyway, I wouldn’t take it because I was raised that you take care of yourself and don’t expect others to do it for you (unless you are unable to work due to a disability, then that’s a whole ‘nother ball game).
Food for thought………….
I witnessed the exact same thing at two different registers at TARGET on the same date. I had to leave one register because the person in front of me was arguing with the cashier. From what I overheard, she had almost $200.00 of groceries in her cart and was upset because she had to pay $1.68 out of her own pocket. BTW, she was not at all malnourished. At the registered I retreated to, a man was arguing with the cashier because he could not use his food stamp voucher card to purchase a blender. If you think this fraud is bad, just wait until Obamacare kicks into full gear!
I personally don’t listen to college kids. Got too much of their parent’s and their professor’s brains going for them and not enough understanding about how far this country has collapsed. God, she is from Maine! There’s a 1% state for you if there ever was one. No jobs, inbred politicians…unfortunately for Maine it won’t get any better until somebody folds NAFTA and starts penalizing and overtaxing companies that sell American jobs overseas or over the border. She strikes a chord, definitely, but a blind, one-sided version of it considering where she is from. Stand up for your own instead of the few who are REALLY killing this country.
so if your on food stamps your kids are not aloud to have a birthday cake??? and if you try to get walmart to go good on a mistake that they priced wrong than that makes you a welfare queen?? i for 1 made them go good on a computer they priced 1000 bucks cheaper than the real price. and guess what they had to when i showed them i had taken a cell pic and was going to report them to the bbb. the thought of a person buying a slip n slide for their kids as being a bad thing doesnt ring right to me. so because the parents are going through hard times the children shouldnt be aloud to have fun??? i think you are a stuck up over privileged snoot that should be less worried about who you wait on as a cashier and more worried about what will happen to you or your grandmother if your money is suddenly gone one day and there is no system to help you. not everyone abuses the system and to generalize people like you do without knowing them or there stories frankly makes you and ignorant self absorbed brat!
BTW one more point, Name me one single solitary republic governor who has eradicated welfare in his state? I’d gladly show you statistics for every state. Also one other thing to remember “There but by the grace of God go I.”. Point a few less fingers, judge a little less and support your local food bank. You can get the items pretty cheap at Wal-Mart.
People abuse systems of government, people abuse animals, people abuse their own children, people abuse other people. Instead of standing in judgment try and put yourselves in their shoes. There are many issues that that cause people to be temporarily on some sorts of welfare as well as situations that cause people to be on long term welfare. Why don’t we think of socially responsible ways of dealing with this that provide relationship, education, graciousness.. you get the idea. Unfortunately, people don’t want to get their hands dirty, give up the their time, energy or worldly goods. I have been on food stamps now for 4 years, and I am scared to death to lose them next year. We eat food that is thrown away. Yes, I eat and prepare food that the stores will not sell and would otherwise be thrown in the garbage. I am a governmental healthcare recipient. I tithe to my church. I help my neighbors. I am sick of these welfare conversations. I know to many that hoard and are unwilling to help those in need.
MT, the point is WHY SHOULD THE TAXPAYERS PAY FOR IT? If they want to have their kid have a birthday cake, they can buy a $1 box of cake mix and MAKE ONE THEMSELVES. If they want the kids to have the extras, GET A JOB. It’s NOT the taxpayer’s responsibility to make sure their kids have something fun in their lives – we didn’t have the fun of making the kids – it’s THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to take care of them and get them what they need…NOT OURS.
I know a lot of people on Tanf and food stamps I’m disabled so I recieve food stamps but there are people who lie to the state to keep there benefits so they don’t have to work
Although I agree with many points in the article I just want you to know that the EBT cash isn’t always welfare. I know that where I live a lot of times the EBT cash is child support that is being paid. It frustrates me when people abuse and take advantage of charity instead of trying to support themselves. But while I am currently on foodstamps my husband and I are trying to get to a point where we can feed our family without them. I have been able to get off WIC but it is a work in process. So be kind as you consider the poor idiots that abuse the system because not all of us are that way.
This is not true to everyone on food stamps!! I work, go to college, required to have an internship, which was unpaid and have a toddler who needs to eat, as I do not have support that can help anywhere else. I believe just because I can’t afford the decorated cake because I am doing too much, my son still deserves to have it!! Before fighting everyone on FS, spend one day in their shoes and see what it is like. I am not saying there aren’t people out there who do abuse it, however when you have eaten basically nothing worth awhile forever, because you can’t afford it, what is the problem with one Porter House Steak?? Absolutely nothing. It would be nice if people would step back and investigate the situation before assuming!!!
Christine R, you are too pretty and smart to be working at Walmart.
Bite your tongue young lady. Karma is a bitch and hits hard. Someday you’ll be unemployed and hungry and will do anything to feed your family… You’ll feel like a fool for writing this when you’re on Food Stamps Assistance.
As a parent who is currently receiving food stamps, I partly agree with this article. There are people who use and abuse the system. The buy other people’s food stamp cards, sell their own etc, However, to judge the people you see with the cards, is different. Their “toys” could’ve been a gift, or they could’ve gotten their “toys” or nice clothes before they lost their job. I work almost 35 hours a week, have a Bachelor’s Degree (although I am unable to find a job in my field at the current time), support my daughter all on my own, I pay my bills (and have a nice cell phone but got it on a deal at my cell phone company and am on a family member’s plan so I pay considerably less than if I had my own plan) and take care of my daughter all on my own. I receive food stamps, but use them as they are meant. Not everyone that receives food stamps are “welfare queens” or abuse the system.
this girl had my attention until she said “this is why i vote republican.” there are lots of instances where welfare is abused, no doubt. i’d say the percentage of people who do it is just about the same as the percentage of white, republican businessmen i see with their black amex cards taking “clients” (aka prostitutes, other people’s wives, escorts, underage girls, family members, friends) out to dinner and writing it off as a tax deduction because it somehow qualifies as a business dinner. in other words: it doesn’t matter if you’re poor, rich, dumb, smart, whatever. chances are, somewhere someone is taking advantage of a system that’s put in place to help the people who really need it.
Dawn, I commend you for going to school to better the situation for your child. You obviously have the goal of trying to get off of welfare eventually. GOOD! You should be proud of yourself.
That being said, however, I HAVE been in your shoes before, going to college and raising 2 kids. I worked full-time, paid daycare out of my own pocket, and took 18 credits a semester (a full load was considered 12 credits). I didn’t depend on any gov’t benefits at all. My daughter is raising her son, working full-time, going to college full load, and the only benefit she gets is Medicaid/title 19, which she would prefer to get off of and will be off as soon as she finishes school.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of those on welfare know how to WORK THE SYSTEM. I have seen my ex-hubby’s family talk about all the stuff they can get and do with welfare – get food stamps, medicaid, housing assistance, energy assistance, also frequent the food bank as often as they allow, go to community action and get huge bags loaded (over a year’s supply) with free shampoo, conditioner, other bathroom needs, kitchen needs – dish soap, garbage bags, even free bread, potatoes, etc, and get their trailer fixed up for free…basically they don’t spend a dime of their own money taking care of themselves. When there are free food giveaways, free hair cuts, free meals, they are there. They KNOW how to milk the system – and this happens all over the country. In the meantime, they have new computers, huge screen televisions, internet access and spend all day playing games on Facebook. They DON”T WANT TO WORK and why should they? Everything is handed to them. There isn’t a lick of responsibility they have to put forth to take care of themselves.
Those who work hard and still don’t make quite enough to make ends me, I don’t have a problem with helping them – PROVIDED THEY AREN’T SPENDING THEIR MONEY ON BOOZE AND CIGARETTES AND DRUGS and expect us to cover the shortfall because of their wasteful expenditures. Your freedom to imbibe in stuff should not infringe on our freedom to enjoy the fruits of OUR labors because you take all of our money.
I am a state help recipient in the state of Maine, and I too agree that there is a lot of abuse in the system. Then there are those, like me, who shop around for the best prices, so that I can feed my daughter a well-balanced diet, necessary for her health. That being said, you can rest easily knowing that when I have 8 or 10 steaks in my cart, it’s because they are london broil cuts, on sale for $1.89 a pound, because it is a big grilling holiday weekend (Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc). That specific week, it is cheaper for me to buy steaks, than it is to buy chicken. My family will have a steak dinner that night, using 2 of the steaks, then the rest will go in the freezer for another time. We don’t purchase meats at full-price, always when it’s the butcher’s choice for the week. If you saw me with 8 or 10 steaks this week, you just might see me with 4 or 5 packages of chicken next week, if it’s what’s on sale. It means that there is always food in my house, purchased below regular price, so that my daughter doesn’t go hungry.
@MT, nice name calling! Again, you make assumptions. What about making a bday cake? Much cheaper! Lobster & steak aren’t rights. Those who say, “who cares how they spend their food money?” Really? Do yo not realize they have to go to food banks or use other resources that could go to people who receive nothing per month? What about children, which is my biggest concern, who get nothing nutritionally? With all that being said, I have a much bigger issue with welfare for rich rock stars!
I never meant to imply that everyone on the system was a “welfare queen.” These two women were every bad stereotype of a welfare user–overweight, obnoxious, not intelligent, surrounded by children, bossy, arrogant, and rude. Plenty of people used foodstamps at work who were nice people, and I wouldn’t classify them as “queens.” If a person is actively working hard to get off the system, they’re not a queen. If a person is receiving benefits due to severe illness or disability (legitimate disability), they’re not a queen. If a person and her friend show absolutely no shame using no less than three welfare programs, lies about prices of other items (most people don’t request a price change before it’s scanned; she did), and attempts to get a 40 dollar vacuum for three dollars…well that elevates that person to queen status.
Okay Paul – really $25 bucks a week for two people to eat? That’s crazy. That’s $12.50 per person per week – that is $1.78 a day for each of you. I would like to know where you shop, what you eat, and whether or not you hunt.
I lost my job when the company I worked for decided that a 22 year old that wore low cut spandex and didn’t need health insurance (she had medicaid for her son) was a better bet than a 50+ year old breast cancer survivor (who had her own medical insurance through her husbands job. Unemployment helped while I tried to find another job – but it ran out and I still had not been able to find another job.
3 Years later my husband lost his job. Unemployment insurance kept us afloat – we both had to take our SS early. No one wanted to hire a 65 year old man in his field, and any other.
My health insurance costs just went up from $538 to $617 a month – I’m not 65 yet – my SS check is $676 a month. Our net income a month is about $1200. We live in a 35′ 15 year old motorhome that we bought with the last of our 401k.
I gather from many many of the comments here that we should give up all the comforts that we had before our lives fell apart and should live an austere life of deprivation. It’s easy to say that when you’re young, employed, and have never faced adversity. It’s easy to judge – and I am guilty when I see someone in a store with a basket full of junk – but you and I do NOT have the information or the right to cast stones. I look askance at a basket full of junk from a nutritional basis – not because I begrudge them the food.
if you are on foodstamps you shouldn’t be able to use coupons to stretch the money you do get? If you are on foodstamps you should only be allowed to buy cheap cuts of meat (chicken feet and turkey necks???), and low quality products that you wouldn’t eat? Yeah, we’ve given up a lot of the things we love. We can’t afford good wine anymore, we don’t buy steak unless it’s in the 50% off bin. There is no expensive cheese in our fridge, no well stocked bar. We gave up our Blackberries and went back to our old cell phones – we’d like to give one of them up but the cancellation fee is too high. We don’t travel, we don’t go to movies. We’re thinking of giving up our pets – three of which we’ve had for over 8 years because we can’t afford to care for them like we always have.
Yeah – I know, none of you young judges of humanity will read this through. You will all be sitting there trying to figure out how the hell to tell me I should or could cut my expenses and give up even more. But let me tell you – I’ve worked hard, given up stuff (including a half a breast!), raised 2 kids, donated $20 a month to St Jude’s for 8 years, done all the right and good things that my heart dictated, helped friends, and now . . . if I need assistance to live you don’t think I deserve it??? You don’t think I should have SS or Medicare??? You don’t think I’m “entitled” (by paying my own bill) to have cell phones, internet, or any comforts in life??? You have the nerve to judge people! Walk a mile in their shoes. You don’t mention if you have a cell phone, an Ipad, flat screen TV, good health, a nice car (ours is old), nice clothes. Do you go on vacations, out to night clubs, out to dinner???? Cross your fingers and hope to God that adversity never touches you!
Firstly: When you mentioned your month and year of birth, I suddenly felt quite old. So, shame on you for that.
Secondly: Years upon years ago, I worked as a cashier at a national grocery store located in a small college city in Texas. While employed, I was disgusted to see customers purchase “snack” items with their Lone Star Card (the Texas version of EBT). It wasn’t at all uncommon for one to buy a bag of chips and 20 oz. of Coke as their snack. I was disheartened.
This is a very thoughtful, thought-provoking column. Thank you so much.
It reminds me of the time I spent working as a bank teller in 1982 — I had to cash welfare checks for people driving late-model Lincoln Town Cars and Cadillacs.
Congratulations on being a college conservative, and good luck. I know from experience that it’s not easy.
I have sat here and read the majority of the comments. I have been told fs is not welfare. Anyway. Scatterbrain here so bare with me. You do need to walk a mile in “our shoes” to know what it is like..if we want to buy steak we will buy steak…I happen to look for the cheap steak and dollars off coupons on it etc. And Brandon what is wrong with using coupons to save your foodstamp money, especially if you do not get much per month and it has to last for a family of 3. Learn the circumstances of that person BEFORE you judge. Stop being so judgemental!!! I am not gonna go all bible here but God created all ppl equally. Now yes I am on fs but I am disabled and not able to work at this time. And I get a check on the 3rd of every month and I get Meicare/Medicaid. So does this make me a welfare queen as some of you have put it? Some of you really have no idea how hard it is. You can’t buy healthy foods because they are too expensive, so maybe that is why you see junk food. Food I use to buy 6 months ago, I can’t buy now because prices have gone up and trust me I noticed. We struggle to put food on our plates daily!! You really need to not judge it hurts, kind of like bullying it is what my son is learning in school right now that bullying is not cool and is wrong. Being judgemental like this is also wrong, giving those dirty looks without knowing the whole story is wrong. Do you think ppl on fs like coming in to buy food? Personally if I could I would rather do it over the internet. And yes I have a cellphone but I have a straight talk cellphone…no bells and whistles just plain jane cell phone. And obviously I have internet, but I have kids too that need to do research and homework too. And I own my own house too, and no…no one helped me with that.
Im sorry, while there are abuses this is a one sided view. First of all most of the money she would see (some 99%) would be FOOD STAMPS, which is limited to FOOD items, and most pre-made foods dont count either. Second, Walmart , who was first “made in America” then “made in China” is responsible for the loss of tons of jobs and small businesses all in the name of profit putting tons of people out of work. Some 40 million PLUS people are on food stamps now. If you eliminate the minors and those in nursing homes that is one helluva percentage of the population.Why dont you try comparing the cost of the food stamp program to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or better yet to the costs of the bailouts of corporate america. It is easy to put people down without knowing their lives. Next… People can be on unemployment and receive foodstamps, or even have a relative pay for their phone as a gift.
“I never meant to imply that everyone on the system was a “welfare queen.” These two women were every bad stereotype of a welfare user–overweight, obnoxious, not intelligent, surrounded by children, bossy, arrogant, and rude.”
Gee I’ve met lots of people who were overweight, obnoxious, not intelligent, surrounded by children, bossy, arrogant, and rude who had plenty of money and thought that that entitled them to all of the above!
I work 20-25 hours a week, it’s all I have been able to find so far. I bring home on a good week maybe $230.00. My rent is $325.00, lights around $90.00 most of the time but last summer went up to over $200.00, water is included in my rent. I do not have cable. I use a friend’s internet. I do have a car, it’s paid for, gas is about $30 a week, insurance is $60 a month. I have no credit cards, no other bills. I only qualify for $64 a month from EBT. I have no health insurance but I do have health problems. I get my medicine from the Wal Mart pharmacy, all 3 that I have to take every day are on the $ 4 list there. When I get sick and go to a doctor I have to insist that any prescriptions have to be on that $4 list. If it’s not, I can’t afford it.
I have no family that could help and I live alone. It’s not a good way to live but it’s all I have. I used to get $165 a month EBT but I was able to get a few more hours at work and that was reduced to the $64 that I get now. I used to be able to get a steak that was reduced for quick sale, can’t do that anymore. Think about going to the grocery store and only having $64 to spend for a month’s worth of groceries. Most people could get by on that for awhile because they would have things in their cabinets already, but those won’t last long. What then? Well, you just plain do without. Think about everything that you eat and drink everyday. Why do you deserve those things and other don’t? Everyone deserves to get something extra every once in a while even if they a poor.
By the way, I graduated from high school and have several certificates of continuing education from a major university. I have always tried to better myself and have worked almost solid for the last 23 years.
There will always be some people that abuse the system, but please don’t make the ones that don’t suffer because of the ones that do.
I agree with a lot of this article, but I have issues with some of it. I worked at the same Walmart in Scarborough from 1996- 1998, and then the Auburn store from 2003 until 2010. My husband and I owned our home, were raising 5 children, and owned a store while I worked in Auburn. While working there full time, I also put myself through nursing school. We had a situation of hiring the wrong person to run the store, and that left us losing the store, our home, and our safety net. We got foodstamps (no cash). I bought my childrens birthday cakes with it, and I don’t feel bad about it. They deserved it. I am working in a better job, but still cannot afford everything like I did before. We still get stamps, and yes, I buy steak on occasion. I bust my butt, and work hard and we deserve to splurge sometimes. We don’t get enough to eat for the month, I supplement it. But I am grateful, and not ashamed. I WORK.. I pay taxes. I am not sitting home being lazy. Not everyone that gets help is mooching. You don’t have to be unemployed to get them. Disabled people get them. Granted, far too many claim disability that shouldn’t.
This was a great article, I just wanted to clarify that you can have a job and still get help. Nothing frustrated me more working with the public than to have them not speak a word of English except “food stamp” as they swiped their card. We will always see misuse. It is unfortunate.
“You don’t mention if you have a cell phone, an Ipad, flat screen TV, good health, a nice car (ours is old), nice clothes. Do you go on vacations, out to night clubs, out to dinner???? ”
Cell phone? Yes, because my job requires me to be on call and have it on me at all times. Unfortunately, I have to pay for it.
Ipad? NOPE
Flatscreen TV? nope…a small 23-inch old TV that has half a picture now
Good health? Not really – am partially disabled, but able to work from home with my job
Nice car? It’s 20 years old, has a bad oil leak that would cost too much to fix, and is rusty
Nice clothes? I get my sister’s hand-me-downs. The only things I buy myself are underclothing.
Vacations? What’s that? I haven’t had one in over 16 years.
Night clubs? Not into that at all, work too many hours to even consider doing much of anything outside of the home other than church and occasional meeting with an organization I’m involved in and on the board.
Go out for dinner? Very rarely….Can’t afford it.
Have a life? Not much of one outside of work. My life consists of spending time with my critters and my kids and my occasional meetings.
Do I hate my life? NOPE..love my life. I have the satisfaction that I”m taking care of MYSELF and nobody else is doing it for me. Other than my health problems, I have a good life. Do I want to work less hours? Absolutely!! But…this is what you do in order to TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Remember from scripture ” Those who do not work, shall not eat.” Laziness should NOT be rewarded. Obviously the disabled do not fit under this category because it’s through no fault of their own that they can’t work.
youre a friggin walmart cashier and yet you sit here in judgment of others…. who is really the stupid one here? you sound like a whiny liberal, not a conservative. i LOVE how you people always say “i dont mind if some really NEEDS welfare” well of course you mind, thats why you call them welfare queens. you people complain if they buy junk food, but then as soon as they buy GOOD food, you complain that they are eating better than you are.
You are one smart cookie!!
Let me just say, the funny thing is Medicare thinks they are fending off abuse by not allowing nurse practitioners to sign home health orders. Yet, we do nothing about the issues you have described!
Dear Mr. ‘PISSED OFF…’
Why must you insult this young lady and the millions of others out there who work at places such as Wal-Mart? A cashier is not a ‘real’ job? Get your head out of your enlarged rectum! Any job is better than no job at all! Have you no sense of respect for the hard working individuals in your community who put up with jerks, like yourself, all day for minimum wage? What would the world be without cashiers? All of your entitlement entourage would have no one to yell at. Yelling at a machine doesn’t offer the same level of satisfaction to a belligerent moron who’s blinded by their own ignorance. How would you feel if someone were to insult your profession in such a manner. For example: What does a sign maker do? Scratch some BS phrase on a sheet of cardboard and hold it up on the street corner? Were you the guy I gave a handful of change and a employment agency business card to the other day? See these sort of ad hominems work both ways. For example: Your entire comment shows a complete lack of understanding in regards to basic economics. Quite possibly this bleeds into your business savvy, or lack there of. If you can’t run your own business successfully, how can you claim any ground on issues of economy. Really? You don’t see there being more sense in not paying so much in taxes, so that you may put your own money into the mouths and on the feet of your children? Heck, I don’t even need to insult you. Truth is, you did that to yourself. You made your own argument against you. But as I said in my prior comment, you hit a nerve. And I know I shouldn’t argue with an idiot – The whole “drag you down to their level and beat you with experience” thing. But I’ve got plenty of experience in dealing with idiots via. my previous ‘not real’ occupation. So, I’m not going to hold back. I know that if I show compassion and respect to someone who doesn’t know the meaning of either; they will only use it against me, in some form or another, at some point in time. So, I’ll go ahead and deliver the final blow. Though I know you’re probably not going to read this before it is flagged, and pulled. Have you considered adoption? I mean there’s no reason your kids should suffer because you can’t afford to take care of them. And there’s no reason I should have to pay for your kids’ food because your wife can’t make good decisions. I’m sure there’s a decent family out there, that would love to help you out and take the kids off your hands. Giving them a decent life for which you’re not willing to work for. Perhaps if your wife would get a job at Wal-Mart, she’d make enough to at least be able to cloth and feed the kids. Heck, her employee discount would go along way in helping. But I guess she decided that dignity was more important than feeding her kids. I can’t believe we now live in a country where there is more shame in being a cashier than there is in living on the backs of other Americans. Now don’t try to divert the blame all to the dead-beat father. After-all, it takes two to make a baby. Perhaps, she should have exercised a bit more discretion in who she involved herself with. But she made a mistake, three times, but never the less it was a mistake. People need to learn to take responsibility for their own mistakes. Don’t raise the kids to be bums. Teach them that living off of others is never alright. Sometimes you are forced to, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be ashamed, and doing everything you can to get out of the situation. But to say you are entitled. I do have compassion, but don’t think you can insult me then use it as my weakness.
If you are on Welfare you SHOULD NOT HAVE A IPHONE. You should be ashamed of yourself stealing money from the Goverment. What a SHAME. I hate leaving the grocery store seeing someone get in a LEXUS after they just paid with a EBT card.
Everyone deserves to get something extra every once in a while even if they a poor.
Yes, that’s true, but THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. What makes you think you deserve it and someone else should have to pay for it? Since when is it someone else’s responsibility to give someone something “extra” and fun? Before there was welfare, what do you think people did for something extra? Pooled resources with someone else, went without, etc. They didn’t expect someone else to give them something extra “because they deserve it.”
I “deserve” a new car because mine is an old piece of junk, but I certainly don’t expect someone else to provide it for me. I “deserve” a vacation after 16 years of working 80 hours a week with NO vacation, but I certainly don’t expect someone to pay my way for one or cover my bills while I’m on vacation. This “I deserve it” attitude is the crux of the problem here with the welfare system.
unfortunately “welfare cards” did not exist in 1991….although this is quite possibly spot on in certain instances….a good journalist will use only facts to ensure it doesnt lose credibility…thus lose readers….if u want to make a point u must stick to facts… and this was only flaw i picked up on in your article….but im sure u will get the point….
GREAT POST, Alexander!
What a bunch of pre-determined, conservative, judgemental bull crap. You see somebody once and figure you just know their situation. If you’re poor, you obviously aren’t working hard enough right? and you don’t deserve anything unless it’s been manufactured just for you. I have a droid, am on medicaid, and get EBT. I have an accounting degree, now I could be very close to landing a job that could help provide for my family so I can fit into your ideal world.
@Lee, it wasn’t an EBT card, it was a paper card similar to a social security card that said something like MASSACHUSETTS WELFARE OFFICE on it or something. It was signed by Dukakis. (I don’t remember all the exact details; it was from the first summer I worked there.The Dukakis thing stuck out.)
Excellent article, you give me hope for our nation’s future.
I visited Maine recently, and lobster was amazingly inexpensive at the grocery store – I had it every night. But I saved months for this trip.
If the hot dog man is properly reporting his income and legitimately qualifies for food stamps, more power to him. But I’m cynical by nature.
Here is my stance on it. I was in an excellent position as was my wife. We had the big 4000 square foot home, two new cars every year and lived well. I lost my job as did my wife. I did not receive one penny of government aid. I took a lower paying job trying to get by. I paid a huge sacrifice for it. I lost my home and all three cars, a big camper, and my boat. I have now gotten back on my feet due to HARDWORK not a handout. So i imagine some people on here will follow this with some cry me a river stories! But I got back on my feet due to hardwork and not sitting around crying about what someone has written. I really hope this gives those looking for nothing some inspiration to get off their ass and WORK, nothing more nothing less.
I just wanted to point out, that while working in any service industry in Any demographic, people will be rude to clerks, yell at clerks, and ignore clerks. It is difficult working with the public, but weather or not someone has an Ebt card doesn’t make them more or less rude than everyone else. The fraud, is terrible, but then again, so is Wal Mart. why don’t you do an article on the atrocities of this particular corporation? Actually that would be a great piece do a side by side story of “Corporate Welfare vs. Personal Welfare”.
Also, this is a good opinion piece, but in terms of journalism, not so much, phrases like “Welfare Queen” are offensive. But, hey you are young. Life perhaps hasn’t dealt you any hard knocks yet. And lastly, I have an I-phone, only cost me $49.00 everyone knows once your contract is up, you get a great deal on a phone, that is no secret.
I am also a very hard worker and mother of 3 boys and i have 2 jobs and volunteer on the ambulance.. It is not fair to say what people can and can’t buy with there food money and to judge people because of the help they are getting. I agree not everyone that gets help uses it well, but you cannot critsize if you do not know the whole story ..
Sorry for your difficulties, Ed, but I commend you for getting back on your feet by doing it all ON YOUR OWN and with your own hard work. THIS is the American way, and you represent it very well with your old pioneer spirit “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” attitude this country once had. Bravo! You should be very proud of yourself. : )
Well said! You are wise beyond your years!! I too worked at Walmart many years ago as a THIRD job when my husband died without any life insurance. I had 3 kids a home and only accepted foodstamps and a medical card until their social secuity survivor benefits kicked in. Then I would only accept a medical card.While at Walmart I had two welfare queens try similar antics on Christmas Eve. I decided then and there I was going back to school. Proud to say I have been a nurse for 7 years now! I was so happy when I not only mad too much money for foodstamps, but my kids had real insurance!! I have put 3 kids through college as well as myself. All of my children are conservatives as am I. They are 20, 23 and 26 now. Not bad if I do say so myself!!!!
I worked at a Shaw’s in Maine throughout high school and undergrad and saw many of the same things described above. There is no doubt in my mind that there are incredible levels of food stamp and welfare fraud in Maine but I think the real problems lie deeper. Maine is frequently mentioned as being one of the states with the greatest percent of our population reliant on food stamps. Maine is also known for our “Brain Drain” problem (young people move away to make money. I’m planning to make the same sort of escape as searching for a job in this state where I can make a decent salary has proved quite difficult) and Maine has been labeled as the worst state in the whole US to do business. So, long story short, I believe that along with combating welfare fraud Maine needs to become more business friendly and take serious measures to create entry-level jobs for the college graduates that the state is losing. Perhaps if there were more, higher paying jobs in the state there would be fewer people cheating the system.
well said my dear…. well said.
Oh, Gary, get off your high horse! Can’t you read what she is saying? I guess liberals are so open minded right? People accuse her of being judgemental and yet have no problem with judging her.
Wow you can clearly tell what people on here are getting Goverment assistance and the ones who are actually working for their money. I’m tired of my tax money getting taken so you can have ribs every night for dinner.
It;s no different in New York State either…..Standing in line at the local WM, my wife overheard a clerk coment to a WELFARE GAL, ” Having a big paey??, thats a lot of shrimp!!.”. WELFARE GAL responded ” Hell no”, that’s bait for my husband when he goes fishin’”… NUF SAID. Vote the Incumbents OUT and get the ship back on course..
That is absolutely right dems want more people like them so that they can “SAY” that they are compassionate and caring, but how is it compassionate is it to enslave someone into a system in where they will never be able to have any kind of wealth or earn a decent amount of money? They will be poor and will always be poor as long as they keep getting welfare and don’t work for their money. Welfare will keep them poor, if those people only knew that dems want them poor and to keep them poor so that they can keep voting dem as long as they live and after they die too. Dems are the only ones that keep voting for the same party after they die, people who vote republican their whole lives all of a sudden start voting for dems after they die.
Well said, Erin (from two posts up). I agree with the writer’s sentiment that people shouldn’t abuse the system and it’s deplorable for those who do. HOWEVER, you cannot judge or control what someone buys with their EBT card. It is their business and not yours and they have every right to choose what they want to buy with their EBT card. There is nothing wrong with buying a steak. Just because you are in a bad situation, do you think that that person doesn’t deserve to have a healthy, lean cut of beef from time to time? it’s not unhealthy nor is it junk food. Or is this person not worthy enough and and are allowed to only buy chicken thighs or unhealthy hot dogs? I make it my business to buy healthy foods for my child and I and rarely if ever buy junk food. However, if on a Friday night, I choose to splurge and buy a pizza and an off-brand 2-liter soda for my family then I have every right as an American to do that. Don’t tell me that there’s kids out there in wealthy families who’ve never had soda or pizza. It’s my choice and my decision and not anybody else’s business what I buy with my EBT card. I am very responsible with my purchases and I believe it’s okay from time to time to splurge and get that occasional treat. Again, it my own business, not yours to judge me. I get your point and appreciate your point of view but you can’t criticize anyone for ever buying a steak with their EBT card. And frankly, my dear, I couldn’t care less if you do.
Oh man, guys. really? She understands that most people really do need help. She’s talking about those who are not even trying to help themselves. My goodness, stop yelling at her! If you’re not guilty of abusing the welfare system, then you have no reason to be offended. As a single-income household, I know what it’s like to be poor and wonder where money will come from to pay bills, but my husband and I try live within our means. I worked at a local convenience store where I saw several people on a daily basis who had no intention of helping themselves. Several young families frequented the store with their WIC checks and food stamps, and that was okay by me. Starting a family while both husband and wife are finishing up their degree is financially challenging, I understand that. However, I had a problem with people using their food stamps on extravagant items, such as fifty or more dollars, on solely ice cream products or fancy specialized cheeses. I worked 40+ hours on minimum wage, and could not afford these items, yet those who were not working and freeloading were eating better than me. Don’t even tell me not to judge, or that I don’t know their situation. I already know that I don’t know your story or your neighbor’s story, or that there are some special occasions or situations. However, I know that if my taxes are funding somebody’s frivolous party, I am not going to happy, especially since I couldn’t even afford to throw a party for my family.
Christine, I think this was a well written article, thank you!
Good for you, Jamie! You should be very proud of yourself! My daughter is in college studying to become a nurse herself, raising her son by herself also, working full-time at the hospital, and w/o any assistance other than the medicaid card. It irks her to no end to be on it, but at this point, she has no choice as the father is required to have insurance, but doesn’t have any offered at his job, so he gets away with not having it on his son. My youngest daughter (21) lives on her own and works 2 jobs in order to take care of herself. She shops sales and is very, very good at using coupons for everything and shopping the best sales possible and buying clearance items. She amazes me with the deals she finds! She is disgusted with her friends who live off the gov’t and refuse to work. One friend has the attitude that even though her boyfriend makes dang good money and can support them in their own home that they own, she should get welfare anyway. She’s not paid into the system and thinks it’s her “right” to have it. She has 2 kids and doesn’t work and has no desire to work. That really irks my daughter to no end!
Here’s my idea of welfare reform:
(document presented in language of applicant)…..Public Assistance Implementation and Usage Contract.
This contract, entered into on (date) and expiring on (18 months from implementation date) by the (state agency) and applicant(s) listed herein (must submit names of applicant and children born to her via birth records),allows for the provision of food,housing allowance,child care and education for the purposes of job placement during the contract period,and is understood by all parties concerned that the provision of aforementioned assistance is on a one-time basis,not to be repeated or reinstated at any time for any reason between the applicant(s) and the agency named herein,and is for the aforementioned time period only,and can only be implemented following presentation of documents proving legal citizenship status and a drug screening process,both of which are to be conducted by the agency.
Once legal citizenship status and drug screen results are known by the agency and the applicant and found to be favorable,this contract can then be implemented.The following covenants hereby apply and are agreed upon by both the named agency herein and the applicant(s) seeking assistance (failure of any one of these covenants will be considered a contract breach on the part of the applicant,and will result in immediate termination of the contract;assistance will be terminated immediately and can never be reinstated at any time in the future for any reason:
Applicant MUST disclose the name(s) of the absent parent of applicant’s child/children so that an attempt to obtain monetary support for those children can be made through DNA analysis. Failure to disclose the absent parent’s name will result in automatic immediate cessation of benefits.
applicant will submit to random home visits which will be unannounced and will occur during the 5-day work week,normally during the early afternoon hours;
applicant will submit to random drug testing as directed by the agency;
applicant must not conceive,adopt (formally or informally,including family members,immediate or extended) marry or cohabitate during the contract period;
applicant must attend a one-year vocational program via a voucher provided by the agency;applicant must attend each class ( two absences will be allowed during the contract period and a doctor’s note must be submitted upon returning to class for each absence) and a transportation voucher will be provided by the agency for transportation during class hours;child care will be provided by the agency during class hours only.
Once applicant graduates from vocational training, a two-month job-placement period will commence,with child care provided by the agency; Upon applicant’s employment,there will be an additional 4 months of ongoing assistance to allow applicant enough time to establish themselves in their occupation and to make child-care arrangements for after the contract period.
Once this contract has reached its expiration date,the assistance provided,all provisions and covenants and financial considerations as well,will cease and terminate permanently.The applicant is barred from any and all future assistance.
I,________________ hereby agree to adhere to all covenants,rules,etc of this contract. I realize and fully understand that I am bound by this contract in order to receive assistance in any form,and that any violation or breach will result in my not receiving any form of assistance any further. I agree further that this contract was fully explained to me by the agency caseworker and that I will fully comply. (sign & date here)____________________________
Agency hereby agrees to and will implement to the best of its ability and obligations,all covenants of this contract.
(agency sign & date)_______________________
Monica, again it’s the attitude that you “deserve it.” What makes you think that us taxpayers should have to pay for you to eat better than we can afford to? My gosh, what an entitlement mentality. It IS our business what you use your EBT on because WE ARE THE ONES PAYING FOR IT.
It would be great if instead of cash assistance people would get a certain amount of pre-loaded groceries per week. Vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal, dairy and some meat for each person. That would be very hard to exploit/scam with an “inside” person helping. As this story (and my own experience) demonstrates, allowing people to try to “pick their own” restricted list groceries assumes they paid attention long enough in school to learn how to read and write. There are a lot of people who scam the system with “fake divorces” (one spouse goes on welfare), cash businesses where the owner reports no income (like the hot dog vendor), and people using aliases to collect multiple welfare checks. There is no good reason why we can’t step up enforcement and eliminate some of this fraud.
Unfortunately there are some in the US who hope to recreate the slavery system only with “government aid” chaining people to a virtual plantation. Keep 51% of the populace dependent on government aid and you can stay in power forever. Assuming, of course, the other 49% are dumb enough to keep working and paying sky-high taxes to cover for the half that do not work.
While I put myself through college, in Maine, I did a work study at a early childhood development center. There were a couple of moms who had 5 kids (all with different fathers BTW) who used the welfare system to fund their (and their boyfriend’s) lives. They would drop all of their kids off and were always late to pick them up at the end of the day. They collected a check for each and every child and never thought about working (or using birth control for that matter). The goal was obvious, each kid was a check. The childcare for this particular program was even FREE for this specific “in need” population. The children were all sadly under developed and each one equalled a sum of money. It was my first experience with this type of fraud in Maine and not my last. It has gotten tragically worse over the decade and it is too easy for people out of state to come and milk our hard earned $. Maine has become a victim.
LOVE IT, TAMMY! You should send that to your governor’s office and your Congressman and Senators!
Welfare needs to be reformed so that people can buy healthy, nutritious foods for their families. Yes, there are people who make exorbitant purchases and abuse the assistance the government provides them with, absolutely. And across the political spectrum, we all agree this needs to end. But did you go home with these people after you rang them up? Do you know their situation? Your experience is NOT a representation of how people in this country are using welfare benefits. And besides, I’ve been a cashier at a supermarket across the street from a housing project in Brooklyn and again in one of Nassau County’s wealthiest grocery stores…..people are nasty EVERYWHERE do not think that just because the government is paying their groceries they should be nice to you.
It’s not just food stamps that are being abused. What about those signing up for college, getting grants, then dropping out after they receive the grant? Or, how about those on unemployment that CAN get a job but turn them down because the company that wants to hire them wants them to work too many hours and they’d lose their unemployment benefits? There are so many ways to work the system. People are learning from people that know. And, one thing I truly don’t understand is how one person may qualify for food stamps with cash, yet, another in the same situation, same number of children, same living conditions, don’t qualify for the cash portion. Visit your local courthouse sometime. I don’t know if it’s the same everywhere, but here in the heart of the capital of NC, you can sit outside a courtroom and listen to the women’s conversations with the so-called daddy of their baby – only to know through their conversation that the guy is just a friend – knowing his DNA won’t match – just so his female friend can stay on welfare. And, how many guys does she take to court claiming he’s the dad? Oh, I could go on and on…
While a agree with the majority of the article there is one thing that bothered me but maybe that it due to my own situation. I do use the assistance of WIC and I own a iPhone but the only reason I even have the phone is because it is a company issued phone- ie my boss pays for it. I’m sure there have been cashiers that see husband (who also has iPhone from same boss) standing in line waiting to pay while our daughter slides her finger on the screen to move icons as entertainment and they probably get aggravated that we have things like iPhones but use wic but it’s not always as cut and dry as it seems. And while I do agree that there is way to much fraud taking place with the system sometimes things just arent as they appear
To “reallyoldguy”: She is not talking about Social Security and Medicare that we do pay into…..she is talking about welfare and medicaid
I once had a man come into the movie theater I was working at and order roughly $30 worth of movie theater food. This food had no nutritional value; it consisted of soda, popcorn and candy. He then attempted to pay for his order with food stamps. I told “we are not a grocery store, we do not accept food stamps as payment”. I understand that everyone is entitled to enjoy their lives, but I just can’t get behind part of my paycheck going to pay for this man’s night out at the movie theater when it should be going to help those truly in need.
Wonderful article. Thank you.
but there IS a time limit for TANF benefits and probably just going to get shorter and shorter. The state easily shuts off your card and benefits for the most minor infractions. There are six month and yearly reviews. If you don’t show up they shut off your benefits. YES there is abuse of the system and working at Walfart of all places will be a showcase of all the scum bags that abuse it.
We are so judgmental of other people to assume that they are rich and abusing the system because of the car they drive. How do you even know it is THEIR car? A friend bought a Lexus for a very affordable price the same as a used 90′s Jetta but is now being judged for it? Making assumptions about people because of one interaction with them does not determine whether or not they are bad people. You can get an iphone 3 for free with some plans now. Just because someone HAS a smart phone and is on welfare does not mean that they don’t deserve something. You can be a hard working citizen and still have no money left over after rent and utilities.
I guess it just really bothers me that people feel entitled to tell others what they can or cannot have because they are on welfare. Even though they know nothing about the person they are judging. Walk a mile in their shoes. Being poor is a full time job.
You are being very judgemental and obviously not looking at the big picture. You need to drill down to get to the root of the real issue.
You have not had those issue in your life nor your immediate family environment. Although I have not had those issues, I would not dare think that I can compare myself to people who have had and only seen this recurrence in their lives and families.
Families of Accountants usually have children who become accountants
Families of Doctors often have children who become doctors
Families of Engineers often have families who become engineers etc
Cycles can be incredibly difficult to change. By nature people feel comfortable doing things based on their environment and upbringing.
To judge people who have different environmental factors in play than yourself is nothing to be commended on.
Goodness I could go on and on about this subject!!! I am a single parent and have been for years, however I chose to work and not “go” into the system, which would have actually benefitted me about as much or more as I made without working 3 jobs and without near as much stress. A single parent with a couple kids making minimal wages part time can qualify for section 8 housing which pays basically 75 percent of the rent (meaning the resident only has to pay $300 on a $1200 lease), medical benefits, food stamps, daycare, education. But this is not what I wanted to teach my child. I do have her on medical assistance, but that is the only assistance I have sought out. I simply can’t afford insurance and medical for her on my wages. My daughter is now in a Catholic high school, but that is because she worked hard for it and received a four year tuition scholarship! Like you, I believe it’s okay to accept help when you need it to progress upwards… but to use it as a way of life, that is totally different. Louisiana is one of the worst for knowing how to work the system.
Dead on article. She only missed one aspect that really sends me over the edge. When NON of them speak a bit of English and are nasty individuals. I stood behind a 3 generation family of Mexicans that had gone straight from the border to social services and then the grocery store. Not speaking any English they were demanding the cashier go through their vouchers and get to the one for food. On the grocery belt before lay over $30,000 in vouchers and what not. $30,000 for 3 women and 5 kids that no doubt just hopped the border and ran to social services to get their “REFUGEE” benefits. 3X any US citizen can recieve. You guessed it. I followed them out the store and watched as they piled into the 2010 Cadillac Escalade with Texas plates and $12,000 in tires and wheels.
Dear College Girl: Everyone is entitled to share their frustrations of the ignorance or misfortune of another human being. First of all, I’d like to commend you for your efforts of working for a living. However, I am assured that you do not have two or three children to house, feed, and clothe while the father is off parading with another woman, engaging in drugs or alcohol or institutionalized. Also, you do not know that these customers (who keep your job secure) are not working for $8.00 an hour somewhere to make barely enough to pay their utilities and transportation, let alone the high cost of rent. Many people receiving these EBT benefits are also employed. Unfortunately, others do not have the gift of intelligence or good looks, and this is why they are stuck in the system. On the other hand, there are many hard workers desperate to find work that just isn’t there. While applications are piled high, and the sign is still in the window for a month “Now Hiring” but not calling the applicants because they’re not “good enough”. I’m sure you can call your family for help when you need money for that haircut or nice sweater your wearing. Many of these people don’t have that blessing. If they’re spending part of their food stamps to buy a birthday cake for their child’s special event, God bless those children for getting that much out of their poverty stricken life. Instead of complaining of the pettiness of the poor and the small percentage of your pay that goes towards welfare reform, you should be grateful to have those annoying customers, securing your job and keeping a paycheck coming into your pocket.
I’m sorry, I am on food stamps and I DO buy steaks. Yes, it’s true. I DON’T do it all the time though, but I do it, so it makes me bad? I wait til there is a sale, it is cheeper than hamburger! Good greif, but I do not see how me being poor removes our rights to feed my family a steak dinner. We have been on food stamps for a long time, but we didn’t get it til my parents convinced us to get them because all we were eating was potatoes and whatever we got on wic. My hubby worked a full time supervisor wage job and we still didn’t make enouph money to eat. The food that wasn’t wic was bought by family. If it wasn’t for food stamps we would have starved to death.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand people who live off the system! It irks me when I see people that have money and still trick the system to stay on it indefinitely. We have been on it while my hubby was in school as well, I worked for a while, but had to quit after my baby was born, afterwords I couldn’t get a job, no one was hiring or no one would hire me (I have restaurant, supervisor, packing plant experience, i also managed a small store by myself… So I had a good-ish resume. My hubby graduated and no one is hiring in his field.
Guess I should not budget my EBT to buy my kids’ dream cakes and make sure that we no longer are allowed to eat healthy food. Did you realize how much more healthy food costs? Do you know how careful I have to budget my EBT so that I can do special things for my family? It doesn’t matter that I am so careful to somehow make my kids’ lives more comfortable, or that sometimes I STILL am hungry because I skip meals so the kids don’t have to. Also, my kids don’t go to public school so I don’t take the states money for their lousy crowded classrooms have less kids going. The state saves thousands because I homeschool. I buy curriculum with any money I can scrape together. I have gone without new clothes for a long long time. My kids don’t have new clothes either, we wear hand-me-downs. If we want something for our kids, we save what little we have and buy things for them. We do not use TANF because I think we can manage without it. We have been told several times by the social workers that we qualify for that and HUD and EVERYTHING, but I refuse it. Food is what we need to get by. I do not want to take away from another family in need. Oh, we also have iPhones. We got them two years ago for around $100. We used our tax returns to buy our phones, and for your info, it was more/month for a landline than for our phone bill. That’s why we went to cell phones to begin with (we don’t have landline) we do without satilight, cable, new computers (the ones we have were bought with tax returns) we do without a lot, but we don’t make the kids go without. We do the best we can so that they can not feel “poor.” my kids know the value of money. This summer my ds at 10 took a job doing yard work ALL SUMMER so that he could buy himself a 3DS! He understood that we couldn’t buy one, so he asked for a job! I am so happy that he understands that he can work to earn $$ for the things he wants.
I am sorry that people on EBT offend you, but realize that some of those people are still going hungry, some of those that are buying “extravagance” maybe are budgeting so that they can. Maybe the parents are skipping meals so that a kiddo can have a beautiful cake.
I believe you have seen bad cases, I have seen bad cases too. They make me mad! It makes everyone on EBT look like idiots. But we’re are not all that way.
For the ever observant critics of this article, I suppose you noted in the second paragraph the author stated “I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it.” This was not intended to be critical of those who are truly needy and in need of assistance. It is a reflection on the numerous cases of abuse that occurs within the system and the flaws of the system. I am in agreement regarding birthday cakes, not so much for adults, but for the children. Denying a child a birthday cake because it lacks nutrician value or is considered a luxury item seems spiteful and petty. However, abuse of the system is rampant and the taxpayers are footing the bill. I don’t mind footing the bill as long as it applied to those in true need and who have no other recourse.
I’m seriously considering going on welfare. Why? Someone has to come up with the $10,792 a year in property taxes on my home of the last 46 years! I grossed $9,000 last year, and again this year, it looks about the same. I’ve tried everything from graphic designer to Primerica to find work and am currently trying to make it as a videographer. Only problem is, electricity: $4,000. Taxes: almost $11,000.. heating oil, $1500 —for a year. I can grow much of my food in the back yard, but the tax collector won’t accept tomatoes as payment. If I have to pay for everyone else’s education, then someone out to help me out with my taxes!
I have food stamps and wic! I am a single mom struggeling to pay for everything! I work 30 hours a week and also try to sell lia sophia for extra income! I work till I can hardly stand and go home at night in massive pain and make min wage! I need the help to keep afloat and I hate shopping with my wic checks cause I always get nasty looks! I try to hide my ebt card when I use it! I totally agree that it should be limited and that you should only use the help when in dire need! Im hoping to be able to get my feet back on the ground and be able to support my child with no assistance! So dont look down on all who use assistance but I do agree!
I don’t think anybody would look down on you, in fact, others on wicked and welfare should look up to you and your push to do better.
Those that abuse the system are the ones that I think we would all agree are to be looked down upon in any way.
Melissa E. — first and foremost, cake is not truly food in the nutritional sense. Secondly, every lowlife says, “I used to feel like you do, but if you only walked a mile in my shoes, blah, blah, blah.” What that means is, “When I was working and paying taxes, I didn’t like paying for lowlifes. Now that I AM one, you better not judge. Just sayin’…
Monica, getting Food Stamps isn’t a right. As I’ve said, I’d like to see stores participate in a voucher program, offering discounted or free fruits & veggies, for the items they don’t sell, but will just go to waste. Buying luxury items isn’t a right either, & I see soda, pre-made food, lobster, etc as such. In my state, our local grocer has great sales on steak, although I do know it can be expensive. When you ask the governement i.e. tax payers to subsidize part of your food bill, then they have every right to dictate what you purchase.
I totally agree with the article, but one thing you should take into consideration is that voting Republican isn’t always the way to go. For example: Newt Gingrich, a Republican, is just as bad as Obama. It is best to pay attention to each candidate and what they believe, not what party they are in.
“Mrs. Brown,” you’re indicative of the problem. Your f**king entitlement attitude is the issue. Steaks, even on sale, are more expensive than ground chuck. Eat f**king hamburger helper, you skank.
LOVE THIS! exactly how i would put it. Im sick of having THREE jobs and seeing these “people” aka uncontributing citizens of society taking MY money that I work MY ASS OFF FOR! im all for helping someone when they are down or cant help themselves but i am NOT for people who think they are entitled to my hardworking money because they are a “minority”. if you can walk, talk and have an attitude then you can get a damn job! there should be ONE card with there name and show of photo ID ALL purchases should be accounted for and all people should be drug tested! lets go GENERATION Y AND X LETS CHANGE THIS!
Well written article. Seems like there should be someone you can show this to that can help bring about a change. We are going into another voting yr. and it would be a good time to bring it to someone’s attention!
Mrs. Brown from a few posts up . . . God bless you! Well said. You nailed it. I only get $67 per month on my EBT card and usually buy only staples with it but sometimes I do skimp and save on other things so that I can buy that steak or even pork tenderloin (gasp!) occasionally. I am very frugal and use coupons whenever I can. I am a single mom with no help from anyone. Oh and btw, I do work. I don’t live off the system.
And to DMPT, it’s not that I think I deserve it . . . it’s that you don’t think I do just because of my situation. You dehumanize people when you do that.
“When you subsidize poverty and failure, you get more of both..” – James Dale Davidson, National Taxpayers Union
Well-Sharon I did read your post-i do know you have given up alot-as far as the author of this article, I am currently a Cashier/courtesy Desk associate at a major retail chain. I live in Maine and I thought I would point out a few things too you-You are correct there is a lot of abuse within the welfare system, but I do believe the corruption is all of our faults for not demanding DHHS reform, starting with the top, micro-managing our states budgets and honest to god getting rid of lavish spending. If our elected officials would pay attention and start working *(taxpayer dollars) then maybe something could be done, We the American public need to take our concerns and ideas to our elected officials to demand change. Too often- we become narrow-minded and pass judgement on welfare folks but, out of all the replies I read, there was few that took on some of the blame’ for doing nothing but so many griped and assumed they knew what was going on. I honestly do not know why people want to divide by placing party blame-instead of becoming united, we know its broken,so now lets get busy. Quit playing he-said-she said games, I would think the public is smarter than that.,My favorite quote “Make the right decision or Make the decision right” When my customers check out-they pay, they are all treated the same. Treat people with a different attitude and you will get different results.
Monica, your comment shows you’re part of the problem. You “ONLY” get $67?? That’s $67 that a WORKING person paid for you. Be grateful, you sow.
Well it is nice to see that not just the older people see what is going on and I am glad it was wrote. Yes there are people that need a little help and there needs to be better rules. Point blank better rules and guide lines. There are people using food stamps that do need and its funny that all the people that are lashing out cause they use or used…..ARE NOT allowing there eyes to see that 90% of the people that are getting help ARE USING THE SYSTEM……..So for all the people that are getting help cause u really need it,….u should have no shame…..if in deed u are being smart about it and not blowing ur money on candy chips soda and such……but u should be ashamed of lashing out to all that see the real pic for all that R using the system. I work 7 days a week 3 jobs and take care of my grandmother and I can hardly pay for what we need and have no help or insurance cause my full time job does not have it. I own my home I pay all by bills and that includes my vehical. As a workng class citizen I should not be seeing my hard earned money being handed out to people that I know for a fact are sitting around doing nothing and are not trying to get jobs and say stright out…if i get a job i cant make more than….or i lose all my money and i cant afford to have my monthy rent go up its already 85.00 a month…..WHAT i have a house payment and thats 800.00 a month hole helava lot differeant. And these people have nice places also. Iv seen them so I know. But yet they eat better than I can cause I cant afford all the stuff they buy and oh wait free healthcare to. The people that need a little help, should have it there for them on a time frame…….No one should be making a living off the system and Our govermemnt needs to get there heads out of there ass’s and start fixing the issues……I for one will be printing and sending on to our local goverment……I hope the rest do the same…..Enough is Enough
Oh, and Monica, you dehumanize yourself when you can’t even frikken take care of your own self. You have internet, which somebody else is paying for. Why not buy food instead? Stupid sheeple.
This comment is to the person that worked at the collection agency and mentioned Medicaid and Medicare. Regarding Medicaid – Any good Medicaid provider knows that they can only charge what Medicaid has agreed to pay. They canNOT charge the patient the difference in their overpriced schemes. It is their responsibility to get approval before providing the service unless it is an emergency service. Even then they are to understand the program in order to participate. More providers commit fraud and overcharge the system then is understood. I am a disability advocate. If you tried to collect on a Medicaid client of mine we would be doing lots of investigation into your client that hired you. Why aren’t more people concerned about this double dipping overpriced medical scheme? The companies sure have no problem taking the money from the government do they?
I think it’s obvious to anyone who bothers to *carefully* read Crouselle’s column that she understands the difference between those who sincerely need help, and those who are entitled freeloaders – abusing the public purse by taking food stamps to which they’re not really entitled.
As for the program itself, food stamps should be run like WIC – a mandated list of nutritious food items, and no junk food. That would solve many of the endless problems with abuse, and the sale of EBT cards. Take away the option to buy $4 luxury organic candy bars and other frills, and the program won’t be as attractive.
Yes – sometimes, people sincerely need help, and when that happens, they should have help. However, welfare and food stamps should be temporary for anyone who isn’t disabled or elderly.
If you want to go to college, have children, or incur bills, fine – just pay for the expenses yourself.
Lori, “perhaps” you should have thought ahead and saved money instead of locking yourself into a 2-year contract for a f**king phone. Just sayin’… Stupid sheeple.
i work at walmart and i have been there for almost 3 years and i will say some of these people that have ebt should not have it if you can afford to get ur nails done every two weeks, gold jewlery, tattoos, smokes, and beer than you can by food for your family. i cant afford to get my nails done i cant afford a tattoo i cant buy jewlery like i want to. even tho i work i cant afford somethings and yet i make TO MUCH to get help from the goverment and yes i might not need it bc i have food on my table and i have a roof over my head but what if i didnt do you think they will give it to me no so i think they need to have evaulations on the people who are getting help from the goverment and if you have any unnessary thing like nails, beer or smokes you should be told to give back ur assistance
WOW I would hate to see Alot of You if ever in need, Really Just because someone has had food stamps for most of his life doesn’t make him back maybe he is disabled No i dont agree with him buyin booze but i’m not going to assume he is abusing the system either and as someone who has had to use medicaid, food stamps and TANF because my ex was not paying child support which is a a source they take once child support resumes I was not going to let my child go without a birthday cake or a present just because i needed extra help. Yeah there maybe some people out their like the women trying to get a vaccume for $4.00 but not all of us are bad and why just because we get help from the state should we be reduced to as some put it hambuger helper??? If we can provide what is needed it shouldn’t matter to anyone what we are eating some of us are unemployeed so guess what OUR WORKING TAX MONEY PAIED into it too!!!!! Before being all high and fucking mighty MS. WALMART reflect on your self beause as god has put forth don’t judge unless, the be judged!!!!
Marge, you’re “equal” enough to pay your own frikken way. STFU and quit your envy. You’re entitled to live the life YOU can provide yourself — NOT the life others can provide FOR you.
I’m going to try and be very polite. I am on foodstamps at this time. I had a job working one day a week just enough to pay for my car and gas but unfortunatly, the business closed so that left me with out a job. My boyfriend got laid off at the same time and has not recieved one payment from unemployment(don’t get me started on that one). We are trying to raise a child with special needs and no income. I stay home to take care of her. So what this article is telling me is that I can’t buy MY CHILD a nice birthday cake to celebrate HER day so she then knows that we are poor and we can’t have a party like other little boys and girls because mommy stays home to care for her and daddy, despite being out and looking for work, can’t provide. It’s nice to know that this is what people are really thinking of you when you step up to a register to pay with an EBT card….and P.S. You can’t judge one for all. Thanks for the boost of confidence. Its not easy for all of us to do what we need to do to provide for our families…don’t think it is OH SO EASY to step up and show an EBT card!!!
You judge people because they bought food with their food stamps? Whatever dude. Mind your own business and stop judging people so harshly less you walk a mile in their shoes. You want to take away cake from YOUR kids one day because you have no money to buy food less a cake for their birthday? Should poor people be forced to eat ravioli every day of their lives or should we provide nutricious food to those whom choose it? Yes, every system is flawed. Yes, people abuse it. Stop being so ‘better than thou’ and looking your nose down at people and try a little compassion. Also, guess what, you’re going to get yelled at the rest of your life at your job; by your boss, your co-workers and yes, customers some poor, some not. Try to deal with it. Even rich people yell, and mostly it’s about things that don’t matter as much as their starving children.
Being a welfare recipient this blog hurts my heart. I know it is accurate and changes have to be made. But, at what cost? I just moved from Michigan where the economy is one of the worse, if not the worse, in the nation. I am very aware of the misuse of government funding and the generational curse of dependency that plagues many families. For the most part it is ignorance that fuels the fire.
However, if maybe if there were more educational support of the system and how to programs attached with receiving benefits maybe people would be less inclined to abuse and more inclined to do better for themselves and their families. Every human wants to learn. When we have no one to take time to teach us we are left to fend for ourselves. Knowledge is power and many of our school systems fail to educate us in common useful recourses of study like budgeting, money management, customer service, and courtesy.
Once GOD got kicked out of the systems (school, government, etc) they were bound to crumble at some point. I am not by any means making excuses for the “Queens” yet I know that eliminating the EBT system completely would cause a lot of good people that have fallen on hard times to lose the only hope they have. When I see my fridge full I know I my family will make it. Even if we only have smiles, laughter, love, and food. I apologize on behalf of those recipients of government assistance that are just, righteous, and not here to make anyone’s life more difficult.
I have heard both sides and comments from both extreme ends of the argument. What I don’t hear is facts and solutions.
Fact – no state has made enough jobs to rectify the problems and refuse to create jobs to police their policies. They cut down on Gov’t office hours to save money when those same hours could be researching who is cheating on welfare and arresting people. Work smarter not harder people. Nothing will work unless the policies have teeth to bite into offenders. Honest people will stay honest and the cheats will continue till they are caught.
First – set limits to all policies and require manpower enough to make it work.
Second – use a 30-day rollover so people can get out and stay off welfare.
Third – if you see someone cheating the system turn them in – don’t just bitch and moan. Do something – be active – take pictures or videos of proof and then let the state go from there.
Fourth – Require your state to hire enough people to work the department that polices this ..if you don’t have a job volunteer to work it. Many states are letting welfare recipients work at the office they file at to get them out of the home and back into society. Push for reform.
Fifth – Quit pointing fingers unless you do something about it. As an American you have free will .. use it people to help keep people honest.
Sixth – I agree the farmers should be supplemented into growing staples for people on Welfare .. it would be less the States would have to pay out and also give out more of the basics. I remember Gov’t subsidized food. Good and a staple but I would not force someone to eat just that. Besides I have seen so many people that have never taught their kids how to cook. How can you live frugally if you can’t cook to save money? A treat now and then is good for the soul and should never be discouraged but flagrant disregard should be noticed and reported. So many children in college and high school could not cook a four course meal or even tell you what one was. That is our fault for not teaching them. Get real people .. we are all to blame when we sit back and not get active.
Here’s a question – how many people would take TANF and food stamps now, in exchange for paying back the money, down the road when times are better?
Or, do people on the assistance see it as “free,” and something to which they’re entitled, with no need to reimburse the state, and other taxpayers?
Nicely said Christine! Finally a pretty woman who doesn’t live in liberal Hollywood with a brain to match!
“tired of the whine,” why don’t you STFU? I’m sick to f**king death of paying for lowlifes and n**gers who buy crap and junk that is either outlandish or not food. Those of us who pay TAXES don’t want to pay for this sh*t anymore. When do I get a f**king say in what I am forced to pay for?? I say enough is enough. It’s time for the unwashed masses to get a f**king job — or, barring that, maybe they will quit voting for losers like Obama who are all for the welfare scabs. Any president who is pro-welfare only wants to enslave you. You deserve NOTHING from my pocket.
To those who have commented here that people should be entitled to eat food that they like, and so it should be allowed to be purchased with government aid, I can only register my strong disagreement. Steak is not a basic human right. Furthermore, for people who cannot afford it working to subsidize it in the diets of those who do not work is a travesty. I will go further: if you think that steak is a basic human right, you’ve never had to make a hard decision between eating food you like and paying the mortgage, which means you probably have no frame of reference for this discussion and your comments should be discounted, either on the basis of your extreme lack of knowledge of the subject matter, or because you don’t have the first clue what real life is like.
This point is well taken…I had a pastor of mine say once, “The first generation of welfare recipients were grateful, the second one expected it, and the third one demanded it.”
To Narrow Row-Just a quick thought-if you see our elected officails fat and unfit,Guess what our taxdollars paid for them to get that way-no worries,we will pay their health insurance too, maybe your program can apply to them too-
Katie, since I’M the f**king taxpayer, it IS my F**KING BUSINESS, b**ch!! You f**king lowlife scabby hos come in here and tell us, who PAY INTO THE SYSTEM, what we should care about and whatnot — you need to STFU. When I take my money back, you die. I won’t care.
On one hand you say, ” During the 2010 and 2011 summers, I was a cashier at Wal-Mart #1788 in Scarborough, Maine”, then you say, ” I witnessed generations of families all relying on the state to buy food and other items”. My question is. “How did you witness generations of families when you only worked two summers?”. It is so simplistic to judge the entire welfare system on such a small sample size as a Walmart store over the period of two summers.
First of all, Walmart customers are decidedly not normal by any measure of the word. They were fighting each other on “Black Friday” for $1.98 towels, for gosh sakes. Additionally, I would rather see a column which talks about the huge abuses on Wall Street that led to our near financial collapse, rather than worrying about a few Walmart customers getting some food and supplies for their families. At least those folks are buying the products and pumping up the Chinese economy as they do.
Go back to neo conservative class and study up a bit more on casting a bright light on this enormous problem of welfare abuse rather than maybe, just maybe, taking a look at all the GOP crooks out there who are stealing billions every day. Yeah, I think you really got to the heart of the matter by worrying about the few Walmart welfare abusers you saw in your two summers on the job. Oh, and keep voting Republican. They’ll only borrow and spend us to death instead of taxing and spending, which at least is more responsible when you take the time to think about it. Oh, I forgot. You don’t think. You vote REpublican. Have a nice day !!
I just had to chime in and comment on a few of the things I’ve read in the comment thread.
1. Sometimes being “judgmental” is a good thing. Yes, I said it. Being judgmental about certain things happening in society helps to create order among chaos. It’s perfectly natural for a human being to notice something wrong…and desire to see it get better. So just because something you willingly choose to do (buying a steak versus food that costs less and last longer is STUPID when you’re broke…I don’t care how you slice it), spurs concern out of others, doesn’t necessarily they’re wrong for their views…and might even be necessarily for order.
2. I’m employed, yet on a serious budget. I very rarely eat steak. I buy affordable food for one reason and one reason only…to keep me from going hungry and for intake of vital nutrients. When I was laid off from work 4 years ago, I made every last dime of what I was getting stretch as much as possible. It’s WHAT YOU DO when you’re out of money. You don’t buy steaks, you don’t buy birthday cakes and cards and other crap. You feed yourself and your family something inexpensive and nutritious enough to get through the day…and you spend every last waking hour busting the pavement looking for ANYTHING that will bring in enough to provide for your NEEDS. Not your WANTS. If you are not working, regardless or whether or not you’ve paid into the system before or it was “unfair” that you lost your job, or it’s “too hard” to find work…you are living off the goodwill of your fellow citizens and if you’ve reached a point in your life where the cashier at Walmart is questioning your purchases, regardless of her background, you need to take a look at your priorities.
3. We live in a very “entitled” society. Everyone feels like their kid should have the joy of blowing out candles on a birthday cake just like any other kid. But I guess it’s all relative in the grand scheme of things http://www.myspace.com/definenecessity/photos/947768
The government isn’t there to make sure your kid has a happy birthday…even if you do argue that you’ve paid in enough to deserve a little something back. It’s OUR JOB as good people to reach out to our neighbors who are struggling and willingly help them. Instead we see money disappear from our checks, witness the excesses and greed of MANY welfare recipients, and the desire for people to give MORE out of love for the person standing in line with the EBT card seem to just vanish because of the grasping and entitlement nature of so many.
Rachel —- bravo; very well said.
fuck u hataz we niggs gonna keep robbin yo whitey asses ha HUHHHH
Tony, you niggs gonna die because you’s too stooooopid to keep yourselves alive BY yourself. I be happy for stooooopid people dyin’.
A friend sent me a link to this posting. You are so right on. I am a bi-vocational children’s minister who started working at a Walmart in the Columbus, Ohio area this past spring and have also been amazed at some of the idiocy of the customers. Every cashier dreads the first day and the first weekend of the month as the “entitled” come traipsing through, abusing anything and anyone they encounter especially the employees.
My favorite (a-hem) customers are those who fill their carts with a bunch of things they want then wait until they’re checking out to decide what they are going to actually buy. And as you said, it results in hundreds of dollars of food that is thrown away. One such customer even asked me why the prices were going up so much and I told her. Nicely. She didn’t get the connection that she was driving the prices up with her second cartload from which she bought nothing. *sigh*
I wish there was a way they could have all that food they picked up be charged against the next months EBT deposit. They might get the hint that they should be keeping track as they are shopping. Then again, probably not. After all, they are entitled. Right?
Oh… and what is it about people asking if we like working there, standing on that mat all day? I’ve often given the same response, “It’s a job.”
Amen, Rachel. If there was a way to opt out, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I don’t want to provide for other families anymore. First, they aren’t grateful. Second, they now demand it. Third, I no longer feel that “brotherly fuzzy” that makes me want to take care of others. If I CHOOSE to, I’ll pick a family. If I don’t choose, that’s my prerogative. I want out.
I agree with everything you said! My son worked at a Save-a-Lot in Tennessee and he said like clockwork he would have the same gentleman come in and fill his buggy up with steaks. Nothing but steaks. As you stated the balance was printed on the receipt. Some people would have $3,000.00 balance on the receipt at the beginning of the month. Who spends that much on groceries every month? Please. It is meant as temporary not permanent. And the lady who said she buys steaks and birthday cakes….you don’t work… I don’t want to pay for it. My husband works. I teach. I tutor after school. I have one son in college and the other one works a full time job. We don’t buy steaks but twice a year. My son that worked at the grocery store has a different job now. He qualifies for an EBT card but refuses to apply for it.
1. Comment by @tony is probably just a fake comment made by someone who is just trying to instigate something.
2. Beth needs to stop the belittling and berating that she has continues to do.
Ok-enough said and read-, I feel that we as americans need to be part of the solution-quit blaming and get some results,
Ive been saying this for years, and iam an old man now!
Oh the life of retail. The next time you think about yelling at a cashier or other retail employee, just remember that this is the kind of stuff that we have to deal with all day.
Monica, it’s YOUR entitlement attitude that is the problem. Deserving and NEEDING are 2 entirely different things. You forget – it’s US TAXPAYERS WHO ARE ALLOWING YOU TO BE ABLE TO EAT. You’d think you’d be a bit more grateful for the handout you are receiving. That steak you are purchasing is one that I AS THE PERSON WHO IS PAYING FOR YOU TO BUY IT can’t afford to purchase. The idea that you deserve it is appalling to those of us who are paying your way and can’t afford to buy it for ourselves because our tax dollars are going to pay for people who feel entitled to everything handed to them and think they “deserve it.”
NIkki: Why don’t you MAKE the birthday cake for your child instead of spending $60 on a dang sheet cake? I would bet your kid would love a nice cake that their mom made herself far more than he/she would like one from a store. Homemade ones taste a heck of a lot better, too.
Rachel, BRAVO! You hit the nail on the head.
Though I agree with most of what you said – I do not think that Maine is one of the easier systems to take advantage of. I have lived in several states due to various reasoning and had to apply for assistance after my fiance passed away. Maine was actually more difficult for me to get. I agree that they don’t create a motivation for people to work – I never recieved Tanf, only actual food stamps – but I budgeted as I would if it were actual cash, I can’t afford lobster or steak on my regular cash income, so I sure won’t buy it with my food stamps. I am not trying to excuse anyone who manipulates the system. And I agree, there needs to be a huge makeover of it because there are several honest, hardworking and struggling people out there just trying to make ends meet who are either denied assistance, or penalized due to the audacity of others. I appreciate your article and will definitely be posting it to my facebook. Where I live now, for Welfare there has to be a drug test administered and proof you are actively seeking work. Kind of like if it were unemployment. It caused some sort of an uproar , but I imagine the mouths heard over all of it were the mouths of people who were guilty parties.
Wow! Are you serious? I have had to use food stamps and i am very offended by this. Just because we are on food stamps we cant eat steak or seafood or cant buy our children a birthday cake! Who do you think you are? I guess us poor folk can only eat beans and rice right? Get over yourself. Also does it ever occur to you that the people talking on their iphones may have gotten them as a present from someone or had them before they had to resort to applying for those food stamps? Its people like you that make me sick. You guys think everyone is scamming someone well they are not, I have used food stamps, I have bought the food I wanted to eat, I have stood in line talking on my I phone that my republican parents bought me for Christmas and you know how i paid the bill? With the full time job I work that pays for me and my two kids and my share of people on food stamps it is not anyone’s fault there is a recession in America! I will say a prayer for your stuck up self, because you need Jesus
One could buy the ingredients to bake a birthday cake cheaper than a ready made cake… laziness is a big problem today.
And here I thought Common Sense has died many years ago, but this writer proved me wrong. There is still hope for Common Sense to be revived, and this example of abuse to our Welfare programs I hope will lead to mass reforms and LESS entitlements.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Anne, so it’s okay for you to enjoy steak, seafood, and spend the food stamps on a cake that you could much more wisely use the food stamps on making one instead of buying one when the rest of us who PAY FOR YOUR FOOD – CANNOT AFFORD to buy the steak and seafood because we are having to spend so much to support people who are not willing to take care of themselves and work? What the heck kind of attitude is that that you are entitled to it? I’m not saying eat only beans and rice, but honestly, use the foodstamps to buy decent quality food and not the expensive stuff. I’m not stuck up – I’ve gone hungry before with no food in my home for days on end…but I work – and have worked multiple jobs and 60-80 hours a week in order to support myself and NOT be on welfare. People in this country seem to think that either others should have to take care of them and they not work, OR they work one job and think that is enough and yet still depend on others to take care of them because they aren’t willing to work MORE in order to stay off welfare. What do you think people did before welfare? They worked 2-3 jobs. They didn’t expect and have the entitlement mentality that a handout is OWED to them. Heck, my own 21-year-old daughter works 2 jobs in order to take care of herself because it isn’t anybody else’s responsibility to take care of her. In the past, I’ve gone to school full-time and worked full-time and raised 2 kids during college and didn’t take welfare – I paid my own daycare costs, too. Sure, it was really really tough…..but I did it…and so can you. All of my adult life, I”ve worked 60-80 hours a week in order to provide for my family…and now own my own home. Maybe you should get a part-time job and get off the dole????
And as for the other discussions going on, I have experienced both sides. There have been times I would literally stand in the grocery store looking at something simple, like a bag of apples, fighting back the tears because it didn’t matter how much I wanted it, I honestly couldn’t afford it. I had a full-time salaried job but my income barely paid the rent and utilities.
Then last summer (2010), my position was eliminated. In my line of work, however, we don’t qualify for unemployment. That means no income. No job offers were coming either. Eventually, I had to humble myself to seek assistance. Because I don’t have any illegitimate children, I only qualified for food stamps. But a lot in food stamps. Twice what I usually spent on groceries, actually. It was strange to be able to buy fresh fruit, veggies and meat. Because I was given so much, I admit I did some excessive shopping, too, like buying doughnuts, tons of Christmas candy to share, brand name products of a few things. Having the food paid for also freed up what little money I did get through odd jobs to pay for rent.
I think recipients are given too much in food stamps. They don’t have to be thrifty. That’s where the contention comes. I didn’t need all that I was given. It was easy to buy all kinds of junk with it. I think the WIC program has the right idea by dictating what items can be purchased, ensuring the children get some nutrition not just junk food. As a cashier, though, I wish they weren’t such a pain in the butt .
My thought after reading this was not so much of what you experienced, (there are hundreds of these stories and we have all experienced them in Wal-Mart in one form or fashion) but that you were a contributing factor as much as Wal-Mart. First, for not speaking up, as a voter and someone who pays taxes, but two, that you did not contact your manager for every case you knew was wrong in order to deny the transaction. Is it any different than those under age being denied the purchase of alcohol or cigarettes. There are laws in place for a reason and those who have the right to refuse and up-hold the law and don’t, should not complain about what is wrong with the system, its not the system in place… it is the people who are involved in or around the system that breaks it.
Dear Christine, Perhaps you can see why our Founding Fathers wrote in Article 1, Section 8 of the constitution, the enumerated powers of Congress. They NEVER intended the Federal Government to do most of what is being done. They NEVER intended for the government to get into the business of religion – charity distribution. Thanks for sharing your experience and you are right to be shocked by the fraud and abuse.
I don’t buy steak unless it is less than $3 a pound usually. Hamburger IS more expensive than that. My local Fred Meyer has awesome meat sales! And I don’t eat hamburger helper. I value nutritious foods. I make tons from scratch. Hamburger helper is not a nutritious food! Yuk. I have grown and harvested gardens, I do what I can to save my EBT money so that we can buy special things. People make it sound like we can spend as much as we desire as long as we have the card. No, we can’t. There is a max amount per person you can get (and you are excluded if you are in college and not working 20 hrs a month) I think it is $150 per person for a month at the max amount, and that amount goes down with your income. So a person can save their money during a month and get a steak when they know for sure that they will have food through the month. If the money is not spent, it DOES expire.
I am republican and poor. My hubby has has bachelors degree in engineering and an Associates in business/accounting. He is actively job searching. Our family is paying our bills until we can make it on our own. We used our financial aid to pay all of our bills, anything we couldn’t pay, we got help from family. I am lucky that my family can afford to help us out. When I was a little kid my parents were on food stamps too. They were dirt poor. My dad was finally able to get a better job (he was working two, 3 if you include he was a pastor as well) my parents finally “grew out of” FS. They are doing very well, but even after my dad had his “good job”(that ruined his respiratory health) he was laid off at 50 something and had to go back to college. He is now making more money as a nurse. Things are working out for my parents, and I have faith that that is in our near future. I DO NOT want to be on ANYTHING state regulated. I want to budget an income with bills and medical and food. I want that. I hate living in the system, but wait for the day that I am not.
For some reason someone thought I needed cussed out. Idk why. I am a conservitave Christian who cannot afford food. I but luxuries now and then, but only when I save for them. I am frugal with ALL my spending, that’s how I grew up. I am not a big spender. My favorite store is Salation army and I don’t get vouchers from them and my kids don’t get presents from those organizations. We did two years from the university that my husband attended. The school had a program set up for students with families, we did except presents two years in a row, but no other time. Ever.
As for who all is paying for what. I have worked, my hubby started working when he was 15. We have been paying taxes a long time. And we WILL be paying taxes a long time. We will pay back into the system. We are still young, we have many years of taxs in us. Lol.
Btw-someone said something about getting grants then dropping out of school, you are required by law to pay back any money you received if you quit. Just so you know.
Beth, you are too lovely, but I must say I am in some disagreement. I feel it is my duty and I like to help people who need it because that is what my Lord and Savior did and says is to be done, and because I have needed help in my life and I know I will need it in the future. This system and others are not perfect, far from it. I agree that instead of complaining we need to fix it. Write a letter to your congressperson and get others to do the same. Don’t judge, but be discerning so you can change things for the better. Don’t just bemoan the problem and don’t think the same way we were thinking when the problem was created. Get creative, get active.
Sincerely,
A socially liberal, fiscally moderate member of the Modern Whig Party
I know and sympathize for those who are on welfare because I have been there…Me and my three girls during my divorce to their father was on welfare because he refused to help pay and I was a full time college student as well as working part time. It is suppose to be a temporary assistance. Now I live in the state of North Carolina and I see the abuse. I see people in expensive cars and expensive clothing with bad attitudes abusing the system. But only a few…because the new welfare system here in NC has taken effect. Social Services of my county has taken initiative to weed out the ones that have been on for years. They put the ones on welfare through a job search along with the local employment security (unemployment) and make them prove they are looking for work while they are on assistance..It is brilliant!!!!! If you don’t find work, you go through a seminar that helps you find work and get off the system. Jobs are scarce in the small town I live in and Yes, assistance in my area is on a high, but you cannot blame the ones that have kids and are trying to survive. I see a lot of people answering this essay and they do not state about having kids..you worry about your children eating right.
When I was on assistance, I made sure that the food I bought was healthy and no soda. Where we live, anything bakery or deli isn’t allowed on food stamps. Yes its food, but its prepared items that isn’t food stamp allowance.
PS..I worked for my local Wal Mart as a cashier…I know how it is to work with high stress and customers giving attitude..but I know that the customer isn’t always right…they are human and you as a worker is put through training. They treat you how to deal with horrible welfare queens…
THIS IS THE MOST PREDJUDICED CRAP I HAVE EVER READ… U R MAKING THE EXCEPTION THE NORMAL… I AM A MOTHER OF FOUR WITH A COLLEGE EDUCATION, WHO WAS WIDOWED THRU TRAGIC ACCIDENT AND ENDED UP NEEDING ASSISTANCE. THEN I GOT A JOB, THEN I LOST THAT JOB THRU A LAYOFF NOT MY FAULT… THEY TOOK MY DAYCARE ASSISTANCE AWAY TELLING ME THEY WOULD GIVE IT BACK WHEN I GOT A JOB. HOW TO FIND ONE WITH TODDLERS IN TOW WAS A MYSTERY TO ME… THEN I WAS TOLD GO ON TANF THEN WE WILL HELP YOU, WOW!!!!!!!! THEN I GOT DENIED FOR THAT TANF… BUT U KNOW WHAT IF I HAD GOTTEN IT, U R DAMN RIGHT I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT MY KID A BIRTHDAY CAKE IF NEED BE.. WAKE UP. U NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE MAJORITY OF UNCONTROLLED WELFARE BENEFITS BEING ABUSED ARE BEING SO BY ILLEGALS. THE MAJORITY OF THE REST OF RECIPIANTS ARE SINGLE MOTHERS SENTENCED TO NO OTHER WAY…I WILL PRAY FOR YOUR IGNORANCE INT HAT, GOD DOES NOT SEE IT JUST TO PUT U IN THE PLACE OF THOSE U CONDEMN. AND AS FAR AS INTELLIGENCE LEVELS, HOW MUCH INTELLIGENCE DO U THINK ABOUNDS IN THE WALMART EMPLOYEE POPOULATION??? GET A GRIP. A MASTER’S DEGREE WITH 15 YRS OF STEADY WORK HISTORY IN A LUCRATIVE PROFESSION DID NOT SEPARATE ME FROM THE HIGH SCHOLL DROP OUT TEENAGE MOMMA STANDING IN LINE NEXT TO ME.. YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF… I HAVE A NAME FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU, UNFORTUNEATLY IT’S NOT ALLOWED IN THIS FORUM.
Ridiculous. Your article, not the people on welfare. These people may be rude, but you know what- everyone can be rude. It is no easy task to receive TANF. The government doesn’t just throw money out to people who just ask for it- people have to qualify on some level. Let me tell you, there is a hell of a lot of paper work to go through before you can get food into the mouths of your children- and yes, even poor children like kit-kat bars and even poor children have birthdays that may warrant a cake purchase. As for the man buying alcohol- he qualifies for food stamps and hasn’t gotten off of them… who is to say that he isn’t battling alcoholism but cannot afford treatment or mental health care? So judgmental. Go try living on minimum wage for a while. Oh and raise a few kids at the same time. Oh and guess what- your kids have birthdays… and chicken pox… have fun taking time off work to take care of them- looks like you might need food stamps now, you “moocher.”
Walk a mile in their shoes before posting things like this. So unloving.
Nicely done
I have to commend you- the article is very well-written.
What does upset me is the nature of some of these comments and commentators.
You accuse her of judging people, I see equal judgement towards her in your comments. You tell her she needs to “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes”, yet you have no clue what life experiences she has dealt with.
Do I have an iPod? Yes, I do. It’s the very first iTouch and was given to me as a birthday present from my parents, before my father lost his job due to an injury. (His company van did not have a properly installed ladder-rack, and so he had to use a customer’s ladder- the rubber feet were old and they slid, causing him to fall about a story down to a hard concrete floor. He should have refused to use his van in that condition, or had a coworker bring a ladder, but as they say- hindsight is 20-20) My family has been fighting for a good two years with Workman’s Comp to try and get his surgery approved, in the meantime, he will now have permanent nerve damage because of how long this has been drawn out.
Basically saying, if you saw that I had the iTouch, but didn’t know my story (that I had a good life, and now we scrape by, all because of one accident) You would probably judge.
My mother works two jobs- she is a (highly underpaid) assistant editor to one newspaper, and the Editor for a smaller town newspaper. She has award-winning articles and has even had stories of hers published in books. Her second job- she works at a coffee shop on the weekends, making minimum wage and getting barely any tips (because the entitled little 16 year old who works before her takes them all. Accuse me of being judgemental if you will, but I know this 16 year old’s family personally, and let me say they have it very good. They may have had other problems in the family, but being family friend’s of theirs for years… I doubt it. Even though they are our friends, I cannot help but be a little jealous that they have it so much easier than we do, at least at this time.)
I got my first job at 17, I am 19 now. I am going to school on a (pretty much) full-ride scholarship because of my good grades and my ACT score. I would have LOVED to live on campus, but we did not and still do not have the money to afford it. We did not make enough to buy it ourselves, yet made too much to qualify for any aid. Talk about a catch 22. I kept that job and became a manager at 18, stuck with it for another year, but had to transfer due to my college schedule. How I envied the other kids my age who could jump from job to job for “fun”, the kind of kids who have their cars paid for by their parents and are working only to fund their clothing and DRUG HABITS. I am a 19 year old manager at a fast-food place, and haven’t even smoked a cigarette. WHY? It’s a foul and expensive habit. I drive a car that is as old as I am, and has 200,000 miles on it. I scrape by trying to help my family with money, pay for the gas I need to commute to college, and anything I really need.
I don’t have an expensive phone, mine is falling apart. My most expensive item is my 3DS, which is something I SAVED for over the course of a year.
READ THE ARTICLE.
She is not targeting those who utilize the system as it was MEANT FOR, she is targeting the abusers. I cannot say that I MYSELF have ever had to live on welfare and food-stamps, but some of my family has, and they worked very hard to get off of it.
I can understand getting a steak once in a while, or even a lobster (they have sales, you know) I DO believe it would be far cheaper to bake a cake (even I can figure that out without too much trouble)
Basically saying- If you’re on welfare, I don’t think it is fair for you to use taxpayer money for cigarettes and alcohol. Use food stamps for food, and don’t splurge! A steak here and there is fine, but if someone on welfare gets steak more often than I do, there is a problem with the system.
I have seen many people on welfare who use their “extra” money for drugs. How is this fair? You should be using that money for necessities.
I don’t get expensive clothes or cars or devices as gifts (aside from my iTouch, as mentioned earlier. It was a rare occurrence, my birthday after my high-school graduation) I get clothes from Target or Walmart. I ask for small things that I like (Walmart, for example, has $5 Disney DVD’s that I STILL love!) Small things in life like those make things more bearable, to sit with my father and watch a movie, knowing he may or not be able to get out of his chair or move without my help, knowing that I have to work 40+ hours a week (AND attend school) and my mom has upwards of 60 hours a week just to make ends meet.
I do not feel that it is fair that I have to pay taxes for people to leech off the system, when my family suffers to try and make ends meet. Can’t find a job? I would recommend looking into your local fast food joint. You will never be “too good” to work fast food. I do it myself. At 19, I am a manager. Imagine what you can accomplish if you are older than me!
So please, don’t be so judgemental if you don’t know a person’s story. Don’t tell me you cannot find work, it is always available, though it may not be what you want, you may have no choice but to take it. I’ve had odd-jobs where I made far less than minimum wage, but I did them anyway because I wanted to be able to give a gift to a family member.
One person I did want to reply to, though…
@Capepark- PLEASE tell me you are a troll or a joke. If not… I am terribly disappointed at how our nation views things. You and your babies are NOT entitled to iPads and iPods. I am sorry that you have to suffer alone, that you don’t have someone there to help support you, but that does not entitle you to things like that. I feel that your attitude in regards to the whole thing is terrible. I have had to work very hard for my nice things, and I will continue to work hard to keep them. You already HAVE nice things- you have four beautiful children who look to you for support and guidance, because they DON’T have a dad in their life. That means you have to be their pillar in a harsh and unforgiving world. You don’t get to have $200 for an iPod, because you get to give that $200 to care for your child. What would you use the iPod for that your babies cannot give you? If you have a radio and they are old enough, have them sing for you! Listen to the sweet and true words they speak. Hold them close and love them! An iPod can never love you like your babies can, Capepark. Read them a story and let them know that their mother loves them!
Seriously, even when you suffer, there is ALWAYS something better to look forward to. I cannot say that I have suffered as much as some people here have, but I can say that I have suffered more than some here. (Basically saying- No matter HOW bad or good you think you have it, there will ALWAYS be someone who has it worse OR better than you do) I look forward to the beautiful things in life- getting to see the family I do have during the holidays, eating our wonderful home cooking and spending time with each other. We have a $10 gift limit, except for the kids under 15. (My baby cousins, basically) No one overspends, and the gifts aren’t grand, by any means, but they are always something sweet that we wanted. When the holidays are over, I will look forward to the new year- knowing that I lived another year successfully. I may not always be perfect, but I am alive and have people in my life who love me for the person I am and who will ALWAYS be there to see the person I become. I will look forward to the Spring- the sweet-smelling young flowers, the birds who constantly wake me up (far too early) with their happy chirping… Even the rain. It means that no matter how shitty our economy gets, the world is STILL turning and is still alive.
Live for the little things you DO have, and don’t think you are entitled to the world.
Shitty economy or not, I still love our nation, because I get to be free.
@Sarah Ryan-Maine does not enforce time limits or work requirements for TANF, or any form of welfare. It’s a problem. 30% of the state is on some form of aid, and our poverty level is not that high. That’s the issue. People from other states are literally trucked in here because our programs are very generous. That’s not good, or fair.
I live in Alabama and i worked in a grocery store for 4 yrs and then a dollar store for 1.5 yr. I saw the same things every day. At the dollar store kids would come in a buy about $30 worth of candy with food stamps. At the grocery store I saw families come in and buy $200 to $400 worth of food on their food stamp cards then have a balance of $600 left. Their are dishonest people all over the US who have figured a way around the system. And from expeirence it varies on diffuclty by county. Some counties actually follow the rules or even make it harder, where as some are too easy. Some ask for proof others dont. So here the people who know how to work the system win and those who need it cant get it. It’s sickening. The fault is 50% of the food stamp office workers. And 50% the fault of the people who work the system.
While reforming welfare, reform the school lunch free/reduced program. Is it a wonder that many qualify when the amounts they need to (or need not) make are right on the form? Is it a wonder that most accounts will never be audited because the districts make more from the Fed subsidies than they do from a full pay — a full lunch cost is $2.00. The Feds reimburse a district $2.50 for that same lunch if kids are on the program. THEN, check out the kids that have $100+ outfits on (head to footwear), and smugly KNOW that you have to override their account, because THEY are entitled to the lunch before a full-pay gets his/hers! There used to be a stigma with this, now it’s a “benefit” of gracing us with their very presence! Trust me … if one person in the apartment building is on the program — they’re all on the program! You wonder where our money is going … check your local school cafeterias. Oh, and Walmart!
I think some people are misunderstanding what the women writing the article is trying to say. She’s not saying people on public assistance are bad people. We understand that people fall on hard times. But their is a difference between compassion and outright abuse of the taxpayer. Her point is that is it really fair to the taxpayers of Maine or any state that people would abuse the taxpayer and buy luxury items like lobster, steak, (I don’t have a problem with the birthday cake as long as it was not an everyday thing) while most people are out their busting their tails to make ends meat. Most people who work can not afford items like seafood and fine meats. Many families send their kids to school with PB and J sandwiches, (Nothing wrong with it just making a point) How is it suppose to make a lower middle class kid feel when he sees the “poor” kids getting free breakfast, lunch , and dinner at school while his family is sending him to the lunch room with the bare minimum, is it going to show him that the government will always be there to crutch him. I also understand the one posters point about trying to find a job. No doubt there are people out trying to find work and my heart goes out to them the job market is tough. No doubt there are people who need food stamps and welfare to help them in hard times. The problem is people are abusing the system at what point does compassion end and personal responsibility kick in. At what point do the freebies for welfare end. In some states they are giving out free cell phones, in other states free condoms as passed around like a bag of skittles. Is it really the responsibility of others to provide stuff like that. Should a Taxpayer in Texas have to pay for the condoms of a NYer. Now I understand the article is about food I was just making a point.
Perhaps all of you hard-working folks who are not getting assistance, and are not eating lobster and using iphones, and are working 3 jobs to get by, should educate yourselves on where your paid taxes really go. Examine your paystubs, your property tax bill. I assure you the majority of your taxes are paying for the roads you drive on, the schools your children go to, the firemen and policemen who keep you safe. Not to mention the politician’s salaries and the billion dollar wars we wage. If you work so hard, yet cannot afford lobster or a fancy phone, I’d be more angry at the government than the “welfare queens”. You can’t change the players but you can change the game.
Wow, Janet, you have to yell? I don’t know where you live, but in my area, we don’t have much for illegals. They aren’t the ones on the dole around here. The main ones on the dole here are those who don’t think they have to work because they’ve been raised to believe that “big gov’t will take care of us, the treaties said so.” They know how to scam the system and get more money between benefits and other stuff they are given in one year than I could make in 2 years. They get pissed when they have to pay sales tax on their nonfood items and will throw a fit because they have to cough up 16 cents. When the grocery clerks take their groceries to their car, they have 2010 SUVs (daughter works in grocery store – sees this every single day). These are people who have never worked a day in their lives, so they aren’t given them by family members or bought them before they went on the dole. They’ve ALWAYS been on the dole. I know for fact that they teach their kids that they don’t have to do well in school because the gov’t will take care of them. When I worked at the mall years ago, it was nothing for them to come in and buy boom boxes and 2-3 months later buy another one. When asked weren’t they just in a couple of months ago buying one, they would reply that it had gotten stolen and they were buying another one. A few months later, they’d do the same thing. I’m not talking the cheapie ones they have now – I’m talking $400-500 at the time. They’d pull out wads of $100 bills. It wasn’t drug money – it was gov’t money they got every month (land lease money they got paid by the gov’t). These are the same people who the gov’t gives XM or Sirius (whichever we have now) to put in their cars and homes because supposedly they don’t get enough radio stations in their area. That isn’t a necessity! Why is our gov’t paying for people to have radio like that??????? They also pay for them to have landlines if they want one. It’s sickening! We all have to pay for this stuff – why should they get it handed to them? Entitlement mentality at its best, perpetuated by our gov’t. Of course, they all vote democrap.
I for one agree that there should be restrictions on what you can and can not buy on food stamps. I worked at a convenience store for years, and saw first hand what can happen when it ISN’T regulated. We would LITERALLY have people waiting in the store right at midnight, so when there food stamps were added to their card, they could start shopping. I once had someone spend over $90 on energy drinks, candy, etc. As a cashier, we have no power over what the person at our counter can or can not buy. If it is approved by the register as a eligible item, then we have no way NOT to give them what they want. Asking for a manager isn’t going to help the system, it’s broken….that’s not OUR fault. What’s sad is these people spend all their food stamps on junk, and expensive meats, etc, and then by mid month, they are out of money. I worry for their children at that point. I just don’t think that the food stamp program was intended to be used in this way.
As for you who said “once (she) gets out into the real world” or “when you get a real job”…..I’m sorry, what makes your job more REAL than mine. YOU may make more, but if people DON’T work in gas stations, and grocery stores, what then? Please don’t look down your nose at me for what I do, and I won’t look down on you for being so simple minded that you can’t see that society would not function without our “imaginary” jobs.
Sain ~ Do you work retail? From your suggestion that we call a manager and deny a sale every time we think a customer is abusing the system, I have a hunch that you don’t. Those who abuse the system are abusive in other ways, too. If we even suggest we couldn’t finish the transaction because we think they are committing fraud, they would raise such a stink and the manager would give in anyway. And in order to report them at a later time, we would have to know their name. How do you think it would go if I asked to see the card of someone then wrote down their name? Peacefully? Not! We are not allowed to accuse a customer of anything, even if it is as plain as day. An empty soda bottle just happens to show up at the same time as a group of rowdy teens… I ask the boys if it’s theirs… two say no, one says yes… I asked if they needed to pay for it… no, they just need a place to throw it away… I asked if they paid for it earlier… now even the third guy says it’s not theirs. The teens find it absolutely hilarious because they know I can’t make them pay for what they’ve taken.
To Sarah Ryan.
The article s not knocking those who need it just those who abuse it. And it does happen like I said i saw kids buy $30 worth of cand! And if ur ok with supporting a man with acholsism with alchol thats you. But i’d rather my tax money go to the treatement he cant afford, which they do offer to people who cant afford it. That was like saying he a crack head so let him buy his crack with ebt cash. And I dunno what paper work you had to fill out, but I only had to fill out one page and it’s not embarassing. You should be grateful and praise God that your state offers such a program. Because there was a time when people just went hungery. I have made minimum wage for a long time and i got food stamps. And yes it’s difficult but it steal makes me sick to see people who wont get a job (and they will tell you they dont want one so they can get food stamps and welfare) get more food stamps in a month than I can in a year. That article was pertaining to those people not those who need. My mother can barely pay her bills and put food on her table for just her and sh cant get any help. I had to help her when I was 17 and my Dad died, which left us up the creek. O and he got a welfare check which stopped a moneth after his death beacause I turned 18. So dont get offensive becuse your not the only one whos been through hell. Atleast you were able to get the help!
What does Va benefits have to do with this article. VA benefits are earned as is disability. Unless you never paid into the system. Florida uses an EBT system they also allow certain people to get cash. In Florida you cannot buy non-food items. I am a veteran and I receive disability that I earned. What I spend my disability on is my business. I was receiving 16.00 a month EBT credit which I no longer recieve.
“It’s a problem. 30% of the state is on some form of aid, and our poverty level is not that high.That’s the issue.”
The issue should be poverty- addressing poverty and helping people out of it. Do you have any idea what the poverty line is? People living above the poverty line still struggle. The poverty line for a single person is around $12,000. To claim that since someone is making $12,001 annually means that they may not encounter a desperate need for assistance is just bogus. A family of 4 on $25,000… that is the poverty line. That won’t get you far. I love welfare. I’m not going to judge people by the steaks they scan. You don’t know where they’ve been or what got them there.
And you can go ahead and put away the false claim about people being “trucked” into Maine for the awesome assistance so they can get their iPhones and ask Siri where they can get the best lobster!
*Myth: Maine’s TANF benefits are too generous and encourage people to move to Maine from other states.
Fact: Maine’s maximum monthly TANF benefit is the very lowest in New England. Maine’s maximum benefit for a family of three is $485/month, which is only 34% of the poverty level ($1431/month). Even when food stamps are added, TANF families reach only 65% of the poverty level.
When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.
-Mother Teresa
If you JUDGE A PERSON, you have no time to love them.
-Mother Teresa
@Sarah Ryan…OMG, shut up already! You must be a bledding heart liberal, based on your hate and judgment. I too am a cashier for a Texas grocery chain and I see abuse every day! People need to learn to make sacrifices and cut out the little luxuries in life.
And another thing, I am always giving my own money to those who cannot pay for groceries…..I doubt you would even spare a penny for a starving family. This girl has a right to speak her mind and believe as she does, so get off your pedestal and quit looking down on those speaking their mind, because honestly lady, you are not perfect nor will you ever be. Grow up already!
well, “I was reminded why I vote Republican” pretty much says it all. Republicans just fix everything up nicely, don’t they. Of course, if you keep voting Republican, and you keep having these kinds of complaints, then …
Do you get the idea? Logic dictates that if you vote the same way time after time and can find no progress then you have to start voting for the other guys OR give up on logic.
Well when I first started reading this I truthfully felt like you judged people pretty harshly without really knowing them. Sometimes what you think you see isn’t always how it is…yes welfare has alot wrong with it. But people like me that have worked all my life needed it..I worked and went to school and had eight kids. I lost my job and was out of work. I lost my home my car and dignaty..I’m real happy I didn’t have you as a cashier thinking it was ok to judge me!!! Let me add while I was on welfare I went to what we have in Michigan known as the MOST program you have to volenteer somewhere for a certain amount of hours for the money you get for yourself and your children. Alot of the volenteer jobs became jobs for us lowlife people. So while your with your gavel rethink how you treat people or look down on them. You may not always know the truth of every situation. I worked extra hours at my volenteer job because I felt quilty and I wanted to help less fortunate people then myself. Now I work full time at a Salvation Army and I feel like I give back a 100 times over. No I’m not on welfare but I was for a whole year and it wasn’t easy. I agree with some of what you’ve said but by far not all of it. One day you might have to walk in some of those people’s shoes. So my advice is don’t be so quick to judge!!!!
I lived in China for a number of years. I saw REAL poverty–people would slowly starve themselves and work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week their whole lives from the time they left our equivalent of middle school–just to save enough money to support their families. Our welfare system is bullshit. People who have real need are by no means entitled to anything more than just enough to survive and get themselves back off it. “Don’t they deserve x,y,z?” No. Not even a little. Hard times are meant to suck. The frills are ones you cannot afford, and feeling entitled to them is an insult to all you graciously have. I know people who live meaningful lives with even less. “But I also paid into the tax system for X amount of years!” Taxes go to more than welfare and entitlements. Or should. It is the majority of our budget (deficit), for those of you not keeping score. Don’t be confused by the ‘big’ numbers we spend on foreign aid and wars (which are more necessary than you’ll ever have to know, thank God–while we don’t exactly live in a bubble, you can sure as hell remain sheltered from that knowledge.) People on long term welfare due to disability? Hey, if they are frugal, wise, thrifty, a combination thereof, and find ways to stretch their resources, more power to them. However, the prevalent attitude of some of them is very bothersome, to put it mildly. The “It’s not my fault I can’t work, and I deserve a certain level of comfort in life,” attitude. No. You don’t. No one does. By the grace of others’ labor, you are provided food and shelter. You are incredibly lucky. You don’t live in China where no one gives a shit. (I did pretty extensive research while I was there on their aging population and healthcare and welfare systems.) In China, our welfare queens would likely be physically forced or at least heavily coerced into being clinically sterilized. Our “welfare” children would be farmed out to orphanages until they could physically pass as a young adult of working age, whether they were or not, only to work for a business or company that paid them less than 100 USD a month, boarding them in a small, dirty room with 3-6 (sometimes
other members of their sex. If they are lucky, there’s a kitchen in the building they live in and a communal shower. Some don’t have those amenities we think of as essential. Many live in areas with poor infrastructure and heavy industrial metals in their tap water, causing a lifetime of ulcers and digestive problems. We all get handed raw deals now and then, but it’s how you overcome (or in some cases, understandably, simple manage) your hardships in life that is important. It is through struggle and developing relationships with others–showing appreciation, forgiveness, understanding, and respect–that we have a chance to contribute something, however small, to the world. I would never look down on someone taking welfare if they genuinely needed. However, I would absolutely pity and scorn those who did not respect all that made our safety net possible–by taking for granted the efforts of others–by favoring their own temporary wants, needs, and comforts over their respect and sense of duty for their fellow hard-working citizens, neighbors, and friends. None of us on this public forum knows what it is to genuinely want. We just think we do. Life is tough. We help each other. We should. I have a VERY strong sense of social responsibility, but that can take several forms. However, I have no sense of obligation to those who feel no responsibility to me or their fellow man as evidenced by chronic selfish behaviors, especially when many of their “needs” are entirely artificial or self-constructed. Hopefully, if they are ever forced to face the fact that no one is sympathetic to their several superficial “plights” and don’t care how much they don’t have, they’ll be humbled, start learning to care about people other than themselves, and appreciate what they do have. Then others will finally start caring about them in return. You give to receive. This is not the behavior of welfare abusers.
Others who have pointed out that wasteful behaviors permeate all levels of society, all I have to say is that if they are not committing them with others’ money, it’s a world of difference. It’s actually their right, not just one they demand. Family and community networks are only technically a form of welfare, but a totally acceptable one, since it’s based on entirely voluntary participation. I’m so damn proud to live in a country that cares, but ashamed at the selfishness of some individuals, their complete misunderstanding or lack of appreciation for what they have. It is ABUSE. Yes, all systems have abuses, but are any near as demoralizing to the community as a whole as welfare? A system that provides incentive to perpetuate reliance? At the expense of others who must give up their hard earned comforts? And teaches its recipients to milk the system? And feel that they are entitled to relatively comfortable living because they exist?
Is it right to judge? No. I didn’t say I was. Everyone has their stories, but clear welfare abuses are just plain rotten, they hurt everyone, especially the people who genuinely need, and that’s why we have the problem. People can sacrifice so much more, but we don’t have to any more in America. In many ways, that’s wonderful, but we’ve also grown beyond complacent. We take so much for granted.
This is a horribly offensive article. The author is arrogant and makes sweeping judgments based on little information. For a more complete and well-informed view, I’d recommend David Shipler’s THE WORKING POOR.
If social programs suffer from anything, it’s the lack of money needed to hire good people and to effectively administer and monitor the programs. People are flawed for sure, but you can’t possibly understand their entire situation based on what’s in their carts at walmart.
@Colton I am grown up and I am studying this very topic so I can help end poverty and suffering for people. I’m not a “bleeding heart liberal” but my heart does bleed thinking about the starving children in our public schools (here in Texas) whose families are receiving welfare and barely scraping by. And I don’t need to tell you of the charity I feel called to.
People judging and criticizing this young woman are close minded morons! She clearly states SEVERAL times that she is NOT against temporary assistance….what she IS against is the abuse that is going on in every state of America….in welfare, foodstamps, WIC, Medicare, etc.
Please stop and think before you speak to avoid making a fool out of yourself. Not only are lazy bums ,who do not want to try to get a job, abusing the system, but illegal aliens are as well. When somebody who is not a tax paying citizen and that does contribute to our society is eligible for foodstamps, then you know we have a serious problem!
The system needs a serious reform and these are some ideas that the intelligent majority of Americans would agree with me on…
1.) Forbid food that is non-nutritional(candy, soda, chips, junk food)…this includes using them at convienient stores.
2.) Exclude coupons and discounts. They are already getting assistance as it is, they do not need anymore help and yes, I’m referring to the abusers!
3.) Limit the amount of assistance and the time on the program (i.e. $300 a month for 6 months) then, you are kicked off the system to prevent fraud and abuse.
4.) Setup drug testing for those applying for assistance. If you can afford cocaine and prescription pills to snort and swallow, then you can very well afford food.
5.) For TANF(welfare) recepients…restrict what can be purchased only to necessities such as shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, utensils, disposable plates, paper towels, toilet paper, and other household necessary items. Also, remove the cash back option from the program.
It’s that simple! If only our government would think like we do…but I forgot, they know what is “best” for us!
God bless everyone! Take care! Oh and if you don’t like what I have to say, then DON’T READ MY POSTS!
I am a person who currently needs the state assistance and I completely agree that the system needs some serious work. I am a student working towards a career that will get me out of the system and keep me out. Even when my husban was working there was no way we could afford health insurance for us and our son so we went without. When we got pregnant with our second child, we needed to use state insurance and we were given food stamps as well, about $115 a month and we were GRATEFUL for that. I am almost done with school and my husband was laid off after 6 years at his job. I had to go to the welfare office yesterday. I was told that if you are a 40 year old living on moms couch and not even trying, you can get food stamps, but because I am a student trying to better my position and get out of the system, I cannot get food stamps. Fortunately my husband and children qualify, so I know we won’t starve while my hubby is looking for work, but I would rather see the help go to those who are making an honest effort to change their situation.
EXCELLENT POST, Gunzinger! Most in this country haven’t got a clue what real poverty is until they’ve gone to other countries and seen it first hand.
For those who are on EBT currently:
Do you smoke?
Do you drink?
I’m curious how many of you do either of the above.
RT Student, you have a very positive attitude. I like that! : ) Congrats on being almost done with school.
This stuff makes me so angry! There are honest people like me who are in the process of applying for benefits…why? Because I have seven medical conditions, a new one that required me to leave school and the state unexpectedly and the need–not extravagant choice–to borrow money. And honest people can’t make ends meet, must depend on food banks, worry about how they’re going to get through the next month. I pay $20 for Internet; I need it since that’s my only way to get information since I can’t read print. I just reduced cell bill as much as I could to about $69. I just learned that it might not be possible for me to finish school to obtain my degree, and that is so upsetting, because I want to contribute my gifts to society. I want to be able to support myself, my future family and be able to give to the less fortunate…since I know what this is like. Even though I might not be able to finish my degree, I’m not giving up yet…I’m going to try, and if I can not, I will find employment. People like me are eternally grateful for increased social security benefits next month because it will help a little. We live in crime-ridden neighborhoods, always fearing for our safety, in run-down dwellings and either without stuff we need or dependent on the generosity of others. Okay, what’s this complaint all about? No, I don’t want sympathy. These are the reasons why this kind of fraud and abuse makes me so angry! Strip these deceptive, heartless, unconscionable and unscrupulous people of the money they think they’re entitled to, and transfer it to us who need it. People like the ones you describe are gladly wasting money. People like me hold back tears of relief when we can use our EBT, can’t accurately express gratitude when we see that Medicaid will pay for that $600 ambulance trip and $400 CT scan. We’re speechless when someone spends $50 on basic food, toiletries and cleaning supplies to help us stay healthy and clean. *exhibits great control not to punch these people in the face* Thanks for listening to this rant! P.S. What am I doing with my time since I am not working right now?…working on getting my health under control with doctors, trying to start physical therapy, etc. I’m supporting kids with cancer and their families through communicating words of encouragement. I spend a lot of time resting, researching, working to keep my mind active. And I mention this stuff only to state that I’m not okay with collecting money and not doing a thing. So many people are…well, obviously! Okay, maybe the rant is finally done!
@Sarah Ryan…that is a very admirable quality, but unfortunately, there will always be poverty in this world…no matter how much we donate, volunteer and provide for others. Yes, we should do our part to help others, but it will never be fully gotten rid of completely…which is sad indeed.
I’m sorry that i lashed out, I just get so frustrated with how so many people do not seem to care (not implying you) about what is happening to our country before our very eyes! I live in South central Texas myself, and I see abuse everywhere I go…it is sad that many people enjoy taking advantage of the working class. It is this entitlement mentality, that “we owe everyone something” that is ruining our nation and has brought us to this very economical situation as it stands.
In regards to public education, the system is shot as well. The government should have never been involved with education….it has only destroyed it, and the children of America are suffering for their disastrous actions. Remove the Department of Education and either remove the public education system and replace it with charter, private and homeschool programs or instill a serious reformation of the public education system. Administrators and school boards should not be making hundreds of thousands while teachers are only making $20,000-$30,000 a year and funds being cut to important programs.
WAKE UP America!
Bethany, I feel so bad for you! I know what it is like to have health conditions that make you have to change your lifestyle. I was all set to go to medical school myself and my 2 health conditions I have prevented me from going. I tried getting my teaching degree instead – got the degree, but my health problems became so bad that I couldn’t do that kind of work either. I’ve had to work from home pretty much most of my adult life. I”m not complaining about it – i loved being home with my kids when they were young and now being home with my critters – but I really wanted to be a physician and help people that way. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards for me.
I hope and pray that you can get your health conditions under control and go back to school if that is your dream. Your situation is the reason why the welfare system SHOULD be there ONLY – for cases like yours where you can’t work due to health conditions. I would gladly contribute to that sort of a system. Is there anything any of us can do to help you now other than pray?
RE: “…A real JOB not some clerk at a Wal-Mart…”
If you think you’re “too good” to work any job and prefer to be on Welfare until you can find a job “good enough” for you- then you ARE abusing the system!
Go hungry for a few weeks and then see if you’re still too uppity to accept any available job!
Colton, i totally agree with you on the education system. As a former educator, and parent of 3 children who have gone through this fiasco of a system we now have, we need to abolish the Dept of Education and put it back into the schools – and get the unions out of the schools. It was pretty sad when my oldest said to me 12 years ago as she graduated from high school, “Mom, don’t let my sisters go to public school. I didn’t learn a single thing after 6th grade.” She was right, too. Well, except in one aspect – she learned that it was okay for girls to get abortions and for the gov’t to be involved in every aspect of your life. She told me this herself at 17. I homeschooled my 2 younger kids for a couple of years, then had no choice but to put them back into public school. I sure had to do a lot of damage control with them, reinforcing to them that what they learned in school wasn’t necessarily the truth and to evaluate everything they were taught for its validity.
@Patrick Boggs…well I certainly do not agree with everything the Republican politicians have done…but they certainly have not created a socialist healthcare program, put banks and corporations above people by giving them bailouts, shipped jobs overseas, made serious cuts to Medicare, education, Social Security, military and veteran benefits, national security and local economies, shut off offshore drilling to cause oil prices to skyrocket to $4.00 a gallon, created a team of unconstitutional “czars”, sold us out to the UN, allow the IRS, FDA, EPA, ACLU, and other communist orginizations to run rampant, destroying our freedoms and livelihood…..and I’m not just referring to Nobama, I’m going all the way back to Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, onward.
So, yes the Republicans have their share of failures and screw ups….the liberal/communist Democrat party has had alot to do with why our nation is so messed up…..not to mention close minded, ignorant “sheeple”(drones) that obey every word the government tells them.
You might want to go and carefully read the information in the link to TANF that you provided in your own article, because it very quickly undercuts your “OOOH WELFARE QUEENS STEALING OUR FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS” argument. Yes, TANF is funded by the Federal government, but it provides money as a block grant to the states, and it’s up to the states to administer the programs (Look: States’ rights in action!) It also limits benefits to families or individuals with dependent children, prohibits felons convicted under drug laws, and cuts off benefits after five years. The program also eliminated a lot of existing welfare programs. But you can read all that yourself at the site you linked.
Basically, you’re taking a lot of anecdotal evidence and then generalizing. But, you know what? The brand of stupid and entitlement you mention is not limited to people on welfare, nor do all people receiving federal benefits pull this crap. Rather, a certain percentage of customers of any demographic will try to get away with what they can get away with. Trust me, I’ve seen flaming rich people who live in houses that cost more money than you or I will ever see in our lives try to conveniently misinterpret some sign in order to browbeat some underpaid clerk into giving a ridiculous discount. You’re just cherry picking here. And, by the way, if you want to know why there are so many people on assistance in your area, start by looking at your employer. How many family-owned business were bulldozed out of existence when WalMart came in and started dumping cheap Chinese made crap in the area? If you want reform that will get Americans back to work, that’s the place to start. And, if you’re sincerely concerned about your tax dollars being wasted, start the cuts with the military, the biggest welfare queen of them all.
I think we working tax payers who stand in line patiently waiting for these idiots to complete their transaction should say something. Say, “I hope you enjoy all that. I worked hard for it”. Let them know its not acceptable what they are doing.
I took a neighbor to the store one day because he didn’t own a car. He couldn’t even figure out what was a better deal. I took him around the store showing him what he could get to maximize his purchasing power. He had three young girls in the home and he ended up buying the most expensive items (brand name items) and left with only half of what he could have gotten if he bought generic brands. His excuse was the kids didn’t like the taste of generic. At the register he was over his amount and I paid off his balance. Once he figured out I was a giving man he would constantly come over to ask me for money or help fix something in his rental home. He was always outside smoking Marlboro’s and talking on his blackberry phone that was paid for by the state. Oh, did I mention that we pay for that in our cell phone bills? Really we do, look at your statement and you will see a charge that goes for funding these people. I got tired of him coming over, especially the day I was really sick and he asked me to take him to the store a few blocks away to buy batteries for his hearing aid. Even after my wife told him I was sleeping because I had to work the grave yard shift (12 hours) and I had a cold, he still asked to wake me so he could ask me to take him.
I am all about helping out the disadvantaged, I saw a kid eating out of a trash can once. I asked him if he was hungry and if I could buy him lunch. I took him into the subway I just came out of and asked him to get whatever he wanted. I paid for his meal and gave him the change from the transaction. It was only a few bucks, enough for dinner but it meant the world to this kid. I only made 10 dollars an hour and had to feed 2 kids of my own but I always remember a saying from the bible, forgive me if I don’t get it exactly correct but it says treat your fellow man as though he was Jesus. On judgement day when I stand before God, I want him to see I helped my fellow man as God has helped me.
These people are nothing like Jesus, they are dependent on the good grace of others. They take and take from us as they point fingers at us for being better off than they are. They are the product of a liberal governmental system. Their incentive for not working is being able to live off of those who do work. All they have to do is vote Democrat and they will continue to get welfare, WIC, and unemployment extensions. When a system finally gets tired of them and asks them to get a job, they find every possible way to get fired so that they can get back on assistance.
I have an Associates in Computer Science. I was laid off for a long time and unable to find work in my field. I found a job working as a security officer and work the job proudly. Never have we ever accepted welfare from the state.
Forgot to mention one thing: Several of us were having the same discussion a few days ago. We were talking about people who are receiving benefits but think it’s perfectly acceptable to purchase three computers, iphones, etc. During this conversation, those of us who use the benefits for legitimate purposes talked about how they should be used properly. It was interesting how those who used their benefits to purchase the ipods, etc. got terribly defensive. And btw, in this comment and in the previous one, the stuff I have written is not all-inclusive. It’s directed toward the woman who has a $1.2 milion home, those who use temporary assistance for extravagant purchases and to try to get away with totally ripping stores off. Someone previously commented on how this money might be used to purchase birthday presents for children. In my opinion, something like this is acceptable! And there are times when things are used for unique tasks–example, to help me after a brain injury, I bought some Legos to help me learn how to connect things again. My comments are directed toward those who deliberately, repeatedly and clearly misuse benefits. Just thought I should clarify…
@DPMT….Thank you! I’m glad somebody sees what I see! The Public Unions are another thing that is destroying this country….they are in bed with the socialist Democrats in Washington, because they need eachother for survival.
I’d like to keep in touch with you. Do you have Facebook? An email?
not to be blatantly racist, but lets just take a wild guess…i wonder if the two women at the end were black? i just WONDER…..
@Jess….you make an excellent point! I would not doubt it! And no, you’re not being racst….it’s just a logical fact that mostly colored people abuse the system more. (and yes to those who I think I’m being racist, I have color in me too, so don’t even go there with me).
Wal-Mart and welfare expansion go hand-in-hand. Welfare is a great thing to have as a back-up but we definitely want to make working more attractive, and to have partial welfare assistance to let people graduate in levels out of it, rather than to be cut off completely once hitting a certain amount.
As an unrelated note, if we spent more money to local providers, the recession would be lifted out much faster. -”tarotworldtour”
@tarotworldtour….Amen to that! Buy American, create American jobs….plain and simple!
I agree with you…people need to have hope in the economy as well to try harder to finds jobs and wean themselves from government assistance, and that in itself would lift a huge burden off our economy.
DPMT–I truly appreciate your compassionate response. It sounds like you understand this kind of predicament. Perhaps the most difficult thing is seeing dreams disappear because of circumstances beyond our control. I am sorry you experienced something similar…it’s so difficult when you strive to do something to help people for a living and need it instead. Your perspective is great; I’m sure there are still times when the situation is upsetting to you since you’re not doing what you planned. Still, it sounds like you have learned to be grateful for the things the changes have helped you to achieve. I feel the same way–if I was in school and working right now, I wouldn’t be able to respond to all of these cancer kids and their families…sometimes I don’t think I’m really doing anything, but these families tell us over and over again that simple things like notes of encouragement help immensely. I am trying to start a trial work period so I can figure out what I will be able to do, but I am worried about losing my benefits in case I find I’m not able to perform when/what/where I want to. That’s one of my problems with the welfare system. Actually, I have two: we’re provided enough to maybw pay the rent. I’m not complaining about that–I’m eternally grateful for it. My point is: we can’t really save money when what we’re able to bring in is barely (or not) enough to make ends meet. Second, with some parts of the system, we’re penalized for trying to become what rehabilitation counselors refer to as gainfully employed. These are just two of the issues where welfare reform is needed, and one thing is that our system shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing sort of a thing. If we’re working, we shouldn’t lose all of our benefits immediately, since whatever we’re doing may not be possible for whatever reason. Additionally, we might still need some benefits, depending on income, family situation, health insurance, etc. And to DPMT–I can not tell you how grateful I am for your empathetic response. Your prayers are definitely appreciated!
How is anyone supposed to find gainful employment without a phone or internet access? I’m not arguing that the state should provide these things, but let’s calm down with the polemic and look at the reality of job hunting.
Colton, I do actually have Facebook. I’m trying to figure out how to tell you what my name is on there w/o getting a bunch of people from here who I may have upset from trying to contact me there. Any ideas?
The two women at the end of the article were both white. I live in Maine. The population of Maine is 94.4% white. Our demographics are drastically different than say, Michigan or Texas. The man with the hotdog stand is white. The people who bought lobsters were white. The majority of my customers were white. This is not a racial issue, and I do not want it becoming one.
To those who think that all people who are on food stamps or receive WIC are lazy and are abusing the system are absolutely WRONG!!!! My husband and I both work but still don’t make enough to pay the bills and buy groceries. We have a 8 month old daughter who needs me to eat healthy so she can breastfeed. I am her main source of nutrition and without the WIC and food stamp assistance we receive I would not be able to provide for her. I do work to pay for her clothes and diapers so I do not receive welfare checks but I do receive money for food. I will admit I have bought steak with my food stamps but it was a one time thing and I don’t feel bad about it, because it was great to be able to have a nice dinner. You say that this girl is so judgmental but I myself used to think the same way until we needed the assistance in order to keep the roof over our head. I was humbled when I applied and found out that I was able to get food stamps to help us get by. We never thought in a million years that we would have to get assistance from the state but are greatly appreciative that the resources are available for us and others who actually need them. I don’t care who talks or stares when I use my food stamps or WIC because I know my own situation and everyone else can kiss it! I think those who have been on assistance for years and years and have no intentions of getting off of it have become reliant on the assistance and think that “if the state is still giving it to them then what is the rush to get back on my own two feet?” My husband and I have every intention of getting rid of our food stamps as soon as we can afford to but until then I will not be ashamed to use them. I know that some states are starting to do drug testing to be able to receive welfare and assistance, and I myself think that is a GREAT idea! I know a lot of people who are for and against this action being place in action in every state and those who are against it are mainly the ones who are using their welfare money on drugs and or alcohol, and that’s sad because they are the ones that give those of us who actually need the help a bad name.
anyone who does not agree/does not like this post is either stupid or is on welfare trying to defend their laziness!
Bethany, anytime, my dear! You will be in my prayers. I know what that is like to struggle with your health and still need to be able to make a living. I struggle with that every day. When my condition flares, it makes it tough for me to do my job. I”m “punched in” during my shift and have certain requirements I have to achieve daily, and when it flares, i can’t always meet my requirements. On the good days when I am feeling well, i work like a banshee and try to make up for those days when I didn’t meet requirements when I’m having a flare and miss some time. You just do what you have to do and make do! Somehow, it always works out and God always takes care of me one way or another.
Yes, I do sometimes wish I could have gone on to medical school, but still being in the health care field with my job, at least I can sort of live vicariously through the doctors – haha. It’s not the same, but it helps somewhat. I also see what they are going through with all of the changes in the field and have friends who are physicians who are seriously thinking about getting out of the field because of Obamacare and how much less they will be reimbursed and how much more gov’t paperwork and garbage they are required to do in order to get that tiny amount the gov’t currently reimburses them (and the govt is about ready to force another 29% pay cut for Medicare down their throats). With what they are dealing with, maybe God blessed me keeping me out of the profession in the long run, what with all of the crap physicians are going through right now and how much worse it will be soon.
JB, people can still survive w/o a phone. You can use a message number for phone calls for a potential employer to call. People still do that, you know.
wow… thanks for shedding light on something the rest of the common sense possessing America as known about for years. and thanks for keeping your seemingly unending judgemental tellings short and sweet (in case you didnt notice, im being sarcastic because they weren’t short, i honestly thought i would never get to the end of this article). enjoy your studio apartment, Republican…
I was raised in a two parent household with a stay at home mom and a dad with a great job. My father died suddenly when I was a teenager. His life insurance policy was not honored. All of my parents savings went to cover his medical bills and my eldest brothers first year of college. My mom started college and 2 jobs. My grandparents looked after us. We went without things that we did not need, but had our basic needs met. All four of us went to college because my mother fought tooth and nail to make sure that we had every advantage that we could in life. She never received any public assistance. She earned a BA and became a social worker. All of my siblings have good jobs. I had always had a good job. When I had my daughter I left my very lucrative job to be a stay at home mom. The relationship I was in became abusive and I had to leave our home to ensure our well-being. I was lucky. Family friends owned an apt that I was able to move in to the same day. I work four jobs. None of them pay very much, but I am able to maintain my role as a stay at home mom by working from home, working when she is in school. I am never not here for her and never need daycare.
We don’t have cable, we don’t have a fancy car. My job pays for my internet access. I do receive WIC and my daughter receives state healthcare. It was recommended to me that I apply for welfare benefits and I declined. I started receiving WIC only after her father ceased paying child support. We eat a very healthy diet, which doesn’t consist of processed, packaged foods. I shop at farmers markets in summer and any “treats” we have I also make. My daughter understands what healthy foods are and what they are not. She understands that work is important. She doesn’t “want” for anything. There isn’t anything that she is missing out on because she isn’t inundated with commercials from the television telling her that she should want them. We go to the library and do a lot things outside. We do art projects. I know that our life will not always be like this, that I will have a well-paying job with health insurance, but until that time, we have a good, simple life. I live next door to Section 8 housing and am appalled at how the people there live. I am heartsick for the kids being raised in those apartments. It is not unusual to call the police because of some sort of domestic disturbance. But here’s the thing that I think about most:
If I had been raised by different parents, that could be me. If I did not have the skills and the education that I have – the GIFT of knowing something different, something better – I could very easily be one of the people living in that house. We make a mistake when we assume that people can “be better” or “just get a job.” If you don’t learn how, it isn’t necessarily going to come naturally. The root of the problem of welfare abuse or any sort of reliance on welfare as your livelihood is in the fact that it is a cycle. You live what you learn. Getting WIC requires that you speak to a caseworker about how you feed your child. Your child’s growth and iron levels are monitored. It’s not huge, but it’s something. If you aren’t acquainted with proper nutrition, you aren’t going to be able to provide it to your children. If your mom never took you to the library, that is probably not a gift that you are going to give your child. Poverty, lack of education, and abuse are insidious diseases that spread from generation to generation and unless something happens to quell the tide, more of the same will be produced. Sometimes charity doesn’t have a definable monetary value – sometimes the most important kind of charity that we can give is the tools to make a better life – something that not everyone is fortunate enough to have received.
I could go on for hours on this , but I am only going to make a few points instead…
1) Just because a person is on FS or other programs does not mean they do not pay taxes.. Most everyone pays taxes. Having a job is not the only place taxes come from.
2) Many of our military, police, firemen, etc, receive FS for their families,, and as far as I am concerned any of our hero’s could eat steak and lobster or birthday cake all they want.. and if others can manage to buy steak and still have enough left for the rest of the meals for the month that means they know how to shop wisely.. sometimes that steak or seafood is actually cheaper than hamburger!
3)In Maine most people receiving benefits are working as well. They are just not making enough money.
4) You cannot look at the unemployment rate and use it as a accurate guide. It is misleading. When people no longer qualify for unemployment, even if they have not found a job, they are no longer counted.. hmmm but they still don’t have a job….This is why the roles have increased.
5) If the state focused more on way to collect child support or became creative with it, ( such as you can’t pay it, then we will pay for you , while you work for the town in trade, or have that parent babysit their own kid so the other parent can work) That would help a lot.. Many people could stay off aid, if only they got their child support.
6) most people are only one medical tragedy away from being in the shoes of those on assistance.. If that happens to you , the reader of this, I pray that people will offer you sympathy, empathy, compassion, and opportunities..
Actually, Kandie, you are incorrect on one thing. According to the IRS web site, 47% of Americans do NOT pay taxes, all lower wage earners, those who use most of the benefits. The top 25% wage earners in this country pay almost 80% of the taxes. FYI
@DPMT…just find me on Facebook and send me a request
it’s Colton Ross. I think we’re going to get along just fine!
I think that there is an aspect of this “growth” that must be addressed. Our government is out of control in ALL areas period. 2) Our globalist government is in the process of eliminating the American employee. There are literally millions of people that do not appear on the unemployment stats and roles. They are the once self employed self starter successful men of the trades. Your neighbors that used to pay high taxes, donate to the church and other charities and employ between 2 and ten employees in the construction trades. Roofer, drywallers, framers, finishers, installers of all types.
Our government has allowed millions of Americans to lose their means of income and the means of supporting many other families each. Just little contractors that worked their butts off. Our government has pulled a double whammy on this nation and most are sleeping through it. Our self sufficient tax paying businesses were destroyed by border jumpers that work for $3-5 dollars an hour. While politicians have convinced the nation that these are jobs “Americans will not do”. Bul***it!!! The border jumpers can work at those wages, poor product at that, because momasita is collecting SUPER Entitlements as in the 3x any amount under the “immigrant” “refugee” status that is just handed to them without a blink. When you look closely you find that that $3/ hour “hard working, ust want a better life” mexican is realizing the same income as if I were paying my guys $40-60 dollars per hour because we are underwriting our own demise. Just depends on how many kids they can pump out. So the American tax paying citizen takes it in the rectum 3 times over this “humane” policy towards foriegners. First he pays taxes through the nose for a life time. Next he loses his business to the mexican invaders and finally he loses because the government will not recognize self employment AND has to be destitude for 24 months before he qualifies for so much as a loaf of bread. By August of 2011 almost ALL heating assistance in this country was earmarked for mexicans because La Raza, the racist “hispanic” organization (meaning THE RACE) runs a very effecient campaign of political extortion to secure these fundings. Supporting lazy Americans is bad enough!! Why in God’s name are we supporting to elaborate degrees Criminal invading Non citizens?
And folks it is not just in the trades. We currently have 2.1 million American engineers of all types unemployed!! They don’t show up on the unemployment numbers because the job still exists only a H1B muslim visa holder is in the chair. Now think of it. We continue to import Through legal immigration 125,000 mid easterners PER MONTH!! Those that have replaced the once well paying jobs ($20/hr or so to start) are now doing that job for a few cents over minimum wage and because they have family sizes that average 9 children They too recieve the 3x refugee rate of assistance.
WE ARE SUBSIDIZING OUR OWN DEMISE. BOTH PARTIES ARE OF EQUAL GUILT OF TREASON AT THE ALTER OF GLOBALIST SOCIALISM. It was in black and white since 1994 what this plan has been but good ole Americans said “they would never try that there would be civil war”. News bullitin they have done it to the point of no return and there has been barely a peep out of the American society.
Wake the H*ll up!!! Our congress is currently trying to pass a law (both sides of the aisle and the POTUS agree) that enable the government to classify anyone that challenges policies such as these terrorists and can be held for life without trial. AMERICAN CITIZENS demanding the rule of law are being considered terrorists????
I lost my company to mexico. I was named a terrorist by the Bush administration because I demanded the rule of law. Now being terminal I welcome the prospect of not seeing my once great country become the open sewer that Detroit and LA are, spread across the entire nation.
None of this is an accident it is all in the plan. 4 presidents, 2 political parties and one unifying underlying agenda—– DESTROY AMERICA——–
A good article but you’re all missing the point…people are people and some may be ignorantly abusing the system, but the system only exists because of a much larger fraud brought down upon almost every single person in this country. And what was with the “I remember why I vote republican” part? That is just as ignorant as everything you stated in this article. You think being republican has anything to do with these very HUMAN issues you are talking about?
Look, I am right there with you in wanting everyone to be fair and stop being so abusive when they are being aided, its sickening. But the rest of us ignoring the root causes and letting the larger issues go unnoticed and therefore continue to thrive and eat us alive while you call yourself a better person because you are a republican who works for a terrible terrible corporation is way more sickening Im sorry.
Wake up and look at the bigger picture
Ashley: I am not on welfare at the moment though my family was on WIC for some time, and I have my own software development business. And I think this blog post goes entirely down the wrong line with what’s wrong with welfare in the US.
Welfare programs used to be divided into basically two kinds: unemployment benefits and a safety net for those who could not work (disabilities payments and the like). For people who are temporarily unemployed, there is nothing wrong with using your money that comes in however you like. If that means celebrating a birthday with steaks (and saving up for it for a while!) that’s what it means. Similarly, those who are unable to work because of disabilities should have the freedom to spend their payments however they see fit.
And yet I agree that we need welfare reform. The problem is not with the above types of programs but that we have a third kind of program which is very pernicious and needs to be done away with: financial assistance to low income working families. These programs need to be cut entirely away. If we want to help low-income working families the way to do it is to increase the minimum wage, not tax mom and pop businesses so that Walmart can have employees apply for public benefits. Because these use tax dollars obtained from broad taxes to allow large employers to externalize costs of low-wage workers, this means it is *corporate welfare* pretending to be social welfare. Get rid of these programs, perhaps increase the minimum wage by at least 50%, and paying for the unemployment/disabilities programs by making the corporations buy insurance against employees that are let go being unable to find work. The last one, disabilities paymments, we can talk about. However, large corporations should not be able to get a subsidy for their costs of doing business by asking their smaller competitors to pay taxes to foot the bill.
BTW, lest you think I am entirely on the left here, I despise social security. I think social security erodes and destroys both family and tradition, and I think we need to issue a cutoff line now, any age underneath the line (maybe 40?) does not get benefits (that would include me) and any age above does. At the same time, medicare I think, needs to be protected.
@Dawg….I am in complete agreement with your views! Do you have a Facebook as well? Send me a request if you do…it’s Colton Ross.
While I applaud the intent of this author (reforming a broken system), I am surprised that the author imagines Republicans are the ones to solve this problem. The reforms that this article would seem to require involve greater oversight and regulation–do you really think Republicans would support such measures? That would mean, ultimately, paying even more tax dollars toward the welfare system, and that will never happen on a Republican watch. The typical party platform in this area is about reducing the number of recipients (which still doesn’t solve the problems the author lists) or about cutting the programs completely (which, again, doesn’t solve these abuses). The problem is structural dependence–dependence created by other policies that devalue the person in favor of the corporation, that create a substantial burden on the working class, and that remove substantial important parts of our social safety net. Consider for a moment that many of these system abusers have had lives that were directly or indirectly damaged by government policies and entrenched racial and economic discrimination. Consider that many have dealt with years of bureaucratic intrusion into their lives. A strong incentive exists to game the system because many of these people perceive, many perhaps somewhat justifiably, that this is one small payment for a life situation that has been substantially ossified by government policies. I’m not saying that Democrats have done better in solving these problems or mitigating them, or that conservatives or liberals are more right. However, anecdotes from a summer of work would, I hope, not lead this author, a seemingly intelligent person, to broadly conclude that any politician saying “we need welfare reform” has the answers.
To offer my own anecdote, I was once in a middle class family that became poor due to the illness of both my elderly parents. They were already retired but hadn’t had enough extra income to adequately plan for medical costs and other long term care needs. Medicare and Medicaid proved, too, to be fairly useless after a couple months. My sister and I were forced to not only care for them but to also support ourselves, and to keep up their original home (the market value of which was now so low, due to the economy, as to make selling or borrowing it impractical). We qualified for assistance that totaled $18 a month. $18. I won’t go into all the bureaucratic details, but many of the programs have been so narrowly defined that accessing them is nearly impossible. Many require multiple applications just to get them, for seemingly no reason. The end result was that we supported a family of four, two of whom had serious medical bills, on $35,000 a year. I remember how many programs we scrapped and begged for, how strange it felt going to apply for this assistance, and how little we got. How many programs we were told had been cancelled, or had two year wait lists, or were severely de-funded, or had been pushed to the local or county governments and been scaled down significantly. So ask yourself this: if you want Republican social services reform, do you know what it will really look like? Do you know which families that don’t abuse the system and need the help are going to be swept away in this desire to reign in some Welfare Queens? People who want to game the system will figure out a way, no matter what changes are made. Perhaps the changes we need to make should more carefully consider the families that really need help but are being denied access to it.
Welfare reform never helps it only hurts and generally its children the sick and the elderly who suffer it has nothing to do with the SMALL minority who are “abusing” as she claims. Just because they have a cell phone that costs $25 a month? $25 doesnt pay for enough food for a week let alone a month. The only welfare reform we need is to remove all of the aid for illegals. The next thing she says about buying cakes and toys? So now poor kids are not allowed to have birthdays? riiight… THEN after “complaining” about how they have cell phones she makes the idiotic comment that “every cell phone has a calculator” well guess what… NOT EVERY WELFARE PERSON HAS A CELL PHONE! Further more she goes on to berate people and assume they are below her by labeling them “drama queen 1-2″ She also complains about WIC Walmart has one of the most appalling records when dealing with WIC. Hence why so many go without it! Because of rude inconsiderate hypocrits like her. Its disgusting. LIVE on the system for a few months and then try to tell me that people WANT to live like that and be in a constant state of poverty. If little miss goody-two-shoes is so pissy about welfare people having a steak its MUST be because she cant afford to buy one with her “amazing cashier job” So that means no one else should either? If she cant afford it on her income then no one else can.. yep sounds fair to me.. And this is why i vote democrat.
In Portage county Wisconsin in 1978 a good job paid $11/ Hour with full benefits.
In 2011 a good job in Portage county Wisconsin pays $11/ hour period.
Fuel- 425% increase
Housing (basic rental) 580% increase
Taxes 675% increase on property
Transportation (ie buying a basic pickup) 600% increase
Basic communication (ie phone) 800% increase
My question remains…How??? Plastic Money?
This is fer sure an absolute outrage. However, progressives like dukakkis, pelosi, reid, etc. won’t do a dern thin ’bout it cause the idiots and thiefs on welfare vote. In this administration, votes are the weapons of mass destruction where they give sumpin fer nuttin and the food is free!
SMALL minority, Morgan? WRONG! It’s a rather LARGE group of people who abuse the system. Those who truly need it as a hand UP are a very small percentage. Those who milk the system and don’t work – many never working a day in their lives and are multigenerational who use the welfare system are the majority.
Colton, there are quite a few Colton Ross’s on Facebook. What does your photo look like?
DPMT–your comments about the current health care system are basically the same reason I’m thankful I didn’t continue with education. I was an education major and absolutelyu loved it. Give me a classroom with fifteen four-year-olds, and I’ll be content! However, when I see what is happening with standards dependent on funding, I’m glad I didn’t pursue it. That’s because that crap greatly diminishes how a teacher can operate his or her classroom, teach using his/her own techniques, spend time on the areas where students are struggling, etc. I still love the children; I just don’t love the politics and how they are proving to be a great disservice to children and youth. Thanks for the info about the phone…I do think it’s best for me to keep the cell, though. With some of my health conditions, that’s the only way I can get help, one of two ways I can receive alerts about weather/city/state/national emergencies, arrange transportation, etc. I realized that I didn’t tell you something: one of those conditions is blindness. Phone and computer are the only ways I can really communicate. So anyway, I really appreciate your suggestion to help me cut costs where possible! Your perspective on your job and how it connects to health care makes complete sense, as well as the difficult positions physicians are stuck in. When one of my conditions changed life and forced me to drop out of school and move, I was two semesters away from getting my B.A. in psychology. As I think about your statements about health care, I wonder if there is a silver lining here. I am still going to return to school if it’s at all possible…I’m determined to do something! Btw, this discussion with you is great! *smile*
@DPMT…It’s a photo of me layind down on a bed with a black shirt on.
@Colton Ross. There are a whole bunch by that name. Go to Jerome Corsi and look for the reference to “Dawg” pick me out of there. Thx
OHNOES The poors should never have birthday cakes! How fowl! They should get a job before they are allowed to partake in ANY celebration. It is such a good thing that the rich in our great nation adhere to such strict ethical standards in our time of crisis (entirely caused by the poors with their LOBSTERS!!!)
It is a simple fix: 1) If you did not put into the system, you get no benefits, and 2) When you max out the contributions that you put in, the ride is over.
My friend just posted this article on my Facebook wall because everything you said reminded her of my complaints involving the people I saw at Walmart. I only worked there over the summer between years in college as a second job to make some extra money and the things I saw were absolutely disgusting. I live in New York and we get so many of the same kinds of people. I am so glad that you wrote this article-it is reason like this why I chose not to return to Walmart over my winter break! The things I saw people buy with their EBT Food Stamps and EBT Cash were just ridiculous. These people eat better than I do! Chicken, steak, shirmp, fish, you name it, they buy it with food stamps. Ridiculous.
Hello Christine, I enjoyed your article. Yes indeed, we do have a problem with a welfare-dependent underclass. Thomas Jefferson warned about this very thing:
“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”
In other words, when an underclass is made dependent on the government, all of their drive and motivation is quickly snuffed out, and they become just another tool for those in power to use and control, or imprison and use as free labor. This is exactly what is happening in America today.
I witnessed it myself when in jail for growing a plant. (Cannabis.) In this six man cell I was surrounded by white trash scumbags. They told me all about the things they blew their EBC money on. Oh yeah, buying ounces of weed to sit around and smoke up on the taxpayers’ dime. There is an entire class of these people out there it seems, and they view it as completely normal and right. I was disgusted.
The larger problem that you’re searching for this is: we are living in a police state. Tyranny caught this country in its clutches in the early 20th century, slowly gained a foothold over decades, and now has us completely in its grip.
MUCH has changed about our country since Revolution days. A new Revolution is needed…and coming.
@Playahate-She didn’t say that they can’t have birthdays. The point is that if you are so poor that you need to be on food stamps, why the hell are you buying a giant birthday cake when you clearly need the money. Make one yourself, it’s cheaper! Clearly, you are on food stamps or completely support the system if you make comments like that.
@Morgan-I had a customer at Walmart say to me that she was paying with her “free money” and used an EBT card. Don’t even say that people don’t want to live on welfare. If they didn’t, they would be bettering their situation and not living on welfare for straight up years. And no, the author of this article is not a hypocrite, she is telling it like it is, and I for one completely agree as I worked at Walmart and had the same experiences she did.
Colton, for some reason, i’m not seeing your FB page at all, not with a photo of a guy with a black shirt on lying on a bed. Can you post a link?
Bethany, i have a friend who is also blind. She is one amazing gal. She just wrote a book that has been published and will be starting a book signing tour soon. She and her other three siblings were all born blind, and they are all very accomplished musicians. In fact, here is a link to a video of her and two of her siblings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcWXeDgdSOo
She is playing the keyboards. Her brother, Rory, is playing guitar, and her other brother is playing the drugs.
Her brother, Rory, is one heck of a guitar player. He plays it holding it on his lap face up, frets on the right hand, and fingers the frets that way. Here is a link to one of his videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIvNxF89qkA&feature=related Pretty amazing!
Bethany, are you on Facebook by any chance?
@DPMT. Supurb!!!!!
Where do u guys live that can get energy drinks, alcohol and cigs on food stamps?! That’s insane. They don’t do that here, nor should they. they made it impossible in Oregon to get those items with you EBT. You can get soda and candy, but not that stuff. If you are on TANF here, you are subject to housing inspections as well. They can tell if you have too much stuff or what not, if you make any money, you have to pay them back that same month, if you make money and don’t report it and they find out, you can be seriously fined and kicked out of the system for 5 years. Guess Oregon has strict laws in place.
To put a limit on food wouldnt be good. There are too many problems with it. Some people can only eat certain foods or have allergies or some need to have a high quality diet for other reasons (I have severe iron definency issues. So I need to eat more red meat than my hubby who needs more grains. My kids have serious food allergies. One was allergic to milk (like he would DIE of he had it) and so he had to have rice milk tht cost $1-3 a carton. But restricting on certain items would most likely restrict that because it would be labeled a luxury item? Yes it’s expensive and we really had to budget our money until he outgrew that allergy!)
Anyways. I am just saying, people have a max amount they can spend, they have to learn how to budget their own money. Another poster said that it isn’t easy getting into these programs, it wasn’t for us and when we got into it my hubby was without a job for about 2 months. He was going to start on one soon, but was waiting for it to open. But because we had no income they wouldn’t let us in right away (weird) we had to start paperwork. After paperwork you have an interview. After that initial interview we had to have a meeting with our “case worker” but only after my husband started attempting their career classes that he had to go apply for every job under the sun.
If he quit those classes at any point, we would be kicked off, if he skipped without a drs note, we would be kicked off.
You have to report on any and all income changes over x amount all the time and you have to do a recertification every 6 months. Every year you have to do an interview with your caseworker etc.. And always a boatload of paperwork!
Blah blah blah. I can’t wait for it to be over with already!! People treat you like crap the dog dragged in when you use food stamps. I have had so many cashiers glare at me, so many people be nice until they see that card. It is so hurtful. How can people be so mean? I am so tried be being treated like I’m stupid. I graduated high school, I’ve worked lots of jobs, I have been to college and with good grades (and that WHILE homeschooling AND I had a newborn.) but who cares. The glare says it all. They hate me and I must be a horrible person because I am on assistance. Obviously not everyone is like that. Nor is everyone on assistance abusing the system. But one person (even more than one) can be unfairly grouped with the bad ones. From my experience I could say that “All government/state workers are horrible mean and judgemental!” and I would be wrong because no matter that most of my experiences are they treat you like dirt in those offices, I have met a few good workers tht are NICE! Wow, it’s nice to chat with them when you have questions rather than the lady that looks at you like you’re carrying a disease and Like you haven’t bathed in a year. Seriously, like your not fit to look at the dirt on their shoe. Ignorant people. I can’t stand talking with them.
At least now we tell them “we won’t need you much longer because my hubby graduated with an engineering degree” it is fun to watch their eyebrows shoot through the roof and their whole demeanor changes. Like suddenly we became human to them.
It shouldnt change a thing- you treat a person like dirt- you pound them into the ground with you looks and comments- how do you expect them to live?
I have had too many years fighting depression. I clawed my way out of that. I can’t let ignorance of people around me kick me down there again. Before you pipe up and say something stupid to a person in the checkout- pause to think about how that will effect them! (not talking to author) please. If someone had said that to me I would have fallen deeper into my depression and bawled. I would have left the store without food and not gone back. I would have rather gone hungry. Seriously, it is humiliating enouph without a person who doesn’t even know your circumstances starts giving you nasty condescending looks when you use that card. I have even had store employees get mad at me and yell at me and tell me that I have to tell him that I am using food stamps (not true, he just didn’t know what HE was doing).
Like I said. I have been treated like crap too long. I know abusers. I can’t stand them because I get lumped into there with a glare. Sigh. Just be nice people. Please just be nice.
Stop judging 40 million people (the amount currently on food stamps) from these few bad apples. Way bigger issues to think about including this disgusting company. Maybe she should have gone on government assistance instead of assisting one of the biggest pieces of s*%t by working for them. Republicans need to stop blaming the poor
While it saddens me to say I’ve had to rely on the govt for food stamps assistance during a tough time financially with my husband having lost his job through no fault of his own and my minimum wage food service job not being enough income to make ends meet I can honestly say we were not abusing the system but I know some people do abuse it. I find it insulting for some people to just assume you’re freeloading when in fact you are a hard working employee just because you’re on food stamps. If it weren’t for food stamps and wic, my family would probably have had to starve, and to starve a child is not a good thing because of the effects it would have on development and growth. We weren’t able to get the cash assistance, only food assistance, but the cash assistance would have been really helpful so that we didn’t have to do things like keep our baby in too small clothes that left marks on his tummy from being too small because we couldn’t afford new clothes as he grew or that we sold our living room couch and some other things in order to not be evicted from our small apartment and end up homeless with a baby to care for or that we couldn’t afford to buy neccessities like toilet tissue so using public restrooms on the way to and from work was a must and stuffing a handful of tissue in my purse before i left the stall so i could have toilet tissue to use that night at home, or watering down the mouth wash, shampoo and handsoap in our bathroom just so it would last longer. I do think that there is something that could be done about the actual abusers of the system, and one thing would be to drug test them. I have never smoked and my husband doesn’t smoke and we really don’t drink hardly ever(3 yrs ago at a family member’s wedding was the last time I drank an alcoholic beverage) and we aren’t drug users(unless you consider the occasional ibuprofen for a headache) so we would pass drug testings no problem.
I do disagree with the discounts statement Colton made even though I know it was directed at abusers. If it weren’t for the fact that I could use the grocery store’s member discount card or whatever it is called that you have to have to get the items at sale price or else you pay full regular price and the fact that I could use coupons like $1 off of something we wouldn’t have been able to buy nearly half as much food as we have with our 140/month food stamp balance when prior to my husband’s job loss we probably spent around 300/month just on groceries not including other necessary hygiene items
Yes some people do cheat on food stamps, welfare in general…..other’s need a temporary hand up or go hungry and homeless. Get rid of the illegals stealing Millions of American’s jobs and taxpayer’s dollars funding food stamps, housing, gov checks, free medical care for themselves and whole familes and education to illegals…Problem solved!
Colton, I think i might have found you on FB. Do you have dark hair and is your finger in the picture, i.e. when you are trying to take the photo? Is Lloyd DeForest one of your friends? If so, I think I found you.
Right on, Getridofillegals! That would solve a huge bunch of problems in this country right off the bat.
@Thomas: Regarding your decision in respect to your parents’ house. In your portrayal, you chose not to sell the house because it would ‘cost’ your family. By cost, I am referring to the fact that a price in a bad economy does not equate to an expected return or the invested amount in the house. That is your bad. You should have done what millions have done generations past, are doing today, and will do in the future; and, sell it for what you could get.
Your decision lowered the standard of living for several people [limiting financial resources] than you realistically needed to by your own decision. And, your family suffered needlessly IMO. The house I occupy has devalued $100,000.00 over the past 3 years but I would not hesitate to sell the thing for $100,000 today, if I needed the money to provide care for any of my family. And, just as a reference point, the replacement cost on my house exceeds $400,000.00. I’ll never see that kind of price when I sell it. Unrealistic expectations can be damaging in more ways than one can imagine.
Please do not misinterpret my response to be antagonistic. I understand that you believed you were doing the best thing at the time. However, it was your decision, and you obviously lived with it. But, to present it in such a way as to ‘explain’ a situation outside of your control? No, I have to reject that presentation. Multitudes of families and individual are faced with very trying financial decisions today, just as they have faced them throughout the entire history of the human race. Regardless, I think you made the wrong decision from a purely financial perspective.
My people [ancestors] walked this land long before any ‘white’ man ever reached these shores. I thank God that one of them had the wisdom to refuse to acquiesce to the lure of ‘help from the government’. We have gone our own path as opposed to those living on reservations. Because of the decision to walk away from ‘The Great White Father”, my family has always endured on our own terms, regardless of how much “accumulated wealth” was necessarily dissolved by circumstances at any given time.
I guess that the point I am trying to make here is that just because someone acquires wealth, there is no guarantee of, nor a right to, retaining it. It is just a law of nature – we do what we can, with what we have, where we are. This idea of being self-sufficient is what made our nation the greatest one to ever exist. If we do not change the mentality in this culture as it exists today wherein a very large portion of the population believes that somehow, someone, somewhere is obligated to ‘provide me an existence”, we will witness the failure of the greatest haven of of a free mankind ever experienced.
The demise of this nation is precarilously perched on the precipice of financial failure right now. If you don’t believe me, try doing the math on paying back $15 trillion worth of deficit spending while increasing that deficit spending every year. It is impossible to accomplish in our lifetime. I’ve seen the figures that indicate that if the govt took control of every dime in this country right now, it would only finance about 6 months of our current spending rate..think about that and then tell me that we need a government mandated charity [hand-out] program. The stupidity has to end and pragmatic thinkers need to rise.
Raising minimum wage won’t help. The cost of living goes up with it.
Just the facts.
I don’t deny that people abuse the system but for some it is truly needed in times of hardship, and not everyone on food stamps is lazy and doesn’t work. Some people have jobs and degrees and still need help in this economy.
Here are some issues I have with some assumptions in this article…
So, because I am on food stamps, I am not allowed to buy my child their birthday cake,when that may be the only way I could afford it for them? Maybe I couldn’t get them anything else and just a family get together with a cake (that I am sooo thankful I can get with my food stamps this month otherwise my child wouldn’t get one) is all I could do.
Because I am on food stamps I am not allowed to splurge every once in a while on a steak like anyone else? It’s not like there is an unlimited amount of money you can spend, if you bought a lobster, you would know that you had to carefully plan and budget for it with the balance of your food stamps. I would rather see someone on food stamps eating fresh healthy foods than processed, boxed and junk foods.
Don’t assume that everyone that has a smart phone bought it and pay that much a month for it, maybe it was a gift and they are on a cricket plan like I am where data and all is only $40 a month, and that one phone is the only internet and phone connection they have.
In order to get cash assistance you have to go to classes and job training, so it’s not like someone is just sitting around and then buying whatever they want just because they can.
I am pretty sure some people “feel entitled” but also I am sure that most of the time if someone is getting upset over a food not coming up as food is because they have no other way to afford it at that time, and it is embarrassing to have to put things back, humiliating actually. While, yes, people should be up on their balance, even people make mistakes in their budget and balance their accounts of any type and end up over drafting or getting their credit card denied.
A few points I agree with. But not in every or even most situation can you assume all the details and jump to a conclusion where the person on welfare is in the wrong according to you, you also nee to consider all other points of view. Lastly, you can’t completely judge something that you have never had to go though. It is hard for most people to accept welfare in the first place and knowing that you are getting judged every time you swipe your EBT card makes it that much harder. You don’t know the back story to these people’s life, you don’t know the hardships they are going through.
For example just because someone is dressed nice, and put together doesn’t mean you should automatically assume they don’t need food stamps. People seem to think “Oh they had a nice dress and jewelry on and they were clean and well kept, they MUST be rich enough to not need food stamps. Wrong, maybe they like to look nice with what they have, maybe they only have a couple nice pieces of clothes and as any normal person like to be clean and presentable. Or maybe they were doing well with a job and had nice things, and now they are down on their luck and are needing help to feed their children. Maybe they led a normal, working, self sufficient job then their spouse fell ill and they had to devote all time to care of them and the kids and their spouse was the main bread winner and now they are struggling immensely. If you can take the time to think about why they SHOULDN’T have food stamps you should also take the time to thing about maybe why the do or should.
@Ashley
thank you.
ive had a job of some kind since i was 13 years old . recently i was dianosed with copd and ive tryed to get assisstance . well they say i need to spend 650 a month to get medicaid , thats more than half the money i get . and the top food stamp i can get is 16 dollars a month . but yet people that have been on welfare thier whole life and got 5 or 6 kids get 700 or 800 hundred in food stamps .plus a check for close to the same . i worked all my life to support these people , but when im in need of help omg its like pulling teeth and i finally gave up and am dealing with things the best i can on my own . i figured i would work till i reached retirement age , i was wrong and now i need help and it was not even worth me being seen in a place i associated with the poor and im sick to think these people get away with this .
I commend you on your mature attitude and insight. I agree that welfare should only be temporary for healthy people and for the disabled who are unable to work, but what what you have described is total abuse of the system and all those who pay taxes to help people get through the rough patches.
I have a double house and rent it out. I felt sorry for a family on welfare and rented an apartment to them. I didn’t get paid for rent for 8 months! They were lying druggies, milking the system, not working, kids in day care just to get them out of the house and away from their parent or parents, while they sit at home not paying the rent, crying poverty, and landlords not being able to even evict them without going to court and paying a lawyer for it. In addition, the money is never recovered. Bills pile up for landlords, too. Mortgage, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and taxes. How about all the damage incurred? How about a total of $18,000 worth of damage and no rent for 8 months? I know the people you have dealt with because I have, too, and not in MA! I never got a cent after that AND I had to pay court and attorney fees!
And the answer is NO to the person above who said that people go bankrupt and don’t pay their bills. Well, to you, I say, I took such a hit with that family that I nearly lost my house! I didn’t use anyone else’s money to pay it! I didn’t use plastic! I just paid double! Once to support them for 8 months, totally renovate a house they destroyed, paid all legal fees to GET them out, and paid the taxes to support them and others like them! Bitter? You bet!!!
I, too, used food stamps many years, ago when my husband got laid off for 3 months and we had no income. But, while in college having a family, I worked 2 jobs to help support us while taking a full course load. I, too, know about working and working HARD to get ahead! This young lady is not talking about people like me or most of you. She is talking about the professional welfare recipient who knows nothing else and is raising generation after generation of the same “working the system” people.
Let’s not forget about those who sell their food cards for pennies on the dollar outside stores in plain sight to anyone who will buy them! That was seen in yet another state! It’s not just MA, it’s systemic all over this country.
I’m sorry for ranting, but this young lady has a point! It was well written and true, even though some people don’t want to believe it or become defensive about it. If you don’t act like that, and are receiving welfare help on a temporary basis, or are disabled, then this article was not pointed at you! Use the system to help you get on your feet. That’s what it’s there for. It’s not there for people like those who have been described in the article! Those are the people who make it bad for those who need it legitimately! At least we can say that THEY don’t pay taxes……..
All I can say is, “Good luck tax payers, one and all”.
Ok I read all the comments n whole article. No you were not stating anything about people who honestly need help you only stated how ebt equals unintelligent lazy frauds not once did you mention people actually needing help or how the system keeps people poor because as soon as people start getting ahead at all they take any help at all away so your worse off then you were before. Also if you plan on being a journalist you should probably do fact checking before stating so called facts because being a mainiac ( not a mainer) I know that we have a ridiculously high unemployment rate and a great deal of it is people not getting jobs they are applying for even in the best time of year bc our local business owners are bringing in jamaicans Russians ect. To work for min wage and not pay taxes or spend money here so our local people can’t get up from the low of poverty hence high levels of help. Also why are so many people that would be illegal with out their anchor kids allowed to get our benefits for our needy?? We should be helping our own by allowing our own first to get jobs. You non locals have no idea how bad the winters are in Maine and with out assistance a lot of people who are trying their hardest would die all because what you think they are your pigeon hole idea of food stamp receivers?? Also the system allows the disgusting misuse by offering up every help they can to ppl who don’t need it so the people who do can’t get it! Not everyone makes enough to save so if they are laid off their screwed but because they made more then so much the last couple months they have to wait till they are in the homeless shelter to get help. Well if you lived in most of Maine you would know there’s a much larger majority of people with out vehicles and I don’t even remember seeing Lexus anywhere in all my time there but I had to leave to support my son whose dead beat father decided after 2 years that he with no bills no responsibility didn’t want it or to lose his attention and isn’t being forced to help support what he helped create and that is the real problem in this country. Way to many people freely pro creating with out being held responsible so those of us trying to be responsible and take care of our selves and make good choices can barely make it. Oh and BTW you people talking about unwed mothers you are he same people wanting to abolish abortion but you refuse to see that not every situation is the same and being unwed doesn’t make one person less able then someone who got married and was walked out on either way you got walked put on by a self important selfish person and I’d much rather see a mom busting ass and receiving some help where needed then a “mom” whose out spreading her legs trying to tap in whomever will come marry them or worse have a revolving door of scumbags so their kid and they can have a male in their life till they run off too. Yes I went in your mind off topic but far to many people seem to think this is all females when if we held our boys accountable a lot of this wouldn’t go on and having Paris Hilton look alike 10 yos isn’t helping either
Perfectly put. Idk where Louisiana ranks in the categories you mentioned, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we were, sadly, “ahead,” of Maine. At any rate, you’re absolutely right on all accounts. Something has to change. I say we start a movement. Instead of occupying this place or that, we refuse to pay taxes until they’re appropriated properly. Just spitballing.. it’s late & I have to WORK in a few hours.
Oh and before you hate on me I’m a 25 yo of one who busts ass to support my one and am not unwed fat lazy or uneducated just trying my hardest to keep my baby boy happy and healthy even though I’m exhausted from working as many hours as I can get and end up paying my babysitter more then i make half the time out of my pocket before you go bitching about my babysitter being paid for and I drive a pos but its my pos that gets me back and forth and I had all my luxury items before I had money issues and take care of my stuff so I’m sorry if you see me using my wic checks and think my son doesn’t deserve to eat bc I bought some boots 3 years ago or because I have a cell phone because the last 5 times my car over heated I didn’t have one and no one at all stopped to offer any assistance on the side of the highway coming back from work so i had to sit there for hours with my son till our car could make it. Is rather be safe then sorry so I’m not sorry I have a 19$ phone I get a work discount on.
Beauty and brains….. only our side has both. The piece is great, but her photo left me breathless!
I agree with morgan all the way, there is no “fixing” the system Because that would mean that people would see it was never the welfare population who were running this country into the ground. Its funny that the Middle class and the rich are always the first to start trying to kill off the poor. Dont you think? I mean if you pay very close attention you would realize all to quickly that this is the end result for the republican agenda. Hi-ho Hitler… Aka Gingrich or should i say GreenGrinch? I mean come on. You guys are saying she has common sense? WHERE? Apparently and thankfully others see it too UP HER ASS. This is why i too vote democrat.
And i looked into the population on welfare assistance while it is high (especially for the last 5 years) the number of actual abuse cases varies. In most cases its null and void. The only clear abuse of the system is again as morgan said. Illegals, end of story.
Christine, don’t pay attention to the Leftist trolls who criticize you about observations that are clearly valid. While there were no doubt some who you mistook for welfare queens when they were otherwise, there were others who reasonable people would clearly judge as abusers. Your point is that fraud exists and that it should be remedied. Any rational person would agree with this, except perhaps those in the 47 percent category of U.S. workers who pay nothing in the way of federal income taxes. Because they have no stake in paying these people they could care less about the impact that such waste has on the 53 percent who are subsidizing the others. We will be lost when the non-payers become the majority, as there will be no stopping their propensity to raise taxes. We will be like Venezuela, where the poor are looting the national treasury and nationalizing private industry. Thank you Christine for telling the truth about what is likely a case of serious wasteful fraud.
The problem with all this is what the woman talked about is fraud on WALMARTS part, not the 2 women. One woman was strickly rude in yelling but that doesn’t make it fraud. $400 is foodstamps means there had to be 3 or 4 in the family and the woman may have been working for the “MINIMUM WAGE”. What is fraud is when a person claims children on their application but they don’t actually have the children in hand.
Not all Walmarts sale Booze.
Then there is the “Nutritional” food thing. You can make $400 worth of “non-nutritional food” go further and $400 worth of “nutritional” food because “non-nutritional” food is cheaper to purchase.
Just because a person gets “FOODSTAMPS” doesn’t mean they are getting MONEY to purchase other things.
‘Cringe’ I think this is a generalised point of view. I am studying a BSc in Health and Social Science here in the UK. I have been educated to widen my perspective of society and to accept that people present themselves in many different ways. Yes, the guy may be wrong buying alcohol…..but what if he has so many problems that he is battling and fighting against a drink problem, and maybe he is slowly beating it
The birthday cake, that could be the only thing to celebrate that persons birthday. There are wider issues. No one is entitled to sit behind a cash register and judge others.
I am studying for my degree, whilst raising 2 small children, on my own, on welfare because my ex husband turned us out of our home, beat me badly and left us with nothing. I would not like to think everytime I stood in a queue with a shopping trolley, that the contents were being judged. The face I present to society hides the demons I fight inside x
Nicola, it is a lie when they say a person can buy booze with foodstamps in the states. You can’t even buy “pre-made birthday cakes”. I have a friend who works for “WALMART” and she is on “FOODSTAMPS”. Main reason is she has 3 children herself and makes only $8.00 an hour. Between her rent, utilities, clothing for the children, transportation for all 4 (they ride the bus), school supplys, child care, etc……….. she doesn’t have any extra to buy food for her kids. If she was on TANF she would get $200 per person but she isn’t on TANF and the most she gets in foodstamps is $250 a month. She just had a decrease to $200 because of what Congress passed just recently.
Back in the 1970′s a person could live off the minimum wage. I know because I have two son’s and like you, I was raising them by myself. The difference is that utilities was included in my rent and child care was $25 dollars a week for my two boys.
She could be sued for breach of contract with her employeer. Some group, like SPLC will file a complaint against her, and then get it in writing that cashiers and such are virtually rendered “speechless” about what they see and hear. REPUBLICAN?? The other meat, I like to call them. Told me alot about this girls mindframe, and kind of made her views less meaningful to me. Both parties have an agenda, and I only wish this lady knew that she is playing right into the scheme of things. Republicans are already starting to lean toward the liberal center, since they know they have to have a foot on each side of the fence.
I love it this was a great article. And very true, I have seen it in the retail business and in the social service business and now in my own business as a home based daycare. Parents get assistance from the state for their childcare and then can’t pay their fees because the state pays the parents who are inturn supposed to pay their provider but they have done something else with the money. It sickens me. I have heard the Governor is considering random drug testing for people on welfare I think this might be a good first step towards a solution.
I sure wish Florida was so giving in welfare. I am 26, a mother of two, I live with my mother and little sister who is 8, I go to school full time, and take care of the children when I am not in school. Because of the price of childcare, we cannot afford to put any of the children in daycare. I work my butt off to get good grades, and pray that once I am finished I can find a well paying job, and daycare that my paycheck won’t go to in it’s entirety. My mother does not make much, just enough to keep us with a roof over our heads, food, TV/internet, home phone, not great cell phones, just a little more than your basic necessities. If that is more than people on welfare have then it is a surprise to me. I have seen these people, not only at Walmart either! During a recent outing with a friend (who can afford to shop extravagantly) I saw women pulling out food stamp cards for part of their purchase, then LOADS of cash to cover things I only wish I would buy my kids. Not to mention their expensive cell phones, jewelry, clothing..I could go on, what really fried my noodle, was a kid with them, maybe 14 or 15, with his own iphone….if this family is on welfare, with all these unnecessary items, why is my family ineligible? Who knows! But I keep relying on God, praying, working my butt off to go to school, take care of the kids, and I don’t whine about it! I realize that i have what I NEED,and I keep on going. I only wish I could do for my kids what these seemingly undeserving families get away with,and I don’t want to know how they do it, as it probably pertains to drugs. I won’t put my kids in jeopardy, or my school and future, just to live off the state, and have unnecessary things. Sorry this was so long, I don’t mean to whine, I just hate the holiday season when I see the corruptness in full force, and yes, I am jealous, I cannot do HALF of what these families do for their children, BUT I can provide their NEEDS. That is all I should be, and am, grateful for.
Interesting point about buying expensive foodstuffs. I know somebody who is sole carer for a bedbound wife – he has no savings after years of failed treatments and relies on benefits. Recently he bought a large piece of beef to roast as his wife had asked for a “proper roast dinner” for her 50th birthday (and wedding anniversary as that was a few days after). He arranged a small dinner party, did without himself for a week or so and managed to buy the meat. That was all he could afford – which I found out when he screwed up the courage to ask me (as a distant friend) for a bit of help with the vegetables. He may not have any money but he has his pride.
With a bit of lying (“smallest size they’ll deliver”) I got him to accept a decent mixed box from a farmers’ market and allow me to provide dessert as “that’s not a proper present”. No big deal to me, I can afford it easily, but I’d like to think that someone would do the same for me one day if I should need it.
By the way, he bought the meat from a major chain: last announced annual income from chain to owning family – £273 million. Taxes paid on that: £10 million.
LOL, how can this be true?
wishladya says:
December 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Wishlady, I am a product of the 1940′s and when my father died in 1948, (mother with only a 6th grade education) my mother did what she had to do to take care of us four kids. Drive a car for a poor person wasn’t even thinkable.
I’ll be labeled as cold hearted by some but I don’t believe that people “deserve” to eat steak, lobster, etc. those are luxuries. What they deserve is help buying necessities to help them survive until they can get back on their feet. It’s not “fair” but it’s life. Not everyone gets to go to college, not everyone gets to eat steak, not everyone gets to be a millionaire. If I’m going to work my hiney off to MAKE the money to pay for FS and I can’t afford to eat steak, those using the FS shouldn’t eat it either.
There is a sense of entitlement in this nation and there are people who no longer work hard to get ahead because they believe they are entitled to a certain standard of living. That’s not the case.
Since when is Steak or Lobster a Luxury?? Especially in Maine where their is a ton of Lobster Fisherman. Steak is part of a cow… It is not that expensive. Nor is it a Luxury item. Last I checked Walmart wasn’t selling KOBE beef (Which is the only steak that is a luxury item) Lobster in many states isn’t that expensive. In Maine its the equivalent of buying Oranges in Florida. Florida produces them so we don’t pay as much for them as you would in the Midwest.
If you can’t afford to buy yourself a Steak I have to wonder if its because your spending your grocery money buying Name Brand Soda and Beer instead. Its all about choices. I know my kids get steak because, I buy them the store brands whenever possible so they can enjoy those healthier cuts of meat. Rather than the processed garbage that will cause them health problems. Instead of complaining all the time about kids eating better than you why don’t you look at your own life choices as to why you can’t eat steak.
Excellent article. I was going to share for other’s to read until you had to add “This is why I vote Republican”. I am a Democrat and agree with you on this subject. I know many other Democrats who do as well. I live in a state that has been run by Republicans for 15 years now and we have a problem as well. Republicans are not the only ones that are tired of the abuse. I am even willing to vote Republican if the candidate is worthy of my vote. To bad you had to throw that statement into the article.
Ok, so what happens if you have a customer that pays with FS and she forgets a bag, and you run out to the parking lot to catch up with her and *gasp* she is driving a pretty decent car?? Maybe she even has a car payment!! FYI…..before you judge make sure you remember, that the car is under CONTRACT and maybe her circumstances have changed since signing for it, and you cant get out of it. Do you know how high the income level is a month to qualify for help?? You can WORK and make alot of money and still qualify for help. We have to look at family size vs. wages brought home etc too. I agree there are ALOT of young people in this country popping out babies knowing the system will take care of them, but its not everyone.
Now lets use the “why should they buy lobster?” line…..thats like saying “Joe you only make $9 an hour, but Steve you make $15, so Joe you get steak and Steve you get Lobster” yes, Joe and Steve worked for those things, BUT how do you know someone using FS isnt working? Do you know WHY people buy cheap crappy Food on FS?? because groceries are expensive!! it makes them stretch longer!! is it right? no, but I do know of people who bought Organic things on it….and you would probably complain about that, because “you work” and you cant afford to eat organic. Noone will ever be happy, nor will the system ever be perfect.
It saddens me to see how many on here are so quick to judge others. I do not know the “why” they are on these programs, nor is it any my business to know, or yours, just be assured if they are receving benifits than they are entitled to it
I am bringing up two of my grandchildren. The youngest was severly malnourished. Her doctor made out a prescription for WIC to purchase Pedisure so she would have the nutritional suppliment she needed. The first time I purchased Pedisure with the WIC checks I went to Walmart. The cashier told me that WIC does not buy this stuff. I pointed out to her that Pedisure was on the checks and yes they did. The cashier called her supervisior over and both of them told me that WIC did not purchase this. I said if so, then why is the Pedisure on the check? I did eventually get the Pedisure purchased. I have never felt so embarassed or upset that I was treated so badly. I did not go back to that store again to purchase anything on WIC.
If and when you need the help, be blessed you are able to have it and if you are not on it be blessed for that too.
Here is how fubar’d the welfare system in Maine is. in 2001 I was pregnant and due to complications I was put on bed rest. Although I had my short term disability through work and my husband still working full time, Between the two it was just enough to pay the bills, food….well that can be scrimped on. We decided to apply for food stamps, just enough to get us by until I could go back to work. With the states measures (whatever they are) between my short-term disability and my husband working, we still made $100.00 more than was allowed. SERIOUSLY!! $100.00. I loudly said in the room, “must be nice for those who don’t work and get a $500.00 food stamp card handed to them”.
I need to find the bumper sticker I saw once that says “Work Harder, Millions on Welfare Depend On YOU!”
SO agree with the writer here. Enough is enough. I am not against those who have lost their jobs receiving benefits and are ACTIVELY seeking and WILLING to take A job at least until they find something that they would prefer to do. She is right…it has become generational. Don’t worry about working, you can live on welfare. I have heard people say this! It’s sickening! My Dad always said, (and I grew up in Maine…) if you don’t work, you don’t eat. I will never forget that. I understand that times are tough. I don’t agree with certain things that can be purchased. For example, steak etc. These people are at the mercy of the State and the taxpayers (those who pay for these steaks etc…….) If I can’t buy steak why should I buy steak for you???? Really, think about it! My husband and I both work and WE support our children and live a VERY frugal lifestyle. Why should others be buying luxury items on our dime?? There should most definately be limits on what kind of products they can buy. Most of what I have seen if people wasting these benefits instead of buying decent food to feed their families. It’s the mentality that is the biggest problem. If a person adopts an attitude of entitilement toward the program, there is a problem. The program was originally created to be a TEMPORARY assistance to those who for whatever reason couldn’t TEMPORARILY work. Not for a lifetime of support. It is out of control and I personally feel that the welfare issue if one of our biggest contributors to our financial crisis.
Having worked in the retail field for many years, I can feel for the young lady who wrote the article, but also having been on welfare and fs WHILE WORKING, I can say honestly that one should NOT judge unless you know the facts of the situation. I was a single mom who was earning less than $8 an hour. I worked and went to school, but was not able to make ends meet. I was NOT receiving child support despite a court order, so I had to go on assistance.
As a cashier, I could see why some cashiers got mad at those on food stamps, however, being in the same boat, I also had compassion (which many of us need now more than ever).
Now that I am older and I see corporate and government abuse of TAX DOLLARS, it enrages me to see people who make blanket statements such as the author and some of the people commenting have done. How many of you know that Congress has many times over the years voted THEMSELVES raises of millions of TAX dollars, just so they can pay the upkeep of TWO OR MORE homes, while so many Americans are going through foreclosure because they can’t keep up with payments on ONE home? How many of you actually see what is going on in this country? Is the government entitled to welfare? Are these elected officials so wonderful that they are able to steal your tax dollars right out from under you, yet you turn a blind eye while condemning those who are not able to makes ends meet?
I have seen firsthand many people working four jobs, yet still qualifying for food stamps, because in the NOT SO GREAT STATE OF MAINE, the cost of living is FAR higher, per capita than the rest of the country. We are paying almost $5 for a gallon of milk, while in many other areas it is still less than $3. That is NOT the store brand.
The national minimum wage (VOTED BY CONGRESS) is less than $8 an hour, so in Maine, an hour of work equals a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread, MAYBE. Rents in the state are almost triple what many Mainers get for income (if you don’t believe me, just search the ads in CL. Many places are more than a month’s wages just for rent, and they don’t include heat, which in itself is astronomical, electric-which has been proven that Maine has the highest energy costs in the country)…..
KNOW YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU JUDGE. The government has blinded the fortunate. They distract you with the every day “abuse” of the system, while they themselves are the BIGGEST abusers.
BTW, I also worked at Walmart. How many of you who post as cashiers know that Walmart sells their products at a 300% markup cost? Is that fair? Does anyone force people to shop at Walmart? In a sense, yes, because many people cannot afford NOT to shop at Walmart, so before you want to judge those who buy their food and other products with EBT cards, think of this…..their coming to Walmart to buy stuff is keeping YOU in a job. Think you can get a job anywhere? Sure you can, but no matter where you work, these people are keeping you in a job.
Totally agree with all your points. Very well stated. Too many people take advantage of the system and take money away from people who do truly need it. I hope something changes for this country, and soon, or we’re all in trouble.
Just to add to my recent post…..the other part of this equation is….when these people buy all kinds of junk, soda, garbage food. Then they get fat, diabetes, rotten teeth, heart problems and guess who pays their medical bills after they have wasted the money WE have supplied them with? We then have to pick up the cost of taking care of their lazy rear-ends. Where does it end????
welfare needs reforming. But did you ever ask yourself why? It seems ridiculous to imagine that people on food stamps would be allowed to buy soda until you realize that the corn industry lobby (soda is flavored with high fructose corn syrup) wanted their piece of the pie and persuaded (read :paid) congress to allow soda…and other processed foods containing HFCS (nearly everything on the shelves, nowadays) to be purchased by food stamps. Like everything else, if you really want change, get off the blog, go knocking on doors and collect some signatures. There are some awfully angry people commenting here…what will any of you actually DO about it? Oh…and best of luck fighting the corn lobby…they’ve got republicans and democrats in DC in their back pockets!
Pissedoff….you must be a welfare receipient! I can buy steak if I choose to but if you or anyone else wants steak…get off your LAZY a** and WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not but, my adopted children are. I pay more in Corporate taxes every month than you probably do in a year. I also pay taxes twice. Once on my corporate income and once more on my personal income. You probably get a refund on your taxes. I don’t get refunds. So, your actually not paying anything towards welfare or food stamps. If your getting any tax refunds your not paying taxes.
Nice post. Ask a police officer about welfare abuse sometime. They too see things about the welfare system that most never will. Unfortunately, even Republicans are unwilling to do anything about it. Here in Ohio, Kasich tried to screw government employees as a way to save taxpayer dollars, but has pardoned an infamous welfare queen, and rejecting mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. Welfare will ruin this country.
I grew up in a large blended family. When we had hard times, we had to depend on AFDC. There were no food stamps or cards. We had to go to the town hall on a Saturday and pick up the food. We were given cheese, peanut butter, canned meats, and vegetables. These items helped get us through some hard times. Even then there were those that would abuse the system and sell the items they were given. I also worked in retail and saw the then food stamp abuse. People would buy a two cent cough drop with a one dollar food stamp coupon, which was legal, and be given $.98 in change.Tthis procedure would go on all day long. Then in the evening, they would come back with all that change and buy beer and cigarettes. I think this young lady prefaced her article by saying she had no problem with those really needing assistance. She is dead on that the system is flawed. If you can afford a smart phone, internet, cable TV and every gaming system know to man, then you have no business being on assistance. This is where we have gone wrong. We are not entitled to have those luxuries. We are not entitled to have steak and lobster. We are supposed to help those that can’t help themselves. I am very sick of taking care of those who won’t help themselves. When my children were young, my husband and I qualified financially for benefits. We never used any of them. We made do with what we had and prioritized needs over wants. We raised our children to do the same. It seems this young lady’s parents did as well!
I’m not sure how the whole thing works but you should have to renew your card lets say every 4 yrs like a drivers license and show some proof that you were actually looking for a job! its sickening that they pass down their knowledge of screwing the system to their kidsthe gov. knows this and still nothing is done to change it. thats our problem in a nutshell we allow it and enable them to continue taking advantage of OUR hard earned $$ to sustain their lifestyle~
PissedOff, a luxury item is something that isn’t needed and that can be replaced with something of a lesser cost. You can get a lot more hamburger meat or chicken for the money you’ll spend on steak and steak has no more nutritional value that hamburger or chicken.
And no, I don’t need your financial advice. My husband and I have worked our entire lives (still working), raised our child, scrimped and saved to put him through four years of college, ate ramen noodles with extra water added to make it go farther so we could afford the house payment and are now saving for retirement (and money to spoil grandkids I’m sure will come some day). We didn’t always eat steak (and still don’t) but when we DID eat it, we could AFFORD it and didn’t need assistance to buy it.
WELFARE HAS RUINED THIS ONCE GREAT AND GLORIOUS NATION.
WELFARE ENTITLEMENTS ARE AN EPIDEMIC, NOW HAVE BECOME A CANCER DISEASE AND SOON WILL BE A FREAKIN PLAGUE ON THE PLANET AS A WHOLE !!!!
THE ONLY WELFARE-REFORM THAT WE TRULY NEED, IS TO ABOLISH ALL WELFARE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND OF COURSE SHOT AND HANG ALL POLITICIANS TO MAKE THE TREES LOOK NICER AND MORE BEAUTIFUL
this pretty much describes my days cashiering in a grocery store in Minnesota, it’s not just in Maine. I’ve had people brag about collecting on their kids in Minnesota while the other “parent” collects in Chicago – it’s only a 7 hour drive to cash in. I’ve been cussed out countless times by people wearing leather and gold because the foodstamps that I contributed to with my 3 jobs were not enough for their groceries.
Take a guess how much, per month, the welfare recipient spends on cigarettes per month:
We did a survey in New England.
The average was $350 of tax payer money, one way or another, that goes to pay for a non producer’s cigarette habit.
this is sickening.
How are adopted children on welfare??? Doesn’t it become the responsibility to care for and provide for a child that is adopted by someone? Isn’t that the point? If a person does not have the financial means to care for a child that is for adoption, how can they adopt? That makes no sense….
You’re absolutely right, of course. The poor should not be able to buy toys for their children. Screw ‘em. Single mothers, especially, should simply get jobs. That the weekly cost of childcare will end up putting her right back below the poverty level is a cruel reality. Not our problem.
When you are older, you will understand that while there is fraud and abuse, it is not as rampant as you think. You will further realize that poverty can be a trap that is nearly impossible to escape. Count your blessings that you have never faced that trap first-hand. There but for the Grace of God …
We have taken away the drive of people to work, robbing them of initiative. We have created an underclass where 1/3 of the people rely upon 2/3 of the people just to survive. President Obama’s change is upon us and it is destroying us as a people and leaders of the world.
Asian students in US colleges mock our kids’ work ethic and entitled attitude.
This is the sad reality of the social engineering that began in earnest in the Depression and picked up speed in the 60′s.
Im in agreancess with smart cuts in welfare. Reign in the policies that enable some people to game the system.
My family was on welfare for 4 years or so and what came out of 5 family members that have high paying jobs!
Its very possible i will have made a million dollars in the next 15 yrs!
By the way…those of you commenting who are on welfare…how are you paying for this internet that you are on trying to defend your position. Hmmmm?? That IS a luxury…homework can be done at the library so don’t even try that one…… :
If they make women get her tubes tied, why don’t they make a man get his N…cut. Oh I know it takes away their Man hood. Right! If they were a man they would man up and take responceabality of their own,Instead they go and make kid after kid with about 5 differant women and think nothing of it. It’s the old and sick that are paying for their stupidy.
I totally agree with her. When I was younger my mother lost her job and we depended on food stamps to feed us. She finally found a job making hardly anything and the state took her stams and wanted her to pay it back. Welfare is for people who need it…NOT A LIFESTYLE!!!
Why does this not surprise me? Because I see the same thing here in Texas at Wal-Mart, HEB, Kroger and United Supermarkets. The cashiers who cave in to these miscreants (those who cash out their EBT and Food Stamps for cash) are also a part of the problem.
And the store management? Hell, they’re in on it, too!
Got a simple solution to welfare recipients: tie it to job search or your funds are cut off.
Cold Hard Facts:
the children argument is emotional. People who indiscriminately have children have to be responsible for paying for their toys; not society.
You are an enabler and the problem is that you are doing it with others’ hard earned money.
If you wish to donate to non workers, it should be your choice, not under the threat of arrest.
If I withhold my tax dollars in protest, I will lose my freedom while the underclass of non-producers continues to grow in this country.
You will not learn about human nature until it hurts you financially, and then you will complain loudly. It sometimes takes a depression to clear out the Messiah complex of people like you who demand money given to those who do not work.
The Scriptures are held dear by many and it teaches:
“If a man will not work, neither shall he eat”
Hunger is a great motivator and as long as single mothers know their welfare benefits increase with children, they will get pregnant.
25 years of social work has changed my mind. Many like me now admit that we were wrong…the older the social worker, the more he or she sees how wrong our generation was.
Redistribution of wealth means theft of one group.
“Thou shalt not steal.”
@Liberal no more…could not have said it better!
@Melissa E. I’ve walked that mile as you say, and this girl is RIGHT! I find that when people get defensive it just means they have something to be ashamed of or hide…
Jason,
I do not know a single person who would not open their food cabinet to help others.
The government should not be in the food distribution business. The beauro-mess that arises becomes an industry of government jobs and control. For every dollar of food, less than 10 cents gets to feeding. The rest goes to hiring workers, hiring supervisors, hiring book keepers, and hiring authorities to investigate the workers and hiring investigators for fraud, and then supervisors for them, and so on.
The government needs to get out. Charity organizations provide food in abundance for those in need.
The only thing we require is that the people come to us, yet our government takes even that from them by sending them the “credit card” EBT card.
If I put a limit on how much food one can take, I am assaulted with curses. I know who takes food to sell or trade for drugs and attempt to limit it. The 25-30 year olds have so grown up with this mentality that they think it is their right to have food they did not produce nor earn.
if welfare food stamps gets cut off, there will be rioting in Lewiston Maine and the locals had better be prepared to protect themselves and their stores.
I really appreciate this young woman’s perspective on what she witnessed while working at Wal-mart. I don’t think she was judging everyone who is on food stamps – only those who appear to be abusing it. Years ago, as a single mom, I spent a brief period of time on welfare and food stamps. It was the mid-80′s. I was job-searching in 5 counties. My welfare check wasn’t enough to cover my $150 per month rent, electric bill & gas bill. I didn’t have a phone or cable TV. My food stamps were only for food and was way more than what my daughter and I could eat in a month. I would have to spend my food stamps carefully so as to get the maximum amount of change from the stamps so I could save the change over the month in order to pay my utility bills. Also, I would take my mother shopping with me and I would buy her meat with my food stamps and she would pay equal amount in $$ to buy my bath soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, laundry soap, etc. as those items couldn’t be purchased with food stamps. I certainly didn’t buy steaks or lobster and I’m appalled that food stamps will buy “extravagant items” but not soap and toilet paper. I have not received government aid since then and I still do not buy “extravagant items” so it’s a little upsetting that my budget doesn’t allow for that type of spending, but my tax $$ afford someone to afford those items when they are NOT supporting themselves financially. Now with the ability to buy alcohol and fast food with government funds, I’m even more convinced we need reform on these programs. I know of families who are five generations on welfare. That’s insane. Rather than our tax $$ paying for generation after generation to be on welfare/food stamps, I would prefer to be paying for programs that will help people get off of welfare/food stamps. There need to be financial/budgeting programs; classes to teach job-seeking/interviewing skills, resume writing, etc. I also believe that once someone does start receiving welfare/food stamps, they SHOULD NOT be allowed to increase their benefits by having more children. We need to teach people how NOT to live on welfare/food stamps. I’m all in favor of giving a hand up – but we need to stop the unlimited hand-outs and teaching people how to live off of others. There will always be those who need help along the way – particularly when our economy is in its current state – but help should be meant as temporary, not a way of living.
When I seek donations for food for our charity, no one turns me down.
The most food comes from the wealthy, or upper middle class. They are incredibly generous.
My staff is low and overhead is low. We get 80 cents of every dollar to the hungry. We keep simple records, have only a few paid employees but have an abundance of volunteers.
One year we had a leave-raking for food program.
We had to drop the program as it seemed as if there were no more needy people!
You liberals/progressives do not know how you are robbing young people of drive and initiative. There is an entire cottage industry of therapists and psychologists who are willing to help frauds get disability, or get their IQ results just low enough so the person does not have to work and gets money.
We have mentally handicapped adults working for us. They are a delight. They feel so good about working because it satisfies a human drive to be productive.
Some cannot do much, but what they do fills them with dignity.
One young woman (mentally retarded) was told that she had to spend her paycheck or she would LOSE her food stamps! She said, “I pay for myself!” and against her case manager, she let her food stamps expire!
Now she must work, and work, she does!
I admire her.
Extremely well written! It disgusts me to no end the abuse of food stamps. I will admit I have an EBT card… but I’m also a single mother working a full 40 hours a week. I pay my full rent out of my own pocket as well as child care for my son.
I witnessed what I can only assume was a mother and her adult son buying over $500.00 worth of groceries… then shell out $100.00 on World of Warcraft stuff. I was appalled. That’s not how things should work. The dishonesty and laziness of people is absurd. The system definitely needs a reform…
1. Drug test anyone who applies for welfare.
2. Require all eligible adults in the household to send in a job hunting record monthly. Follow up with the companies listed. It would probably cost less to employ these individuals then it would to keep heading down the road we are. Plus it would open up jobs!
3. Lobster, giant t-bone steaks, soda, etc. should not be able to be purchased with an EBT card.
It thoroughly disgusts me the abuse of our system. It’s going to be a glorious day when I can put my EBT card through the shredder and have nothing more to do with state aid.
It is obvious that the Food Stamp program is abused and I think this is a great article. What I don’t get are the people defending the fact that they should be able to by steak, lobster and birthday cakes. Come on! We don’t buy steak and lobster because it’s too expensive, and I don’t buy birthday cakes, I make a cake, from scratch! If you don’t know how to do that, a mix is a lot cheaper! Since I support myself, if I want to buy a steak I can; but if you are depending on me (through food stamps you are) to buy your food for you then you will get good nutritious food; not extravagances.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful land with very few living there; plenty of land for all to share in its wealth.
A man came to a lake, and began to work hard cutting down trees, and slowly built a house for himself. Each day, he would go on the lake and catch fish so he could eat. It was a difficult life, because some days he was tired, but if he did not fish, he would not eat. He then married and had children and continued to work hard, improving his land, planting crops, and as others moved there, he worked long hours to catch extra fish, which he then sold or traded with others. He saved money for when he was too old to fish.
Houses were built everywhere and the land gave up plentiful in terms of food and provision. Everyone worked hard, fished every day, traded, bought and sold, and all saved for their futures. It was hard work, but they learned, hard work paid off well.
Soon, the people formed a government together, called “the State” or “town”, and each resident would put in a small amount of money from their fish sales, so that the people could defend themselves should an attack from those who want to steal their fish, come upon them. They elected officials to manage the money.
The man continued to work hard and one day, another man came to live near him. Because he was just getting started, some of the neighbors gave a small portion of their fish to him, to help him along. In exchange, this man would often help repair fishing poles for others, until his house was finished. For this hard working community, life was good. Hard work showed its rewards. Each family was responsible for themselves, but as good neighbors, they checked in on each other. If one became too sick to fish, those with more voluntarily gave a bit extra to the sick, until they recovered.
Others outside of this town, heard how at this lake, the community had lots of fish and the people took care of one another.
One day, another man moved in but he would not fish. He didn’t like fishing. He complained to the town about not having enough fish to eat. The town managers did not want to appear to be mean-spirited, and encouraged the man to begin to fish, like others, but this man, for whatever reasons, would not fish.
The settlers told him (and others like him who had heard about the prosperity and came to the town) that they could not continue to keep donating fish, for they had to save enough for their growing families, and encouraged the others who did not want to work, to begin to fish. They even loaned some fishing poles. Most worked, with some driven to it by hunger pains, but there were still some, who, for whatever reason, would not fish.
The number of those who would not fish grew and complained loudly to the town officials that those who fished would not share with them.
Some of the non wokers could not pay their rent, and the owners said they had to leave. They refused and complained that the town needed new managers, and told others that the town managers were mean spirited and selfish. Besides, winter was coming and it was too cold to just “kick them out”. Yet, for these people, they would not fish. They complained bitterly and even told the town’s elected managers that they would soon elect more kind and compassionate managers who would give them fish and make the bad landlords “go away”.
The town managers were afraid of losing their jobs as elected officials.
The town then said that everyone who owned land had to pay extra money to the town. If they did not pay, the town would take away their land.
The settlers were puzzled. Who owns our land? We thought we did.
The town managers went to the hardworking families, with guns in their hands, and said, “You must give us each more fish or you will be arrested. You give us the fish and we will give distribute it fairly to those who do not fish.”
The man soon learned that if he fished less, and caught less, he could keep more for himself.
And so property tax began, and took away true ownership from the citizens. Also, modern welfare began.
America is a very generous nation. What would happen if Food Stamps were abolished?
It is not enough to simply abolish food stamps. We must give the money BACK to the hard working families from whom it was taken.
But wouldn’t people starve?
No. People would not starve. Some would be driven to work, as hunger pains are quite an incentive to work. But Americans are generous and kind people. Churches and other charity organizations would rise to the challenge. Money put back to the people who earned it in the first place would then spend more at stores. Stores would hire more to keep up with the demand of customers. The stores could hire those willing to work.
i found that online and thought it agreed with the article. is it okay to do that? I did not credit the author because I dont know who she is.
When it comes to “entitlements and thinking one party is better then the other consider this social security fact. George W. Bush, a Republican, pushed through by fiat the “Totalization” program. 99% of Americans know what this is or what it means. To make matters worse none of the “candidates” will even address it when confronted. I had a personal exchange with Newt Gingrich. Instead of discussing it he cancelled the press conference in 2010.
The “Totalization Program” is a program that gives FULL, again X3, Social Security payments to mexicans at or above age 62 that live in mexico. The only thing it takes to recieve these benefits is to claim to have worked in the United States for 3 years of their life ILLEGALLY!!!!! Now this gem of a POS program does not appear on any of the globalist radar. They will not even address it’s existance!!! Republican, Paul Ryan that had the press about the getting tough on “entitlements” never mentioned the entitlements of ILLEGAL ALIENS, or, The Totalization program in the course of running down those people that paid at the point of a gun into SSI for 50+ years and call them them the bloodsucking entitlement crowd “that must be dealt with”. However a $600,000,000,000.00 per year transfer of wealth to illegal aliens that are lowering the wages of Americans (in many areas -40% in the past 5 years) and in fact displacing the American workforce gets not a mention in his BS globalist Budget proposal. Neither does that INSANE totalization program get a mention, FROM ANY CANDIDATE IN ANY PARTY. Thiis is a war on Americans. Americans better wake up and respond soon.
Press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish, 3 for Arabic and 4 to fire ever SOB on both sides of the aisle and the obamunist in chief and replace them with AMERICANS cancerned about AMERICA!!!!!!!
I agree with this but I feel that food stamps needs to be more like WIC where only certain types of items can be purchased. Our government is so worried about our obesity rate, etc, so you would think that having it nutritionally sound items for the most part would be better for the children and families involved! I know of people that use their cards to get soda and candy every time they go to get gas for their vehicles but have cell phones that are top of the line with all the features possible (and their kids have them too!). My husband and I work and we can’t afford all that!!!
People don’t have a right to a birthday cake. Individuals are no more entitled to receive a cake once a year than they are presents. A birthday party is a LUXURY. That’s the point. Birthday cakes, like steaks and lobsters, are extravagant expenses. While they may be food, they are not necessities. If there’s any legitimate purpose to welfare it’s to provide temporary assistance in meeting basic needs (food, shelter) while facilitating an individual’s transition into greater self-sufficiency.
This article is spot-on and regardless of how many people have sob stories to tell, welfare recipients have no right to what they are receiving and that includes people receiving unemployment benefits. How does losing one’s job entitle someone to receive a monthly check from the wallets of their duly employed neighbors? It doesn’t matter why the person lost their job – through their own fault or from circumstances beyond their control – no reason is ample justification for pilfering of the public treasury.
As this article attests ANY kind of government handout necessarily creates an unmerited sense of entitlement, rampant fraud and systemic abuse. States that wish to provide some form of assistance need to make it conditional, temporary and restricted to those essentials necessary to sustain life. As the author pointed out, I’m not giving someone $25 in food stamps so they can spend their $25 in cash on a cell phone bill (or Internet connection or satellite TV).
The federal government is prohibited by the Constitution from providing direct financial assistance to citizens in the first place, which is another problem with the whole system. States aren’t less free to try solutions that work because of Washington’s one-size-fits-all, top-down approach. Never mind that through federal funding, the citizens of states with sound approaches to public assistance and consequently lower welfare rolls, are paying for the less efficiently administered programs of other states. As with any federal entitlement program, it serves only to financially bankrupt the nation, but to morally bankrupt the citizens of that nation.
You can’t judge a book by it’s cover honestly… just because someone uses food stamps doesn’t mean they are a low life piece of crap that is “abusing” the system. Because of people being so judgemental, every time my family has to use them, we get looked at like we are scum. WE ARE NOT SCUM! My father got into a horrible accident and ever since my family has struggled with money, like some one above said before me try walking in that persons shoes and living through the hell we have been through.. And tell me with true honesty that if you were in my parents situation and had little money, that you wouldn’t by a birthday cake or a steak for someone’s birthday because it is their favorite food… put yourself in someone else’s place for a day and feel their pain before you go judging everyone again. I do agree with you though that some people abuse the system but not all of the people that you see buying cakes and steaks, unless they do it everyday…
I do understand what you are saying. The welfare system here in Maine, is abused. I am sure, you saw many customers repeatedly, and learned their spending habits. But, to all you cashiers, or the people in line behind me, please, do not judge me, because I buy my child a birthday cake, or a toy. Or that I every once and a while, need to splurge and buy myself a candybar, and eat it right there because my sugars are so low. Please do not judge, if I do buy that steak. You don’t know everyones situation. Please don’t judge based on our purchases. I am a single mother of three. After living with domestic violence for 14 years, I left him. I was forced to quit my job, due to my safety. I had worked for 11 years, in the nursing field. I was forced to except help. It has been three months, and am afraid to go back to work, due to the ptsd. I try my hardest to keep my troubles out of my childrens lives. So please. How would you feel, if day in, and day out, you tell your children, Im sorry, i dont have the money to buy that. To see the expressions on their faces. And to only have 100$ to spend on three kids for xmas. My oldest son loves steak. That 12$ steak I buy is for him. Don’t judge. I worked. I struggled. And I was forced to ask for help. And now, I am embarrassed. I am ashamed. And the look on your face, when that 30$ toy slides over the counter, makes me want to crawl into a hole. How do you know, that toy, is not the only gift my baby will recieve for his birthday? And, starting in 2012, there will be five year, life time limit to the usage of TANF. I fully agree about the time limit. Funds are abused. But not by all of us. So please. Unless you see me there constantly. Over and over again, buying “questionable items”, please, do not judge me. I have been beaten and broken down enough. I dont want this for my children. And the expression on your face, beats me down even more. Please, you dont know everyones situation.
I want to add that I saw thus same thing at the grocery store I was cashier at. If you use a coupon in Kansas, for food on an Ebt card, you had to pay tax, they would get so mad at having to pay .10 or whatever the small amount of tax was. Really? Some of their balances were over $1000 on their card. They buy junk food and steaks and whatever they want. And they are dressed in designer clothes, hair perfectly done and beautiful manicures. Why work when you can live like that? Great piece!
THis is why I don’t shop at WalMart.
Very well written. Your insight is refreshing. I agree with most of the comments – a hand up is always something that should be available. A hand-out with no incentive to improve your situation does nothing more than make people give up and become dependent. I’m not blaming those who need help. The system is broken – there needs to be a “step down” process that lets people get a job and start earning a living without wiping out all of their assistance.
I want to say thank you so much for taking a stand. Please be a voice you are young and can Make a difference. A great movie Come What they MAY. IF you get a chance watch it. I can understand your frustrating we live in Georgia and i have seen this my self. I witness someone actually getting cash our for personal whatever use of this TANF I couldn’t believe it. That means they can Buy Beer, Alcohol and cigarettes with tax payers money. This breaks my heart because I am a stay at home mom who home schools and we don’t have the extra and we live paycheck to pay check. As well as adopting 2 children from Eastern Europe on Faith not because we are rolling in the doe because we surely are not. We have to pay for everything we get. If they want to do those things that is there business by all means but I don’t feel our taxes should be helping to pay for these things. It is really sad that we haven’t got government officials that are really able to help make the Laws for the people. It seems they are too busy spending our hard earn money to do the things extravagant than to care about what everyone else is doing so it have went over looked. I agree about the phone thing. I don’t have one of those or even a Kindle that we need badly for school because the funds aren’t there. I would love to have an android but don’t have the funds to get that package deal. It really is a sad upside down world. My heart is broken.
I have said for years that if you are a mother, receiving welfare of any kind for you and your children that 1/2 of them should have to get jobs while the other half have to work taking care of the children. That way they are both “earning” their aid.
How about we add disability to the mix. I have a neighbor that does not work and collects disability. Why? He broke his foot in a non-work accident and claims he is unable to work (construction is supposedly his trade). In fact, his injury is so bad that he cannot even mow his yard with his expensive zero turn radius mower. Yet, he can drive his dune buggy and child-sized ATV around the property. He can also drive (like the devil) his vehicles — same physical requirements. Kicks the ball with his son and runs around the yard. The wife is not much better. They both have cell phones and satellite service. A few years back, after a relative neighbor complained, the police raided the residence. The guy was (probably still is) selling drugs. They got ready to cart him off to jail and the wife screamed, “You can’t take him. He’s the primary income earner in our family.” “Where does he work?” the police officer questioned. “He’s currently unemployed,” she responded. In other words, disability and welfare are his primary sources of income and, I presume, this goes away when you are in jail. Like others, I have no problem helping those with legitimate needs, but these folks want to sleep in, lay around all day watching television, then party all night — at my expense.
One of the best point-of-view articles on this subject in recent memory; you didn’t slap any one class or nationality of people – just stated what you witnessed, and how people behaved at your register. If Darwin were to witness our society now, he would have had to re-think his thoughts on evolution – and how today’s man is better (smarter, taller..) than yesterday’s. Creation is going ‘south’, and it’s far from a pretty sight.
Great post. Thanks for sharing your real-world experience, which advocates of these programs routinely downplay.
As a former FS user I have seen this.. But SC has certain restrictions that they don’t tell people. The only way I got on to it was I was out of a job for one month and haven’t received and unemployment check yet, (that is a whole story in its self too). Here they look at race, gender, marital status, and what job you have. They think that if you get unemployment you make too much. I was single unemployed, White, male. Once I started to receive unemployment they said I make to much and just pulled me off. They just don’t care down here. I have seen some drive like $40,000 cars and still pay in FS. This is why it needs to be over hauled. Right now I make just enough to live, and this is with out paying a part of my school that I still owe. All the state says I make too much. But other then that great articale.
I agree with what is said to a point… I recieve some welfare benefits I had a stroke and I am now on disability raising two children on my own… I don’t agree with abusing the system I have seen people rack up the seafood on food stamps and I don’t agree with that but because of people like that it gives everyone on assistance a bad name and I am more than that! So she has major points to the dissappointment in some people that abuse the system buying extravagent items selling there food stamps for money or worse its horrible… I am thankful that i recieve help if not I couldn’t feed my children… i make everything homemade but don’t judge me if i buy my kids a steak for a treat!!!
I think I just threw up while reading this. Unbelievable. And yet, totally believable.
What you saw in two summers I’ve been seeing my whole life. I pretty much grew up on welfare. I had my first job when I was 14, and I have been working ever since. I’ll be 28 in a few weeks, and I have no intentions or desire to ever go back on welfare. I just wish the state could see how welfare is being abused…..
Voting Republican doesn’t do squat. They’re just for a different kind of welfare — that is, for corporations. If you really want to make a REAL difference and if you actually did care beyond demonizing people (“welfare queen”), you would report these people you deem to be abusers of the system. Since you didn’t do that, it seems like you’re more interested in denigrating people in order to make yourself feel superior.
Well. I work full-time. I’m also a full-time mom. Yet, I receive benefits to make sure that the money I spend on bills, and other needs such as school clothes- can be spent to feed us.
So yes, I understand whole heartedly- but don’t make it sound like some of us who do work for a living- shouldn’t get benefits.
well said! It is annoying to be behind these people who eat like kings while the working class behind in the line are buying store brands to get by!
Typical leftist scum rushing in to defend parasites and moochers
And as to what is wrong with these parasites and moochers buying steaks and lobster and cake and alcohol and tobacco – those parasites and moochers are using money stolen from me, thereby making it so I can’t afford to buy steaks and lobster and cake and alcohol and toboacco.
Let se an article on all the corporate fraud and handouts next time.
My daughter in law was on food stamps for many years. She has 4 beautiful children. But I think buying a premade cake is crazy and she did for all 4 of the kids. If a cake at the bakery is $30.00. My gosh that is expencive. Make a cake and buy the stuff for the top. You can make a cake for under 5.
“I was born in June of 1991. The man had been on welfare my entire life.” …. Welfare reform of 1992 put time limits on TANF of 5 years; you made the wrong assumption.
You cannot buy beer with a TANF card.
“Steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.” should families be restricted to white bread and canned fruit? Terms of the poverty level haven’t changed since the 60′s – take a look into the repercussions for stuggling families.
“This woman literally failed at image comprehension.” I think you inadvertently made a case for spending more on public education (as did a few of your fans).
They had iPhones?? Oh, lawd! Those people should be using cans for communication. Maybe they do not have a landline and also need the Internet. Stop making assumptions.
Your arguments are flawed to say the least. Please write again when you have accurate information and have put your pretension aside.
I love how every comment on here that is condemming this girl for being “judgemental” all have spelling and grammar errors. Doesn’t that speak for itself for those people?
Very proud that you stand up for what you know is absolutely, positively WRONG! Maybe your generation will take more pride in paying as you go. It looks like my generation has decided welfare and something for nothing is totally American.
I also was a cashier in the past, I heard various People bragging they used alias names of diff. Daddy’s to their kids to get more access cards. They brag on how they cheat hte system. I see the abuse at Walmart. Who does not? I have been behind a Family and they used various cards. They were also eating better than the normal person. They had their nails done, phones, and wearing more gold then I could count! Welfare is a mess! There are real People working and not making ends meet. These People need the help! Not People who will not work, and expect a free ride. I really feel if the People are working and prove 20hrs or more, they need help. Our Country can’t afford to pay for the ones just using us for a free ride!
In response to R on’s lovely ramblings,
I love reading the comments and seeing your bright shiny gem of a comment right at the top. It really set the tone. I think it’s odd that you would call people on Welfare “LOOSERS” and that you don’t want “you’re” kids working for a “liveing” to pay for such, again, “loosers” to be able to feed their children. Hopefully your, oh sorry, “you’re”, children have a better grasp on the English language. That will really help them score that job working “4 A LIVEING” at any job in town. I get Food stamps. I’m in school full time. My husband works full time and attends school. I’ve never bought lobster or cake and I’d never eat Sara Lee or shop at Walmart. I may be a “LOOSER” but you sir or ma’am are an IDIOT.
After reading this article and the comments to follow, I couldn’t help but comment. Wonderfully written. Let me tell you one thing, I could not agree more!!!! I worked at a grocery store 30 hours a week while partaking in 19 credits worth of college courses. I saw the same things the author did. Its pathetic the way people use and abuse not only the governments money but the money WORKING PEOPLE MAKE! I do not want to continue to think that the money I work hard for goes to feed there fraud and abuse. Yes, I do believe people are lazy, people abuse, and people can try harder. Specifically @ ME Smith & Melissa E, you’re both not seeing what her point is. She’s stating that people ARE abusing these forms of government assistance. She is not saying everyone is. Don’t give her a hard time for stating the truth. I have never been on the other side of this issue. I do know people who currently have access to WIC, TANF, etc and use it wisely. This is her stating the truth, this is to be malicious. Going into the “real world” has nothing to do with it, this is real life: it doesn’t take someone in the real world to understand/see this fraud/abuse. It takes a smart individual who understands right and wrong, easy and hard. Times are tough, I get it… But she’s beyond right in her essay. The bottom line is get up, get a job, stop taking the easy way out.
some people REALLY have disabilities tht they cannot work.. or sickness or on medication for those illnesses where they are unable to work… i found some of these comments to b rude snobby n snippy… with out looking at details of every1s individual case i would say this is borderline prejudice? Who is anyone 2 judge me or any1 else, ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME!!!
For every one person who abuses the system there are 100 or 1000 who really need the help and are not abusing the system. Just because a person has a “debit” card doesn’t mean they have a lot of money in the bank they bank at. You actually need a “credit card” now a day just to purchase anything. A debit card does look like a credit card ya know.
I was talking to a friend recently, that has been on food stamps, and free housing for more than 10 years straight now. She said to me, “Times are tough…we’re struggling to survive.”….. WHAT? Struggling to survive, is NOT getting a check, that pays 100% of your life sustaining necessities (food and housing). How can you POSSIBLY be struggling to survive, when the 2 things that we fear not being able to do THE MOST, are 100% paid for? I’m sorry, but she was barking up the wrong tree on that. My husband works himself to the bone, and every month, we think, “Are we gonna make it? Will we keep this roof over our heads? Will we keep these kids fed?”. People that help themselves (hard workers), GET NO HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT, which is strange to me, since THEY pay for it, and most of them NEED some assistance. The hard working class gets left in the dirt, while the non working class collects what the workers are earning in order to live for FREE. Then complain that THEY are struggling to survive? People are SO dependent on these programs, that they’ve forgotten what it’s REALLY like, to struggle. The WORKING CLASS struggles to survive, while the welfare class “get’s their cake and eats it too”….
I’m not sure that this woman is actually a “friend” of yours, but suppose you brought your own “we’re struggling to survive” story to someone unemployed, or someone disabled, or a single or widowed mother. I would guess that they’d think that “you don’t REALLY know what it’s like to STRUGGLE.” It seems like you have a computer and internet, and enough free time to write that post, and a husband who is employed, and healthy enough to “work himself to the bone.” You receive plenty of government tax and legal benefits by being part of a married couple with children household. Maybe your friend is or is not struggling, but many could say the same about you, that you don’t know what it means to “REALLY STRUGGLE.” And perhaps someone who is in the upper middle class or wealthy would think “why doesn’t that woman stop complaining and work harder to get out of her condition.”
The thing is, I understand your feelings about that friend of yours, but I wouldn’t be so bold as to use this to make some sweeping statement about a “working class” or a “welfare class.” No line magically divides these two groups, and plenty of struggling, hard working people exist with one or both feet in that “welfare class.”
Looks like most of you are stereotyping everyone who received welfare as losers or lazy, and that’s the problem, everyone has different cercumstances, some may abuse the system but does that mean that everyone on the system is bad or lazy? Just saying, just cause one person who goes through the checkout is abusing the system, there could be 10 more that go by who really need the help, imagine how they feel with all those critical eyes looking at them because they are feeding their children with food stamps.
Im in Canada but I fed my kids once upon a time with welfare, and today me and my husband have a successful buisness, but still to this day, because I’m a native woman who shops with kids I still get looked at like I’m on welfare! Stereotyping to the max!
It makes me so mad to see how people defraud the system. We were foster parents a few years back and I remember very vividly being in line to use my WIC benefits for our girls who had severe food allergies, the woman in front of me was buying “bloody candy” for halloween for her kids at 10.00 a pop and she was purchasing about 10pkgs with her food stamps and I had just left the WIC office fighting for our girls to get almond milk because they were allergic to every thing else, and was turned down. Made me so mad, my children needed this food item but how do you need a 100.00 worth of “bloody candy”?
I am not against these government programs. There are times when people just need help and they should get it. However, government help should be temporary help. It should be assistance to get a person or family thru a tough time when they are not able to provide for themselves. It should not be a lifestyle (which is the type of clients that this author is referring to). Sure a person on Food Stamps or Welfare should be able to purchase good food – Not NY Stripe or Porterhouse but there are many other reasonable steaks and lobster available. No one on government assistance should be able to purchase extravagant items that the average working person cannot fit into their budget. No one (working or not) deserves to purchase things they cannot afford. It is this idea of entitlement – that we have the right to it, that we deserve it – that has put good people into desperate situations and is placing our good country on the brink of destruction. These programs should be used for necessary and reasonable purchases. If you want the extravagant items, then you are going to need to make some life sacrifices to earn & save for those item – like the regular working people do. And for those of you that think we need to inform our wonderful representative on Capital Hill – don’t worry – they very well know exactly what is happening and they don’t care. They have plenty of money, they don’t pay taxes so why would they care – it doesn’t affect them. It does affect the regular working crowd that is paying higher taxes to provide for these programs. So the tax paying crowd buys the generic label items to make their budget work so they can continue to work and pay taxes to support those that deserve the extravagant steaks, wine, beer and giant birthday cakes (nothing wrong with a birthday cake but it should be reasonable). It’s very sad and it is the truth.
This is to all of you who feel that people on welfare “deserve a good steak, ice cream cake, etc.”. Are you serious? Many of the people who pay the taxes that provide food assistance can not afford these items themselves. But yet somehow, you don’t see a problem with this. Shame on you for not thinking it through.
There are millions of people, myself included, that are making do with a smaller paycheck and higher bills. We spend every single penny with great care. We don’t own bling, we have basic cell phone service (if at all), we can’t afford manicures, many of use can’t afford health insurance or health care, we take care of ourselves and we pay taxes. How can anyone justify using the money of working families to pay for all of this? I can’t and I’m no longer willing to sit idly by.
I realize there are a few people on welfare who would like to purchase a nicely decorated cake for their dying child’s last birthday, but get real. How many does that apply to? If this is such a big problem, then I offer to set-up a charity to purchase birthday cakes for these children as soon as they are disallowed by the food stamp program.
Our nation is in a financial crisis. Many working families are barely scraping by, but by golly, the feel-good liberals among us will still insist that for some reason known only to them these people “deserve” what most of us can not afford.
I dont think that this girl is saying that the people on food stamps shouldn’t buy birthday cakes but a premade cake is about $30. A box of cake mix and a can of frosting is about $4. Make a cake…don’t buy one. And I dont think she’s saying that people on food stamps can’t have steak either. But buy steak the is a little less expensive. Not porterhouse and t-bones. I work a 40 hour a week job and so does my bf. We dont buy expensive steak and pre made birthday cakes because the money comes out of our POCKET. Sometimes when we don’t have to work for something we forget it’s true value. I have worked in the grocery business in the past and seen the same things this girl mentions in her article. Women and men at the counter buying chips, candy, soda, etc with their EBT cards and then when they are done they purchase their cigarettes and beer by whipping out $100 bills. Tell me there isnt something fishy there. We all know there is major abuse with the system. We can all see it. There are exceptions to every rule but people on food stamps and TANF should remember that its supposed to be a hand up…not a hand out.
Excellent read. Thank you for sharing this Christine! As someone who is living in Maine and works 50+ hours a week, it frustrates me that people who choose not to work for years on end, get all these benefits to a point of where they become content, and choose not to work for a living.
While I believe those who are down on their luck for a season, it’s necessary to get some relief, but limit it to a timeframe. There really needs to be some serious overhaul in our state, and I’m hoping that Governor LePage will be proactive in reforming the welfare system in our state!
How many people were served who used their food stamps correctly? There are always a small minority who will abuse any system that they are in. There is no need for reforms as inevitably it will only mean that the people who genuinly need assistance find it harder to get. What is needed is for these people to be delt with by the existing system. The laws are all there they need to be enforced.
Food with little nutritional value is usually a lot less expensive. So it will be purchased by those with a tight budget. This is something that needs to be adressed and not by making it more expensive so that there are less options for those with a very limited budget.
I’ve worked in retail for nearly 15 years, many of which have been in convenience stores. And I must say, I see this type of waste and fraud on a daily basis. Couple walks in, buys junk food, energy drinks (as long as it says ‘nutritional’ instead of ‘supplemental’ facts), beef jerky, ice cream, soda, all with the womans EBT food stamps. Then the live-in boyfriend turn around and spends as much if not more on lottery tickets. It makes me sick.
How many really believe that charities and a single person can help all who are needing help today. I am 64 years old, became disabled in 2010 with not only severe arthritis in my back, knees and feet but high bloodpressure. I can’t get around because of these disabilities. Do I need help, yes, but because of seeing the uncaring so called “Compassionate Conservatives” on line, I doubt I would get the help I need. I have gone without electricity on several accounts until the county finally stepped in and paid for it. My internet and phone, I need because of my disabilities. My internet and phone are one and the same and cost me as much as a land line would cost me. I have MagicJack for $19.95 plus tax a year and my DSL internet is $25.00 a month. I would be paying the same amount for a land line if I had one. Being elderly has not helped my case either because no one wants to hire an elderly person who is disabled. Heck, no one wants to hire an elderly person. I have worked in foodbanks handing out groceries. The food is getting thin and these foodbanks don’t have the food to serve all who come in anymore. The foodbank I helped out in 2009 would only hand out food to a family every 3 months because of the amount of people who would come to the foodbank.
If you think families of poor can help, you are sadly mistaken. Even with a college education some young people don’t have money to give their parents, brothers are sisters to help with their bills because those same young people need aide themselves. They pay almost half of their paychecks paying back a student loan.
What would Jesus say about the U.S. and their so called “Compassionate Concervatism” if he were walking the face of the earth today?
Gen.41
1.[19] And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
Exod.22
1.[25] If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
Exod.23
1.[3] Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
2.[6] Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
3.[11] But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
Exod.30
1.[15] The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.
Lev.14
1.[21] And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil;
Lev.19
1.[10] And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
2.[15] Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
Lev.23
1.[22] And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Lev.25
1.[25] If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
2.[35] And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.
3.[39] And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
4.[47] And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family:
Lev.27
1.[8] But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.
Deut.15
1.[4] Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:
2.[7] If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
3.[9] Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
4.[11] For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Deut.24
1.[12] And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:
2.[14] Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
3.[15] At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
Judg.6
1.[15] And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Ruth.3
1.[10] And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
1Sam.2
1.[7] The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
2.[8] He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
1Sam.18
1.[23] And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
2Sam.12
1.[1] And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2.[3] But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
3.[4] And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
2Kgs.24
1.[14] And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
2Kgs.25
1.[12] But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
Esth.9
1.[22] As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
Job.5
1.[15] But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
2.[16] So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
Job.20
1.[10] His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.
2.[19] Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;
Job.24
1.[4] They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
2.[9] They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.
3.[14] The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.
Job.29
1.[12] Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
2.[16] I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
Job.30
1.[25] Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
Job.31
1.[16] If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
2.[19] If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
Job.34
1.[19] How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.
2.[28] So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.
Job.36
1.[6] He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor.
2.[15] He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.
Pss.9
1.[18] For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Pss.10
1.[2] The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
2.[8] He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
3.[9] He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
4.[10] He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
5.[14] Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
Pss.12
1.[5] For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
Pss.14
1.[6] Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Pss.34
1.[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Pss.35
1.[10] All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
Pss.37
1.[14] The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
Pss.40
1.[17] But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
Pss.41
1.[1] Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
Pss.49
1.[2] Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
Pss.68
1.[10] Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
Pss.69
1.[29] But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
2.[33] For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
Pss.70
1.[5] But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
Pss.72
1.[2] He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
2.[4] He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
3.[12] For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
4.[13] He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
Pss.74
1.[19] O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
2.[21] O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
Pss.82
1.[3] Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
2.[4] Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
Pss.86
1.[1] Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Pss.107
1.[41] Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
Pss.109
1.[16] Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.
2.[22] For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
3.[31] For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.
Pss.112
1.[9] He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
Pss.113
1.[7] He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
Pss.132
1.[15] I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Pss.140
1.[12] I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
Prov.10
1.[4] He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
2.[15] The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
Prov.13
1.[7] There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.
2.[8] The ransom of a man’s life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke.
3.[23] Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.
Prov.14
1.[20] The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
2.[21] He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
3.[31] He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.
Prov.17
1.[5] Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
Prov.18
1.[23] The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
Prov.19
1.[1] Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Prov.19
1.[4] Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
2.[7] All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
3.[17] He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
4.[22] The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.
Prov.21
1.[13] Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
2.[17] He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
Prov.22
1.[2] The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
2.[7] The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
3.[9] He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
4.[16] He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
5.[22] Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
Prov.28
1.[3] A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.
2.[6] Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
3.[8] He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
4.[11] The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
5.[15] As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
6.[27] He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
Prov.29
1.[7] The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
2.[13] The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.
3.[14] The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.
Prov.30
1.[9] Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
2.[14] There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
Prov.31
1.[9] Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
2.[20] She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Qoh.4
1.[13] Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
2.[14] For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.
Qoh.5
1.[8] If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Qoh.6
1.[8] For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?
Qoh.9
1.[15] Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
2.[16] Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
Isa.3
1.[14] The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
2.[15] What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the LORD GOD of hosts.
Isa.10
1.[2] To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
2.[30] Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
Isa.11
1.[4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa.14
1.[30] And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
2.[32] What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
Isa.25
1.[4] For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
Isa.26
1.[6] The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
Isa.29
1.[19] The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isa.32
1.[7] The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.
Isa.41
1.[17] When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
Isa.58
1.[7] Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Isa.66
1.[2] For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Jer.2
1.[34] Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
Jer.5
1.[4] Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
Jer.20
1.[13] Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
Jer.22
1.[16] He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.
Jer.39
1.[10] But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
Jer.40
1.[7] Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;
Jer.52
1.[15] Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
2.[16] But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
Ezek.16
1.[49] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
Ezek.18
1.[12] Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,
2.[17] That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
Ezek.22
1.[29] The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
Dan.4
1.[27] Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
Amos.2
1.[6] Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
2.[7] That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
Amos.4
1.[1] Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
Amos.5
1.[11] Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
2.[12] For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
Amos.8
1.[4] Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
2.[6] That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
Hab.3
1.[14] Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
Zeph.3
1.[12] I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
Zech.7
1.[10] And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
Zech.11
1.[7] And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.
2.[11] And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.
1Esdr.3
1.[19] It maketh the mind of the king and of the fatherless child to be all one; of the bondman and of the freeman, of the poor man and of the rich:
4Ezra.2
1.[20] Do right to the widow, judge for the fatherless, give to the poor, defend the orphan, clothe the naked,
4Ezra.15
1.[51] Thou shalt be weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and as one chastised with wounds, so that the mighty and lovers shall not be able to receive thee.
Tob.2
1.[2] And when I saw abundance of meat, I said to my son, Go and bring what poor man soever thou shalt find out of our brethren, who is mindful of the Lord; and, lo, I tarry for thee.
Tob.4
1.[7] Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee.
2.[21] And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for thou hast much wealth, if thou fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.
Wis.2
1.[10] Let us oppress the poor righteous man, let us not spare the widow, nor reverence the ancient gray hairs of the aged.
Sir.1
1.[28] Distrust not the fear of the Lord when thou art poor: and come not unto him with a double heart.
Sir.4
1.[1] My son, defraud not the poor of his living, and make not the needy eyes to wait long.
2.[4] Reject not the supplication of the afflicted; neither turn away thy face from a poor man.
3.[8] Let it not grieve thee to bow down thine ear to the poor, and give him a friendly answer with meekness.
Sir.7
1.[32] And stretch thine hand unto the poor, that thy blessing may be perfected.
Sir.10
1.[22] Whether he be rich, noble, or poor, their glory is the fear of the Lord.
2.[23] It is not meet to despise the poor man that hath understanding; neither is it convenient to magnify a sinful man.
3.[30] The poor man is honoured for his skill, and the rich man is honoured for his riches.
Sir.11
1.[21] Marvel not at the works of sinners; but trust in the Lord, and abide in thy labour: for it is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord on the sudden to make a poor man rich.
Sir.13
1.[3] The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he must intreat also.
2.[18] What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog? and what peace between the rich and the poor?
3.[19] As the wild ass is the lion’s prey in the wilderness: so the rich eat up the poor.
4.[20] As the proud hate humility: so doth the rich abhor the poor.
5.[21] A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends: but a poor man being down is thrust away by his friends.
6.[22] When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers: he speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him: the poor man slipped, and yet they rebuked him too; he spake wisely, and could have no place.
7.[23] When a rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue, and, look, what he saith, they extol it to the clouds: but if the poor man speak, they say, What fellow is this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.
Sir.21
1.[5] A prayer out of a poor man’s mouth reacheth to the ears of God, and his judgment cometh speedily.
Sir.25
1.[2] Three sorts of men my soul hateth, and I am greatly offended at their life: a poor man that is proud, a rich man that is a liar, and an old adulterer that doateth.
Sir.26
1.[4] Whether a man be rich or poor, if he have a good heart toward the Lord, he shall at all times rejoice with a cheerful countenance.
Sir.29
1.[8] Yet have thou patience with a man in poor estate, and delay not to shew him mercy.
2.[9] Help the poor for the commandment’s sake, and turn him not away because of his poverty.
Sir.29
1.[22] Better is the life of a poor man in a mean cottage, than delicate fare in another man’s house.
Sir.30
1.[14] Better is the poor, being sound and strong of constitution, than a rich man that is afflicted in his body.
Sir.31
1.[4] The poor laboureth in his poor estate; and when he leaveth off, he is still needy.
Sir.34
1.[20] Whoso bringeth an offering of the goods of the poor doeth as one that killeth the son before his father’s eyes.
Sir.35
1.[13] He will not accept any person against a poor man, but will hear the prayer of the oppressed.
Sir.38
1.[19] In affliction also sorrow remaineth: and the life of the poor is the curse of the heart.
EpJer.1
1.[27] As for the things that are sacrificed unto them, their priests sell and abuse; in like manner their wives lay up part thereof in salt; but unto the poor and impotent they give nothing of it.
2Mac.4
1.[47] Insomuch that he discharged Menelans from the accusations, who notwithstanding was cause of all the mischief: and those poor men, who, if they had told their cause, yea, before the Scythians, should have been judged innocent, them he condemned to death.
Matt.5
1.[3] Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt.11
1.[5] The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matt.19
1.[21] Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Matt.26
1.[9] For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
2.[11] For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
Mark.10
1.[21] Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mark.12
1.[42] And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
2.[43] And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
Mark.14
1.[5] For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
2.[7] For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
Luke.4
1.[18] The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luke.6
1.[20] And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke.7
1.[22] Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
Luke.14
1.[13] But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
2.[21] So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
Luke.18
1.[22] Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke.19
1.[8] And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Luke.21
1.[2] And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
2.[3] And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
John.12
1.[5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
2.[6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
3.[8] For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
John.13
1.[29] For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
Rom.15
1.[26] For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
1Cor.13
1.[3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
2Cor.6
1.[10] As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
2Cor.8
1.[9] For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
2Cor.9
1.[9] (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.
Gal.2
1.[10] Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Jas.2
1.[2] For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
2.[3] And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
3.[5] Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
4.[6] But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
Rev.3
1.[17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev.13
1.[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Thank you for this awesome article I too work at a walmart and am a mother of 2 being the only one working most of the time in my family as my husband is going to school full time to be as I call him a computer geek lol I have had the assistance of food stamps and Maine care for bout 6 months as the good paying job with benefits is no longer there for us I have seen and smelt the welfare families before they even hit my line all frozen foods no fruit and veggies and just gross fattening expensive food it just is disturbing to me that welfare is probably contributing to their obesity. Going on state aid was not something I wanted todo for my family but I am thankful that I have the help while I’m still working the husband is going to school and my children are fed with nutritious foods not premade frozen bipartical meat and yes sometimes a tub of icecream for me and hubby for date night as we dont go out to save money.I would love to see restrictions on what can and can not be bought with food stamps ..yes I would pee in a cup if asked as I do support drug testing for welfare
I was disturbed by this article for a few reasons. I agree that cash assistance money and food stamps should not be abused. However, I didn’t like the tone of this entire article. It was condescending and self-righteous. I have worked since I was 15 years old. I’m 29 now. I have 2 small children ages 2 1/2 and 8 months. Currently, I receive both cash assistance and food stamp benefits. I’ve received them since the man that I was with left me alone to care for our children and my home. I’m going to college full-time so that I can eventually support my children and show them a better life. I work part time to make ends meet. I’ve bought things like earrings with my cash assistance: for A JOB INTERVIEW. I’ve bought my kids toys with it, too. Why? Because it’s not their fault that their dad left and things are tough. I don’t do it often but every once in a while, they deserve something nice. I couldn’t afford to buy a birthday cake for my daughter’s second birthday. I used my food stamps. I buy organic food which costs more but, guess what? Just because I live below the poverty level doesn’t mean that my family deserves to eat only crap filled with preservatives and chemicals. The person you speak of spending $400 on food with no nutritional value; Did it ever occur to you that maybe she was never taught by her own parents how to eat nutritionally and to feed her family well? Or how about this; it’s cheaper to eat poorly because those foods are more affordable which is part of the reason why obesity is rampant in lower income families. When I use all of my paycheck money to cover bills and the only cash I have left is on that card, I use it for the various odds and ends that I need. And you know what? I hate doing it. I hate doing it because of the worry that I’m being judged by people exactly like you. You don’t know their stories. You haven’t walked in their shoes. You wouldn’t know when I take that card out of my wallet and buy something that you deem “unnecessary” exactly what or who I’m buying it for and you surely don’t know that I’ve worked my butt off for 14 years and that I’m doing my best to give my kids a life as close to normal as I can while I struggle.
I am thankful for the help that my mother had when we had nothing. She used it for food only – without that help we wouldn’t have eaten. I couldn’t read the whole of this article simply because it’s disgusting when you are that person who desperately needed the help and you see people like that who are abusing that help. Those people don’t know what it’s like to be in need. That type of laziness doesn’t just hurt yourself.
I completely agree with lori. Though this article is correct, there are a lot of people who abuse the system and its a shame. But I am a single mother and no longer on foodstamps or tanf. I have worked hard for as long as I can remember. But when my sons birthday came around and I was broke. You best believe I got him a great birthday cake with my foodstamps and I don’t think there is any shame in that. I think its a huge shame that people judge others when they may not know what its like to go through hardships. I know most of my hardship have been brought on myself. but i have done whatever has been in my power to fix all that. So should I be judged cuz I bought a steak for supper to feed my kid. Or a birthday cake for his birthday?? I think that people on welfare should be under a thumb so the people abusing it will be caught. But ur judging everyone on welfare when you don’t know the lives of everyone.
I 100 percent agree with this artical… I understand that people need support some times and there is nothing wrong with that. I was offended tho by one of the comments about some one seeing a mom with lots of kids… I have 4 under 5 myself… Two of which are twins and they are my youngest. No I am not on food stamps or cash assistance but do recieve WIC… Two of my children had to be on 25 dollar a can formula due to medical issues and my twin are premature and are medically required to be on pediasure. My husband is military and we are responseable and carry zero credit card debt. If we paid for the girls pediasure out of pocket we ourselves would not be eating. As soon as they out grow the need we are getting off. I hate being on the system. I was raised in a family that was a prime example of abuse and I refuse to allow my family to go that direction. But I do think it’s wrong on the other end to automatically demonize everyone who accesses the system. I agree a lot is wrong but there are cases like mine it is nessary for a short time.
You forgot to mention how much of the actual cash you received reeked of the smell of marijuana. That’s how it was for me anyway…
I was @ my fuel assistance meeting(they do it in groups now)& EVERYONE but me was on their cellphones I don’t own a cell cause I can’t afford it.Their was also a woman w/a coach purse&shoes &a really really nice(expensive) baby phat coat&outfit&I over heard them say they had no income between the 2 of them&that their 16 year old hasn’t been able to do drivers ed yet but when we walked out the door together guess who was their to pick them up their 16 year old w/a car wayyyyy nicer than mine.I do get some food stamps&on my kids birthdays I get them each a lobster&a cake cause it has a castle&princess toys on it I’m really good at budgeting what we get about $100 a week &I make it last but yes lots of people that get more than just food stamps(free $$) screw w/the system bad.All you have to do is tell them you don’t know who the baby daddy is&boom free $$ every month I’m sorry but I have 3 friends that did that on purpose&it is sooo soo wrong 1 of them is even married to the baby daddy just didn’t get her SS changed so they have no idea&they wont look into it cause I have called the state on her about it¬hing has happened to them
Excellent article! I, too, have had to ask for food stamp help but was terribly frugal with my card. I knew my balance
and only bought steaks once when they were clearance!
well first off all the people downing on the people who are on tanf,foodstapms need to get off your fing high horse and look around you for once in your life i’m a 26 year old who can’t get a job to save my life yes i’m on foodstamps i get 200 a month for food and i buy nice steaks because i only get them once a month i buy a big birthday cake for my son because i can’t get him anything else i don’t care what you people think of people like me because you don’t know how fing hard it is to have to ask your friends and family for money to help you get toilet paper,laundry soap,for crying out loud christmas and birthday presents for my own child if i could get a job i would but no one will hire me for some reason but it’s not like i haven’t worked i have and i worked at walmart myself and you know what i wouldn’t want to go back to a place that lets dumb snobby people like that work there and put down people like me i hope they all burn
I agree with your article, a lot of people in Maine abuse the system. I have seen it all around. However, I have been through trying times in my life where I depended on help from the state. I was pregnant and my boyfriend and I opted to move home from Yarmouth because living on only my income while he was in school wasn’t going to work while adding a baby to the mix. When we moved back to Machias in Down East Maine (one of the most poverty stricken counties) I could not transfer back within the corporation I was employed (Maine Veteran’s Home) keeping my full time job. I lost all my benefits insurance maternity leave and a great paycheck. We used the state programs for MaineCare and food stamps only NO ebt cash. As we both found jobs we regularly reported our income and now our child is the only one receiving WIC and MaineCare. Witch will change soon, he will have insurance through the state called Cub Care witch we pay a lower monthly cost for as compared to like Anthem. I believe the programs are a wonderful thing and should have stricter laws so not to be taken such advantage of but properly used. I also believe that drug testing should be a requirement. If you have money to buy illegal substances then you should have money to buy things such as food or whatever else you use cash from your ebt card for. I also vote Republican and my now husband Conservative Republican. We work hard and live our life on a budget so we can afford to live in a beautiful home on the lake and buy whatever we want for our son. We are a success story from state help I wish there were more out there.
Actually, I know Rory Hoffman; his wife has a great voice, too. She does some of the background vocals on his music. And yes, I am on Facebook. Actually, the blindness is the easiest of my conditions to deal with…that surprises most people. I mean, of course it affects my life big time, but that one stays stable; I have been blind all my life, and I know how to live with it. It’s the other stuff that’s truly difficult. Wow…small world! You mentioned Rory, and he’s someone that I know. I attended a state school for the blind one year, and he performed in the same town, so of course they took us to his performance. He recognized all of us by stating that the first two rows consisted of “students from {the school}!” We all got free copies of one of his albums.
It was a good article until you stated that this is the reason why you vote republican, thus, turning your vary viable report into just another piece of political propaganda! The Governor Patrick is the first Democratic Governor of Massachusetts since 1990, yet, he and only he is responsible for the system and not fixing it?! Next you criticize the Maine welfare system and the current Governor Paul LePage is a Republican; shouldn’t that system be fixed by now if it is better to have a Republican than a Democratic Governor . . wake up young lady and realize that is the “Politician” and NOT the party that is and has been ruining our country!! . . and it is the “Politician” that keeps on pointing the finger at the voters for voting in the wrong people . . doesn’t matter who we vote in, Republican or Democrat, the only difference we see are different types of ruination. The people that would actually do the country good and make any sense at all are pushed out somehow by the big money people!
And just before u jump all over me clamping that we are living over the top All of our finances are budgeted in to catigories… Our food budget is 110 a week for 6 people. I meal plan and do not buy lux items… Soda, chips and candy never come into my home. Also steak eather… I do buy chicken in bulk when its on sale. We do not have cable and only hold one car payment. I only buy the nessary essentials to get buy. In order to go shopping on black Friday I made the thanksgiving turkey last for meals for the entire pay period so I could spend the 60 remaining on providing some what of a Christmas for my kids.
I live in Maine and right now the governor is trying to reform welfare. Although everyone says they want reform, any attempt is met with “not in my back yard”. In other words cut somewhere else. There are in fact many people who need a helping hand however there are many who make it a way of life. MaineCare (health insurance) is so widely abused. I realize health insurance is ridiculously expensive. If you are working and can afford to pay something for insurance but not the entire premium then give them some help. If the premium is $500.00 a month and you can only afford $200.00 then make them pay that and the state pay the other $300.00. The state does not need to pay the entire bill. And if you have varicose veins and want surgery, you should have to pay some of that bill – I have to in the form of a deductible so why shouldn’t you. Any condition that is not life threatening should not be paid for by public assistance. I have to see my PCP if I have a cold or the flu. This a requirement of my insurance. Why should you go to the emergency room which is much more expensive and have that paid for by MaineCare? Give anyone a help who truly needs it but DO NOT allow it to become a way of life for people and for their generations to follow – after all we usually live what we have learned and if you learn to live on welfare you have a tendency to live that way yourself.
I know people who have moved here from other states because they have researched which states have the best welfare! It is truly disgusting! I also know people who kick their husbands out so they can get MORE assistance! If the husband keeps an apartment they can get more and ha can “visit” for weeks. Imagine how much they would have if they didn’t have to keep a “second” home!
A.M.E.N.
Those of you that are making rude comments about the author really aren’t understanding what she is saying. She admits that there are people out there that absolutely need the benefits and aren’t abusive toward the system. Unfortunately, there are a lot that do abuse the system.
I think it’s funny how those of you on benefits get defensive about the food you buy and the fact that you have iphones aren’t seeing where the rest of us are coming from. I was a single mother for years and never accepted benefits. I worked, scrimped and scraped and made my way. I’m now married, we have income and yet I still can’t afford some of the “luxaries” that I see people on welfare having. I see people with great vehicles, top of the line phones, new clothes, all the best “toys,” yet they are the first ones at the registers using their benefit card each month. It’s disgusting that I live paycheck to paycheck yet our tax dollars pay for your food, daycare, medical care, and even gives you cash assistance to do with what you want.
Am I against buying lobster or steak? When you are using my money and other working people’s money to buy it, hell yes I am. When you can afford to feed your own face, I will say you shouldn’t be told what to buy. Until that day comes, I am in 100% agreement that there should be some severe restrictions imposed on what you can and can’t do with your welfare money.
I’m not heartless. I see the cases where it’s not abused and know that there are amazing people out there who aren’t choosing to get benefits but have no other choice. I see the people who are out there day after day looking for work. It’s not easy in this economy. Sadly, I see more of the “other type,” and that’s why I feel the way I do.
Congratulations on your “well-written” article, you ignorant, hateful person. It is people like you who make those who are truly needy ashamed to seek the help they need, because if they do, they will be vilified in a blog. I understand their is abuse, but it’s not the majority that is abusing the system. How many that came through your line were not abusers of the system? You don’t mention them, do you? Keep your ignorance off of the internet.
I am on ebt and I will agree that a lot of people take advantage of the system, but that is not always the case. So although I do think that it is a good idea to bring to light the people who are violating the system, I don’t think it is okay to make a blanket statement about all people that need the system. My husband had a great job, we had bought a house, had a kid and another on the way, then the economy went south. My husband lost his job, we lost our house to foreclosure because we couldn’t sell it on time and my husband had to go back to school full time to get the skills to get a new job to support our family. During this time he was working as much as he could outside of school and I had to work from home (what little work I could get) because it would have cost more to send my kids to daycare then I would have made.
Thank God, my husband is about to graduate and will be going back to full-time work on Monday!!!! We are doing our best to get off the system. One thing did bother me about the article above. I don’t buy a lot of extravegant things with our ebt because that money has to last our family for the whole month, but we have a set amount no matter what we buy. So when my childrens’ birthdays come around and I want to make a special purchase of a birthday cake that they are really wanting to make their day special then I am going to buy it. I am not spending anymore of the state’s money because I bought the cake, it just means that I have to make up for it by going without something else that month.
As for the big carts heaping over, I also will agree that they should have been buying food with nutritional value, so if they were just buying junk then yes they were in the wrong, but if it was just a big cart did you ever think some people are buying for big families and are also possibly buying for multiple weeks. I know that when I go shopping I go once a month for a “big trip” where I get pretty much everything I’ll need for the whole month, and then make “little side trips” later like if I need more milk or something. So don’t freak out just because a cart is mounded over please.
are you paying for your own college? or do you get grants and loans?….I have worked retail all of my life and I know what you mean by what you say, but not everybody is as privelaged as you to go to college and get a degree and get a good paying job. I have seen welfare fraud worse than what you have described and have gone home crying because by the time I pay the bills I had hardly any money left to do much with my son, but yet I made to much to get any kind of assistance. Do you have a family?, it is not cheap, granted there is fraud and there is deceit and their is attitude of entitlement, but not everybody is as lucky as you to have a job and go to school and still live at home.Do you have health insurance?..Lucky you, because I don’t and I’m sure I am twice your age ( I cant afford it and I over qualify for anything)….You are way to young to make such judgement on human life….put yourself in their shoes for one day, do your research (after all you are a college student and should be an expert on research), instead of complaining …do something…start a committee on welfare fraud, get involved with local government, then lets talk.
I agree with the article 110%. And YES I have been there, but also worked my tail off to get off of it as soon as possible. Did I buy expensive cuts of meat? Lobster? Decorated birthday cakes? NO. Think about it, there are HOMELESS CHILDREN that get NO birthday cake, presents, balloons, NOTHING, yet some feel entitled to a “pretty cake” because their child deserves it, when the child could care less about a decorated cake and would care MORE about the time you as a parent spent making them a cake for a quarter of what that bakery one cost. I was at Save-A-Lot the other day here in Maine, and saw two mothers together, each with one child, go through the line with 3 overflowing carts of groceries, again 75% of it junk food, soda, chips, donuts, ice cream, one ENTIRE CART was filled with THIS kind of food, and the total between the two ladies was well over 1000 dollars in FS!!! Hellooooo, our family makes a decent living and we can not even afford that a month in food, not even HALF of that! The icing on this cake was that I then went to Shaws (because I go to a bunch of different stores depending on where the sales are, thought maybe they were doing that too…) and then saw them (no joke) load a basket with alcohol, THEN used WIC checks to buy the MILK to go WITH the alcohol..after spending a grand on groceries with our tax dollars. I also personally know of at least 6 families screwing the government, not working, not looking for work, been on welfare for over 12 years, they smoke, drink, do drugs, and think we owe them the world. I don’t think ANYONE is against those using it that really and truly need a hand up. We all can be (and some have been) in that situation. We are talking about the large majority that SCAM us all. It is sickening…
You should really think twice about judging people that are getting help. I have had to be on assistance for a while due to the fact that my daughter is disabled and because of that I am unable to work. I have gotten the dirty looks while buying chips and cookies on food stamps but my daughter is autistic and only eats certain foods I don’t get cash just to help buy food. My daughter was also on WIC because even though at that time I was working my daughter had special nutritional needs and her formula was the most expensive formula they made where a weeks supply was more than most formula for several months. So until you have to walk a mile in those shoes you should really think about what you say. Believe me I would love to not need them. But until there is affordable childcare available for special needs kids this is not going to happen. I would much rather be able to work.
Corporate Welfare so dwarfs minor issues with social welfare it’s absurd. Yes some people misuse their EBTs … but lots of people misuse cash too.
I applaud you for taking the time to articulate what we all have thought for quite a while, keep clean hands and run for office, then we can see true reform.
Several of the comments from folks on foodstamps have actually mentioned that the authors are out of work at the moment and in the next sentence they mention that they don’t want to get a lowly job but are holding out for a “real” job. One fellow said his wife lost her job as a clerk of courts but couldn’t find another “real” job for the last three years. Another fellow said he was on food stamps and it was so “fing” hard to find a job but he didn’t want to go back to working at Wal*Mart (implying that he hadn’t even applied) because they hire snobby cashiers like the author of the original article.
If I was out of work and on foodstamps I would take any “fing” job that would hire me so I could make some money. I’ve been working since I was 14 years old. I’ve scraped the barnacles off floats, hosed butcher shop floors, cashiered for just over minimum wage, babysat, sorted cans and bottles for less than minimum wage — anything I could do to earn a living.
It annoys me when I see stories about formerly high-paid employees lilving on welfare for long periods of time because they “can’t find a job.” If they were willing to lower they own standards and get a low paying job rather than holding out for something that paid the same amount they were paid before being laid off they wouldn’t need to mooch the system. (McDonalds is seemingly always hiring) However, it’s easy to stay on welfare and “fing” hard to get off.
And I have also seen foodstamps pay for hundreds of dollars worth of Tenderloin steaks at $15 per pound (in a single order) when the buyer could just as easily have bought 30 pounds of cheaper (but still good steak) at $9 or $10 a pound. Lobsters, even cigarettes and beer (I think the cash component of the welfare system is worse than useless).
Still, I don’t think there should be any limits on what actual foodstamps will buy (as long as it is a food item). I think the system needs to be overhauled but it needs to be done on a case by case basis. I have family members that have been abusing the system for years (claiming that they are paying rent and utilities when I know damned well their parents are letting them live on their property for free).
You can’t lump everybody into one pile because there are people out there that do have legitmate reasons for being on welfare. There are people who are on it for a bit and get off as soon as they financially can.
And there are also people who can’t get assistance even though they really deserve it because they make too much to qualify and the mochers out there are gobbling up more than they deserve.
No matter which side of the story you are on, you have to agree that there is a large percentage of welfare recipients who are abusing the system, taking more than their share, and leaching out the money that could be better used to help other people. There is also a large percentage of people out there who are using the system as it was intended and who are truly deserving of such assistance.
There is no overarching “truth” in this situatiopn. Everything is grey, as it always is in life — nothing is ever black and white.
Great article! When I was in high school I worked at a local restaurant. There was a gal there with 2 kids who was a manager. She told me that she was going to quit because she would get more money from welfare than she made working! I remember thinking wow, what a loser! As a child we had a couple of years that we barely scraped by and would have qualified for aid but we NEVER asked for it because of pride – something people are greatly lacking.
To those of you who say “they deserve a steak” you need a smack in the head! That is part of what is WRONG with this country! Everyone thinks they “deserve” something they didn’t earn! When you make enough money to cover your expenses THEN you can get luxury items. If you can’t afford to food, clothing, or rent you don’t spend money on cigarettes, booze, and other non essential things. Those of us who have been successful in life know this and that is WHY we are successful! DON’T SPEND MONEY YOU DON’T HAVE ON THINGS YOU DON’T NEED!
Every fast food restaurant and gas station around is hiring but some people think they are “too good” to work at those places so they sit back and collect their unemployment or welfare check. We own 2 businesses and see this type of attitude all of the time. We are far more likely to hire someone who took any job available than those who would only take a job they felt was worth their time. It really shows what kind of work ethic people have if they are willing to work anywhere.
Well I have a couple things to say about this article..Some of it is absolutely true. I am a single mother and just recently lost my job. So yes I am recieving both FS and TANF. Yes I use my TANF to pay some of my bills and also get things for my son. I do by toys for my son with that money, not all the time but this time of year I use it to buy xmas presents? Do you consider me a bad person for doing so? I really would think twice before you do anything. And as for you stating there is no time limit..well there is for TANF in Maine you have a 5 year limit and then you are off of it and it doesnt have to be consequtive. Also they do encourage you to volunteer in order to recieve it. I have to volunteer my time to get the money I do. I need this money and I will not be happy with anyone who tries to take it away. So just because the few people who do abuse the system dont take it out on the people who need it cause thats whats goin to happen.
You know what is ridiculous??? A young lady who has obviously never fallen on a hard time in her life judging others… These people you are talking about that use the food card. Do you know if they are a widow of a soldier who may have been killed in the war, leaving her a single mother of 3 young children? Do you know if this is a family where the father/mother has worked for the same company for 20 years, just to have the company go under and they now need a little help until they find a new job? Could it be the single mother of a handicapped child who requires her to stay at home 24/7 care who is not able to work due to caring for her child? NO YOU DO NOT KNOW! So, unless you have all of the facts, you should keep your young, unexperienced mouth shut. You are young, you have yet to see what all is out there in the world. You may not think people fall on hard times because you have not, but they do. It is a fact. Like it or not. Not everyone has a family or friends who can pitch in and help. A lot of people have to stand on their own two feet and do the best they can do with what they have at the time. Who do you think you are, only God can judge… I myself tried to get hired on at Wal-Mart and after 4 interviews was not hired. Why? Local, political bias… Why don’t you count your blessings that you have a job instead of judging those who don’t in this economy… Times are hard, for a lot of people. This is sickening… Why don’t you worry more about waste in our government such as in Columbus, Ohio where they now have copper gutters on streets near downtown due to the mayor being buddy buddy with our President of the United States… THAT IS WRONG! While people in his own city go hungry and without Christmas! That is fraud! Not everyone needs help for years and unless you take the time to ask these “WELFARE QUEENS” their personal stories, then don’t call them that either… Because they don’t wear designer clothing or how did you come to this name… Name calling isn’t nice either… Would it be okay if someone called you a snide little *****? No… So then… You disgust me… It is easy to judge while you stand their with a job… Disgusting…
Aside from the blantent abuse, My big issue with FS is when people are buying all junk food on them. I rarely see anything nutritious in the carts and just the other day I was behind a woman at Walmart who had two boxes of chocolate twinkies and 24 pack of Coke Classic. And then she whipped out her EBT card to pay. Her child was with her, and buying this crap is what is going to send that child straight into diabetes. It’s like the food stamp program is funding the medicaid program. The whole system needs to be overhauled.
I have long thought that Welfare was greatly abused. I think the program needs a complete over haul. There should be limits as to what they can “buy” and what they cannot “buy”…no steaks, lobster…necessities where their money can buy more for their buck! I have seen so much fraud, as well as I am sure everyone else out there has. It is a crime. We are becoming a Welfare nation. Where is everyone’s pride? I feel badly for the young children of these lazy welfare parents. I say, if you can’t pay for your kids, let them go to some of these homeless couples that want children and cannot have them. The children would certainly be MUCH better off!
I was injured on a jobsite at MacDill AFB in Tampa Fl. I had Knee surgery. Thanks to a person being a doaner, I got their ACL to hold my knee together. My back on the other hand, was not something I wanted cut on. I was 47 when it happend. I worked in costruction since 16 (full time) Always finding work. My 2 kids are grown. Other than WIC which my young wife & I used for 2% milk to avoid rashes when they were babys, we / I have never had any type of assistance. I was on crutches, knee & back braces, & reduced to sleeping in a Lazy Boy,(when I could sleep). I had 2 mortgages & a wife that had given up on marrige years earlier. I couldn’t get a food stamp card to food my 16 yr old son. I couldn’t find any assistance anywhere! SSI, S.S. I am 50 yrs old now. If I ever need help again, I will ask for it with a gun in my hand. Yes I’m still working & paying taxes. Yes I still sleep in a chair because I can’t lay down straight, or stand up straight very well for very long. Yes I’m still paying both mortgages. I don’t eat much steak or celibrate birthdays anymore. I guess I lost my taste for those things…… you know, back when I couldn’t get them to taste them lol. I owned to much from working my whole life, to get help. NICE! Thanks for nothing when we needed something the most!
And we wonder why America is going broke.
Amazingly one of the primary lessons in college is that you do not use a few overly dramatic cases to generalize to an entire population that, for some bizarre reason, you feel superior toward. I grew up in Maine on welfare. I know this would be shocking to the young idiot in question but I am not currently on welfare. In fact, I am working on my final year toward a PhD. Trust me, it’s not a life you want to lead. My mother, after her time on welfare, saved babies for a living. How many babies have you saved? You should continue working at Walmart since you clearly haven’t learned anything in college and are probably not fit for any other employment.
You rock.
I work at a grocery store not far from there and witness the same thing every day. I work a full week, with another job on the side, and I go to school, and I’m not on any kind of assistance at all, government or personal.
And as one commenter reminded, its not about use, its about abuse. There are people in the state of Maine who work hard for what they have and still can’t make ends meet. There are also people who sit and do nothing and with the help of government assistance, somehow can make ends meet, almost better than the working person. These are the people who deserve to be punished for their actions.
I loved your aritcle. It gives insight to what people at stores see on a daily basis of how people take advantage of the state. My husband and I are hard working citizens, I have a wood crafting and painting business at home to make extra money to help with the bills unitl I am out of school for Medical Administrative Assistant. I have had neck problems and severe nerve damage problems in the back of my head and we dont have insurance. Its been a struggle for four years now with my pain out of control and than my husbands back went out and he had to have emergency surgery to repair a disc. I tried to apply for Maine Care to help us when my neck issues had gone on for 3 years with no relief. Also I was treated like dirt at a Bangor pain clinic because I did not have insurance, even though I had made a payment arrangement with them, it still was not good enough to help me out the Doctor insisted I come up with a lump sum before he could help me with any procedure that may get me out of pain. But the people with Maine Care were treated like Kings and got their procedures done with no questions asked. Well that is another whole story on how poor I got treated because I had no insurance. Well I got turned down for Maine Care because they said my husband made too much, yes enough to get by to pay bills not enough to pay Doctor bills. But than I see these people that get it and they take advantage of it all. It really makes me mad! They dont have to pay for food, they dont have to pay for medical bills, some dont pay for living and if they do its not much. Yes Im all for helping anyone that is need of course and truly deserves it because there are a lot of people out there that do need the assistance and dont take advantage of it, but there are more out there that dont need it and they use the state for every cent their worth. The feel entitled somehow I guess, or maybe its just how they grew up and learned the ropes of the welfare system. I finally found a great place in Lewiston with the best Doctors and nurses you could ever ask for, yes I have to pay up front but they treated me with nothing but respect and helped me when no one has and actually cared about me being in pain. And one nurse expressed her anger towards the people that get everything handed to them when people like us try in life and get nothing for free. But at least I can hold my head high, even though the ones that abuse the system are eating Lobster and huge cakes, I still can lay my head down at night with no guilt, but Im sure they do too.
My wife currently works with Wal*Mart as a “front-end Zone Manager”. She oversees the CSM (Customer Service Managers, ALL registers, the Service Desk, Cash Office and more…) She comes home nearly every day with very similar stories. You are right on the mark with your article. Maybe one story out of 50 shows a “glimmer of hope” for humanity”; but those stories aren’t enough. I’m concerned for the future of this country!
And another thing…..how is buying steak “Abusing” the system?? to me Abusing the system is people selling drugs, or not reporting income (i.e working under the table) to be able to qualify. I hardly think buying a F*cking steak or some d*mn M&M’s for a treat is abusing the system. Get a grip.
@Jenny – Spare us with the preaching, bible thumper. That stuff gets old fast.
As a person who has been on foodstamps because I can not work because of a disability which I have applied for SSDI but am in a waiting pattern, I am appalled at this article, Yes, there are some who abuse the system. That is when you REPORT them to the state (like the hot dog guy).
I do not see the problem with buying a child’s birthday cake on food stamps. I would not want to deprive my child of having a birthday party. I buy mostly store brand foods to save money, I use coupons (not to the extreme) to help save money and yes, I do buy a few name brand things. Yes, I buy steak with my food stamps but not t bones or porterhouse. I buy meat in bulk and break it down with a vaccuum sealer. It is cheaper that way. TANF is cash. Some people get rent help on other programs and the TANF cash buys what food stamps cant…toilet paper, toothpaste etc. I admit sometimes I use my TANF card to buy non necessitites like my son’s birthday gift or something like earrings .Just because I am poor and need the help from the state does that mean I am not allowed to buy something so I can “look” like someone who is not poor? as for the cell phone thing..I have a smart phone but I am on my parents family plan so I do not pay for it. As for my LL Bean, Gap, Lane Bryant etc clothes, I get many of them from GOODWILL. I bet you did not think of that when you are judging people based on their clothes or phones. Just because a person is poor, does that mean they are not deserving of making themselves look or feel good about themselves? Are we supposed to only have raggy clothes or walmart clothes and store brand food items? So because I am poor, I am not allowed to enjoy a good porterhouse steak or a lobster every once and a while? Am I only supposed to buy milk, eggs, cereal, bread, rice, pasta and other basics?
they should reforme the child support system while there at it. a check in the mail is awful convienent . just go cash it and spend it on what they want. dont see anyone griping about that. just sayin
You know, with all my years of working 2-3 jobs at a time, paying for my own schooling and supporting my family, you’d think I’d agree. You’d think I’d want to go after these people when I struggle to keep my family afloat whille others get a hand. I am not and couldn’t disagree more. Join me on the trips I take to elderly people’s destitute homes as they try to find the $30 to pay their electric bills and show pure shame using EBT to the point that they ask you to do it for them (or go hungry). Republicans are the ones who want to punish these people to conquer the “Welfare Queen” problem. Democrats can be blamed for helping create them to begin with, but if you want to cut the legs out from every one who gets aid, you better be prepared to lose all the people who supported you as a kid, educated you and hired you at Walmart.
This just scratches the surface. I think the real fraud and waste is in the healthcare system. We owned an apartment building for 15+ years and one of the lower charging landlords in the area…so we attracted many poorer tennants. Even though we did thorough background checks, most of these tennants lived like animals, were sex offenders, or had visiting relatives that were, were on drugs or sold them, (only knew of this becuase of frequent police visits) lied, cheated and stole or destroyed our property with no remorse. Bought elaborate items such as ATV’s, fancy motorcycles, and or cars, and electronics. 80% of these folks were paid by disability i.e. social security. Not only that, but one woman who was well over 400lbs with empty pizza boxes stacked high outside her door weekly, would take an ambulance trip to the ER averaging once a month to attract attention from her disgraceful family (costs taxpayers $5,000 a pop).
We ended up having to short sell the building for a loss (lack of consistent rent and bad economy), Ive lost my job and we are now having difficulty paying our mortage. I volunteer most of my time currently through my church and town committees to not go insane. Our world is being destroyed by those who care only for those who dont care about themselves and the very rich lawyers who support them.
GOD BLESS YOU for writing this article! In less than one day there are almost 500 comments! Good for you! I hope people of ALL ages “read it and weep”. The abuses are disgusting (and yet another blatant reason the country has debt in the TRILLIONS)! After I lost my home in 2010 and my business in 2011 I sought assistance from the state to help with food and energy bills for my family till I could find employment. I was told there is NO assistance if I cannot show a W2 or have no children under 18 y.o. I tried repeatedly to EDUCATE the staff on the fact that a business-owner does NOT have a W2- and wanted to know why I am discriminated against as a former business-owner. I have been supporting the system with my paychecks for over 40 years! It is now December– I am still unemployed and still denied SNAP (food stamps), and selling my furnishings and other personal posessions to be able to buy food, gas, heating oil, etc.
I have to say, I see many good points made here on both sides of the ‘welfare/food stamp’ debate. But I have to say most of all that this ‘CDog’ person, whoever the hell you are, it’s obvious from your cold, unfeeling, and uncaring statement that you’ve never perhaps come into hard times. You’ve obviously never been a person who has worked since the age of 15, let’s say, and went to college, got married, got cheated on, and were left behind with two little ones to feed, who both have special needs, and no other way of feeding them, since you’re always back and forth to doctor’s appointments and such. My point here is, whether you understand it or not, these systems of ‘help’ are there for a good reason. And you shouldn’t judge, as someone else here mentioned, until you’ve walked in those shoes. I can promise you that there are MANY people who are on assistance programs, who’ve had no choice but to swallow their pride in order to feed their families, and would love nothing more than to NOT have to be on them, but life is always so neat or simple. And not EVERYONE on assistance programs is a fraud or uses food stamps for ‘extravagant things’, but for necessities. And the person who mentioned that the way the government just quickly cuts one off at the knees, even when one is legitimately trying to get back on their feet is very right also. I truly hope, Mr CDog, that you never fall on hard times, have to swallow YOUR pride and take ANY form of assistance, or you’ll be eating the biggest humble pie you’ve ever had, that’s for sure.
And one more thing. That iphone you see me using? Yes. the 200$ one with the expensive plan. Its my brothers. I can not afford a phone. And i need a dependable one, that i can trust, so, as I have had to do twice in the last 6 months, i can call 911 as i am running out the back door, while the reason i am on aid breaks in the front door. I did not post my comments to the original poster. She has a valid point. There is serious abuse. I post my comments to everyone that looks at me in disgust as I hang my head and wait for the total to come up.
You rock.
I work at a grocery store not far from there and witness the same thing every day. I work a full week, with another job on the side, and I go to school, and I’m not on any kind of assistance at all, government or personal. I have an iPhone. Because I work hard, and pay for it. And you won’t see me pull my EBT card out, because I don’t NEED it. I could qualify, and I could use it, sure. I wouldn’t mind getting to spend 100+ dollars a month on things other than food. But EBT is for people who can’t eat, not people who want to eat better or people who want to use their money on the latest greatest craze, instead of buying food.
And as one commenter reminded, its not about use, its about abuse. There are people in the state of Maine who work hard for what they have and still can’t make ends meet. As one commenter (rudly) stated, there are people who have spouses overseas who pass away, plus several other scenarios which may entitle them to government assistance. These people are not the people that this article is about. The article is about the people who sit and do nothing and with the help of government assistance, somehow can make ends meet, almost better than the working person. These are the people who deserve to be punished for their actions.
I think those of you who just bashed her should apologize asap. She’s bringing up a valid point. Many actually. She wasn’t pointing YOU out. My mom was on food stamps. Ya know what we DIDN’T buy? Steak. Nothing like that. It’s called sacrificing until you get back on your feet. Just because you want it, doesn’t mean others should pay for it. And essentially, they are. Here in Cali, you can use the EBT card at liquor stores. (No wonder Cali is broke.) This should be shared with anyone in the govt who will actually do something. There needs to be a national set of restrictions. I was under the assumption that there was a 5 year restriction, but apparently I was wrong.
Watch out! When you want reform, the well oiled machine of those who like income redistribution will tear and rip and any man or woman in politics who can not be bought to conform to liberal/progressive intervention of handouts. This has got to be reform but only the masses of US citizens can do it. The senators and governors already know but reform is a career destroyer, they are there for careers, not ethics, just ask out governor in Wisconsin. Tries to save the state union extortion tactics siphoning money from the taxpayer and the union driven socialists are going to rip him to shreds. Reform and limiting WHAT can be purchased is common sense logic, and with computers today would be so easy, you have got to wonder why it is not reformed. It would only take a matter of months and the changes could be made, why the heck is it not done???
I am Egyptian, there are different ways here to deal with poverty. Eventhough, after reading your article ,You are very correct, These cards must be targeted for basic living-items and for the correct people.
***Lori says:
December 13, 2011 at 6:53 pm
“Judgmental cashiers who have been blessed enough to not be on welfare are the reason many of us choose the self-checkout line. Especially those of us who are the majority of people on food stamps and simply found ourselves in hard circumstances, needing to use the system for a while. We don’t want to be judged for what we purchase, as we won’t judge you. We don’t want to be judged for our clothing or our iPhones — perhaps that was a gift; perhaps we are stuck in a 2-year contract. The system was created for people like us, but it is people like you who make it so humiliating.”***
No, Lori. It’s the Welfare Queens that she was describing, who cheat the system and try to pull one over on Walmart by forcing them to sell a vacuum for $3.48, who make it humiliating for those who truly need the help. Don’t go blaming this cashier for her observances and bringing the fraud to light for everyone else who pays for it.
I am extremely frustrated as I read through these blogs as I read through these blogss. The article that was written is as true as it is sad. My husband and I struggle daily with our finances. He works all day and I work in the evening because we cannot afford child care during the day. We make just enough money to keep us over the eligibility line for any government assistance. This means that even though we sometimes it don’t make ends meet, nobody is there to help us. 3 small children it is a very expensive thing to try and feed our family. I often feed them rice and beans, spaghetti and red sauce, or pb&j…. as these things have proven to be cheapest to feed them. So for me to hear you people say god just because someone is on welfare does it mean they don’t “deserve” to have steak once in awhile makes me sick and proves that there is a serious flaw in the way the people of this country think and feel. We certainly do not feel that we are entitled to Steak because we don’t have the money to buy it. My husband is required to have a cellphone for his job, otherwise he wouldn’t have one because we can’t afford the bill.
I agree with some, but not all of this article. Like letter C. for instance!! I am a welfare mother and I haven’t been on it that long, but I don’t think it’s anyone’s business what I am buying with my food stamps. There is no reason that my family can’t enjoy a steak once a month! There is also no reason that I can’t buy my son a birthday cake once a year with food stamps when I have no other way to purchase it! I agree that it baffles me at times when people have iphones, 2011 vehicles and what not when they are also on welfare but we also don’t know their life. The people that have nice clothes and are also on welfare – - well I’d just like to say that a lot of my ‘STUFF’ that I have is from when I still lived with my mother or from christmas gifts ect. Of course there are people out there who buy in the wrong way and who are working the system for their own use, but some of the things that this woman came up with just don’t make sense to me. And I don’t have TANF but if i did, yes, I would spend some of that money on clothes or TOYS for my son. What matters most to me is making my son happy and if I wanted to buy a toy now and then with that money that is MY business. As long as all the bills were paid for and items of most importance (diapers, wipes, toilet paper, soap, ect) are paid for as well then I see absolutly no reason why I should not be able to put a smile on my sons face and buy him a toy! I think it’s very easy for people who have not been on welfare and who have not been that low down about money to judge someone that is on welfare. I do the best that I can, I am in college and earning a degree! and working at the same time, and if I’m not working the fiance is working. But if I went to wal*mart to buy my groceries that cashier would NOT know that about me. They would simply know that I’m buying food stamps, and God forbid, I’m buying a steak with those food stamps!!
While it’s disheartening that there are abuses to governmental assistance programs, for every person who abuses the system, I would think there are many more who utilize the programs for there intended use (stay afloat until times get better).
But you’re right though, we do need to have a conversation about the social safety net. Is it worth it to have people who abuse the system in order to provide for those who actually need and an intend to get off eventually? My answer would be yes, but we probably need to increase the oversight on the program.
It probably skews your opinion to work in a place visited by so many people that abuse the system. It would be interesting to actually look at some data on the issue, measuring how many people actually abuse the system.
Very well written and to the point..I personally have worked in retail most of my life..I believe the food stamp program needs to be totally overhauled..I have seen with my own eyes people who are on food stamps because they are extremely obsese using their food stamps to buy junk –cookies-ice cream-sodas–cakes–chips..Food stamps should be for actual food products only..meat-veggies-fruits-breads not junk..I have heard people say over and over again they cant not make 300 to 500 a month in food stamps stretch out the whole month..Well I have no problem in doing it for cash for less than 200 a month..you have to plan –use sales–coupons..people on the food stamp program can buy anything they want..why should us as american taxpayers scrape pennies to buy hamburger while someone who doesnt work at all can get steaks??? Not all people on the food stamp program are lazy some actaully need them..but the numbers of people abusing the system outweigh the people that need them..
I see this daily. I work in a dental office and see these “entitled” people daily. There is something wring with this country. People now make a living with welfare. Why is there no limit on how long you can collect welfare? The government is quick to penalize the working class on limiting unemployment to those who work and lose their jobs, and allow corporations to cut benefits on people that work their entire life. We need a government take over. They need to wake the hell up and see that the “working class” Americans are what keep this country going. Not the “welfare class” Americans. Our government is pathetic. I work in a dental office and these people drive in with their BMW’s and have a pocket full of cash, but bitch about a $1 or $2 co-pay. They feel as though they are entitled. It doesnt work with me. I kicked several out of the office and make them aware that they are the reason people don’t take MA patients. They don’t take care of their teeth by simply brushing them, but they want us to bleach them and they want it for free. I agree that it is needed for those who fall in to a bad place, but not to live off it and also give it to alcoholics and drug addicts because they have a disease? They made that choice. Why should webjave to pay for it. This country is said and enables this type of behavior.
Crousselle, you do bring up some valid points in your article. I applaud your willingness to speak out on this subject and to publish it on the web. I would like for you to consider that when you make a post such as this without providing a balanced view of the issues you may be pegged as being narrow minded and judgmental. This is probably not the case but simply because you didn’t refer to the honest folks using public assistance you created more controversy. You also probably didn’t need to use language that creates stigma such as “welfare queen”. These things while true diluted the power of your post for me. I wish you the best of luck and kudos to you for working during the summer while attending school.
wow i am a single mom of 3 kids i work a full time job and i get food stamps and yes i have a cell phone i need it for work and yes i have bought steak and a birthday cake for my kids birthday not all people miss use the system judgement is wrong when you relly know nothing about the person you are judging
This disgusts me as well. I’m on some form of welfare but my husband and I are doing what we can to get off it. We still use foodstamps because he works and I stay home with our 7 month old baby. When the baby is old enough, I will also work. I was on all 3 forms of help before because of being abused and a young mother. I’ve never abused my welfare and have always been thankful for it. I cook all the meals, I bake cakes from scratch because it’s cheaper. I paid my bills, saved every penny. It was hard but with help from family, I was able to provide small meaningful birthdays and Christmases. I make meal plans, I don’t buy unhealthy food. Even if it’s more expensive to have the healthy choices it’s worth it. When we run out, which is about a week before my next allotment, we use money we set aside for this very reason. To feed my family of 5 it is at least $150/week. Because I married my husband we receive less, because he works, we receive less. I use none of my state foodstamps for soda, candy, Little Debbie, sugared cereal. Believe me, it WOULD be easier to give up and live off the state, I see plenty of lazy slugs doing just that. I don’t want to be one of those. We live paycheck to paycheck and if it wasn’t for foodstamps, we would not be able to feed our family. But also, because I’m honest and don’t take it for a ride, we get a lot less than those that do NOTHING and buy things from Schwan’s and have HUGE celebrations. I agree, we need to change things.
I have emailed Governor Lepage more than once about the broken food stamp system here in Maine. I know many stories just like this, and I agree that it is a travesty. However, to immediately jump to “this is why I vote Republican” just continued to divide people–comments like that will NEVER bring people together, don’t you see? I’m a liberal democrat who has called out people and called the state on people I see abusing the system. I work 60 hours a week and am incensed when I see abuses like the ones she wrote about here. This is a fantastic article–but you should never have crossed the line into the bias that is killing our country. Congratulations on this exposure, now let’s see if the illustrious governor will do ANYTHING about it, rather than cutting Medicaid for those who really need it.
Ah…I have come to speak for the “other side of the coin” – so to speak. While I empathize with hard working folks who think as the writer of this article is, I also realize that her article represents a perception which omits many important realities.
Now, I’m nearly 67 years old, disabled and retired, and I do not receive food stamps. However, there have been times in my life that I have needed to be on welfare, including food stamps and Maine Care Medical Insurance in order to survive and raise our four children. Some of those years I also lived in Government Housing. I was always hard working, did what I could to respond to the needs of my family and neighbors. Like the writer of this article, I encountered many “Welfare Families – and individuals.” However, I did not perceive them the same way the article’s writer perceived them – well, not for the most part anyway. In all populations of people there are a minority of those who just don’t care but that does not represent the majority.
So, for what it’s worth – be aware of how things are “on the other side.”
1) When I went to the Vocational Rehabilitation offices to seek help to become employed I was told outright that I should go on Social Security Disability, Maine Care, and Food Stamps instead. That’s not what I wanted. I wanted the dignity and freedom of working. That was rejected as I would have been too much trouble to employ.
2) When I was on food stamps, with four children, I went to the store and purchased the highest qualities of meats that I could afford because, in the long haul, they gave us the most eatable portions, the least fats and bones, and the best nutrition for our dollar. I decided that having less quantity and more quality was the way to go. If I could get marked down meats I did that. I basically shopped for all foods that way – more quality was prioritized over more quantity.
3) When I was on food stamps – when one of the kids had a birthday I did not have much to offer in terms of cash purchasing so every year they’d get to tell me what they wanted for their Birthday Dinner – whatever it was they got! In similar fashion I deviated from my usual conservative food buying for Christmas and Easter.
4) It did anger me that I was allowed to buy junk like potato chips, soda, candies, and the like but that I could not buy children’s vitamins on food stamps!
5) As for a welfare person buying a “slip n slide” with their income – I ask: Why shouldn’t a “Welfare Child” have a Birthday gift if their parent can manage to squeeze that out of their monthly income? It isn’t like that parent could afford something better.
6) Many people that I encountered that were “Generational Welfare Families” simply did not have the collective personal resources that would have been necessary to have lifted themselves out of the socio-economic position they were in. There’s a whole list of reasons for this: mental ability – both IQ related and mental health related, physical ability, financial ability (it takes money to be able to position one’s self to be able to go out to work), employment opportunities (if the work opportunities are not present then they can’t be used), and cleverness – that’s what I said, “cleverness.” Why the last thing? Well, those in my family learned that it was best to use a friend’s address on applications in order to avoid the waste basket used for applications with unseemly address on them. Yah, persons from “the projects” were deemed “undesirables” and deposited in the recycling bin. These are some of the reasons that folks remain on welfare.
7) All of our children grew up relatively healthy, clean, and trim. All graduated from school, some in the top 10 of their classes. None of them receive AFDC as adults. All of them worked by the time they turned 15 years old. And…their father re-paid every penny that the state billed him for – so the AFDC was not a “hand out” – it was more like a loan that’s been paid in full!
Ease up folks – old saying, “Don’t judge your neighbor until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” 
<3
I worked at a different type of grocery store and found slight humor in your article because I know it and lived it all too well my 2 years there.. I saw people come through and spend $75 on lobster… $40+ on bottled soda… Hear people go off on me about how they don’t find it acceptable they can buy uncooked lobster and chicken on EBT but they cannot buy it if it is cooked… so I would have to put the cooked $12 lobster back. I witnessed people coming in in designer clothing, groomed to the nines with the latest gadgets and Coach bags taking TANF cash off not one but TWO EBT cards (One person took $800 off one card and another $450 off another) Then walk out and get into their brand new car or truck.. People take cash of their TANF side and buy lots of scratch tickets or lottery tickets… People who would come buy milk with their food side and Brandy with the Cash side… OH but let us NOT forget my all time almost got fired over customer. She walked up to my register with 2 small children. The girl asked ‘mom can we have a pack of gum?’.. -No I don’t have the extra money to get you gum right now-… Then her son ‘Mom can we get a bag of chips PLEASE we will share it!?!’.. -NO I told you I DONT have any money right now STOP asking me for stuff.-.. She then NO FREAKIN LIE puts up TWO 30 racks of friggin beer and asked me to get her two cartons of Marlboros!! I was already pissed off and dumbfounded that she wouldn’t buy her kids a $2 bag of chips to share but she just got what $100+ worth of cigarettes and $60 worth of beer?? She then swiped her damn EBT card and hit cash. That was then my mouth involuntarily opened and told her that if I had known she was paying with that I would have refused the sale to her. She said I cannot refuse sale to anyone no matter what they are buying or how they pay unless its a minor and I quickly told her that no I reserve the right to refuse sale to anyone and although it wasn’t right or fair what she did that she was buying all this and not getting her kids 1 thing, I was mad but was going to let it go. When I saw that I was standing there in a 9 hour work day away from MY 3 children to pay for her to smoke and drink it up pissed me off and reminded her yet again that had I known I would have refused. I said it may not be the healthiest food choice but I don’t mind standing there to put food in her kids tummies if they are hungry but I do mind standing there to give her lung cancer and liver disease. By now her card was approved and she was on her way out and I was quickly taken into the office and written up.
Wow…you can sure tell who the takers are on this board. Say whatever you need to so you feel better about yourselves…you’re not fooling anyone; not even yourself. Not in your heart and soul. Someone getting help for 2 yrs is one thing; more than that is just disgraceful, and doesn’t say much about your character. PC is out the window. The masses are tired of footing the bill and are now calling you takers out for what you are. It’s the truth. It may hurt your feelings, but it’s the truth. Deal with it and take care of yourself, your family. Quite leaning on everyone else for years and years. Have some pride and self respect.
Wake up “AMERICA”!!!
This was an amazing post…. until this line: “I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.” The idea that all Democrats promote unrestricted welfare is wrong, just like the idea that all Republicans want to deprive the needy of assistance.
Whether you vote Republican or Democrat, this issue is a huge problem, and partisianism will never fix it. Simply voting for a Republican, or a Democrat, won’t fix it.
Now the decision makers are trying to allow EBT use at fast food restaraunts here in TN. Where does it stop?
Be careful with your hate. “Takers” indeed. Why would you buy processed food from out of the country with your money when you could buy American-made steak and support our economy?
I’m sorry some of you had degenerate parents but really…stop hating.
As I read the story further I can see her lack of sensitivity. The other day I saw a woman at the welfare office. She drove in with a 2009 escalade, beautiful thing. My thoughts were just as judgmental as this lady’s until I found out, through my wife, that her husband had been laid-off just months prior and the car was bought when things were well financially. 2 years later he’s laid-off. I have an expensive smart phone which was bought under a 2 year plan 1 year prior to being let go form my 4 year job. My payments are above $25/mo. I’m sure I, along with thousands of others didn’t plan on spending the money just to get laid off and live off the Government.
love this article! My family and I are stuck in a horrible limbo of making less than $200 over the monthly required income level to be eligible for benefits of any kind (insurance and heating being the two biggies!) My 5 year old son and I have been without health insurance for the last 4 years simply because we cannot afford to be insured through our employers to the tune of alost $600 a month and continue to pay for our housing, food, and utilities. He has never in his life had a store bought cake, Betty Crocker mixes for this little guy. Christmas presents? I wish I could give my little man more than 2 or 3 presents this year…my Christmas budget for him was $40. My husband and I? We don’t even buy presents for each other and haven’t for the last 7 years, we have oil to purchase and a power bill to pay. Cable television? Cancelled that 2 years ago, food was more important. I do not deny that there are people who legitimately need the assistance, when I hear how people are using TANF (some that have been on it for YEARS or even decades….isn’t that T supposed to stand for temporary?) to purchase christmas presents or food stamps to buy steak and lobster, paid in part for my husband and I working our tails off just to keep ourselves above water, yeah I get frustrated.
I witnessed some of the same fraud. One instance was last month. The gal gave the cashier about $900 cash to refill her Walmart credit card. I would bet my life that she was paid cash for a job and is sheltering the money there instead of opening a bank account where welfare would bust her.
Another case involves a family friend. They pay a person $1,500 cash a month that also gets $900 from the state for three children. They also live in a 4 bedroom house for $75 a month and have utilities paid for. Food is all on EBT card…..this insanity has to stop!
How can you say they’re committing welfare fraud? Just because you witnessed what they purchased doesn’t mean you know their income. If they choose to give their food to others thats their business. You’re not qualified to make that conclusion. If you do your research you’ll find that te state makes these people go thru a lot to get food stamps and other assistance. Trust me Uncle Sam wouldn’t be giving it away if he did not think they needed it. Maybe if you gave them better jobs then they would not need food stamps. Think about that for a minute!!
I wrote simular article for Lew Rockwell about 8 years ago now. http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/saboe1.html
This young lady has hit the nail right on the head. I have seen this entitlement mentality increase since the late 1980′s. I went through some hard time but the only type of assistant I ever took was unemployment for a period of about 6 weeks until I found a new job and I actually spent those 6 weeks looking for work not sitting around as so many do now. I can tell you as an employer that I see people on a regular basis who take a job with our company when their unemployment benefits run out only to attempt to get fired ASAP to go back on unemployment. Many of there young people will actually brag about trying to get fired to collect UI so they can just hang out and do what they want. Personally I hated being on unemployment but at the time I really didn’t have a choice.
This is well written with a lot of good arguments. Welfare is a gift, not a right. It’s terrible that people abuse it. It seems like some of them feel entitled to it. Perhaps, they need a spending coach to help them understand what is acceptabl, and how to avoid dependence on the state.
I don’t believe a single word. Really- you adjusted prices on several items for no reason? You blame someone for having to tell you that green peppers are a food? A huge birthday cake and lobsters? I bet you know twins named Oranjello and Lemonjello too, right? You are exactly what is wrong with the right wing party- lies and misinformation spread like wildfire and believed by the gullible. Hilarious that someone working at Wal Mart thinks they are above those shopping there.
Great Article Christine! To ALL those who are against this article: The truth bothers you, doesn’t it ? Yes the economy is bad and you lost your job, but don’t you know what common sense is ? (sorry I forgot, that doesn’t exist anymore!) if you can’t afford a B-day cake with out of pocket money, then you do NOT buy it. if you have no cash in your wallet to buy sodas, chips, and candy bars,junk food, then do NOT buy them! Why do I have to pay for your sodas, candy bars, party cakes, and other useless items that not healthy for you to begin with ?! oh yes, I know why: so you can go to the Dr. and use your ‘MedicAid-out-of-MY-paycheck plan’ and abuse that too!
YES, I KNOW what it means to STRUGGLE! Been there done that, but at that time my parents had COMMON SENSE and they’ve cut off LOTS of ‘pleasures’ , cut off on electricity, so we can have FOOD to eat! And guess what?? They did it with SEVEN children without being a burden on someone else’s paycheck! My husband went through terrible financial STRUGGLES as well, and made it without being a burden on someone else’s paycheck!
And guess what ?? the welfare system IS being abused! A yr and a half ago my husband hired someone; she worked for TWO days at his office and QUIT and applied for Unemployment, and she just came from Unemployment before she worked those two days !
If you want a job to have money for FOOD, you WILL find it, believe me! But you need to want it MORE than you want to stay home and do nothing but live on welfare! Go clean somewhere, go babysit, go mow neighbors lawns, go to a fast food and see if they hire, there are many options, and you will have enough money to buy decent nutritious food to stay alive! Cut off our internet, iphone, TV cable, sell your TV, save on your electric bill, quit eating junk, quit eating fast food, quit shopping for useless items, and you will have ENOUGH money for FOOD Without welfare ! Good luck!
Ok way to far here kiddo i seriously doubt someone is buying a huge birthday cake every single month they get food stamps !! You are saying kids who have parents who do not make ” enough” money do not deserve cake ??? wow !!! Not every single “welfare” queen as you call us sits and does not work and as a matter of fact when you receive cash TANF benefits that you complained about someone buying a slip and slide with lol THEY MAKE YOU WORK 80 HOURS A WEEK PULLING WEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY OR WHATEVER ELSE THEY “FIND” FOR 100 BUCKS A MONTH PER PERSON !!!!!! they do not just hand it to you !!!!! now honey i know if you pulled weeds for 20 hours a week for 40 bucks cause i have one child i make 40 bucks a week thats 2 bucks an hour right ???? use that phone do the math !! lets see you bust your butt working at a pull weeds in the summer kind of job just cause you are looking for a good job and tell me you do not deserve to buy a slip and slide if thats what you worked for that is what you worked for just sayin !!!!!
Reading this story is no surprise to me, over 29 years ago I use to be on welfare and I guess I was one of the rare ones in life, I planned meals I also wasnt going to settle for a life of being on it either. One thing I can say is I was thankful for the help as It was needed, but I was only on it for less then a year. Some people are ungreatful for the help they get, well others I see are trying to work and support their family and never get any help as they make to much money, but they have nothing no fancy phone or nice car like the ones who are not trying. I just think its a shame to see the ones who are trying get no help and the ones who do not need it and abuse it get it right away, Also on this matter I think anyone on welfare should have to take random drug tests, I have to pass one to get my job so why cant they take one to get our money.just saying!
BTW I just also wanted to point out that you know what yes we have used the Food Stamp system and when I found myself a single mom with my first son I used the TANF too but you know there is a way to make it work!! We did NOT buy chocolate and chips and soda and junk on our card those were luxuries for us then and we bought those with our money. He wanted a toy it wasn’t an expensive one he understood the value of a dollar young and we went to GoodWill or the Dollar store and he got something that was not too expensive I would have never bought a slip and slide on TANF because it is for bills shelter heat.. We also once a week had steak but you know what? Hannaford has steaks for under $3.. No need for a big expensive steak when a cheap one gets the job done!
Well written piece, Christine.
@ Melissa E – I blieve it was quite well stated that there is understanding that there is sometimes a LIMITED need for assistance but, when the country still followed more closesly its ‘original intent’, the church was the town center and the community stepped in to help its neighbors, NOT this monstrosity of a government bureaucracy we have today.
@ Nikki – Steak, lobster and candy, paid for by monies from half of working society’s payroll taxes is NOT free! There are millions who make it through frugal, informed decision-making. What this young woman was pointing out was the blatantly obvious manipulation of a system that allows ‘cradle-to-grave’ entitlements that have bankrupted this entire nation and threaten society as a whole! It’s the SOCIAL programs that have done that!
@ Fat Milhouse Sean – Limiting choices for Food Stamps and WIC would ‘distort the markets’!? What are you smoking!?!? The markets are distorted by the artificial manipulation of government trying to ‘equalize’ an unequal society! You cannot extort money from one class to pay for propositions they do not agree with and expect ‘natural’ fiscal outcomes. That’s called TRYANNY! What you say makes about as much sense as saying that frogs should have a knot tied in their tongues to give flies a better chance of survival.
Check this out … to everyone who thinks TANF in Maine really is “living off the government.” http://www.nccp.org/profiles/ME_profile_36.html
The annual MAXIMUM TANF benefits FOR A FAMILY OF THREE is $5,820. PLEASE! That’s NOTHING!!
“There is a lifetime time limit of 60 months on a family”s receipt of federally-funded benefits.”
People do not LIVE off of federal assistance. They’re not rolling around in Mercedes, buying gold, and having 30 baby-daddies … Regan used this term “welfare queen” during his campaign in the 1970′s and totally gave a horrible, inaccurate, and ignorant perception of people getting state or federal assistance.
If you think THIS is bad, how about you consider the millionaires who get tax breaks on their second homes. Or, who do not have to pay capital gains taxes.
I’m a struggling graduate student living off a measly stipend — I live in DC and living expenses are high. I have a tuition waiver, thank god (otherwise I couldn’t afford to go to school). Recently, I got a 1099 tax form for my TUITION WAIVER; I have to pay taxes on the tuition I receive! Is that not ridiculous?!?!?
People need to stop being so narrow in their arguments! Yes, I agree, there are people that abuse the welfare system! But, there are also people who do not! Are you really going to expend all your energy on a few hundred people in your state that decide to buy lobsters and birthday cake — what an outrage!?! How about you focus your energy where the real problems rest … in the fact that millionaires are running our nation and that there aren’t jobs (millions of jobs are being outsourced — come on, Maine … haven’t you seen the devastation this outsourcing has caused in the manufacturing sector??). ALSO … PLEASE, use spell check; there are people on BOTH sides of this argument on here whose points aren’t getting across due to the lack of grammatical correctness!
*(#%&(*W&%(W*%& <—- my frustration.
I just want to say that I totally agree with people over using the system being wrong -{ if the education is not there this is all they have to fall back on } but I must say that this american life style has warrented all of this! America’s big luxurious expenses trickle all the way down to the poor and the truth of the matter is if you aren’t spending that money or living extravagantly you are disregarded n discarded, but what she don’t see if people breaking their neck to live off the land and stop sucking the earth dry of all its natural resource is so that we all can live in harmony. and if it’s not okay for everybody to spend some and then this conversation is worthless
Here is an analogy that might make you think differently about this situation. Every year the federal government supports hundreds of thousands of college students through federal aid programs. Most of this money is ostensibly for “educational expenses” but every semester I know of students who use their funding, much of which will never need to be repaid because it is a grant, or which will be a loan that is forgiven or defaulted, for things like alcohol, eating out, drugs, cigarettes, pornography, and all sorts of luxuries. School administrators regularly game the system too, lining their own pockets with funds intended for students. The funny thing is that you never hear (at least in most policy discourse) cries about the problem of the “FAFSA Queen.”
Let’s try another example. Every year billions of dollars are contributed to our military budget and to our highway transportation budget. As a taxpayer in a democracy I understand that the bundle of goods I’d prefer (less war, more public transportation) will likely never see the light of day. But what I can’t stand seeing is the congressional district that gets unneeded aid for its military base or the one that funnels unnecessary dollars to “fix roads” that are perfectly fine while others continue to rot. But, again, we simply lack the administrative capacity for the oversight needed to fix this. Or maybe I should talk about the way farmers can game the system of farm-related incentives. Or the way real estate developers fraudulently abuse government incentives for affordable housing creation. We have a massive amount of government spending–this would be true under either Republicans or Democrats, albeit with slight differences in how the marginal dollar is spent in certain areas. And we have, in turn, a massive number of scam artists who abuse this system.
Are “welfare queens” a problem? Sure. But I find it laughable that we point at them often first when deciding how we must reform our socio-government contract. They are a drop in the bucket, and the proposals put forward for fixing the leak usually mean dumping half the water or tearing up the bucket.
I know I work hard for my money and the dollar does not stretch very far. I go without food could use assistance but do not qualify make too much. Sad we who work. For our money don’t have free or low cost housing could use that too. I hope governor lepage takes this welfare package seriously and do something make people go to work .after certain amount of time has passed. Why should I have I have to suffer. Watch others cheat the system and fault the one who works hard while they reap the benefits just not fair they get free medical while I pay hundreds in ins rates and still have med bills. No fair! Walk a mile in my shoes.
I’m a struggling single mother that has been receiving benefits such as food stamps and WIC for approximately 6 months now. I read your article and agree 100% but there is something that I’d like to add. This may seem biased and certainly not meant to be offensive it’s just another way the system has failed to take care of the American’s that need assistance. My issue is that I’m appalled when I see non-American’s (I’ll call them this but I’m sure you all know what I mean- illegals-) receiving benefits when they don’t work, don’t even try to work, and have multiple children. I’m 40 years old. I have been paying taxes for 25 years. I have worked for 25 years. I have been paying into the system for 25 years and now in my time of need the state of Georgia is only aiding me to the tune of $16.00 a month!! Where’s all that money that I contributed to for 25 years? It goes to the non- Americans that have never paid taxes, have never worked, or realize how good they got it with their “benefits” and have no reason to get a job! This disgusts me and changes the way I feel about being an American.
There is a difference between fraud and things that are needed, now I will agree that “buying” hotdogs and condiments for your hot dog cart business is fraud. But since when is buying your child a birthday cake fraud? Some women can’t bake to save themselves and they try to make sure their children have a good birthday, now there is nothing wrong with that. I myself have been a walmart worker, I have no shame in saying that, I also have no shame in saying that I myself get food stamps to help feed my family, I also got food stamps while working at walmart, now does that make me a fraud? I think not, that just shows that even the working class people need a little assistance from time to time. I know what this young woman means when some people take it out on the cashier if things don’t exactly go their way and it does get frustrating, but to sit here and be as far as I am concerned being very judgmental towards anyone that needs state funded assistance. To me, she sat on her “high horse” and looked down on those that are trying to provide a life for their family with any means necessary. Seeing that she is being so judgmental towards those that need assistance, I am going to voice my judgmental opinion on the author of that article. She obviously don’t have children, and must come from money so it is OK for her to pass judgement on those of us that have children and don’t have money. I am starting to see the very reason why I teach my kids to not criticize anyone that asks for help for they might just need the help, though there are some that abuse it, there are others that do NOT, and to be put into that category just upsets me. I think Christine needs to walk a mile in someone Else’s shoes before she snubs her nose at those that are unfortunate.
I’m still trying to gather my jaw off the floor, and I’m unsure if it’s because a petulant child thinks she has any right to judge others, or if it’s because people are agreeing with you. Let me give you a little insight, sweetheart. I was laid off at 6 months pregnant, and after months struggling to find a job, my husband and I made the decision that it was more prudent for me to go back to school, to give me a better chance in the job market. For the past year, my husband has worked two jobs while I stay at home as a full time student and full time mother. We receive both Maincare and Food Stamps. Without the Food Stamps, we would starve. We barely make ends meet, but we have been able to keep our credit afloat and provide the basics for our family. We also both have iPhones, purchased prior to my layoff. By all accounts, your advice would be that I should not be allowed to have this device. So I assume that you feel cancelling, being assessed hundreds of dollars in fees and taking the hit to our credit would be more prudent? You have no idea how stressful it is that on top of needing help, I have to deal with the ignorance of people like you judging me and making assumptions. You best hope that you are never put into a situation where you need some sort of help, because you will rue the day you judged others. Yes, there are people who abuse the system. But insulting them, labeling them, denouncing them as lesser than yourself? That only hurts those of us who use the help the right way, not those who don’t. I’m ashamed that you’re the next generation, God help my son for what he may have to endure with people like you making decisions. You have a lot of growing up to do before you’ve earned a right to state what people are and are not entitled to.
And yes it does get abused ALOT people sell them misuse them and make single moms who work and get food stamps look really really bad not saying everyone is perfect but hey come on now not every family on assistance programs are pieces of system abusing crap only half of them
To those defending the author as “not judgemental” because she expresses that she’s only against “welfare queens” and not the people she feels “truly need it”, well, guess what – that’s judgemental. It is the definition of judgemental for this middle class college student to believe that she can judge someones true need based on a singular interaction. Pu-lease, I would doubt that this girl would meet anyone she feels “truly need it”. Do the world a favor, stop thinking you know anything, let alone everything, about a person based on one interaction at Wal-Mart. I hope you don’t break anything when you finally fall from that sky-high horse you’re on.
I dont have a problem with people on FS buying birthday cakes for their kids, people who are truly in need – the topper from the grocery store cake might be the only toy the kid gets. Thats fine. What I DO mind, are the ones I see who are using fs to eat steak, lobster etc, then whipping our big ole wad of cash to pay for the cigs and beer. THAT hacks me off. I over heard a lady tell a friend one day if she had “one more kid” her check would go up enough she could afford a new car, so she was in the market for a nice looking man. We were on WIC and medicaid when I had my first child – we were both in grad school, bc failed and we had our beautiful oldest daughter- with out medicaid and wic we wouldn’t have been able to take care of her. I nursed her, but the extra cheese and protein for me was helpful. However we didn’t apply for fs, even though we qualified, bc our grad school income, as little as it was, was enough to buy the food for my husband and I. Since that time (our daughter is now 10) I am certain I have more than repaid what it cost for the state of Louisiana to help us out that 19 months. I have no problem with people using the aid when they need it.
Wow, There’s a lot of people that really don’t get it. She said, She is not against people on assistance programs. She’s against THE ABUSE OF THE PROGRAMS. I read several peoples thoughts from both sides. I live in the Wash. D.C. area , I see a great deal of fraud all the time. My Ex Wife is a prime example of people working the system. We have 2 kids together, girls 16 & 10. I have the 16yr old, she has the 10yr old. I’m out of work now. I have a hard time paying for little luxury’s in life. I do get unemployment and now they’re taking $98. a week out to send to my Ex. She pays $0.00 for squat !!! Including her 16 yr old. She also has 3 kids in Calif. which she pays $ O—zip for. She owes State of California over $73,000 in child support for those kids, but she collects money from state of MD. and is not being harassed by law enforcement WTF?? I pay my bills & buy my food with no help. I work at odd jobs to make ends meet. Yeah I may not report a lil extra $$ to unemployment because what ever you say you made extra that week, they short you on your next check. That hardly seems fair of like an incentive to get a job. I have many yrs specialized skills in a special construction trade. I was making $28 an hr. I was bringing home around $850-1000 a week. My rent is $1600 + Utls. I get $1200.a mo from unemployment, That is something I paid into for many yrs. I don’t get assistance from the state. Am I wrong to not report my Xtra $ I make here & there, while looking for regular employment? YES according to the state. I guess I should file for welfare to help ends meet right??? NOT as long as I have 2 good hands & feet I can work with.. I think they should be more rules & regs on receiving welfare, and piss testing. I have to Pee in a cup to get a job to earn $ to pay taxes, but these people who “Work” The System. 2 weeks ago I stood in line behind a well dressed woman of color who had 2 carts full of stuff. I figured, wow she must have a big family. I’d hate to have to pay for all those groceries….geesh. She all kinds of gold & diamonds on, real nice fancy nails. All her Bling on display to tell the world, Look at Me! I’m Rich! Then her total comes up….$ 437.++ I was blown away when out comes the Independence Card (food stamps) to pay for it all. Well sonofabitch, I did have to pay for all those groceries ! I paid my $61.00 for my few things for the week. I go outside to see her loading all these goodies in the back of her Lincoln Nigavator. Looking suspect of abuse??? Yes !! I had people say that maybe the clothes & jewels & truck were all gifts….Really?? are people really that fu*kin naive? or just Stupid?
Everyone seems a little up in arms about the Writer’s comment on steak and lobster. I think the point made is that the purpose of welfare in the first place, is to help people meet there most basic needs. My husband and I each own our own business and work extremely hard for the money we make. We’ve bought one good steak in our lifetime and it was actually an accident.
I had my own experience that changed my perspective. I was planning the wedding of a NFL football player. He and his fiancé had three kids together but being technically unmarried, she had a food stamp card. The groom tried to give me that card when I went to pick up all the alcohol. He was making $300,000 a year.
Very well written.
I came from a third world country where we worked really hard. I’m now in the US and have used the opportunities available here to succeed starting from nothing.. I’ve realized that Americans born here have no idea about how blessed they are. There is now a generation that is being spoilt because they think they are entitled to everything in life. Things like welfare goes unchecked created generations dependent on welfare. Welfare in it’s current form is a system that rewards those who do not work and punishes those who do work.
The people over here defending the “birthday cake” for any reason whatsoever just proves that they have no sense of responsibility. If you want a birthday cake for any reason whatsoever, buy it with YOUR OWN MONEY… .not by benefits subsidized by hardworking tax payers. By letting excesses like these, the government is PUNISHING HARD WORKING TAX PAYERS.
American kids in the last 30 years are getting more stupid and entitlement centered as the years go by… thanks to their parent’s generation of irresponsibility. That is why Americans kids have the highest number in drop out rates (40%) and also the highest number of people who change majors from STEM to something far more easier. This is simply because most American kids no longer know what it means to work hard and have short attention spans to focus on anything that can make them succeed in life.
it’s refreshing to see people like the author go against the tide.
Let me break it down for you……. I too agree there ia abuse in the system no doubt, but to judge me because I stand before you with my foodstamp card that I get $16 a month and use it for let’s say my Son’s birthday cake….You don’t know that all I get is $16 dollars an month and work 2 jobs and pay almost $200 dollars every 2 weeks for health insurance for my son and myself, which brings down my earned income to a low enough amount that makes me now eligible for my $16 a month in foodstamps and medical assistance for my son to help cover the co-pays that are left from my private insurance that costs me so much out of every paycheck that I can’t afford co pays or to go to movies or to buy myself new clothes. You don’t know that 2 nights a week my son and I don’t get home until 1 am because I am working a second job to ensure I have enough money to buy my son new clothes and toys as he grows and needs more. You don’t know that my son’s father has a mental illness that manifested while I was pregnant, and after knowing him for 28 years (yes we grew up together) I was living with a stranger, no he is incapable of helping, because he can’t work because he has to be on heavy anti psycotics that make him drowsy and sluggish to prevent him from feeling like he wants to cut out my heart…yeah you don’t any of this but when I pull out my BRIGHT ORANGE card and swipe for what ever it is I choose to use MY $16 a month, you judge me, you make your assumptions to what kind of person I am. So if I want to by my son a BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH MY FOODSTAMPS, GOD DAMN IT, I WILL!!!! That only means that $16 will be coming out of my paycheck to buy milk or bread!! So mind our own bussiness and stop judging everyone who has that bright orange card. I pay for my own food stamps and medical assistance with the close to $300 dollars that comes out of my paychecks in taxes!
Your article was extremely well written and insightful. Yes, the system is used and abused so extensively that it is indeed destroying our country.
But.
There are truly people out there that are in such sad situations. You cannot possibly truly know each and every situation that comes through your check out line.
In general this country is so messed up right now it is not even funny. Welfare and assistance are just mere symptoms of a greater issue in this country.
It sounds like you needed to spend less time analyzing how people paid (i.e. not your business) and more time doing your job.
I just think it is funny how people blame the government that the ones who abuse the system can not get off welfare. The government did ask for those people to get on it to begin with. My husband is in the Army and we have four children, 13 years ago we tried to get JUST food stamps because we were strugging with his low government PAY CHECK and got turned down. But those who dont even try to work, or go to school to better themselves can ride the system, bull!! Those who complain about the govenment taking it right from under them is the ones who pass it from generation to generation like its some familyharlom or something. My husand is a recruiter in the army and some girl told him that she is going to have lots of babies and live on welfar like her momma…just sad! Welfare system needs to step up and get those people off that dont need before they run out of money and those who work and pay taxes wont have medicare and retirement checks. Get of your you know what and get a JOB!!!
My mom would spend hours toiling away at a cash register at $3.75 an hour as a cashier at a bakery. Believe me, the amount of food stamps that we received was not enough for steak and other luxury items. Our big treat of the week was to pick out out favorite brand of cereal.
My father avoided paying his child support, he was only required to pay $80 a month. Whenever his wages started to get garnished, he would quit his job and work under the table.
We also received Section 8 supplemental housing for reduced rent. We would have an inspection and someone would go through the house once or twice a year to make sure it was up to code. My mom would scrub the walls with bleach to make sure that it would pass because the house had a tendency to mold. She would get a couple hundred dollars a month off her rent for her efforts. She worked hard to have a clean place for us to live.
When my Mom got a raise to $4.25 an hour, the state considered that enough and cut us off. We didn’t have enough money for anything extra, even second hand clothes were a luxury. We had no car and we took a bus when necessary. We walked nearly a mile to the grocery store and carried our groceries home, because bus fare was too expensive. Our Saturday night treat was Kool-aid and popcorn. For entertainment, we watched Happy-days and the Love Boat on an old tiny black and white TV. Thank God we had left overs from the bakery when the food ran out, not exactly nutritious.
Yes, there are people out there committing fraud, Social Services has a tough job. Is it more expensive to spend a bunch of money investigating these people or is it easier to just go by income level? It is not a perfect system. Try to keep in mind that before you judge, consider that there are a lot of people that receive EBT with different circumstances, some of them do work and receive them as supplemental to their low wages. Be sure to vote for a higher minimum wage to reward those that do work.
I personally think they are thieves and they are stealing. It makes me sad and angry that my tax dollars are being stolen like this. No wonder our country is so far in debt, both on the individual level, state level, and the national level.
Awesome article, and here I thought crap like this only happened in MN.
Anyone who can rationalize the acts of such bums needs to pay more taxes so I can have a turn.
Agreed! What if all of us did just that? Took our turn? Where would the tax money come from then? I get so angry at these people that take and take and take for years and years. Decades even. Just wanted to say I liked your frankness. I’m so tired of all the PC this country has been doing…it needs to stop, so we can make the changes needed. I don’t care anymore about hurting someones feelings. Don’t give a rats-a$$ anymore.
This gives me HOPE for the future; and maybe with more college students like this, actual CHANGE that may save America. The bottom line here is entitlement versus empowerment. We need to focus more on empowerment than entitlement because most people would prefer a job to welfare, even though there are obviously those who are just L-A-Z-Y.
My dad never told me how to live, he showed me. He was a single dad and at times between jobs, he would go on food stamps. He got off of them as soon as he had another job. I grew up without medicaid. I never had my teeth cleaned until 19 years of age. Some are judgmental of this writer. Is she young? yes. Will she understand different opinions later in life? maybe.
For those that *need* help, they should have it. If they want to limit their other food choices for the month and buy the occasional steak, cake, etc. That is on them. I know I wouldn’t want to, but that is on their head.
My dad lost his license due to a DUI. When getting them back, he had a job, and we ate cheap chicken and really cheap pizza that I have issues with eating to this day. But we survived and we both sacrificed for his mistake.
Later in life, he got saved and lived a great life. He was rich by no means, but acquired a new wife and had a son. He found that he was dying of Leukemia. He was ordered not to work because he was a truck driver and it would interfere with driving properly. His wife did not work. They had no debt except a 225.00 house payment. They went to the food stamp office to receive help. They were told that because he had a late model truck he was making payments on that he couldn’t be helped. He explained that the insurance he bought on it when he purchased the vehicle paid for the payments. They did *not* care. he went to his grave wondering how his new family would make it. Yet, a person can *LEASE* a car and receive food stamps. Why? because they don’t “own” the car.
According to man’s laws some of the people the ride the system may squeak by with “living within the law”, but one day we all will face a judge. That judge will ask everyone why they did things in their lives that were not pleasing.
Should things change? We should try to help our poor when we can, and for those poor that are able, they should help themselves by working at whatever job they can find.
Teaching your children the tricks of the system to get and stay on it is in my opinion shameful.
One last story. When I was 18, I needed a place to live. I had friends whose parents took me in. They gave me a limit of time that I could stay with them. I called the government agencies very reluctantly, but I needed help. I swallowed my pride and tried my best. After several calls that led to nowhere, I came across this man who gave me advice. He said they couldn’t help me because I wasn’t with child. I asked the man “So, you are saying I should go out and get pregnant to get help?” He said “do what you have to do”. There was no way that I was ready for a child, I wasn’t even in a relationship. I couldn’t bring a child into this world that way.
I, too, was a cashier, seen many folks come through with junk, paying for their groceries with lots of jewelry on. I don;t care if they got it for gifts. You don’t show all that in a grocery store when using stamps!! They were buying things my dad couldn’t afford working a full time job. I went through school not telling my dad I needed certain supplies because I knew he couldn’t afford them. I always got bad grades on science projects because of this.
There is so much more help now for those that need it. For those that truly do, AWESOME. For those that abuse it, shame.
This is an interesting and well written article. While the author makes many valid points about systemic problems and the cycle of dependency, she also reveals what I think the larger issue is, and that is, our expectations of what the poor should look like and how they behave. She complains about people using Iphones, buying kitkat bars, WWE figurines and a slip n slide, as well as steak and birthday cakes. Implicit in this is the expectation that the poor should be miserable and grateful, and somehow do not have the right to buy things like birthday cakes and slip n slides for their children.
While I agree that the system is flawed and that there is real harm in generations of dependency, we who are privileged enough to have work and reliable income need to look into the eyes of those who are not and recognize ourselves, and the humanity we share. This applies to both the right and the left, both of whom perpetuate fraudulent stereotypes of the poor – the shiftless and lazy cheats of the right, and the poor defenseless victims of the left. The truth is that in these harsh economic times, more and more people are truly in need of help. It is also true that enabling long term dependency on such help is not only a financial drain on society but also a waste of human potential. How many innovators, how many significant contributors to our society and culture are we not realizing by perpetuating this cycle of dependency?
The author is correct, we need serious welfare reform, but I think any solution will require a greater depth in understanding. We need to create a system that is humane and caring and at the same time demanding and developing. I don’t know what that system would look like or how it will come about, but the usual liberal versus conservative rhetoric won’t create it. Until we all shed our preconceived notions of who the poor are and what they should look like and how they should behave, nothing will change, and the cheaters versus victims arguments will persist.
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?cat=1&ind=26
Really- people are living it up on a hundred bucks a month and change? Love to see you limit yourself to that much- while feeding a family. Please post your monthly menu for us, using that dollar amount and including a couple of kids. Go ahead. I dare you. Anyone who thinks welfare recipients are somehow getting rich is far too ignorant to be taken seriously. And no- I have never been on welfare in my life.
“What I find even more comical is when the welfare moochers bring in piles and piles of coupons, to save money on the money that the state gives them every month? ” Chances are that they are not getting a lot of food stamps to begin with. I am a single parent and currently on food stamps. Yes, I did have a job but got laid off 2 years ago and haven’t found a job yet. I have gone through all my savings and swallowed my pride to ask for help, it is not much. I use coupons to save money and to make what I receive last. As for the steak, lobster and cake issue have you ever considered that it was a “special meal” for someone. A “good” meal can do wonders for your mental health when you are on these programs.
I am sure that are people who are exploiting the system but there are many more who are not and need the help. People get off your high horse and stop judging other people when you don’t know the reason as to why people are on these programs. I, myself am glad that these programs exist. If they did not, many people would be homeless, hungry and very unhealthy. Then again you would most likely judge them as alcoholic or druggies on the street. Just so you know, there are so many families right now living in their vehicles because they lost their job, house/apartment and if they wan t to buy their children a birthday cake (maybe they don’t have a place to bake the cake) then so be it.
Its funny to me that you guys think tanf and food stamps are unrestricted.. Have you spoken to anyone on them? There is a limit and a way to go about it..
i think it is really judgemental. I been there, inbetween jobs, or when my babies were too little for daycare.(i guess that means i shouldn’t have had any kids to you anyhow) You has a point or two, that some ppl do abuse the system. but not everyone recieving Welfare is a welfare queen, some people on welfare stuggle everyday to get by even with the aid. ive walked in the shoes on unemployment, or just plain unable to work. What about women who are pregnant and made to go on bed rest. (that must be wrong too).. i work 2 jobs, and my husband works one, i got to school full time, we don’t have a house phone but both have cheap cell phone incase of emergencies. we don’t have cable, or anything spectacualr. Im glad your parents were well off Christina, because your in college. Your not even an adult yet. Are you paying for your college or your parents? or grants through the federal goverment? Because Me, I the tax payer working two jobs, paying taxes…would be paying for that. Welfare is only perminant if you want it to be, and even then, with the cuts they are making its more work to be on it then not. Your likely making the people who really need this feel ashamed. I hope god graces you at somepoint and puts her right into these shoes. Because my dear just because your young and in college does not mean your job, your parents, job or anything else in life wont be cut. Goodluck, i’d continue to be as judgemental as you are because you know nothing about what they go through in life. Take a walk in their shoes. I DARE you.
This article is well written, and has some great anecdotes. However, we’d all do well to remember that the poor are an easy and obvious scapegoat. There are always going to be people who take advantage of the system – but realize that there are plenty of elected officials in Washington, D.C. doing just that. We the electorate got them into office, but they don’t listen to us – they do the bidding of the highest bidder.
Social safety nets are not the biggest part of the national deficit. While I agree that welfare should be reformed (perhaps it should be refused for those who are physically able to work and not supporting children despite their psychological status; those who test positive for drugs; those with a certain percentage of visible tattoos; or those who wear pajama pants to the signup office), cutting the strings of the social safety net would be highly detrimental.
Do we really want children to go hungry, even if their typical meal is boxed macaroni and cheese? Can we cut out some of the unnecessary war spending first, to fix the budget? Do consultants really need to be making millions from U.S. tax dollars? And can we tax those citizens who hide their money in offshore shelters? The poor are not taking the most of the U.S. deficit spending.
I have most DEFIANTLY been in your exact position! I worked as a full time cashier at a grocery store during my four years at college. I found myself in many situations where I just had to walk away. Working 40+ hours a week with hours ranging from 3am to 9pm, maintaining a 20 hour a week internship at a farm which consisted of showing up any time between 6am feed and 12am night check and maintaining a 15 credit hour school schedule left me with little tolerance for exceptionally overweight parents and children with carts full of spaghetti-O’s, Tony’s Pizzas, Hot Dogs, Chips, Soda… and my favorite, LOBSTER! Unfortunately this was just the tip of the iceberg on what I thought to be a large epidemic then.
I have since graduated and as my nearly $20,000 in student loans sit in forbearance while I work two jobs, neither of which have benefits or health care, I can not help to become a little bit more frustrated every time I see Maine taxes taken out of my weekly allowance because now, more so than ever I see what true “NEED” is.
I volunteer my spare time to a few local organizations which regularly donate to nonprofits such as the Food Pantry, Medical Needs and Heat Assistance… and here is what I’ve learned: People can write a darn good story for $100.
I am willing to go on a limb and say that a good 60% of the families in line at the food pantry every Thursday are not in “NEED”, they would just rather spend their money on material things. Secret Santa beneficiaries buy Wii’s, X-boxes, Tv’s and all the other luxuries that even I know I can not afford… yet I’ve found time and money to donate to this “worthy cause”. The state is paying for tummy tucks, breast implants and dental reconstruction. People that collect Welfare & Mainecare do not stop there… They apply at EVERY charity, town heat assistance and tax relief, free child care, meals on wheels free schooling and my favorite is the grant program that the state offers to insulate a home, pay for a new furnace, shingle your roof and jack your basement. At what point is enough…ENOUGH?
The state of Maine has for years consistently come in first for poorest, worst for business and worst educational system. I wish someone would get a clue and start rewarding productive members of society and let the leeches live the life of TRUE NEED and maybe that will motivate them to join the working class folks that EARN their income.
I wish you could hit Like or Dislike on these notes or comment directly to a specific post…..Ughhh
We grew up in an era with no food stamps. Poor as they come but we all worked to keep food on the table and never accepted anything from government except required shots from the health department for kids. Unemployment checks required people to demonstrate that they were actively looking for work. If a neighbor saw you were hungry and offered you spam and mac and cheese would you demand steak and lobster? Someone else has to pay the bill and I for one would take what I could get to stay alive and work hard to find work.
excellent article and a well educated young lady who knows the score.So what is wrong with our politicians? They are just sitting on their hands waiting for their hand outs. You are right SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
The logic is simple: you don’t use food stamps for luxury items like birthday cakes, steaks, lobster etc…. no matter how rare or cheap it is.
USE YOUR OWN MONEY FOR THAT – NOT BENEFITS SUBSIDIZED BY HARD WORK TAX PAYERS.
It doesn’t matter if it’s ONE DOLLAR on food stamp FRAUD or 200 hundred dollars of food stamp FRAUD.
It’s STILL A FRAUD.
Americans are simply spoilt with such an entitlement attitude. And no one is telling that the poor have “no right” to these… they can enjoy these luxuries WITH THEIR OWN MONEY…. NOT WITH THE MONEY OF HARD WORKING TAX PAYERS who don’t intend it for such abuse.
I’ve read through nearly all the comments on this thread, and some of those who are attempting to provide a rebuttal, and accuse this girl of being insensitive, or hating the poor, or being “priviledged”, obviously have awful reading comprehension skills.
She pointed out a few of many instances that she has had while working at Walmart. Not just a “few inflated experiences”, but a few within many. She also pointed out that she has no problem with those who truly need assistance, but has a problem with those who abuse the system. This is why reform is needed, not to remove the assistance from the poor, but give it to those who actually can use it, and not game the system.
Unlike a lot of commenters who are against this young lady, she does not make generalizations of those in need, in contrast to the commenters generalizing her views into some rediculous stereotype that has been hyped up by liberal dogma.
There is no problem with someone buying steak, or lobster, but before they do so, they should really think about whose money they are spending, as it’s not “theirs.”
p.s.- I was, unfortunately, among the so called “generational welfare” families – it was hard work to be such too – grave tragedy and misfortune made it necessary for our grandmother to bow to use of food stamps after our mother died of brain cancer and died leaving five young children to be raised (I was nearly 4 and my oldest sibling was only 9 – our father was gone) – I was the only one of us five that ended up on public assistance, and that was off and on through the years our kids were growing up. There had been a time in my life when I had been a Technical Illustrator for Amana Refrigeration, I also had other jobs in my adulthood, but being on welfare was the hardest job I’ve ever had!
Any store that will run ready to eat foods, booze or smokes through on an EBT card is breaking the law. Many stores set their registers up to do things fraudulently. I personally do not have a problem with a person using their SNAP benefits to purchase a steak, ALL states allow the benefits to stay on a card for 12 months, if elderly Aunt Sally wants to save $10 a month of the $20 she gets a month to buy her family a good dinner for Thanksgiving who are we to judge?
I am far from being an everyone on welfare person. I worked in the welfare system long enough to know “lifers” and “multigenerational families” know how to play the system…They are lying to you, you know they are lying to you and they know you know but not much can be done about it. Workers are overwhelmed by caseloads that are never ending, Benefit Recovery…aka Fraud unit that I also worked in is overwhelmed with cases as well. Some states have as few as 2 investigators to cover the entire state!
Remember not everyone gets $$$$$ monthly in SNAP benefits, yes it is meant to be an assistance in food purchasing and some people use it as such. There has probably been abuse of the program from the first time benefits were approved. What is heart breaking is when a person that has worked their entire life and is injured and about to loose everything they have swallows their pride to apply for benefits then you have to deny them because they are honest! They need help for perhaps 4 or 5 months until they go back to work but because they said yes I have $100 in savings that puts them over the limit. Then the next case is Susie Loosepants who at 21 has just had her 4th child by daddy #4 and she tells you how much her benefits are to go up! Or Wanda No-morals who uis pregnant and living with her boyfriend who works but she gets benefits because she is “smart enough” to state they do not eat together. How is that for bull?
Speaking of welfare and Wal-Mart…Many recipients of benefits work at Wal-Mart, if giant store chain trained AND enforced what their cashiers are allowed to charge to their cards would that be like biting the hand that feeds it?
First I just want to start off by saying, It’s a good article, but you are not right in judging everyone who is on welfare. I am married with three children. All though we have income coming in, it is not enough for food. We have nothing extra. No cable, no tv, nothing just bare essentials. I have internet for my kids to do research for school that is it. I am on foodstamps, and yes I get my children their birthday cakes with it and yes they occasionally get junk food, and yes I occasionally treat my husband and i to a steak. We work and pay our taxes just like everyone else. We just don’t make enough. My husband and I don’t have health insurance, my children are on medicaid. We don’t have brand new cars they are both used and paid for cars. You all need to stop throwing everyone in the same category as welfare queens and abusing the system. Sometimes it is all the choice we have.
I haven’t even read through a lot of these comments because most of you people disgust me. Sit there and acting like it’s some wonderful thing what this girl did in writing this. All she ended up doing it was assume the worst in people. Now yes there are people that abuse the system but just because someone buys something “nice” once in a while doesn’t mean they’re abusing it. Also these people that are on it now are people that have worked their whole lives and PAYED THEIR TAXES FOR THESE PROGRAMS. These programs are here for us in our time of need and you people feel it’s okay to judge those on it. I was the one stuck eating nothing but a package of ramen noodles a day to survive. I finally caved in and got the benefits I’ve been paying into for years. Until you’re in the situation you have no IDEA what it’s really like.
It’s hell to even get the benefits and well at least in my state and I’m pretty sure it’s in most states IF YOU ARE ON TANAF YOU HAVE TO DO 35 HOURS A WEEK OF A VOLUNTEER WORK OR JOB TRAINING PROGRAM. My fiance was hauling stuff onto trucks and driving all over the state for his program. You gonna tell me he didn’t earn his money? And that’s 35 hours a week EACH so that means we have to get 70 hours for the two of us to get a measly $424 a month for 3 people (we have a daughter) So how many of you would work that many hours for that little money? So yes you know what on occasion we might buy a toy for our daughter, or some candy, or whatever else just to give a small sense of normalcy. I think most of you have no clue what is required to get on these benefits, altho each state is different, but before you assume that someone’s getting something for nothing maybe you should find out what the program deal is. Maybe people get that entitled attitude because they’re working for like 2 dollars an hour and being judged by people like all of you.
I am a single parent of TWO diabetic kids and although my food is almost always HEALTH DRIVEN there are occasional sweet snacks. I have seen nemerous amounts of people who abuse the system, BUT unknowing of any of their situations I do not poke fun and make accusations! I have been on and off welfare for about 108 months total, with my share of school and work, but like I said I have TWO diabetic children who gets shots every 2 and a half, 3 hours, totaling between 12-18 shots a day, 6-9 shots a piece per kid!! God forbid there be a vacation in there school where I miss my school n or my work!! Loss jobs left and right!! I am someone who gets deeply offended by some of these statements, although I am from Saco and I know the people you are referring too are not me, sometimes you need to look a little deeper! I do agree that qualifications for TANF and FOODSTAMPS should be looked Igbo a little more, and picking out who’s sob story is true and who’s isn’t must be a hard job, but really………….be human! Oh and the birthday cake thing, WWE figurines, slip n slide earrings, what about childrens birthdays or Christmas??? TANF cash does not only go towards rent lights heat phone it’s used to SUPPORT. So don’t assume without knowing the WHOLE story!!
This article is well written and points out many flaws in our system. The author is not being judgmental at all. She is simply stating a few of the problems that she sees while doing her job. It is perfectly fine for a citizen to take issue with the abuses of the governmental systems that are put in place to help people who have truly fallen on hard times. I think the majority of us would agree that we have no problem with people who actually need help receiving assistance. That is the point of these programs, but they should not be long term solutions. Nor should not be used to buy frivolous items or expensive food. It is not the right of one to buy food they enjoy at the taxpayers expense. We have a small family owned business, and when things get tight, we tighten up. No steaks. Chicken. We cut out eating out. We cook at home. Sometimes we have to tell our children ‘no’ when they want something. Whey shouldn’t we expect people on assistance to be just as wise with the money they receive from these programs (the taxpayers) as we are when our paychecks don’t cover everything we want or need? Steaks are not a necessity. Slip and slides are not a necessity. I have seen a lot of nasty comments on here from people about judging, but the bottom line is, as a taxpayer and a voter it is my job to make a decision on whether or not these programs are being used wisely. I have a daughter who is a diabetic. We use the only pediatric endocrinology clinic in our state. Every time we go in, I pay our co-pay (the one we have because we pay through the nose for insurance while not buying other things we want) while I see multiple parents who pay nothing because their children are on Medicaid. Do I have a problem with Medicaid itself? No. Do I have a problem with it when mom pulls up in a nicer car than mine, designer jeans, shoes, sunglasses, and a very expensive purse? You bet I do! And that is not judgmental. Unfortunately, we have a segment of society that thinks our taxpayers should pay for their food as well as their healthcare while they have the finer things in life. It is called entitlement. Does everyone on assistance feel that way? Of course not! But to disparage this author because she is pointing out something that is certainly a problem in our society is wrong. I know people who have used these programs because they were in desperate need. They would rather be working! They were mortified to be relying on others to pay their bills. Unfortunately, we now have a segment of our society who do not feel that way. They are perfectly happy to have the handouts. Those are the people we have a problem with. We definitely need an overhaul of these systems. I am so happy to see a young lady who has a strong sense of right and wrong and isn’t afraid to speak out. It bodes well for the next generation! Keep up the good work!
@Melissa I don’t see anywhere in her post where she would look down on you, or label you a “welfare queen.” It starts in the first sentence of her second paragraph.
“I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it.”
There is no problem with those who truly need it. There is a problem with those who don’t really need it, but take it anyway, and those who game the system.
As for your comments on your pregnancy, I really have no clue where you are coming from (according to her post), or how she would be thinking those cases are wrong.
Just a small bit of information for those of you who have NO idea what is going on……TANF is not just EBT cash, some child support payments are made through TANF so because that person’s “spouse” chose to be irresponsible and the responsible one had to go through the court to receive their child support, shouldn’t result in criticism. Not everyone abuses the system and not everyone that needs the system will get what they need…..because of comments like this. Everyone that swipes an EBT card is NOT taking advantage and I know and agree that there are people using it that are abusing it but just because a person drives a nice car or has a nice phone does NOT mean they are abusing it. I used to think that way too, but I had someone tell me one time that when they were on food stamps they would get dirty looks because they had a new car. Their baby’s grand parents bought her that car so she could get around and get back and forth to Dr’s appts and stuff! There are also people that are on disability that get their checks onto the EBT card as cash, are you going to say they don’t deserve it? If the system gets reformed there are people who NEED it who will not get it and there are people that get it that will STILL abuse it! Why not try to get back to America’s roots and reform people’s character then a LOT of things will change instead of just food stamps! Let’s bring America back to God….where if you don’t work, you don’t eat…love thy neighbor as thyself….judge not, lest ye be judged!
I also work as a cashier at Walmart in Texas and I have seen it over and over again, people on food stamps. Now as much as I know there are some who really need it I can tell you the majority that come through my line don’t need it. Its just abuse and fraud. The other thing I didn’t see her mention was that I have witnessed is someone with their lonestar(EBT) card and bring a friend or friends along. Not only was she buying for herself, she was buying for her friend ofr friends. It upsets me when I see someone come along and pay for their groceries with food stamps but yet buy really really nice things with cash. I work a full time job and work Walmart to supplement my income. I still can’t buy alot of things I would like to have. What is wrong with our world! I would have never had my eyes opened to this until I started at Walmart and seen it for myself.
Its the Demoratc way! Total dependance on Government!
I live in TX and just thought I’d share a story with you. I lived in a very poor neighborhood at the time and worked a low paying job. My roommate and I had scrounged the entire house to find enough to buy a box of ice cream. Yup, a box, you know the really cheap ice cream? Anyway, we were standing in line at the store behind a woman dressed in an expensive looking silk dress and nice shoes. She was covered in jewels and her hair and nails were well manicured. She bought over 300 dollars worth of food and other things (including steak, cigarettes, and a cake) and then pulled out her WIC card to pay. I was floor. How could she afford all the stuff she was wearing and then pay with WIC??? After she left, and we paid in change, we went outside and saw her loading her things into her BMW with the gold package. It was disgusting. At the time I was living on Ramen Noodles and she was eating steak that my taxes paid for. It was unbelievable.
You worked at a Wal Mart that fraudulently ran through items that are not covered by food stamps, and made the personal choice to adjust prices on items so they could be covered by WIC, so that Wal Mart could collect the money in order to pay your paycheck. Nice job getting paid by welfare young lady! You learned how to work the system and benefited from it- and then have the nerve to complain about those providing you with a paycheck. Typical republican voter- complains loudly about others while milking the system yourself and voting the way daddy told you to.
I was one of those mothers. I was on Food Stamps for several years. I had 3 children of my own, I worked the entire time I was getting the resources. I also had three foster children which the state I lived in paid nothing to help me with these state appointed children that they placed in my home. The system is rigged. They offer help, but in turn make it so hard to get off. So many restrictions, did you know that in my state if I worked a extra shift to so that I could save a bit and get ahead, I was penalized for taking the extra shift, by my next months allotment I had lost 70.00 dollars in stamps. so the the extra amount I earned just went right back to the being at ground zero. I must say to that my caseworker in particular told me once and I shit you not these were her words to me during a conversation ” she said and I quote, you want more money then have another kid, the state just upped the amount for another child”. Now call me crazy, but seriously, that is your answer. I was shocked and so horrified. I stayed on the program on and off for about 4 years..finally I had enough. I told them to shove the stamps, missing 2 days a month of work for appointments, losing almost $90.00 for a total sum of $232.00 a month for food for 6 was insanity. My Republican and Democrat Government both suck. They are the takers and they give with great strings attached. My kids and I ate Roman Noodles for 3 years straight, everyday there times a day…no cereals, no fruit, no veggies it just was not in the budget. I made homebread, and milk was a luxury, on birthdays, and holidays I bought a quart of milk and we all had one glass of ice cold milk. I would never go back on the system, I swore, I was turned in to CPS 6 times in those years and all 6 times I won. I told every system person, that I would rather have my kids and I be lacking in nutrition, then every to have to rely on my government. I would rather hunt and kill then every think this government will HELP you. They will not. Not Republicans, Not Democrats, you see there is no profit in helping us, only in hurting us. The system is set to be a prison, a constant and complete muzzle. I no that there are those who take advantage of these services, but let’s be honest, the government takes advantage of us everyday, and think nothing of it. For example, why am we paying for these fools, insurance, when I don’t even get insurance, or pay all there holidays, and cell phones, etc… so I say the whole DAMN SYSTEM in this country is EVIL and Corrupt. I no longer hold faith in the system, I no longer find comfort in my government. I will never feel by the people, for the people, of the people. That ship has long sailed. Today, even though economy is tough, really tough my children would never accept the help of the system, they would rather watch their child die of starvation , panhandle, or just do iwth out. They and I stay as far away from anything the government has to offer, it is not an offer it is selling you soul, your child’s soul…so I say, the people you have written about are merely gettin theirs, just like out government gets theirs, by any means necessary. The government has been teacher, and now you want to complain about them…REALLY where the hell is the complaint and article about the system…TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY>>AND SOMEWHERE in between is the truth…..be careful of trusting in the government, they would sooner, right you off, keep you in prison, then truly HELP!!!! We are disposable according to our government, whole sectors of the population can be genocided and it is ok…Katrina example. OUR government wrote off an entire state..you really think you are safe being Republican, or Democrat…it;s all rigged in their favor…Like Vegas…THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS>….I say leave home quickly…ty for letting me share.
It’s saddening and frustrating for me to read that because she is upset with percieved welfare fraud that her conclusion is to vote republican. That will certainly not solve any welfare fraud. It is in the best interest of both political parties to keep people poor and shopping at Wal-mart and to use young people like you to work there for an unlivable wage. Could you support yourself with your Wal-mart income? I am not saying that you personally would be tempted to commit fraud, but Wal-mart encourages its employees to apply for food stamps, and welfare fraud it just a drop in the hat compared to the explotation and fraud which Wal-mart uses as its general business practices. Wal-marts import business could pay for state welfare fraud a million times over, while at the same time crushing US-made competition. You don’t understand that it is in the best interest for Wal-mart, and for Democrats and Republicans, to keep people poor and a few million in food stamp fraud is a pittance. I hope you learn more about the true cost of globalization and outsourcing in college!!
Yes, Darren. That really is unbelievable.
Truly.
I don’t eat lobster but I know that sometimes stores mark them and steaks down to less than the cost of hamburger. Are you denying these families the right to eat meat? I’m on food stamps and use coupons to help budget what we have so maybe I can buy a treat for the kids once a month. I prefer to make their birthday cakes, to help save more money, but not everyone can bake. I’ve worked the low level fast food jobs before to earn money for college but have chosen to stay home with my son while my husband works instead of paying my entire paycheck to daycare.You let me know once the well paying jobs come back, if they ever do, and I’ll fill out an application. Hasn’t done me any good the last few places I’ve applied to. It’s a small community. Would I like to be able to get off of food stamps and WIC? Yes. However, I don’t foresee it happening anytime soon with our current ignorant governor.
America is the land of opportunity. There are plenty of opportunities to WORK. If you are physically unable to work, there are programs for disabled people to still be able to have a job. There is no excuse except for pure laziness. I work everyday and still don’t buy lobster for dinner. Maybe I should quit and have the goverment buy me lobster for dinner?
Amen sister!!! It has become a way of life and many believe they are owed that right to live off others and expect it to be handed out. They get angry when questioned and have no work ethic. It is easier to take the hand out instead of actually working for it. Generations have learned how to use the system and continue to do so. It is time to show them how to be a contributing member of society and not a lifetime leech.
In general I do agree that fraud should be stopped if possible. However, since you have chosen to sit in judgement of others I would like to point out a few flaws in your argument. First you mention people on assistance having cell phones and although it seems like an extravagance at first it is probably the only phone and internet connection they have. In todays world they are very helpful in job searching. Secondly you then go on to say every cell has a calculator when talking about going over on the food they are buying, so should they have cells now or not?
I also want to point out that the food being “void of nutritional value” is especially a problem for people who may have limited or no access to a proper kitchen to cook healthful nutritious meals.
Welfare, foodstamps, and WIC no doubt have some people seeking to defraud the system, as any assistance program will. Unfortunately many times this fraud does not actually reach the financial level that it needs to to be cost effective to fight it. If it costs twice as much to stop the fraud than it does to let it continue would you still support reforms? I actually can respect standing on your principles on this, however I think the more cost effective way to do that is when you see fraud, call it what it is to the faces of the people you believe are committing it. If there are other circumstances hopefully they will inform you and you can learn that many times there is more than what meets the eye. Public shaming would go a long way in solving things but it’s dirty work cause you are not always right.
This opinion brought to you by a employed tax paying citizen who has only received aid once, unemployment for a short while until I found a new job.
I worked for Walmart as a cashier and the writer is right. I would see people buy food with their food stamps, then in a separate order buy stereos and other high end electronics and pull out $100 bills to pay for it. It disgusted me all the time to see that.
I recall a similar incident at Walmart. A lady in front of me was buying those Lunchables, applesauce , & juice boxes. The items were for her daycare biz that she runs out of her home. She paid for it all with an EBT card. Welfare was subsidizing her work.
Guaranteed most of the SLACKERS Momma’s and Grandmomma’s are LAZY AS* SLACKERS TOO!!!! Gotta love the SLACKERS!
I am a single parent with two wonderful little boys. I also am a full time college student studying to become a registered medical assistant. Now I graduate in June and plan on moving up. I am right now on Maine care and TANF only because I needed the help because I have no one to help me. My children’s father is not in there life’s and nor do they pay child support. People shouldn’t be so quick to judge someone else, when that toy they are buying is a birthday gift or Christmas present a get well soon because I know you just had surgery. I am one who does not want to be on TANF anymore. When I do graduate and land a decent job I will no longer be on it. I will not judge anyone who is on it because you do not know their family background and what goes on in their lives. I also am for them doing something about it but never be to quick to judge an individual because there can be many outcomes to what you say and do.
Very good article…
Oh a note I missed here cause people bring up people with “nice things” buying stuff with food stamps etc. You do realize a lot of people were doing well then the economy crashed right? A friend of mine who just had her second child, her husband lost his job a week before the baby was born. They have some nice things because he had a good job, but now they look to wic and stuff to not lose everything and be able to survive. Just another note to all you people who assume that because someone is wearing something nice they auto don’t need benefits. Maybe they just ended up in a bad situation recently and they have nice things from before, you don’t know. Hell you can find nice name brand stuff at thrift stores. I bought a beautiful dress from a thrift store for 2 dollars years ago even before I was in a poor situation. I was doing volunteer work there and fell in love with it.
Liliana, you asked the woman what the food was for? She told you she ran a home daycare business and used welfare to supplement that? Or are you ASSuming?
Republicans sure are an angry lot.
Well for one thing Walmart contributes to this problem to a very high degree by not paying a living wage. I Never shop at Walmart because I do not support the government of China or it’s inhumane treatment of children. As well as the slave labor camps which they use and Walmart supports and only plays lip-service to the community by condemning it out of one side of their mouth. Having worked for Walmart it would be expected that you would see a large volume of low income citizens. Equating food stamps usage as being demonstrative that an individual is on welfare totally misstates the truth. That you would see many people on food stamps in our current economic state who are on unemployment is not to be unexpected. While their are those who abuse the system just as you see fortune 500 companies abusing our tax system doesn’t make all of those who use food stamps less worthy than the CEO’s of JP-Morgan, Bank of America and the list goes on. I really don’t think these type of articles further your cause they only diminish any chance of having a meaningful discussion on possible reform of the food stamp program. Our current Republican legislators are only playing games of brinkmanship with the administration and could care less about the state of America today. Their only goal is to unseat our current President while the country slides further down the economic ladder. So I don’t know that I would be proud to be a Republican however I am proud of being an Independent with no allegiance to either party. If the citizens of this country are truly interested in all the people of this country being able to get a piece of the American pie they should stop rewarding Walmart. By our country taking legal action against the financial sector that truly got us in this current mess we would realize a better rate of return rather than attacking those in need.
I love how all the food stamp queens can afford internet as well.
I totally agree with all said in the article. I saw the abuse when I worked for grocery store chains in the 1980′s. I have also been on Food Stamps very temporarily after losing a job. We had an infant to feed and a teenager. I did find another job and went back to work. I still received WIC . I did get off of it when our son was 5 .
I think that the abuse has got out of hand and has been out of hand for a long time. Reform needs to be done and more restriction need to be put in place in quite a few areas. . I don’t knock it if people truly need the assistance,however when It is abused and there are generations of people from the same family on Food Stamps- that is way too long ! OK -maybe the baby Daddy left. …go to work. There is assistance for daycare or other programs in a lot of areas. Check on it ! Having 8 kids by 6 different men ain’t the way to go and living on the system. Use birth control and go to work if you are able to-even if it is in a dollar store or grocery store or being a hotel maid. It is a job. people would feel better about themselves also by being off of Welfare. Also needed is proper nutrition classes for all recipients.
How will voting Republican help this situation? How many Republicans (and Democrats) in elected office do you think perpetrate much larger frauds on a continual basis? And they have you focused on a few white trash welfare recipients. Useful idiot.
Aside from the issue your article was well written Christine.
I doubt this will be read, since there are already a ton of comments, but I have to put my .02 in… We are in the “class” called the “working poor.” My family and I have been on food stamps for the majority of our 16-year marriage. I was working most of the time, but not always. We have three kids and have also been on WIC. WIC is a great program, as it’s designed to “simply help out.” From what I’ve heard recently, they are starting to put restrictions on the income levels (didn’t used to have them). But, they’ve also loosened up a bit on what you can buy with WIC. It used to be OJ, apple juice, milk, cheese, and only about 4 types of cereals (Cheerios, Corn Flakes, and a couple others that were equally nutrition-deficient).
Recently, I started a job that allowed us to get off of food stamps. The salary, however, is not much more than what my old salary was + food stamps. We are still “working poor.” That term is used to describe people who make too much for assistance, but too little to pay for health insurance or any other “standard” benefit. I don’t mind, though. I haven’t been interested in having health insurance for awhile. We don’t need it because of the way we live our lives. We don’t get sick very often (including colds).
I know there are LOTS of abusers and “takers” out there (we know some). However, the MAJORITY of the people who are on assistance are on it because they need it in today’s society. Housing costs are too high; food costs are increasing; gas prices are increasing; locally-grown food is decreasing; more jobs are being outsourced because it’s cheaper for businesses to pay somebody in India $8K/yr over an American doing the same job for $24K/yr; public education, which allows for better-paying jobs, is ridiculously priced…and many other factors which make it difficult to get ahead if you aren’t already. There is fewer middle-class people in the US today because of this. Either you are poor, almost-poor, upper-middle-class, or rich. And the gap in the center is widening every year.
With that said, I pose the question, “What would happen if all govt-provided food stamps, welfare, etc. were to suddenly be cut off?” I’m guessing that many of the non-working people would suddenly “find” jobs; many companies that outsource would be forced to hire local employees; the average age of the farmer would drop drastically, as people would return to growing their own food; and many people would realize that they could live on MUCH less than they do. Other families would end up worse off than they are, and the crime rate in cities would increase. There are pros and cons to the gov’t providing assistance. And from being on both sides of the fence (and sometimes clinging to one of those sides), I can see many of those pros and cons without hesitation, without judgment, and with full knowledge that there is always a chance for us, and anyone that has looked at this page, to end up needing assistance from the government.
@Crousselle… Will you marry me?.. Haha awesome article! Now you need to work at your Trauma Hospital for 6 months to see the abuse in the Healthcare Industry. I believe it is almost as bad or worse then the EBT program.
Typical right wing lies and hyperbole.
Some of you are extremely gullible. Maybe you need some fresh air and lobster.
Do you realize that EBT cards are also used to give women their child support in some situations. If an ex husband becomes a low life and decides not to pay his child support, because he’s found a new girlfriend he’d rather spend his money on, the government will give the mother the child support up front on an EBT card and remove it themselves from the ex’s paycheck or income tax. My friend had to carry around an EBT card and got looks from assholes just like you when she wanted to but her children a BIG cake or a slip n slide. If you have not looked into a situation enough to know what you’re talking about, you should not talk! Yes, I admit some people abuse the system, there is no doubt about that. Some of those people do not have any pride and could care less who pays for thier phone as long as they don’t have to. But HALF of the examples you gave were just rediculous and mindless. You are in no position to decide at a quick glance because of what someone is buying that they are below you. You’re a selfish little girl who has not even lived life yet. Wait until your future husband decides he doesn’t want you anymore and you have a mountain of bills you planned on paying back TOGETHER! Instead they are split in half and you are not given alimony becuase you bothered to have a job all your life! People can’t ignore you at the checkout if they are on welfare??? I have a feeling people ignore you whether they are on welfare or not!
When I was a very young child (8-9), my family moved to a community in South Texas. We were from Pennsylvania. We were probably considered low-income, but my parents would NEVER accept assistance because we could make it – and we did make it. —However, I was bullied brutally and endlessly for the way we lived and the way I dressed – by other children whose families DID receive welfare and food-stamps. I overheard one conversation my mom had with a woman who was deeply rooted in that community. The woman, who felt she was far too fortunate and proud to receive government assistance herself, describe the corruption of the welfare and food stamp system and suggested to my mom that for my health and safety that they should pull me and my sister out of that public school, her children had been in that school. The things I heard and witnessed at that school eventually became too much for me, and after a year and a half, my hair began falling out in huge clumps. My parents pulled me from the school, took extra jobs, got help from a church, and got me into a ~very~ small private school.
“How will voting Republican help this situation? How many Republicans (and Democrats) in elected office do you think perpetrate much larger frauds on a continual basis? And they have you focused on a few white trash welfare recipients. Useful idiot.”
Well said Eric!
I have noticed several commenters stating that welfare recipients have the right to eat steak and lobster on welfare if they so desire because it’s food… I’m sorry, but my husband is employed with the military, we get paid pretty well. I work two part time jobs to supplement our lifestyle. Given that, I can’t afford to eat steak and lobster. Why should my tax dollars go to provide something for somebody else that I, myself, a gainfully employed person can’t afford?
You want your children and your boyfriend to have a birthday cake– it’s call Betty Crocker, cake is about $2.50, the frosting is around $1.50 (there’s usually a coupon for $1.00 off cake and frosting if you buy them together). There is no need for a $25.00 decorated sheet cake. If you want steak. Flank steak is normally about $1.25/lb, versus upwards of $3-5 for porterhouse, and flank steak is very easy to prepare and just as tasty. Lobster is about $25/pound– really? Most working people can’t afford lobster.
YOU my Dear are why we have faith in our children ..the future needs you and all those who believe in change and correction. Its not just Walmart or Maine it is everywhere and although welfare is there to help get people on their feet..it is allowing them to sit on their ass’s .You are truly an inspiration and I can only hope for a bright future for my grandchildren because of our children speaking up now to get a change.Your parents have alot to be proud of. Best of luck in your future and Thank-you…..
1. I would HIGHLY recommend you read a book called “Bridges Out of Poverty”. It has helped me understand poverty in a COMPLETELY different way. When working with clients, I was very frustrated and judging decisions individuals were making, but this book opened my eyes a little bit about some of the differences between poverty and middle class. Some things I was born and raised with that individuals you are describing don’t have.
2. One thing about money. In poverty, the rule about money is “spend it”. Do you have a bank? Did your parents use a bank growing up? Mine did. Most people in poverty are un-banked. If you are on welfare, you are not allowed to pass a certain amount of ‘assets’, so individuals see saving as a problem. Also, many of them have no credit or defaulted student loans (from not being able to pay), so they do not trust putting their money in a bank (the loans can start taking it). Therefore, individuals in poverty are taught to spend money when they have it. In middle class, the rule about money is you have to budget and manage it. This is a fundamental difference that is passed down in families. It appears you are in college, that’s wonderful. My guess is you came form a middle class home that taught you the value of money and saving. Kids from poverty don’t get this.
3. Another large difference is “driving force”. What motivates you? What drives you? In middle class, the answer is usually achievement. I am 23 and just completed my masters degree while working full time, and I’m married! I am motivated by achievement. This is middle class! I can hear this in your article “Why can’t they work? I work for what I get. I am going to school and doing this….” In middle class the rule is we are making decisions today to effect our future. We are very focused on achievement because that is what has been taught to us. When you go to a middle class party, the first question is “What do you do?” In poverty, the driving force is survival. When your entire income is $700 a month (including food stamps and assistance) you are in a constant survival mode. In poverty, the driving force is surviving, relationships, and entertainment. Individuals are making decisions to survive today and are not looking far past that. This is something that is taught. When you go to a party of someone in poverty, no one asks what you do. They are just worried about surviving. Relationships, “I don’t have must but I have my family”. Relationships are huge in poverty. Also, entertainment (DVDs, birthday cakes, alcohol) is needed to break away from the stress of poverty. While you may have seen a tainted view at Walmart, poverty is stressful. Many of those people you were helping do not have money to pay their electric bill and are evicted every other month.
4. Getting a job. A great book about this is called “Why dont they just get a job?”. It is harder for someone in poverty to get a job- lack of education, criminal background, lack of transportation, un-medicated mental health/depression, cannot afford childcare, etc. There is a lot more to the problem than just funding a job.
Petulant little spoiled girl throwing an entitled, ignorant tantrum. Yawn.
It’s difficult to focus on the real issues when we are passing judgement.
This young American has figured out early in life what some never figure out. The world is full of takers and they make it hard on the truly needy.
I got fired from Bj’s wholesale for flipping off a welfare abuser, this couple has been on welfare for as long as I can remember. He worked, and her fat lazy ass sat around the house. How did they collect all the frindge benifits of our lovely welfare system? I’ll tell you. All she had to do is say her husband left her. So now the husband, “who still lives with her” has to pay child support which rolls right back into the household, so he’s not losing anything as far as a paycheck and she continues to collect WELFARE! Time to stomp out welfare completely and force people to get off their lazy asses and get a job. If I can get and hold 2 jobs! Then there are obviously plenty of jobs out there. You just have to get off your ass and look as well as accept the wages being paid. It’s not like you’re worth $25.00 an hr.
I think you have an opportunity here. Great article. My husband was out of work for only three months. For the first time ever, we got food stamps to help. Even though we’re a family of five, they ended up only giving us $260 a month. I was a little surprised. I know other, single moms, that would get over $500. We ended up only getting three months worth, then it ended because we actually let them know he got a job. I do see people that are on it forever, because they lose it if they report pretty much any income. The system needs to work better. GREAT JOB!! You should write another article and give even more detail of what you’ve seen. You’re onto something here.
This is an enlightening article on general welfare with points well made- but the general welfare program is set up by the state so that it can eventually claim rights to any property in the estate of the person on welfare, so at least part of that taxpayer money is returned.This is a hidden part of the picture that is rarely brought up. If there has been an analysis of the ratio of property gained by the state through the estates of welfare recipients to what is paid out, then it is a well kept secret.
Corporate welfare is also big time business in Maine financed by the taxpayer but in this case the taxpayer always takes the fall, while the beneficiaries of corporate welfare become wealthy or not- which ever way, the burden of financing corporate welfare is the taxpayers problem, but the profits are to be enjoyed by the special interest sector that the legislature calls “the targeted sector”. Which costs the general taxpayer more? Which gets more coverage? I do not know the answer to the first questions, though considering the much larger sums going to finance corporate welfare, I would speculate that corporate welfare costs us more. I know that general welfare gets more coverage as corporate welfare is largely unreported.
Compare your welfare recipient using those funds to open a hot dog stand. We don’t know the back story there- it could be his plan to get off of welfare, or not- but compare the money that costs the tax payer to the sums going to finance corporate welfare. Do you know that The taxpayer is a mandatory investor in the Maine state government chartered Small Enterprise Growth Fund to the tune of 10% of the total investment and that the taxpayer’s investment in that fund always “rolls over” to reinvest in the fund in direct contrast to the “exit strategy” required to satisfy the other 90% private investors so that they can make a profit? Think about it taxpayer- no exit strategy- 90% exit strategy as a means to a profit. I think that is costing the tax payer a mountain or two more than the welfare entreprenuer’s hot-dog stand.
And while the welfare hot dog entrepreneur may be “beating the system”, The SEGF is a corporation unconstitutionally chartered by our legislature in violation of Article IV, Part third, section 14 of the Maine State Constitution. Which is the more significant crime against the people? If you take the welfare system as a whole that includes general and corporate welfare, you can see that it is stacked against one class of people, while designed to benefit a “targeted sector”. It makes me want to say BRAVO to the welfare entrepreneur. The welfare system is designed to keep him on welfare, in fact the government managed economy of Maine is designed to keep him on welfare- definitely not part of the “targeted sector” which our legislature has selected as those that it exists to serve. Gotta kind of admire the “innovation” of our welfare entrepreneur.
What does the tax payer get in return for its investment in corporate welfare? Rhetoric of how the government is “creating jobs”. Perhaps the welfare entrepreneur is also .creating jobs – jobs for the “un-targeted sector”, that sector which our legislature is not here to serve- only to enroll in entitlement programs. If our welfare entrepreneur makes it off of welfare and his business grows and employs more people, he will still be part of the “un-targeted sector”- that sector , which is taxed but not represented by our legislature’s “economic development programs”.
Are you that chick from Glee?
god i hate that show
These people should be cut off and dumped into the labor market. There are LOTS of good jobs out there.
This girl is RIGHT ON … I’ve witnessed the same things over and over again, for over 20 years!! The first time (and I recall it specifically) was in the Farmer Jack’s store in Melvindale, MI (a small city just outside Detroit) and a 20-something girl in line ahead of me with a dirty, snot-nosed kid in the cart, was holding up the line because she was attempting to purchase non-covered items with FS – all the while digging carefully through her expensive leather purse so as not to damage her expensive salon manicured nails, and no less than three thick, expensive gold chains around her neck!! Not only that, she was in the CASH ONLY – 10 Items of Less line. And there I was, only there to pick up a few necessities of milk, juice, fruits and vegetables that I could afford because I was a full time college student (who also worked full time), living alone and paying my own rent, trying to get through the line to get home to eat, study and go to bed ~ and it has only gotten worse since then. I see that crap every time I go to a grocery store and it makes me SICK, literally sick, and you know what you fraudulent assistance abusers (as though any of you are reading this) YOU RUIN MY DAY and make me think very unpleasant thoughts about you. And for the record, there is such a thing as BAKING YOUR OWN BIRTHDAY CAKES from scratch, rather than spending your govenment assistance dollars on high priced, specialized cakes. After all, its the thought that counts, isn’t it?
For every story of abuse, there are thousands of stories of appropriate use and at least one happily-ever-after. Let me tell you of a woman who bravely left her neglectful addict husband (as well as their home and her job). With three children in tow, she moved half-way across the country. Her retired parents couldn’t care for four extra humans, so she found a two-bedroom shack to rent and worked temp jobs for minimum wage. Welfare programs often helped her family. Fast-forward 10 years. She became the manager of the IT group at a famous company. Her eldest has a graduate degree and two other children work for a small biz owner. If it weren’t for welfare, we’d all have been dead. Yes, we. The woman was my mother and I am the eldest.
I was in a super Walmart recently (a super Walmart is a combination supermarket and regular Walmart) with my wife a daughter, I work two jobs and have bills to pay and so I was buying only basic foods items and some basic necessities. In front of me a was another couple they were buying stakes and other food items that were out of my price range as well as a mini fridge, some just released video games as well, how did the pay for it all you ask, well they whipped out a Benefit card (that is the welfare card in my state). The extra kicker was in the parking lot they got into a far better vehicle than I drive or even could afford.
Oh Yeah, this is surely the way to solve welfare reform. Queen Welfare #1 and #2. I understand that people are tired of other people taking advantage of the system, but this name-calling is so unappropriate. It’s border line rasict and that’s the bottom line.It pains me that so many people agree with this article. I agree that the system shouldn’t be abused, but I guantentee you that to some, it’s a helper. How many of the people who commented and agreed with this article actually had to go without? How many of you had no support from no one, but yet had to support yourself, with hardly any money? Everyone does not go through life starting from the top. OMG THIS ARTICLE. It really does make me somewhat upset, because I know so many people who would like to refer to some people as Welfare Queen #1 and #2 and who want to call those who uses food stamps “unintelligible” are peope who I may work with. I may even go to church with you or perhaps take a class with you. This mindset is all around me. People, do not be fooled, just because the author of this article did not use this terminology alot in her essay, just the mere fact she even bothered to mention shows that it stems much deeper than what’s written down.
As a young college student I am so glad to see that there are fellow College Students (Finance Major) that realize that Welfare fraud is a serious issue. I was having a conversation with a liberal one day about this very topic and needless to say that it got ugly. Heck this liberal even tried to pull the race card and accusing me of being racist to minorities the people who are most likely to be on public assistance. I AM SICK AND TIRED of paying welfare benefits WITH MY TAX MONEY for people WHO REFUSE TO GO OUT AND TRY to find a JOB!!!!!
This is a huge problem. People don’t even see the wrongness of these programs that legally plunder and foster dependency. I am all for helping someone out, BUT it is not, nor has it ever been, the government’s place to do so. Do you think friends, family, and neighbors would help someone they know who is in need? Yes, they would. Would the accountability structure be better and much more efficient? Absolutely.
Our elected officials will not fix things, which is awful because not only are we collectively destroying our economy (which ironically would help EVERYONE, including those in need, if it were better), but we are also putting future generations in destitution because of the insurmountable debt. Our collective selfishness, weakness, and foolishness to not be able to do right is what we will forever be remembered by. We are soft, ignorant, and unprincipled. Previous generations worked hard to set us up nicely, and we are torching it. People as stupid as us deserve no forgiveness… History will judge us harshly… and correctly.
Love this article, I agree 100%. I work at a Shaws in Maine. I’ve seen everything just like you have. One thing I hate to see that you didn’t mention was how I’ll have morbidly obese customers come through and buy soda, potato chips, and little debbie snacks. Not only am I paying for him to eat junk food, I’m paying for his healthcare too. There is nothing wrong with him, he just doesn’t want to work. EBT in maine needs to only pay for healthy foods, not junk food. Its a downward spiral that hard working Mainer’s are paying for. It needs to stop.
Thank you for the article. Ignore the bigoted liberals posting inane comments because they have no real argument. Your article was well written and it is not just your state that abuses are occurring. I have personally seen it in Indiana and Texas. It is also happening in higher ed. People are going to college so they can “live” off the extra aid that is returned after they pay for tuition and books. It is sad and a direct reflection of a “me first” attitude. I just wish more democrats and liberals would look to the words of President John F. Kennedy. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. Sadly, they only want to think about themselves.
Love the article. Very well written. For those who are talking about the steaks, I think we all know she isn’t referring to the kind of person who just buys a couple of steaks with the rest of their healthy groceries. I do think that once upon a time, welfare may have been a good idea and mostly used for the right reasons, but now it should all just come to a complete stop – yank it right out from under everyone and watch them get creative and make money. Hey, it sounds “mean”, but I firmly believe that if the government wasn’t so ridiculously over-involved in EVERYTHING, people would have the money to “take care of their own”. America has become lazy and dependent – I’m not even 30 years old and it disgusts me. The work ethic here should be unparalleled, but I can rarely shop or eat anywhere without seeing (a) someone taking advantage [as this article so perfectly demonstrates], or (b) someone who obviously can’t stand his/her job. I suppose the gov’t enjoys being in control, and when you govern all the money, you maintain control. When will the people of America wake up? Democrat, Republican, Independent – who cares! Being of a particular political party will not keep one from being affected by all of the nonsense that it sweeping the Nation. I simply believe that at this point in the game (with everything being so far out of control), it’s going to take a quick, drastic change to CHANGE the US of A.
Rich Verson An incredibly disingenuous article written by someone who hasn’t been around the block…but her website URL says it well. She’s a privileged observer. She thinks she’s writing about the pratfalls of a broken welfare system, but in reality she’s passing judgement on those that she looks down upon. There are and will always be those that bend and break the rules, from the poor to hedge fund managers to politicians. Hopefully this little girls eyes will eventually understand what she sees.
I don’t think that EVERYONE should get a bad reputation for being on “welfare”! I myself was on TANF and foodstamps for a couple of years. I was in an abusive relationship and had a little girl to support. I went to new hope for women which is ALSO a support group, and had to be relocated from my town into a place where I knew no one and had minimal support from family and friends. I am now on my own living in a trailer which I purchased on my own and am now off of TANF but still recieve FS as I don’t make enough to make ends meet. So before you pass judgement on others maybe you should take a look at your own life and ask yourself if you have ever had to receive assistance from family and friends and what you would have to do if you didn’t have support from them. And furthermore, what about all the women out there that keep having these babies that they can’t afford nor take care of? I, myself had a child at a young age but am smart enough to know that I can barely support the one I have now and smart enough to wait until I am more finacially stable to have another! There are many of us on “welfare” that really need it and its too bad that a few bad apples ruin the reputation of anyone else that has no choice but to be on it to get by!!!!! NO ONE and I repeat, NO ONE is perfect! Yes, I had to hang my head and ask for assistance, and when it comes to my daughter I would do it again if need be! My child is not going to go without! AND THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME A BAD PERSON!
Does anyone really know the history of our current welfare system? It was created in the late 1940′s by our president Franklin D. Roosevelt for those who were trying to get back on their feet after the war and depression. The system he created was called “Social Security” and as evolved into the many programs we have today. He believed it to be a temporary solution to getting folks out of poverty. Talking to those who lived through that era, they were grateful to have the help because it meant food on the table. Growing up in Maine, I have seen the frustration people have with the welfare system. You all have one of the best education systems in the country, but yet people are still running to the welfare lines for assistance. The problem is the state government is not encouraging more companies to invest in the state, so you can have more than service type jobs that barely pay more than what you would make sitting at home collecting welfare. If you want true welfare reform, go to you government and protest to bring more white collar jobs to the state, so Maine’s graduates will have a job and not forced to take their skills out of state. Keeping what the state has worked so hard to educate at home will create jobs because they know what the state needs and are familiar with its people.
I don’t think that judging people based on their EBT card they use at a Walmart checkout line is fair. Although I do agree with food stamps being abused, but I think that not as many of the consumers using EBT cards have them for the reason you may think. For example in my state, the same card is used for TANF, unemployment, and disability as is used for child support. So in essence, if I came to your checkout purchasing a Slip and Slide on my EBT card, you will have already judged me and assumed that I must be abusing my government assistance. Little would your closed mind know that I do have a full time job, as well as my children receive child support on that card you so happen to frown upon. So yes, I am going to buy toys, light bulbs, birthday cakes, and anything else that my children need in their home, and you can continue to be unaware of how judgmental you really can be. Although I do agree with your general message that government assistance programs are being abused, I don’t think swiping debit cards is a very accurate or educated way of deciding for yourself what our government needs to work on.
my back hurts from taxes going to feed fat ass lazy leechers….get off yur asses already
Please explain to us, without googling, how voting republican is helping the issue. Thank you.
Fraud happens at levels of society. Cops, Catholic priests, Ted Haggard, Enron, MC Global, Bernie Madoff, Countrywide Financial. All good points raised by this young lady. It’s Interesting to me which sides and issues conservatives feel strongest about. Bank bailouts ok. Destroy the middle class ok. Risky investments that caused the housing bubble ok. Offshore millions of American jobs, ok. Some goofball bought a 10.00 lobster at Walmart which might be the same price per pound as roast beef using an EBT card well now that’s just wrong. These and thems and those people. Oldest game in the book. It’s a red herring to what is really happening to America. We are getting fleeced by big business. Look at the stock market. Look whose income has risen vs. fallen over the last four years. Yep Obama is a socialist. That’s why the top 1% incomes have risen by double digits in this “recession”. Give me a break. Wake up you idiots. Think for yourself. Look at the data and stop being prodded like cattle by some article about a woman arguing about a vacuum.
I have looked into food stamps for my family. We make too much to qualify, however if we did qualify, we would receive the equivalent of $400 to purchase our monthly groceries. In our current budget, I have $200 for food & household supplies (TP, paper towels, soap, laundry detergent, etc), and that is tight. I would love to feed my family better, but I can’t afford it. I hope that the people who do qualify for this benefit take advantage (in a good way) of the healthy foods they can afford to purchase with it.
Excellent article! I worked as a cashier and also in the customer service department at Shaw’s for over a year, and I saw it all too. People would come through my line with a whole bunch of groceries that included sugary sweets and lobsters, etc., and would be paying with a City Voucher, but would not tell me they had a voucher until the very end of the order. I would then have to go back through all of the groceries I had just rung up, that had already been bagged and placed in their cart, and pull out all of the items that they were not allowed to get with a City Voucher. I just know they were hoping that I would miss some of the items that they were not supposed to get. In that case, Shaw’s would not have been reimbursed by the City for any of the order, because we let the person buy items they should not have.
I’ve seen people buy hundreds of dollars in alcohol with cash and then buy all of their junk food with food stamps in one shopping trip. Or, what about those people that were buying bottled water with food stamps, only do dump it all out so that they could get the cash deposits from returning the bottles once they were empty? Such a waste!
I worked at a grocery store when I was fresh out of highschool also. There was this one guy that would come in and buy a 25 cent pack of gum with food stamps (back when it was paper money), so he could get 75 cents change back. He’d come in and do this multiple times throughout the day, and then on his last trip in, he’d use all the change he’d gotten back to buy a pack of cigarettes.
It all just makes me so sick! Get a job people and stop all the scheming and wasting. You are NOT entitled to welfare, so don’t act like it. And stop popping out babies just so you can get more money from the State!
I worked at a grocery store as well. I remember one woman in particular would come through my line wearing a fur coat, her hair, makeup & nails done perfectly. She would “purchase” lobster, steak, etc. and pay with food stamps, she would also stand there while I bagged $300.00 worth of groceries with her nose in the air. One day I watched out the window & saw her pull away in a Mercedes SUV. When I lost my job, I cleaned toilets for a living, not the most glamorous job but it paid the bills.
for the most part well written, I understand where you are coming from! I do agree that everyone could use a little surf and turf now and then if they save for it, and a birthday cake for the kids only comes once a year. Alcohol and tobacco product in my opinion should not be on the list of item you should be able to get through assistance. Also yes it is in a part a fault on the systems side that people stay on assistance so long, there should be a step program so people can work their way out of a hole and get back on their feet, it just doesn’t happen over night! the TRUE issue at hand is those that live off the system for years upon years that do not try to better their themselves or their situation. those that choose to just skate by and live off the system cause they are simply to lazy to get their ass off the couch and try and find a job or that just don’t want to work because they feel like living off the tax payers is the just fine.
Does there need to be a assistance reform- YES!!! so we can help those who truly need a hand in a tough time and I’m sorry to have to say it but cut the our losses with the ones that are just dead weight
I too have been in line behind people who bought questionable items with their EBT, food stamps, etc. and I was a bit miffed but you know, you can’t judge an entire system by one or two people. If you did, every corporation on this planet, every business person, every banker, every hedge fund manager, every armchair warrior, would be evil and deserving of our wrath.
I’m actually happy that so many people who ARE legitimately on assistance are writing in with their experiences because we don’t hear from these people. You’re a silent majority of people who are acting responsibly and in this economy, doing the best you can to survive what others, those I’ve listed above, have wrought.
IF this article does one thing, it’s allowed us to hear from you. You don’t wish to bring attention to yourselves because of your hard times, so you don’t often write articles describing your experiences and therefore Republicans and other judgmental folks never hear your stories. They reign supreme in their observations, never knowing the stories behind their angry assumptions, never even being able to imagine what the majority of those on assistance feel. I hope the author is reading the comments and they are proving food for thought, so to speak. I hope the raging judgmental folks are absorbing your words, your “there but for the grace of God” experiences, that hopefully they, in their temporary comfort, never have to face, but yet may.
I started out planning to write something snarky about the Republican research investigators I know who use their govt. grant welfare to attend fancy but utterly useless meeting in exotic places, and who stand around the water cooler making comments exactly like his young woman’s article . . . they certainly don’t see themselves as a problem. It’s so easy to point fingers. Contractor fraud and the welfare fraud committed as part of foreign aid packages to far from poor nations more than eats up the total any welfare king/queen/princeling mafia can consume. I agree we need to clean up the system, but not because some poor kid is getting away with a foreign made toy or some woman stuck in a system is breaking our bank over some cheap bauble made in China because we’ve exported all of our jobs there and she has no bauble factory at which to find a decent job. While this story will make the right wing salivate, they never really get hungry enough to fight the real cause of this dilemma.
Will they ever dare?
It cracks me up to see egads of people complaining about abuse of welfare for the poor but are completely fine (and support with their votes) the bloated military budget. Government contractors (especially defense contractors) at all levels – federal, state, county – often equate to white collar welfare.
I have a graduate degree and was once on unemployment for a short period of time. Although the amount I received through unemployment was nowhere near my previous salary, I am thankful that it was there as a safety net. As one poster stated, you cannot judge until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.
When you grow up, hopefully you will learn that you never have any idea about what is truly going on in someone’s home and you certainly cannot judge based on what is in their cart at Wal-Mart. Yes, it is unfortunate that certain individuals were rude to you. Perhaps all the individuals paying with their credit cards were polite, but I doubt that. Rude people are everywhere – from Wal-Mart to the halls of Congress.
Honestly I believe its is ultimately up to each individual and how they perceive it. I was raised my whole life until 17 on welfare, my mother grew up on an Indian reservation until 16 and was kicked off because she started to look a little black being my grandmother was African American…so she never receive formal education but she studied books and within a year of leaving the reservation she received her GED but could not find work, she worked cleaning houses u til she was to sick to work and when i was six she passed. My sister was 19 and continued the benefits because she couldn’t find a job and didn’t want to be judged because she was in special education….well when I turned 17 I was the first to not only obtain my high school diploma but attend college but it wasn’t long before I realised I could barely afford to eat so i didn’t enroll in foodstamps I went to the military…I paid the cost and didn’t tours all over the world to include being an Iraq vet…now I am paid monthly to go to school because of my scholarship that I am ENTITLED to yet many of my fellow peers are very resentful that I don’t have to work while in college and that my tuition and books are paid 100%. I try not to judge people and yes I do have those same judgements when i glance at some of these peoples carts but at the end of the day I try to worry about what the hell i feed my family and not what everyone else is doing…I’ve learned first hand focusing on your own problems and not others will help you achieve more and now I am about to graduate in the summer of next month with an associate….people dont know once i got an honorable discharge last year I got pregnant a month later and continued on campus, had my kid and never took a break….yet I was one of those babies feed off junk food from the food stamps and Wic lived in poverty and should have never been anything…people have a choice and i choose to do better cause even though my mom couldn’t she was trying to save all her social security checks to put my in private school….its not the situation sometimes its just the people, never judge a book but its cover…God bless all of y’all and know that focusing on your self takes you places but focusing on others will drag you down with them….OIF Vet…respectfully
It is a crying shame that I can not get approved for a Link card because I am white. Yes, I said it, I AM WHITE. I’ve been at Whole Foods where I’ve seen a couple my parents ages with diamond rings and Louie Vuitton purses pay for their steak and lobster with a Link card, yet I fed my 3 kids white rice for dinner last night because the case worker from the Link card office refuses to call me back. It isn’t fair! I sent in an application back in Sept which was refused with out anyone letting me know. I had to send in another application in Nov which I haven’t heard a thing about yet.
I don’t get how so many people get approved for these cards but I am having such a hard time. My poor kids are the ones who are suffering. Its going to be a really thin Christmas around here thanks to the “system”.
Go Government!!
Nicely written. I was behind some woman in a grocery store. The food she had on the belt, was a dream to me. Sure enough she paid with food stamps, and sure enough right there in her wallet was an American Express card, and several other credit cards. She walked out of the store and got into a very nice, very new car and drove away. Must be nice.
This article has a lot of good points. But it is really sad and distasteful that you couldn’t find it within you to write it without name calling and seeming really judge mental. Everyone has passionate feelings about this subject. You made yourself look like a mouthy young snob. If you really want to get the point across to a larger crowd write it with more professionalism. Walmart queen met with the welfare queen. Congrats!
Excellent article. Well written, very informative. Seeing these programs being abused hurts those who really do need it… As a hardworking, proud taxpayer, it frustrates me not to see our money liberally distributed. Remember that 51% of the US voters are not income tax payers, so, sadly, I do not see a reform happening anytime soon.
You said you saw a welfare card signed by Michael Dukakis in 1991. After 1991, Massachusetts had 4 republican governors in a row (including Romney). Why didn’t voting republican fix the problems you claim to see? Why can no one answer this?
Those saying they vote Republican because of people abusing food stamps are missing the bigger picture. I do not like the idea of a mom buying a cake and candy with her food card, but what about banks getting bailed out. What about corporations outsourcing all of our jobs overseas, and now people cannot even find employment at Walmart. There are people out there looking for work for two plus years now, and they cannot find a job. Just because you are rich and can afford to buy the steak does not mean you were not a recipient of welfare of some kind. Your parents could be rich, and then you are a freeloading kid buying what you want with your parents money. That is deemed okay in our culture because it is the family’s money, right? Our economy went down the tubes in the Bush years, and the Republcians elected to office in 2010 are failing to create a plentiful amount of jobs for Americans. Saying that unemployment is not a problem is simply not true anymore. This cashier sees one end of the freeloading mentality, but what about those getting tax cuts who are doing nothing to enrich our country. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.
“a) People ignoring me on their iPhones while the state paid for their food. (For those of you keeping score at home, an iPhone is at least $200, and requires a data package of at least $25 a month. If a person can spend $25+ a month so they can watch YouTube 24/7, I don’t see why they can’t spend that money on food.)”
In many states (I don’t know for sure that Maine is one of them) foster parents get food stamps for the children they are caring for. This isn’t income based, it’s to reimburse the families for caring for children who are wards of the state. So it’s entirely possible that the person on the iPhone has an income above the poverty line but is still using food stamps to pay for food.
“c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.” Prepared food (the cake) doesn’t qualify under the food stamps law. If it did ring through, Walmart is at fault. Second, lobster is cheaper pound for pound than hamburger and finally, people often save their food stamps for special occasions.
a few years ago i lost a very good paying job and ended up on unemployment. i tried to apply for food stamps or maine care and was denied because i made about $100 more than they would allow. i struggled and it wasnt easy, i had to file bankrupcy and lost my home, but i did find a job paying $7.50 per hour, still making too much for state help. i now have a better job and no need for state help, but the state has no problem taking money out of my hard earned paycheck to help other people that work to stay below the income level allowed to maintain their state aid.
This is fabulous. My only thing, you can buy an iPhone for like $19 if it’s refurbished. That’s what I had to do because I am a full-time, working mommy of 3 and really wanted one! And I am from Maine, but have never collected Welfare, go figure!
Great post, I will be re-posting!
I think that there are ppl that over use the system,however..one minuite ppl are bitchi** about there not being enough jobs and then the other hand ppl are bitchi** about ppl being on welfare!!What is the issue?!!It sounds to me that you are bored and needed something to complain about and god for bid you get struck and end up on welfare in some way shape or form!!I hope you do!!Get a life and STOP starting arguments where there does not need to b one..better yet honestly,giving your name and the location of where you work could put you in danger..might quit running off at tha mouth!!!!
Thank you Christine. Excellent article.
You can’t blame the recipients, it’s the whole system. I’ve been there. I became pregnant, relationship failed, and I was faced with raising a child alone with no means of support. I applied and received Section 8 housing which paid all my rent, got a utility check to cover my electricity, TANF (AFDC back then), free medical, and enough food stamps to feed an army. I was a stay at home mom and I had it made. I went back to work when my child was 2 to try and “better” myself and all I can say is hindsight is 20/20. I barely had enough to buy a can of chicken noodle soup after all my bills were paid because “I didn’t qualify anymore because I made too much”. Yes, people do abuse it, but try and make it alone on a low-paying job with no hope in sight. Very depressing.
Having worked at Walmart for four years (most of those years as a cashier) I understand some of the frustration the author of this article is feeling. I used to get frustrated too when I would see people buying carts full of merchandise with foodstamps. I think the author is being too critical though and too judgmental. She doesn’t know the whole story. She doesn’t know how little a person on foodstamps or TANF actually receives. It’s not nearly enough to stretch a whole month. It was not designed to entirely meet a person’s needs. Food stamps are actually figured on a starvation diet. If a person wants to waste all of their money on a giant cake or steaks they’re going to end up paying for it at the end of the month by not having enough to get by on. It’s their choice! It doesn’t do any good to allow yourself to become bitter because the non-worker seems to have it easier than the worker (making little lore than minimum wage does). At least you still have your dignity. Oftentimes those on public assistance lose their dignity. The question becomes “What price will you pay for your dignity?” Don’t envy the welfare reciever. Be thankful for the good health that you have been given, and the job you have been blessed with. Often those on public assistance have weight issues because of the types of food they buy. Those who do try to stretch it out for a month often resort to cheap starchy foods to get by on. Plus they often lack the energy or motivation to get up in the morning and face the day. Is that really something to envy? As far as the job of cashiering being “toilsome” I did not find it that way. I think it’s all in perspective and how a person looks at it. I try to focus on what I have and what God has blessed me with verses what others have or are receiving. A person could become very bitter if they focused on others all the time. It’s better to let it go, or at least be accurate and fair in the things you are accusing others of. There’s always two sides to every story, and everyone has a story to tell. If we don’t know someone else’s story it’s really hard to accurately judge them.
I don’t think that she is in the wrong for any reason. I agree with every single thing you said! I have experienced first hand the abuse and fraud of the welfare system. I have seen a fair share of abuse- multiple cards being used for one transaction, using the “cash” to purchase tobacco or alcohol, kids using mom/dad’s card to buy candy, buying $200 worth of candy/soda/junk, and spending more than whats on their EBT and getting mad at me. That has nothing to do with me, you should be responsible enough to keep track. To all of you haters who think that she is “judging” you, get a grip. If you have a serious need for welfare assistance, then it is what it is. But what you do not understand is that people abuse it because its clearly easy to, because its easy to not work and mooch off of hardworking people and the government. Why is it me and every other hardworking person’s job to provide for you? If you can’t pay for a bday cake out of pocket, then you shouldn’t buy it! Welfare isn’t a gift. Mooching can’t make people feel very good, am I right? Guilty conscience anyone? All of you who say that she should take a walk in your shoes, that’s not the point, its not about compassion, its about cheating/mooching and not feeling uneasy about it. I would back her up to the end. Well written article.
This miffs me on several levels. I have lived with a disability for 16 years, and was denied social security disability despite the massive amounts of medical records my doctors produced. Even though the administrative judge who ruled against me was later found to make biased rulings, it is too late for me to access the social security benefits for which I qualified because I worked. I use every skill and credential I have to work when I can. When I am out of remission, I’m on my own — no handouts for me! It disturbs me for able-bodied men and women to shirk their responsibilities to themselves and their children to depend, year after year, on others to sustain themselves and their habits. I was born poor, but my parents did the best they could for me, which included getting me to school and making sure I did my best, teaching me to be responsible, and even with compassion, knowing when it’s better to teach someone to fish rather than give them a fish to feed them just for a day.
People who continue to make excuses for folks who are able to do for themselves and choose not to, are not their friends but are among the instruments that keep them in the bowels of poverty. Being poor may be a condition of life at the moment, but it does not have to be a mindset of dependency. With all that said, I don’t think either party — Republican or Democratic has the answers to get our country out of this mess — they are both caught up in their own selfish motives.
Congratulations to everyone who knows someone who has used welfare properly. There are always three sides to any story. The fact is, there will always be people who truly NEED help. We do not NEED the government to collect our money, and give it out as they see fit (through their programs which can obviously be easily taken advantage of). This only promotes dependency and laziness. Taking away government welfare does not mean NOT HELPING PEOPLE. It simply puts the money back into the PEOPLE’S hands so that we can help those who NEED it even more. There are plenty of organized missions, charities, etc; those who NEED help would not go without. Taking the money BACK from the government will cut HUGE WASTE, and thus more money to help our communities and again, those who NEED it. Don’t forget that we the PEOPLE elected a government – it is not THEIR money – it is OUR money. Have you become so dependent on a government to tell you what to do that you no longer think you have any say over your hard earned dollars (speaking to those who earn their dollars)? I’m all about HELPING – in fact, I do a LOT of helping and charity work… but I too have seen these fraudulent welfare users in action too many times!
Im glad someone took the time to do this. I was a cashier at hannaford for 4 1/2 years and saw almost the exact thing. As to the point about lobster, I do believe it’s not right for people to buy them on food stamps because: Hard working people can not afford lobster up here. Maine is famous for lobster, but the everyday hard working people can not afford the indulgence of fresh seafood, the people we carry shouldn’t have it either. I’m not saying that they are beneath the working class, be cause I don’t have a job anymore. But when I quit, I didn’t run to the state. However, my brother, a college student, his wife a college student, and three jobs between the two of them, couldn’t afford food because of the student loans they were paying off, applied for food stamps for help, and were denied. However, the women living in free government housing wearing REAL coach shoes and baby phat coats, are buying $400 worth of junk food for their already obiese 6 year olds
So 5 years ago I would have agreed with this article 110%, like a lot of you. Flash forward to now, I am a SAHM of 2 children (I have a 2 and a half year old and a 1 and a half year old) My husband works his ass off everyday, he goes to work by 6am does not come home until 5pm AND THAN goes to school from 630pm till 11pm. He is a contractor and makes pretty good money. I am a college educated woman who lost her job 2 years ago. We are on food stamps from our state, no TANF, just food stamps. And I do use my government money to buy steak, ice cream, and other treats that I want to get for my children or myself. In saying that I buy healthy foods as well, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. I have never bought a birthday cake, BUT I did buy some pies at Thanksgiving. I am not a “welfare queen”, I use coupons and my grocery card for all purchases and I also know how to spend only 30 dollars for 200 dollars worth of groceries. At the end of the month if I have extra that is when I buy treats for my family. I am hoping that when my son starts preschool in February I can go back to work because it will cut my childcare cost in half. These are hard times for families like mine, we tried to do it by ourselves, but by the end of the week we would have MAYBE 40 dollars extra in our bank account. So before anyone judges take a walk in some one else’s shoes for a second. I know there are people that abuse the system (I see it every time I go to the social service office) but there are families like mine that just need an extra something to make it through the month. Things are VERY expensive in this country, we are not like other countries that have free health care, or help pay for education. Also some countries help their citizens with childcare, let me tell you this IF that were the case in America there would be less on welfare and more people out working adding to the economy. Especially with my situation, with my 2 children in daycare we would be spending $450 dollars a WEEK!
So once again, put yourselves in my shoes. I do not plan on staying on state aide forever, and I know my husband does not like it either, but we have to do what we have to do for our family. Please do not lump all food stamp recipients together in one group, not all of us want to be on the system all our lives. Get over yourselves grow some compassion for the people that really need the help, be humble that you can afford what you have but my family is struggling. Instead of giving me and my children dirty looks in the grocery line think of what I may have gone through that day. And ONCE you do all that come back and let me know if you feel the same.
It’s sad people abuse the system like this. People who need the assistance can’t get it here in my state. There is so much abuse of the welfare system here in Mississippi, i.e. people applying under two or three different identities while driving Cadillac Escalades.
I’m a Democrate to the core and like most Democrats we think this is wrong. If I can work full time and go to school full time then welfare recipients should be able to at least do half of what i can do. I understand that people need a helping hand and people get into tough and stressful situations sometimes. I agree with helping someone out but supporting them completly is unacceptable. Because I sometimes did not have enough money to support myself while working full time and going to school full time I sometimes went hungry. But, I never ever considered filng for food stamps or any sort of government assistance because I have to much pride and respect for myself. Something that we notice about most of these welfare recipients is that they are so fat, and they weigh 100 pounds or more over their proper weight.
Please send this to the folks who run the Welfare system. I worked as a cashier at a grocery store for five years part-time, and the abuse was rampant. It was one of my three jobs; some of the people coming in through the line know how to work the s ystem so they don’t have to work. I way unless one is disabled or taking care of infants, work or starve. Sorry, I’m cynical.
I had to get welfare on several ocassions in my life. Only to make it through the tough times. I throughly appreciate this system when IT IS NESCESSARY. But when you get these people who want to sit on their duffs eating fattening foods, gaining that weight; taking advantage of the system; and just plain old making excuses to not work. SHAME ON YOU! If the shoe was on the other foot. Who would be complaining then!
wow, i hope that you never have to walk a mile in the shoes of the people that you cast judgement upon. congratulations on working at WalMart while in school. Are you paying for your entire education? are your parents? Or do you receive ANY assistance (grants, loans, scholarships)? those assistance programs for your college education are exactly the same as the public assistance food programs you’re trashing on. in your lengthy 20-something years, surely you’ve seen it all and know it all, so you know exactly what you’ll do to avoid being such a piece of trash as you describe.
good luck to you when you graduate college with the republicans you vote for. good luck finding a job in this economy. i hope your parents are ready to support your judgemental self for a while to come.
PeopIe can have an iPhone, but NOT have a Data Plan on it. I have such a phone.
I have to agree that many people abuse these programs. I worked at the dollar store and Easter was the worst. I had a lady buy 300 Dollars in easter candy on ebt. I do think the programs should be more observed by those instituting them. But I do see people completely knocking these programs, which I believe is wrong. Our country would be a lot worse off if these programs didnt offer services to the people who really need them. I’m not afraid to say that I do receive ebt benefits and wic. I don’t see problems with me getting them because I work 40-50 hours a week, and take on a full time, 18 credit hour college schedule. I have been employed since before I graduated high school almost 4 years ago, and my longest unemployment period was three days. I work for everything I have, and after bills and gas for work, I do well to have 10 dollars extra at the end of the week, which I usually try to put back in case of emergency or for my one year old. I am a single mother of a beautiful one year old boy, and without these programs we would starve. I buy what we need and that’s it and still feel ashamed when I checkout in a line at a store, I usually use a self checkout to avoid it. I plan on getting off these programs as soon as I get a better job that can pay for everything. I’m an example of someone who doesn’t abuse, but needs these programs. I agree with you but to those who are completely knocking these programs, for some of us, it’s not an option.
To demonize the writer for someone elses bad behavior shows a lack of understanding to the problem outlined. To those who would ‘lay guilt’ on the writer….take a look at the point she’s making! I’m so tired of the guilt those of us who don’t agree with stealing get lambasted with for speaking the truth. Enough already. Nothing will ever change with that mindset! And at some point taxpayers money will no longer be an option! Take a look at Greece!
I thought it was unfair about the guy who owned a hotdog business that the state is paying for his business. My family owns a business, and we make just enough money to not be on the welfare. We’re a poor family, but there’s only 2 differences. 1) we’re not on welfare. 2) we WORK. I’m so sick and tired of moochers and lazy people. That’s why I’m a Republican. We need a serious change in welfare.
Oh, I didn’t pay $200 for my iPhone either, I purchased it used. I am not on welfare, just frugal.
I’m on state aid and don’t like it. The state says I can’t work because my husband’s medical problems. I have asked the state many times if there was any way I can go back to work and they tell me no. If I do we would have to pay for all of my husband’s and kids medical bills. There is no way we can do that. I have told them to keep my medical and the food stamps but they still won’t. The only way around it is too get a divorce and we don’t want to have to do to that. I worked hard as a lna and don’t like being on state but when it is the only thing you can do without breaking up your family what can you do? We don’t buy crap with our stamps either. We buy store named things and the cheapest of everything. There is room for reform. First of all I want to work let me work. and drug test the people and check the local bars when people get cash on the days they do. Bet you find lots of them there!
Okay I have sat here for almost an hour reading these comments….First of all, being judgemental is two sided…Do you know how many people look at me behind a counter as a cashier and think…Loser?!?! No, by all means, I am NOT a loser! I am supporting a family! I make way under the cost of living and yet I still dont qualify for any assistant programs! I think the point she was trying to get across to you black and white area people totally flew over your damn ignorant heads! She clearly stated the gray area and every single one of you over looked it! All you saw was STEAK!! Working in the public I can honestly see where she is coming from. Why should these abusers on the system get steak and lobster??? I cant afford it!! I work fulltime and I havent had a steak in years and please believe Ive never even had lobster! I see MANY people abusing our assistance programs and it makes me sick! When I pick up my paycheck on payday it really saddens me. I get over $100 taken out every pay period to pay for other people to have these “luxuries” which she has clearly pointed out. Dont get me wrong, I know there are many people out there who need and dont abuse such programs, like she said, but as for me, working in the public for as many years as I have, you can clearly point out the users! Just so you are aware, yes I have been on the system, yes I had received food stamps, but that was all I got. I didnt get any cash assistance. Therefore, I always worked to make my ends meet at the end of the month. Not to mention, what I did receive in foodstamps was only to help…It didnt get me through a whole month. Which brings me to my next ordeal. Me and my husband made $50 over the limit to receive food stamps which meant we were buying food with our earned money. We lived off of rice! Me, my husband and two kids….RICE!! The last two weeks of every month…RICE! I didnt splurge on expensive items or waste my money…It was hard times! I had to keep a roof over our head, my utility bill paid, gas in our vehicles, necessities stocked and food on our table by any means possible. Even if it meant we would barely have anything to eat…. So before you all jump to judging her…. Be thankful that someone of her age is seeing things for as they are now and hope that there are plenty more where she came from. You all may not believe this but all of these great programs and assistance and housing is all going to come to an end. Watch and see….If anyone reads this, when it does happen…Your gonna say…That chick was right! Look a little further into our government and whats REALLY going on. It wont be long before all that help that these people who live off of it get….Will be gone. Our country is going down hill…I am not Republican or Democrat….Im a Realist…. One day your monthly payments of free cash and free food will be gone so get off your ass and make something of yourselves. If you depend on the government then you are too too foolish… Remember where their paychecks come from…Us hard working citizens…
Take a look at Greece? How about taking a look at Switzerland.
She obviously doesn’t have much empathy. People will take advantage of systems. It’s the government job to make sure abuse is limited, but companies like Walmart encourage this type of behavior in their policies and in their lobbying. The subsidize their workers pay and their customer’s payment through government support. Can’t touch on that subject though, that would be against businesses! One sided poorly thought out argument that blames the poor and uneducated and doesn’t fully explore the issue at hand? “That’s why she votes republican.”
It’s sad how these corporate entities are being catered to by the republicans, while they are taking money from the system through welfare capital anyway. Republicans want to “create more jobs”, but what use is that if society doesn’t have enough money to fill the demand necessary to sustain those jobs? Welfare does stimulate demand, but how it does so needs to be more tightly controlled. That is not an urgent issue for politicians to address. Republicans want to take more money out of the middle-class, which will probably drive more people to reap the benefits of welfare.
I live in Maine. I’m 8 months pregnant, and I have a three year old son. I work full time and yet I still qualify for state-aid. The health insurance at my work costs over $200 a week, which is just about as much as I make after taxes. Without Mainecare, my son and I would not have any health care at all. After I pay for rent, hot water, heat, electricity and gas for my car (to get to and from work) I only have about $100 left per month for expenses. We receive about $70 per month in food stamps and WIC as well. I DO NOT use my food stamps to buy steak, in fact I try to stretch my food stamp dollars as much as possible by using coupons, buying in bulk and making food from scratch. We almost never throw food away. It makes me extremely angry when others abuse their benefits and when people make assumptions that ALL welfare recipients MUST be lazy, non-working, unintelligent mooches. I work hard and I love my kids. Which is why I do everything in my power to make sure that they have the food and health care that they need. I hope, someday soon I will find a better job, which will pay me enough so I do not have to claim state benefits, but until then, I will do what I must.
NO you don’t get to buy steak and lobster on effing government assistance. NO, NO, NO YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED!!!! The mother buying the cake for her dying daughter being the exception to the rule… That’s very touching. But I am so sorry, I worked my @SS off in school, used credit cards and student loans, worked full time, and drove around the same old crappy truck with rear wheel drive in Michigan winters for over a decade. Even when I graduated from school, I worked my old job during the day and my new job at night. Yes, 40 hours during the day and 36 at night. I got my bills paid off, ate CHEAP boxed and canned foods, and when my debt was paid off, I quit my day job and was finally able to work the job for which I went to school. I HAVE been in the home where the food stamps were used for a short period of time while my parents got on their feet after moving to a safer area than Detroit to raise their children. My dad gave my mom $20/week to buy groceries and SHE MADE IT WORK. Did we eat a lot of hot dogs and spaghetti with no meat in the sauce? HELL YES. WE ATE. Three kids. Oh, and my mom went to school after we were all of school age, got her phlebotomy certificate, and worked a job at the hospital AND the local lab drawing blood.
For those who have the special needs children, for the truly disabled, for those who have TRUE need, the system is a beautiful thing. This article isn’t meant to insult ALL people on assistance, rather shed light on examples of those who take utter advantage… but for some reason, the ones on assistance come out quickly to defend themselves and everyone else. You have no need to defend yourself if you TRULY need the assistance. So relax and quit taking offense, for the love of God. I have to laugh myself silly because I grew up down the road from Leroy Fick, the Bridge Card Millionaire. Oh yes, he was on welfare for MANY years. A vietnam vet, God bless him, who maybe needed the assistance. He used to shoot his guns in random directions, drunk, lost his license for multiple DUIs, would get around town on his bicycle… Still managed to buy his lotto tickets… Guess what – HE WON! 1.2 million dollars, which worked out to…oh, how did he say it… “Only just over 800,000 dollars after the government took theirs.” He continued to use his bridge card (EBT) because he felt it was “owed” to him after all the taxes they took out of his lottery winnings. WTF?!?!? SERIOUSLY, Leroy??? How did he get away with it, might you ask? The money was not considered income. Look it up – google “Leroy Fick”… You will want to slap the sh!t out of the man once you see his smug face. B@stard.
Hey here’s another fun fact… Just because someone votes republican (I did not last time, I voted democrat all the way) does not make them rich, horrible people. There are many other reasons to vote republican than monetary. I don’t know what I will vote next time around. I have never been impressed either way, but if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to bitch about the outcome. You didn’t even make the attempt to get who you wanted in charge.
Long story longer, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Remember the old saying, “Opinions are like @ssholes… Everyone’s got one, and most of them stink.”
I did not have time to read all of the comments, but I read a lot of them. Here is my response.
1. This is well written and it addresses a HUGE problem that needs to be fixed.
2. One huge fix would be reforming welfare so that it rewards effort and punishes sloth. Currently, if you get a job while on welfare, it is likely to REDUCE your standard of living by taking more from your “benefits” package than you earn. Reverse that so that working is beneficial and many would work to improve their situation and the cost of welfare would go down at the same time.
3. Mandatory random drug screening should also b the case as it is unthinkable and wrong that our tax dollars should go to provide drugs to junkies.
4. To the woman who said that she was thankful to be able to provide gifts and a cake to her son. You were abusing the system. Welfare should NEVER pay for more than BASIC NEEDS. Now, do not think that this is heartless or greedy. I give more to charity each year than most people earn in a year. I participate in gift programs for the needy regularly. There are a couple of major differences, though. Charity is voluntary. Welfare is the unconstitutional theft from one citizen to give to another. Also, children are watching. What do children learn from this behavior? That the government is the place to get gifts for your kids. That taxpayers are on the hook not only for necessities, but for wants. This is part of where generational welfare comes from.
5. Finally, to all of those who do not see the problem with food stamps paying for things such as filet mignon and lobster, I can help. Get a lipstick, go into your bathroom and up to your sink. Look in the mirror, and take the lipstick and circle your reflection. YOU ARE NOW LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM! It is the mentality that anything goes when spending OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY that is expanding the fraud and abuse of the system.
One thing I will say is, I think some people need to learn to get their introvert on a bit more. I have never looked at what other people are buying at the store, or how they pay for it. Why would you do that? Why would you watch someone walk out of the store and look at what type of car they are getting in. Maybe I am just worried about tripping if I am looking at what other people are doing, but mostly I would rather just look at what is in my cart, and make sure I got everything on my list. Also, I do not drive and I am a pedestrian who walks to and from the store. Sometimes I think people need to get out and exercise more, and maybe drive around less. I guess that is something I notice about people. If you are too worried about what other people are buy and how they are paying for it, maybe you need a hobby or something.
Pay no attention to any negative remarks. They are self servicing or did not read the article correctly. Your article is excellent and so true. We have the same problem in North Carolina. Here there are many people who have been on welfare their whole lives and are teaching their children the same. Entitlement is their favorite word. Earning is a much better word.
“Remember where their paychecks come from…Us hard working citizens…”
And none work harder than the middle/lower class democrats. Whom the writer is blaming.
The fact of the matter is simply this…..the system NEEDS reform. Period. There are many who need more, and plenty that abuse the system. Many have valid personal exceptions to the article. Despite some personal opinions in the article, the young lady is correct….the welfare program and many others need to be reformed. There are MANY career abusers and multi-generational dependents. Lets make sure that the people that REALLY need it, get everything they need.
Absolutely brilliant Christine. Blessings on your studies and career.
I personally have no problem with these people starving to death. let their bodies pile up from starvation if they can’t afford food. At least then we’d see more jobs for cemetery workers and more food available for those who work for it.
Though I am a Democrat I can agree with some of the points you made in your article, but not all of them. Being that I am a college student as well working two jobs and going to school I personally am on Food stamps. The amount of time I spend in school does not give me adequate time to be working and making money and food stamps helps me out a lot.- and yes I have bought a birthday cake for my father with my food stamps. I do not see the problem with it considering I can barely pay for food and a birthday cake is food.
I am going to school for Social Work I do not abuse the system and I am not a welfare queen. I understand that there needs to be some reform to the system but some of those people you so quickly judged could have a disease, a mental illness, or something of that nature that you know nothing about. Don’t be so quick to judge unless you’ve lived in their shoes or know their back story. Considering you’re in college you must have some sort of financial aid no? And if not your parents must be paying for it-therefor you must know nothing about what it’s like to grow up poor. Don’t be so quick to judge.
I am just wondering…. were you brought up a rich spoiled child? Because, the simple fact of the matter is that children are impacted by living in poverty… and your judgmental article is written with snob-pride. You may have been working at Walmart one summer… but was mommy and daddy paying for your car payment…gas…college tuition? People need help. You need a clue. FYI- you can get in lots of trouble discriminating against people that are on Food Stamps. Good Luck with that, and I really hope that you have to be on food stamps some day…. because like a few others have said before, to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes may change your perception. I really think before writing such a judgmental article, you should have maybe done your research in a place other that Walmart. Maybe calling the DHHS office, and speaking to some of the people that see these desolate people.
It doesnt help eaither when religious groups brining people from overseas to maine and enroll them in such programs just to become their religion and “save” them…to be honest they should stay where they are from because its just pure robery from those who really need it. There are tons of ppl who have multiple cars, tattoos, big screen tvs and luxuries that NO person on assistance should get. I get assistance and we live w/ one car and work three jobs, dont drink or smoke and it seems ppl who are “lesser off” have so much more than us. ITS RIDICULOUS!!!
This is what the Democrats want; total dependence on government to keep them in power. This is what Obama want; total dependence on government to keep him in power and someday abrogating the 22nd Amendment and rewrite the Constitution so that he can become King. Thousands and thousands of woman in ghettos all over the country are now making babies on the streets for welfare and aid to dependent children which allows them to collect over $100,000 a year and the Democrats like it. They are all votes or future votes for Democrats.
Thank you Melissa E. For stating it so clearly. Articles like this and attitudes of cashiers who wrote this is what makes it humiliating to go in and use food stamps or wic. I am 31 years old and from 15-29 always had a job. But unfortunately after having my daughter my job was unable to hire me back. Did i see it coming does unemployment even begin to cover the costs asssociated with babies? No so yes I did get foodstamps and wic which helped tremendously. Have I ever bought a steak yes weekly no should I be called a welfare queen for it. I would hope not. I make sure my family is fed. I take no handouts other then help with food and its people like this author who makes it hard on others. Those rolling of the eyes you make when cashing me out does not go unnoticed. Spend a day in my shoes. Did I see myself needing the help no but then again I didnt see myself out of a Job with a newborn baby either.
I have been on foodstamps now for almost a year due to the loss of my job! I have a 1yr old and a husand who works but in the winter his hours get cut so bad we can barely pay our bills! Now i agree with some of what is said but the comment about the iphone is WAY WAY OFF! i have a iphone that cost me.01 yup one penny so it makes me wonder do cashiers look at me and my iphone and assume im abusing the state because can afford an iphone? sad that people are so quick to think they know someones sitution by looking at the type of phone they have!!
@June Huxie I do not see any negative remarks on this article. People are allowed to disagree with the writer, that is the point of discourse. They read the article, but they do not agree with some of the writer’s and commentators’ views.
Wow… “Infuriated” (way to use your real name while threatening the writer, oh brave one!)… feeling a tad bit guilty? If you were on welfare and using it properly, you surely wouldn’t be upset about this article. She said several times throughout her article that she believes in the proper use of welfare. She is speaking against rude and lazy welfare users. Perhaps you are offended because this is you? You may want to be careful threatening people. Law enforcement can trace it back to you. Here is something to remember: “Better to be thought of as ignorant than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
Good for you for writing what is becoming America’s biggest problem. For those who are overlooking what this brilliant young lady is talking about…..she is talking about people who take advatange of the system! I too was on welfare, BUT only long enough to get on my feet. This is what this young lady is saying the whole PURPOSE of welfare is for. It’s not for free loaders. I have seen what she’s talking about and let me tell you that people that she’s talking about are free loaders and very lazy. They don’t understand the concept of working for the things that you need or want. Good for this young lady to write the truth. And if her story affends you….then it must be hitting some kind of nerve to be true. Only people who are going to be negitive about the truth that she is simply pointing out are the guilty! BTW if you get any kind of assistance from the state, it is welfare!
Bravo, girl. I have seen it all way too much as well… we shop at what we call “ghetto walmart” because it’s the only super store around. I hate shopping there because every time we do, there are tons of people buying total JUNK with their government money (among so many other disgusting behaviors I see every time I go there).
I am 41, have been married 21 years… no spring chicken with “no real life experience” here. I have worked 60 hours/week and my husband has worked 50 hours/week to support our family of 4. We can never afford to buy lobster & steak on our incomes but somehow people with no job can buy total JUNK food and these luxury food items with our tax dollars. I do understand that some are legit for people in truly hard life circumstances. If they use the programs to actually buy FOOD (not garbage), for their families, like the rest of us have to do with our HARD EARNED money… the ones who scam even more to buy alcohol & cigarettes are disgusting, sorry but it’s true. Something is really wrong in this country when hard working CITIZENS get the shaft while so many lazy people scam the system like this.
I understand there are times people genuinely need help, temporarily, to get on their feet, while they are looking for a new job, to get through a rough patch when things happen like a lousy spouse/significant other leaves and you are stuck with the bills & you need help to feed your family (with actual FOOD). But those situations should be TEMPORARY… with every intention to get back to work like everyone else… but to just sit back & let the checks roll in without trying to better their own situation with the same determination as most of us do in this country, is just plain criminal. Personally, I’m sick of giving my hard earned money to people who dishonor our country’s freedoms in this way. You are NOT ENTITLED to my money.
As a WIC and EBT recipient family, I greatly value the assistance that has come available and it has been invaluable to put GOOD and DECENT food on our table. I do admit that we have purchased the garbage food but not porterhouses, lobsters, or giant birthday cakes. That just means less money for the other necessities that go a longer way such as rice, potatoes, and the lesser expensive meats such as roasts and poultry that are a good meal and a few lunches. We budget our food assistance (we don’t get cash because my husband does make too much for that) like we budget our paycheck and try to make it stretch for at least two of the four weeks in a month. Our aid is just $241, probably about 1/2 of our outgo in food feeding a family of five. WIC, I didn’t think, could really be negotiated. You get what’s on there, period. I’m just not smart enough, or maybe too lazy, to cheat the system. I do believe though that it does need an overhaul and it hasn’t been addressed because I’m sure it’s a rather daunting task and quite challenging. Maybe at the grassroots level or at least state by state to start. In this instance, I do believe that more government is better and they need to be trained also as “consultants” and “counselors” so they can help families get off of the program and look at each family on a case by case basis because each family situation is different. We’re not poverty level poor but we do need assistance every month to put more healthy ingredients in our cupboard. All the bad food is CHEAP and a root to our health problems and gluttony in our nation and we would like the opportunity to plead our case. My husband is a journeyman electrician, subject to the ebb and flow of construction industry and his company tries very hard to keep him working but that isn’t possible 2080 hours a year. The other caveat is that he doesn’t make journeyman wages…the small company also can’t afford it. The other question is if my husband were to lose his job, what would the govenment (the TAXPAYER) want him to do? Stay on unemployment and get food assistance? Go to work doing the job he started out doing in high school at the grocery store or McDonald’s? We would still need food assistance and then cash because at that point we wouldn’t be able to pay our rent let alone put GOOD food on the table. We’re supposed to be able to improve our jobs and careers as we get older, not go backwards. And then what about me? I stay and home and raise our children to be producers and contributors to society. Oh I CAN work, I have a four-year degree from an accredited university, and worked up until I had my first child. But is the government (TAXPAYER) going to force me to go to work? Who is going to raise my children? The government aka as the public school system? I think not. They can’t handle themselves let alone give my children a decent education or protect them from the angst, drama, illegality, out there perpetuated by the media. Socialism isn’t the answer though but I do feel that all the assistance programs need to work as one…maybe becoming one? Lots of question…virtually no solutions!
There are some great truths in this article. And I’m a dem, generally speaking.
I think if repub candidates weren’t such a religious, socially backwards bunch, I’d be inclined to vote for one, simply because of the story above.
You are an ignorant and judgmental person. People like you make me sick. First, if you had to live such an desperate like – you would drink from time to time to ease your worries too. And mabe he has been on welfare your whole life but perhaps he is mentally handicapped or has MS, or a disabled war vet. YOU DON’T KNOW !!!! You disgust me , I want to vomit just to think that you wrote something like this article of stupidity !!!! I could go on and on and on about different parts of your article but the point is the same. YOU ARE AN IDIOT .
I would agree and totally disagree with alot of statements made in this article. I would also tell this “little” girl to live alittle more, or do a bit more growing up before making such concrete assumptions!!! People pick and choose how to spend their money or in this case FS/cash benefits…whatever. I bet this little cuttie who wrote the article smokes??? Does the cashier make underminding comments to her or think rude thought??? Maybe she will find herself in some trouble because she trusted the wrong “frat” guy up there in college and gets prego…OOOPPS! Didnt see that coming and might find herslef getting an unexpected abortion so mommy and daddy dont find out… or maybe she will end up getting WIC… point being you never…NEVER! know where life is going to take you. Just because your on top this year doesnt mean next year will be the same! People need to be alittle less judgemental, mind their business and just be happy with what they have at the moment! Because thats all we are guarenteed is the moment…and not even that honestly! She must think that because she works at Wally World that she is more deserving of a steak…LOL Also remember that the fraud and abuse wouldnt exsist if the people working in the welfare office cared alittle more about their “well” paying government jobs and questions alitlle bit more or asked ” have you been trying to get a job?” Or maybe if they were alittle more friendly and said ” oh by the way before you leave I just want to let you know that this might help to find a job…or this might help or we have this program to help watch the kids so you can look/get a job…whatever! Its everyone…there is not just one side to this story! Lastly since she is such a supportive and self proclaiming REPUBLICIAN I would like to ask her… so you then are also in support of the death pen… or what are your views on gun control… Theres alot more to being a rep. hunny! Hopefully she knows that before she votes… this article makes me wonder how informed her voting decisions are….???
Businesses- take note of the petulant writer’s name and picture: do you want THIS child posting about your clients publicly? Walmart is lucky to be rid of her. Even they were too good for her.
I am so sad reading this. Do you get financial aid? do you ever spend it on things that are considered extravegant? do you account for every dime you spend? why are you bashing these poor folks when the rich need to account for all they spend
What is worse than people who abuse welfare is a middle class kid who thinks she understands and can judge a poor person’s life based on a 1 minute transaction. Open your mind, sweetheart. You might think you’ve got it all figured out, but you’ve got no idea. Furthermore, the few examples of fraud you would use to justify scrapping the whole system pale in comparison to the humanitarian and environmental crimes that the company you work for is committing on a global scale. Walmart peddles cheap products made by the children of China, most of which will be taking up space in landfills withing 5 years, consequently driving manufacturing jobs from this country. Listening to people like you be so certain of their so-called “conservative” principals because they once saw a poor person purchase steak with food stamps makes me thank God that I was blessed with a mind broad enough to be a liberal.
Finally, a college student who actually understands politics. It’s refreshing to hear that from someone so young. You will definitely be going places in life with your hard working, common sense attitude. If only more people like yourself “got it” at your age, then the country would be a better place.
“I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it.”
Well, aren’t you special?! The judgmental tone of this privileged college kid is so typically one-sided, evidenced by the Democrat remark. This isn’t even “empirical” data; it’s an ignorant girl’s assumptions of how other people live based on 2 minutes in a check out line!
Well you sure sparked a line of debate, huh?! Great points and very well written. I too have worked at Wal-Mart. My husband and I are both employed full time and we are very fortunate but for eight months I worked at Wal-Mart in order to have some much-needed extra income. I think that some, I didn’t read all of the posts, may not see that you probably weren’t speaking to those who use the system fairly. Those who purchase the items covered and use the funds for which they were intended. You were, I think, speaking about those who are not using the system in a way that is beneficial for everyone – by not wasting money. I did not realize that Maine had such a lax system for welfare participation. In Virginia, when WIC items are being purchased we processed those items first and we only honored the checks if they were for the exact products as listed. The fact that the state of Maine does not allow those same guidelines is irresponsible on their part. I say that not because I want to deny anyone food or basic necessities, but rather because it wastes money that could be used to help other families or organizations. In Virginia you cannot get cash on your EBT card. Any policy otherwise is absolutely unacceptable. If EBT cards could be used to pay for gasoline, electric, utilities then that makes sense because the money is going toward a family’s basic needs. These programs are great for those, like myself at one point, who needed a hand up to get through a rough time in their lives. However, the government shouldn’t be responsible for for a person’s entire lifestyle. You are right in that there are some who use the system irresponsibly who also have a sense of entitlement – that they deserve not only to have their basic needs met, but to have their wants met also. Food stamps should not pay for pre-made birthday cakes for $12, $15, $17 when it already will cover flour, sugar, eggs, oil, or boxed cake mixes for much less. There is a difference between the luxury of being able to purchase a pre-made cake and making one myself. It is a luxury, not a necessity. As for the guy who ran his hot dog business, I saw that all the time too. People have church bake sales, hot dog sales, etc., using their food stamps to pay for the ingredients. That’s outright fraud and there should be systems in place when a certain quantity of food is being purchased. Again, well said. I didn’t hear at all that you are against the people who need assistance, for a period of time, but rather you are making a statement that your state, and our country, needs to better equip individuals and encourage them to stand on their own in order for them to contribute to the system in which pays for their livelihood.
Benefits available to those who need them isn’t necessarily a bad idea, however, more stringent requirements should be in place.
I haven’t read through all of the comments, however, I have a disabled father who relies on benefits from the state of Oregon. He is bipolar/schizophrenic and is not always easily controlled with medication. He was a part of the working class until his disease progressed.
However, he continues to give back to the community and works full time hours as a volunteer at a food bank. He has given the majority of his check to those in greater need, etc.
Perhaps, if we continue to distribute benefits, a certain amount of volunteer hours should be recorded (good for those still unemployed, it looks good to future employers!), etc.
And as always, I feel that mandatory drug testing should be implemented in all states for welfare recipients.
Just once I would like to see something written about the people who are on assistance because otherwise their children would starve. I can’t find work (that’s right, I WANT a job, I am not some lazy slob abusing welfare, but no one will hire me!) and my husband works in construction, which means about once a year we end up on food stamps. I hate using that EBT card, but I have to remind myself that if I didn’t then my kids would go hungry. I have taught them that there is no shame in getting help when you need it, but to get off the help as quickly as you can.
I’m not saying there is not welfare fraud and abuse of the system. Personally, I know several people who abuse the system (and yes I’ve reported them) but these people are still a small percentage of who is on welfare. It seems like more because all you hear people complain about are the ones taking advantage of the system. But that’s not the fault of the system itself, it’s the fault of the people who have never been taught that this behavior is not ok.
As far as begrudging people for buying birthday cakes and steak, I have done that with fs as well. Why? For one, my son is prone to anemia so I buy steaks (granted I get them as cheap as possible) often. As for birthday cakes, when it’s a choice of pay the rent with your cash and spend twenty bucks off your food stamps card so your kid can have a happy birthday–well, I think you know the choice most people will make. Just because the kids are poor doesn’t mean they have to suffer on their birthdays.
As far as these people out there who think you can live high on the hog on welfare, you really can’t. They give you the bare minimum to survive on. People who are paying for iPhones and everything else obviously have income they are getting away with not reporting. That’s why it’s called cheating the system.
I get sick of these rants about people abusing welfare because it lumps all of us in with them. Yes I have a cellphone and a nicer TV, but they were things I purchased after saving up the money and finding a great deal on them (and I have sold off all my electronics when I needed to pay bills before). I didn’t cheat the system. The fact is, everyone just wants someone to hate. So when you have a job you attack people on welfare. You have to work for your money so you assume you know everything about the people on the other side of the cash register. You ever stop to think that that woman might have flipped out about the green peppers because she didn’t have any other means to pay for them? It’s not a feeling of entitlement, it’s a panic that that is the last of your food money for the month. Yes you can keep track of your balance, but here’s a dirty little secret, the state can and will decide they have overpaid you at some point and take money off your card without warning you. Meaning, you go in thinking you have so much on there to discover it’s gone.No there is no reason to yell at the cashier for it, but there is also no reason for the cashier to assume they know every facet of these peoples’ lives and can judge them for it. My knee jerk reaction when I hear someone complain about welfare abuse is to assume they are entitled little snobs who have no idea how hard it is to make it in the real world because mommy and daddy pay all their bills, but I suppress that. Why? Because I don’t know you, I don’t know your story. Only that you are obviously frustrated with life and need to blame someone about it. So you go on your blog and rant about how everyone on welfare is obviously just a lazy slob who is out to exploit a system. Yes those people exist, but people like you give everyone the idea that the only people on welfare are ones who don’t need it and are just too lazy to get a job.
The real issue is education. People need to be better educated on how to handle life in general.People who are seeking assistance should have to receive job training, and there should be better programs in place to help them find work. I’ve always felt that fs should work more like WIC–there should be restrictions on what you can and cannot buy. Things such as Doritos, Pepsi, etc should not be allowed. Instead make these people learn how to buy the necessities and cook for themselves so they eat healthier. When I’ve been on fs, the money usually buys just meat for the month (of course I’ve never gotten more than a couple hundred at a time). Instead of saying we should abolish welfare all together, push for some changes in the program. It’s your tax dollars paying for these things, push to have say in where it’s going. And try to bare in mind that at some point you might need help too.
PS I guarantee a lot of these people who abuse the system would quit if there were tighter restrictions on what they can and cannot buy.
Time for a reality check here folks! For those of you who still feel you (or your children) “deserve” an occasional steak, birthday cake, toys for Christmas, etc. – are you not reading the many comments from people who are actually working, paying taxes (in other words, paying for you) and can not afford steaks, lobster, etc.
It makes me sick to read comments like “yes, I buy a birthday cake and lobster for each of my four children’s birthdays”. Are you serious? I can’t remember the last time my husband and I had steak, but my tax money should pay for your steak?
The disconnect I read here is sad. If the folks who could work would get off their duffs and just do it – take care of yourselves and your children, there would be enough money for the truly needy to be well-taken care of. For those of you who somehow justify your steaks, lobster, cakes and toys – you are nothing but thieves. You steal from hardworking taxpayers and (extra shame on you) you steal from the truly needy.
A lot of things need to change in the welfare system. Things like……I can’t get help. I am a single mom of 4 who receives no assistance. Daddy decided life was easier without the family and pays no child support since he now gets SSI for the sudden drinking problem he has developed. I have taken in 2 additional children who have one parent overseas and mommy decided taking care of her kids is to hard. I can get no help for these children because MOMMY is still claiming them and has been for the 3 months I have been feeding and clothing them. Don’t get me wrong….happy to do my part. I am just curious how someone can sit on there butt playing with their high cost phones and living in there nice $37 a month, housing assistance apartment, while I bust my butt taking care of not only my children but the children of others as well with no help. It will be about 6 more months before DHHS can investigate and get back to me on where the kids actually live. Well, I know where they live. I am the one not eating so they have food while someone else is eating a high cost steak with the extra foodstamps she is illegally collecting.
I can agree with some things, however, there are lots of things I disagree with. Buying a birthday cake is not abuse of the system, It’s actually nice that it’s allowed because so many kids would go without if that were the case & I think the children deserve something nice. A person is given a set amount of money each month to buy food. It’s actually a small amount in comparison to what you’d spend on food in cash, you’d spend more than what they give you. You have to be frugal with it. Extravagant purchases can’t be made every day or they’d never get through the month. So if they’re frugal and can buy a steak or lobster or even a cake with their small budget, then who are you/we to judge?
People make mistakes sometimes. People do things without really thinking out the entire situation and the consequences they have to pay for them. Like if someone has a child at a young age, but wants to do what they think is right and keep the child and then they are forced to be on welfare or food stamps in order to survive. Without the state paying for day care, the mom is never going to get the education she needs & even so paying for the education itself is a burden a single mom shouldn’t have to struggle with, but still that’s the way it is. So, she decides she can’t afford college, doesn’t have enough education to get a “real” job, and then she’s on welfare. Nothing wrong with that. Life’s a struggle for a lot of people. Including myself. I have 3 jobs. I am working my butt off to support my children without the aid of the state.
It’s annoying to see someone keep popping out children to keep getting food stamps & welfare. There are cases in which you may wish to remove reproductive organs from someone. Like Octo-mom who had children which she couldn’t care for without a ton of help and then she went and got pregnant again… Not okay. Lots of cases like that. Even the woman on the news who had 12 kids and no job. But it’s also annoying that people who claim to be disabled can preform tasks just fine. Yet they claim to be disabled.
I went to a class in order to try and get a job working for the county. The instructor said less than 3% of people on welfare actually abuse it. That’s for MN though. Might vary per state.
I had a cashier tell me that a lady would come in every month to buy every lobster they had so she could go home and sell them online. Guess how she paid for them? YUP!!!!
And if you would have followed them out to the parking log, most of the would be driving a new car.
There are people that need help from time to time. Too many have learned how to work the system, its only going to get worse as they seem to whine for more and more.
LOL @ people like Michael and Dee who apparently failed their reading comprehension exams in school. This girl is simply saying that we need to fix our very broken Welfare system and she’s right. She then backs up her statement with droves of evidence. Thank god I was blessed with a mind intelligent enough to understand written English, yet broad enough to see the world as it is.
Good illustration of why welfare reform is needed, and why it has nothing to do with race. Maine is about as white as it gets. People simply have no respect for money or themselves when they get accustomed to spending other people’s money.
Excellent. Just a few weekends ago I stopped at a gas station to grab a drink for my child on a road trip. There was a boy at the check out. Early 20′s. He bought two big 44oz sodas from the fountain and paid with food stamps. Then he whipped out a WAD of cash to pay for beer and cigarettes. I wanted to set him on fire.
Welfare doesn’t stop at the grocery check-out. I have a friend that vents to me all the time about the welfare patients that come through her pharmacy everyday. Much like this young lady, she has no problem with those folks who TRULY have a need for it; however, when a successful business owner is on on medicaid- something is wrong. Or the policy that says patients can WAIVE their co-pay. My parents have very good insurance, and thankfully, but they could not do the same. The co-pay these folks on medicaid have to pay- is sometimes as low as 50 cents! AND YES THEY WAIVE IT! It’s honestly disgusting how folks abuse the whole system. Some of you are getting upset and saying that she needs to walk a mile in these other peoples shoes first- but you are misunderstanding. She is stated EARLY in the article that she understands and welcomes those who TRULY need the aid to take it- but it’s the abusers who are draining all taxpayers pockets.
The only thing I can say to this is they are working on it and there are limits in Maine of I believe 5years they r cutting back and taking benefits away from people who are abusing the system look up gov.lepages views and what he’s doing he’s making changes also he has closed the welfare and mainecare list completely to anyone with out kids and like I said he’s taking away from people abusing the system (not trying to piss anyone off just letting u no government officials have heard u and are doing something about it)
GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!
I was behide someone the other day at Hannaford that got lobsters her total came to 167 dollars …I said to her Wow you having a Lobster party….then out comes the Food Stamp card…you got to be kidding me…you can buy Lobsters with a food stamp card…I work and can’t afford them!!!!
An excellent read.
May I ask to see your boobies?
One thing I need to point out however, is there are a multitude of working families who receive foodstamps and if it wasn’t for the help from this program would be in poverty, would have children who wouldn’t know where their next meal was coming from or even a roof over their head. I do agree there are those that abuse the system. But there are others that work very hard to do what they are supposed and try to get into the work force. Jobs aren’t exactly easy to get right now, and those that do have jobs often times can’t afford to feed themselves. Then you have others that recieve welfare while the state collects the same amount or more from the other parent. The majority are good citizens only doing what they need to do to survive and care for their children. Take a look at the mean average income in the state of maine, compared to the tax rate and the cost of living and some of your answers as to why there is such a high rate of welfare dependency in the state would be answsered. I worked with no aid for most of my adolescent and adult life. I got very very ill, went through a divorce and am now in a position where I have to rely on aid to survive. 3 years and counting. Do I like it, no, but I don’t have a choice at this moment. I buy expensive foods and I buy non expensive foods with my benefits, but that’s because I am thrifty enough to work it out that way and make the amounts cover everything I need. I payed into the system for many years. But whatever, nobody ever seems to see anything but the worst case scenerios anyways.
Okay cc – a little rebuttal to your comment “Are you paying for your entire education? are your parents? Or do you receive ANY assistance (grants, loans, scholarships)? those assistance programs for your college education are exactly the same as the public assistance food programs you’re trashing on.”
Taking out a student loan is NOTHING like the public assistance. It’s a LOAN. It must be PAID BACK. Scholarships are given for people who EARN them. My first year of school was paid mostly for by scholarships because of my HARD WORK in high school, for which I EARNED exemplary marks. The rest, I took out federal loans – which I immediately, upon graduating, paid back. I did not graduate with a bunch of republicans, I graduated with a bunch of PEOPLE. Grants – depending on where they come from – you are correct about for the most part. Just wanted to clarify that for you.
Cj, bravo. You are a shining example of those who do NOT take advantage. God bless you.
Tanya, I understand what you’re saying. A divorce? My goodness – that’s not fair. It’s a crock, in fact… I will tell you, though… I do know someone who did just that. They always said yes, LEGALLY they were divorced, but in God’s eyes, they would always be married… I could give you all the details, but to make a long story short, husband was diagnosed with a horrible and aggressive cancer, which he fought for about three years before it finally took him. Two of the best people I have ever known in my life, had to survive on assistance while she cared for him and watched him die. God bless them and people in hard situations like them. You and your family – all the best.
Also, as someone who has been on the system, I can tell you they make it really easy to get caught up in it and stay on it.
I will admit that I haven’t had time to read every single comment on here, but I have read several. I was also a cashier at Wal-Mart when I was in college (I am now 30). I saw the same type of abuse. It was extrememly frustrating. I also paid for most of my college, my own car and insurance and several other things on my own during college and graduated debt free because I managed my money correctly. I have been on my own for several years now and experiencing “real life.” My husband and I have gone through EXTREMELY difficult financial times. We are both self-employed and have been building our own businesses for years. There were several times when we had literally nothing in our bank account, but we took responsibility for it. We never asked the taxpayers to pay for our stuff–not even food. We don’t believe in that. Did we get to buy steaks, lobsters, or huge birthday cakes??? NO WAY!! We couldn’t afford it!!! That is the point. You buy necessities and that is all. Where on earth are these people finding a place where it is written that “everyone deserves a steak now and then”??? NO THEY DON’T! And they will survive JUST FINE without one- we did.
Between the lax welfare rules and the coupons that stores will “double the value” of and not set limits on how many items can be purchased, it’s no wonder that the American economy has bottomed out. In Canada, the welfare system does have it’s abusers, but we get a set cash amount to spend on shelter, personal care (which includes our food) and we have to go through programs and workshops geared to get us back to work (usually within 12 months). If the programs and workshops are not followed, there is an investigation to find out why. We can only us one coupon per item, cannot use coupons on sale items, and there is usually a limit on how many items can be purchased when they are on sale. Our malls have not closed, our banks did not fall, our housing market did not crash….I’m glad I live in Canada.
I totally agree the Welfare system is bankrupting this country but our politians want to keep giving it out like candy and cut our military back. Lets weaken our country some more make all our citizens dependent on the goverment while weakening our military sounds like a formula for our Country to fail.
I agree with her story so much. I live in Huntington, WV and see this kind of thing happen every time I ever walk in a Walmart. It got to the point of angering me so much that I just won’t shop there any more. Other stores have people every now and then, but nearly so severe. This really has to stop. I hate the fact that money I make is going towards people like that. I can understand if you just lost your job, and you have nothing for a couple of weeks, but for buying outrageous items and abusing the system is too much. Find a job. I don’t care if it is minimum wage. It’s a JOB and it can help support you. I really want to know what this country has come to when we have to rely in borrowing money from other countries and other sources because we can not keep up with our own. Eliminating welfare issues by giving a certain amount of time to find a job, and giving certain descriptions on what people can buy with welfare would probably help get our country out of debt. People wonder why I’m a Conservative…
At your age, I could not fathom how anyone who worked hard could possibly find themselves caught in the social safety net. I stood behind a similar counter, but realized quickly that the sort of reprehensible behavior you describe is hardly limited to the poor. The difference is, we don’t feel entitled to judge rude and dishonest people in the middle class because we don’t subsidize them, right? Wrong. We “subsidize” the middle class, the wealthy and corporations with three times the tax money — while many pay NO taxes (payroll and sales taxes consume a larger share of the poor’s income than the wealthy).
How ironic that your observations come from your position behind a Wal-Mart checkout counter; Wal-Mart is not only our biggest employer, but also the most greedy “entitled” corporate welfare queen. The majority of those using our social safety net work; many for Wal-Mart, who is known for handing new hires a W-4 with one hand and an application for welfare with another — a living wage is more just, both for hardworking people just like yourself, and the taxpayer.
“Stand in awe of the burdens the poor have to carry, rather than in judgement of how they carry them.” ~Fr. Boyle
Please send your ire upward, not down at those less fortunate than yourself.
Great article!!! I COMPLETELY AGREE….SOMEONE NEEDS TO SHARE WITH CONGRESS. NOT ONLY WITH FOODSTAMPS, MEDICAL PROGRAM AS WELL. THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE SCREENING.
This is really pathetic to read and really disheartening. I’m a single parent with a J O B that is proudly not on any type of government assistance. Yes it is hard to make it and yes I live paycheck to paycheck. I find it extremely pathetic of those that take advantage of the system! Something has to be done and someone needs to make a stand. I feel for those families that are struggling even on assistance and wish I were wealthy enough to help those that are desperately trying.
I agree that general welfare is an easy target and a popular one at that. The unsung hero of this story is the welfare entrepreneur with his hot dog stand that he was so proud of that he invited the author to see it but the author responded by reporting about his abuse of the welfare system as in her eyes any attempt to create an income while on welfare is abuse of that system.. I thought that the popular meme directed at those on general welfare is “get a job”>
While the unemployment statistics have gone down as people have given up getting a job, what do you think those people are doing? Laying down and dying? Going on welfare? Becoming self-employed ?. What is missing from the author’s picture? Why does she denigrate the hot-dog entrepreneur? Why does she assume the worse? Why does she not recognize that the hot dog entrepreneur may be down but not beaten.
In that sense the author is part of the problem for her hidden participation in class warfare which is perpetuated by concepts such as “the creative class” “The innovative sector” “The targeted sector”. which places one sector of society on a privileged plateau and strips the rest of their relevance and dignity.
Interesting to note that she responded to what she calls “Welfare Queen #1″ by saying “at least its a job” but fails to recognize that the welfare hot dog entrepreneur also has a job. She does not know have enough information to claim that the hot dog stand entrepreneur is making money that he does not report, she is just bothered that the taxpayer is “financing his business” by providing him welfare. If he makes more money by buying food and reselling it, then she has a problem with that which has nothing to do with whether or not he is breaking any rules, which he may or may not be doing. This is just someone who “doesn’t have a job” in her eyes- No he he is employed in creating an income even if he still needs some assistance. And he has his dignity.
Really?!? Beating down the hot dog stand person? Ever wonder that maybe if he uses food stamps to purchase the food for his “business” that maybe, just maybe he isn’t reporting the income of his “business”? Highly unlikely!
Yes, there is alot of abuse to the welfare systems going on. Yes, I too have worked at Wal-mart and have seen it as well. I tried to stop it by saying ” You know not to mean or judge mental but instead of buying that lobster or steak or could be buying milk and eggs and your benifits would go further.”, and the next thing I knew I was getting written up for that comment because it wasn’t the right thing to say. I too receive food stamps at this point and I make them last as long as I can. My husband works 50- 60 hours a week and has been cut back to 30- 35 hours a week. I am in school right now and we have four children to take care of. I go into the store to get food and take out my EBT card and people give me some ugly looks. I start talking to the cashier as she is ringing in my food and I talk loud enough for everyone to hear, ” Funny how people are all friendly and speak to you when you are paying in cash but when you fall onto hard times and need a little help people don’t talk to you any more. They would rather give you a nasty look.” Now people that know me and know my situation understand and don’t judge us for what they see. I understand the writers point because I have been there, but I have also been on the other side of the bridge as well.
Excellent observation from such a young lady. I was on tanf, food stamps, and the aspire program when I was left to raise an infant on my own with no child support. I went back to school full time and worked. I didn’t like being on the program. The caseworkers were jaded and rude and the system was/is definately flawed. As you mentioned you can buy a fat and sugar filled cake from the bakery on food stamps but when I got out of class at dinner time, I couldn’t buy a rottisery chicken for my son and i because that is considered a prepared food item. I could have made many nutritious meals out of that, including stock for soup. Some say you should be able to get lobster or expensive steaks, but work hard, get a job and buy your own. The summer between semesters I was taking a class but the state determined that it wasn’t enough hours per week to qualify for the benefits. I asked to stay home with my son since I had just pulled him out of a “federally funded daycare” for being abused by other children there. I was taking a course that required a lot of reading and writing outside of school. I was told to either get a job or volunteer. So just to let everyone know, the state was going to pay about $500 a month for daycare for my son while i went to school and cleaned kennels at the humane society. Doesn’t make much sense. I got excellent grades at school and was still going to school in the summer. Is their any rewards to letting someone spend time with their child while going to school in the summer and save the state some money? I only had one year left and my grades reflected my intention to continue school. I got a job for the summer instead, they pulled some of my benefits and it took me 2 months to get the benefits back once I started school and stopped working. Thankfully I had parents to help me buy diapers, toilet paper etc. during that time. Now also so you know, I was in the dental hygiene program and kept a 4.0 GPA all four semesters until I graduated, while taking care of a young child on my own. I worked hard in school, took care of my son, stayed up late, and got up some days at 5am to study. I was on the programs for 2 1/2 years. Now I work as a dental hygienist and pay my taxes to support those who sit on their butts and teach their children to do the same. I am more than happy to help those who use the system as it is meant to be, but frustrated at how it is. Something needs to change.
I just wanted to add that it is not only tanf that goes onto a ebt card. They also put child support and mileage payments among many other things which you have no idea what those welfare queens as you call them had for money on their cards. So before you judge you should find out the facts. The money could have been from their child support and they bought their kids a slip and slide with it. Hmmmm so who is wrong their. Also I do agree that lobster is not a necessity but some people only buy it once in a while as a treat. I can see one lobster for yourself , maybe it was a hard week. Who are you to judge what people are buying. Take a look at the workers that are in the offices before you slam on the people buying with their money. I was told personally by an aspire workers in the biddeford office that i was not eligible for the assistance because i made 41 dollars to much. We had little discussion about people receiving benefits and not using them properly, in the next breath the lady tells me that they had extra money in their budget so in order for them to get that same amount again the following year the office sent their works on a trip to a casino…. so who do you think you should be looking at!
So glad that at …what are you Christine- 20…22 years old? …that you have lived a long LONG, fullfilled life…to where you have walked miles and miles in rough situations, such as struggled with an addiction, been abandoned by family and friends, had a child, lost a job…or worse- lost a limb (where you were not able use you’re lil’ lap top over there at Providence College). I’m also glad to know that YOU are the second coming of Christ himself and should place judgement upon others! All because you worked at WalMart for two summers…
WOW- if I was only as bright and hypocritical as you at 20-something…or where or where would I be now…
I work in a welfare office dear sarcastic writer- It’s pretty presumptuous of you to assume that the whole welfare system is corrupt because of what…4 customers you high-lighted here in this actical? Shall we pick 4 republican officals and base our view of all republicans on their actions? Should we look at all male coaches as we currently look at Coach Sandusky? The old saying (…mind you it’s way WAY older that your 20 wise years of life) “if there is a will- there is a way,” unfortunately applies to all things- good and bad! So- if someone can come from nothing and work their way into becoming a millionaire…the same is true for someone trying to ‘beat the system.’
There is fraud and corruption in all walks of life, in all systems and in all areas of government… yet not all who are in those systems or use public services are immoral.
Maybe your next artical could explore HOW to develop affordable food or hosuing for that matter- so that people that are making a state-minimun wage and working 40 hrs a week can afford rent AND heat as well as a birthday cake…just a suggestion…
I truely appreciate this article and the message it delivers. I am also a slight bit frustrated with those people who abuse the system. I had to be on food stamps for 2 years due to loosing my eyesight in a terrible accident and undergoing physcial therapy while raising an infant. I couldn’t work and my husband was working 2 jobs while finishing school. It was tough times and I am grateful I had a place to turn to for help. I was not on welfare and I do agree that these two programs should not be confused with one another dispite the fact that they do often go hand in hand, they are 2 seperate programs.
I have now been gainfully employed for 4 years and I’m working in the retail buisness in Maine. I am also very discouraged when people check out at my store buying $200 shoes and another $300 in clothes every month, then I run into them later purchasing food with food stamps. These are the same folks who get upset with me because they can’t get reception on their IPhone while they are at my register. The people I get mad at also purchase items that arent really appropriate and cost a ton of money with food stamps. There is no need for purchasing a porter house steak, Little Debbie snacks, Lobster or even Friendly’s ice cream. My son had 2 birthday’s while we were on food stamps and I purchased a $1 box of cake mix, cheap frosting and store brand ice-cream to celebrate. It was still beautiful and it was even more special that we made it together. I don’t in any way feel a child should suffer or miss out on a birthday party because their parent isn’t working, but we need to remember that there is a fine line between becoming extravagent and doing something memorable for them.
<My only other gripe is when I hear people say "I can't work, I have children." You know what, I have 2 and we have figured it out. If there are 2 of you, work different shifts; trust me, it sucks, but it saves money on daycare and gives you a pretty good feeling when you earn your first paycheck. If you are alone, there are options that the state assists with until your children are old enough to attend school or find another single parent in your area that you can work something out where you take care of each other children while the first one works (I've seen this work out great for a friend). There is a difference between those who need help to get on their feet and those who make a living out of the system. I am not talking to those who are trying to better their families lives and are working towards getting off the system, but those who take advantage of it and abuse it should be charged with fruaud. May every government official read this article and these comments and do something to change our governemnt handout policies.
It’s easy to blame the government for bad management and the slackers for treating welfare as a career, but I’ll bet that if you pealed back enough layers you would find that major food manufacturers that produce processed foods and retailers like Walmart spend a boatload to make sure the system continues. After all, they benefit as much as the abusers.
This is an excellent post about a very sad culture!
While I agree in principle to what the writer is saying here I have to say, “Houston,we have a problem!”. We all need to be careful to stay vigilant and use our critical thinking skills, experiences and ability to see things for what they are. There are over 600 comments here with 90% of the posters focusing on some goober who bought a lobster or a woman who argued about a vacuum cleaner’s price. This article is what I like to call a Red Herring. It’s more of the same distraction used by those whose interest is in making sure you will support their political policies designed to continue to erode the middle class. Forget all this crap for a moment. Wake up. The American middle class is about to crushed by the power of the super rich and corporate America. Our system is driven by the consumer and simply stated the reason the economy is down is because the consumer is hurting. Nobody is going to hire until they have demand not from Warren Buffet but from your neighbor down the street who is now underemployed or unemployed. Who has profited most from the last 3 years? The 1% or the average consumer? Hint look at the stock market. Look at incomes of the super rich over the last four years and ask yourself, is Obama really hurting the rich? Corporate America no longer cares about the American consumer because they can go elsewhere in the world (“emerging markets”) and make money either by realizing revenue in other parts of the world or reduce labor costs by eliminating or moving operations and/or jobs overseas where costs are much lower. Costs are lower in places like China and India not because of taxes or regulation but because the people there have a much lower standard of living and are in emerging economies where wages are depressed. Although not for long. If I am a CEO, I have two overarching goals: increase revenue and control costs. I only add jobs when I absolutely have to not because of how much tax I pay but because adding the job supports adding revenue, otherwise I am controlling costs by downsizing or not hiring. It’s simple people. The comments here should remind you that we have become no different than these dysfunctional societies we see on TV where people are fighting in the streets and pelting rocks at each other because someone is a member of one group or worships at the wrong church. Meanwhile their leaders are living high on the hog, disseminating propaganda to keep their people confused and worried about who might be eating lobster vs. macaroni and cheese and who is shopping at Walmart with an EBT card. Elevate your thinking!!! The GOP has taken a position of letting the middle class bear the brunt of the recession while they feed you propaganda to earn your vote. They are on the side lines and don’t care about you. Taxes and the deficit has become a smokescreen to the real issue– lack of jobs, too much incentive to not create jobs. WAKE UP!!!!!!!!
In all reality, what your saying is that in your opinion, people on government assistance for foodshare should only be able to buy the bare essentials to stay alive and should not have any ability to utilize those funds to have any decent quality of life. First of all, a cake from isn’t really anything special, and wouldn’t you want your child to have a nice cake for their birhday? But unfortunatly, this POS from wal-mart will have to do. Second: I currently have an Iphone 3GS. It was free with a 2 year commitment. Third, the data plan is $15.00 a month. For a person that may not be able to afford a computer, this is a very inexpensive alternative.
WIC. This is really where you show how evil your mind is. I’ve been through 3 kids on WIC. There are no pictures that match to items. There is no magic booklet that we have ever received. If a person is lucky, they just use the WIC checks to get whatever brand/size they did before and hope that what qualifies doesn’t change. Meanwhile, my wife has 3 children to manage in the lines all the while trying to separate each of the WIC items to make it easier for checkout for a person that is (i hope) not nearly as ungrateful as you seem to be.
Now lets look at other costs.. People have to pay rent and bills. With the economy what it is today costs of rent/utilities are getting higher and higher with regularity. So, hopefully, the relief that you an get from the little amount they do give you in foodshare can be enough to scrape together what you can to pay the bills that put a roof over your head.
Get off of your soapbox and start to look through eyes with compassion.
The last time the country did something serious about welfare reform, Newt Gingrich was leading the way. Well, OK, Bubba Clinton was there, too.
d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”
Just shopping at Walmart and other stores I see a lot of this. I’m not saying that fraud will ever go away 100%, or that there is no value in these problems, just that “there is no fixing stupid” and long term progams like this encourage people to stay stupid! No, not all of them, but enough
I agree that we need welfare reform for the poor but we also need corporate welfare reform and Military contract reform, and government reform which are all more expensive than welfare fro the poor fraud and all. I would like to know how you plan to reform all of these abuse of power and fraud issues.
It’s not OK to steal from the taxpayer to provide assistance to the needy. This is not the meaning of ‘All men were created equal’ as one poster commented. My parents were poor but refused a handout and traded what they could rake and scrape from the environment to welfare recipients for their cheese and other commodities which were more than we could afford at the time.
Well written article. I hope this young lady continues to speak up and I wish her the best in her future.
I’m an EMT. We work 24 hours on, 48 hours off – as long as we’re not on a call, we’ll go shop for what we want for dinner in the morning. My station is in the South end of my city, which is the less-affluent neighborhood (the majority of the occupants of the South Valley speak only Spanish).
I cannot remember the last time we went shopping and didn’t end up behind a welfare/food stamp recipient who was trying to pay for crap that wasn’t covered by the benefit they were using. I also cannot remember the last time that happened and it did NOT result in both the customer yelling at the cashier and then getting on their smartphone and calling someone at home to kibitz about it.
Though I could not have a more different perspective on the issue, I appreciate your mature handling of it. Thought-provoking comments. One thing that stands out to me is that it seems people- not just people on Welfare or receiving TANF- are uneducated with regard to nutrition and misguided about what kinds of items are really necessities. In my opinion, those issues point to a problem with an economic system that makes people feel like they have to buy toys and slip n slides and junk food- and indeed they are applauded for this behavior (being good consumers), often buy the same individuals who want to make cuts to Welfare and other social programs because, hey, that’s the free market- you can make it or break it. That, to me, is the ugliest part of it all. What do you think?
my dad was once in line behind a lady back when they had food stamps, and a lady was told that she couldn t buy a 25 pound bag of dog food with foodstamps, so she grabed the bag and left the check out makin him wait. she came back with 10 pounds of ground round and said smartly , MY DOG CAN EAT THIS THEN.
Im not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet or not, but I would just like to add that it is not only the recipients of the welfare programs that are abusing them, I have seen cashiers that allow customers to pay for alcohol, cigarettes and diapers with their food stamps. And Walmart is one of the stores where i have seen this done. I also know of a small town store here in Maine that allows people to buy pizza and other hot foods with food stamps.
Very well written article, and I also do not agree with the abuse that is taking place. I have an ex that was working 2 jobs but couldnt pay his child support and then i got a letter saying he did not have to pay because he was on TANF, while still working the 2 jobs. Gotta love how people can
I found this disturbing. This young woman is very intelligent, but her heartless attitude toward the poor is very sad. Her disparaging descriptions (welfare Queen) just show exactly how the majority of R’s view the poor. Are there lazy people who could work but prefer to game the system? Of course. But I also know those folks have innocent children at home who cannot help the circumstances into which they were born. I have always worked & have never had to have assistance, but I understand and have compassion for those who simply didn’t win the family lottery. No matter how lazy some of these gamers are, I know that my life is a hundred times better & I don’t resent my tax dollars taking care of their kids. R’s are all about getting them born but don’t feel any responsibility for them once they’re here. This lady’s attitude is why I will never vote R.
I agree completely with you. I work as a cashier at a gas station that accpts EBT cards. My most cringing moment where I want to jump over the counter is when the customer brings up their gallon of milk, plethera of candy bars, little debbies, other numerous “food” items, and their half-gallon of Allen’s coffee brandy… then they ask for their Marlboros, Pall Malls or Camels and pay for their “food” items with their EBT card… I’ve actually had co-workers finish transactions before because I feel like these people need to have their teeth punched out. In fact I’ve almost denied a sale because of the amount of cigarettes or alcohol with the purchase. It makes me sick… I’m paying taxes and they get to “buy” all of these things to get messed up? What a crock of sh*t.
Drug testing for welfare – FL got it – thank you Gov Walker. The stampers shuffle their feet, too lazy to even pick them up to take a step. They speak rudely to the cashiers, buy name brand EVERYTHING & complain it’s never enough – gimme gimme gimme. I’ve seen balances on stampers’ EBT cards in front of me, up to $1000.00. I raised my own kid on $5.00/hr & took no stamps. Now, I am at the same crappy job for last 22 years and I coupon to save, with said coups eyeballed maniacally by the cashiers, while stampers get NO oversight, no questions asked. Encouraging laziness and fraud for the sake of votes is plain evil. ‘Stamps are akin to modern day slavery-style tactics & it works. And the new age slaves are quite OKAY with it all. No self respect. For themselves, their kids, or society. Sad. (for u bleeders, this post is NOT ABOUT TRUE NEED, but about cheating disgusting queens).
First, the article said help for those who need it is one thing, help for a lifetime for those who do not need it, but choose to enjoy it, is another. As for buying steaks and lobsters? Birthday cakes? Sorry!! I cannot afford those things. I will be damned if I can’t give to my family because the government takes from me and gives to someone else, and they can have what I cannot afford! Bull. A cake? A mix is less than $2, icing about the same, bake your own like I do because I cannot afford to buy one already made. This idea that those who get food stamps and aid should be allowed to use it the way they want is crap. If they want to use it the way they want, they need to earn it. If I am paying for it, I decide how it is spent. That’s how it works when you are ‘being taken care of’ because you cannot take care of yourself. Ah, parents. Nanny state. Good comparison. When you are given what you need, it does not mean you get what you want. Do I want anyone to go hungry? No! Especially not a child. However, to tell me that my tax dollars fund their soda, beer, junk food, and unhealthy foods that in turn create more illness that I also pay for is fine because it is their choice is nonsense. The government should flat out refuse to fund junk food and soda completely as well as beer and wine for that matter. All tax dollars being given to use for aid should have limits placed on how they are spent.
Christine, I am glad to see as a young college student you have an interest in issues regarding the management of our country. I hope your interest does not stop with articles but that in the future you consider correcting such problems by holding political office. This is one of the reasons I started http://www.winanelection.com.
Its tragic that some people cannot seem to, or do not care to, get off the welfare rolls. It’s costly to the nations coffers for sure. However, we also fight wars for reasons other than self-defense, and they cost us a lot more in money and human suffering.
While I agree with most of what you have to say, I would like to see you tackle corporate welfare and the cost of wars across the globe.
I know people abuse the welfare system, but not all do! Ive worked hard for everything i have in life. After being at my job for a long time, i was laid off. Its been hard over these past 2 years. If i wouldnt have had the help from food stamps, my children may have starved. Barley being able to pay my bills is stressful enough and knowing that I have the food stamps to keep my kids fed makes things less stressful. I work 2 jobs and go to school at night. I still struggle to pay my bills and i dont get much time with my kids but I know that they have food to eat. Those bad apples ruin it for the rest of us. And everyone comments about welfare calling people that have it losers or worthless, but that is not the case., I hated sucking up my pride to get help. Think to yourself what you would do if you lost your source of food. And by golly if I want to use my food stamps and buy me a steak I think I have every right too. I have paid into this just like every other working person. Not everyone is like these people you are talking about and I think people should stop stereotyping everyone based on a few rotten folks!
Wow. I don’t know what has gotten under my skin more. The article, or all the people praising such vicious portrayals of judgement. Until you’ve been there, don’t be so quick to criticize. I grew up with no worries as a child. I always had food on the table and was lucky enough to have had parents that had good jobs. When it came time to go to college, I chose to go into the military, for the same reason many men and women do that love their country. When I served my 7 years and my time in Iraq, I felt it was time to go to school so I used my G.I.Bill and college fund. Then I started a family and have two young children now. Turns out with the economy the way it is, there isn’t a great call for my trade, nor a decent enough salary to help support a good life for my children. So for the past three years I have been a full time student and with a year to go I will be a registered nurse. I have also for the last year and a half been on “food stamps”.
Now I will agree with you on the fact that fraud is a problem. Fraud is everywhere unfortunately, and isn’t going away anytime soon. Its a shame. Sounds like the “hot dog guy” may have been pulling a fast one. But until you’ve seen the man take the hotdogs directly to his cart, don’t be so quick to slander him. He could sell hot dogs because he likes hot dogs. Probably not though. Fraud is an issue.
You talked about these “EBT” users that are violating the intergrity of the welfare system by choosing to purchase steak, lobster, and birthday cakes on their ebt card. Let me tell you, I have done all three. When my son had his third birthday party, I had all I could do to pay our bills and get him an ample amount of presents. I thank the state for allowing me that right to get him a “large” birthday cake. He deserves it! I have also bought steak and lobster. It costs about $6.00 to get a lobster. Were’nt not going to Street and Company and spending $30 for it. Same with the steak. What? Are we not allowed to eat meat? The reason the rates are high, or too high to you, is because they take into account how many family members there are and what it costs in “todays” active market to properly deliver the right amount of nutrition. These high rates you talk about are very generous of the state, and I will fairly admit that its just enough to feed the family for 30 days every time. No more no less. They have done a bit of research on prices in our “fair” market to establish these “inflated” grants of assisstance you so quickly criticize.
TANF money on a womans ebt card is for women who are not receiving child support from the father and vice versa. Those are the only people who receive it. The state then, at some point, gets the money paid back by garnishing the wages of the parent who isnt paying support.
You speak about people accusing you for items that don’t ring up. They tell you its your fault. I can emphathize with you having been in customer service for ten years. It frustrating. However thats all part of the job when you sign on the dotted line. Thats probably why you’re going to Providence college right now. Thats why Im going to the Univ of Maine. So maybe my hard work can get me somewhere else.
Many people who have iphones were already in the midst of a two year contract and also its their internet. They can’t afford a computer.lligence level to me comes off very low and immature. How dare you p
Labeling someone as a Welfare Queen and judging someones inteublically shame these people. Do you think its all candy and parachutes of potpourri? No its not, and infact its quite embarrassing to have to pull out a welfare card. However the first and last thoughts in my head everyday are my children, and with todays economical downfall I thank the state for affording me assistance to get myself out. Im not abusing the system, and most of us on assisstance are not either. Whereever you go in life, richer or poorer you will find dishonest people. You said the state doesnt present any motivation for us to want to get out, but you couldnt be more inaccurate. Most of the other nontraditional students who attend nursing school with me are on assisstance. Trust me, we are very motivated. Unfortunately their are some who will always be satisfied with an EBT card, but for the majority who are using it temporarily we are not. Why punish the motivated?
I think when you sat down so eager to display your opinion, you shouldve had a PR representative take a gander. You couldve attacked this with way more class. I admire your strive to fix society. You are young and I hope you don’t have to travel down such roads. More me personally it has molded me into the man and father that I know I needed to be. When I get out of this in two more semesters I will have seen both sides and then feel I can write my own editorial on something I have first hand knowledge of. Good luck in school. I hear Providence College is real nice
This remarkable young lady needs to run for office. It’s young people like her that will need to push the old guard out and help redeem us. Thanks for the great read!
This is one of the most rude articles I have ever read. How do you know what that person has been through…or is going through?
Sounds like you were dealing with someone with disabilities. How do you know that didn’t just get out of work? And just because a guy has a card from 1991 doesn’t mean he has ben on it his whole life….. The card expired . Um, duh. BUT I’ve seen that guy with the hot dog stand…..
BY the way, you look like paul lepage. Puke.
So, we need welfare reform because of your personal disdain for welfare recipients?
so instead of complaining with the Occupy Wall Street kids about high tuition, she was working summers to make ends meet. Good for her.
This article is so eloquent and well written. I served in the army and find that those on welfare should consider joining the military instead of watching You Tube all day as this writer has so clearly explained. I think that poverty is hereditary, as well as laziness, both of which go hand in hand. It disgusts me that I served my country in Iraq and because I work for a living to support those too lazy to apply for a job at places like Walmart and McDonalds, I am made to suffer. I sure am glad I am able to protect this country of television watching bums…I am a Nurse Practitioner in and had a very young mother tell me that the state was going to give her a car so she would never have to call them for a ride to her medical appointments. Another woman told me she was going to become pregnant so she could increase her benefits. As a health care provider, people ask me to fill out disability paperework so they can maintain their benefits or actually get every cent they can from the state to continue in their current state of nothingness. This is another concerning issue for me… I work every day, giving pieces of myself to these “sick” people, and yet nearly 40% of my hard earned cash goes to this disgraceful group of good-for-nothings that we are forced to support. I am horrified every day at the laziness and entitlement in our society. What happened to this country? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Laziness. Pathetic. Thank you for writing your observations and for sharing your views, we need more people like you, unashamed to work at Walmart and serve those draining our economy on a daily basis.
You are right Christine(author), this whole system needs to be reformed. But don’t forget about the other families who do not abuse it.
Our family is on FS & I hate it! I hate the looks I get sometimes from the cashiers, I hate the fact that I have to tell the government every detail of our life, I hate the mound of paperwork & have to send in to keep my benefits, I hate the fact that I have to depend on someone else in order to feed my family. We went a long time eating hardly anything because we didn’t want to depend on the government to feed us, but it got to the point that my children were losing weight & were not well so we had to set our pride aside. I found out that my 17 yr old son was skipping meals so that his younger siblings could eat. That broke my heart.
My husband is not a dead beat. He works super hard when he has a job, but can’t seem to get anything more than contract jobs that always run out. We have a large family & never dreamed we would be on this end of the system. A few years ago,we were the ones who gave to people & helped people so they wouldn’t have to depend on the government & now here we are. We have no home anymore & live with our parents. Our cars are total crap & hardly work. We use pay as you go cell phones. Our kids don’t ask for anything for b-day or Christmas because they know we can’t get them anything. It is horrible!
but, thanks to this little card I not only can buy healthy stuff for my kids, but treats as well. For my son’s b-day we did buy steaks to grill because he deserved it & we never eat them. We buy soda & chips & even candy. for many of our kids b-day’s that is all they got…food- because that is ALL we could get them.
Please be careful not to judge too harshly those who come through your line & pay with food stamps. You don’t know their story. But at the same time I do agree that the system is screwed up. there is no incentive to get a job & make money because every tiny cent you make they use to deduct how much you get in benefits. If my husband makes $1000 this month it all goes to bills, none of it goes for food & it won’t even cover all the bills, but because he actually made something they want to deduct how much money we get on the FS Card. They even want to know if anyone gave you money to help with bills. So, if you are totally honest you get screwed.
Honestly I am sure most of you commenting have never been on food stamps a day in your life. If they did put a year time limit then my family would starve to death in this economy, my husband has a college degree and can only get comission based sales jobs and no one is buying. I do not think the Welfare Queens acted like that because they were on food stamps, they were ghetto people and people are ghetto wheter they use it or pay with cash. Why can’t I buy soda and birthday cake? How else should I celebrate my young daughters birthdays? As far as cell phones, that is often the only phone someone has and now at Verizon you cannot even get a phone that does not require a data plan of at least $10 each month. I just think more care should be taken and we should not judge unless you have walked in someone’s shoes.
Back when I was in high school I worked at a Country Club. It was a hard job but it taught me many life lessons.
Not everyone makes their own money. Some are born on 3rd base and act as if they earned it.
Some earned it the hard way, working their way up.
Some stole it, Literally and Figuratively.
But the biggest lesson I learned is that the majority of them would do anything to ensure that they kept it and that no one else could have it.
I heard men talk about insider trading, fudging their taxes, hiding money off shore, and starting shell companies to hide profits, paying people under the table, hiring undocumented workers. All to “save a buck”
How are the people you described any different from the ones I did?
Are they not both just as guilty as each other. Are they not stealing money from those that could actually use it?
Why is there only an outrage when the poor do it?
Why do thousands rally to end welfare and food stamps, and none for tax reform?
Why aren’t the loopholes and gaps in the system closed so that everyone pays their fair share?
Because the poor can’t afford lobbyist, and the rich can.
Because the poor doesn’t own media outlets and the rich do.
I applaud you and your willingness to put your opinions out there. You strike me as a smart and inquisitive individual.
I Challenge you to find as many sources from ALL sides, when reading up on topics that catch your attention.
There is a very simple thought process that will help you in learning about the world and in dealing with others.
KNOW THAT EVERYONE HAS AN AGENDA
All political groups, news outlets, bloggers, authors, writers and commentators. They all want to get their ideas and beliefs out there. BUT, if you find the balance between the agendas, and find UN-altered sources of data, only then will you have a true picture of the issue.
Use the education that was granted to you, and dig below the surface of what is said on tv and the radio. You might find a better story underneath.
Most of what the writer states here IS NOT fraud and it seems she has never been to a point of having to use the system to survive. Not to mention Walmart is a discount store and it caters to lower income people.
Welfare fraud is when people go to the casinos and take money off their Tanf to gamble or drink. Or when they sell their food stamps for cash. Not when they buy steak, lobster or birthday cakes!
Writer, I hope you never end up in a position to where you have to depend on the state for survival!
Wel fare is BS for sure and needs reform in the form of drug testing, time limits on how long you can be on it, and random home inspections as well as strict guidelines as to what one can buy…i also think wal-mart is evil it is the third largest employer besides the chinese army and the us dept. of defense….and most of the shit sold at wal-mart comes from china so essentially if they cut off trade with the US they would be putting millions of people out of jobs…..the problem is our political representatives are too out of touch with their constituents….next debate question should be “how much does a gallon of milk, a pound of bacon, a loaf of bread, and a dzen eggs cost?” and watch their pin-heads explode
As a former employee of DHHS, I just have to correct you on one thing. Clients are actually not ‘cut off’ completely from services. In most cases, they are given ‘transitional’ benefits such as Food Stamps, MaineCare and child care-so the incentive is actually there to go back to work. The difference is they actually have to WORK to get a paycheck rather than just sitting and collecting welfare. Maine’s welfare system is horrendous. They encourage people to come from all over and collect. It’s a joke and absolutely needs reform. The Federal guidelines for TANF actually state that a person can only be on TANF for 5 years (total not consecutive) but most eligibility workers do not enforce that. I could go on and on but it’s not my article. Good work just make sure you get all the policy facts correct next time. Honestly, great work capturing this issue.
Maybe that person’s iPhone is being paid for by their job. A job where a phone is considered a “perk” or a “benefit” while they are being paid below market rate and receiving negligible raises, if any. Maybe they’ve even seen a pay cut, or been subject to mandatory furlough days. Maybe the increase in the costs of living have put them in a position where their low-paying salary can’t provide the basics for their family, but they have a company phone.
Save your judgment. I’d hope you would keep it to yourself permanently, but since that is doubtful, at least save it until you graduate and get a “real world” job and see how the corporate world works. Try to raise a family and live in that corporate world and see how it goes.
This is brilliant and scary all at the same time. Working at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, I see the same exact thing. People come into the pharmacy and raise hell about picking up their medicine if it comes with a price and he or she is on Medi-Cal. That same person will be holding a Coach purse, talking on an iPhone and have their nails done, but refuse to spend $2.48 on hydrocortisone cream for their 3-year-old child. I get outraged every time I see someone abusing the system, and I see it on a regular basis. Everyone is talking about the1% and how all their wealth is ruining this nation and how the 99% are the ones who are suffering. If you want to know why America is trillions of dollars in debt, look at the government assistance programs and all the stupid people who abuse the system. Unemployment, welfare, WIC, Medi-Cal, etc. All that stuff is just draining the money that we don’t have as a nation and THAT’S why I have no doubts that in the near future, we will go from being the greatest country in the world to the U.S. Republic of China.
I think the system is sometimes abused and probably should be revamped but it also serves a purpose. I have never been on it myself and have worked at a grocery store and watched its abuse but have also watched it allow older Americans to buy actual food when I knew that before they received their food stamps they were sometimes eating cheap catfood and saltine crackers because that was all they could afford. With the electronic food stamp card system, the system needs to ensure they are only buying actual food (or assorted items that can be used for food like seeds everywhere and fishing supplies in places like Alaska); this is why the cards were supposed to be better than the food stamps of old that could be traded like currency (because they were food stamp funny money). Maybe the system should be more like WIC that works to ensure that foods that have been deemed beneficial are on the list for use only but that would take a lot of oversight. I am not sure how to revamp the system but it is not all bad in itself; there are just people that will take advantage of any assistance and unfortunately they are the reason that when people see someone pulling out their food stamp card, they just expect that person to be abusing the system and taking advantage either. I have witnessed people treated horribly when they were trying to do nothing other than feed their families good food and just like the abuse situation, that should never happen either. One woman was treated so poorly in front of me at the grocery store one day because of her trying to use her EBT card, she broke into tears and left the store. She did not leave, she just sat in her car and cried (I could see her from inside). I told the cashier that she should not be rude to customers like that, then I bought not only my stuff but the ladies stuff and took it to her (it amounted to less than $50 and contained foods like spaghetti fixing, cereal for her kids and veggies and fruits, nothing over the top). When I took it to her, she told me that she could not accept and I told her that since I at the time had the money to help, that it was not anything other than a gift to her kids (who were there with her). She told me that her husband had lost his job after being injured and she was only able to get a part time job at a grocery store not to far away but she was shopping at this one because she was embarrassed about needing help. Her husband spends every day including weekends looking for more work and taking one off jobs but she was now afraid that they were about to lose their apartment also. This is who the system is supposed to help, people who want to work and are willing to work, just need a little help. It is also meant to help people who can no longer work (there are actually people out there like that). That is who the system should support.
I am just curious to know how the author’s Providence College education is getting paid for. Obviously not by working at walmart. Even she would tell you that if she had to pay a rent/mortgage, heat (gets pretty cold in Maine), transportation to work, internet (so she can write great articles like this one) and the various luxuries like phone, cable and edible food that she has taken for granted all these years on that walmart paycheck she would need some kind of help. But i’m sure that walmart money goes towards clothes, makeup, pizza, beer and other things the average student at PC spends their money on while someone else has their back.
Which brings me to the origanal question, how is that $50,000 a year (I am assuming board unless she is commuting from Maine daily) education getting paid for?
Possibility #1: Mommy and Daddy. When you live off a strangers hard work your a dead beat, when you live off your parents hard work your a pretty typical upper middle class kid. I’m sure she had to get decent grades to get into PC so kudos but I’m pretty sure welfare queen 1 & 2 wern’t lucky enough to have parents that could foot the bill for a privite four year college.
Possibility #2: Financial Aid. I’m sure the author is beyond accepting this type of federal welfare money so I will move on.
Possibility #3 Student Loans. Or as I like to call it, delayed reality. If $200,000 of tuition was financed soley off of long term debt than I will be the first to extend my pity to the author because even with a PC eduaction your going to be in debt for most of your life.
Possibility #4 Like most of us that went to a school we couldn’t independently afford, a combination of all 3. Which should demonstate that most of us have a dependency on someone, weather its family, government or privite enterprise. If she’s got a healthy mix of 1 and 2 than she will probobly be ok and probobly doesn’t need to be so bitter about a poor person hoping to own a vacuum cleaner.
A compelling and beautifully written essay. Thank you for contributing to an important conversation.
This is awesome, I am a reciever of the state’s help, but I appreciate it. My husband is very sick and I don’t really have a choice right now with little ones in the house. It makes me angry to see what some people buy. I make wise decisions and use coupons just like everyone else. When my girls are in school full time I will look for work and when my husband recovers from his cancer he will go back to school and get a decent job. The state needs to crack down on those able to work.
While I agree with your thinking – it has nothing to do with “voting Republican”.
Trust me, Liberals can be just as disgusted by this type of behavior as ANYONE else.
s
You really want to stop Welfare Fraud; Tell your state representitive and legislators to intoduce a BILL that states everyone on Food Stamps or EBT that as part of thier enrollment process They will be taking a DRUG?ALCOHOL TEST Monthly; Lets see how many will stay on the goverment dole when this actualy happens
Although I understand your point, learn how to write. This is NOT very well written in the least. Also, your attitude sucks. Don’t work at WalMart or you’ll hate the poor. We get it.
When I lived in Miami I saw this every time I went to the grocery store, Women paying for non nutritional foods, dressed in expensive clothes in GOLD jewelry, with their fake nails and fake eyelashes and their hair weaves, carrying coach and gucci purses while their children were all dirty and snoty nosed with ratty hair, and I stand there asking myself, which of my items i have in hand isn’t a NEED so I can afford the to buy the rest?
how is that I worked part time because I couldn’t find a full time job, I wasn’t making ends meet, I was borrowing money from this bill to pay that bill and I don’t qualify for one lick of state aid, because i had a part time job? I WASN’T earning enough to cover rent, food, gas and electric,and i wasn’t eligible for any aide yet these people who DON’T work keep their welfare benefits do?
There needs to be a cap on how long they can stay on welfare, And maybe a single woman with 3 plus children( from different fathers, a typical welfare user ) needs to be put on birth control while on state aide, Hey you want state help, well comply. and be on birth control. Look the children learn from who? Their parents, and if they grow up seeing how THINGS are done, are they going to go work, they will do what they learned from home abuse the system as well. NO One wants to work, but it’s a fact of life. I am down on my luck right now, no job, can’t find even part time, and because I have a child who lets me live with her I don’t qualify for any temporary assistance.. Go figure…
Those who really do need the help don’t get it, and I don’t understand how this welfare system works but it needs fixed. FAST
As I read this article and many of the comments following, I realize that people are missing some very important sentences in the article.
“The system in Maine is far easier to get into than in other states, and it encourages dependency. When a person makes over the limit for benefits, they lose all benefits completely.”
People do not want to see or hear it, but unfortunately, the SYSTEM has created the abusers. The abusers did not create the system.
A true story I know of, and I’m sure this is one of many like it, is that a teenager became pregnant. She chose to keep the baby and the father was right there with her. However, after a while the father deserted her in the final months of her pregnancy and she had to move home with her parents. She could not get a job because she could not get daycare. Her parents could not afford daycare, because they were already paying for diapers, formula and doctor’s visits. The young girl went to get some assistance, but the state told her and her parents that the parents were responsible for the teenager and the baby as long as they were living with the parents.
The teenager moved out with a friend, started getting TANF, food stamps, applied and received section 8, received free daycare, free clothing and help with car insurance and repairs. All this help and all she had to do was sit at home, watching tv.
A couple years later, after working to get her GED, she decided she wanted to get a job and take care of herself and her child. She found a job, working at the time for $5 an hour, minimum wage. This young girl felt great about herself. She opened a savings account and decided she would start saving for all those extras that everyone works toward.
Then her review with DHS came upon her. She told them she had a job. Things were great! Then reality hit. Because she had a job making $5 an hour, she no longer qualified for Maine care insurance, she qualified for $20 food stamps, her section 8 was decreased so she had to pay most of the rent, free daycare was taken away from her, and help with her vehicle was taken away.
She did not want everything paid for her. That was why she got a job. However, when all was said and done, she made more money sitting at home watching tv with her child in free daycare. And it was less STRESSFUL. She had NO INCENTIVE to go out and get a job and better herself. Unfortunately, 25 years later and 3 kids later she is still collecting assistance.
I know many people are going to criticize this and I understand that. I personally do not believe that people should be abusing the system. However, I also believe that sitting around and criticizing these people is not going to change things. Lots of people take the easy way out and the SYSTEM is allowing it.
I also am a cashier and see the abuse. However, I believe that talking about people buying steak, lobsters, birthday cakes and slip ‘n slides are really just a way to get people riled up and respond. Lots of people need these benefits and shouldn’t have to only eat mac and cheese, raman noodles, chop suey or cereal all month long. Right now, we need to work on the bigger issue, which is the SYSTEM, which, unfortunately has created the abusers.
darling, if you had even once purchased your own lobster with your own money, you’d know that in summer in Maine, they are often cheaper per lb than bologna!
Except that…Wal-mart itself is part of why we have such high rates of poverty in this country. Last I checked, “full-time” employment at Wal-mart is 28 hours. I used to work at a hotel in Rockport, Maine. Every other employee there worked f/t at Wal-Mart, and also worked to make up the difference at the hotel and other places to support their families. Wal-Mart is completely against its workers joining together to make policies that benefit them and their families, so the wages there usually just reflect barely above federal minimum wage. And then there’s the fact the the government gives tremendous handouts to companies, ‘corporate welfare’, http://www.citizen.org/congress/welfare/index.cfm and these corporations can’t be seen as benevolent institutions who then create jobs. In fact, most of these companies just sit on their profits, giving them to their top execs, or investing it for more profit.
To blame individuals is wrong. Most of the people who receive food stamps do work, or want to work. In fact, welfare has been mostly destroyed. Clinton instituted the welfare to workfare program. Also, is the writer arguing that children, old people, disabled people (many disabilities are invisible) should not be given any support, should be left to be homeless or starving?
Welfare is in fact, mostly a subsidy to the fact that companies aren’t willing to pay their workers a living wage that they can support themselves on. The government ends up making the difference. I believe we do not need to keep scrabbling for crumbs and hating each other, blaming each other for what we feel is unjust-that others are somehow getting away with being lazy while we work our asses off. There is enough to go around if we spread it fairly, if we stop giving corporations welfare!
She mentions that the level of government support is not proportionate to getting people out of poverty, which is true, however that is NOT the reason for governments providing support. The government generally provides not enough to live on, not even enough to feed a family with. It is true that government support is a trap, not a great solution, because it requires that people REMAIN poor. There are MANY people in Maine, and everywhere else who don’t have universal health care who require health insurance for life-saving medications and health care, who absolutely can’t risk earning over the very low minimum in order to qualify for government subsidized health coverage. We can’t keep blaming individuals for SYSTEMIC issues.
If welfare were to become more strict, and essentially “boot” people out, wouldn’t this inherently lead to more crime? I don’t see people in this position that are “not deserving” necessarily stopping at getting what they want. This just proves to be a less violent way of obtaining said things, which I’m fine with, as corporations do the same exact thing all the time. The Same. Exact. Thing. Including Wal-Mart.
That said, I’m not on food stamps. I don’t plan on being on any assistance, but I was grateful for it being there when I was a child and my mother needed it for my brother and I. I was embarrassed as hell when I had to use them too (but hey they took them at the Korean store when we needed milk and or Tasty Kakes because she couldn’t bake).
Buying food on Welfare is illegal and is a crime. Its also illegal to buy food for others. Someone stated middle class gets some kind of tax break or help, where is that at?? I am now middle class, use to be poor and on foodstamps, and trust me I got help poor but NOTHING middle class. I have four children and when I cant buy steaks to eat and others buy it because they get foodstamps, it really pisses me off. Someone says they should be able to buy what they like, are you for real?? they can buy what they like with their OWN money. But, there is honest people collecting and in need so, I am not against welfare. BUt, I can tell you I dont spend as much on food as they get in foodstamps. I was amazed at home much foodstamps they give you when I was on them; you can feed several people, more then the amount that are actually in them. This article is true in many states and is an example of self entitlement. Just because you are poor does not mean you get to spend other peoples money on what ever you want!!!
2 Thessalonians 3:10
Too lazy to work? Then you don’t need free food.
while you make good points here, I have seen FAR worse. I live in t a town where about 85% of the population is on welfare and drugs together.I live in Waterville Maine. I have seen on several occasions, people selling their food stamp money and buying drugs with it. That is a felony! I have seen one girl i used to live with, wait till he beginning of the month when she gets her TANF, then spend over half of it on weed! that money is meant to buy stuff for her kid. then she would smoke said weed, in front of her 6 year old. I got out of that situation fast! I have seen people buy food with food stamps then return it for cash, i have seen people driving mustangs ( my upstairs neighbor) brand new ones, and owing 2 other cars, but get food stamps. I’m not going to lie, i get them too, but i use them on good food for my 2 kids, I need the help because i am a full time single mother of 2 and a full-time college student also. But most of these people just sit on the butts collecting form the state. I just did 2 papers in my college writing class about the welfare abuse and it needs to be taken care of. I so agree with you.
Well you are forgetting a few key points, 1) some of the people getting wic & ebt actually NEED it & 2) the people that need help the most usually get denied from the lack of funds due to the people that do abuse the system. I lost my job afte I had my son, I worked from from the time I WAS 14 years old til I had him at 26, I paid my fair share of taxes & can I can get any any help, NO I dont “qualify” even though we’re homeless, I can only get wic help. What a great system we have.
I have 3 small children and i have a full time job but I only make $8.50 an hour and i don’t make enough to pay rent, bills and food by myself and I went up to my local DHHR to apply for foodstamps and i was denyed. BUT while i was in the waitinfg room to be seen i saw women there with just one child and were in scrubs which clearly indicates that they more than likely work in either a doctor’s office or hospital and they make more than myself, walking out of there with big smiles on their faces. But I was turned down. I have a few family members and friends that also have children and REFUSE to work and they get medical cards and food stamps and our tax money is paying for it. I don’t think that its in anyway fare that I pay money into the system to pay for dead beat ppl to lay around on their butts all day and pretty much get paid for it and I work my butt off all week , all month, every year and I go and ask for a little help and I am denied. I’m also a cashier/key holder at my job and I’ve had the same type of things said to me. I’ve had ppl get very upset becasue they can’t buy energy drinks with their EBT cards or some candys. Thats not my fault maybe you should bring some cash along with you just in case. And its really not fair that the customer can stand there and cuss you and call you names and all you can do is stand there and let it happen. That is degrating to the cashier and because these companies are scared to loss money they alllow it to happen. Theres a lot of things that are wrong with the way employeers allow their employees get treated. Our world id headed for Hell very quickly.
Worked at a grocery store in NY for years before moving to maine. The families with their lavish westechester county attire, their babies wearing ugg boots would come in and hand me their WIC checks, give me their Venezuela ID cards, and didn’t speak enough english for me to explain to them that my store tiny little store did not have the equipment nessecary to accept WIC.
Like you mentioned. talking on their Iphones not giving a shit. meanwhile people i know who DO need assistance, who were born and raised, Including a military family, cant get it.
sick
I agree with some parts in this article but only some. THis girl doesnt know the reason behind these people having welfare. Oh yeah people cheat the system, but they always will. But most really need assistance. I have EBT and believe me, if I could find me a job, then i would surely give it up. I hate going in and using my foodstamps. BUt hey, until i got laid off, I paid into the system and have every right to use it in my time of need! I work 2 jobs and go to school and still have problems paying the bills so it nice to know that my children have food to eat! So before you judge someone, little girl, you first need to know their situation. and if you dont, then you should keep your opinions to yourself
In regards to the comment about the iPhone–it’s easy to judge when you don’t know the whole story. I am on EBT, and I have an iPhone. It was much cheaper to cut off our home phone, cut off our Internet, and get an iPhone. I have my own business and run it with my iPhone. And, sometimes the older iPhones are a lot less than $200.
I don’t disagree that there is a problem, but just wanted to point this out. For those of us who don’t abuse the system, we don’t like to see incomplete perspectives like this. I guess my pride doesn’t allow me to be classified with other people who do abuse, simply because I have an iPhone.
Thanks!
Sandy
A few thoughts from former cashier at Wal*Mart (09-10), and a progressive (I found this post on facebook from a conservative friend).
*There are people who do ‘abuse’ the system. I’ve seen people come in and use their welfare money for cigarettes before. That obviously is a terrible waste of that money. As a taxpayer who has money going towards welfare recipients, I think I should have a say if they can buy something so harmful as cigarettes. Or we should restrict how much sugar they are intaking. DIabetes is a serious issue in this country costing taxpayers millions of dollars in healtcare fees through medicare and medicaid. If we can limit what people buy with WIC, then we can add the same limitations to unhealthy products (cakes, cookies, soda, etc)
*I have also seen people get $800+ in food stamps, and then buy several hundred dollars worth of entertainment products with cash. If you have $60 for an X-box game, then you can afford to buy $60 worth of groceries with cash and not food stamps.
*Although I can name instances of abuse, I can tell you that for 10 people, there is one abuser and nine people who use it honestly. How much money would really be saved by overhauling the system? Would it be offset by administrative costs used to track and reform? It seems like the only real way to ensure that abuse is stopped and there isn’t burden on the taxpayer is to cancel all forms of welfare. This, of course, is radical and will do more harm than good.
*What is the economic cost of revamping the system? Imagine this scenario. Since the author mentioned Maine, let’s talk about Maine. Lobster is popular in Maine (or so the media portrays. I am a midwestern boy, myself, so I don’t know!). Let’s say we have 1 Million people on welfare in Maine (maybe that is too high or low. WHatever, its just an example). Now, let’s say that, in accordance to the views of everyone, that every welfare recipient lives the high life and buys lobster with food stamps. Lets assume that these lobsters cost $11. $11 X 1 million= $11,000,000 (easy math, yay!). Now I am not sure how much money the lobster industry in Maine brings in, but if these people buy lobster twice a month, then that is 22 million dollars per MONTH taken away from the Lobster industry. Who loses out? Those people who work in the lobster industry! How many jobs might be lost over that?
*There is also the economic cost to the stores. Lets say each person has $100 dollars to spend on food. The normal person has to figure tax into that, welfare recipients do not. Welfare recipients can buy 100$ worth of groceries. Other people can buy 90$ dollars worth of groceries, and pay 10$ worth of tax. The sad truth is that for stores like Wal*Mart, there is a lot of business done there by people on welfare. The store I worked probably had 45% of its customers on some sort of welfare. How much money would they be losing out if we did something drastic? How many jobs would be lost because of that?
So what is the solution? I have no freaking idea. On one hand we know that there is abuse, and it would seem like a good idea to work in some sort of restrictions and abuse prevention. On the other hand, we don’t want to drastically cut off this aid, because it will have a big economic toll on people. So where is the middle ground on this?
“Pissed Off” claims to run his own business, yet his family is on food stamps.
Applying elementary logic to the information provided, I can only conclude that this guy sucks at running a business and should probably go work for someone else.
I hear Wal-Mart is hiring.
Hi, Christine- Two questions for you…..1) Did you report the fraud? And 2) Why are you working for a big corporation like Wal Mart that doesn’t pay well and depends on welfare folks for its money? Your friend, Jean-Marie
Yes, there needs to be welfare reform there’s no denying that. Yet, basing it off the minority is a ridiculous notion!
If you truly want too see change, start giving these people on welfare options for education. Whether it’s for a GED or an associates degree. By bettering them and having them educated it gives them a chance to break the cycle.
I remember when the job i had went away because of the owners who bankrupted the business. Applies for unemployment and started receiving it and I decided to go back to school if I wasn’t able to find a job very quickly.
Of course I was still open to working part time or at least work when I was not in class, yet the unemployment claim after I had gone back to school was denied because I wasn’t available for certain hours in the day.
The systems are seriously flawed yet I can hardly blame any of them for committing some sorts of fraud to at least give their children something they probably never had. Like a nice birthday party.
Also, it should be noted that even a lot of the people I worked with in Wal*Mart were on welfare, though they put in 32-40 hours per week. It was sad to see CMS’ and assistant managers have to use food stamps! But people have that need, and we as a civil society should provide the need.
Let me state first that I agree wholeheartedly that there needs to be serious welfare reform. I don’t disagree with a thing that was said in this post except for one: “This is a reminder of why I vote republican.”
I do not vote republican (for the most part) because what the republicans have become don’t represent what republicans once did. I vote for Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe because they tend to be true republicans, but what the party has become is something akin to a party driven by religious beliefs which don’t belong in politics.
I believe that there should be a complete separation of Church and State. Even within the Christian faith, there are different factions that believe different things. These factions even partake in wars with each other in parts of the world. Let’s not forget the violence that was rampant in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants.
I don’t want anybody telling me what I should believe nor do I wish to force what I believe onto anybody else.
I cannot stand behind a party as a whole that wishes to discriminate against a group of people who should have the same rights as everybody else. I feel that is bringing religion into politics – and more so, only a particular interpretation of that particular religion.
I try to vote for people instead of voting for parties.
My idea candidate is somebody who believes that all people, regardless of religion, race, or sexual orientation are provided the same rights. This candidate would believe that education is one of the top priorities for government spending, that welfare needs serious reform, that we truly get the government out of the lives of people, that tax breaks on major corporations and oil companies be retracted, that the 1% is taxed at a higher rate and that loopholes that prevent such people from being taxed correctly be examined.
It is important that we heed human rights and remember the words attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
Right now, the Republican party is so determined to instill fear that they are convincing us that we should have some of our rights taken away for our own safety. I’d rather have my freedom than the start of something that could lose us both our freedom and our personal safety.
I have used an EBT card for food. There is no stipulation about what type of food you must buy with the card. You have a certain amount loaded on the card and when it’s gone, IT’S GONE. Period. So if you choose to eat steak for one or two meals that is your choice, however, it’s probably wiser to make it stretch. What bothers me is that some people get SO MUCH money for food each month while my son, 76 year ol mom and I get less than 300.00/month. My mom was told if she applied separately she would get 40.00/month. This is an old woman who lives on social security (less than 1000.00/month). I have NEVER qualified to get EBT cash or anything else.
If you can’t figure out a new vaccum is worth more than 3.98 you are just plain STUPID. Or, they think the cashier is stupid OR just to see if they can badger the manager to give it away for less that 4.00. These women you talked about are IGNORANT and SELFISH! There is no self servie swipe machine in the store on which to check a balance. You have to go to customer service (and probably stand in line) BEFORE you shop (if you have lost your receipt with remaining balance) and ask her to set up the swipe machine so you can check. Or call the number on the card it gives the balance. Make it simple, have a check swiper you can use yourself instead of standing in line.
Customers like that are rude, self-centered, ignorant people who don’t give a rats ass about anyone but themselves and THEIRS. Those are the give me, give me, give me’s and the world owes me a living. I can see why they ticked you off.
Yes you are spot on. Welfare needs reforming because there are lots of people who need help like EBT cards who can’t get them because they are the right color. While EBT cards are automatically doled out to people of color.
I think it’s funny, so many welfare recipients and other commies have commented saying they “deserve this and that” and crying about equality. I’m paying for their welfare with my tax dollars and I can’t even afford what these people think they deserve. They’re no better than common street thugs who rob you at gunpoint.
I do think the author is judgemental, at the same time that doesn’t mean that these problems do not exist
most infuriating of all of these comments is this bitch right here :
apehart says:
December 13, 2011 at 8:40 pm
I am on welfare. Screw you people. I have 4 kids and don’t want no stranger raising them. I have 4 baby daddies who don’t pay no child support to me. The thing is that the other kids in school all have nice cell phones to text each other.
I demand cell phones for my kids.
I have four kids.
Why should my kids be looked down upon by your kids?
I demand a cell phone for each of my chlldren so they can call 911. Skool should not be demanding homework but give out iPads to help my kids.
This Christmas, their Skool gave me an iPad and I said that I got three other kids what do you expect them to do share? It is not fair.
If I had a job and was a tax payer I would be so mad right now.
you should learn to close your legs no one owes you or your bastards I-pads, you are not entitled to our hard-earned money because you like to irresponsibly fuck
i have six children and my husband works 6 days a week to pay for our beautiful home, van, food, clothes and everything else. No one owes you a fucking Ipad or cell phone, it is the self-entitled shaniquas of this country that our bringing it down, no wonder all their offspring turn to gang-banging
FOUR baby daddies? Really? One would think you would have learned after the first two tricks that you might have set some standards for yourself, apparently not, welfare cunts like you should not have children and should be made to fucking lick the streets clean for your benefits. PA is meant tor those who need assistance after hard times, not for whores who like to fuck but don’t like to work
Word of advice—–start charging per fuck so we don’t have to pay for it lazy bitches like you devalue women and our ruining this country, Get a fucking JOB Shaniqua, you are fucking DISGUSTING and try being fucking GRATEFUL if your kid’s school gave him an I pad be fucking GRATEFUL for it and YEAH MAKE YOUR BASTARDS SHARE IT FOR CHRIST’S SAKE
no one owes you a living, if you chose to fuck men who don’t give a shit about their offspring that is called YOUR bad decistion not hard-working tax-payers problem you lazy bitch
Now on from the low-life as she is a perfect example as to why welfare needs reform
Not everyone on welfare or foodstamps started out that way, so I really don’t think it is reasonable to expect that recipients walk around in rags. I saw someone mentioned a fur coat, that very well could have been a gift or perhaps she bought it prior to collecting benefits. Not everyone is a moocher and many have lost their jobs and are now in need, that doesn’t mean they should have to sell their tv’s or go without decent clothing, many had their nice shit before losing their jobs. There is a difference between people like that and the cunt above who thinks she should fuck and we all should pay for it because she made 4 bad choices in fucking any tom dick or harry to reproduce
She should be the poster child for fucking birth control, We earn our money and will have a hard Christmas for the first time ever due to his job taking away Christmas bonuses this year, but we will have a Christmas regardless
I also don’t think it is anyone’s business what others eat no matter how it is paid, though I do concede Lobster is a bit ridiculous, sadly the kids of these parents buying lobster will probably miss several meals so Mommy and Daddy can have lobster, what a shame, As far as steak goes I wouldn’t call steak extravagant as it can be bought on sale most times and depends of the cut, we don’t collect any fucking thing, and with 6 kids we still can afford steak, though i admit i buy it when it is on sale or buy one get one free
SHANIQUA you are NOT entitled to shit just because you chose to spread your legs for bums who don’t pay child support, get a fucking job and stop fucking you low-life bitch
So, your definition of “massive fraud and abuse” is:
People who rely on public benefits longer than you believe is reasonable
People who use their own earnings to purchase alcohol
People who have modern cell phones
People who make food purchases you don’t approve of
People who get upset when their benefits unexpectedly run out
People who you think are dumb
Does that cover it? Let’s talk again when you graduate and can’t find a job.
First off you are grouping ALL people on welfare into one category. I work full time and take over time when possible, but I am raising a teenager and a child with major emotional and sensory issues that need me at home so working a second job just isn’t going to work. I have no family to help with childcare are helping to take care of my younger one when he is sick. Even thought I work full time and I work a job doing over nights so I can be available for my son during the day if he needs me I still do not make enough money to be off welfare. I do happen to get a lot of pre-packaged food which I admit isn’t always the best but it is quicker and easier. I am trying to learn how to prepare meals in advance. I have never gotten child support for my oldest son who I had at age 19 and will never get support from his father because he is is on welfare for a social anxiety issue. Now in order to get welfare I have to be working or going to school or volunteer 40 hours a week to get my $200 a month i food stamps. My oldest sons father gets food stamps, Maine Care, housing and cash in the amount of about $500 a month. He is NOT required to go to school, work or even go to counseling even though he has been arrested several times for drug and alcohol related issues. These are the issues that need to be addressed. If he were required to pay child support I may not need the food stamps anymore. But because he has NEVER worked a day in his life and NEVER paid into social security my son gets no benefits from social security and his father is exempt from paying child support, this to me is where the biggest welfare re-form needs to take place with the social security system that allows drug and alcohol dependent people and mentally ill,to remain on the system and not have to do anything to try and get well. The people with Bi-polar aren’t required to do anything unless they choose to. yet it is well known that with the correct meds. and therapy they can lead very self sufficient lives and work certain kinds of jobs. I wish people would stop blaming single mothers on welfare, there has been a lot of re-form to try and get them off welfare sometimes they just aren’t qualified to work high enough paying jobs to be out of the poverty level or there are other reasons you don’t know about that are keeping them there.
Judgemental…
You simply can’t tell people how to spend beyond the parameters already established…you may not agree with their steak purchase. HOWEVER,suspected ABUSE should be reported! The guy buying hot dogs (runs a hot dog stand) is abuse, but buying a birthday cake is another.
Singed with a graduate degree.
Jenn
Temper your ignorance with education:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaming_the_victim
So where are these families supposed to get jobs? In florida right now tons of people are living in cars I think stating people who are customers as questionable clientele is very judgemental of you, if you dont know someone or you know someone for a few minutes and call them questionable is basically saying they are suspicious or guilty of something you think they are a certain way when you should be more openminded, i also wonder if you even have children or know how hard it is on these families to raise them, also you should judge people (well you shouldn’t) but if your going to do it do it on an individual level and no you dont have all the answers so dont act like you do by making this propaganda why didnt you bring up the nice family on foodstamps probably because your so biased you didn’t consider it and that makes you a hater, I worked at walmart for a while and I hardly ever got yelled at so people are probably picking up on your judgemental tendancies good luck in life and I hope you become a more aware person.
Forget about voting Republican unless it’s Ron Paul. Libertarians do not believe in entitlements. If you really want change, vote for a Libertarian and get your money and your freedom back.
We had serious welfare reform in 1996. It was turned from a federally managed program into block grants to individual states and states were empowered to establish, administer and enforce their programs as they saw fit. You don’t like how your state runs their program? Your state has a welfare abuse hot line. Call it.
These are harsh times and it’s easy to criticize when resources are scarce. But try not to be judgmental, you do not know the life story of these people.
And did you know, as of 2009, the average duration of welfare cases across the united states was 2.5 years? Hardly indicative of widespread abuse. Although abuse does happen, it is no where near as common or widespread as the most vocal critics want you to believe it is.
It’s people like this (meaning the welfare queens) that give me (a single working mom) a bad name. I bust my butt at work to provide for my child without help from her father. I get food stamps because without them I wouldn’t be able to feed my child. I also get Mainecare because my ex husband doesn’t provide ins for his daughter like he’s supposed to, but I also have my own private insurance that I pay for our of pocket as primary because I refuse to depend on the state. I agree with the limitations for welfare, and I have to fill out paperwork every 6 months to make sure I still qualify.
Welcome to America, where no one is held accountable. If the person that issued the food stamp card, actually audited their monthly purchases this foolishness would have been stopped a LONG time ago. Problem is, many Americans are lazy. Period. We act like we are too good to work certain jobs, too good to wear certain clothes, too good to share a common space with another person that’s perceived or deemed as having a lower stature then themselves, etc.. Our priorities as a country are ass backwards.
TO: Brandon who wrote “I also work for Wal-Mart in Maine, and its the same thing day in and day out. What I find even more comical is when the welfare moochers bring in piles and piles of coupons, to save money on the money that the state gives them every month? Its one thing if you are financially unstable and are unable to afford groceries upon all your other finances. I’m actually excited that Paul LePage is going to do something about this (first time I’ve ever agreed with him), but something seriously needs to be done.”
Really? You work at Wal-Mart, but you don’t know that the money that is discounted by using coupons is paid back by the MANUFACTURERS, not YOU. I would much rather see someone on Welfare using coupons, rather than just paying full-price for an item. This goes to show that they are trying to spend the money they recieve wisely. They will get more for the money provided, but at least they are trying. To me, this would at least help to show them how they can save money, if they do get off of welfare, in order to provide for themselves.
I couldn’t agree with this article more. This issue resides in every state, but I don’t know that there will ever be a resolution. I am 27 and I live in TN. My husband and I work full-time and we have a 16 month-old son. As everyone knows, the economy sucks. Diapers and formula didn’t pay for themselves, but not once did I even think about trying to get WIC or Welfare. My child is MY responsibility. If you’re responsible enough to conceive a child, you should be held accountable for your actions. I understand people lose their jos, insurance and sources of income. However, those are so many who never had any intentions of even getting a job. Why bother when you can have your groceries, health insurance paid for and government housing for $17? Yet, you can afford to take the money that was given to you (courtesy of my pay check) for YOUR children and have your 2 cell phones, a $200 cable bill, your hair done, nails done, wearing a $100 pair of shoes while your child is dressed in hand-me-downs. SHAME ON YOU! It’s not MY fault you have 3 kids my three different daddy’s. Instead of people turning “Walk a mile in my shoes” against one’s that aren’t on welfare, they should turn it right back on the ABUSERS of the system (note that I said nothing about the one’s who NEED it due to hardships). Get up every day, get ready, get your child ready and go to work for 8 hours (doesn’t include the 2 hours of rush-hour traffic)! Then, once you do get your paycheck, take a close look at the taxes that come out (This is what ends up in your pocket). Not to mention, the health insurance you pay for out of every check to provide health insurance for your family (this includes the child(ren) YOU concevied)!!! This doesn’t include mortgage or rent(you know, that $17 a month), the electricity bill, gas bill, water bill (all inclusive in the $17 rent). Cable and cell phones are a luxury, not a necessity. That is unless you’re a drug dealer. In that case, I guess it would be a necessity. WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES, then we’ll talk!!!!
way to go CHRISTIAN! The right attitude and a much better opinion.
Funny that you would mention Former Governor Dukakis of Massachusetts. I am from Massachusetts, and after reading your first few sentences, I was reminded of some comments once made by his successor, William Weld. It’s been a long time since I heard them, so I paraphrase, but it was something like “welfare is intended to be a springboard, not a hammock”. My own political ideologies were still developing at that point in my life, and that simple remark had a great deal of influence on me. To this day, I believe the Republican party is the party of common sense.
While I’m here, I’ll also mention (like so many others) that I am very impressed with your article. I stumbled upon your blog for the first time today, but I can see that you’re a bright, well-spoken woman with some great things to say. I’m also impressed by the number of comments this article has received so far. It’s great to see your sensible ideas reaching so many people. Keep it up!
I am taking a class on welfare right now and this piece is very biased and unfair. Do a little non-biased research, with compassion or not. I highly recommend reading “Flat broke with children” to understand that welfare reform already took place, and so far it has left more people than ever on welfare. It is a flawed system, don’t always blame the individuals! You will end up oppressing yourself that way too.
thats why you vote republican? what about the four past governors who were republican and didnt do &*^%, quit your whining like its a republican or democrat reason for lousy policies, its BOTH sides that have the issue.
Good article up until you feel the need to show which side you support, we dont need or care which side you vote on, however we do care about the issues you bring up.
Awesomeness in writing. You’ve done a great job of exposing what the average consumer may see from time to time, and this article is no doubt going to become a sensation. Kind regards, womanontheright
Even worse in the liberal entitlement state of New York. Crap, we even pay the soda deposit and soda tax, and when folks buy carts full of soda for their kids graduation party that is a lot of tax money pee’d awa. You think that these moochers would at elast give the state the 5 cent deposit back!
This is amazing! I worked at Kroger in Michigan for four years and everything you have written hear rings true for my experience. Add onto it however, that I witnessed a guy buy over 10 packages of pop (each with six to twelve cans/bottles inside) on his food stamps and then go out to his car and dump it all in the parking lot. He then came in, returned the bottles and bought a pack of cigarettes. Absolutely disgusting! I wanna help people out too, but there need to be more regulations and more hoops to jump through to get help.
I couldn’t agree more with this article. It makes me furious when I see people in line at the grocery store with a grocery cart full of mostly all junk and then eating nothing but steak, shrimp, and lobster – and I am paying for it – yet I can’t even afford that luxury too often AND MY HUSBAND AND I WORK!!!!!! There is something wrong with this picture – why am I going without so that they can live high on the hog? If you are capable of working – GET A JOB!!!!! I don’t care what it is – just get a job!!!!! Obviously the people who are engaging in this fraud are not going to change on their own – and all they are doing is teaching it to their children – the government needs to wake up and take care of this ASAP!!!!!
while there are many, many people abusing the system, I believe some things need to be set very straight! First of all, none of these programs should be abolished but most definitely reformed. You NEVER know someones’ personal situation and to say that the mother of 5 whose husband was killed in Iraq shouldn’t receive any assistance because one cannot learn to share is childish and goes back to the basics we learn as children to “play well with others” and second, medicaid and ss taxes aren’t for others they are paid for YOU and YOUR retirement as well! Food stamps is a federally funded program and so is state insurance which is why (and I worked in a dr’s office so can say this factually) the majority of states are in debt to doctors because they cannot pay the bill, well, if you are paying taxes how is this so? Because you don’t pay for this! To prohibit someone who is unable to afford the luxury of college and a 65,000 + a year salary any assistance to get a HAND UP is sad, disgusting and NOT what we should represent…..If you were to lose your job today and be unable to afford anything and someone said we can help do not for one single second tell me you would choose being homeless and hungry over putting your “pride away”. Everyone deserves help at some point in their life and to want to take it away altogether, well, I can only pray that you are never kicked while you are down, spit on when asking for help, or have to face your children when they cry for warmth, shelter, or food. Everyone is as unique as their situation and judgement will only get you as far as your front door, it will keep you small-minded, bitter and hateful towards those you will never understand.
@Elisabeth – are you seriously justifying buying a bakery cake for a child? Only if it were illegal to actually bake your own cake could that be considered a wise choice. Maybe you’ll find it truly amazing that many children have actually survived a birthday with *gasp* a cake mix boxed cake and homemade frosting.
And steaks for an anemic child? A variety of foods can provide great sources of iron: meats; egg yolks; broccoli, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables; dried peas and beans; blackstrap molasses; raisins; and whole-grain bread. I’m trying to stay away from sarcasm, but it’s hard. . . . . . . .
And all those people spending EBT money at your place of business keep your stupid azz employed. Just scan the groceries chick, how people pay is none of your business. Lets just say we cut the EBT program completely. You lose your little gig and your parents 401K goes in the crapper. Walmart is making a Fortune off of these transactions and they are one of the DOW’s largest companies. Do you have any clue how much Wal-mart would lose if those program were cut? Of course you don’t because that would be real Journalism.
Hello all I have read this article and hope so hope this young woman never falls from grace…First the man you said was on FS your whole life how do you know that he was not a vet who got hurt and cant work receives social security and is eligible for FS…and I have seen the EBT card and all you people who think that people are on FS how do you know they look just like debit cards to me just like from my bank…AND some people that are on FS could also have a full-time job and still be able to receive help…I was a single mom that had a really good job and not on the system (as you call it) but your so called Government reminded me that I was not able to live that dream…I did fall on hard times lost my job and then only job I could get was one that paid me less then what I was making so yes I used them and even though I didnt buy lobster or steak I did find that being on FS you cant eat a health as one wants…the price of food is going up and in order to feed you family for a month you have to make sacrifices. Now the queen #1 that was spending $400 how do you not know that she is buying for the month not just a party…enjoy your life and again hope you never have to use the system
Less than 2% of all people on welfare in the USA commit fraud.
“The myth of the Cadillac-driving welfare queen who defrauds the system lingers even though there’s no proof of it”, said Erin O’Brien, a poverty expert at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
In fact, welfare fraud among Philadelphia’s 95,456 recipients is “minute,” according to Peter Berson, assistant chief of the government fraud unit in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
The 200 to 400 cases of welfare fraud in the city each year – down 50% since 2002 because of better enforcement and fewer recipients – are not nonworking women having babies to game the government, but working women receiving welfare and working at other jobs without reporting the income, Berson said.
In conclusion, the rate of welfare fraud is so low as to almost not be worth mentioning. The next time you hear an allegation of welfare fraud, ask to see the hard facts. Anecdotes are just that, and urban myths develop quickly. In hard times, Americans blame the poor.
The facts tell me that 98 out of 100 people on welfare are not defrauding the system. Ninety-eight out of one hundred welfare recipients you meet are honest people who are struggling. Isn’t it time we dropped the stigma? You would be much better served to rail against Corp. welfare then to demonize your fellow citizens that are already walking a very hard road.
PS: Tired of seeing people using someone elses food stamp card. Cashiers have to at times punch in the account numbers. The gender and or ages do not always match the photo. There should be a finger print verification, only the ONE approved user for that account can use it. No mroe sharing of accounts
I completely agree, I went through the same kind of crap my freshman year of college. I worked at a grocery store as well. My personal favorite was the lady who came through my line with a Prada purse and an iPhone (this was back when they had JUST came out and cost like $500). I found it peculiar that she had to pay for her food with EBT. Absolutely infuriating.
If we, the tax payers, don’t like seeing welfare recipients spending “our” money on expensive steaks vs hamburger meat and extravagant birthday cakes vs cake mixes to take and bake their own, then we, the tax payers, should be able to call the shots. When ever someone else is putting out the money for you they have the right to call the shots. And if the welfare recipients don’t like going with out steak and extravagant birthday cakes, then maybe that would encourage them to get a job so no one could tell them what they can buy or not buy. That’s the way the system should work. People tend to not like restrictions and quite possibly would get the idea that if they work and quit living off of other people’s money they could buy what ever they pleased with out having to answer to anyone or feel anyone’s scorn for their choices.
Great job!
Very well written, I worked at Rite Aid for three years as both a cashier and a pharmacy tech so I am witness to this exact type of situation.
As someone who personally receives food stamps, I tend to agree with some of what you’re saying. However, I take a bit of exception to your point ‘c’ regarding so-called “extravagant” food purchases. Granted, regular purchase of such things is absurd and wasteful, but just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they need to be reminded of that constantly. And people such as yourself, Miss Born-in-1991, have a lot of living to do before you are in any position to be looking down your noses at us.
Ten years ago when I was making $60K I may have shared more of your opinion, but after several major life events and job losses, salary and wage reductions, and more than a year receiving assistance in the form of food stamps, I have a different point of view. And I have purchased a birthday cake or two so that my children don’t have to see their Daddy as the pathetic excuse that you seem to view us, and I have used food stamps to buy a large rib roast and cut into steaks myself at half the cost of buying steaks individually.
I’m sorry, but I can’t agree that two summer jobs at a store gives you much of a platform to stand on and look down on others. It barely gives you any insight at all. If all you had was a summer job, and were attending college, you haven’t even lived in the real world yet, in my opinion.
nice job
I used to work in Retail as well. I have witnessed far worse than Welfare abuse, such as scams on returns, stolen merchandise, fraudulent checks, counterfeits and just down right rude people. However, I must say while all this does occur, we do have to remember that this is not every single individual out there. I used to have a hard time doing returns on items I knew were stolen and I got even more mad when they had the audacity to make a scene when I knew and they knew they were wrong. What kept me going is the thought that the percentage of these kind of people is minimal compared to the honest ones. We have to remember while the statistics appear to be high, the abuse is only a fraction. Don’t get me wrong, witnessing system abuse in any way can be very frustrating, I say that out of personal experience. But on the other hand, not every single person is abusing the system. Why should we focus on all the bad and negative? How many people list the good and positive? People that abuse Welfare and scam-artists are not the only people that reside in our world. Instead of trying to renovate a decaying world, we should focus and the good and work to complete a great world as Wallace Wattles states.
You lost me at “Welfare Queen”. Its hard to look objective when you say things like that.
The more I read your stories the more that sound slike the same old conservative drivel – antecdotes but no actual statistics. Coupled with the above, I wonder to myself – how much of this is real?
Nikki, Steak is an extravagant item people who work for a living rarely buy it because of the cost. Lobster is even more extravagant most people who work for a living only buy this type of item once a year and maybe not even then. Birthday cakes are fine as long as they are within reason. People on welfare should have to take budgeting classes and should be required to do some kind of community service for what they are getting for free. Too bad if it would be beneath them to do things like sweep the streets or pick up trash in parks. They might get some pride out of it and think they would want to make a living instead of mooching. Having one child after another should not be rewarded either, if you continue to have children even though you cannot afford to feed the ones you have you should be cut off. This will disway people from having more children into a life of poverty. Certainly, people need help once in a while and most people who have any kind of work ethic would get off of welfare as soon as possible because no one should live off of others.
they need to stop paying for a child to be born,if u r on welfare u should not be getting preggo,make welfare clients work for their city to pay back what they get unless u r disabled and on disability, city can use extra hands like keeping streets clean of animal poo shoveling snow lawn care ect…..i see people with a ton of kids on welfare ( wow ) and who paid for these kids to be born? ebt card should only be used and restricted for bill payment and household cleaning and personal hygene items. they can put a restriction on these cards and show proof of reciepts with their signature on them call landlords of rent paid for proof if needed a little extra work from the state/govner employee’s won’t hurt. welfare needs to be reformed better before there is nothing left.
I completely agree with this writer. I knew a lady in California who got laid off in 2009 because the construction business took a big hit in this economy. She went on unemployment for over two years while she looked for the “right job.” She was offered jobs but turned them down because “they didn’t make as much as her original job did” and because her “unemployment checks are more than that.” ARE YOU SERIOUS! This is the mindset of people nowadays… instead of being embarrassed to be taking help from tax payers, and taking a job at McDonald’s, just to get off her unemployment, she was off turning down jobs and taking trips to Mexico and Disneyland and eating out all the time. I understand this isn’t the case for everybody, but there is a lot of examples like this. Now-a-days you don’t see people on welfare for a few months while they get back on their feet. You see generation after generation falling into this sad habit.
Yes, instead of buying a $20 birthday cake every other month for your 6 kids, buy them a cupcake! They don’t care! I agree with a lot of these people seeing the fault in buying steaks and lobsters with your food stamps. That is not the purpose of food stamps. It is to help you make ends meet while you get yourself off your feet while you work your ass to get there. Taxpayers who are even making your precious food stamps possible are more entitled to those steaks and lobsters, since it IS their MONEY you are using to purchase such luxury items.
Get a job and buy all the steak and lobster you want!!
I will be the first to agree that welfare does need major reform. However, all of you ignorant people who call welfare recipients “moochers” and “losers” and “lowlifes” just remember how you’re judging these people if and when you happen to come in need of assistance yourself. And as for the author, you should be embarrassed of how condescending you sound. Calling the women welfare queens is not only rude, it shows how ignorant and judgmental you are as a person. Here’s something to chew on: instead of writing petty articles that only a few people read regarding the welfare system needing changed, go out and become an activist for change. Then you can really get a good insight as to how the system needs changed and THEN you can complain about it needing changed. If you want change, seek it.
Fron Christine’s Facebook page: Activities: College Republicans; Favorite Books: Ann Coulter’s “Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America”; Inspirational people: Ronald Reagan. Hmmmm…I wonder if she had any preconceived notions about poor folks BEFORE she started working at Walmart???
Oh, & she’s a YANKEES fan…
https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle
ps…fast food joints and liquor stores need to stop accepting EBT cards!!
Humility is good. Yes, many people do need assistance. What this young lady was doing was stating the cold hard truth about people who ABUSE the system. She clearly states that she understands people do need help, but when it’s so blatantly shoved in your face…no matter where you work or who you’re in line behind…it sucks.
Totally agree that our welfare system needs to be fixed. Totally DO NOT agree with many commenters’ views of these people as inferior to themselves, or whatever other form of “I am better than these Wal-Mart people” mentality they choose to indulge in.
Jesus died for all of us. In His eyes we are no better than any of those people. In His eyes we are all sinners — and He loves each and every one of us enough to have died for us. So when we look down on other people, no matter the reason, we are looking down on someone Jesus loves and sees as worthy of His death on the cross.
I’m not perfect, and I have a tendency to judge people far too quickly, but I hope I am letting Him change my heart so that I see people with His love instead of my own judgment.
Now, how you live that out is between you and God. It is my hope that He’ll spur us on to “love and good deeds” to help these people. In the very least, pray for them. But then also put feet to your prayers (and I’m preaching to myself here, too.)
Stacy A
What an excellent post young lady
I hope your time in Maine was nice besides being witness to all the crap you saw. It just stinks that things have come to the point that they have. Unfortunately, while it is the fault of the people abusing….it is also the fault of those in charge of these programs to make sure this kind of sh** doesn’t happen…..oh but then I need to remember they are government workers and I’m sorry to say, government workers have too many benefits and too many days off. If they were in private business, work would get done and there would be a lot less of this criminal type exploitation of our tax dollars. YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB ON THIS ARTICLE! Kudos and hugs from Maine 
It amazes me that I read about 100 comments in this article and most of the people arguing in support of food stamps do not understand the point of food stamps. Here are a few examples that really stuck out. The guy that said he pays more in taxes than she made the whole time she worked at Walmart but his wife’s ex husband didnt pay child support for her 3 children so she deserves food stamps. I should not have to pay for her children to eat because her ex husband doesnt and if her new husband makes that much money then why does she still receive them. Next is the I could not afford to go to college and raise my kid so I got food stamps group. Food stamps were not meant to support you through college, if you have a kid or not. You may not have chosen to have a kid but you did and you need to live with that. If that means you can’t afford to go to college than so be it. College is not a right and I should not have to pay for your food while you go because you cannot afford to. If you can’t afford both then I guess college is out of the question for you. That is life. The third and final group is the it is my money and I can do what I want with it group. One it is not your money, it is the taxpayers money. I am not saying that you should be limited to what you can buy but if you can afford to pay a monthly cell phone bill, even if it is only $25 then you should not be on food stamps. That is $25 that you can use toward your food bill. I’m pretty sure that is not the only “right” that you feel you are “entitled” to that we could cut from your monthly budget as well. Some people, not all, seem to think that the tax payer needs to help you make ends meet so that you can be like everyone else. Unfortunetly (being completely sincere) you can not. Food stamps were meant to help people so that they did not starve while they were struggling. Not allow them to live like everyone else. I am not saying that everyone abuses the system but many do and some abuse the system without even knowing that they do. I grew up in a family of 6 and my father owned his own business. There were times that business was not good and we had to eat chicken soup with no chicken, franks and beans with no franks, and we ate enough oatmeal to make anyone hate oatmeal. We didn’t have cable tv, we didn’t take vacations, we never went out to eat, and my parents certainly didn’t drive new cars. We also didn’t use food stamps. When times got tough expenses were cut. We were not “entitled” to anything.
At the risk of a flurry of craziness I think that there is a lot more to this than simple reform. For the record I have drawn public assistance and I am a child of a family who lived on public assistance. Admittedly there is an entitlement mentality, and unless you have experienced it… it is very hard to explain. Many people, not all admittedly, are not trying to “work” the system. Yes, when you are on public assistance every once in awhile you want to taste the good life…. it is humiliating and frustrating to draw benefits in the first place and you can “pretend” for a moment you are just like everyone else…. what you dont realize until you are off benefits is that “everyone else” isnt getting steak.
Furthermore buying a slip and slide for kids on TANF is not such a bad thing, what are they like $10?
If you are running into irritated and cranky recipients of benefits there are other reasons as well. You do not know how many cashiers at Walmart and other stores look at you with disgust… and it was particularly bad when food stamps were still paper. Then the whole line would look at you like that!
I dont know about in Maine but where we lived if your car was worth too much .. you lose benefits. Which means that even if you buy a plain jane vehicle, owe more than its worth and pay regular car payments you can lose help.
Finally, the spell if you will was broken for me and my family when my husband and I went to driving truck. We made too much for benefits, and even though the job didnt last long we decided that even though we qualified for some assistance with regular jobs… we were going it alone, cold turkey. Without it I had more pride and made better decisions, but when I was drawing it I did not realize… dont know if that makes sense to anyone or not….
Do we need change? YES!! a Thousand times yes… but just remember these are people with families who are many times just trying to feel like they are a part of the rest of the world. It may be a wrong way to do it, but the majority of the people I have personally known on benefits never figured out how to profit from the system….my opinion for what it is worth.
NOT ALL OF US ARE “WELFARE QUEENS.”
{{*insert expletive here regarding your insensitive sweeping generalization*}}
I work full time, my husband works full time, we have four children. We both also managed to go to school full time over the past 2 years to earn our bachelor’s degrees. (Thanks to some financial aid and a large amount of student loans!) Our goal is to better ourselves and NOT rely on any sort of social services…
I will lose my job in 10 more business days because I work under a grant and our contract is ending. The economy is crap, and people are still losing their jobs. It took almost 3 years for my husband to find the job he is in now, for crying out loud! I don’t plan to sit at home and collect (a meager) unemployment check. I have been interviewing for 6 months, but have yet to be offered a new position.
WE RECEIVE FOOD STAMPS. WE WORK HARD. WE ARE TRYING TO BETTER OURSELVES AND OUR SITUATION. NOT ALL PEOPLE RECEIVING SOCIAL SERVICE BENEFITS ARE “WELFARE QUEENS”. The system is broken, that is true, but sweeping generalizations and ignorant statements like you made are the thing that cast the pall of shame over those of us who don’t *WANT* to have to swallow our prides and ask for assistance.
*You never mention the countless women using WIC checks who neatly line their products up, perfectly matched with the one or two checks they’d like to use that day.
*You never mention the family who can’t afford Christmas gifts who buys Holiday cookies with their food stamps so their children can give their teachers a small gift.
You never mention the person who makes sure to hold their benefit card against their palm so the person behind her thinks it is a regular credit card and not a benefit card because she is ashamed and saddened to get “the look” that lumps her in with the group of people who abuse the system (never mind that her order is full of fresh produce, yogurt and raw foods rather than processed TV dinners and steaks and lobsters.
Bravo for taking a stand and putting forth the effort to bring system abuse to light, but shame on you for doing it so irresponsibly and without regard for the countless families who DO rely on the benefits due to no fault of their own, who are careful to follow the guidelines, and who still use coupons and shopper reward card to stretch their government dollars rather than waste it away on frivolous extravagences.
Be active against abuse of the system! Goodness knows abuse runs rampant, but please considerate of those who DO NOT abuse the system in your actions and words.
What the article shows you is not that she is judging all people on welfare, or any other kind of assistance, but she is talking about the way how many citizens are capable of actually working, or what not, but day-in, and day-out they use the states funds to live. People who essentially need the funding are okay, but the people who just feed off of it are the ones putting Maine into a semi-pervotic(Not a word, but it actually makes sense, so I’m going to use it) state. If it continues, I’m sure the economy of Maine will slowly decline. Although, the government could do more about this. They could, perhaps, take more initiative into hand by limiting what you can buy that is not needed on assistance. I’m not a very intelligent political person(seeing as I am in my teen years), although I’m sure that the government could do a lot more then I have mentioned in this post.
Let me just say I have witnessed some the things you wrote about but also know not everyone is like that. I have worked at least one job (sometimes as many as four at a time) since I was 14 and I get food share. I have bought my daughter a birthday cake. I have bought a better cut of meat (leaner and healthier), some soda, candy as a treat etc. I have received WIC for both of my children when they were infants- formula at $46+ a canister(lasting aprox 3 days?) when I could no longer breast feed was not in my budget. I was married and working and still needed the help.
I would not be able to feed my children (and I do not have a massive amount of them either – I have two.) with out the help. I am embarrassed as can be to have to accept the help but I would rather feed my children. We use coupons, we buy on special, we shop Aldi’s, we use store brands and generics, we scrimp for the weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter just so that we can have a wonderful holiday meal to share. Before anyone goes pointing fingers and yelling how it is unfair maybe you should take a month in someone’s shoes who is forced to use it. I never thought I would. I’d give anything not to have to.
I don’t drive a new car, I don’t buy new clothes or go out. We shop at Goodwill, Salvation Army thrift stores, resale shops and rummage sales. I pay rent, utilities, and insurance just like everyone else does. but when those are paid there is not money left to feed us. I know I will hear lots of horrible things and mean feed back from this but it really bothered me to read how everyone assumes the worst of everyone on aid. I suppose I could not accept the food help and pay for groceries which would mean I would have no power/utilities OR I could stop paying rent and live in a shelter or box… I feel I chose the lesser of the evils. My kids are warm and clothed…and thankfully with the help, fed. Judge me as you will for responding…
I am from Scarborough, ME and I completely agree with you. I HATE shopping at Walmart because I always get stuck in line behind some classy individual using food stamps to purchase non-food items and then having to put things back. One time the woman in front of me had her bratty kid with her. He opened a bag of chips and then proceeded to throw them all over the cashier and myself all while the mother said nothing. Then she said she wasn’t buying them because they are opened. GET A CLUE! Maine is pathetic when it comes to welfare, TANF and other programs. Don’t even get me started on unemployment in Maine! You can pretty much walk into the State of Maine as an illegal citizen and get money from us. Way to go Mainers!
this article is saying we need welfare reform not to abolish it altogether so for those of you that actually need the assistance here or there and use it correctly stop telling us why u need it so much and realize the problem is people like this cashier encountered that buy items that dont qualify and basically life off the system without even trying to budget their money get a job and only buy the necessities of life. Welfare was never meant to be a handout its meant to be a handup so you can get by while you look for a job etc!
As I agree very much with this article I have to state that I don’t think EVERYBODY that is on foodstamps is abusing the system. I am a single mother to 3 children ages 6,4 and 3 (yes all by the same man who I was married to) I work full-time but I sitll need some help right now to put food on my table. I think that its different because I do work and pay my taxes and I don’t just expect someone to pay for all my things. Food is the only assistance I recieve and hope that one day soon I can be stable enough to be off food stamps. I think people see the EBT card and automatically start making judgements on the person using it. Please don’t judge them as some of them may be in a similar situation as myself and not have a choice but ask for help!
Well said! Thank you for the enlightening article, I’m going to share it with the readers of my blog!
Life would be better if all would mind their own business, stop judging others, we are not God, and don’t know the circumstances of others and why they receive assistance. The government for one, does not govern with certain classes in mind and the poor get poorer while the rich get richer. I am sure that one of the duties as Wal Mart cashier is not Judging the customers and taking the time to write, in detail, what they purchase and how they pay for it. Who cares?? Live your life and thank God everyday for your blessings and the fact that you are not in their shoes. With so many starving to death around the world and children left without parents and so on and so on, who really gives a shit who abuses state mandated and controlled programs and who doesn’t. Get a life, you’re wasting too much time on worrying what they’re doing with their lives and their modes of survival. You will not effect the system in any way, shape or form.
I really think some people are missing the point. She came right out and said there’s nothing wrong with people needing help during a hard time, and that’s what the system should have been designed for. Those of you who are being uber defensive need to re-read this article for what it’s actually saying. It’s talking clearly, CLEARLY about those who take advantage of the system, not for those people who use it for a few months to get back on their feet. If you’re being super defensive, maybe you should take a step back and see if maybe you’re taking advantage of the system… and remember, it’s people like me that are paying for people like YOU to feel entitled to not have to work. I’m not working my butt off and dealing with the things I deal with at my job so you can eat for free for years and yet be totally capable of working.
So, perhaps a good follow-up piece would address how you propose to fix the system you believe is broken. Have at it! And good luck.
For the record, I worked my way through both a BA degree and a law degree. And I’m still paying back my student loans. I’ve never been on any form of public assistance, ever. So no, I’m not someone who benefits directly from the EBT or other assistance.
That said, I own a small business. And I pay a lot of income tax. And I’d still be willing to pay **more** taxes — to get this nation to a place where ALL our citizens are well-educated enough that that rarely need public assistance. Until we start truly teaching math and science in our schools, until we truly value children (we say we do but we DO NOT), until we truly value our elderly and what they can teach us (again, we say we do but we do not), our country will continue to slide downhill until we collapse, like every other great nation has in history.
Why do we think we will be the exception to that rule? We won’t, unless we start investing in the education of this nation and until we stop equating intelligence and being well-read with snobbishness. And just in case you aren’t aware, Republicans are well-known for avoiding spending on early childhood education and other programs that WOULD help get people off assistance. Don’t assume that being Republican means something fabulous for the future of this nation. It appears to mean quite bad things for the country.
There are good and bad people on welfare, there are good and bad doctors, lawyers, police officers, students, cashiers at Wal-Mart, democrats, republicans, computer programmers, scientists, you name it! People who receive public assistance are no exception — it’s a futile exercise to go on about “abuses” you witnessed — why not focus on the solutions instead? That takes real work, real time and real money from all of us. It also takes real love, caring and real kindness.
p.s. I would never want a child to go without a birthday cake because his or her mother or father needed public assistance. It’s absurd to call a birthday cake “extravagant.” It isn’t the children’s fault their parents’ need or want help — let’s not punish children for their parent’s mistakes and issues — that is shameful.
I grew up with a family that depends on the state. I eventually ended up in foster care because of abuse and neglect. I ended up on the streets ,because I refused to go on foodstamps or ask for help because of what I saw happen with my own family. Unfortunately, I had to take assistance in order to get myself together. I am currently on foodstamps ,but I only receive 100 a month. I do not know how people can buy expensive cuts of meat or cakes. When you should be finding food that lasts. What irritates me more is when people like my cousin(evil) keeps having babies just to get more foodstamps where she can sell them for cash. She has said that is the reason she has those babies. I am currently going to college and I volunteer with a agency that helps homeless/runaway youth and serve on a state and federal advisory board. If you can’t find a job volunteer your time. I am a intern now, because I volunteered. Took me over a year, but you know what its better than sitting there thinking I am going to live off of the government for the rest of my life. I think there should be a time limit. Someone usually can find a job in atleast 5 years. Doesn’t take decades to find one. Volunteering can land you a job faster than going to school especially non-profits. People might think this woman is insensitive for writing this blog, but she is just telling a truth. That is coming from someone who is on assistance and has had every bad thing you can think of happen to them. No excuses. If you want a better life then do something about it. If there is a will there is a way. Just sayin.
ok…i work at Walmart. have been for well over 8 yrs. i’ve done it all, cashier, stock, and all of it overnight. i am saddened by the amount of non english speaking Lone Star card holders milling about the registers waiting for midnight when their cards with new amounts kick in. i look in the carts and all i see is junk food like processed chicken patties, candy, chips, and sodas. not a fresh fruit or veggie in sight. feeding kids on such a diet tells me they are too lazy to even cook a decent meal.
i see mega overweight folks sitting in the electric carts using the EBT cards for their junk food and stuff. i think if they would walk behind a cart while shopping they just might lose enough weight to not need the electric cart. but that’s just my thinking.
FS and/or EBT should be a tempory solution, not a lifestyle. and i believe drugs tests should be used. and if it becomes permament, then it should be up to the person to do what it takes to stretch it out as much as possible. using coupons i think is an excellent way to do this. i will never damn a person who uses coupons, watch for sales, and buys fresh food.
I understand that there are some people who do indeed need some assistance, and I think for those people social programs work well. But I also believe that in order for someone to be on welfare, receiving food stamps, on Madicaid, or any other “pre-elderly” program that may be out there, there needs to be a true medical need (I.e. caring for an ill child or parent, unable to work due to a disability, etc.). On top of that though, there also needs to be a recheck of status every few months, or else things are prolonged as they are now. For those unable to work due to their own disability, a follow-up doctor appointment would be great (as some disabilities are temporary). Now for those receiving Social Security who are under 65, have never worked (or who’s spouse never worked for widows/widowers), or who are somehow else manipulating the system – they need to be removed IMMEDIATELY! I’m 38 years old, have worked and put into Social Security for 20 of the last 22 years, and it’s extremely questionable if I’ll EVER see any when I retire someday. Social Security was intended for older individuals, yet there are people out there who have received since birth because of their parents’ situation(s). That’s despicable, and now we’re ALSO supposed to add illegal immigrants to the mix – INSANE!
Now I understand that times are tough right now, and there are a lot of people out of work. For those that have lost their jobs and are looking for work – umemployment compensation is key. And I would also agree that there should be assistance with some basics also. But limitations are critical. Does anyone remember the staples that were given out in the 80′s? Cheese, butter, milk, bologna, bread, peanut butter, and maybe noodles? That’s the kind of stuff that should be aided. Even if you had a produce section – a small bag of fruit and some staple veggies.
Then some of the welfare lifers would get off their lazy butts and help themselves!
I know this must frustrate you, especially since you are working so hard during the summer and going to college to get a degree that will make you employable. Keep up the good work, and the great attitude. We all know that entitlement programs are bankrupting our country, our states, our counties and our cities. I don’t know what they are going to do when the money runs out (and it will!), but I know you will be able to take care of yourself. It’s refreshing to hear from a conservative college student.
Welfare absolutely needs reform. But there is no way that there will ever be a system that only helps people who behave the way you think they should behave. Won’t happen. Poor people are going to make bad decisions just like everyone else does. I make bad decisions about how to spend my money all the time. Sometimes I’m lazy. Difference is, when i make a bad economic decision, my children don’t go hungry. Tying welfare to education and training might help. Many other reforms might help. But you will never stop people from making bad decisions. Ultimately, we either have to try to help people or not.
It seems to me that the people who want to get rid of welfare are usually the people who have never been homeless, without a job, and/or have minimal income. The system is never going to be perfect, but when it comes down to it is it better for even one child to not be homeless or go without food just so we can make sure someone can’t buy a steak or birthday cake?
The system is flawed, yes. Especially because people who DO have jobs, but can barely afford their rent and food, aren’t always eligible for food stamps. Because someone came up with a magical number that if you don’t fall under, that means you don’t get help.
My husband was out of work for 6 months after getting laid off, these are hard times. If it weren’t for us living together at the time, he would have probably had to move in with someone else, fortunately he is lucky to have friends and family around him that would support him but not everyone is so lucky. My father was homeless for 3 months, staying at a homeless shelter during that time. He couldn’t find a full-time job and even now he works at a job, where he works sometimes 60 hours a week, but receives no benefits what so ever. No paid time off, no health insurance, nothing.
So what I have to ask is, who are you to judge? You don’t know a single person’s story, all you did was observe and judge. You didn’t talk to them about it, you don’t know what is going on. Your article made you sound like an entitled young adult who dear god, had to work at a WalMart for a short time and deal with poor people. Why don’t you go work in a soup kitchen and get to know these people, hear their stories, and really discover why they need help.
I appreciate your thoughts on the welfare system and I could find small pieces from your blog which I would agree with. I DO NOT agree with abusing the system, cheating, lying, fraud. I receive foodstamps for my family and have been for seven years. Seem like a long time? Perhaps…But guess what? That is what helps feed my family. I say HELPS because we STILL pay out of OUR OWN pockets for groceries each week!!!! Feeding a family of 5 is very expensive! We work. We are NOT bums that sit home and take advantage of the program. My husband picks up ANY spare hours he can. I am per diem at my job, but I work whenever I am able. I also have an auto-immune disease that attacks my spinal cord and there are some days that I can barely move. I go to school full time. I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, I have a GPA of 4.0 and I plan to be a registered nurse when I am done school. We have three small children that depend on us for everything. We cannot afford the best of the best, but you can damn well bet we TRY our best to give them whatever they need. We struggle daily with our finances and making it to the next day or week on what we have for paychecks. We NEED the help. PERIOD. I agree some abuse the system and there should be consequences and stricter laws for the welfare system, but I DO NOT agree with the way you talk down to those who are receiving the aid. I can only hope that one day you yourself will be in a situation where you will depend on an EBT card to buy your groceries and perhaps then you might understand the humiliation and defeat you feel as you swipe that card. Do not look down on me because I buy steak for my family. I’m sorry, perhaps I should feed them bread and water on a nightly basis? Would that make those of you who feel superior to us on the welfare system feel better? Do I buy the most expensive items when I do my groceries? Of course not. I am frugal. I have a list, I use coupons, and I try to get things on sale. If I want to purchase steak for a meal for my family then I will do so and I will NOT be looked down upon for feeding them this just because I am paying with an EBT card. Reform welfare? Yes. But perhaps you should reform your snotty, arrogrant, and unrealistic view on those who NEED welfare! Have kids, balance work, school, your house, bills, etc. and then tell me about how much you “know” on your blog!
Oh….and another thing – I definitely think there should be STRICT GUIDELINES as to the type of foods that can be purchased with this assistance….because there are wayyyy tooo many people out there who have not one clue about nutrition. And then to buy a cart full of groceries that only cause disease and sickness – well what’s the sense in that? But people do and I will thumb my nose at them! And I will look in your cart to see if you’re spending your $$$ HELP WISELY! FEED YOUR FAMILIES WHOLE FOODS, LOTS OF FRUIT AND VEGGIES – IT’S MY MONEY YOU’RE USING TO FEED THEM – MAKE IT COUNT!
The fraud is what aggravates me. Over 30 years ago I was shopping with my wife and new baby. We were keeping track of everything so as not to overdraw our bank account. We arrived at the check out lane with our meager cart of groceries behind a couple about our age with an overflowing cart. We watched for what seemed like forever as they unloaded name brand items, premium meats, ice cream, desserts, dog food and even some beer. When they finished they of course pulled out their food stamps. That was not my gripe here. When they were through they were informed what items were not covered. The young man reached into his pocket and pulled out a large roll of cash and paid the difference. They laughed and joked about how the State would never find out about his cash job. My wife broke down in tears. Try as I might I could not console my wife, it was some time before she recovered.
We were playing by the rules while others were cheating.
I like how many people read this article but didn’t get the point of it. Anyone that thinks the system is not being abused is kidding themselves. The whole point is that the people that use the system to live off assistance are hurting those that really NEED it, either directly or indirectly. Don’t confuse the dismay over abuse as a blanket finger-wagging against all those that NEED it. What the welfare system REALLY needs is an effective method of encouraging those that are capable of getting off assistance to do so.
This is more an indictment of our underfunded education system and lack of industry regulation to provide living wages. That’s what keeps people on welfare…they can’t get skills to get jobs.
All i can say is, http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/photos
These are not normal people, they clearly have mental issues.
But i do agree 100% with this article, it’s sad but it happens. Part of me however feels that it may be less expensive to feed these losers as opposed to stop feeding them and than pay the price with higher crime rates which than you have to spend $$ on the police force and on jailing them. I don’t know the monetary spending exactly but perhaps that’s why this system is in trouble.
First, this is not an article; it is an editorial. Second, if you dislike poor people as much a syou do, you probably shouldn’t be working at Wal*Mart where you are required to have contact with the great unwashed.
In 1975-1977 I worked close to full-time and was a full-time high school student. Usually the folks with the nicest cars and who bought the nicest food used food stamps. I still see the same today. Yesterday I went to a local grocery store to buy some meat and spinach to eat for lunch at my desk. I wanted to buy the organic spinach but it was over $9 a pound! I had to settle for the likely pesticide laden product but was heartened to see that the organic spinach that I can’t afford as a CFO is approved for WIC.
I have worked very hard and the Lord has blessed my career with success. However, folks on “government” help, most of who choose not to work (see 2 Thess 3:10) can afford this on my nickle!
I am a married mother of 3 who is on food stamps, and while I agree with your article that it is something that is abused in our country, not all of us on food stamps are like wellfare queen 1 & 2. My husband lost his job of 4 years a few months ago, and we are on unemployment. I have a rare blood disorder among a few other medical problems, and I am unable to work. We just got approved for food stamps yesterday, and I am not looking forward to judgemental eyes in the checkout line – but the fact of the matter is that we need them to feed our family. My husband is out looking for a job, and is also starting classes in January for some more career training. Being on food stamps is NOT how we want to live our lives, but it is certainly a fact that we need them right now. I do not approve of people who use the system – and just sit on their butts accepting whatever assistance that they can get to come their way. But times are tough, people are out of jobs and trying their very best to get back on their feet – like my family. This is not a way of life, but it is a way to get by while we get there, and for that – I am so very thankful.
What is not mentioned… is that some people (like myself) occasionally get back child support payments, which may loaded onto the same cards as the TANF and the Food Stamps come on. I have received some unfair and ugly looks for using that card on what others perceived as unnecessary. What they didn’t know is that the money didn’t originate from the government. Yes, I was guilty of using that money to buy my daughter goodies and treats such as a new pair of snow shoes, jewelry, or whatever seemed to fit the occasion. Since this money was not received on a regular basis, it was not always used for staples or what other people deemed to be necessities. I recently received money and actually spent it on myself – I know SHOCK – but since I covered 100% or her growing up expenses, and she is grown and gone, I think that I should be able to spend that money however I choose, without being judged. Just food for thought. I know a lot of people abuse the system; however without knowing the whole story (maybe that fancy phone was a gift, and maybe they don’t have all the features because they can’t afford them?), then it is not right to judge. Just the opinion of someone who has been wrongly judged by someone else without the whole story. Oh – and withdrawing cash off that card gets even more interesting. You can hear them thinking “I wonder what they are going to spend that money on” or you even may hear a whisper about you and drugs as you walk away …not a sentiment that pops into a cashier’s head when you make the same cash withdrawal off your bank card.
I don’t have my head in the sand. Like I said MANY abuse the system … but before you judge someone for using one of those cards, you’d better know 100% or their situation. Actually, regarding judging … Isn’t that for God, and God alone to do??
Yes there is a problem out there but lets take a look at the fact that many people don’t make enough to feed a family with the cost of food. Look at the fact healthy food cost more and I am not one to feed my kids crap. Me and my wife both work and I work EMS in the state of Ohio we qualified for Medicaid both working fulltime with 2 kids. Maybe the first fix would to be better payout for actually working. Next would be random drug test on people who get benefits. The states have in place people who are suppose to go around and keeping track of these people. But I also want you to realize don’t judge the mother who gets her kid a big cake the one he wants with food stamps that may be the only thing that kid will get. Yes there is abuse and a lot of it but this article puts everyone who receives benefits.
Good article. There is some ridiculousness out there!! I am a home-schooling mother of two. My husband is a manager at a grocery store. We both have degrees. We are on food stamps. What is REALLY sad is that people that have worked hard and are working hard are NOT making enough to make it. Although we do sometimes purchase some unhealthy stuff with our food stamps, for the most part we eat pretty healthy. And I do not feel bad for being on them because God knows we’ve paid our fair share in taxes. We do not use medicaid.
I worked at a grocery store in Massachusetts and once had a woman buy a carriage completely full of 2-liter Coca-Colas with Food Stamps. She then proceeded to go to the bottle return, and deposit them for the bottle return. Bare in mind they were still completely full of liquid. She nearly ruined the machine (someone had to open it up and wipe down the entire inside for it to work again, while getting covered in coke).
Before anyone in the store had realized this had happened, she came back into the store and bought cigarettes with the money she got from the bottle returns. In short, she wasted $50+ in return for a $5-7 box of cigarettes.
A few weeks later we found a lost child in the store, we called police and it took about 2 hours for the mother to come to the store to get him. She knew he was there and came of her own accord. The mother was the same woman as above.
I would like to clarify that I am not against WIC. I think it’s probably the best one out of all of the programs, because it requires a person to buy healthy, nutritious food for their children. In Maine, each WIC mother is given a booklet that has pictures and lists of items they can and cannot purchase. The booklet also has her signature on it, and she is required to bring it with her before she can use the voucher. Each register also has a booklet, and we are instructed to match up items and make sure they are correct. I do not know if other states do this. I have nothing against WIC mothers. Making sure your children are healthy and fed is a sign of good parenting.
Love this artice. While I cashiered at a grocery store in high school, people would have me ring up 2 different orders for their purchase. One was for the food stamps to pay and the other was paid with cash for cigarettes & alcohol.
I could not agree more with you. I also work at Walmart right here in Maine. Just yesterday I got yelled at because the Christmas Popcorn tins were not covered under Foodstamps. This is something that also frustrates me every day. I can’t afford to blow my money on an 8 dollar tin of popcorn why should you get it free.
Two days ago I had an 800 dollar order of candy, soda, chips, frozen dinners, Christmas candy you name it. The customer had the audacity to say “I only have 750 on my foodstamps”. WOW I just got my student loan bill looks like my grocery bill a month just went down to 175 dollars.
Very good article, and I can empathize and agree with a lot of the statements made. I’ve worked at a small grocery store chain for 4 years now, and when you work at the same store for so long, you do encounter a lot of “system abuse” concerning welfare. Believe me, I have absolutely NO problem with giving help to the people who need it. My parents needed that help at one time, and were willing to take on the ‘welfare queen’ stigma to make sure we could eat. My dad was a full-time student for engineering, worked full-time, and my mom worked full-time during nights as well. However, since both my parents were responsible and had jobs before going to the government for help, they weren’t given any help. Great logic.
There is a great difference in what people need, and how they use the system in the wrong way. I will GLADLY work my butt off for the people who really need these programs, but I have a hard time working for the people that come in every week to buy soda, chips, candy, and nothing else (as in, all they ever buy is junk food – not the people who buy some “nice things” along with good, normal food). There needs to be a balance to the system, and you can’t put everyone who’s on welfare in a box, because not everyone’s abusing it, and many have different reasons for being on it.
I can see how many would feel this is a biased article. But it seems quite objective. Put yourself in this girl’s shoes and be honest – after working that same job for that time period, you might feel the same way, or even *gasp* have the same thoughts on this subject. The difference is that some people can be open about these things despite what other people think. Don’t chew others out for their opinion.
Wow… Plenty of people have something to say about this article. And some even have the nerve to ridicule this woman for having the nerve to have her own opinion about things. How dare she? I admire and congratulate her for standing up and talking about it. Most people just see things and grumble under their breath about it, but don’t have the nerve or willingness to stand up and say “THIS IS WRONG”. Yes it is wrong for a person to buy a birthday cake, when they have all the ingredients there to make a cake for way less than the price of a birthday cake. Kids should be able to celebrate their birthday but if the mom is not working, and even if she is, then she can take the time to make a cake. My parents had to file bankruptcy when I was 14, and we never went on welfare & the state never helped us a bit. My parents both worked 2 jobs to support our family and lots of times, my mom would make 1lb of hamburger meat last our family of 4 for a whole week. Sometimes I would open our pantry door and see nothing but beans sitting there lonely on the shelf by itself. But we still never went on welfare. My brother & I both worked (cutting grass and babysitting) to try and help make ends meet, or to buy the extras that we wanted that our parents couldn’t afford. My mother made our birthday cakes, they were never store bought, even before they had to file bankruptcy. And they did not file bankruptcy because we were living out of our means. My parents were always frugal with their money. We came on hard times, and both of them lost their jobs & had trouble finding new ones. In 1994, we had a 1981 Buick Regal and a 1987 Honda Accord, neither of which were new, but they were paid off. And we had a small 3 bedroom house, that we lost in the bankruptcy. When I ran on some hard times in my adult life, I lost my job and was stuck in a lease where I could barely make the rent by cleaning houses for people, I applied for food stamps and was denied because my boss lied about why she fired me. Which left me either without food or without a roof over my head. I know of a family right now where the mother teaches her children to live off of welfare. She teaches them to fake disabilities and has doctors that will lie for her, and has all 6 of her kids living off of welfare, the ones that are under 18, she gets their checks and the ones that are over 18, they get their own checks unless they still live with her. It’s disgusting and ridiculous because I know that not one of them has the disability that they are claiming to have. Also know of a man who gets a womans disability check that has been dead for 3 years, and they still send her check every month, and he still cashes it every month. It’s ridiculous that he’s gotten away with this for 3 years, he’s not even related to the woman that died. And I too worked in grocery store through college, and saw so many of these people that would come in there with their food stamp cards and pay for someone else’s groceries, and the other person would give them cash for it right in front of me. It’s amazing what people will do. And the cashier can not do anything about it if she wants to keep her job. She just has to keep working. And it’s not about trying to humiliate people who are on Food Stamps because some people have every right to be on them. It’s about the people who abuse them, and they are the ones that are not humiliated to use them, they are proud to present that food stamp card at the register. The ones who are humiliated are the ones who are not taking advantage of the system. Someone needs to do something about it, but you can’t depend on a college student to change everything, but it’s a start when she at least had the guts to put her thoughts into an article and publish it like this. But that’s just my opinion.
It is sad to see that some people try to “rationalize” another perspective to what this young woman is attesting to. Please know that no matter how much you seem to think that she is a hypocrite, please re-read if your comprehension skills does not permit you to understand fully her meaning. She clearly stated that she understood that in some cases it is absolutely essential that people receive the help. She never said that ALL reciepients were “labeled” like the specific cases she is describing.
I am a working American that pays taxes with every pay check and every purchase I make. There are times that I am in a grocery store and witness the exact same things this young woman is describing. The most atrocious and despicable things are that the average tax payer could even afford to get a full “buggy” of groceries for their families, much less steaks and lobsters. This happens throughout the entire country and it is also the main reason why their remains the “unsaid” sentiments when it comes to this “welfare system”. We all want everyone to live well, but live right.
I work on average 10-14 hour days to make ends meet, never have I been on welfare nor will I ever. Yes, I have been unemployed before, but was able to make ends meet with my savings and not burden the rest of society. Was it fun eating ramen noodles? NO, nor was it fun to watch holidays go by without the usual trimmings. Who’s fault? ECONOMY…that’s it. I am part of America and when America goes through tough times, I just have to tough it out with America. No one owes me anything and I need not owe anyone anything.
If you can shamelessly hold your hand out to receive help when you know you should be getting a job, then at least have the common decency to be humble and not treat people like they are beneath you! Especially when THEY are EARNING theirs!
yes there are people who abuse the system. I quit smoking when I had to go on welfare. If you can not support your kids, you should be able to afford mto smoke. They have changed the law so you can only be on TANF for 5years now period! You can get a one time 6 months extension but that is it. I will say that this girl that wrote this prob never had to struggle or figure out were your kids next meal or x-mas presants were going to come from. Also, I get all state , 585 a mont5h for a famuilt of 3. ( my keypad messing up, sorry) YoU TELL ME HOW TO LIVE ON THAT! Yes , sometimes people on the state do things they should not but not all of us do. You should not judge a book by its cover.
It’s these same people who come to pick up their rx at a pharmacy, with a venti drink from a coffee shop in hand, and get mad that thier rx is $.50-$1, yelling at us saying, “Fity cent!! I thought it ‘posed be FREE!! I gots medicaid!! I ain’t e’n gots fity cent’!!” LOL!! Riiiight!! Because you just spent your last $5 on that drink?? And people wonder why the judgement may be passed.. Obviously to us if you have enough money to buy an almost $5 drink, you should have no trouble coming up with “fity cent” to pay for an rx.. And if you are on food stamps you shouldn’t be buying t-bone steaks at $8/lb so you can invite all your friends and family over for a barbecue EVERY weekend!! I’m not saying you shouldn’t be able to enjoy a t-bone steak every now and then but this is not what was intended when the government came up with the program.. It was intended for you to buy food to survive not to impress the neighbors.. WIC has restricted items and I think the food stamp program needs to revaluate what can and can not be bought.. I don’t want to judge anyone but it’s the attitudes and actions of these people that effect the judgement.. When we see you using a very expensive phone or driving a very expensive car, things that I can’t even afford but yet I make to much to get any kind of help from the government, and then you get attitude because of the price or because something doesn’t scan right, that’s when judgement comes into play.. Sorry but you bring all judgements on yourself..
a) Just because you’re on food stamps doesn’t mean you don’t work. It may mean you work at a job that doesn’t pay a living wage. b) How do you feel about corporate welfare czars? You know, the GE’s and oil companies of the world that don’t pay a dime in taxes despite huge profits, and, in GE’s case, even get a rebate.
I do agree with you on the fact that fraud is happining in our welfare system, I think each one on welfare should also do a monthly drug test. This is due to the fact that a lot of times food stamps are giving in place of “buying” the drug. I also think home visits should be made to make sure the truth is being told. I do know that there are some people in need of the help they receive, and my mom is one of those people. She has recently become a protective custodian over 4 young children, mind you all of her own 4 children are grown with children of their own, buy my mother couldn’t see these children just being thrown into foster care. She and my father could not afford 4 more children this late in life, so therefore the food stamps and TANF, aid her in taking care of these children. I am thankful for the welfare system in being able to help her during this time. I have also seen first hand how the fraud ruins the help for others that desperately need it. I myself was unemployed for two years and tried several times to apply for assistance, but with my unemployment check and my husbands income we made roughly $100.00 more than the qualified limit, and I thought to myself we really need this and yet I cant get it because the person living in a $500,000 home is receiving over $800.00 a month in food stamps because they apprently need it more than I did. Keep in mind I do not live in a $500,000 home, we are low level middle class, if that what you call it. But I just could not bring myself to believe that the person in the “big” house needed the stamps more than myself being unemployed. But by the grace of God we made it through. I do think that our welfare system needs a check up!!
Fantastic article!! And…I too have seen the welfare fraud and food stamps abuse! This lady did NOT say all people on assistance should not get it! She , like me, KNOWS that is FRAUD, and a lot of Lazy-ass, Liberals, are on the taxpayers dole! It makes me sick to see such and Entitlement Generation!! I was raised to believe that if you cannot afford it–you do not need it–and no one owes you anything.
I watched as one recently laid off worker did not know how to use her card, got looks from the cashier.
It blew me away to see the cashier say no, no, no, to some fresh food and bags of beans the person was trying to buy. The plan says you have to get them in cans.
Reform what they can purchase by adding more fresh foods.
I could write a similar article about “non welfare” customers too. Fraud is what you call it when they are on welfare, so what do you call it when they work for government, for corporations, banks, and here i go, wall street!
I am a full time nursing student and a mother of 2. My husband works full time to provide for us. We are on no type of assistance but yet we are so broke. My husband makes enough to pay the bills but we arent left with hardly anything afterwards. I go to the grocery store to try to see what I can get on our shoestring budget and I get in line behind a women with 4 children. She has what looks to be expensive red heels on, expensive jeans and shirt. Jewlery from head to toe. Nails and toes are perfect and lets not forget the hair was also done perfectly. The kids were dressed in hand me downs. Most of their pants were WAY to short and their shoes had holes in them. She has a cart full of candy, cereal, chips, ice cream and a bunch of food I would not feed my children on a regular basis. She pays with EBT. Well, after I check out with my 50 dollars of fruit, meat and milk I walk out to my car. Guess who is parked right bedide me! The welfare queen! She is driving a freakin Cadillac Escalade!!!!!!!!!! This is what ticks me off! My husband and I are honest people. Raised to do the right thing the right way. We dont qualify for public assistance and even if we did we would only use if we had no other choice. I realize that not everyone that is on public assistance is abusing the system but there are ALOT out there that are. I hope she is enjoying her high lifestyle that she gets from my husbands (and everybody elses) paycheck while we scrape by on a tight budget and have to juggle when we can get new shoes for the kids while she is wearing her Jimmy Choos (or however you spell it).
Christine, I appreciate the frustration and don’t in any way doubt your observations, or those of many commentators. Actually, I have a few of my own! However, I will offer some other perspectives–becuase the problem is not so much the system, as the part we all play in it.
You mention that many of the expenditures do not fit the criteria provided for in the system…so, it is not the system at fault, but the people mis-using it AND that includes the people cashing/accepting the payment that is outside the rules of the system…right?
When observing someone breaking the rules, do you take personal action? Say something? Report? Engage the funding organization so that fraudulent use can be targeted? Or is it “too hard” or “useless” or other wise excusable to NOT act properly to fight fraud…it’s after all, the system, someone elses (all of our) problem.
That might sound harsh-I apologize for that. What I am saying, however, is taht the system exists because some people do need it. I do not object to my tax dollars providing a safety net to those in need. I object plenty to the money being used wrongly.
Thanks for writing!
An attractive, female, small government republican from RI? From PC? You are two states to far south, and you worked at Wal Mart one state to far east. Come check out why you should be living in the free state this Feb. at the Liberty Forum: http://freestateproject.org/libertyforum
One more comment..
Reform is necessary, but like another poster stated…. who is going to come up with the plan? And as far as telling people what type of food they can buy… are you serious? Who decides what is best for someone else? One person may think only organic foods should be purchased.. checked the price of that lately?
The answer in my small opinion is education. A real education about real world situations. When is the last time you seen a class in high school that taught about budgeting? They teach kids how to balance a check book but what about how to manage the money that is in that checking account? How about supporting kids.. building them up? Teach children that they can succeed and be more!
Wow, some of the comments from people on welfare defending themselves just blows me away. I have a combat disabed veteran husband who lost his left leg, is blind in one eye (I should say both), suffered a traumatic brain injury and his good foot was so severely fractured that he’s in pain every day when he comes home. We have 3 young boys, and he went to college for years in a wheelchair and now works full time as a social worker. Sounds easy I’m sure to some, but looking back at those days, I don’t know how we did it!
We were on social security just so he could make it through college and of course I feel he earned the right to use it. He had to fight just to get off of social security once he found work, but he did get off after some persistence.
He makes good money but we don’t even buy steaks and extravagent cakes for our kids, we budget and save for our kids college funds, and our retirement. But I’m sure people on welfare would call us priveleged or even lucky…that’s another one of my favorites.
I don’t think people are truly listening to what she is saying in this article. Instead they are just judging her opinions because she is so young. She is talking about those ABUSING the system not everyone using the system that truly need it. Staying on it for 20 years, buying beer, steaks, iphones, come on now my husband makes 80+ a year and we have go phones! Toys, earrings, slip n slides, hot dogs for your hot dog cart? This money is paid for out of tax payers pockets not from the Federal Government. My husband who was blown up in Iraq is paying for their steaks! And yes we do have the right to be upset with what others buy with their FS, it’s our country as well and we are all paying into it. If we were in a great depression again I don’t think this country would survive, most people don’t know what sacrifice is anymore. This money should be used for families who lose their jobs because a family member is suffering from an illness or someone who physically can’t work or single moms who just need a little more help….PEOPLE WHO NEED IT! For those that are using it for the right reasons you have that right and Americans support you. It’s the ones abusing the system that are making americans so jaded and causing the dirty looks in checkout lines.
I think that this is a great article! It definitely shows how people abuse the system everyday. I fully support services like WIC, Medicaid, Food Stamps etc..when used properly. You use the services provided until you don’t need them anymore and then you get off. I was a young mom and my husband and I had very little money. The only services I used were WIC and Medicaid. I used the services for about a 9mos and then I got off of them, once I got myself a job. I do not understand how people can live their lives milking the system. I couldn’t wait to get off and it amazes me how there are so many people who are perfectly fine allowing the government to pay for their bills. I think what also upsets me the most is that there are people in this country that are going through very hard times and can barely get by and they do not have health insurance, or they have very little money for food and they apply and they get denied. This makes me upset because these are people who truly need the help and the government is saying no, but the people who clearly want to milk the system are receiving all the benefits. I agree with you, things need to change. I personally think that people should not be allowed to stay on welfare after 2 years. I think that 2 years is plenty of time to find a job. Even if it is not the one you want, it is still a job! Good article. I hope Maine will get things squared away to hopefully stop the abuse that is clearly going on. Good job!
Perhaps, if it bothers you so much that $.04 of your weekly wages goes to paying for food for families, then perhaps you would prefer we give them nothing…and you can pay your insurance deductible when they break into your car, your house, or mug you on the street. Because that is what will happen. Crime will escalate! Public will riot!
Taking care of YOUR welfare is what that meager amount out of your paycheck covers. Foodstamp abuse is sick, yes, and pathetic. 90% of people on welfare and stamps have little education, drug or alcohol abuse issues, personal/mental issues, and absolutely no idea of the meaning of independence. These people expect the land of the free to be “free” yet they themselves will never be. Sad.
All that said. I know I wouldn’t be in the position I am in now if I hadn’t been given the opportunity (or taken the advantage) to join TANF and receive food stamps while I was in workforce training. I was able to secure a full-time, well-paying job and housing through that program that I am no longer on because the system does work for people who aren’t abusing it.
Never in the decades that I have known people on welfare has it ever not been constantly “reformed”. Even the employees of the Department of Health & Human Services will tell you that as soon as they learn the new process, it changes. Every few months new programs are added as old ones are eliminated, new rules are established and old ones rewritten. It IS getting harder to stay on welfare (unless you are permanently disabled) for everyone. Problem is, when the majority of welfare participants have all the time in the world, they learn to work around the barriers placed for them. The very same barriers intended to make them look for work or become self-sufficient.
They make good drug dealers, that’s for sure!
I love that someone in college is a conservative!!! I am disgusted by the flat out abuse of the system that was intended as a help through a temporary problem! It’s about to get worse if we don’t fix healthcare reform. And my job (as an insurance broker for group benefits) will be gone. At that point, I may concede defeat and join the idiots you describe above.
It never ceases to impress me how Wal-Mart employees exert their personal opinions and observations as facts in regards to welfare. Last time I checked, most employees working for this company are not experts in social work, nor have any experience in policy advocacy or reform. Let’s be real. We all know that it is a flawed system. The whole system is. Rather than targeting those who “abuse” welf are, lets shift our focus to figuring out why this country, in the year 2011, refuses to admit that there is institutionalized classism and racism that forces certain groups into the welfare-queen stereotype. Christine, you are college educated, I assume? Use your education (which I’m sure you worked for and paid for without any assistance) to foster a better understanding for yourself of class, race, and sex issues. Until you do so, you are going to continue to make false generalizations of disadvantaged people and will perpetuate the ignorance that continues to keep them disadvantaged.
you know…i get so sad when people waste their time commenting on people and their purchases when they have no clue what is going on in that persons life. so many people today are unemployed, or even WORSE underemployed and underpaid, despite their sincere desire to provide for their families. I know several families on FS and none of them “abuse” the system. so what if they buy steak or lobster, its food, and healthy food at that too. So what if they buy a birthday cake for their child. Perhaps that is the only way they could provide for their child’s birthday. and who cares if they buy Wii games, or movies, or whatever else. you don’t know if that is birthday $ they were given, or an extra blessing they happened to have gotten. seriously people, just focus on the fact that the Lord has obviously blessed your family to the point that you don’t HAVE to be on FS and pray that he would improve the circumstances of those that do. consider the fact that MANY of those using food stamps ARE employed, hard working people who just do not make enough $ to adequately provide for their families any other way. they are also tax payers, and contributors to society. just because they are on FS doesn’t make them lazy abusers of YOUR hard earned money.
Fantastic article! Good insight, into our Corrupt and Fraudulent system. Yes, there are a few receiving assistance that deserve it–elderly, sick, disabled!! That is it! All the bitches unmarried and collecting from taxpayers, while all the different “baby-daddies” hide out is disgraceful!! We DO need welfare reform!! And…NO Illegals should NOT receive taxpayers dollars, but I see it everyday, while people who really need help do without…and they paid into the system all their lives!!
I have seen this issue from both sides. My husband and I have both worked hard all our lives and have always lived frugally with no debt. But the recession has crippled his business and made it hard for me to find work that pays anything. So after three years of negative income and using up our savings, we are receiving food stamps. I see the problems with the system–I have been writing about them at thenouveaupoor on WordPress; but I also find the hard comments depressing. It’s a difficult decision to take help. It’s more difficult when you know your every action is being judged. But having seen the system from the inside, I definitely see areas that need reform. Thanks for opening this debate. It’s one the whole country should engage in.
Unfortunately, this is what America is becomming. Alot of people are lazy and don’t want to work. Some people think that luxuries are a right and not a privelidge. People think that because this is America, they are going to get the “goodies” one way or another and if someone else pays for it….oh well! This is a nation of spoiled people that don’t know what it is like to wonder where their next meal is comming from or if it is comming at all. We all need to go through that at least once in our lifetime to get a new appreciation for what we have. Welfare reform needs to happen years ago.
This is one example that our enemies are counting on when they say, ” we don’t have to worry about a war with the United States, we will wait until they crumble from within and will take over before they know what happens!!! This is history repeating itself. Look at the Fall of the Roman Empire, then look at the United States today……this is the beginning of the Fall of the USA and there is nothing that will be done about it because we don’t want to face the reality. Just a thought……
Good post. See it all the time down here, too. But if you write something like this here in South Carolina you will be immediately branded a raaaaaacist.
Yeah its pretty pathetic!! Reminds me of Louisianna. PLENTY of capable, able bodied and able minded people doing EVERYTHING in their power to believe in the DEMON-cratic way and take money from actual hard working Americans. SICKENING AT BEST!!! Quickest cure for this Demon-cratic problem….DRUG TESTING to receive welfare. There’s 70% wiped out in one shot. Plus, the cokes, pepsi’s and other non needed supposed essentials shouldn’t be allowed
I understand what you are saying, but there are some of us that worked all their life, and for what ever reason..loss of job, short or long term disibility has the right to have food stamps and buy whatever they want to. I buy steak, and once a year I do treat myself to a small lobster. I can make 100.00 a month in FS last me the entire month…..buying what ever I choose to eat. I have earned that right. I am 50 and now disabled, but I worked 17 years as a CNA and have been on both sides of the coins.
BETHANY, what is your name on FB? I would love to find you on there.
So many self-righteous people, so little time for them to bitch. If you have EVER bought something you wanted instead of something you needed, then you are a worthless hypocrite and everything you wrote is invalid. Knowing that you have with almost complete certainty, I must completely dismiss this article as moments in my life I will never get back and move on with a chuckle.
What I don’t understand is why you think that voting Republican makes any difference? They run away scared when somebody actually suggests making people work for a living.
Does anybody know how to stop the email notifications from this? I got over 400 in my mailbox alone this morning/middle of the night.
Don’t know if this will get much notice, but I am on my own cell phone plan from AT&T, I own an iPhone and got lucky to get the unlimited plan before everyone got stingy on service. I pay $127 a month to have a cell phone with a data plan. That is also with a 15% off discount through my company. This abuse of welfare makes me sick. I am glad that there is a program to keep citizens on their feet while looking to better themselves, but those who ride it and are lazy and don’t help themselves or society, I have a big problem with and it needs to end.
It’s a free market. People can spend their money however they want it, regardless of how they earned it. The problem is not with the social program that provides money for the less fortunate, it’s how our country uses our less fortunate to drive the consumer economy. I’ll never understand people feeling so entitled that they can judge what someone else does. Sure, is their fraud and abuse? Yes. But isn’t there fraud and abuse everywhere? In congress, the govt., in Walmart’s business practices, everywhere. So why are the people who have extremely limited oppurtunity for fraud and abuse the one’s who are immoral?
Because you’re a classist, and a racist. That’s all.
Glad that the young lady who wrote this has seen the light early on in life.
The problem is its generational.This has been going on for years and years. Babies having babies and getting paid for it. Now pretty much every stop n rob store on the corner now takes EBT cards. You see kids in there buying ho ho’s, corn chips, coke, red pop and little debbie snack cakes and putting them on the card. You have momma, grand mamma and their auntie so freaking over weight they can hardly walk to the parking lot to get in their new Buick or Lexus yapping on their new cell phone. And of course we the tax payer are paying for those phones as well now.
And now according to Washington, the underprivileged need high speed interwebz at their cribs and guess who is going to pay for that? I am guessing they need the high speed stuff so they can hook up their X box or PS 3 and play on line on their 60″ HD TV. We sure as hell don’t want skillet to grow up and not have access to the web. Its too hard on them to go the library and use their internet. That’s just too degrading. Drive down through the projects of any town and look and see how many satellite dishes you see. Is access to cable and satellite really a need in the country?
I can’t wait for all this to come to an end and it will because we as a county ARE broke. Very soon one day China won’t loan us the money and then these free programs are going to come crashing down. When they do, the animals will be out in the street demanding their free stuff. That’s when the fun will begin. We moved out to the country to get away from this crap and have put away enough to last us for a year or more. I know I am a careless, heartless person who won’t be willing to share with anyone else but my immediate family. You want to know why? Because we have worked our asses off and saved and saved and saved. We don’t eat high on the hog and I don’t think anyone owes me nothing. We’ve worked our entire lives and we won’t quit working. You want something? Then work harder to get it.
So you can sit there and wait for someone to give you your free stuff or you can get off your lazy tails and go out and work for it. Don’t tell me there are not jobs out there. There ARE jobs, but you won’t lower your standards and go do them and you might have to get a couple of them to get by. Its just easier to sit there and watch Jerry Springer and Dr Phil every day. You may not start out at the top but those who are willing to help themselves deserve help. Those that don’t or won’t deserve nothing and should get nothing.
It is not hard to find individual abuses of government assistance. However the VAST majority of people receiving assistance are people who would rather work than receive aid. Abuses occur but don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Many people in my area would love to have a job but can’t find one. $31 is the average weekly food stamp allocation. This is hardly an extravagant amount. I agree those who can work should work and recieve no assistance. But those laid off and unable to find a job should be fed. We cannot ignore the basic needs of good people in a bad situation. Not one of us is immune from the possibility of ending up in this situation.
I am over 50, physically disabled, single with no family or support system, and with several other medical issues (diabetic, heart condition). I also work full time – 40+ hours per week – yet because I “make too much money”, I don’t qualify for any medical, financial, or food aid of any sort. I pay my bills on time faithfully each month, and use what little is left to subsist on ramen noodles and kool-aid. Someone what to tell me how I can get a steak once in a while? Someone want to tell me why the myth of “work hard, spend little, and you’ll get ahead” is still believed in, when it is such utter BS!
@FedUpwithStupidity: Your comments are antagonistic, and I’d appreciate some form of apology. A house worth $100,000 with a $400,000 replacement cost? How wonderful that would be. Our house was valued at $30,000. That’s right: $30,000. All the houses in that rural area have similar values. It’s replacement cost would be about $100,000 on a very, very good day. It is a humble and old but good shelter; it is no McMansion. We now rent and always had, because we never anticipated having to care for our parents to this extent and we had never desired saddling ourselves with a mortgage at a young age. Our parents never had to take out a mortgage either. Our whole family now lives in a small rental unit to ensure we’re in a community with good medical care. If we absorbed another shock to our household, we’d be homeless but for that original family house. Do you now see why the $30,000 we might get from selling the house for the short term gain looks insignificant compared to the long term knowledge that we’d always have at least a shelter? Do you still view our decision as not pragmatic? Sometimes, you can work your entire life and make good decisions and very bad things happen. What the author needs to realize and what you seem unable to grasp is that welfare reform rarely fixes the cases of abuse and simply makes it more difficult for those who are temporarily facing hard times to have a springboard or a hand up.
If you can’t understand all this, then I’m fed up with *your* stupidity.
Jenny: The Bible says, “He who shall not work, neither let him eat.” There’s a pretty big difference between being disabled and poor and being lazy and poor on purpose to mooch from the government. The Bible is very clear about people who are lazy and refuse to work. Read Proverbs. It sounds like you are the kind of person this system was designed for… and you are not the kind of person this article was written about.
First off, those few you discussed are NOT everyone on Food Stamps. Maybe you should have reported these people instead of blogging about it. The people who really do need Food Stamps are trying to feed their families. Wait until you graduate college and have a family and lose your job. I have a job and so does my husband, but I was raised on Food Stamps. I know it is kind of hard to wipe your butt with no toilet paper. With this economy right now, please tell me what you think should be done. DO NOT punish the poor, just because of others. And so you know, WIC is not a form of welfare. WIC is an awesome program for mothers and children to eat healthy. And those who receive Food Stamps do not necessarily have to be on welfare.
https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle
From Christine Rousselle’s Facebook page:
Christine’s Favorite Books: “365 Ways to Drive a Liberal Crazy”; Anne Coulter’s “Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America”, “If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans”, & “Godless: The Church of Liberalism”.
She’s also traveled quite extensively for a girl paying her way through school by working at Walmart, as her article implies. Pictures show her recently as far away as Disney World, & the Reagan Ranch among other exotic locations. She appears at counter protests to what appears to be Occupy Wall Street holding a sign saying “I love Capitalism”. She is clearly a Right wing provocateur who has means to travel & enjoy the finer things in life. I have no idea why she even had to work at Walmart for the summer. I’ll bet her Mommy & Daddy are well-to-do right wingers who passed down their politics the way she suggests poor folks pass down their welfare habits.
Great Post and I couldn’t agree with you more! The fraud has to be controlled.
Very interesting read from someone who worked on the inside of a store I just try to avoid at all costs because of the “people” you so accurately described. Thanks for sharing how horrible people are and how they abuse the “entitlements” that states somehow owe them (in their minds).
After reading your post, I just wish I had the b*lls to demand that someone change the price of my vacuum to $3.48! I apparently am a stupid consumer to not have thought of this while demeaning the store cashier!
When you have people working full time to support their families and they cant afford to eat steaks then your are darn right I think we should be able to say people on food stamps shouldnt be able to buy them with the money we as working tax payers provide. My husband and myself both work 40+ hours a week each and we dont eat lobster, shrimp, and steak so NO I do not think people on food stamps should either. They should be frugal at the grocery store like we have to be but they arent because they have more money to spend on food each month than we do. Thats what irritates me. If they were only given half the amount of money each month then they would not be eating such expensive food and the government wouldnt be broke.
Pat says:
December 14, 2011 at 1:53 pm “It’s a free market. People can spend their money however they want it, regardless of how they earned it.” NO! It’s not their money and they didn’t earn it! AHHH!!
I remember the day that I got laid-off last year. I was standing in line at the Walmart register. My 4 year old asked if she could get a candy bar. I told her “no, we must use our money to buy food, because mommy doesn’t know when she will be able to find another job.” Ahead of me was an obese lady and her child. They had two carts one filled with “real” food, and the other piled high with junk food. They paid with an ebt card. I don’t have a problem with people that actually need assistance it is those that abuse the system.
Wow! Well written! You make an excellent point. If you represent the future of Maine, then the Pine Tree State has a very bright future indeed!
I would be very interested in knowing exactly what type of childhood the author had. I was poor. Some nights I went to bed hungry because food wasn’t plentiful. I’d bet our author has never went to bed hungry. I’d bet our author didn’t wear hand-me-downs out of necessity. I’d bet our author had a pretty easy, sheltered childhood. It’s funny how many people judge what they’ve never experienced. Ridiculous.
Careful, certain ppl get wind of this and they’ll be moving to Maine.
I worked in a counseling office. Food stamps are only part of what goes on. First, there are many, many services available for supposedly low or no income people, including help with utilities, medicine, doctor or hospital help, counseling, rent, etc. In the Chicago are there is a huge thick book that lists the various programs. Second, where people are ashamed of being on welfare, there is no sharing of information with others. Long timers talk about what’s out there like it’s a business. Who is offering what, what agency has run out of funds and who has some money left, who is going where, etc. is information shared. Often we would have a room full of people who knew each other, like it was old home day. There were some people who really needed help, but they didn’t know how to work the system and didn’t come with the right papers. I no longer work there but did for many years. I see now that some charity places, including toys for children sources, are getting smart. People must come with serious identification and addresses, birth certificates for the children, whatever is needed. No more getting several turkeys and selling them off. No more getting great toys from many different places.
If I could put something into effect, I would make people do volunteer work of some kind for whatever they get to the point of having to cook for group meals. Need to bring children along? Let other volunteers watch them. The only exceptions would be for the fragile elderly or those handicapped. I remember this was tried once, but I don’t remember the outcome.
Melissa E, you are a moron. In the article, Christine was referring to people who abuse the system, NOT the people who are in real need.
Why are you lashing out and defending the abuse of the system, unless you yourself are an abuser???
Not everyone who is on foodstamps is a mooch. My husband and I got on them to help feed us and our kids. We moved to another state after my husband lost his job of 3 years. We are frugal with ours and always make it last throughout the entire month. Do we get the occasional soda? Yes. Cookies or some type of sweet every once in a while? Yes. I have no apologies for the things I buy. I, like many other people, have paid into the system since I was 16 years old. It’s time my tax dollars help me when I need it. I am a coupon clipping, store brand buying kind of shopper. You won’t see nothing but hotpockets and tv dinners in my cart. I buy veggies, meat, cheese, cereal and fruit with my ebt card. I get to buy things now I used to struggle so hard to buy before. Now, with that said, there are people who abuse the system. I used to work at a grocery store and it always disgusted me how moms would send in their children with their ebt cards to buy candy bars and mt dew. People like that don’t deserve to be on them. Or the people who buy nothing but hot pockets and pizza. Just keep in mind that yes, there are genuine people out there who do need them and had to swallow their pride to provide for their families.
Excellent article. I too believe there are those who actually need them to help them along, but there should be limits. I once had a person infront of me in line with her EBT card wearing a pair of real UG boots and all designer clothes…really I can’t afford that and I have a job. Growing up poor and on occasions needing food stamps, I know they have their place. People need to learn to be frugle. I knew we were poor and my mom would always say she didn’t want to live like this, she worked 3 jobs and I lived with my grandmother, who was also poor, just so we didn’t have to be on foodstamps. My other thought is, at least here in MN, I see help wanted signs in just about every store I go into, it may be crap work and crap pay, but at least it would be a job.
I did hear from one of my friends that had to go on welfare, that she made more money sitting at home being on welfare than she did at her minimum wage job! She thought it was discraseful to be on welfare and now works 2 jobs to get by. However, it seems wrong that this is the case because why would you ever want to get off of them if you make more money while on them?
It is a testament to the power of our corporate media that nearly everyone here is so concerned with how the poor and marginalized (yes and sometimes ignorant and stupid) exploit the system that also exploits them instead of focusing on the massive corporate welfare robbing taxpayers not only of their money but also their democracy. The biggest companies in America don’t stay powerful b/c of the “free market,” they actually subvert the free market principles by ensuring (via lobbyists) they receive regular and enormous government subsidies all while paying zero taxes yet getting millions in tax returns. They also receive taxpayer bailouts when they fail at free market principles (but they don’t mind since they all get huge profits and bonuses from the whole situation. Only taxpayers and employees and clients/customers suffer the consequences.)
Then they proceed to pay for the campaigns of the politicians so that the politicians continue to serve their corporate sponsors instead of the people. Our “representatives” come in already vetted by powerful interests and the people no longer have a voice in democracy, rather they are used as a buffet that our “representatives” guide their corporate sponsors to in order to feed on.
Next time you want to tell someone they can’t participate in our culture b/c they’re on food stamps, and judge them for not somehow overcoming generations of poverty and marginalization and lack of resources, remember you can do far more to help yourself, your loved ones, your country, and the cause of democracy by re-focusing on the FAR more insidious and dangerous CORPORATE WELFARE.
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Nader/CutCorpWelfare_Nader.html
I am also a cashier at a Wal-Mart in Oklahoma….. I have seen much of the same things… Had a couple come through this summer and pay for over $400 worth of food on food stamps and then turn around and paid for a swimming pool ($400++) on a credit card….if you can buy a swimming pool… you can pay for your own food
I love all the comments about I “deserve” to have steak, lobster, birthday cakes.
We are not on welfare and are not considered “poor” but we don’t have many of these luxuries.
We don’t have flat screen or cable.
My car is 9 years old, window is cracked (saving to have it replaced), Dent from a hit and run in the parking lot (can’t afford deductible)
Our clothes come from thrift stores or are hand me downs (and we pass down the kids clothes again when they outgrow them).
Christmas gifts are socks, underwear, new gloves, shoes, etc that are needed. Stockings have things like toothpaste, toothbrushes, health and beauty things that I get free after couponing.
I coupon and shop sales but I’m not a coupon queen because we don’t eat processed foods. If we have steak it was because I could get it cheaper than other meats (I don’t pay more than $2.99 a pound)
When we have a birthday party, we make the cakes.
We very rarely eat out. If we do, it’s a big treat.
The only time you see soda in this house is for the kids birthday parties.
Our house was bought as a foreclosure.
It is decorated with thrift store finds -my couch and loveseat cost $25
I have a cell phone paid for by my job- it is not a fancy one w/data plans, etc. I have internet due to work too.
My kids have cell phones (but no texting, etc. and limited minutes). We don’t have a house phone because this was cheaper.
We don’t go to regular movie theatres -only go to the $1 theatre occasionally and then only on $1 popcorn days.
I don’t use a microwave and went a year without a dryer while saving up.
Our vacations are long weekend trips once a year to see relatives or camping in local state parks (w/camping gear that we picked up used or was given to us)
I homeschool two kids on $500 school budget a year (and have to balance my time with work -not easy). We use the library a lot.
We do a lot of charity work and some of it has taken over to the government housing apartments. EVERY household there had a flat wide screen TV. 75% of the cars are newer luxury models. They have all the different game systems and games. The kids are on free and reduced lunch but have $2 to buy snacks at the lunch counter every day. The kids have Iphones, etc. All of I hear is how they “deserve” this or that. No, you don’t “deserve” it.
So my tax money goes to pies and cakes? Really sweet! Get to work Lepage, you have your work cut out for you!
she didnt say any of this because of her political views. the fact that she votes republican is because of stuff like this. i agree 100% with her and im independant. im tired of paying taxes and having people leech off the state and live better than i do working two jobs and stuck living with my parent in my mid twenties because i can’t afford what these people are getting for free.
Rather than saving up for what we want and spend on what we need, this country is borrowing what we want and getting handouts for what we need. You can disagree, but you’d be disagreeing with fact. PS: I proudly state that I have never, nor will I ever own a credit card, I’ve only (and justly) received unemployment for two months (which I paid into), & our secrete for living assistance free on low income is budgeting (buying only what we need and saving up for what we want).
Here is a list what you don’t know being just a cashier at Wal-Mart. The article is fraught with misinformation and fallacies and I challenge you to find the answers for yourself. There will always be people who will abuse the system to be sure, but the key to research is knowing how empirical observations can lead you astray. I hardly think you qualify to assess what constitutes “massive amounts of welfare fraud and abuse”. I guess you’ll learn that in college?
1. The people checking out through the line may not be the person receiving the benefits. Benefit recipients can designate an authorized representative. The person you see using the card may be a paid caretaker, family member or friend, group home worker, or (depending on the state) a foster parent. For that reason, you shouldn’t judge the financial situation of the benefit recipient by the possession of technology of the person buying the items.
2. Programs vary from state to state, but where I live, cash benefits are to single parent households, the elderly or disabled, or refugees. Household expenses might include gifts or recreational items such as earrings, a slip and slide, or kitkat bars. Benefits are not given with the expectation that they are the only to be used for things you would die without, they are given with the expectation they will be used as a (normally transitional) source of funds incorporated into the household budget. The expectation that recipients must divide their funds so as not to use benefits for “non essential” purchases is unrealistic and undermines the whole point of the EBT card.
3. Plus, it’s a little silly to think that people in poverty shouldn’t get to buy gifts or some fun things just because they use some form of public assistance. So you expect a family of 4 who makes under 20k a year to never get to go to the movies, buy a birthday cake, or play with a slip and slide (which I might add is MUCH cheaper than a water park and it can be used all summer)? “Well, I guess you can receive public assistance to feed your children, but I’d better not catch you buying anything to take your mind off of your difficult impoverished life!” What exactly are you jealous of here?
4. WHAT?! Someone who is impoverished and most likely uneducated acted foolishly in public when it came to managing their purchases?! I’m shocked! Why did she not kiss your feet and thank you for your generosity as a taxpayer?
5. 1991 does not constitute a generational use of welfare. The disabled and handicapped often receive benefits their whole lives. If you don’t like it, I suggest you work on creating unprecedented medical and scientific advances or raise minimum wage.
That being said, I did enjoy the last paragraph. Your observations on the problems with motivation in the Maine welfare program and usage were really good. Maine does have a problem and need reform. I just think it’s important that you realize all of your other information does not make that argument for you. You come off as an inexperienced, judgmental Wal-Mart cashier. I know you don’t want to be. Try it again using academic methods and language.
The left doesn’t mind this. This is how they are guaranteed votes in elections. When you object to this FRAUD, you are called heartless because you don’t care about the unfortunate people of society. This is how the left plays the class warfare game they play. To help the helpless is one thing….but to support those that are too lazy to work and commit FRAUD generation after generation….that is WHERE the AMERICAN PEOPLE need to start SOUNDING OFF ABOUT it to their CONGRESSMEN. DON’T LET UP…..This has been going on WAY TOO LONG…at the expense of hard working AMERICANS….
The irony of this whole article…. is that these ‘Welfare Scammers’ spending at Wall-Mart… Gave Ms Christine Rousselle a job… Every cent that she earned during at her job, came from Government welfare checks!!!!
Few groups are easier to demonize than minorities on welfare, or the dreaded “Welfare queen” from Reagan’s Southern Strategy.
Few people view Medicare and Social Security as welfare programs, because people “pay into it”. While this is true to some degree, the reality of the programs is that nowadays, because age limits haven’t been adjusted, the average beneficiary receives 3-4 times more in SS benefits than they ever paid in, and there’s literally absolutely no connection between the amount of Medicare tax paid in to the amount of Medicare benefits received. These programs cost FAR FAR FAR more than TANF and so on.
But nobody likes to demonize the elderly, and the elderly vote, unlike poor minorities.
Also, anecdotal evidence is about a half-step from just plain fiction.
I’m not arguing that reforms wouldn’t help, but there is no perfect system. Either we’re going to have a somewhat overgenerous system that helps most/all of the people who need it and occasionally helps those who don’t, or we’re going to have an overly restrictive one where some/many people who do need the help don’t get it. This notion of everyone who needs it getting it and nobody who doesn’t not is just a conservative fairytale, not unlike many of their other policy proposals.
The outrage over welfare abuse is disproportionate from the size of the problem. Meanwhile, we’ve spent more on national defense in the last 30+ years than THE REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED. But I suppose when your name is McConnell Douglas as opposed to LaShonda Jackson, people aren’t as prone to giving a shit.
There is so much misinformation and distortion in here, that I would barely no where to start. You are a conservative, because you are ill-informed, ignorant and judgmental. No worries, though. Your karma is coming your way.
Republicans are simple-minded morons. If you can’t see the obvious holes in her story, go back & watch the NASCAR race:
https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle
Why don’t we just end the hand outs – cold turkey? I bet these people who are so “entitled” will have jobs faster than you can say “free money”. I am appalled that people think steaks and lobster are “deserved” (entitled). In MY house, you get what you WORK for! I can understand lending a hand when needed, but this system is out of control. I think there should be an isle in the grocery store that carries “no name” or cheaper goods that food stamp and welfare people are required to choose from if they are using my “free money”.
Whatever happened to shame? These people have NO pride and brag about how they continually screw the system! These people love a hand out – they are stepping on our backs and braying like donkeys about it! Wake up people! Theirs makes up a large population and IF they vote, they vote for themselves. This equals MORE programs for THEM! Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up! Snap the cover shut on this cookie jar! Question purchases that are made – make these people answer for their steaks and lobsters!
Too bad if you don’t “appreciate” you purchases being scrutinized! How do you think WE feel??? We are the ones PAYING for them! If I had it MY way – you’d be in a soup kitchen. Oh, and STOP having kids! If you can’t take care of them by yourself, you shouldn’t be having them! They are NOT tokens to be traded for MORE hand outs! They are not a “right” of yours – not if they become “ours” to raise!
I’m so disgusted – too bad most of the people who SHOULD see these posts are busy staying out of work and off buying steaks and lobster.
I’d like to know how voting Republican would help prevent welfare? This is stuff that’s been institutionalized by our country. After years of acceptance, this is the American Dream. I wanna know why this is a welfare program issue and not an education issue?
Also, we are viewing this through biased eyes as well. Most people work and pay into something and in the end inflation and greed cannot sustain us as we live longer. This girl is going to college and does not expect to be back at Walmart working after she graduates from College but put the other shoes on and view it from the perspective of a person who did work all their lives and are belabored by high medical expense who are living beyond the years we used to live when welfare was instituted and it becomes very muddy water.
This article is more an education issue for me as clearly these people are street smart enough to work the system while the educated look on in resentment. The pictures for WIC items and reading comprehension is just a failure to teach people to be better informed. The bottom line is even if they are buying steaks and cakes, they are still not smart enough to budget money. They blew away money on expensive stuff they’ll eat in one night and then the rest of the month they’re eating peanut butter and scamming fast food restaurants.
First: this is an excellent article and you have done a wonderful job expressing your opinions, no where in the article did it try to convey that these were anything more than your observances or opinions.
Second: Readers, there is no need to be defensive. the article is about fraud and abuse, if you are using your food stamps correctly, she didn’t mean you.
Third: you can buy all the ingredients to make several cakes for the price of one prepared cake, with money to spare, I have done it, intentionally, to see.
Four: I do not have ANY problem with welfare, I do though, have a HUGE problem with entitlement and fraud, and like it or not, it is rampant, in all camps of welfare.
Great observation.. Someone needs to send this to EVERY news agency. I do wonder if they will report… Sad. People have little or no pride and take such advantage.
Gotta love it. Kit kat bars? Honestly? The person could be a diabetic and the candy could be a medical NECESSITY. You don’t know the circumstances. So just do your job and keep your mouth shut. after all, you have a job BECAUSE of those “welfare queens”.
Oh my goodness!! I am giving you a virtual high five! I worked in a small, family run grocery store in Portland and witnessed the same behavior. What drives me insane now is when they come in with their TD Banknorth Visa or their Bank of American Master Card for $9 worth of product and are driving a $50,000 car. Grr. Anywho thank you so much for the post!!
This chick is exactly the type of cashier I HATE : Pay no attention to what I’m buying or how I can or can’t pay for it; stop making inferences based on what is on your conveyor belt & what ‘type’ of person is emptying their cart onto it; don’t judge people based on their Wal-Mart purchases; Social Services are put in to place so that EVERYONE has “certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration of Independence); and lastly: Providence College is $55,000 per year for tuition & either she’s paying for it ALL (or her parents are) or she received a ton of….wait for it…wait for it…FINANCIAL AID.
WOW there are SO many prejudiced people out there who like to make judgements against things that they know NOTHING about!!
I agree with SOME of this article but also have MANY problems with this article!
How is this possible when there was a law passed where a person can not be on food stamps for more than 5 years in their life?
Also do people know that to received food stamps that you have to do 20 hours of volunteer work a week with a total of 80 hours a month? So people are working for their food stamps. This is equal to the hours of a part time job. PLUS besides the volunteer hours, you are expected to apply for ten jobs a week. Where do you go when there are no more places to apply?
As far as buying the steaks, etc. did she ever consider that it was a special occasion and that for the rest of the time the person ate Ramean noodles for the rest of the time so that they could afford the steak? Or do people on food stamps not deserve to have special occasions like the rest of people?
How do I know all of this? I am on food stamps right now and am SO tired of people’s prejudices when I pull my EBT card and the cashier announcing loudly OH its a food stamp card. I am also so tired of people saying OH so you are living off my hard work and just sitting around the house when that is not true! I pray that none of you judgmental people ever lose your job, become disabled, or have anything else bad in your life happen to you where you may have to use the system and then you will have to deal with judgmental people such as the one that you see when you look in the mirror.
Corporations love it when poor people fight with each other over the issue of food stamp abuse because it distracts them from noticing the real cause of our current depressed economic state: Corporate welfare abuse. OPEN YOUR EYES, YOU MORONS.
@Michael-I haven’t been to Disney World since 2007, you know, before the recession? The trip to California was paid for by a group who was impressed with the activism I had done on campus, and it was the first time I had ever been out there. I was protesting at Occupy PROVIDENCE, not OWS. Occupy Providence is a 10 minute bus ride away from my school. I’m also not sure what you mean by “exotic” locations–I’ve never been to Europe, Mexico, etc. I’ve been to Puerto Rico once, when I was nine years old, because my family flew down to visit my father, a Merchant Marine, on one of his trips. His ship traveled from Jacksonville to San Juan. It wasn’t a ritzy vacation. My parents worked VERY hard to provide for my brother and I, and I am thankful. My mother’s father died on the job (working overtime to buy Christmas presents) when she was nine years old, and my Grandmother scrimped and saved so that my mother and uncles could live good lives. My mom had a paper route at a young age in order to have spending money. My father worked two jobs to put himself through college and eventually earned a Chief Engineers license. My parents did not grow up rich. I had to work at Wal-Mart because I needed a job. My brother and I both work. Our parents do not pay for everything, and they shouldn’t. I’ve been very conservative since a young age, and I make my own decisions. My mother was a registered democrat for 18 years and is clueless about politics. My father is a little more opinionated, but he was never in the house for more than 10 weeks at a time due to his job. Please don’t make assumptions about me.
I agree, with the exception of a few statements. I was married for 13 years to my husband and at the time had been living a wealthy care-free life, until one day my husband springs on me he had met someone else and had filed for divorce, he packed up all of our furniture etc, and left me with an empty house and 3 children to make it on my own. Mind you he never allowed me to work so our children could be raised the way HE saw fit. He was court ordered to pay child support which I never saw. Not having been in the work force since my teens it was rather difficult to find good employment. I finally broke down and applied for aid so I could feed my children. After 6mo. of looking I finally got called to work as a cashier at a fastfood business. I remember walking through the grocery store in my work uniform and purchasing groceries with my Fs card and the dirty looks and comments that where made to me and how I would cry because I was so ashamed it had come to this. It took me a long time working many hours picking up xtra shifts before I could repair all the financial damage that was done after my divorce, afterall I made min. wage $7 an hr and my mortgage alone was $650mo, I had made $800-900a mo. I had infact purchased a birthday cake for my son with my card, because working the hrs I did I had no time to bake one for him and you try to explain to a 6yr old why his birthday is not important enough to have something as simple as a cake. I managed my finances well and also managed to save some money and after only having been in the system for a little over a year had pulled myself off. I now am very successful and along with my new fiancee of 3 years make a great living. I will never forget my time on public assistance or the people who made it possible for my family to make it through that period of my life. I spend alot of my time now giving back to the community and donating money to less fortunate. Try going to a battered womans support group and then come out critisizing those women who also need public assistance, not everything should be taken at face value, and because of the people out there who do abuse the system the only people that will suffer are the people who truely do need the help!
MARRY ME!!!!!!
@Anonymous: I am not “Assuming” (your word) that she ran a daycare. She was talking about her daycare with the cashier as I came up to the register with my cart. There was a lot of lunchables, applesauce & juice boxes. She continued to talk about her biz as she was checking out with the EBT card. No assumption on my part. After she left, I asked the cashier if I heard correctly & she said yes, lady comes in all the time.
I am sorry but I agree with some and not others. First there are reasons to be on welfare but it is outrageous that those that have worked for and paid into it are many times denied when they need it or are given $100 for a month’s supply of food. Yet you see all the illegals that have had babies here in the US and they have hundreds if not thousands of dollars on theirs!!!!! Give me a break! Give them only food for the kids and not them. They need to go back and get in line to be let in legally to get into the country! I am sorry but just because they birthed a child here if they themselves are not citizens. Look to them for alot of this welfare fraud!
Great article, another thing , you know there is a serious problem when people on welfare coming through the line having the government paying for their food & stuff yet they have perfect manicures & highlights in their hair which is not cheap, them & their kids are wearing the hottest fashions & $50 DC shoes, the whole family including the kids have Smartphones or MP3 players. All things that cost ALOT of money. So if I can’t afford all those things w/both me & my husband work hard to take care of our kids & can barely keep a roof over our heads, how are they able to afford all the nice clothes & expensive electronics if they are so “needy & poor” on welfare.
#1,I am a Democrat, and I take offense that only Republicans take offense to FS fraud. I work at my locat Pick and Save. I see FS fraud all the time, and I also see responsible FS use. The people who have been on it for years are the ones who abuse, and the ones who just lost their incomes recently due to the GM closings and all the jobs that went with it are the ones who seem to shop wisely on the card. I have contacted many of my congressmen and senators regarding this, (both Democrat and Republican) and they do not seem too interested in solving the problem. Maybe because not enough of those working to make ends meet have voiced their opinions to those we elect.
I had a woman come through my line the other night and she had 2 separate orders. She paid for the first order with her FS card, because the 2nd order was for one of the local fast food restaurants. To my amazement, she paid the second order also on her card. I told her that was fraud. Her response? “Why? I am getting paid back for it.” Others come in when we have our soda sales and will fill up 2 or 3 carts with soda and then take it to local gas stations and sell it back to them.
The only way the Food Stamp program is going to work to satisfy everyone, is if they make it similar to WIC. Allow only the necessary foods and drink one needs to survive. If it is a taxable product, (like soda) it does not qualify as a FS product. Candy is not a necessity. And if you are using the self check out, you are allowing businesses to lay off more people. Keep the jobs there. Do not promote more layoffs.. this ony promotes more welfare.
Dateline NBC exposes sex pervs, Cheaters exposes people who are unfaithful, cops shows us people getting busted or arrested for various crimes. I think this is as absurd as anything else on TV. I’d love to see a reality show that busts people for this and in turns forces them into getting off welfare.
Seriously? You worked at a Wal-Mart and that somehow entitles you to an opinion. I work for a non-profit that assists low income people become self sufficient. Most of these people do not want to be on assistance, but have no choice, they need to eat. The cases of fraud are the few, but they are the ones that get the most publicity, mainly because of people like you. So what they bought steaks and birthday cakes? And while I do believe there should be some reform, especially when it concerns cash assistance, I don’t believe we should completely wipe the program out. I hope that you never have the need for food or cash assistance, but if you do, I hope people like you don’t eliminate the program.
good read.. a lot of us worked crappy jobs!! they really aren’t THAT hard to find.. go to any mcdonalds in texas and they don’t speak english! same with cleaning!
What blows my mind is the number of people that think that someone on Foodstamps should have complete control over food choice – When the program started in the 1930′s – you got bags of beans, rice, dry milk, flour, etc. When they went to actual stamp booklets, you could get ground beef (to a limit), potatoes, etc. but no candy, processed foods. Why do you think everyone deserves steak and bakery cakes? I have been unemployed for 5-1/2 years – I CAN’T get welfare, unemployment, Food stamps, WIC, etc. I haven’t purchased a steak in at least 10 years. What makes you think I should pay for you to have what I can’t afford for myself? As for the lady that said she only bought the fancy bakery cake because the toys on the top were the kid’s bday gift…well I am 52 this year and have never had a bday party. If you baked a cake from scratch and explained to the kids why they were not getting gifts, wouldn’t that be a much better gift/lesson to give them? Who deserves ANYTHING? IF you earn it, maybe! On foodstamps – no one! This makes me sick – here I sit using up my savings to pay taxes to support this ? – I done!
My husband and I have had a business for over 6 years. It started failing last year and I started looking desperately for work. last december we lost a lot of money on a job and felt totally helpless going into x-mas with 4 kids and no money, waiting in line for food at churches. We applied for services and qualified for food stamps. You cannot imagine how gratefull we were. It actually turned out our income was so low we could have been on for the whole previous year! I still cannot find work and am going to college, paid for by the state and grants. We still get foodstamps and are gratefull. YES, when my kids have a birthday, i buy a HUGE cake and invite all the friends and neighbors. We are trying, we are not stupid or rude to people. It is OK for my kid’s special day to be special! We dont have cell phones or cable or nice cars. We lost our house, our pets and livestock. The money is given for food, who are you to say what I can and cant decide to splurge on.
This is an excellent article and makes me WANT to vote republican. F’n moochers.
Great Article Christine
Great Article Christine
When I was young in the 60′s welfare was not card to load up on junk food. You got what was called government surplus food. Powered eggs, powered milk, caned beef or chicken and other simple things in ugly unlabeled cans with a name stamped on top of the can. Likely you had to pick it up in a cold warehouse. If we did the right thing and go back to that system it would help a lot in putting an end to so much of this nonsense.
I see the same abuse at the local Win co store, Carts piled with expensive foods and junk food, lots of junk food. It’s a terrible thing to create entitlement generations but our country is doing it as fast as we can. Now we have a President that is trying to do it with the health care system. I have a good income by working for it and I never buy the expensive and almost zero junk food.
Down the street is a large Section 8 (welfare) apartment complex. Lot of swearing, drug activity, and litter on the street that I pick up near my house. We pay for there rent, for there food and they dump there garbage on us. I suggest we use that excellent idea of drug testing before you get food stamps or get your rent paid by the rest of us!
Harold R
Nikki,
The problem with buying things like steaks and i phones with your ebt money is that the rest of the country (for example myself, currently pursuing my 8th year of higher education to become a physician) are not able to afford steak and i phones. Furthermore, much of their ebt money will go to cigarettes to make them sick, and junk food to make them obese, which will then send them into the hospital to rack up a giant bill that you and I will pay for, as tax paying citizens. I have been a registered Democrat all my life, until I saw what people are really doing with their welfare money, and in 90% of the cases, it is NOT what it was meant for.
Honestly, this sounds like whining about one’s job as much as it does about welfare abuse. Christine shows some real career promise to have landed a cashier’s position at WallyMart during her college summer breaks. I guess that beats doing an internship with a real breadwinning company or seeking out work that is in line with her major. And maybe that is part of where the ‘welfare queen’ comment of “it must be tough to stand on a mat all day and be a cashier” really dug into Christine. That standing there judging that she was a better human being than her customers she was stuck with the irony that she was employed at a bottom feeder employer in a less than entry level job while her college buddies grabbed the attention of real Fortune 500 employers and dealt with complex business solutions. What Ms. Rousselle doesn’t appear to contemplate is the other side of the story that may indeed be valid for some of her clients. I’m not saying all, and I’m not condoning or marginalizing fraud or problems with the system, but there is sometime to be said to counter Christine’s accusations. There can be extenuating circumstance. Welfare recipients aren’t always of full mental capacity – there are such mental disorders that make work a near impossibility for some. Others that carry food stamps may not be destitute themselves, but may be caring for a disabled dependent or have a severely disabled child and are homebound to care for them – versus the “have a job” comment that Christine smuggly threw back at her patrons. There is a middle ground Ms. Rousselle and I hope you find it. And if you don’t, then I’d suggest watching out. You never know when a disease, disorder, accident, ailment, etc. could be lurking that changes your life instantly and completely and leaves you or your caregiver wondering when the next set of foodstamps will arive in the mail.
While there are certainly opportunists and ignorant people and even downright criminals involved. But it goes back to the fact that we are trained like dogs to tear apart people who commit small acts of theft (poverty and crime go hand in hand) but never once think about the corporate criminals, the theft of our tax dollars, the theft of our democracy, the use of tax dollars for killing masses of foreign human beings along with our loved ones in the armed forces. The crime at the top is so obscene and so vile it is really unbelievable how disgusted we get at a fat person using food stamps to buy soda (b/c that’s our money!) yet think nothing of the way those in power pillage our country and especially other developing countries, propping up warlords, privatizing education here, imprisoning thousands of Black people as the new Jim Crow, raiding taxpayer coffers and transferring them into private profits, and worst of all denying people here a voice in power so that they die from lack of health care or a livable wage or the various other ways poverty and marginalization kills people while also literally killing and torturing brown people all over the world in our name.
Is the fat, poor, stupid woman really our enemy? Really? Seriously? Not the banking cartel or corrupt politicians? The oil, bank, and big business execs and their lobbyists? I can name a few names that are Satan compared to our “welfare queen.” Cheney, Bush, Wolfowitz, Obama, Biden, Giethner, Rubin, Holder (voting rights anyone?), Goldman Sachs execs. Not to mention the World Bank, the IMF, and the Fed. Anyone curious about more please check out Confessions of an Economic Hitman along with its followup A Game As Old As Empire (gives data and multiple sources for the EHM account.)
I will say that some of the people who are using these benefits are doing it wrong.
I just recently applied for foodstamps. I am disabled and cannot work, and my husband cannot get work right now through the temp agency he was going through, because there is nothing available for him. He also reapplied for unemployment. My $600 disability check pays for the rent, and that’s it. We currently have no other benefits coming in. I am eating lunch right now, you know what lunch is today? A tuna sandwich. You know what it was yesterday? A tuna sandwich. Last night’s dinner was ground beef mixed with beans, corn, tomatoes and spices, spread over bread in what my husband called a “Mexican open-faced sandwich.” Tonight is swai fillets that we found on sale, 10 fillets in a package for $10 and we split one fillet between the two of us. We don’t buy lobsters, or steaks. Last time I had a lobster was 5 years ago, when my husband had a decent job and was able to take me out. But that was then, and this is now. Now we need help, we need the assistance to get us through until he can find work again. Hell, right now, we don’t even have a car because we can’t afford to buy one, and our old one got junked for money because we couldn’t afford to fix it.
The people that abuse the system like that ruin it for the people who truly do need it. I see it all the time, women having children for the sake of staying on welfare, people who lie and cheat the system so they never have to work. But people like me, people who need it, get lucky to get what they have.
I am not a welfare queen. Legit disability. I even did work for quite some time, but I was actually fired due to my disability, before I was able to even apply to get on disability.
So don’t lump everyone into the same category.
Preach it sister.
I would like to invite the author to contact me so that she can get the side of a person that obeys the rules but continually gets judged by cashiers and others.
Well said, Ms. Rousselle! Excellent balance in your perspective, with appreciation for the compassion we must have for those in true need, the responsibility those who receive assistance have in doing everything they can to improve their situation, and the deleterious impact too much “help” actually has on the individual and society. Good on ‘ya!
Imagine that you put a gallon of milk in the fridge,. Then a person comes by and says, I will just take a drop. No one will notice. then a few more people come by and do the same thing. By the end of the day, there is only a quart of milk left.
I bought the milk for the needy, and now it is almost gone.
What solutions can all of our astute minds come up with and force our government to enforce in a fair way?
Do we go to a govt food distribution system where nobody gets a card to spend at a for profit business but gets their allotment directly from the govt.? sounds like communism and you may not like it.
Govt milk?
I think a lot of the people commenting are actually unaware of how the system works and think their reforms are a solution. Im conservative but I realize the NEED for social welfare programs. Take an economics class at your local community college and this will make more sense.
Yes, there are those out there who are abusing the system. Ironically however their abuses really don’t add up that much compared to the actual welfare budget. Look at unemployment for example – since most of you are actually rallying against that and not food stamps (though you don’t realize it). In most states/counties unemployment compensation is based on prior income. The majority of abusers worked at a place like McDonalds and therefor only made (for example) $800 a month$200 a week. Since generally unemployment doesn’t equal your previous pay (by means of urging you to find work) we will say they receive $125 a week$500 a month. Since most of you are unaware unemployment in most states requires a job search and a number of interviews a week to be paid out. The dept of labor actually collects employment logs and audits them, calling employers to make sure in fact there was an application, interview and that if offered a job it wasn’t turned down. For those of you who say “there should be a requirement to find a job on unemployment” well … there is already.
Now, a majority of people out there on unemployment do actually need it. They lost their $40,000 a year jobs, not their afternoon shift at the golden arches. In the above example by not working the person was out perhaps $300 a month by collecting unemployment. The reduction however if you were making $40,000 a year is WAY larger, we are talking thousands of dollars a year in losses. Likewise, those making $40,000 a year generally have a home, family, major bills and so on – as some of you keyed onto with your own stories, the welfare received was not actually enough to really make your bills even out, likewise you didn’t abuse the system. So in it’s own right, it somewhat works. Therefor by comparison when you look at the overall budget for social welfare programs shelling out the $11,000 a year for the abuser is a problem but is pennies compared to the larger portion of unemployment recipients who receive large checks. Their job search isnt applying at Wally-world because they can’t afford to live on $11,000 a year with two kids and a mortgage. Most of you if you lost your jobs admittedly would not take a $30,000 pay cut.
So, that out of the way lets evaluate WHY we need social welfare in the US today. We like to look at how things used to be in this country but we fail to understand that our economic model today is way different than the one that existed a mere 100 years ago. Yes, unemployment helps the unemployed (who by the way had to lose the job by reason other than their own, you can’t quit a job and collect) keep paying their mortgage and put food on the table but those acts don’t just benefit the recipient. Continuing to pay their mortgages keeps the lender in buisness, who keeps paying their employees keeping them off the welfare system. Lets look at an above example, the slip`n`slide & cigarettes, by spending the money at Walmart for those items, Walmart continues to operate and employ people, and they continue to purchase products from the distributor who sells them the slide, who in turn employs people, and who orders the slide from the manufacturer who employs people. All of those people turn around and spend that money back into the economy which continues to run. If we stopped paying welfare, think about the economic impact. That is the key reason the government continues to pay welfare and extends it – because if 8% of the US population suddenly stopped putting money into the economy unemployment would sky rocket. Think about how many of your struggling companies could lose 10% of their buisness and be okay?
Anyone who has been to a business management class understands the concept of man hours, and therefor is aware that a 10% loss of customers could represent not employing one or two employees (small buisness) or a company like Walmart it means closing a store or two (many employees). We already realize that means that many more people now need unemployment. So, next time the person wearing leather and gold uses their EBT to buy a $25 slip`n`slide realize they just paid for you to stand at the cash register for Walmart for the next two and a half hours (assuming you get paid $10/hour which is probably more than you make).
Next lets address the “im tired of paying for you to buy the slip`n`slide with my taxes”. A lot of people sound very uneducated when they say this. When you pay unemployment out of your income via your employer yes, you are paying the welfare system who pays that person who just walked through your line. However you are paying an insurance fee – if you become unemployed YOU are entitled to compensation. Few people in history have ever been upset when they received the car insurance check for their new car after a wreck. Many of you, should you lose your job tomorrow and receive unemployment would not be angry then that you paid into it. You would probably also be upset with people who said you were a low life sucking on the tit of society, since you are educated and had a respectable job and therefor are searching for another one but you don’t get hired over night. When we evaluate the $25 slip`n`slide and how it paid your salary for 2.5 hours lets then figure if you pay say $0.25 an hour into unemployment (I hate math so I am keeping it easy) it means that of the $25 of unemployment funds that were used to purchase the slide and then paid to you in hourly wages in effect you paid $.62 in unemployment which came from that original unemployment fund. While this isn’t a very sustainable model it is one way to think about how you pay your taxes – if anything – you never paid into unemployment at all. Odds are that $25 slip`n`slide will pay for your entire paycheck’s actual unemployment deduction, thus recycling the money in the program. I just put it in there because when I’ve been a cashier I have enjoyed thinking of it like that when I was in your situation.
Onto food stamps and the like. Here lies the problem with your arguments about reform, if you don’t know what you are talking about reforming, your plan for reform sounds (and probably is) uninformed and therefor wrong. Food stamps and WIC are not paid necessarily to the unemployed. Telling someone on food stamps to get a job is like telling the bus driver to drive a bus. These welfare programs are for the poor, people who despite having a job do not make enough to pay to live where they are. When I say this people think I mean someone who makes $15,000 a year lives in a mansion. Where I live my rent is $790 to live in a crappy apartment, and likewise, there are laws that limit occupancy so I can’t have my bud’s crashing on my couch and paying rent. If I make $7/hr in minimum wage and work 40 hours a week I only make $280 a week, or $1,120 a month. With gas at $3 a gallon and not being able to afford working close to home lets say I spend $50 on gas a week, which translates to $200 a week in work related expense. Additionally I need to eat, which if I eat $10 per day of food means $70 a week ($280 a month). Next lets just put an even $150 for utilities (I actually pay more than that). So, my monthly expenses are $1,420 but I only make $1,120 a month – and that’s just me being single. Most welfare programs are for families.
So you say I should move where the rent is cheaper? I actually did that, it makes the problem worse. I moved two towns over where rent is cheaper, but had to continue to work (for example) in my old job. Instead of spending $200 on gas per month it changed to spending that in a week. In the western US we don’t have the same public transportation systems as the east cost mind you (I digress). If everyone who couldn’t make ends meet with low pay moved away from where we all live, all the service businesses that we receive services from would have to close (since they would have no employees) which would cause problems for those of us not in this layer of poverty. This is why we have programs like WIC and Food Stamps – because if I pay you $300 for food you actually make enough money to pay your bills in the above model; so you continue to work at 7/11 which is where I buy gas so I can continue to work in my $30,000 a year job which supports the economy. The only true fiscally sensible alternative to replacing WIC is repealing child labor laws … which most of us agree is not socially acceptable.
My favorite argument I hear a lot is about jailing those who abuse welfare systems. This is perhaps one of the dumbest ideas I have heard. First, removing these people from the economic cycle hurts the economy as we evaluated above. More importantly if you abuse the system and manage to make $11,000 a year from the govt its pennies compared to the $66,000+ it costs to incarcerate you for that year. Additionally, since jails can only hold so many people, if I fill the jail with deadbeat citizens I can’t put rapists, murders, and other violent felons behind those same bars. I am not making this up, go ask any of the “legalize pot” campaigns about early parole and release programs because of overcrowding of prisons.
If you are still with me thus far, congratulations hopefully I have provided you with some insight into how the system actually works. With any luck now instead of repeating the same senseless argument you can think about an actual solution to the problem. If you find yourself working at a cash register and someone on food stamps comes through and buys a carton of smokes look on the bright side, they will probably die sooner, reducing their impact on the welfare system. When they come through and buy a slip`n`slide or that fancy new fake leather jacket smile and know they are keeping your employer in the black, and keeping you off welfare. Likewise, be glad that those who abuse the system will generally spend their entire lives below the poverty line and never enjoy that trip to Rome, Super Bowl tickets, the wedding of their dreams (unless shot-gun style is your thing) and best of all the elevated sense of self which allows someone to complain about the poor.
Wut chu mean dat you be payin for my food and bling. Did yall not hear wut Obama promissed us, he be payin for everything so don’t go round sayin that u be payin for my stuff. no sir. Mr. Obama done got me some nice extensions, some rent a rims on my Marcedes, he pay for my nails to get done and day look goooood. Dat man know how to take care of da majority of us americans.
Take my son for example, he got xbox and playstation and I only work a day a week. Dis christmas he gettin new air jordans, upgradin his busted azz iphone 4 to da iphone 4s. He aint gonna look like no sucka in school.
So yall try walkin in my shoes, they be 300 dolla shoes so you would be aight.
My husband was laid off from his job about 2 years ago for 8 months. First we got rid of our cell phones, then we got rid of our cable but when it got too bad I finally went down to apply for food stamps to see us and our boys through until he found another job or was called back ( which he finally was about 3 months after I started getting the stamps) while I was down there waiting my turn I saw several young girls with babies and a woman about my age late 30′s with older kids. The women were dripping in gold jewelry. Necklace nameplates, charms and the such. Earrings and rings as well. Designer clothes, shoes and coats. Using expensive cell phones. I could not believe my eyes. The lady with the older kids had a a touchscreen phone and so did at least 2 of her teenage kids and all 3 were wearing Baby Phat jackets and boots. I went outside to smoke one of my $2 a pack small cigars because I could no longer afford rolling cigarettes ( and a month after this I even quit that and have now been smoke free for over 2 years ). While outside I started talking to two case workers who were on smoke breaks as well. I asked them both if it drives them crazy to see these people come in here talking about how they cant pay their bills or feed their kids but yet wear designer clothes and nice jewelry. The one told me she wasnt a welfare worker but was a social worker and she what really upset her ( and rightfully so ) was how she would go into these peoples houses and they would have the biggest flat screens and every game console known to man but wouldnt have a lick of food in the cupboards or fridge. So I understand what you mean.
@Michael – Typical liberal trying to use character assassination to bring down your opponent because you aren’t intelligent enough to argue on facts and policies alone.
There are so many misguided comments here acting like we all want to eliminate Welfare altogether. I haven’t seen so many people ignorant of politics since my college days.
Abuse is rampant everywhere, but it doesn’t change that MOST people do what they are supposed to with their goverment help. I realize that you are often “reminded of why you vote Republican”, but I think the story should be tempered with the fact that the people you described are the exception not the rule, that out of the 1000′s of people you see each week not everyone is cheating the system, and that there were indeed families who came through your line who followed the rules to the letter.
BTW… just a little comment on the ‘giant birthday cake’… I know those cakes are $25, but even a poor child deserves a birthday cake and a party. I was a welfare child. My mother was divorced with 5 children. Her total child support award was $40 a month plus the house. There were 5 of us children and not one of us got birthday cake or a birthday party when we were growing up. It wasn’t our fault that Richard left my mother for a woman 1/2 her age (which he would do 3 more times to women before he died… with a wife younger than his oldest grandchild). If some woman used her food stamps to buy a $25 birthday cake and invited other children to a party, it means that that child got a birthday cake AND gifts (brought by others to the party). Why should the child not have a birthday celebration simply because their family is down on their luck?
I agree that welfare reform is necessary. It is long overdue. I am reminded to vote Democrat because the Republicans think “welfare reform” means cutting out all social programs. Here is something to think about: Without social programs, which is what voting Republican in 2012 means, how well will you sleep knowing no one is abusing the system but that hundreds of thousands of children are going to bed hungry every night right here in the good old USA? If we could count on people and businesses to do the right thing and help those in need, it would be one thing, but let’s face it: that isn’t happening and it isn’t going to happen. It’s every stinking man for themselves if you listen to the GOP and TP… The GOTP says there are plenty of jobs and everyone could work “if they wanted to” and at the same time are screaming “there are no jobs and it’s Obama’s fault”… it can’t be both ways. Right now the people who are getting the tax breaks are not hiring because they’re greedy. They’re working skeleton crews and raking in the dough and getting tax breaks for doing it while you are in favor of denying a kid a frigging birthday cake… Wake up and smell the coffee! Quit drinking the GOTP koolaid. We need welfare reform but we can’t cut off the people who need some help right now.
Welfare reform should have limits. Unemployment should have limits. There are a lot of things that can be done, but voting Republican won’t set limits, it will take away all forms of help, including help for those who are truly in need.
I agree with the fact that people should not take advantage of our welfare system. I also believe that our welfare programs are a great nessasity to many families that are working very hard and can still not make ends meet. I do not agree with the lack of couth you have to label people “welfare queen 1 and 2″. The article spent a little too much time discussing your judgments about others and not enough time focusing on the things we can do to change the problems our systems face. I have two suggestions 1: get a job in a high end retail possition where you will only be dealing with wealthy entitled people. Walmart is not really known for its classiness or extraordinarily brilliant clientele. 2: placing judgments on people will only make you a bitter hatred filled person.
Also I’d like to mention that steak and lobster arent foods that are specifically meant for one class or the other. I commend those people for buying actual food and not a pile of processed garbage.
Terrific article! When I was working full time and raising my two sons, I qualified for food stamps but never took them. The idea to work in law enforcement and make so little money to actually qualify for food stamps just blew my mind. In the state of Kentucky there is also so much abuse of the unemployment and welfare assistance programs, it boggles the mind. I continued working until I retired after 26 years, never taking any assistance from the state, thankfully I remained healthy and never stopped working, unlike the generations of young adults in our state today who simply will NOT work. I began working and paying into the retirement system early in my 20′s and retired before I was 50 years old. My family was poor, my mother raised 6 children alone on public assistance and I simply did not want that kind of life for me or my sons. I understand there are cases out there where the family need the assistance, as in my mother’s case (she was ill and disabled) but there are extreme cases of abuse as well.
In Oregon and Washington they cut ALL dental from anyone 18 and up (including disabled people) they should cut foodstamps so that people can stop eating cake and use dental which is something they actually need.
I would also like to add that I’m certainly far from being ignorant or lazy. I have just happened to fall on hard times. Could I work full time? Yes. But after I pay daycare expenses for my children and the ridiculous cost of gas back and forth to work I MAY break even. I would rather be on foodstamps than have someone else raise my children. Also, just because I wear a decent outfit or my hair looks nice, have you stopped to consider where you get those things? I go to the beauty school for my hair and it costs a whole $5 and I buy most of my stuff at Goodwill or I may just get lucky enough to find something on the clearance racks at Cato. My children wear consignment store clothes. We drive a vehicle that is 14 years old. But we’re surviving. Just a little insight…
I saw the same sense of entitlement when I worked two seasons for a tax-preparation company. Folks came in armed with all the right answers to qualify for the Earned Income Credit. I couldn’t always prove they were cheating, so I had to file their taxes, but I knew in my heart that some were. The ones who came back wanting to modify their return because they suddenly had a social security number for a grandchild and “had forgotten” the child lived with them that tax year…those were the ones I was able to refuse. They were blatantly lying and trying to beat the system. So many young families aren’t married these days because the mom will claim all the living expenses of raising the kids as a “single” mom and “qualify” for more EIC by never saying the father lives with her and is working! EIC fraud is HUGE every year. My husband and I have qualified for the EIC a couple lean years…legitimately…and we were grateful for the help. The abuse and entitlement out there is a very sad compass of the morality (or lack of) out there!
@ChristineRousselle – Please don’t make assumptions about you? I feel entitled to make assumptions since you made so many assumptions about people. Except I based my assumptions on hundreds of photos & self proclaimed interests that YOU POSTED on your personal Facebook page. You based you assumptions on what people purchased during your 2 minute transaction at Walmart.
To all the people who are criticizing this article on the basis of one’s “freedom to buy steaks and birthday cakes”:
You’re missing the forest for the trees.
Further, even if one concedes this point, it would do no harm to the case presented here, which is:
Welfare should not exist so people can be selfish and lazy for as long as they want in any way they want. That’s irresponsible.
I thought that was the obvious point of the article. Nothing seems to be obvious anymore…
I have several problems with this article; mainly the generalizations that are made about your “questionable clientele.” The picture you paint in this editorial is designed to feed the agenda of the GOP media machine.
I am a server (though most of my wealthy Republican clientele call me their “waitress”) at a busy restaurant in the financial/business district of Chicago. I have no doubt that you were treated rudely during your time as a cashier; what you must know, however, is that nearly all people in low-paying jobs that require manual labor, being on your feet, and smiling through the pain are subjected to their customers’ abusive, insensitive, ignorant comments. On top of being sexually harassed on a daily basis, I’m constantly asked by individuals why I don’t have a “real” job, or “if” I graduated college. (My “real” job is auditioning as an actor, which requires the flexibility that waiting tables provides me and yes, I DID, in fact, graduate from University of Illinois-Chicago, Magna Cum Laude.)
The social issue that you are sorely missing is the compassion that lacks among the masses these days, and it isn’t because people are abusing the welfare system. It is because generally, people are spoiled, selfish, and immature, especially towards strangers and those deemed “beneath” them, and your political party is the absolute worst culprit of exhibiting those behaviors.
The truth is, the welfare rates and government supported programs such as EBT and WIC are at their lowest rates they have been at in a long time. I took many classes in the School of Public Health at UIC, and visiting the state websites, you would be astonished as to how little money is really being “handed out” as a whole. I ABSOLUTELY acknowledge the fact that people are abusing the system, and that reformation is sorely needed. But cutting these programs as your political party suggests does not solve the problem; it stifles even further the deserving individuals who are born and bred into hard-pressed lives with no one to guide them and are forced to attend inadequate, underfunded school systems.
And if you want to talk about “abusing the system,” I see droves and droves of wealthy men sit at my tables lamenting the fact that their taxes might be raised, yet abuse their CORPORATE CARDS to buy a lot more than $400 worth of alcohol. If a person is questionable because she uses $400 to buy food that you deem nutritionally inadequate, I think you would agree that spending $800 on alcohol on the Corporate Card is just as questionable. Sure, they may cap these write-offs at 50%, but it lessens the tax burden for the corporation. At a time when corporate profits are at record highs, these “tax write offs” seem questionable to ME. And let’s look at these people, who sure as heck are not yelling about green peppers. Nah, they’re not yelling about a whole lot because life is much easier to THEM, I assure you, than the ones you describe in your article. The hard truth is, these traders, financiers, attorneys, and consultants drink their lives away and stunt their minds from growing, making them unable to think dynamically. THAT is the epitome of laziness, and they are just as guilty of abusing the powers they’ve been given as the ones you write about. The only concern they have is getting buzzed after work, going home to their material possessions, and hitting the repeat button on life each day with mindless spending, when in reality, they could be out putting their “hard earned” money to: Charities that use arts therapy as a low cost option to make a difference in an abused child’s life, soup kitchens run by our churches, homeless shelters that need basic hygiene supplies that could clean a man up so he could be presentable for an interview, health and sciences research, education in impoverished neighborhoods, and more. Perhaps living a more examined, fulfilled life would better these people’s outlooks and we’d start to see social change in the United States in a shift toward compassion and empathy, which is what is missing. And perhaps if everyone was willing to help out a little more, we wouldn’t have such a need for the government “hand outs.”
And for a young woman to tout the fact that she is proud to “vote Republican,” I ask you to examine the serious health ramifications this could have towards you simply because you are a female. Google H.R. 358 and then tell me you’re not terrified you’d be the victim of rape one day and walk into a hospital that refuses to provide you with treatment that could prevent pregnancy. How about the proposed cuts to Planned Parenthood by Congress, that would pose serious public health risks to women who are no longer able to afford the services they need to cure illnesses, or prevent disease? Federal policy restricts funding for abortion, by the way, so I’m confused as to why there is a lot of focus on cutting HEALTH SERVICES (pap smears, breast exams, etc.) to women. Another bill that represents a serious threat to women’s health and rights is Rep. Mike Pence’s (R-IN-06) “Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.” This bill would strip federal FAMILY PLANNING FUNDING (as provided by the Title X Family Planning Program) from health care providers that also provide abortion care with PRIVATE funds. Or, when the Department of Health and Human Services is advocating to ensure that birth control pills be issued with no co-pay, yet the Tea Party is opposed to it; what happens when someone simply can’t afford to buy their birth control pills? They get pregnant. They have a child. And they will no doubt resort to programs such as WIC. But you want to slash WIC and family planning from the federal agenda? Well, now what? Children grow up malnourished, exhausted, under educated, and with a reduced chance to contribute to society. I lived down the street from Section 8 housing a few years ago. Have YOU ever seen a 6 year-old child dig through the trash on a street corner? The inadequacies and the conflicting views that your political party subscribes to astounds me in the lack of critical thinking.
And one last note- the part where you mention the “Welfare Queen’s” food choices with no nutritional value. (Aside from the fact that I see hoards of businessmen consume 24 oz steaks and other foods with zero nutritional value when their waistline suggests it would behoove them to order vegetables-and hopefully they’ll save adequately for the cardiovascular treatment they will undoubtedly be needing in 25 years, because with the direction we’re going, Congress doesn’t think the elderly’s medical costs should be substantiated at the federal level.) Had it occurred to you that perhaps the “Welfare Queen” grew up in a low-income neighborhood with no choice but to attend the dilapidated elementary school that I guarantee you did NOT offer “health education” classes. She also most likely grew up in a neighborhood that was a lengthy commute to a supermarket that provided fresh produce. Food desserts are a travesty in this nation, and another such travesty is the meat and dairy industry which are FEDERALLY funded and pump the illogical thinking that hormone injected “dairy and protein” are what we need to be feeding ourselves every day, thus the reason you have 8 year-olds who are menstruating and over-sexualized by the time they’re 12. Good thing they won’t be able to buy the Plan B pill until they’re 18, though, huh? I assure you that those living below the poverty level don’t know a thing about nutrition because no one in their life ever gave enough of a care to educate them, or they didn’t have the means to because they didn’t grow up privleged. And Type II diabetes is now considered a growing epidemic amongst our nation’s youth, but Michele Obama is a “liberal Socialist” for wanting to implement policy and change in our public school cafeteria programs. http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/05/michelle_obama_unveils_childho.html
Man, I could go on and on, but my advice to those in agreement with this sad article that’s unfortunately the view of someone in my peer group is to educate yourself at the university level about social and public health, and then go wait tables on the wealthy. You’ll have much more of a compelling argument and more “questionable characters” will come into view.
My husband and I have worked for over the past 21 years of our lives. Now my husband lost his job and I am currently looking for work. I have been a stay-at-home mom for 21 years and have registered to attend college to “brush” up my skills (my background is in computers). We have recently applied for food stamps and medicaid and got accepted. I have a family of 5 and need the help. In the past, we have donated food and money to these organizations and I do not feel guilty for asking for the necessary help now. I do see some ppl abuse the system and that is where the concentration is needed. You cannot categorize everyone who is receiving financial assistance as “abusing the system”. There was a comment from someone here that stated that you don’t have the right to judge and I agree. You do not know the circumstances of every individual or family that is on public assistance. Every family/person has a story and a past. You are fortunate that you have a job so leave it at that and do not pass judgement on anyone. If you are a Christian, then refer to your Bible and remember “who casts out the first stone”…
If a person/family wants to buy a birthday cake, then I feel it isn’t any of your freaking business if they choose to purchase it. They may be buying the cake for a child knowing that they don’t have the money to purchase one. It is considered “food”. And if they want to purchase steaks, then so be it. Maybe once in a great while, it is nice to treat oneself with a good meal. Maybe the person is buying steak because of an anniversary or birthday. You cannot judge on what people buy. It is none of your business. You just continue to work at Walmart and keep your mouth shut.
I could go on and on about this, but I am done with you and your close-minded behavior.
Well, this is of course a frustrating topic for the taxpayer as well as the recipient. Many people elect not to apply for much needed benefits, due to the stigma built around articles such as this one.
But keep in mind that this essay is written by a college student, who most likely has not faced many of the rigors of “the real world”. I myself always scoffed at adults who dismissed my problems with a “just wait til you get to the real world”….but let me tell you, they were right! Life since college has been a real eye opener to me. I’ve never has to struggle and worry so hard!
It’s a scary time…However, I have the good fortune of a college degree, and am living in temporary poverty, due to my choice to perform national public service.
But let’s dig into the situation this young woman addresses. Yes, there are flagrant abuses to our welfare system…and it seems to be a permanent solution to some of its recipients. A better scenario is one in which case workers are trained to better assist their clients in getting off of public assistance. This will require a very hands on, and slow moving approach to empower welfare recipients to climb out of poverty’s grasp. That is what I’d like to read about…not a college student’s frankly under-developed opinion on the matter, built over a summer at Wal-Mart. I would much rather read links that offer SOLUTIONS, rather than gripes from people who’ve never had to struggle.
I am also a cashier at Walmart ; and I could have written the same and more. I don’t know when this entitlement of generations of lazy people started, but enough is enough . Rude people, telling us insult after insult for just doing our job and trying to help them with their Wic checks, like it is our job to do their shopping for them also , they tell me to do my damn job . I don’t know how mucho more we can pay the way for our poor. We aré tacking care of every bill they have, and they in turn teach the next generation and on and on.
It really all comes down to responsibility. Being responsible for your children, finances, etc. There is no excuse for being irresponsible, regardless of your upbringing. Like one of the greatest quotes says, “Everything I needed to know in life I was taught in kindergarten”. Be nice to people, have manners, share, etc.
If you are a person who thinks for one minute that the government should take care of you then maybe you should move to China.
So many thoughts are rushing through my head after reading this article. I disagree with about half of this girl’s points. Actually, more like 90% of it.
She says welfare needs reform. I agree. And that’s where our paths (and really my point of view with any conservative theorem) diverge.
My stance if very straight forward. I have no right at all to judge you. If you are disabled and need state assistance, that’s okay by me. You see, to be considered “disabled” I understand a doctor has diagnosed you so. I need to assume that the doctors and social workers following up with these patients in the so called “system” are doing just that. However, if they did not have the fund to resources to do that, I’d say you’ve found the root-cause of welfare’s problems. If I were, however, a 19 year old cashier at Wal-Mart, I would understand that I do not know anything at all about what a particular person or family’s circumstances are that have landed them in a situation requiring aid.
What I do know is that as a 19 year old working summers at Wal-Mart, I probably don’t even make enough to owe any taxes. I live with my parents and maybe don’t even pay for my own car insurance. I receive my own type of welfare, and maybe even feel entitled to that financial help from my parents. I most likely have federal loans helping me pay for college. Despite this debt and reliance on someone else’s income, I probably have an iPhone with a data plan, even though a track phone would do just as well (And maybe I could put the money I saved towards my own education cause you know, I don’t rely on anyone but me!).
To quote the big guy, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” To me that says to not judge someone because you feel entitled too. (It also says that maybe every college kid should get a full time job and pay for college without any federal assistance if they’re gonna dump on others getting federal aid.) The thing is Christine, your two summers at a Wal-Mart do not make you an expert on welfare, food stamps, the health of our economy, or the plight of the poor. Those people brought steaks, you said? And…? They got meat from Wal-Mart, not Omaha Steaks. I mean, think about this. Do you really think these people are living it up? Chances are (I admit, this is an assumption, but so was most of what you wrote) they are living in state subsidized housing (if they’re lucky), or a trailer they can barely afford to heat. Maybe all they have for a job is a part-time night shift gig at a Circle K with no benefits (Unlike you, who thanks to Obama’s Healthcare Plan can now stay on with your parent’s heath insurance longer). I mean, it’s not like these people are getting a free ride here. Are you truly jealous that the state is buying their food? You think they’re partying 24/7 cause they don’t have to work? How do you even know they don’t work? Exactly, you don’t. You don’t know anything about them.
Being poor is hard, and to quote Jesus once again, “What you do unto the least of my brothers you do unto me.” That article you just wrote, slamming the poor for having it easy? Looking down at them, vain, and feeling as though they don’t deserve their food rations? Think about the hate you’re breeding. Not only do they have to budget what they can buy for the week on their food stamps, they also have to realize that the shirt they’re wearing might look a little too nice (“Well if they didn’t buy that shirt from the Gap, maybe they could afford their own food!”). They also have to remember to hide their cell phone less the 19-year-old Wal-Mart cashier might think hey don’t deserve to buy that cake they picked up for their kid’s birthday. So don’t look down your nose at these people. You have no idea what’s brought them to the point they’re at.
Or, to be fair, they could actually be having trailerpark-wide community meetings where they arrange a childcare rotation cause if “Welfare Queen #2″ can pop out another kid her benefits will increase X amount! Which, despite another mouth to feed, will equal another $500 in her pocket every year! Hell, she can go buy plenty of green peppers with that kind of cash! Wow, what a life!
So here are my problems with the stereotypes, contradictions, and hate your article breeds. First, despite what you imply, you do not (nor do any of your readers) have all the information you need to throw someone off of medicare/food stamps/EBT/what-have-you. One shopping spree at Wal-Mart does not Welfare fraud make. Second, “voting republican” will not blindly solve the problem. These are the same people who want to tax the poor and middle class, while giving tax breaks and reducing oversight on corporations and millionaires. Yeah, cause furthering income inequality will fix “the welfare problem.” Third, opening your article with the caveat, “I know some people need help…” does not give you a pass on judging anyone. There is a reason it was decided that “Welfare Queens 1 & 2″ were given those benefits. And honestly, it’s not any of your business why. They may have a physical disability or psychiatric diagnosis that prevents them from finding sufficient work. Maybe all their money goes to pay health care bills because it’s not like republicans are doing anything to get all of America’s citizens covered (Healthcare should be a right in the richest country in the world.).
But I did say there needed to be reform, didn’t I? What we need is more help for the poor, not less. It’s society’s responsibility to help our weakest members. What we need are more social workers and doctors and nurses and psychiatrists to help these people, particularly the ones you were so quick to banish as undeserving. Do you honestly believe these people like living in their trailer parks with all the crime and drug problems that go along with many of those communities? Do you think they like worrying how they’re going to pay for the oil to heat their home? Do you think they like being forced to buy unhealthy food because it’s all they can afford?
Do you think they like standing in your line at Wal-Mart?
If you’re worried about the state going broke, or the United States going broke, I’d point you at some other problems. Too many wars. Too many tax breaks for the rich, too few for the poor. Weak regulations that allow companies to pollute our land, leading to wealth for the few and disease for the masses. Reliance on oil, any oil, foreign or domestic, without giving the support to alternative energies due to lobbying from Big Oil. I’m angry my tax dollars go to support all of that, but I’m happy that some of my tax dollars go to support anyone on Welfare. I can sleep at night knowing someone got to eat because Maine is so generous, but I toss and turn at night knowing someone was shot in Iraq with that same tax money.
So I guess I’d challenge you to truly think about what’s bankrupting our state. Are we giving the poor too many breaks, or are we giving the rich too many breaks? Somehow, I don’t think your “Welfare Queens”, or even your friend with the iPhone, had anything to do at all with the State’s, Country’s, or World’s financial problems.
When I read something like what you wrote, I think to myself, “This is exactly why I don’t vote Republican.”
So why didn’t you take down these people’s information and turn them in? How is the system suppose to catch fraudulent welfare recipients if cashiers just smile and make snide comments? Stand up and be counted. FIle charges and alert the local authorities. Your Senator or Congressman doesn’t have the power to enforce the law, fraudulent claims department of the EBT does. Where’s the report you filed? What proof do we have that these people actually exist besides your anecdotal evidence? IF you’re just going to sit on your hands and blog about it, then what good have you done? How is the system suppose to work if you are unwilling to participate? I’m tired of hearing conservative rhetoric about Welfare Queens, and all the other boogeymen that the right creates to whoop the masses into a frenzy. Yeah, boogymen, I said it: Welfare Queens, the Unemployed, Muslims, Iranians, Libyans, Iraqis, Hezbollah, Al Queda, Gays, Lesbians, Liberals, Hippies, Black Teenagers, Commies, Socialists, Chinese, Mexicans, Teachers, Unions, Democrats, Environmentalists, Drug Users, Drug Dealers, etc, etc. You even think God himself is going to come and destroy the world in your lifetime. Scary! Scary! Grow up and get your head out of the sand. The people of this country are being fleeced, by the very people you keep voting into office: Conservative Democrats & Republicans. The fact that you both work for and shop at Wal-Mart make you part of the machine that is destroying the economy. What Thomas Jefferson called “the aristocracy of our monied corporations” is that whom you serve. Wake up! Shed your peasant mentality. Quit applauding the aristocrats for allowing you the privilege of seeing them drive by in their golden carriages. Welfare is unnecessary if everyone has an education and a job, yet conservatives politicians continue to kill public education and allow fiercely unbalanced trade agreements to remain on the books year after year after year (Chinese goods sold in the USA: 2% tariff, USA goods sold in China 22% tariff, brought to you by Wal-Mart). The rest of the world is passing the USA in math & science. Their are plenty of jobs in this country, but they take a knowledge & practical understanding of physics and higher math, so employees get shipped in from India or China. Way to go conservative politicians, USA screwed again! I am not a Liberal, so don’t go there. I work, I pay bills, I struggle, I don’t blame others for my struggles, I don’t pass judgement on people, I don’t believe anything the government tells me, I vote based on the candidate’s voting record and position on FOREIGN POLICY. Because without new tariffs, we’ve already lost the trade war.Globalization is how the Corporations are fleecing this country dry. And the majority of government waste is fueled by the military. Ask yourself why are we still building nuclear missiles when we already have 20,000 of them that are just rusting, oh wait they’re not rusting, the military waste that much more money maintaining them. Don’t even get me started on the $200billion that’s wasted on the DEA…
Food stamps are welfare.
Definitions of welfare:
3.financial or other assistance to an individual or family from a city, state, or national government: Thousands of jobless people in this city would starve if it weren’t for welfare.
4.( initial capital letter ) Informal . a governmental agency that provides funds and aid to people in need, especially those unable to work.
Idiom
5.on welfare, receiving financial aid from the government or from a private organization because of hardship and need.
High Five to you Christine!! Welfare is for people who need TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE with food stamps,TANF, ETC…. not a lifetime career!!! If you can’t afford your first born child..fine but what right to you have to birth 3,4,5 or more children and expect the taxpayers to pay YOU a monthly allowance for them! You can complain about the DEAD BEAT dads or moms that aren’t paying you child support, did you think about that before not using protection???
@ metzymom, could have made a cake for pennys on the dollar. Great piece!!
Excellent article. I understand your perspective completely. However, at times, your “insight” resembles that of someone who doesn’t know much about WHY people end up on food stamps in the first place. Most people on welfare have not been taught how to manage their money. And, the generational cycle you spoke of continues for that very reason. In a sense the welfare queens (a borderline offensive phrase since it is generally associated with black women on welfare only) are not to blame for what you experienced. They truly do not know any different or better. It is a flawed system that gives money to people without teaching them how to never need aid again. Without a change in mentality, removing welfare benefits will only hurt this country’s impoverished children.
I worked at a grocery store in North Dakota when I was 16. My very first experience redeeming food stamps was with a very muscular man with a Texas driver’s license and a North Dakota EBT card. As he riffled through his wallet I could see at least $2000 in $100 bills. He was wearing two gold chains and name brand clothing. Ever since then, I’ve known something was very wrong with how welfare is managed.
Ariel, I apologize for not reading your article before I posted mine…I could have gone on and on about this issue also, but you said it all for me. Good point. I am proud that at least someone out there is paying attention…..
try New Mexico,It’s out in this little town called Truth Or Consquences, just really make you wonder..and when Clinton was president they Had Welfare Reform,Only allowed to be on welfare for 5 years,and my thought is, what Ever happen with that?
I’m a cashier at Wal-mart and see the exact same thing…. and more. Humongous fat people filling their carts (that’s right. “Carts”) with nothing but ice cream, candy, and soda. They are the rudest, meanest people you’d ever encounter. Often, they are on the go-carts for the disabled. They have at least two carts full of crap, and use the Express Lanes. Some of them, as soon as they leave the store, empty all the soda bottles by dumping them out, then cash them in for the deposits and purchase beer. If they changed the law so that all you can purchase with food stamps is milk, eggs, cheese, cereals, and meat, things will change.
You can’t judge people’s [ab]use of welfare based upon the products they buy, even when you see the same people every week for years buying things that no one “needs.” But all the liberals in your comment section sure have no problem judging your post based on its content.
I believe the word “hypocrite” comes to mind…or perhaps “blind”?
I agree with a lot of what you said. However as a person who has earned a Bachelors degree, and yet is on food stamps, who works two part time jobs, and still can’t afford to feed my children there are some things that bother me. Simply because I receive assistance I shouldn’t buy steak? Simply because I receive assistance my daughter can’t get a birthday cake like her friends get? Simply because I get assistance I shouldn’t have a cell phone? The money I make pays for the bills I need to pay, and tax dollars (mine included) help me with some of the expense for food for my children.
@ChristineRousselle- Nice to see you admit you were SUCH A RIGHT-WING ACTIVIST that you were REWARDED with a west coast trip to the REAGAN RANCH & some CONSERVATIVE youth group convention which included you being photographed with that Koch brother minion, SCOTT WALKER. I pointed out the OWS trip to prove you are a RIGHT-WING PROVOCATEUR, like your hero, ANNE COULTER. The writing’s on the wall folks. The Facebook wall, that is:
https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle
Not everyone on SNAP does not work.. I saw someone say if you don’t work you don’t eat.. well some people are working.. but their pay is low and after they pay rent, utilities there is no money left over for food.. those people are not abusing the system they are trying to survive. Yes the abuse needs to stop but those that really need help should have it.
I worked at Walmart for 2 years myself in Washington state where everyone and their mother can get food stamps and TANF unless you ACTUALLY need it! I saw so many of these things as well and it made me sick! My Mom use to have a neighbor who was on food stamps and they would run out on the first and buy 100′s of dollars of soda, lobster and steak. Two weeks later her 12 year old son, who was friends with my brother would come over and ask if he could stay for dinner because all they had to eat was cereal!!! My Mom eventually turned them in and they had to pay it all back as her husband had been working under the table. My husband and I were on food stamps for a couple of years when he became disabled and I tirelessly would plan my menu’s and clip coupons to assure that my food stamps stretched the full month and my children were fed healthy foods. After the two years the state decided we needed to be investigated because my Grandmother had been paying our rent so we wouldn’t be out on the street and there was NO way that a family member would be willing to do that for so long. It makes me angry to see the people who really need it being treated like crap and yet women who are popping out kids like crazy to get more money or people who use these things to support drug habits and the like are allowed to stay on the help for YEARS!!!
Now, let’s talk about financial assistance for people who are suppose to be disabled. There is a lot of abuse there as well. I met a lady in her 50s at the dog park. She had informed me she had just finished an ultra Marathon relay race. She told me she gets disability checks for pain of unknown origin. The guidelines for disabilities needs to be more stringent. I think the people I empathize more with are elderly people, but even then, if a senior is receiving 50,000 plus more in retirement pension, we have to re evaluate. Also, there are a lot of illegal aliens from all parts of the world, here in the US getting benefits.
I disagree with your conclusion. “Something must change before…”? Nah. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. They’re going to run out of money. Then they’re going to run out of people/governments/international banks to borrow from. Then things will change. The only people who should really be worried are those who have made a “living” out of receiving welfare benefits and don’t know how to do anything else.
And how many people worked with her at Walmart, but did not make enough to get above the poverty level and they were on welfare, getting ebt cards and insurance because walmart won’t pay them enough to afford to live? It’s not just a walmart problem, Marden’s benefit provider for their non management employees has long been DHHS, LePage even bragged about how he kept one of his “most efficient employees” at $10 an hour for over 3 years so that she would not lose her Maine Care benefits. Now he;s responsible for kicking her off.
I don’t even know what to say. This is a problem on both sides. People do abuse the system all the time, I am not one of them. I recieve food stamps to help out with food.My husband is a full time student and I just lost my job in August.I have worked everyday since I was 14 yrs old! I’m now 33. We have a 2 yr old daughter. We all need to eat, my $250 a week in unemployment doesnt pay all the bills , rent and food. The only thing I do qualify for is food stamps. I dont even qualify for heating assistance, thank goodness it’s been a warm winter so far.Last year we didn’t have heat until january and it was 14 degrees out and a negative wind chill.But I finally put another call into heating assistance and they did helped us out, they said this 1 time. It hurts to hear all the negative remarks about Welfare queens and so on. I dont want to live forever on food stamps, but right now that’s all I have. As for steak, seriously! I guess I’ll live on hot dogs and such, how dare you choose what foods I can and can’t eat. I would never buy lobster, but a steak once in a while is just fine thank you very much. Get over yourselves. Oh and all Mainers are not coffee brandy, rednecks who sit back and smoke marlboros and shoot deer all day!!!!!!!!!! So keep your stereotyping to yourself too.I have worked hard for what I have and have accomplished, so I was laid off because of the ecconomy, I guess that’s my fault and I should give my child to the state and live on the street because I’m taking money out of other “hard working” peoples pockets!!!!!!! Never judge a situation you don’t know anything about. I will admit there are a lot of people out there that abuse the system and live forever on it, but remember there are people that just want to eat and find a job and get off the system. One night my husband, daughter(in a wet diaper) and I sat outside walmart for 2hrs in the car waiting for my unemployment check to get in so we could buy diapers. Do you know how terrible I felt that I could buy diapers for my daughter? After 2hrs my check was still not in, we had to go home with a daughter in a wet diaper and wait….this was 10 o’clock at night. My check never went through and I had to search the house for something for her to wear…. I finally found a swimmy diaper in the bottom of the diaper bag. I think diapers should be on the food stamp list, but I’m sure you’ll just say “why dont you potty train her?” I have been trying, she does sometimes. I tell you this because I want to let people knowI dont abuse the system and I don’t splurge on frivolous things, I just keep trying and moving forward and if it makes me a bad person to ask for help sometimes, then I guess I’m a terrible person.
The funny thing about observations and reality is that observations are not based on facts. You might have observed a lot of welfare fraud, but in reality, in Maine, only 2/10ths of 1% of families on TANF commit fraud. Furthermore, almost all parents using TANF are required to work 30 hours/week. For more information on TANF (since you clearly have plenty of observations but no facts and figures to back up your ideas) check out http://www.mejp.org/PDF/tanf_facts.pdf
Another thing: welfare is only available for single mothers. That guy who “had been on welfare [your] whole life” is an outright falsehood; I’m not disputing it happened, but you clearly don’t know what kind of entitlement program he was on.
Before you cite me as a liberal–I am a registered republican voter. I am also educated enough to know the truth about poverty in this country.
at the risk of making people mad, this is my point of view. i have 5 children who do not have iphones or ipads. i also have a husband that works 60-70 hours a week to support those children. we are not on any government funded programs. i do not eat steak and lobster because i can not afford it. probably because i am paying for that for those people who are too lazy to work. i do not think you are entitled to benefits if you are not paying those taxes in and i do not think you are entitled to the benefits if you come here and have babies just to be able to stay in this country. if you make bad decisions to sleep with some deadbeat, from remarks i saw earlier, then you need to make the decision to get out and get a job to support the child that is a result of that. just because you are too lazy to work does not mean your children are entiltled to better things than my children have . just cant beleive these people who think they are entitled.
I certainly hope you are just a Freshman College Conservative and that you have a few years left of your college career during which time you might learn to be a little less judgmental and in any event, to gather all facts before reaching a conclusion. You determined a man who had an ID card from 1991 had been welfare too long. DO you know anything about his health? His mental condition? Or could you just tell by looking at him that it was “too long.” I wonder if you managed to make any judgments about the people paying in cash. DId you wonder why they had cash? DId you rush to judge them by concluding that the fact that they had cash meant they were drug dealers or maybe that they only dealt in cash to avoid paying ten of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of dollars in taxes, leaving the rest of us to pay their share. Isn’t that cheating? No, you have focused on the poor and have determined just by watching that they are bad people abusing the system. Again, try to keep an open mind over the rest of your college career as you have a lot to learn.
Well, this is of course a frustrating topic for the taxpayer as well as the recipient. Many people elect not to apply for much needed benefits, due to the stigma built around articles such as this one.
But keep in mind that this essay is written by a college student, who most likely has not faced many of the rigors of “the real world”. I myself always scoffed at adults who dismissed my problems with a “just wait til you get to the real world”….but let me tell you, they were right! Life since college has been a real eye opener to me. I’ve never has to struggle and worry so hard!
It’s a scary time…However, I have the good fortune of a college degree, and am living in temporary poverty, due to my choice to perform national public service.
But let’s dig into the situation this young woman addresses. Yes, there are flagrant abuses to our welfare system…and it seems to be a permanent solution to some of its recipients. A better scenario is one in which case workers are trained to better assist their clients in getting off of public assistance. This will require a very hands on, and slow moving approach to empower welfare recipients to climb out of poverty’s grasp. That is what I’d like to read about…not a college student’s frankly under-developed opinion on the matter, built over a summer at Wal-Mart. I would much rather read links that offer SOLUTIONS, rather than gripes from people who’ve never had to struggle.
This is nothing. In California, they will do all of the above, and then ask you to help them to the car. THE CAR: A Brand New Escalade.
A great article… until you said you voted Republican. Shame.
Great post. Thank you for sharing this. I admit, I come from a family steeply in debt and who now, due to a layoff, makes 40K less than we did just six months ago. Still, the idea of having my entire life funded by the government is abhorrent to me. Welfare is really a system of control disguised as help for the needy. Just go out on the street and look around. Does anyone look any less needy? There are still homeless people sleeping outside banks and in parks while the people on welfare are the people more than capable of going out and obtaining a job. Okay, maybe that sounds a bit harsh, but come on; we live in AMERICA, not some oppressed communist country that regulates production. And I know Wal-Mart isn’t the most glamorous place to work, but kudos to you for exchanging something of value with society.
You talk about the people using food stamps as having a sense of entitlement, but you write this article with a sense of entitlement and arrogance. You sit in judgement of those that you think are inferior; however, it is your shortsightedness that is inferior.
Yes, it is true there are many out there that are abusing the system, but you judge with the broad brush of a Republican. Some of those people you judge are on a fixed income and are too old to work or have a disability. Others are using it as a hand up as it is intended; however, you have the audacity to stand in judgement on how they spend their food stamps!
How dare they buy steak and cake! You would have them eat gruel all day every day! Several people here have stated that you don’t know what it is like until you walk a mile in their shoes.Then there are other people on here that are praising your arrogance–how ignorant!
This article is a one sided rant to make yourself feel better about yourself. Didn’t you learn about journalistic ethics in college, maybe you were not interested. Either way, shame on you for standing in judgement of others. If you don’t like how the system works, don’t just talk about or write about it–do something about it!
If you are wondering, I have never been on food stamps, but I’m glad the system is there for those that need it legitimately. I have seen friends and family struggle to put food on the table. It is not because they don’t want to work, some are unable to find work or they are unable to work.
Judge not unless ye be judged!
I’ll pray for you.
You are a rather hateful person. You guise being a classist with “understanding” and it’s total bullshit.
I just want to inform/remind everyone here of what TANF stands for, TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES.
What a shame to see such poor judgment exercised by a supposedly college educated individual. Let’s hope you never find yourself on the other side of the cashier’s line, waiting to cash out with food stamps. Well, maybe that would be a good thing for you to learn. You obviously are oblivious to the plight of those less fortunate than you. Grow up, Christine, learn about the world before regurgitating hateful ignorance about matters you simply don’t understand, can’t comprehend, or are capable of judging objectively. What a shameful piece of bigotry to read from such a young person.
You are a very intelligent young woman… I too have worked the cashier line at Wal-Mart in my hometown of Cordele, Ga. as well as Harvey’s Supermarket…. One of the things that bothered me the most was you could see folks come in and buy hundreds of dollars in food with and EBT card… All expensive meat, lobster and name brand everything….. They treat you like dirt at the checkout counter…. Then verbally abuse the bag boy who goes out and loads their government purchased grocery items into brand new luxury cars.. I agree with the cell phone bit too. Many an iphone I have seen on the ear of a welfare recipient… And they have the nerve to think it unconstitutional to make drug testing mandatory for welfare recipients… I think it is only fair because we are drug tested for jobs… Another thing that gets me is in Georgia they require welfare recipients to be actively seeking work.. They have a sheet to fill out that they have to present and get signed everywhere they go to search for a job. I know what the sheet looks like I have had folks come in places I have worked, looking like they just got out of bed; pajamas, bedroom slippers, curlers in hair or shower cap on… They do not even ask for an application they throw the sheet down on the counter and say “Hey you sign this for me” and I am like “Uh no I won’t cause your sorry butt didn’t even ask me for an application.” The majority of them don’t want to work they want something for nothing. I thought welfare was supposed to be for when someone hit hard times and needed a little help to get back on their feet. Their is a difference between help and SUPPORT… I am a single parent and I support my son…
The writer is still young and has yet to experience the real stress families are facing in this economy but I will still quote my comment I left on facebook in reference to this article.
~I read the article and at the risk of starting a debate I refuse to participate in, a side was left out. There are elderly folks on a fixed income who would not eat or would not purchase their medicine in order to eat if they didn’t have the EBT benefits. There are so many people today who are unemployed because of a failed government who can not just “walk into Walmart and get a job”. It’s not that simple for families in today’s economy. I feel sad for the families and elderly who truly needed the benefits but were hurt by the things she said in this article. Was the birthday cake for a child who probably didn’t get much of a gift due to limited funds and at least got that one wish? Who knows. That part was left out. I agree that many people are on benefits who shouldn’t be and are using their benefits to purchase drugs and alcohol. I say, we have to be drug tested to get a job, drug test before handing out the card but don’t allow families and the elderly to go hungry or feel ashamed for receiving benefits. I won’t debate. That’s my opinion and I’ll leave it there.
Thank you for the article! I am from the Metro Detroit area and know this situation very well. I don’t mean to drag politics into this but there is one man who consistently mentions the real facts and truths. Entitlements is actually one of these topics that he mentions often. I’m sure anyone who follows politics (and not just the talking puppets) knows exactly who I am talking about. Unfortunately we need to wake up and realize that things don’t and won’t change from one administration to another. (No matter if your R or D) Please people take a stand and vote for the person the consistent candidate.
You are typical of the GOP media machine nonsense, making up anecdotes and claiming they support some sort of policy. You must obtain the aggregated data on how people spend their assistance. Because if you are only seeing 1% (interesting number, that) than you cannot draw the conclusions you draw. Your circumstantial blather is of no use, whatsoever.
Your sole non-primary reference mentions the GOP Congressional Welfare reform of the Nineties, which they negotiated then President Clinton to apply the policy after two years on welfare you’re off. But you forget to mention the GOP penchant for “States Rights” which is what allows Maine to deviate from the Federal standards. Without GOP ‘States Rights’ philosophy, Maine’s statistical position near top the top in the Census information you cite, indirectly, would be impossible.
There is no “reduction in the poverty rate” because, you innumerate cashier, being on aid leaves you still under the poverty rate.
I’m sure WalMart will be proud to hear YOU think their clientele is ‘questionable.’ How do you discern that? You can just tell? And by ‘questionable,’ what do you mean? Criminals? If they have committed a crime you should report them. If not, then what specifically of all these ‘questionable’ people does not make them equal Americans to you under the law?
I agree there is abuse, but am tired of ALL who are on assistance getting judged. People assume that people of assistance do not pay taxes. I hate to inform you we ALL pay taxes in one way or another. We get assistance, my husband works, he gets taxes taken out of each check. We pay tax on our electric bill, phone bill, heating bill, internet. We pay tax every time we purchase gas to go to work. We pay taxes on our home. We pay tax every time we buy toilet paper.
It infuriates me for people to say that people on assistance deserve to eat low quality food. Are we back in the day of classes and colors thinking they are better than others and deserve better than others. Should we make people on state help sit at the back if buses and eat in different parts of restaurants. (oh yeah, that is right, people of such low class don’t deserve to ever eat in a restaurant). I am not saying that the horrible things that happened in our nation to the African Americans is comparable. But the same mentality is being shown here. “I hate you because I have to work to help your child not starve”. “You don’t deserve anything good in life because you are poor”
Yes churches should help when they can, but think of this how may of you that have such a problem with people on food stamps actually go to church and give so the church can help? Jesus told us to give and it will be given unto you, help take care of those who are in need. He sees the condition of your heart. And I pray you never have to know what it is like to need those benefits.
I agree there is abuse, but this system is no more corrupt that the government that runs it. Or the greedy Wal-Mart that benefits from it.
And for those who hate when people on food stamps use coupons, we all do not get $3,000 a month in benefits and have to budget our food stamps like you rich folk budget your hard earned cash.
The only thing shameful about this article is that EVERYONE isn’t pointing out what a short-sighted, obnoxiously judgmental person this young lady is. Furthermore, she is a right-wing provocateur as evidenced by this: https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle Facebook page.
I had similar observations volunteering at a toy giveaway program one Christmas. Most recipients were dressed in the latest fashions and killed time on cell phones that were much nicer than I could afford at the time. Their lack of gratitude and sense of entitlement saddened me. At least the toys were donated, so unlike food stamps, they were not paid for with my taxes.
I try to keep an eye out in the Walmart checkout line for someone who appears down on their luck. I’d love to pay for their groceries. The last time I shopped there, a woman with a cart full of junk food waved her friend over from another line to pay for her cart full of junk food with her food stamp card. Why do I judge them for the junk food? Because their poor nutrition will likely also cost me one day when they have heart problems or develop diabetes.
to those saying there is a time limit on the amount of time you can receive TANF in the state of Maine (5 yrs) or that you have to volunteer, why is then that I know of at least 5 people off the top of my head, that have received that TANF check for well over that 5 years? I know one that has been on it for 12, one for 14, one for 16, and two for 10 years. And guess what? They all drink, party, do drugs, have cars, and haven’t worked a legit day in YEARS, only “under the table” jobs, or they steal, or sell their CHILDRENS things for cash. How is it THEY have gotten away with getting it for more than the 5 years? LIES. The “I am an alcoholic I can’t work” or “I am too stressed to work, I can’t leave the house.” etc. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And the for the millionth time, THESE are the people we are talking about, THE SCAMMERS, the ones that make it a lifestyle and think they are OWED it to society. We do not mean those that have lost their job after years of working, or those that need just a hand up because they are in a tough spot, or are seriously ill, or have disabled children. We mean these able bodied vultures that sit back and laugh at those of us that work for a living. And there are so many more out there, then you can ever imagine. And it is VERY sad that THESE DOLTS have to ruin it for those that truly do need it. Be mad at them, and the state for not investigating further, or for just being lazy themselves and saying “ok for another year, here ya go.” Cause I know with a couple of them, YES it was THAT easy. Sickening isn’t it?
I debated on if I should comment on this or not. I don’t know if I am more appalled by some of the judgmental opinions of a college student that has yet to live in the real world or some of the comments on here. I am a mother of 5. I have not always been on FS and Medicaid. When a vehicle breaks down and you are down to one vehicle the higher paying job wins and the other stays home. I get $125 a month on food stamps. That is a little over $25 a week to feed my family of 7 but I am thankful for it. My husband brings home less than $1200 a month. Am I proud of it? No. But it is cashiers like you that drives me to the self check out. It is embarrassing and I cringe when I have people behind me. Looking at what is left on a FS card is none of your business. While i agree on some of the things you have on here other things just make me so mad i could scream. What people buy on their FS is not your business! So they are on FS they can’t have a steak now and then? Only cheap meat cuts and discounted food should be allowed? Who are you to decide this? A birthday cake for a child of a parent that can’t bake or doesn’t have time to because they work two jobs and still don’t have enough to cover their bills? Perhaps that person doesn’t have an oven or a working one to make a cake in. “Junk food is all in their carts with little nutritional value”….Try to stretch $125 to last a month (with price matching and coupons) and see if macaroni and cheese and less nutritional foods find their way into your cart because that will fill the little tummies so they don’t go to bed hungry. You are “proudly Republican?” Views like this makes me glad i am an independent. Gas prices being as high as they are, how anyone that doesn’t have the resources to shell out that much at the pump JUST to get to work let alone put food on the table and a roof over their heads in this country is truly trying. I think that when you grow up and get into the real world and have hardships that fall on you and you can’t run to mommy and daddy for help maybe you will look back at this article and be just as embarrassed of your self as I am for you. Little girl you truly need to get out in the world, live on your own, and see the hardships that life is really about before you spout off. Please try to see how life is on the other foot before putting yours in your mouth!
Amazing and compelling reading. I agree fully. I have no problem assisting people who need it and are going to move on with their lives. But life on public assistance should be a spartan, uncomfortable existence – no processed foods, no luxuries, no alcohol, no tobacco and no reproducing. And I want WalMart to help police how public assistance is spent in their stores – not look the other way and tolerate obvious fraud so it can make a buck.
I completely know what this young lady is referring to!!! I my self use to work at a Wal-Mart in Alabama. It would infuriate me to see people come in and buy birthday cakes, lobster, porterhouse steaks, racks of ribs, items for a neighborhood BBQ or my all time fave…..game day tailgating!!! Some of these pople would have babies and small children with them and not one thing in their cart was anything a child could eat, and the WIC was clearly used on items the adults wanted….what are you feeding this child? And they wonder why Alabama has one of the highest obesity rates in the country!! Luckily the state of Alabama will not let you buy alcohol with EBT but if we did I’m sure that that would happen too!! Sadly enough not I personally know people who get EBT even though they clearly make too much to get it, which makes me even more inraged because at one time I was working a job making well under poverity level, trying to make it on my own with out my parents’ help, coming home from work praying the lights were still on because I could barely pay to the bill and was litterally eating off the pure kindness of others. The State of Alabama told me that i DID NOT qualify for government assistance b/c I myself worked for the State of Alabama at the time! At this time the State of Alabama employees had not seen a pay raise in 6 yrs and to this day still has not. I even know of people that get EBT but don’t use it other than to buy their friends groceries, despite the fact they have 2 hungry kids at home themselves so the friend will support their “habbit.” Luckily in Alabama we do not have the TANF program otherwise I would comepletely come unhinged!!!!
This article is well written and exposes how big government is relying on programs to keep people enslaved and in chains!
This article makes me feel ashamed, I am disabled due to a brutal attack that left me brain damaged for the rest of my life. I don’t receive food stamps right now thankfully. But there were times that I did and I am so thankful. But it was embarrassing, a loser, a lesser person. There is nothing “Queenly” about that. Yes, I am a waste of taxpayers money, But my mother is not, she worked from the age of 13 until her retirement, she gets a small amount of food stamps each month. She is 82, and anyone who has a problem with the elderly getting help should be ashamed. These people knew what work was, an they worked. If my mother chooses to buy herself a lobster or a steak she has every right. She paid her taxes ,helped pay the government it’s wages. Do not throw everyone in the same basket. And too, there may come a day when the tables are turned, an when they do hopefully there still will be help for those who really need it. An to think there was a time I had 4 years of college ahead of me too.
I would also like to say that she has a right to her opinion… And I understand like I know she does that there are people that truly do need the ASSISTANCE… My grandma is on a fixed income too but she manages within her means…. I certainly don’t think that TANF should be used to purchase cigarettes and alcoholic beverages because they are not necessities… I do not think the writer of the article was arrogant at all…. Wait until you have been the cashier and you see a young person… Fully capable of working a job… Come in with hundreds of dollars of food stamps driving a brand new luxury car, talking on the most expensive of cell phones, dressed in expensive name brand clothes, buying the most expensive of everything… and then spending TANF to buy beer for this week’s football party… Then you have a sweet elderly man who is retired, he and his wife live on social security and the small pension he receives from the company he worked at all his life and paid taxes… He drives a beat up van rolling on its last tire and wears the plainest of attire… He is pinching every penny because the government only gives him and his wife barely over $20 of food stamps per MONTH… I believe welfare should be for the needy NOT THE LAZY!!!!!!!!!! We are in desperate need for reform.
I am all for someone using state resources to get back on their feet if they need it. Hell, I have used it myself…to get back on my feet. Not as a choice of living. There are way to many people who are abusing the system that the people who really do need the assistance are being denied.The problem is that the state does not set enough guidlines on what can and cannot be used….if you are getting foodstamps you should be required to buy the least expensive of some products, ie., store brands not name brands. Why can candy, junk food, etc be bought.???
Some people get up to $1000 in foodstamps a month. I am lucky if I can budget out $200 a month for groceries. A family of four on one income. And I am told I make to much?
I don’t know why but I keep thinking about this article and the question I keep thinking about isn’t one I think you’d expect… instead of asking why people abuse the system, maybe we should be asking why companies like Walmart make it so easy to do! Why does Walmart allow people to buy things they are NOT supposed to be able to buy with social aid? Perhaps if companies quit making it easy for abusers, there’d be less abuse? As for those folks above who “would never accept welfare” or “find it abhorent”, please remember “There but for the Grace of God go I”. You might be surprised at what you’d do or what you’d accept if your children were hungry. And for those of you who say “not even then”? Shame on you for lying. You’d let your children starve before applying for and accepting assistance? You’d beg, borrow, and steal just like everyone else if it meant food for your children.
I do not condone welfare fraud. I do think there should be stricter guidelines, drug testing, term limits, and strict penalties for abusers AND businesses that allow abuse, but I don’t think you can do away with the social programs. This is just too great a country to allow it’s children to go to bed hungry.
I hate to say it but a lot of my relatives live in Maine, and have bilked the system their entire lives! I don’t think any of them has ever done an honest days work in their entire lives! (Sorry folks)
While swimming in college our team would volunteer one day every year, during Christmas season, with the Salvation Army and help families that were “qualified” walk through and pick up a designated number of items for each of their children. Now, I enjoyed the time spent there being able to lend assistance during the holidays. However, my issue came when some (definitely not all) families would load these gifts into their Mercedes, BMWs, Land Rovers, etc. I could not believe that people would actually pull into the Salvation Army for Christmas Gifts for the needy and then ask us to load them into their new 525i. Majority of these families were thrilled to have the ability to provide presents for their children at Christmas, but it disgusted me to see the number of people that just take advantage of the system.
I agree. Get the generational welfare bums off the system. give them a time limit. regulate what they can buy on all forms of welfare, and drug test them all.
The only thing shameful about this article is that EVERYONE isn’t pointing out what a short-sighted, obnoxiously judgmental person this young lady is. Furthermore, she is not an apolitical, simple cashier working her way through school. She’s a right-wing provocateur who, as a result of her activism, was GIVEN a trip to the west coast to among other things, visit the Reagan Ranch See her https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle Facebook page for yourself.
You guys are all talking how people fraud the welfare system well there is people out there that dont fraud the system there is people that actually use the system right im one of themim not ashamed to admit im on assistance to feed my family no i dont buy the expensive food i dont have the funds to do i get the cheapest i can buy but there are people out there that does abuse the system i agree i know a few but u get the people that need it and they cant get it but u all are making it out that everyone on the system abuse it well guess what not everyone does
This is not a “Republican/Democrat” thing. It’s attitude. Yeah — there are abusers — and these should be ferreted out and removed from the system: we need enforcement. But enforcement would require an increase in the welfare budget, and we know that isn’t going to happen in the next few years. But the attitude of cashiers should soften up a bit, too. I receive less than $85 a month in food stamps, and combine them with the biggest and best coupons I can. Sometimes, if I buy a certain collection of items (with coupons!) I qualify to purchase a roast at a reduced price. I’ll do it, and don’t you raise your eyebrow at me when I do. I will buy from the mark-down bins, and if there is a package of lobster in there with today’s expiration date and marked down to the price of a pound of ground beef — I will buy that also, and either freeze it or cook it that day as a rare treat..
What cashiers (and others) do not understand is that the cost of OTC medications — even in store brand names — is not covered by food stamps, and health-related purchases are out-of-pocket expenses for us old folks on Social Security or Social Security Disability. We try to get by without the high cost prescription drugs, but the cost of health related needs are often over $100 per month. Even pet food and needs for service animals are not covered. And (surprise surprise!) even toilet paper is not covered, nor are feminine or incontinent needs. We would benefit greatly if enforcement would weed out the abusers. On the back of my EBT card is a phone number where one can call to check her balance or report a stolen card – and where can probably report a known abuser. Forty years ago I needed assistance. I needed it for all of four months, then notified them my situation had changed, that I no longer needed assistance. I sent back food stamps to them for four months before they caught on. I suspect I am not the only person to have done this. We may need help for a while, but we want to make it on our own.
As for funds available on a TANF card — which covers several different payments to the recipient — I have seen wii, a trampoline and other “luxury” items bought that no doubt raised a few eyebrows, but they were bought at the recommendation of those treating an add/adsd child with severe emotional problems. If you don’t know the story, don’t make the judgement.
With the economy the way it is, more people than ever need this sort of help. It’s hard. It’s humiliating. We use the “self check out” whenever we can, but sometimes we run into a young clerk at Walmart who treats us like we are caught stealing — when all we’re trying to do is survive. We will treat her with respect and dignity, thus insuring our own.
Thank you for sharing this enlightening article. However, and I’m speaking as a committeman in the Republican party, I am not sure why voting “Republican” makes a difference. We should always vote on principle. After all, plenty of Republicans vote for bad things, such as endless war and bailouts.
I found this to be an interesting article and pretty much agreed with a lot of it until I got to the part where people with food stamps shouldn’t be able to purchase birthday cakes. I’m a victim of domestic violent and when my daughter’s father and I were together according to him I was NOT allowed to work, I wanted to because he’s one that would rather live off the system than do for himself, however I’m the complete opposite, but when he pulled a gun to my head it was a quick decision that there was no decision to make, facts were facts and he HAD to go, so I was left with no money, no baby sitter, no transportation (city buses are unpredictable in the winter time around here and that’s when he left us) and no family to help with my daughter, so for the first year we split up yes — I was on food stamps, and yes, I used them for my daughter’s first birthday cake which I actually baked myself, I used it for simple sandwiches I put together for the family that came to celebrate.
I know there are people that abuse benefits such as foodstamps and what not, however I don’t feel that the people that truly need the help should be subjected to certain items, some of us don’t ask to be put in a certain situation and things can change in the blink of an eye as I have experienced this, and I was very thankful when I learned foodstamps would cover a cake at walmart if I decided against baking my own for my daughter’s birthday, I think things could be more monitored with government services, however I think it’s very unfair to subject the innocent people that need those services. When I was given a greyhound ticket to come visit my family back home in Florida that I had not seen in years, of course I wanted to do something special so I was very greatful then as well to be able to purchase crab legs & shrimp and thank them for spending the money on me to go down there, so it was occasional that I’d spend my food stamps on things like that, so again, not EVERYONE should be penalized for things like these. Even when I got a job and began working, and was attending school, both my job and class were full time, plus being a full time mom, I had my food stamps for a couple months until I was prepared to quit using them, food stamps helped tremendously to get me on my feet, when WIC wasn’t covering enough formula for my daughter, food stamps were there to help.
I’m not knocking this article because I too used to frown upon government services, hell for the first few months I’d quickly mute the self checkout registers because it asked specifically for my “EBT Pin” and I was embarrassed, then I realized it didn’t matter.. People could think what they want about me and there was nothing I could do about it except prove that eventually I’d be on my own feet and in the mean time I needed to be thankful and do what I needed to get to that point so I wouldn’t have to rely on the government longer than what’s deemed “acceptable” and here I am.
This is a very good article, however, again, I don’t think it’s fair that people that TRULY need the help should be judged and told that it’s unacceptable to buy items such as birthday cakes, because while YES, I chose to have my child, but I never asked for her father to become abusive 4 months after her birth either.
Seriously? This girl is working at Wal-Mart as a temporary job to help her get through college. No doubt she has some other form of aid, such as money from her parents, scholarships, Pell grants, or relatives. These people who she so snidely judges have FAMILIES, they are not living off their parents, they cannot afford to go to school and they have children to feed, rent to pay, bills, etc. These are grown people with lives, and you think your measly Wal-Mart wage is enough to support a family on because it is enough for your spending money while you go to college? Shut up, you naive little bitch, until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. You try growing up in poverty, being failed by your public school system, and then being expected to support yourself on a minimum wage job? No one can live on that little money. If it was not for food stamps, welfare, medicare, etc, these people would be starving/rioting. Don’t assume that they should be willing to live at a lower standard than you just because you are “middle class” and they are poor and deserve it. Really, you need to open your eyes and see how this country really works.
These people do not need to be put down, made fun of or be a target for anger, they need emotional and mental help and support. No one lives that way because it’s fun and easy. If you are one who winds up in that sort of a situation, you are having problems one way or another. Who are we to judge??? “Welfare queen #1 and welfare queen #2, disgusting! Maybe they can’t work because no one ever taught them how to deal with and heal from traumas they faced as children. In fact all you have to do is look up statistics and you will see that it is not all fun and games on the other side of the register. I bet my life that if you visited the home of one of these people you would not find a pretty sight. This article is heartless and that is a bigger problem in our society than any other. Instead of “who are they to take our money!” what about… “how can we help these people to be empowered to find happiness and create great lives for themselves?”. Everyone deserves love, support and respect. Everyone.
Great article! I go to the store you mention and fully agree with your observations. There have been plenty of times when i’ve been behind people who can’t seem to comprehend how much money they have vs. what they are buying and then complain about it, all the while just wasting everyone’s time. There is no reason for the store and other customers to have to put up with this. Good customer service is important, but this is abuse, plain and simple.
This article was greatly written. She never said that EVERYONE was absuing the system, people. I LOVE the fact that all the people who are bitching about how this article targets FS users and other assistance recipients ARE THOSE RECIPIENTS, and are on the internet (which you must pay for), on a smart phone (paying for the data plan), or at a library (free internet… but I doubt this is anyone here…). HILARIOUS!
Well said. For those of you saying you just can’t find a job and she does not understand your struggles- remember that she works at Wal Mart. There are plenty of jobs, just not the ones people want (8-5 paid vacations) or where they want them (NYC). Sometimes you have to take a job to survive and not because it’s your niche or passion. I waited tables, fried chicken and held various other crappy jobs until I was able to get a better one. I don’t think you should always judge people for what they buy but we are as tax payers the ones paying for that steak. What entitles anyone to a steak? The bottom line is you work for those luxuries. She said, and everyone agrees, we should help the people who really need it get back on their feet, but I don’t want to support their iPhone bill.
XFD I only buy steak, lobsters, and beer with CA. I’ve gotten cashiers like you fired for the judgemental remarks they have made. Cry more hun, my lobster only tastes better
Yes, I am saying that people that cannot earn their money because a job is not available cannot have steak or big birthday cakes. We can provide nutritious subsistence, such as beans and rice, and those without income can be thankful that we provide it so they don’t starve.
My husband worked in a grocery store in Oklahoma when we were in college. We never got pizza; it was a luxury we had to live without. He worked hard unloading trucks and stocking shelves to pay for our meager ramen noodles while he watched the guy down the street stoll in to get steaks with food stamps. Then he’d buy penny candy put at the counter for the purpose of using a food stamp, getting change, then, after several transactions, he’d have enough cash to buy cigs. The guy would stroll home to watch TV. My husband and I kept working hard to buy our food. Sixteen years later we still don’t buy steak. When I consider a big birthday cake for a party and see the price, I make my own cake.
The sense of entitlement tells you that some people “deserve” steak and cakes every now and then. If that sounds right to you, then you do not appreciate that we have a system to keep people from starving. We could sympathize, pat you on the back, and hope you find some food. Instead, we give you money to buy food. Why would we give you money we had to earn to buy something you don’t need. Especially when all the time you think you “deserve” it every now and then. You should be grateful that when times get tough you live in a country that lends a hand. In other places in the world everyone lives on beans and rice, and they work hard just to earn the money for that food. Who’s buying them steak?
I am sad to see there is even ONE response in support of this short-sighted, obnoxiously judgmental young lady. Furthermore, she is not an apolitical, simple cashier working her way through school…She’s a right-wing provocateur who was rewarded for her activism with a free trip to visit the Reagan Ranch, among other places: See her https://www.facebook.com/christine.rousselle Facebook page for yourself.
” The man was from Massachusetts. Governor Michael Dukakis’ signature was on his welfare card. Dukakis’ last gubernatorial term ended in January of 1991. I was born in June of 1991. The man had been on welfare my entire life.”
1. SNAP/EBT is a governmental program and not a state program. You can use your card in all 50 states.
2. You asked for a picture I.D (btw: To my knowledge EBT/”welfare card” does NOT have a photo on it.) and that is what he had. Just because he still had the card doesn’t mean anything.
3. Paper food stamps were phased out and EBT card replaced the paper in the LATE 90′s.
I’ll start by saying that by no means do I describe myself as being conservative however I completely agree. In fact, I wrote a very similar essay about welfare reform as my college entrance essay. State Aid needs to be regulated much more heavily and a person should have to prove that they are seeking employment (much like unemployment insurance) if they wish to continue to receive state aid. There should also be restrictions on the amount of time one is allowed to receive aid, with the only exception of clear discernible cases of disability- and I mean real disability, because being too lazy to work is not a disability.
Amen! We definitely need reform!
This young lady makes some valid points about the limits of dependency and the staggering amount of nutritional ignorance out there. I believe if one has to be on food stamps they should be required to buy actual food. Not birthday cakes, cookies, soda, chips and garbage like that. What she fails to mention is that wherever and whenever Wal-Mart comes to town, welfare dependency actually increases because the company pays poorly and provides little or no health insurance, this despite the fact that they are easily one of the largest and most profitable companies on the planet. Did you know that the 6 Wal-Mart heirs have more money than 1/3 or 100 million Americans combined? If rich people want “welfare queens” to work, they should get off their asses and actually create some jobs instead of sitting around eating caviar and watching Fox news.
Working at a grocery store may not be considered a “career” but it is most certainly a “real job”. i have worked my self through school doing odd ball jobs such as assembling jungle gyms and treehouses for kids around christmas to workign night shifts in a machine shop to working as an art instructor. Im from a small town where jobs are few and far between but I applied for months and worked whatever job i could get be it counting bolts and nuts or cleaning bathrooms. My mother was unemployed and my dad doesnt make much. why not reward the people doing whatever it takes to get a job instead of rewarding those doing whatever it takes to stay on the system??
I saw a similar thing earlier this year with a woman in line in front of me at the grocery store. She loaded up her cart with like a 100 items, didn’t bother trying to figure out how much the items cost, and when the cashier told her she didn’t have enough, she spent 20 minutes trying to figure out what she could keep. I probably spent a total of 30 minute in the same line and people behind me were getting antsy wondering what was going on because it was late evening and there was only one cashier. What irked me the most was the woman had a data plan phone talking to her friend on it the entire time, a designer D&G bag (whether it was real i don’t know) and then when I saw her in the parking lot, she drove a friggin SUV with flashy rims. She has the finances to get those items but she can’t afford to buy food without WIC checks? Yeah something needs to be done about these slackers. I make a good living and I don’t own a data phone or an SUV with fancy rims.
Well said! When I was younger I worked with a 24 yr old woman (I was about 19 at the time) who had 4 kids already by 2 different fathers. She openly admitted that she was on welfare (while at work) and decided to discuss her plans for breast implants with another co-worker and me. As someone who had already been living on my own for a few years and working, I was outraged. I told her not to discuss it with me because my taxes were paying for her stupid fake boobs. She didn’t even care. She just shrugged her shoulders, said, “oh well,” and walked away.
It does not matter if you vote Republican or Democrat. Both parties have their own reasons for keeping the welfare system in place.
Someone from either party needs to be bold enough to change the system.
It is time for WORKFARE. If you need to be on a welfare type of system, then it is time you contributed to society as a whole. Pickup litter from the streets, do the smaller tasks that are not able to be done by government because of time constraints. There is NO reason for anyone to sit on their fat, lazy asses and only collect a government check. It is time for you to EARN YOUR KEEP.
The first thing that should be done is to phase out the welfare system as it is within 1-2 years and convert it into a WORKFARE system. I’m not saying people have to work 40 hours a week to get the assistance, but 20 hours should not be a big deal. No more increases just because you have multiple children.
It is time to teach RESPONSIBILITY to people. If they cannot handle it, they suffer the consequences just like everyone else.
Interesting that all those opposed to this terrible welfare system are not laying out any plausible way to improve it. You seriously think the state in unaware of these frauds? By the way….I am completely in agreement that moochers are the rust on society’s bike chain…but I am curious, what is the answer? Does anybody realize the money that would be needed to overhaul, supervise & maintain a failed system like that? It just is not as easy as “vote republican”. That is just political naivety. Under Bush….the same meatheads were going through your checkout. The same ones go there now under Obama-lama-rama-dingdong. I think it is one of those problems so greatly gone wrong that no one dares tackle it and potentially be responsible for any further demise. Sad. I wish there were a way to help those who need help and expose those who shamelessly lack integrity.
I stopped reading after the first thing on your list showed your tendency to judge without thinking. My boyfriend and I both work full time and receive food stamps. We make that little at our jobs. My boyfriend works for a cell phone company and he got his very nice cell phone for free and the service package is less than $30 a month. I know people with nice phones who are on welfare, their families gave them it as a gift and it’s their only source of communication or internet access, even for school.
You don’t know any of the people you brought up, no matter the situation. You don’t know the circumstances of their live. You’re just being judgmental. There are definitely people who abuse the system, there is no doubt about that. But you’re simply putting people into a category and deciding you know them and their situation because you bag their groceries. Give me a break.
There are definitely a lot of abusers of the system…but please remember that you don’t know everything about a person, and don’t be so quick to judge. 15 years ago I was a single mother of 3 surviving off my meager child support and food stamps, and this was before they had the handy little cards, I had to use the actual paper food stamps, and that was humiliating. And when the cashier rang up my items incorrectly in a way that would result in cash coming out of my small reserve, I did let her know. There was nothing “entitled” about asking to have an order total correctly. BUT the state put me through a certificate program, and I have been working and supporting all of my children on my own for the past 14 years. So don’t judge people, you don’t know what they are going through or why they are getting food stamps. And who are you to judge when someone buys a birthday cake for their child, poor kids deserve a memorable birthday too. To me, it really gets to me when those who are privileged look down on those who are not. Most of us are trying to get by the best way we know how.
This article was greatly written. She never said that EVERYONE was absuing the system, people. I LOVE the fact that all the people who are bitching about how this article targets FS users and other assistance recipients ARE THOSE RECIPIENTS, and are on the internet (which you must pay for), on a smart phone (paying for the data plan), or at a library (free internet… but I doubt this is anyone here…). HILARIOUS!
REALLY?! How ignorant are you? I have a data plan on my phone because it is required by my phone contract. I also have it because I cannot afford a computer or the Internet for a computer which is atleast $50 in my area. I guess that even though I have paid taxes all my working life ignorant ASSHOLES like you feel I don’t deserve the simplest of things like Internet. You’re an absolute, incompetent idiot and I hope you never have it rough. Karma is a bitch so you better think twice before making such dumbass comments you selfish prick.
Read Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne. It helped me to see a little bit of how these generational poverty people think. Our government has certainly created a means to continue their lifestyle.
Easy for Christine Rousselle to say. She goes to Providence College, where a bunch of the students are cheaters. Take a look: http://www.thecowl.com/news/alleged-cheating-detected-in-civ-class-1.1101433#.TukL25jFIso A friend of mine who goes there said it’s usually the conservative students who cheat. Also, many of the conservative students at Providence College get FREE government money that’s supposed to go towards school. What do you think they spend it on? Student Assistance Queen #1 spent it on bumper stickers that said “I Luv My Country More than U do.” Student Assistance Queen #2 spent it on books by Ann Coulter.
See how easy it is to tar an entire group with a broad brush?
I worked at the Dollar General for almost 3 years. I went through the same thing. Day after day people would come through my line with buggies full of chips, ice cream, candy, cookies, soda, and very little actual food. Why is it that these items that cause weight gain and encourage sloth can be purchased with food stamps, but vitamins, ensure, formula, and medicine cannot? I am all for helping those in need, but one does not NEED candy, cookies, ice cream and chips. The items allowed to be purchased need revision. Let them have energy drinks, maybe they will find the strength to find work. Let them have formula for the baby, medicine for the ill, and vitamins to supplement healthy living. I don’t see anything wrong with steak or lobster, at least that is food. However soda is a luxury, you want Pepsi, get a paycheck. I do not think we should let them starve, but I saw people spend hundreds of dollars on junk. I was working 38 hours a week, and eating ramen and weenies for dinner. One lady came in driving a Lexus, wearing diamonds, and using Food Stamps? There should not be a reward in welfare. It should provide sustenance, nutrition, and supplementation.
I’ve read many of the comments here. We are hearing from intelligent fiscal conservatives who are going through hard times. We have Icomments from well meaning writers who would keep con men in business. We do not hear from those who are scamming the system. For them it works so why would they care what others think. I liked the writer who said schools should be teaching students what money is all about, how to make it, how to save it, how to spend it, what money can do for those who know how to use it wisely and what to do when fiscal disaster strikes. Schools are dumping students into the real world with no coping skills. If one is lucky enough to have parents who can teach such life skills, life is better. If I had a million dollars, I would set up schools outside of school to teach young people how to go step by step into the real world of money in easy to understand lessons.
Christine Rousselle, you are an asshole.
I am just so pleased that you had the get up and go to get a job!
I hope we see more young people who are university students like you and less of the Walmart variety.
Being someone that unfortunately has to rely on food stamps at the present, I still understand what this girl is saying. I work 2 part-time jobs after losing my full-time job and my boyfriend works too (we are both in our 30s) and we are still having a hard time paying our rent and bills. We usually have to budget everything to the dollar because we both get paid only every two weeks. Unfortunately, the amount I am given (I live in MA) is not enough to get myself enough food for 3 square meals a day so I often have to skip a meal or buy some very un-nutritious items because I can’t even afford to use any of my paycheck for food. However, even I am appalled at the abuse of food stamps that I see. And the author is right, I work two retail jobs and we get treated the shittiest by all customers. As soon as I can, I am getting off food stamps and I hope that all these people that are raping the system think long and hard about the situation. I get dirty looks all the time at my supermarket from the cashiers and others in line but part of me knows it’s only because the people this author writes about are making the rest of us in a temporary bad state look bad.
I always love the comments from people about how she is judging, acting ‘elite’ and so on! These are cold hard facts about a system that people who chose to make it their life, work as hard at gaming it as a working person works at their job. She mentions the need for some, and many agree when the need arises a society should be ready to assist. However, it is not society’s job to provide for those who have no desire or intention to work, add to society or improve their condition! I have recently worked in a job that caters very strongly to people who rely on government assistance to live – Pizza. Business spikes the first of every month when checks come out. Having a Wal-Mart just in back of me even heightened this increase in activity. Marketing managers within Pizza Hut admit that they cater to and attract a lower socio-economic individual. I was directly told it was too difficult to attract a higher level person and their spending habits were hard to track and plan by. Along this line YUM Brands (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC) are petitioning the government to allow them to accept food stamps! Let me assure you, money to value$ to nutrition a family can do better at the grocery store than at any restaurant. The food has to be marked up to cover costs of preparing and cooking and packaging that food. Ingredients purchased in a grocery store can cover several meals. I’ve also been screamed at, sworn at and told I was belittling by customers because they would be required to pay extra for extra cheese, double meat and more! They figure out the game in this area as well, knowing that the slightest complaint (even if they are the ones at fault) will garner them free food, future purchasing credit and discounts. Pizza Hut in particular apologizes for absolutely everything and sends out free coupons, refunds and credits at the snap of a finger. I’ve seen people who haven’t paid for food over the course of several weeks of ordering pizzas, making complaints so that everyone jumps and gives it to them and prepared replacement with no further questions. I don’t beseech people help when they need it, but these are people who don’t and won’t work. See little reason to work and as a result have no work ethics. When offered a job one girl who said she was ready to get off the government assistance lasted for 16 days! It became I don’t clean toilets, I don’t get paid enough to do that, I have to work when?, I need this day or that day off, calling in sick 3 days in a week (even though she was seen at Wal-Mart by other employees on 2 of those days), I need a cigarette break and so on until everyone else working was fed up with it! Good article and on the money with problems we have developed in our country that need changing!
Yes there are cases of abuse….did this young lady report any of this? Of course not, she is too busy bitching about it so that everyone who gets any kind of assistance is branded with the same mark as the abusers. Abusers are about .01% of the entire assistance situation…but they are always made to see like the norm. GMAB, instead of bitching, report them and get something done.
Good article. It takes courage to publish a story like this. Keep up the good work!
Interesting article and perspective. Is is sometimes so easy to see the wrong when you point it out so eloquently. I have worked in both State and Federal programs and indeed you see such waste as well there, Paying hundres of dollars to make sure that they only have the best rooms when travelling, best meals when travelling; hundreds of not thousands of dollars for coffeepots, even toilets……Reform……..needs to start at the top first!
Very well written. Clearly you are frustrated with those whom you believe to be abusing the system. I agree with you to some extent. The only thing I would say is that there are others who abuse government money far more than “welfare queens”. Hopefully one day you take as much an interest in corporate welfare and the lobbyists who bribe our legislatures out of billions every year. Now that would be an interesting read.
Actually, Brandon, the people on Food stamps using coupons to stretch their money and make it last to help them get all they need for month is not stupid, it is being a good steward of what little they have. As for the people judging this young lady for working at Walmart, SHAME ON YOU!! First off, she has a job- good for her, many people her age do not. Second- My husband lost his business due to the economy, and is now working at Walmart. It is not because he is stupid or lazy or not qualified to do anything else, but because it was the only job available at the time and we have bills to pay and three children to support. Any Job that provides a pay check is a REAL job no matter how meanial it may seem to others. There are many people with Degrees that have lost jobs and had to take a lower position somewhere just to make ends meet. It is not just uneducated people who work cash registers, stock store shelves, and wait tables.
Per Wiki, “As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 16,790 people, 6,462 households, and 4,678 families residing in the town. The population density was 355.7 people per square mile (137.3/km²). There were 7,233 housing units at an average density of 151.6 per square mile (58.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.34% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.”
POVERTY. IT AINT JUST A BLACK THING, IS IT?
Can someone tell me how these people got so much government money to spend on frivolities? ’cause I grew up poor, and my mom only had about 50 bucks a week to spend on groceries.
I don’t remember any steaks or lobsters. I DO remember eating macaroni and pasta so often that even now as an adult I don’t care to eat it unless I must. I remember having one box of cookies a week, and once it was gone, it was gone. A candy bar every now and again was something to be excited about. I remember wearing crappy hand me downs and only getting “new” clothes when their taxes came back. Christmas was an ordeal for my family that began in June and ended with my mom finally having the money saved up to get the presents out of lay away. It took them a whole year to save up the 200$ to buy a Super Nintendo. My mom went without coffee and god knows what else the whole year to pull it off. I remember how EXCITED I was to get my own TV–a hand me down birthday present from my best friend. TV was older than I WAS. It was an old crappy 12 inch 70s nightmare, but I loved it. The “big TV” was an 18 inch color TV my parents bought in 1986 when we moved into our house during better times. I remember my dad’s cars–yeah–all 6 of them. They ranged in make years from 1965 to 1986. I think the longest one ran was 3 years. We went through THREE of them in a 1 month period. They were junkers he was given, some he bought for 50$. We didn’t have the income to afford a new car, you see, and my parents refusal to go into debt with a credit card meant they had no credit score, so if they HAD tried to finance one, our lovely financial system would have gouged them with a 20% interest rate.
You know I never went on a family vacation? I didn’t even leave the state until I turned 18. I lived 45 minutes from Disney World my entire life, but we only went 3 times–all with free tickets given as presents by friends who worked there. I remember not being able to go on field trips because my parents couldn’t afford the ticket price.
My dad worked 40, some times 60 hour weeks installing insulation. I remember weekends where I didn’t see him because he was sent across the state to a new housing complex. He spent 30 years crawling around attics in the hot Florida weather until the recession murdered the industry. He made around 5$ an hour when I was a kid for his hard work. My mom stayed home with us, going back to work only when I was 13 and was old enough to look after my sister. Even at 5$ an hour, the aid we received was hardly anything, and that was with 2 kids. After rent and utilities and gas, there was hardly enough left to rub two pennies together, and I remember many times my dad digging through the couch for quarters so he could put a couple bucks in the gas tank. Christmas was the only exception, but even then, our Christmases would seem pretty small to most kids.
So I don’t know. I’m sure welfare queens exist. They must, since so many of you have seen them. But I grew up in a poor, blue collar neighborhood where most people were just getting by. I knew kids who had single parents, kids who had unemployed parents, kids whose parents were on disability. None of them had name brand clothes. None of them drank name brand soda,or had name brand snacks. Most were on free lunch at the school. We spent our summers running around the woods or attending Vacation Bible School. Our birthday parties were celebrated with home made cakes at home.
So–to those of you with the more venomous comments, just remember that most people who are poor are just working folks, trying to provide a service to the rest of society. You need them as much as we need anyone who works. They built your house. They prepare your food. They ring you out at the store. They cut your grass. Heck, they even police your streets and teach your kids. They have a right to respect and happiness, just like you do.
This is Bull…… Yes some people SUCK!!!! but the lady with the slip & slide & the person with the cake, did U stop and think Hmmmmm…. they get FS maybe they have KIDS??? kids do have a birthdays once a year and do like gifts & CAKE….Sorry they dont have a silver spoon up there butts
Capehart says:
December 13, 2011 at 8:40 pm
I am on welfare. Screw you people. I have 4 kids and don’t want no stranger raising them. I have 4 baby daddies who don’t pay no child support to me. The thing is that the other kids in school all have nice cell phones to text each other.
I demand cell phones for my kids.
I have four kids.
Why should my kids be looked down upon by your kids?
I demand a cell phone for each of my chlldren so they can call 911. Skool should not be demanding homework but give out iPads to help my kids.
This Christmas, their Skool gave me an iPad and I said that I got three other kids what do you expect them to do share? It is not fair.
If I had a job and was a tax payer I would be so mad right now.
^Really? If this comment is serious and not a joke then it’s ridiculous. Seriously?? Skool? Obviously welfare doesn’t teach you how to spell. I work 40 hours a week at 1 job, 15 at another and I still don’t own an iPad. Or even an iPhone! So please tell me why your kids are entitled to one? Are they somehow better than all the other kids? Doubtful…
Did I ever say I was an apolitical, simple cashier? No! The blog is called The College Conservative. This is not my first post for them. I have a life outside of working at Wal-Mart. You can stop your attacks now, they’re not needed. Wal-Mart cashiers have lives outside of Wal-Mart…I have former co-workers who have bands, are diehard Bruins fans, and active in their churches. Just because you work at Wal-Mart does not mean you are “simple,” nor does it mean you are apolitical.
To all the “unfortunate” souls who commented on this article saying that they are on welfare because they truly need to be: Why are you wasting your time on the Internet, not only reading these articles, but taking the time out to comment on them..GO LOOK FOR A JOB. Or at least do something to make yourself valuable so you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and relying on me to buy your food.
MV, government is not the problem….people with your attitudes are. Instead of sounding so self-righteous, why don’t YOU work to find better solutions to fixing public aid…To where people won’t be so dependent upon it?
Although the author’s points are valid and she is right about the serious abuse of the sytem, terms like ” youtube 24/7″ and Welfare Queen make this artice biased, and therefor not credible. I am a high school teacher and I would tell this author to be taken seriously you need to start at the beginning from a neutral opinion and give the facts. Name calling takes away her creditability, and therefor this could not be sent to congressmen and representatives. Also I hope the author understands that one does not have to be destitute to be on welfae. Lower ranked military families qualify, and so does the average Wal Mart employee. The price of groceries are higher than a minimim wage worker can afford when children expenses, utilities, rent and gas is factored in. I could sit and write a piece on Wal Mart Employees and tell you every bad thing I had ever heard about them, but the majority of employees are good people. I appreciate this piece and think more people need to speak out on the abuse and call for drug testing and a time limit of benefits, but I urge people to avoid name calling and stero-types like “Welfare Queen 1″ when writing….it makes them look less intelligent.
I can not believe the amount of people commenting that were offended by the article. The article was brilliant and was written by a young lady that represents our future society. To all of the people who questioned why do we worry what others do, it is the right of every last tax paying American citizen to question every single last purchase by those who are on any form of public assistance. The money you are using to buy the things you want and need is not yours nor does it belong to some big organization that doesn’t have a face called the Government. It belongs to the guy next to you in the check out line, the gal or guy ringing up these items that are free to you. I myself am absolutely sick and tired of it all. My family and my grandfather’s family before me have all seen hard times. Months behind on mortgage payments when times were at their worst, but never once has myself nor has anyone in my family for generations past ever taken a hand out. We fight and we claw and we scratch to make ends meet. That’s the way I was raised. I swear it seems that people are being raised now to learn how to live off of the working man. These Gov. check’s you are waiting for, someone had to work long and hard for you to have it, it does not just come out of this big slush fund that magically appears for free. Personally I think there should be very strict regulations and qualifications for receiving any free money. I do believe in drug screening and alcohol screening. Not that I don’t drink a beer once and awhile but guess what that is a luxury that should only be purchased with monies you’ve earned not someone else’s. We aren’t buying your drugs and alcohol. Not to mention you obviously are not in the right frame of mind to educate yourself or look for employment all doped up. There should be a very strict list of things that can be purchased. I am talking the bare essentials to get by. Oh what that’s not very comfortable? It’s not supposed to be you want it better go out and earn a descent living. I am not a college educated man but you know what? When I realized that waiting tables and cashiering were not going to pay the bills I learned a building trade became an electrician through very hard work and asking a million questions until I was very good at what I did and after 25 years opened my own business. No one gave it to me I worked for every last dollar I got and my children did without when we we didn’t have it. I instilled in them how important it is to get educated and now I have one that is going to be a Jr. at U of I and the other about go into his freshman year of college. We can not let people that don’t need help keep milking us. The resentment is building at an astronomical rate. People are getting very angry and if our gov. will not correct the situation the citizens are going to have to speak up for change. I have been saying this for about a decade now and the feeling is growing stronger. There is going to another revolutionary war because the middle class guy, the guy that does most of the working and paying for things in this once fine country is tired of being walked all over. Tempers are flaring you mark my words. For all of you taking and never giving, for all of you never working but still surviving because your neighbor keeps bleeding for you, you all should be ashamed of yourself. I hope that your time of revelation will come and help to become part of the solution and not continue to be a part of the problem that is plaguing America today.
Excellent article! Good job girl!
I’ll bet that those welfare queens also vote Republican. This is exactly how the Republicans want society. They want the haves to have more and the have nots to go away and not bother them. If it were up to the Republicans there would be no more middle class. If the Republicans get their way we won’t have to worry about people being abused as cashiers as they will be replaced by self-checkouts and security guards to make sure you scan all of your items. Get real people, Republicans will end the American way of life and return us to indentured servitude if allowed to. If you work for someone else for a living, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS VOTING REPUBLICAN!!!!
I currently receive TANF as out income was lost due to the season ending and was not able to find another job in time, and I hate to say that one accusation is wrong, there IS a time limit on when you have to get a Job, there is a 5 year limit on TANF right now, and you have to fill out job search logs in order to keep TANF, have you ever been on welfare? because if you have you would know this, the reason you can buy lobsters is because they are not cooked… I agree that you shouldn’t be able to get them, but why are you complaining about something you cannot control, you are wasting time with this as people have complained about it for years and years….. and cakes.. people get them for kids parties, you are saying to punish the kids on their birthday just because their parents are on food stamps/ welfare.. And some people who have an iPhone may have gotten it as a gift, i know people who have expensive phones their parents bought, and pay their bill that way they always have a phone on them, and you can have a nice phone and only pay 45$ for unlimited service, you are to quick to judge people. I have bought my kids gifts with my TANF because I was not going to let them go without on their birthday pr Xmas because I have applied to 30 different places and no call backs or I call them and they say they are not hiring.
[R on says:
December 13, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I j ust wanted 2 say this doesnt go far enough. THis doesnt go far enough. U wanna buy porterhouse stakes? you want to be buy a cake witth all the trimmings?? work for it. work at walmart. i dont want to tell MY kids that theyre future will be payi ng 4 LOOSERS 2 eat Sara Lee. I WANT THEM 2 BE WORKING 4 A LIVEING LIKE THIS YOUNG LADY, AT WALMART OR ANY OTHER BUISINESS IN TOWN!!!!!!!!]
Seriously? You seriously will submit nonsense like this and expect people to give a damn about your opinion? Honestly, learn grammar and spelling, because you failed. Some of these replies are nicely written and some are rambles of why they vote a certain way. A Republican (BUSH) signed off on allowing companies to go overseas and force thousands of Americans to end up without a job. Republicans now are trying to do away with federal aid for college, stating it is a waste of money. If you do not agree with me, go read it and watch their debates. Do not come at anyone with “THIS IS WHY I VOTED REPUBLICAN” when you used federal grants to get through college. This is why I vote for a person not a party. You have the blind leading the blind with party voting. But hey, at least I can see the truth standing in front of me. Political Science is a course they teach you in college, one not given in High Schools. Understand that you support guys like Herman Cain and George W. Bush. And look at what it has gotten you… LAUGHED AT BY EVEN THE LOWEST OF LOW PEOPLE IN AMERICA AND ACROSS THE WORLD! Enjoy!
I worked in a convience store in New Jersey where hoagies are made. People would come in the store and buy 4-5 hoagies, chips and soda and spend $40 on lunch. Then request to use the “cash side” of their EBT card and buy cigarettes. The same people would do this on a regular basis. At my house we would buy a jar of peanut butter and loaf of bread and make sandwiches for lunch for a week.
You would think that people in need would see how far they could make their money go. I’m not saying they have to eat peanut butter all the time, but aren’t they teaching any kind of economics at school these days? We were taught how to budget and then plan meals to fill the budget. My mother also taught me this.
Isn’t the “cash side” of these cards goes meant to pay rent, utility bills and clothing needs? Not cigarettes!!
To all the “unfortunate” souls who commented on this article saying that they are on welfare because they truly need to be: Why are you wasting your time on the Internet, not only reading these articles, but taking the time out to comment on them..GO LOOK FOR A JOB. Or at least do something to make yourself valuable so you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and relying on me to buy your food.
MV: Go fuck yourself.
I guess I should live in a box under the nearest overpass because I’m receiving FS and am such a “lowly” person. Your ignorance and hatred shows where you’ll be going when you die…
I am not sure if you’re even reading your comments, but I thought I would weigh in.
I am recently laid off, and living on Unemployment benefits. I am 35 years old, rent an apartment, own a car, work my ass off when employed, and have a 15 year old son. I do not get child support, his dad has disappeared roughly 12 years ago.
I went to my local DSHS office (Dept. of Social and Health Services) to apply for food assistance. I pull in to park, driving my modest vehicle that I bought and paid for with my hard earned cash, while parking next to expensive vehicles like Cadillacs, Lexus, etc. I sigh, go in and pull my number.
I am sitting in the office waiting for my number to be called, watching the women around me. These are women with a herd of children, running wild and crazy (why aren’t they in school?), talking on their expensive cell phones. They’re dressed to the nines, when their children are in rags; ripped, stained, ill sized clothing.
My number gets called, I meet with my case worker. I get approved.
For 16.00/month food stamps.
SIXTEEN DOLLARS A MONTH. I have been working since I was 15, two jobs at times. I have paid into my taxes rightfully. I STOPPED having children when I realized “daddy” wasn’t going to be around for the one I had. I went to school to better myself. I am at a hardspot in life, thanks to the economy, and I feel like I am being penalized for it.
There needs to be a drastic reform to our welfare system, not just in Maine.
Social reform doesn’t happen by judging people and being mean to them.
I find your level of judgment for these people scary and inappropriate. You are so quick to judge them not giving a second thought to how they were brought up, their lack of education, or the reasons why they don’t have jobs. Some people are lucky, they have good parents, a healthy home environment, are taught responsibility and have decency and respect for others. Other people aren’t so lucky.
Yes, some people will try to cheat the system, but why take these things as personal attacks? Think critically about the root of the problem, don’t just be mean and poke fun at the people who are the result of another, larger problem.
Read about Jane Addams.
To PISSED OFF at Judgemental Children,
Did you read that article? How do you know that your tax paying money goes for her education? I have been in school for 13 years and I have paid every dime of my education.
As a person on assistance and a tax payer you should know how important it is to make sure that you are using the assistance wisely.
I am glad that you are okay with people using my or our (you indicate that you are a tax payer) hard earned tax money to buy their kids lobster and expensive birthday cakes. Although, I am not sure that last time I have seen any of the children in my life eat lobster. Seems like you would get rid of some of the privileges such has as the internet service you are paying for to post your very judgmental article while your taxpayers are paying for food. Sorry, If I had a choice to eat or pay for internet. I would choose to eat. My last resort would be assistance from my fellow tax payers. I have worked since I was 14 years old and I have lived on noodles and corn, when necessary.
This article said nothing about the people who NEED the assistance. It talking about the people who abuse the system, and there are many.
I know someone that a little over a year ago got married. About 4 months ago she got a dissolution so that she could get food stamps, and the state would pay for her to go back to school, and they are. Oh excuse me, I mean so that the responsible tax payers can pay for her to go to school and get food stamps. This person is a very healthily and is able to work. She still live with her husband or should I say ex-husband. She was report; however, nothing was ever done about it.
This is very concerning to me. I have worked full time since I graduated high school and have attended school. It has been 13 years but I am almost done with school. Working full time, going to school, and trying to find the funds to pay for school is not easy. Maybe I should have had a few kids, and let all you hard working tax payers support me.
Remember, when you get any type of assistant, food stamps, WIC, anything that you think you are getting from the government, please think again. That is coming from your neighbors. All those stimulus checks you got that you think came from Obama’s checkbook…think again. It came from your neighbor.
Medicaid, Food Stamps, Welfare, WIC are ASSISTANCE programs not programs that you should life on for your entire life. I have seen many people do this including my own blood. I don’t have a problem with getting ASSISTANCE during a time of need but pick yourself up and get back on your feet. If I am going to invest in you, you need to invest in yourself.
wow! I think it’s easy to see from the massive list of comments you hit a nerve! but you are so right on. I’m sorry but America needs to get it’s head straight about needs vs. wants. steak and birthday cake are definitely luxuries people and when my personal bank account is on the low side, I’m not buying it at the store! we are sticking to beans and rice! welfare/ebt is an amazing program that needs some serious reform. no one should go hungry. but I’m sorry, if you are living on someone else’s cash, then you should be doing it responsibly. Our nation as a whole is in the stinking financial mess it is because of issues just like this…
Back in the mid 80`s, i was doing construction work in Atlanta. I was working 40 to 50 hrs a week & after taking out money for rent and utilities, I would generally have only 50 to 80 $ to buy groceries, and put gas in the truck. I usually had to eat cheap. While at the grocery store one evening, a rather large woman was at the checkout in front of me, with 2 buggies full of nothing but meat. Her total came to over 400$ & when she pulled out her food stamps to pay for it, i could have strangled her. I knew what she was doing, she was going to turn that rolling butcher shop into cash, so she could buy her liquor, and cigarettes, and whatever else she wanted. I`ve seen posts on here stating that there are restrictions, that they can`t buy certain items. BULLCRAP!!! These lifetimers know how to get whatever they want out of the system. Yes, there is a need for the system, yes there are plenty of people who would like to work, but cant, who do work, but don`t make enough, who truly need the assistance and don`t abuse the system. To those people I offer my sympathy and support, but you shouldn`t take the young ladies views and judgements as a personal attack, she was speaking of the lady that i described, and many more just like her. If you`re on assistance, or ever have been & feel as though others are looking down on you, then understand that it`s not completely their fault, it`s the people that openly abuse the system, that mock those of us that have to “foot the bill”, who go on youtube and gleefully talk about how much they can make, and how stupid the rest of us are for supporting them. There`s much more of that going on than most people realize.
I think some people abuse the system, but not all. One can not make assumptions just because they buy steak or something with food stamps. I get food stamps, I also coupon. I am able to buy steaks, healthy fruits, & veggies, and special stuff too.
Until my husband who is working 2 jobs gets out of school we do what we can. I am also helping others with my food stamps because I save so much by couponing.
I agree with this and it was very well written. I recently got a raise of more than two dollars an hour at my job and was so excited to get that first new paycheck. Little did I know, the welfare queens apparently needed it more than me because ironically, my check was exactly the same amount it was before. I bust my ass 5+ days a week and get screwed out of my own hard earned money, only to come home and find that U.S. Cellular sends me a letter saying I could get my cell phone bill reduced to $20 a month if I have SSI, EBT, TANF or disability. Nope, I have a J-O-B so I have to pay full price. And this Cintax wireless “Lifeline” they advertise on TV, tell me why the “Lifeline” needs to be a FREE CAMERA PHONE. Cameras don’t make calls to 9-1-1…
Thank you!
I enjoyed your post. I will admit right away that I do participate in WIC in the state where I live. But I do not in any way try and take advantage of the system, and it really bothers me when I see people who do. The world we live in has gotten greedier and greedier, and this can even be seen in things like even couponing…do you REALLY need 100 toothbrushes? And if you DO get 500 packages of JELLO, WHY is it sitting in your garage? DONATE IT!!!!! But that is the greed coming out again…
I say all that to say that there are people who are out there that do not “work the system” and genuinely need the assistance so my message to those who DO abuse it is: STOP BEING GREEDY AND DON’T RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US!
Sorry that the author is so ignorant. Yes there is some welfare fraud, but in general, is she aware that a person who went on disability after only working a few years can make as little as $450 a month, and that qualifies them for food stamps.
My son who has worked several years, even though he was born with a congenital heart defect, finally had to go on disability. He makes a whopping $650 a month and will for the rest of his life. He has food stamps too. Now, does this mean he is not entitled to have a mobile phone, or ever eat lobster again? Because it is sad that he can’t work and has to spend years having surgery to keep alive. I guess now he’s not allowed to have any little treat or joy in life.
Please try to observe what you don’t see. Should the children whose parents are on welfare, not have toys or a slip and slide?
You have no idea why these people are on welfare. My son looks healthy on the outside, but can only stay awake a few hours each day. I’m sure when he shops, the arrogant, biased cashiers think the same way the author of this post does.
I as well, see some hope here , Not for people Judging others with what THEY think is right (judgemental)Unless you have walked in there shoes, you have No right to judge (I believe that is the lords job, not yours!) i have read some Very intelligent defenses here and am just as proud of people who defend ther right to free speech. Politically correct or not. God bless America… Not a word about Corporate Welfare, there is the REAL problem.. Somehow its politally correct to attack the poor instead they ignoring the Rich Corporations Welfare.. talk about talking out both sides of your ass…
Great article and I will be passing this on. This young lady needs to run for office. I would vote for her.
Your article shows some ignorance on your part of what underserved peoples go through. The fact that you are white gives you privilege from the get-go. You need to learn more about underserved populations and the history of how things got to be the way they are before you pass judgement on people.
Also to the person who said charity should come from churches….um hello? Separation of church and state? How about all the non-religious people who want to give to charity?
Huh, that’s very interesting. When I worked at Walmart the saddest thing I saw was my paycheck every week. I actually had income low enough that I would have qualified for food stamps. Instead of judging try looking at the disparities between the upper 1% and the rest of us in 99%. Don’t be distracted by the mythic welfare mother in her mink coat driving her caddy. Today I don’t have to work at Walmart or other companies that take advantage of there works but I will never forget what that felt like. I will never blame the poor or expect them to eat the cheapest foods or not have things. Maybe choices people make do help keep them poor; however, the choices that the financial geniuses made contributed to a stagnant job market and the collapse of the housing market.
When we were a young couple, my husband I were very poor. We had two small children. We had no one to help us and because my husband had a job and we were married we did not qualify for any assistance. We did not even qualify for unearned income credit on our taxes. We had to make monthly payments on a washing machine and had no dryer at all. We had no phone and only one vehicle. We often had to borrow a few dollars from the in-laws just to purchase gas for him to go to work or oil for the furnace to keep our children from freezing. meanwhile some of our friends were living together , unmarried and getting welfare. They were eating steaks while my little family was sharing a can of beans and a little bread, So I for one agree that the system is totally out of whack. Over the years I have met many people who refuse to get married because they will lose their benefits. It makes me sick.
The author has probably never been on Food Stamps before , what makes me sick is how you can judge people like that. This is the worst recession in our history. You don’t know what happens behind the scenes, what people go through, the EBT card is for people on unemployment too. You’re a cashier, you see people for a few minutes and all you have is judgement to heap on people. Shame on you. People read shit like this and they believe it like it’s the gospel truth. What she needs to do is thank the Good Lord that she’s not unemployed and instead of judging people to pray for them.
As a hard working, tax paying American I think it’s kind of hysterical reading the angry comments from the people ON Welfare berating you for saying they aren’t ‘entitled’ to steak and cake. While YES, there are some situations that may be extreme, you are referring to the people who take advantage of these programs, not the ones who follow the rules. That being said, since when is anyone entitled to steak and birthday cake? Guess what? If I mismanage my funds or an unexpected expense comes up, I don’t get steak or presents for friends/kids until I have the money for it. I only have what I’ve earned and until I get paid again, or I don’t know, sell some jewelry I don’t need or *gasp* take a second part-time job. When I can’t afford something, I don’t think that people should just give it to me because hey, why can’t I have steak or I like to wear pretty things too. It SUCKS, but that’s called life. Not to mention, so many Americans are not only entitled, they are straight up lazy. The idea of taking a menial job at a fast food restaurant or mowing yards, pet-sitting, taking a second job at Wal-Mart are beneath them. Even people with disabilities can find work. I know plenty of them. Great article and good for you for voicing your opinion on an often controversial topic so that it can be talked about and hopefully will inspire others to talk to their Congressmen and get out and VOTE on reforms for these programs!
This issue is that the state doesn’t allow temp help. Either you get it or your don’t. No getting it as a back up incase you are unable to cover all of your bills in hopes that you will not need the help….
Ever think that maybe those people that have an iPhone and are paying for their food with food stamps may be on a family members plan? Or that maybe they aren’t with their spouse but that their spouse is still nice enough to buy them an iPhone and put them on their plan so they can keep in contact with his children? Think before you judge! You don’t know these people or their situations. It’s pretty simple minded in my opinion of you to judge them without knowing the full extent of their situation. Just sayin’! Maybe you should think before you make judgement on others. I personally know someone who gets food stamps and has an iPhone. She isn’t with her husband because of marital issues, he feels bad because of what he has done to her so he bought her the said iPhone for her birthday and put her on his plan. No, she doesn’t work but that’s because she has no education, no one reliable enough to watch her children and her spouse that he is separated from works two jobs so he can’t watch the children so she can work. Just think before you make judgements against others when you know nothing about how they live or their situations!
I think this is absolutely true and liberals need to get a grip!!!
I’ll never forget witnessing a woman in a seafood shop.
I’d saved all summer to get a couple-dozen crabs.
She had 2 bushels and a big pile of lobster. She paid with her food-stamp card then cursed the owner for a good 1/2 hour because he wouldn’t steam them for her. It is ILLEGAL! She can buy the food, but if he steams it it’s considered “prepared” and no different than restaurant carry-out.
She accused him of “racism” because he wouldn’t break the law!
I want to sincerely thank the taxpayers for giving my two kids and me a hand up when we desperately needed it. My ex bailed on us before my kids were born, I had a very difficult pregnancy and the twins spent time in the NICU due to prematurity. I am very grateful for the help (I frankly think the kids would have died otherwise) and am glad to say I’m finally back on my feet and “repaying” at least part of what we took. Having said that, there are people who see welfare as a way of life and feel they are entitled, they continually scam the system and have no qualms about it. A woman up the street quit her job (training paid for by taxpayers) because it was “gross” and immediately went back on welfare, is going to school half-heartedly on the tax payers’ dime, and sees nothing wrong with using her food stamps to feed her kids garbage while she and her string of boy toys eat pretty well. She uses the TANF money for a tablet, a computer, a nice TV, plus her three kids all have TVs and DVD players and gaming systems in their rooms, they have a nice vehicle, she has money for beer and cigarettes and so on. Granted, it’s all theft in my case as well because it came from the taxpayers, but she doesn’t lose any sleep over how she can better herself and some day repay the money. I intend to work my butt off and pay taxes until my debt to the taxpayers is repaid. It was never my intention to steal from others, we were just in a very bad spot for a time. Having been there, I try very hard not to judge welfare recipients until I know the facts, but there is definitely a ton of abuse and changes need to be made.
Someone here said: It was never my intention to steal from others, we were just in a very bad spot for a time.
If you needed it, used it to get the hand up, and got off, then it isn’t stealing. It is those that can physically work and choose not to. It is for those that don’t marry or get “divorced” so they can have benefits. It is for those that do these things knowing they are cheating the system.
Lara – if you read one of the author’s other posts, she blames her poor writing skills on the education she received at her local high school, which was too busy indoctrinating her with leftist beliefs to actually teach her any writing skills.
I agree with Cindy. This author is young and ignorant and is generalizing that all recipients of aid take advantage of the system. Of course there are always people who do wrong – some watch pirated movies on the Internet, some don’t tell a store clerk that they were undercharged for a sweater, some people think they are better than others and would never ever do anything like this. I am from Boston and have the means but have always tried to help those less fortunate. I am lucky enough to have a family that could support me if I need assistance. Try to not be too judgmental and stop generalizing. It doesn’t suit a well educated person.
You make some very good points, but I want to mention one thing about the TANF. In my state, Virginia, people who receive legitimate child support that is collected by the state (sometimes necessary to actually get the father to pay, whether you are poor or merely divorced) receive this money on debit cards. These debit cards are also used for a variety of other purposes, including TANF. I would hate for a cashier to think that I was spending food money on wasteful things, but I will often buy my children unnecessary items using the money on this state debit card. While there is a huge problem with welfare abuse in this country, cashiers shouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions about their customers, especially very young cashiers with little to no life experience. Until you’ve walked in the shoes of the people you are complaining about, keep your trap shut.
With every program, there is abuse. But remember: do not judge least you be judged. You don’t know what the circumstances of others are and only by the grace of God, is it not you in those shoes.
My daughter is 20 years old, struggling to find a job, lives at home. I get a lot of crap from people saying I should kick her butt to the curb. I say “Why? So she can go on the state, and then all of you will be taking care of her?” She is trying to find a job, looking everyday. And her father and I understand how hard it is out there. We DO NOT want our daughter living off the State, EVER. So we are still providing for her. Health Ins. Food. Roof over her head. Any other NECESSITIES. If more families took care of their own instead of throwing them out on the curb to let the state take care of them, maybe things wouldn’t be so bad. We are heading into very tough times, coming out of very tough times. It’s a no win. And the 2 party system has let us down TERRIBLY. I have absolutely no faith in any State politician nor the fat cats in Washington. They’re a bunch of nit wits who never learned how to compromise, they all have to be right and win their own cause no matter what. And in the process, NO ONE WINS, EVER. We are going backwards, and as such, we need to TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN. If we need to DO WITHOUT the cable TV, the Cell Phone, the internet, to be able to provide for our family, young or old, than that’s what we need to do. Quit throwing our youngsters to the wolves and hope that the State will take care of them. As long as my daughter cannot find a job, I will support her so YOU DON’T HAVE TO. Everyone should consider doing the same.
Before someone jumps on me about disability, one of my best friends is a 40 year old man, who came from a small town and had to get scholarships and school loans to go to college and has had from birth, a heart defect that has required 4 open heart surgeries, two stents and two different defibrillators implanted in his chest and yet he works FULL TIME as legal counsel for a corporation. He feels like hell a lot of the time, but refuses to get on public assistance just because he can. He would rather pay his own way.
I am currently on assistance as a single mother of two children and just had my fourth surgery today. I hate being on state aid and as soon as I can I plan on being back to work. I also believe that people should not spend what they receive on unnecessary items. It is abuse of the system. When I started recieving aid here in Maine I sold my car so that I didn’t have an extra bill every month and I just couldn’t afford the price of gas. My cash benefits go completely to rent. But my rent is more than I receive so i have had to sell other Items such as jewlery to make up the difference. And as far as the small amount of food stamps I receive I clip coupons and scan the flyers to find the best prices so I can feed my children healthy food all month long. Even With Christmas coming this month I am not abusing what I get as My children have been told they may get one small item each under the tree if santa has something for them but he might not. They were not happy about it but they understood.
I have witnessed other people buying cartloads of gifts this holiday season with their ebt cards and it upsets me as well because those are the people who make it harder for those of us who truly need TEMPORARY assistance to be understood and not looked down upon when we go into a store to buy items to feed our families during hard times.
I think a lot of the people on here who are spewing hatred against this girl for having an opinion…and you all know that saying… need to read the entire article, take a breath, and realize she is not speaking of your family. The only reason why some of you would get so agitated is because you too are cheating the system. She specifically states she is not against welfare, as someone said before some people have disabilities etc. However, she points out, what I have seen working for a grocery store as well, that many people abuse the system. Do you people who support other people doing this even realize what it does for people who actually need welfare? This girl is not who should be making you angry. She is simply pointing out the facts. Ever heard of a first impression? A person can say and do a hundred things in 2 minutes.
Hell it takes most criminals that long to rob a person at gun point…are we all so soft that we wouldn’t judge that person too? They are both stealing. Another thing… why is everyone so tied up about who anyone wants to vote for, you people know NOTHING from watching CNN, NBC, FOX and reading the Onion or The Huffington post and neither do I. Let’s just stick with what we experience and see first hand OURSELVES which believe me, they do not show you through any media outlet. I can tell just by reading the comments on here how little people know… they don’t give away welfare? They absolutely do in FL. I asked a fellow cashier why this place(didn’t bother to ask exactly what it was) was so crowded, she then precedes to pull out some sort of card and says “They are giving away food stamps, you just have fill out this form….go get one!” I have also seen an old lady get into one of the nicest model Mercedes after paying with an EBT card. I don’t buy anything I can’t afford and I get along just fine, I am also HANDICAPPED, and was unable to receive ANY financial help (just needed a small loan) when I really, really needed it (I am nearly entirely deaf, it took me 4 years and postponing college to save up enough money for hearing aids) Do you know what I had to eat ALL the time? Dollar menu at McDonald’s and Ramen noodles every. f*cking. day. if I can do this, ANYONE can. Stop feeling so sorry for yourselves and get welfare only when you TRULY need it!
hey just so you guys know i get food because im on disablity and im only 41 so you dont know some of the people you see using them arent scamming the system and there not just going to be on it temporary going to be on it awhile
Dear R (person below) – spell steaks right before telling people they can’t buy them. Thanks!
On another note- what’s really sad is the ones who use the system correctly and get put on the back burner due to bad apples. Well thought out article.
Great Article! I hope some of those losers at the Hall of Flags protest today have a chance to read this.
Stop complaining and GO WORK! That’s what I did all day, all week and all year! So, I will reward myself with a steak tonight because I, myself earned it. NO ONE else earned my money but me. Therefore, no one else is ‘entitled’ to MY money.
That doesn’t surprise me one bit. It seems to me that no one wants to work for anything anymore and it really has to do with the NON-PARENTING that is going on in the world today. Parents become parents so they can be on welfare, food stamps, TANF, or to just simply, “milk the system”. There should be stipulations on these programs, just as WIC puts on their program. Allow milk, bread, potatoes, and chicken ONLY. That’s all anyone needs to be able to live. Humans today, don’t understand that we should only EAT TO LIVE, not LIVE TO EAT. If our system put these stipulations on these programs it may cut down on obesity, and LAZY AMERICANS. WORK FOR LIFE!
Well done Kiddo! Will be sharing on Facebook!
I somewhat agree with this, I mean, there are Somalians where I live, and they are basically given everything they want on a silver platter. Not once have I ever been to a store, or restaurant and seen A SINGLE ONE working. And just yesterday, I was with my mom at walmart, when I witnessed a famlily of them, and their cart was full, FULL of gaterade, orange, grape and other sodas, and bags of potato chips. I will admit I am on disability, and foodstamps, but I’ve only been on them for about a year. I am also a CNA. At the moment I cannot work, but in a few months I shall be able to. I really cannot say that I agree with the whole ”everyone” should work for everything. My own mother can’t work, because of her disease. But that doesn’t mean she’s abusing the system. Just because we can’t all afford coach bags and iphones like this girl obvioiusly can, without help, doesn’t mean we are any lower then her.
I just hope this young GIRL/CHILD (I”m guessing she probably lucky enough to have parents who at least in part help pay for college and books,) has no life experince except a couple summers at wal-mart is lucky to enough never have to NEED any help. And if one day she finds herself on the other side (the one she seems to think of more as burdens then humans) I hope the people around her treat her with more understanding and less judgement than she has shown her self to have for those around her.
She tends to forget life that life can turn on a dime and this “handout” may be something she needs one day. And it’s in most cases not really a handout, my husband and I have worked all of our lives but due to the bad economy he was laid off when I was 30 weeks pregnant. As a result of any extended layoff we lost EVERYTHING we worked for, house, car, life savings trying to stay a float, when could no longer do it we had to rely on foodstamps and state medical. I don’t consider the six months we were on these a handout as he/we have paid taxes for these emergancy services. We had to lose everything before we even could qualify for anything we had to lose everything we had been working for our entire lives. Had to start over. Because life changed on short notice, not because we were lazy or did something wrong. And yes we bought a birthday cake for our older kid and even had a ham for Christmas.
This kid needs to stop assuming she knows more then anyone. As others have stated the system is broken and in of repair but attacking the people who need this is not the way. I don’t think anyone wants to go back to the days where old people starved to death because they had no food, or babies died because their parents feel on hard times.
On a side note as a clerk/cashier she is legally responsible for reporting the fraud she says she saw to the authouries. Why didn’t she do that? By not reporting it she is just as much a part of the problem as those who are frauding the system, so shame on her not doing the right thing herself. “A good man who witnesses evil deeds and does nothing to stop them is as guilty as the doer.”
So instead of sitting here telling us how poor people or those who are down on their luck don’t “deserve” items you deem on extras, try to see things from a less judgemental place. Because you never know when you might be in their place.
Clearly you people are missing the point of this article. I am sure some of you have fallen on hard times and were in need of the welfare. This article is not about those people. I too worked at a store that sold groceries when I was in High School and witnessed the same abuse of the welfare system. My mother had food stamps when I was growing up, but she worked hard to get to a point where she no longer needed them and I am proud to say she no longer receives any state aid. I am a college graduate and my parents didn’t pay for a single dime of my education. I struggled to work full time WHILE going to school full time to better myself and I never received any welfare. In fact many others I know, though they work 40-50 hours per week for peanuts, “make too much money” to receive aid while others that are simply to lazy to get jobs are making more money off the state than those who contribute to society. I am currently a bartender and I make most of my money in undeclared tips, so technically I could get state aid because I don’t make much on paper, but I don’t because I know there are people out there who need it much more than I do. I have no health insurance bc I “make too much money” for medicaid and had to pay $1500 out of pocket for a root canal procedure. I have fallen on times where I literally lived in my car and had no where to go. I have had to get cash advances on credit cards to pay my rent. I have had literally less than $1 in my checking account and no food to eat.
SO before you make assumptions that just because someone is angry at people who are uneducated, lazy, wastes of space leeching off of taxpayer dollars, means that they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth- think about why people like me who were lucky to have a spoon at all would agree whole heartedly with the position this article takes.
First of all I’d like to congratulate this young lady for being a beautiful, shining example of what a responsible citizen should be. Well written article.
What if we taught kids like this:
At the beginning of the class the students all pick out of a bowl that has cards written on them “Working” and “Public Assistance.” The kids with the “Working” cards are told they are working for a pizza party at noon will clean up around the school all day. The other kids are allowed to watch movies, read books and go to a long recess. When noon rolls around, the teacher informs his “Workers” that they did excellent and the Pizza and movies are the reward for their hard work. Then take half of the pizza and give it to the “Public Assistance” kids, who had not worked all morning and had been watching movies. This will prepare kids for their future.
That’s why I don’t shop at WalMart anymore, it’s depressing. We are not on any assistance, barely making ends meet, no iPhones, no second car, no luxuries of any sort, yet we manage to eat healthy and pay for our own food living on one modest income. It disgusts me when I see the people loading up their government sponsored shopping carts with junk food and they are standing at the check out talking on their smart phone clad in gold head to toe. They have nearly taken over America and they certainly reproduce a lot better, despite obesity rates. Of course, real Americans who pay for everything themselves can’t afford to have 5+ kids.
Do people abuse the system? Yes. Do all people abuse the system? NO, absolutely not! You have some very valid points in your article however you are also making some very abusive judgement calls based on a few people.
How about those people that came in there and used their food stamps wisely? I also happen to agree with those that stated that there is nothing wrong with buying food once in a while that a person likes to eat rather than the cheapest food available. As for purchasing food that isn’t nutritious, there was a very recent article (or news story, I don’t recall and now wish I could find it) about this very thing. That article proved that buying processed food that wasn’t near as nutritious was actually cheaper than buying fresh fruits and vegetable, etc. and people were able to stretch their food stamps further by purchasing that kind of food rather than food that was good for them! Sounds horrible doesn’t it? But the fact is, the article backed up their story with facts and numbers.
As for rude, you come off as quite rude yourself by judging others. Try walking even a block in someone elses shoes, I’m not even asking you to do a mile. Not everyone on food stamps is on welfare or “on the system”. Many (as already said) are unemployed due to losing their jobs because of the economy, many are disabled or even elderly or retired and unable to make ends meet and ONLY get food stamps and no other help or assistance. They rely on the food stamps to stretch their budgets over the month and make ends meet. How do I know this? I’m also one of those people. You try living on $900/month Social Security and pay medicare, etc. It does not go very far young lady.
I’m grateful for what I have, and also thankful for the help I get from family and friends including being able to get online (one of the benefits of family help). When I saw this article I was astonished that someone so young could also be so judging. May God help you learn compassion.
well you keep this short sighted view of the world and you will continue to toll at low paying no wage jobs at Walmart making lots of money for company that couldnt care less about your health or welfare. I mean they wont increas an average family purchase by .45 to give workers there a decent wage and benefits….. and meanwhile you cam chastise people based on your five minute interactions and let them know they dont deserve to live at the poverty level or below. God forbd you be there someday and may want a peice of steak of celebrate a birthday with a cake…
I think if im on welfare anad want to buy my children a slip and slide to play on then thats my business. And whats wrong with buying a steak if your on welfare? why should I buy my kids hotdogs if I get enough FS to buy them steak. You know most people on welfare live either in low income housing or have a section8 voucher there fore the check that they recieve are for things like house hold items clothes for thier kids and yeah maybe a little gift like a friggin slip and slide if they’d like to give thier children something nice. My husband had a 25 dollar and hour job and when the economy went down hill and major compaines closed after our savings had been used we went on welfare for 6months….let me tell you going from 1500 bucks a week to 611 dollars a month for a family of 5 was horrible. So yes when i got the chance to splurge on my children on silly little things like earrings and sneakers and stuff like that I did just that. My husband has sence become employed again but we are still below average and recieve foodstamps and mainecare. But im here to tell you right now if I go into walmart or any other store and I see lobster below 5 bucks a ponud you can bet we are having lobster tonight and I will be paying for it with my EBT card. And while I’m eating it I will feel sorry for nothing not even for the cashier at walmart who couldnt afford it. I’m not sorry that I got a lobster because i may not get another for another year but im going to enjoy that one. It makes me sick to hear people bitch about people on welfare and how they live and how sometimes they splurge on them selves and thier children.
ignorance is a funny thing…soda is much cheaper than any sort of “nutritional” drink like milk, for all of you who are so quick to judge…and the idea of ‘entitlement’ and ‘laziness’ also seems lost upon many, who likely would not do nearly as well if they themselves were on welfare.
Great post on a very interesting blog. The ironic thing is that BOTH the Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the trravesties aptly described. The Democrats want to hand out everything to everyone….and the Republicans want to allow businesses to breal all the rules, so as to make more profit….and trash the environment in the process. Not to mention sending all the jobs overseas, pay no taxes, and bribe the politicians we elect to stop such abuses. Crazy world….hope you young folks can straighten it out!
While a lot of what this girl has to say is valid, some of it is very judgmental and placing all of people into a category. I am a single mother (and yes as some of you have so kindly put it, my fault for picking a low life father). I am currently receiving food stamps. I work full time trying to provide a living for myself and my child. A lot of people might abuse the system and for that reason a lot of people are passing judgement on the people who actually NEED the help. It is embarassing to have to use food stamps. To apply for it in the first place it makes you feel (or me at least) like I am being looked down on. Like another loser trying to live off the state. Paying for my food with an ebt card is always embarassing enough without the dirty looks you get from the cashier or the other customers. We shouldn’t need to feel so little when we’re already kicked down. Trying to hide an ebt card while you slide it through the machine, picking a cashier who looks a little more understanding. It’s not easy for us all to just accept that we need the help. While some of you feel like you should be able to choose the way we use our ebt cards for food, I respectfully disagree. While I try to pick nutritious food for me and my son. Sometimes he might sometimes want a treat and I can’t otherwise afford to get it. How about you try to explain to a 7year old why he can’t have a little debbie cake but all of the other kids can? Yes it’s your tax money, I work as well, so it’s mine too. It is not my fault the government is paying for my food with your money but I feel like I should choose what goes in my mouth not you. Just because I need assistance it doesn’t mean im passing all of my rights to you. As far as steaks go, I don’t often eat steak, I don’t care for it. However I do feel if someone wants steak then they should be able to have it. Whats it to you if they spend that ebt card on steak or on eggs and veggies..either way they still have the same balance on the card. As for the cake, that’s what I find most ridiculous. If my son is having a birthday and he wants a cake from the bakery why can’t I get that for him? I should not HAVE to make him a cake myself from scratch. Some of you people are so ignorant thinking you can control everybody just because its your tax money going toward their food.
The opposite side of the argument is if we had more checks on welfare fraud and the like, we would need bigger government, and that is NEVER the answer. Right fellow Republicans? Also, rich people are going to eat us all alive.
Much of was said above is very negative and wrong. There are abusers of every system and of everything to be truthful. I am a college graduate, have held a job since I was 13, and have paid taxes and put into the system. I would have lost my home, not had medical care, and been unable to feed and clothe my son if it hadn’t been for the Texas food stamp program. I am eternally thankful. Did I buy cake mix and icing for my son’s 2nd birthday party with it? YES! He deserves a birthday even if I am without a job. Did I buy diapers, juice, milk, formula, and the occasional frozen pizza or bag of tater chips? yes. But did it enable me to get back on my feet? It chills me to think where I would have ended up without that help. I am not ashamed. I am thankful.
Why is it that a person who hasn’t worked a day in their life is “entitled” to lobster and huge birthday cakes (that I’m paying for, no less) when I’m working 40+ hours a week and can barely afford to put gas in my car to get back and forth to work, let alone treat myself to a steak. Yes, there are times when it’s ok for someone on food stamps to buy a nice dinner occasionally. But not for EVERY night like I see where I work. Also, EBT is intended for you and your immediate family, NOT your cousin’s wedding reception (I have seen that WAY too many times in the past year alone).
If you don’t want us to judge, don’t give us a reason to….
This is most, condescending, uneducated and poorly researched article I have ever read.
Shame on you to judge all of those people. You know nothing about their stories and you lack all compassion. There will always be people who abuse any system and shame on them. I hope it doesn’t hurt too bad whne you fall off of the high horse you are sitting on. Your article is full of ridicule and judgement and I would be ashamed to associate with someone who treats the poor as undeserving garbage. You have humiliated yourself in an attempt to do the same to the underprivelidged. Maybe someday you or someone you love will have to walk a mile in those shoes and have to endure the bullying of people like yourself.
the last sentence of your beautifully written article reads “Something must change before the state runs out of money funding welfare programs.”
Perhaps it should read “NOTHING will change before the state runs out of money funding welfare programs.”
Few people course correct before they run out of money…..especially the government!
I was on Food Stamps and Cash Aid a few years ago and I agree 100% with this article. I am not at all offended because I know she isn’t talking about me. I used the system as it was meant to be used — for a short period of time when my family was going through a hard time that was beyond our control. My husband — who was the primary wage earner in our household — suffered a disabling back injury. My income was not enough to support our children. We received assistance for the six months or so it took me to find a better job. I took the money I received as an obligation to do the best I could with it as I knew it was not my money and I owed the taxpayers at least that much. I believe the problem people have (or at least I have) with people using food stamps to buy extravagant food is that it is really not fair to buy food that many of the people supplying to you through their taxes could not afford themselves.
The thing that drives me crazy is why even with this welfare fraud going on, do we still need food pantries and the like? What’s up with that?
When I returned to Maine in Nov 2003, my wife, new child and I went to apply for section 8 housing so I could keep food on the table from the job I had. We entered the office. We were TOLD that it was MANDATORY to apply for TANF and food stamps. I was appaled. We were qualified for section 8 housing, food stamps, TANF and full medical. I was shocked. I was making more in Maine than when I was in Arizona and we were turned down in Az for any assistance. We left Maine shortly there after to a place where I HAD to WORK for what we needed. Never before was I so appaled by having to be required to apply for more assistance than I needed. I believe in a hand up, not a hand out. People that I grew up with in Maine now have the “entitled” mentality. No longer are we a nation of what can I do for you. We are now a nation of what can you do for me. I am deeply saddened by this. Thank you for being a glimmer of hope from the younger “gimme” generation.
Let me tell you something, I dont work for Wal=Mart I work for Social Security and if you really wan to see people that have a dependency? then look at the SSI system. I took a disability claim one day for a woman. She was calling about her 6 month old daughter. She claimed the child was bi-polar. Now when asked how she knew the child was bi-polar she stated the child told her. She was on disability herself receiving about 765.00 per month. She had 9 other children receiving 674 dollars each in SSI. She was getting 1780.00 in food stamps and free housing and 800.00 a month in cash benefits and not one dollar in child support. Each child had a different father. You do the math, this woman was sitting at home having babies getting paid about 11k a month to have kids if you factor in 1200 or so for rent. My very next call was a woman that was denied disability and she had Breast Cancer. Tell me how that can remotely be justified. On days like that I hate my job. Some people really need their benefit but others are just plain lazy and do not want to work and I feel I have a right to judge them because I have Leukemia and spent 5 months in the hospital and even died while I was in and have a major back injury from being shot in Iraq the first time but some how I have the ability to go to work and provide for my family but these other people have no desire at all to do better because they take the title of being disabled literally and play on it forever.
Here is a young lady that will go far and will at the top in no time.
I agree the abuse, it is really sad. How much can the government continue to support in this poor economy. We are reproducing a group of people that are going to forget what the American dream once was. Some people need the assistance, there is no doubt. I work with a government social program and I see so much abuse. Everyone who works with it sees it. Anybody who has ever worked with this knows. I work a real job where i have to pay to park, a mortgage, a car, school loans, utilities, and credit cards. I worked nearly full time the entire time i was in college, and sometimes two jobs. For those who are abusing, it is really disheartening and rather sad to see. I really hope capepark is joking because it is not even worth a single breath. That is the ignorance that people are referring to here. i was Political Science major and if anything the system I see (again with certain individuals) has really changed my mind. I am in the real world and have always worked for everything i ever had. So many people don’t understand that concept and never will.
People yell “Get a job” like you just go in a place and yell out “Where is thine boss? Maketh him giveth me a jobeth, for I am a Viking and demand one” and you just get it on the spot.
Yes, I’ve been searching fruitlessly for a job for a long time. Did I find one? Yes, a temp job, and once that ran out, I was left in the same situation as before. I’m not in school right now because I can’t afford to go, even with a freaking Pell grant. (Not everyone is going to go to school to be an LPN, you know. Some majors are more expensive than others!) I have to live with my mother because I can’t find a job in this bad economy that people seem to conveniently forget when talking about public assistance. And to top it all off? My mother is disabled and desperately trying to go back to work in spite of that. How’s that going? It’s not. The only one who has managed to get a job is my seventeen-year-old sister, and she’s got a ton of senior-year fees she’s got to pay off.
Yeah, we’re on public assistance. Otherwise, my two little brothers, both under the age of thirteen would starve. We don’t get a whole lot of that, though. Yeah, we drive a Cadillac… That was passed to my mom after my uncle who bought it with cash died a few years back.
I hate public assistance. Yet it is a godsend for those who need it. I’m thankful for it, but at the same time, I’d like to be able to do something for myself, you know? And if you have the funds to get a birthday cake or something on the EBT, then, cool. Whatever. Does that mean that I think a person should blow all their funds? No. If you’re getting it, make sure you actually need it (yes, I also know people who abuse the system), and make sure you use it wisely. I don’t vote democrat or republican, because everyone in office is equally responsible for the damage we’ve suffered. No one ever fixed it, therefore, it never got fixed, therefore, they are all equally responsible.
I do agree with this article, though. And a few of the comments. I mean, come on, you don’t just go get a job easy as pie, neither should the system be done away with, because no one’s going to help those of us who need a little leg up. You can’t be expected to pull yourself up by the bootstraps when you don’t even have a pair of boots. That’s all I’ve got to say. And I’m not going to respond to hateful comments. I’m just sharing my story, that’s all.
Oh, and one more thing. When I do get another job, I’m not going to complain about my taxes, but be thankful I actually have a job. If you want to complain, that’s up to you, but I opt out of that.
Yes, we’ve all seen it everywhere. Republicans aren’t the only ones who want to make these blights on society disappear. This article is too one-sided (while well-written). But bragging that she votes Republican doesn’t make her any more in the right — one “evil” (poor, greedy moochers) being replaced by another (anti anything non-heterosexual, rich, greedy moochers).
Attention “Walmart Checkers” – Check out their “Hair, Nails and Tattoos” – These also cost money, but it gives them “Self esteem”
I keep seeing over and over here the concept of “how can you be so upset about a kid getting a birthday cake?” It’s not that we feel the kid shouldn’t have a birthday cake. It’s the attitude that since they are getting “free money,” they should spend $30+ and BUY a birthday cake when you could just as easily in 7 minutes MAKE a cake out of a box, put it in the oven, and frost it in a few minutes’ time for around $4 – less if you use a coupon when you purchase it. It’s the whole “we deserve a boughten cake since we get free money” attitude. THAT’S what has everybody in a frost here. It’s NOT that we don’t think a kid should have a birthday cake. Every kid should get a cake if that is what they want (my kids preferred cupcakes, to be honest), but the point is not to wastefully spend $30-60 on an already made cake at a store when you can make one in very short order for $4 or less. THAT”S the foolish part.
Christine, I’m sure you yourself will never be in this position, because some right wing think tank is going to pick you up and give you a job for life. You’re all set. So you can be as condescending as you want, just like all the other little know-it-alls who populate the college republican network before they go off to their cushy think tank jobs. If you knew squat, you would know, as one of your commentators mentioned, that it’s the crap food that’s the cheapest–not the fruits and vegetables. But you know what? With what the Koch Brothers of whoever will be paying you to turn out more of this bilge, you won’t have to worry about that. Really good career planning on display here.
I have to agree. When did citizenship devolve to such harsh judgment of those worse off than us based upon limited information and narrow stereotypes? Having worked for the city in a not-so-ritzy area, I sympathize with the Wal-Mart clerk, dealing with the public can be frustrating. But let us not be so callus and spiteful toward a single group. I have seen the same levels of obnoxiousness she attributes to these “welfare queens” from rich old white ladies aplenty at registers in stores like Macys. During his 1976 campaigned, Reagan coined the phrase “welfare queen” to describe a particular case of welfare fraud that had hit tabloids in NY. His description turned out to be highly exaggerated and unsupported, go figure, it was a campaign. Nonetheless, the propaganda spread and was readily adopted by a society fraught with racial tensions and diminishing outlets. The term implicitly refers to poor black women with too many children, undeserving of indefinite state support and has become a powerful stereotype with a pejorative connotation similar to “nigger” for black people on or off welfare. Welfare fraud exists, it is a problem we must address. Women can no longer stay on welfare indefinitely thanks to Work Opportunity Act. However, generational welfare persists and a number of personal and societal factors have been identified socially, few addressed politically. It is easier, perhaps, to imagine that the majority of welfare recipients delight in the stigmatized community of below minimum wage subsistence and dependence. There may be more to it however, and ignoring root causes for simple stereotypical stone throwing won’t solve much I think. On one hand the clerk bashes a family for purchasing a cart full of unhealthy foods. She chastises another for purchasing a more substantial diet of lobster and steak. Whatever the circumstances, the clerk demands dignity from these people but affords them none. “That’s why I vote republican.” The percentage of Americans on welfare since 1960 spiked under Reagan and nearly doubled across four administrations, three of them Republican. Wealth transfers are occurring all around us; from inner-city renters to middle class suburban home owners through mortgage deductions provided by state taxpayers is just one example of a non-welfare transfer from one population to another that equates to $billions every year. Since Reagan’s glorious tax policies, we have seen incomes rise for poor Americans by 11%, for middle class American’s by 21%, and for the top 1, 256%. Across three Republican administrations and one Democrat we have seen more of the middle class drop to welfare status than at any time since the Great Depression. That’s why I vote Republican. Please. Neither party has had the political will to truly address the problem. I’d vote for the first who does. The Republican party has some admirable qualities. Among them a supposed sound moral Christian base. This clerk’s unsympathetic hail of judgment and use of racial slurs to back up a speculative position is pitiful and a disgrace to the party she claims to be affiliated with. Maine clearly has a problem and she has a right to be concerned. But only 1.5% of the population are black, only half that, women. So that leaves just about .7% or less of the population that may be representative of the “welfare queen’s” she is so concerned about destroying her state. If 30% of the state is on some form of welfare, there are much more severe and deeper rooted problems than petty welfare fraud in a Walmart. Such percentages are usually symptomatic of systemic failures on a grand scale. Welfare reform? Yes. But in the meantime, one could advise this clerk to try and start helping figure out what is really crippling the state’s economy instead of lambasting a narrowly targeted group of people with no political voice and less social appeal or access to create the change she wishes to see; she may find herself counting out those stamps with the rest of them one day.
Attention “Walmart Checkers” – Check out their “Hair, Nails and Tattoos” – These also cost money, it gives them “Self esteem”
She doesn’t work at WalMart.WalMart employees aren’t pretty.
Very well written…thanks for sharing. As for the people who refuted the statements made by you …I say the hell with them. Lobster, candy and steak are not items that should be allowed on the system. It is a total waste when they could be buying other items that are less expensive, more nutritious and can get more of them to feed their family.
I do understand that some people need help, but there are far to many people who have never worked and are on the system because they just don’t want to work. I totally agree with you. I avoid Walmart because of this issue…I grit my teeth every time I see what you described.
Great Job. Keep it up and keep this moving.
If you don’t work niether shall you eat. Yes a person shouldn’t be judgy but on ther other hand if the people who are on fs and wlfare are truly abusing it wk after wk, month after month, year after year/ There needs to be something done about it. Geez my family and I lived in a BUS for 6months on a 100 a wk!! There where 6 of us kids plus my parents. My parents NEVER asked for a hand out. God provided for our needs by sending people our way with food, It may not have been what we WANTED but it was FOOD and we didn’t go hungry. My dad has had to work alot of diffrent jobs some not so good ones where the pay wasn’t that great, but you know what I learned hard work and doing something you don’t like to do NEVEAR hurt anyone. I do feel for the widowed women and the single parents. My husbands mom was a single parent with 3 kids. It wouldn’t be easy. I have a friend that is on WIC currently for her baby. She does work 40hrs a wk. She isn’t using it for her own pleasure. She is a very hard worker.
Christine Rousselle
I have on question after reading this story. With all the laws you claimed witnessing being broken, have you ever called anyone in your county or the state and filed a complaint that the welfare laws are being broken in your state? I commend you for trying to get the word out, but I didn’t read anything about your own efforts to make the folks in charge aware of what you are seeing.
Many appalling things witnessed by one cashier. Let’s speculate on the number of other cashiers who have witnessed the same. Each and every one of them are lucky to have a job. We all get so worked up when our personal beliefs or morals are attacked in such a manner that we forget common sense in our judgement. I too get so enraged at the abuses of the system that I have witnessed being the next in line behind the “welfare queen” but I have tried not to judge the majority of those on welfare by the actions of the lesser percentile. This artical suggests that almost all if not every welfare recipient grossly abuses the system. There is no concrete proof of that therefore I am going to put the abusers in the lower percentage range of 15-25 and base it only on my personal observations of human nature.
Even though……( What percentage welfare paid is considered fraud? / Answer:
Less than 2% of welfare recipients commit fraud.
A study in Massachusetts showed that vendors committed 93% of welfare fraud, thus only 7% of welfare fraud is committed by recipients. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_percentage_welfare_paid_is_considered_fraud#ixzz1gY1YwBOO)
To where I’m going with all this.
1) I do see that people who’s job is dealing with the public, especially cashiers, fall victim to “The customer is always right” theory. That is bull. Everyone in any position should be treated with respect.
2) The comment by one respondent on using coupons along side of food stamps (ebt) is not well thought out. Kudos to those who do! Helping the tax payers money stretch a little further. Could this assist in keeping the State’s benefit amount calculated table down? It sure won’t help in raising the benefit amount.
3) If two families are alloted $600.00 in food stamps per month each: family 1 purchases $50.00 worth of lobster and a $20.00 birthday cake. The rest is used to buy “exceptable welfare recipient food”. Family 2 spends all on “exceptable welfare recipient food”. Family 2 eats the same type of meals through-out the month but family 1 probably is on a “Ramen Noodles budget” for a few days at the end of the month UNLESS… they stretch their dollars with the use of coupons just like every middle classed american shopper does. Right? Which brings me to number four.
4) Most of the average tight budgeted lower middle class american shoppers could afford a few lobster or porterhouse dinners through-out the year if they learned to budget a little tighter, used coupons more often and cut back on a pay-per view etc….
5) A child who’s parents are on welfare might not deserve a cake done up by “The Cake Boss” but don’t they at least deserve a pretty one done at the store. Maybe that is the nicest thing they get for their birthday because dad was laid off and there wasn’t enough cash to buy that new tri-cycle.
If everyone rants and raves enough maybe they will revamp these welfare laws and force all these useless people back into the work force! Cause last I knew there was an over abundance of jobs in Maine as well as the rest of the country. Right?
Wrong…….Let’s just give them all a paper cup, rag and a spray bottle.
Look at this with common sense. Majority of the people are in the system due to the economy over-all. When revamps hit, they hit hard. Look at the workers comp revamps in the late 80′s. The majority of those the revamp affected were those who needed or deserved it. The numbers are out there to prove this. These revamps go to the extreme especially when they are being done by a new party regime rather it be Rep. or Dem. / Whig – Tory…..these numbers are available on the net also.
Use common sense when proving your points and not angered ramblings. Look at facts and not I thinks. We need to fix things at the top and work our way down. World economy, Government structure, how do we create more jobs?, Would more strict import/export laws aide in creating more jobs? NAFTA , known to have a negitive impact on the State of Maine, helped in closings wood and paper mills in Maine. Home Depot’s fresh lift of 2×4′s have a big maple leaf painted on the end of them. This state as well as this nation needs jobs. The more jobs, the less on welfare, the less welfare abuse that is witnessed.
To answer your Question or should I say assumption: I am not on welfare, never have been on welfare. I filed my first tax return in 1980 when I was in the seventh grade and have always had a job. My longest job lasted 18 yrs. but ended due to you guessed it…..lay-off. Almost had to use welfare but I was a lucky one who had some carpentry experience to fall back on. And…..I am a true Republican.
well when maine gets off there high taxes for companies to hire new employees maybe the people on welfare can get jobs and support there families but not in maine, maine is one of the worst places to find a job and i feel for the people who are trying to find work it just saddens me to hear it from people that have jobs to put people down that are trying to find some work:((
I understand people taking advantage, but just because you are in need does that mean you don’t ever deserve a great meal? Maybe the people buying steaks and such were celebrating a birthday?
Unfortunetly, its not just WalMart this happens in. So many people think they are entitled to welfare. Its disgusting, and the worst in my opinion these people usually have several children who don’t know any better and they to end up on welfare, never working a day in their lives.
I think the article was right on…Except…the restrictions on food ….If a person feels like eating a steak for dinner once in a while..who are we to say they can’t??? Just because they are on state assistance dosent mean they can’t eat something that they like. Maybe they eat steak one day a month…and the rest of the time they eat chicken, hamburger, hot dogs ect. and as far as Birthday Cake…well I think that the children deserve to have a cake for their birthday and if the parent can’t afford the outrageous prices of a cake with what little cash they may have….then they should be able to buy it with foodstamps. t’s food…you eat it. Yes there are alot of people out there that abuse the system…but don’t judge a book by it’s cover! “IE…just because they buy steak and birthday cake don’t mean they are cheating the system”
btw @ Peter shay I guess in much less words I was trying to convey all that you said. I absolutely agree with you. Kudos
I worked at Wal mart parttime for a 2nd job for extra Christmas money…I am a school teacher fulltime…I had to quit because of EXACTLY what this article is about….when I scanned 18 bags of cookie to a 400 pound woman with NO teeth and she swiped her food stamp card I could barely contain my comments…here I am working 2 jobs and this WELFARE QUEEN needed 18 bags of cookies?!?!?!? Why are food stamp recipients able to buy ANY food item but WIC is so regulated? I think ALL food assistance should be monitored like WIC and….each recipient should get a shot of birth control to activate their card…if you cant afford to feed the kids you already have, you should be denied the privilege of having anymore!!!!
Why don’t you just say it: you’re Republican because you’re racist.
This is such a biased, unfair view on Food Stamps. Most people do not spend their lives relying on government assistance. Most people are poor for less than a year at a time. My husband was just released from the military and he hasn’t been able to find a job since. He’s been out for 3 months and we finally broke and applied for some assistance. We were approved for food stamps and I swear that was the best news that we heard since the birth of my child. (He is 6 months now.) I work 30 hours a week at a low paying job, have my associate’s degree, and I am in school full time trying to get my bachelor’s degree. What can be done any differntly in my life right now? I can not afford rent, gas, electric, daycare, car insurance, and food to live off of. No matter which way I spend my money, something is not going to get paid. Should we go with no heat for a month? Then we’d freeze. Should I take my car off the road? Then how would I get to work? I’m doing all the right things, but money is still a huge problem. My husband and myself have both worked hard since we were 16 and have paid our taxes just like everybody else. Why must judgement be passed on people because they are at a difficult point in their life? Hopefully, once I graduate I will be able to find a good paying job and will never need anytime of help again. Sometimes people are dealt cards that don’t make a Flush and need a helping hand. There’s nothing wrong with that. Obviously, there are people that try to get around the system somehow and STEAL tax payers money, as some say but if the government shut down these programs, the people that really, truely needed help wouldn’t get it. There is only a certain amount of time that families can recieve government assistance anyway, so in reality the people making the big decisions are actually thinking wisely. It’s almost like the only people that don’t understand how beneficial government assistance can be, have never seen, felt, or dealt with the effects of poverty!
Very good. But if you realy feel this way you should join the Libertarian party. It is much more in kine with what they believe.
I became a Republican after working at a grocery store in college. I experienced the same sort of generational welfare that this blogger has. It forever changed me. I used to want to save the world. Now I think we need to save us from ourselves.
Read this and thought to myself great article….read the comments and thought to myself. Damn they are right…There are people who qualify for these programs and they should take advantage. They should be a bit more frugal with their money as they are but kids should not reek the consequences of an uncontrollable situation. Don’t forget some if not given the proper things could feel anger and resentment towards society and eventually become unhealthily mental….(meant in any direction take it as you will). This author does specify that she is not against but has seen abuse. For those of you feeling the need to prove yourselves and situations online I love reading the stories but there is no need to prove yourself to people who don’t know you. Don’t let them get under your skin. You know what you need and you do what you have to to get it. Survival of the Fittest! … all I’m saying. PS… I am about to do as you have all done… I do not live off stamps do not have family that helps and supports me but I do find a way to get the things I need and want in life! I am 24 years old.. Figure that out….
Tim Thompson
she makes ONE point that is not completely idiotic, the one about the hotdog vendor, HE is in the wrong. as for the rest of her silverspoon-republican rant, she has NO CLUE about the REAL world. first of all welfare is for as long as it is needed by the recipiant, that is why they do this thing called a REVIEW at scheduled times throughout the year, if you pas the review, which the state looks at VERY closely, you recieve benefits until the NEXT review. second, it does not matter what people buy for food, just because it is being bought with foodstamps doesnt mean they are lower in class than YOU ALMIGHTY REPUBLICANS, why are YOU entitle to steak more so than the poor? just because you are in a higher tax brackett? the people that purchase these items are WELL AWARE of what they are buying and the consequences of buying “luxury” food items, that lobster they buy could be for a pecial occasion and they havent had the silver-spoon fed ability to have one in years. people on foodstamps usually end up buying food for an entire month and just about starve the last week and a half because a single person recieving the full $200 had better learn to LOVE raman noodles, cus your gonna eat a hell of alot of them to make it through, the silver-spoon well to do probably spend that amount every week, here’s a challenge for you, if you are a single individual limit yourself to $200 worth of food for a MONTH and then rethink your views on what should or should not be bought with foodstamps. guarantee you will want a steak after trying to bilk all the peanutbutter protien you can for the month, oh and if you do this experiment(i know you silver-spooners wont) try to buy BALANCED meals 3 per day and see what your $200 gets you. just cus im sure you love NUMBERS, that is roughly 90 meals for a month and at a $200 budget that is a little more than $2 per meal. yea the government is getting royally screwd by people buying steak and lobster with foodstamps. and as for the man from mass with the card from 91, did you ever think that he may be dissabled and hasn’t been able to work since then? as far as the tanif thing is concerned, that is EVERY DIME some people get each month, who cares what they buy, those could be gifts for thier children who probably DIDNT get the “luxury” of being born into a well to do family. and plus if they are buying that stuff at WAL-MART they are REALY splurging!! jus because a person is on tanf doesnt mean that they should have to take the scraps left over by the high and mighty, they deserve to have a couple “luxuries” too especially the ones at the 5 diamond designer outlet of WAL-MART.i feel this girls should spend some more time in the REAL maine, not the “vacationland” of her delusions. yes there are those who DO abuse the system, most of them are RICH, i wonder if she has any idea how many people who are well off are also getting welfare aid? i feel that those people who have views like this “republican” girl should try and LIVE on welfare for a while and ONLY welfare and then try and get a job in this economy where phds are competeing with 18 year old higschool grads for a job at mcdonalds. try seeing the state we live in without the rose colored glasses. and no maine is not the poorest STATE but it has alot of the poorest PEOPLE living in it. jobs are not growing on trees, some people NEED welfare just to survive. instead of judging from your high horse why not do something to HELP the dissadvantaged, they are not lepers, they wont infect you with poor and unfortunate, or lower your tax bracket, hell alot of help for th poor is a tax write off for you people anyway.
I understand what you are saying but i have been on TANF before and I was able to buy my kids shoes clothes and toys. As well as I was able to get to the store where I was having to work at to be able to get TANF. I am not saying I am for the people that abuse the state but I really was thankful to be able to get my kids Christmas with this money if I would not have had it I would not have been able to buy it. Please do not say mean remarks to me for saying what I think.
I loved the article!! Great job!! I live in Scarborough, Maine.
Twenty one years ago, I at 20 years of age was a single mother of one. I worked full time, and when my son was with his father on the weekends, I had a second job. I paid my mortgage, oil, car payment, insurance, household utilites and for food. I even had a savings. The economy was terrible back then too. It never occured to me to ask for help or as most people today expect it. I got pregnant on my own doing, I divorced my husband on my own doing. It was rough, I was exhuasted, but I am a firm believer you take care of yourself. My family was never in a postion to help me financially and I would never have asked. I made everything from scratch,I STILL DO!!.
I have since remarried and have two more children. I am still frugal to this day, but have reaped the rewards of doing so. I have never lived beyond my means. I can guarantee that if for some reason I had to have used public assistance, I wouldn’t have the attitude that it is owed to me.
My healthcare out of pocket costs have quadrupled in the last year, due to the free healthcare many in this state are receiving. That is how these plans are paid for. Do the people receiving governmanet paid health insurance have to pay $100. for a co pay when they use the Emergency room as a doctor’s office?
If you can play on your iPhone with one hand at the check out, and swipe that EBT card with the other, I guess it is only human nature to wonder WTH??!!
The welfare system in Maine is very flawed, I and I for one cannot wait wait to see it change. Temporary, fine but a lifestyle, no way!! The problem is, people feel it is society’s job to take care of them and it is not. It is your job to take care of yourselves. If you don’t want fed up taxpayers passing judgement then stop the excuses, and tighten your beltstraps. No one is entitled to anything, that is the real world.
Kudos Christine!!
Excellent article and very well written. Way to many people take full advantage of the system and never want to motivate to get off the system. Why bother when the government will pay for your food and what ever else they can squeeze out, or they will have one more kid to get more money. I love seeing my tax $$ hard at work. I have always worked full time while raising 2 daughters. Never once did I have assistance. Money was tight and my girls never got all the brand names like most of their friends but they had food and shelter. They were raised to appreciate what they had and when they got old enough got part time jobs so they could purchase what they wanted.
I say give the elderly the money for food and heating…they are the ones who need it most. Most of the young people are on welfare because their parents were and have zero motivation to get off the system. Most of them are able to work but who wants to when they can sit on the a** all day and have someone else support them.
First off, I’d like to say that you did an amazing job writing this letter and feel the same aggravation when it comes to fraud with our welfare system. I did notice that a lot of people talked about time restraints for being on welfare. Myself personally I do receive state aid and sadly have received help for awhile. There is a 4yr limit to TANF ( cash benefits) and am appalled by what people use this for. I remember going to Payless shoe store to buy my daughter a new pair of shoes and saw they accept EBT cards ( the cash portion ) I personally couldn’t imagine having money left over after paying for bill. You’re cash portion is suppose to be a percentage of what you pay for rent to help you make that payment. Other bills such as electricity, heat and phone ( I believe these are the only 3 bills that count) count towards how much you get for your Foodstamps. After I finished college and got a job making 11/hr I no longer was able to receive these benefits but was put on a Temporary Help Fund. I received 100 a month in foodstamps and no cash benefits, which for me worked fine. When I lost my job and received unemployment, I made too much for TANF but was able to get Foodstamps. I have since found a part time job working as a laborer for a construction company but now I am in between a rock and a hard place. If I make more the 7.50/hr or work more then 20 a week. I loose all help and go back to Temporary Help, I personally can’t live off that with rent, bills and a 4yr old daughter that’s growing like a weed. As a single mother with no help I am having a difficult time finding another job that’s schedule fits with my current job and daughter’s daycare time. As for paying it back, any child support goes to the state I don’t see a penny, which is fine by me, the problem is he finds jobs where he can work under the table and even then he doesn’t try giving me money, he’ll still as me for some. The system sucks and needs a drastic makeover, but I appreciate the help I have gotten and would never think to abuse the system.
Sherry, the point here is this: If they are that bad off that they desperately need food stamps to buy food, don’t you think they would be careful with them and not spend $30+ on a sheet cake for their kids’ birthday, but rather buy a cake mix and frosting for less than $4 and use the other $26 on real food? If they are unemployed (NOT saying all food stamp recipients are unemployed, but the majority are), they have TIME to make that cake. It’s the ATTITUDE that because they are getting the free money, they can more freely spend it on a $30 cake.
I have NEVER bought a cake for my kids’s birthdays – I MADE them what they wanted. I worked 80 hours a week and made the time to still give my kids what they wanted. No, I didn’t get food stamps and I was barely financially able to buy the stuff for the party.
I think a lot of this boils down to priorities – if you want to eat, you do what you have to in order to eat, and that means YOU WORK. Don’t give me the “I can’t find a job” baloney. There ARE jobs out there in every single city in the country – yes, they may be minimum wage jobs, but they are JOBS – you just may have to work 2-3 of them in order to pay your bills – like people did before there was welfare. I’m seeing people here saying “I work my 40-hours a week and we can’t make it still.” So get a second job!! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
So when the economy collapses, which is most likely within the next 5 years or less, what will you all do who are on welfare long-term and there is no money to pay benefits anymore? Perhaps you need to do some planning on your future – getting a job, stocking up on food and supplies, have a garden (even a container garden works – did it for years), etc., so when things hit the fan, you have something to take care of your family. Think about it! There won’t be any gov’t to be there to take care of you anymore…you’ll have to …gasp…take care of yourself!
I can’t say that I am shocked by what is said here. I have seen and dealt with customers when I worked at Wal-Mart and a grocery store. I saw more of this kind of stupidity when I worked at Wal-Mart as a cashier. Something that really bothered me and still does when I think about is one of my former co-workers using WIC. She didn’t abuse the privilege she got the items that were on that list. It was the fact that her husband was active in the United States Air Force and they had to have additional assistance from WIC to help feed their family is what bothered me. Anyone in the Armed Forces shouldn’t have to have WIC assistance or food stamps. That is where the government needs to take better care of the military and their families. I also saw some people that saved up 5+ WIC checks, argued about the items on the check, used their EBT card to get cash, and used that cash to buy alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, and other items that weren’t necessary. THIS IS OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!!!!!! Instead of helping the people who really do need some temporary assistance with groceries, the government is letting a lot of these people who refuse to get a job to live on food stamps, WIC checks, and free cash from the tax payers. I have heard this excuse, “YOU OWE US!” News flash: I DON’T OWE YOU ANYTHING!!! I went out and job searched, why can’t you?! A lot of people should stop using the color of their skin as an excuse too!!! I have seen black, white, American Indian, oriental, and others work and sometimes, work 2 jobs.
If these people abusing the welfare system of food stamps and EBT cards can’t get the items, they end up stealing it anyway and getting away with it. I have seen that happen too many times. Don’t have enough money on your EBT card for a 32” flat tv? Not a problem, just put it in the cart and have a good escape plan where you won’t get caught.
This is another good reason why each voter needs to be cautious on whom they vote for. If the candidate is going to support this kind of nonsense, pick a different candidate.
To all the people who say that even poor people deserve steak and birthday cake… I disagree. STRONGLY. If they want extravagant things, they should get a job and pay for them like everybody else. I have a job, have never been on welfare, and I do not get to enjoy steak and birthday cake. It is so frustrating to clip coupons, buy off-brand, and count pennies in the grocery store, only to see that infuriating orange card pay for things that I could never dream of affording.
When I was in high school, I worked at Graul’s Market in MD, and they did not accept food stamps, WIC, or EBT. I wish that more stores would follow their example!
In the words of my healthcare economics professor…
“If you pay people to be poor, you are going to have a lot of poor people.”
Two problems with this – for the most part I AGREE with her, however 1) I have a handicapped child, we pay a monthly premium for Maine Care. Though this mentions that she feels its “OK” that people use it when they need it, she doesn’t mention that some of us send a check to MaineCare every month so we can use something that many people get for free. It’s not easy to get, it has taken us 7 months to get MaineCare to cover what our insurance does not and this could very well become a life style for my child when she becomes a handicapped adult through no fault of her own.
2) The woman who wrote this post better be prepared to backup her statement about the “hot dog guy”. There are several “hot dog guys” in Portland and if any of them lose business because of what she has written, she could be sued for slander.
Other than those 2 little things, I do agree with a good portion of what she has written.
@Adam way above, I had to scroll down to comment. HELLO…”I have gone through 3 kids on WIC” ???? Did you not figure out if you couldn’t afford to feed the first one there shouldn’t have been 2 more? Yes that is abuse of the system, when you know you couldn’t afford to feed one child you choose to have 2 more. I can’t feel sorry for you if you don’t have enough sense not to keep procreating when you don’t have the money to feed the mouths you make. Get off the dole and raise your own kids, none of the taxpayers ok’d you to have a large family so you would have more $’s on your EBT card. You are who she is talking about. Think with your big head not your little head.
This was said beautifully!!! U said what most of us hard working Americans r thinking when we go shopping n have to wait 20 min in line for someone or many someone’s to buy themselves presents… Hey if u need help great ..that’s awesome …u should get that help but when someone like me has to work their butt off even working 2 jobs which I have done because I make a little too much money to feed n cloth my son there’s a problem. And no I don’t have a credit card never had… And no I don’t drive round in a brand new vehicle with a payment… and no I don’t get child support cause apparently for the great state of maine hard working ppl like me come last n I’m talking yrs here ppl …I have basic bills . That’s it… There was weeks I bought only food for my son cause I might have had maybe 20 dollors to go me the whole week ..not a day…a week… And I’m being generous with the 20 cause I went without food … I can’t afford lobster steak n whatever else tickles your fancy and I have always worked!!!!!!!!!! U get a standing ovation for this article as far as I’m concerned!!! Great job!!!
Narrow-minded 20-year-old Wal-Mart cashier telling me about the injustices of life?! Puh-leeze! You just fell out of the nest. When you experience REAL life— job loss that means you may lose your home, your car and means of feeding your child(ren), THEN you can talk to me.
When I lost my job (no fault of mine), my husband continued to work although it wasn’t enough for us to make it. Then our son returned from IRAQ and had severe PTSD. He was unable to work and the government dragged their feet issuing him disability checks… for SEVEN MONTHS he had NO INCOME and had to live in our house where we were struggling as well. Thank GOD for food stamps! It got us through the winter. THe money we did NOT have to spend on food was spent on our house payments and car payments. You see, we HAD to have a home (crazy notion, huh?) and we HAD to have a car to get to work and job interviews. We didn’t have to be on FS for long, but I am thankful we had that temporary crutch. All is not what it seems.
I also saw a post waaaaay up there about a woman buying jewelry at Goodwill with her EBT card. Wow…. maybe she needed that undoubtedly cheap jewelry to round out an outfit for a JOB INTERVIEW.
I think this walmart freak is almost jealous honestly. #1 you are allowed a certain alotment for food ..it is up to you how you spend it (period) unless of course you would like to pay a person to follow people around to see what they are purchasing . It is not up to you to decide how they eat. #2 I dont give a crap if you are ignored on their cell phone … they peobably need to have a phone too ; ) #3 Why dont we add up all the money that was spent on companys who donated to obama and then when bankrupt using your money #4 IM SICK OF NASTY OBAMA FREAKS LIKE YOU PUTTING DOWN PEOPLE WHO HAVE LESS THAN YOU … I dont give a sh*t if they are having steak with their 200 dollars a month OR F ING RAMEN PRIDE ..the steak is better for them you NO GOOD PIECE OF TRASH
PS … STOP BEING IGNORANT AND FOCUS ON WHAT YOUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING
I would be interested to hear stories where you think the system worked. My wife and child used WIC for a year when we needed help and both my wife and I have a masters level education. It was extremely frustrating for us to spend the time to pick out WIC approved goods only to arrive at the check out to have them not ring up, even with the picture listed. I would hate to rail on people for bringing something up to your register when I would say most of the people don’t want to step in your lane and be judged by someone. Obviously people are going to abuse the system, and people are going to make their money stretch as far as they can. Reform or not, I would challenge you to do your job, you get paid to ring up items and take money, not to judge people who frequent your line. You don’t know their life situation, and I would assume that you don’t want people to judge you for working at wal-mart. If you ever found your self needing a little help sometime, I hope the cashier wouldn’t be there to judge you for who you are.
Sorry, but I have to say it to beat out the lefties who will come to this conclusion:
You are a racist.
I think that what this woman is saying is absolutely right and she deserves to speak! Janet and Sarah Ryan, if anyone is judging, its you two! You don’t know this girl! All you know is that she wants to speak her mind and probably couldn’t care less about what you have to say. You people are so judgmental! I mean your judging this innocent woman for speaking the truth, and the only reason why you two are getting so defensive about it, is because you know that she is right.
I think people should be taught to be entreprenuers and work from anywhere, see the 99% of this country have these entitlement problems (like expecting welfare from the state) because they don’t realize how the system can help them be independent, and how to save money and how to create a Financial Safety Net I really think that we need to educate people HOW they can be financially independent, rather than chastise them, or worse, provide for them indefinitely.
Great article though Christine, pretty cool how much buzz and how many comments you received.
hate to tell that lady but it is not welfare fraud to allow your child to use your ebt card, nor is it welfare fraud to use your id to get alcohol… not even fraud to buy alcohol with the cash they give you.. nor is it fraud that more then one member of the family be on assistance and in most cases if one person in the family is on the others who live with them have to be or have to work or they cannot live there… if there under age then they have to be on.and having an iphone or any phone while on assistance isn’t fraud either.. people on assistance are given a certain amount of cash money every month an allotment for rent and the extra is for personal usage… they can spend that extra on clothes cable phone or whatever… what they use it on is up to the individual user but the sad fact is that i have seen ALOT of people on assistance forgo things like furniture or clothes for there kids while wearing leather jackets and gold earnings and talking on iphones themselves.. but i do agree something needs to be done but to short those who do use there money wisely and on what they need is unfair just to teach the few idiots out there who milk assistance for every thing its worth… as for the alcohol i often think there should be drug and alcohol testing for people on assistance… but the only thing that will do is either put more people on the streets or cause more cases of fraud and that isnt good either.
That same hot dog vendor who uses his food stamps also usese free Medical care…and get this he’s a temp summer resident!!!!
And the people that need the assistance don’t get it. I am a single parent, always had a job. I was on food stamps in my 20′s, but was able to move forward with work and make a life for myself. Now at 50 years old, I have 2 grown children still living with me, one in college ($$$$) and one with a baby ($$$$). Neither of them have jobs and the one with the baby does not qualify for any assistance as she LIVES WITH ME. It is now my responsibility to pay for everything, college expenses and a BABY. I buy diapers, food, necessities, and yes, even gifts and birthday cakes.
My daughter is in school, no job. She received WIC when she was pregnant and moved out. Things didn’t work and she moved back in with me and state stopped ALL of her assistance. Even when you work hard and make something of yourself (I personally make over $60,000 a year), you don’t get a break. My daughter needs and deserves some assistance, but does not know how to lie to state and get it like most people do. I fully support my grand-daughter, however I cannot even claim her on my tax return.
What has happened to this system?????
I feel your pain Christine Rousselle! I have worked as a cashier in Va. at a grocery store called Food City,and am currently working as a cashier in North Dakota at a grocery store called Market Place.I’ve dealt with these exact same situations (like people looking at me like i have 5 heads and i did something wrong when they’re food stamps get declined) and yes working as a cashier can be hard work considering all the ignorant and rude people.Good for you this was a great paper i think you deserve an A+
It is difficult to stomach the fact that people in this country get rewarded for doing all the wrong things. When are people going to take some responsibility for themselves and their families. I am a hard working young adult that put myself through college. I have done nothing in my life besides try my best to make the right decisions. I work hard to just be able to pay my rent and bills. It KILLS me that I am paying for lazy people to live and have fun. The government takes a large chunk of my paycheck for THIS? This kind of thing is not new to me, I have heard and seen it…. for some reason it still angers me every time I hear about it
This has to STOP… I just simply hate lazy people, But when the nuts don’t fall far from the tree some liberal Bastard just wants to keep giving hand outs, Cut them off & do it NOW!!!!!
All you who keep berating the author of this article need to chill. She’s not against the use of welfare so much as she is the abuse of the system. If you really read this article you should clearly this. I thought it was a great article about the rampant abuse of our welfare system. It was never intended to be a permanent fixture in someones life. That’s what’s she discussing here. Many people get on welfare and have no intention to get off. That might not be the majority but it happens and this is where the reform needs to be directed at. Those who use welfare to help them get back on their feet do not use their entire checks on beer and junk food, or buy the most expensive steaks they can find every week. I’ve seen it. Sure, their may be occasions to celebrate but week in and week out, to me, shows abuse. I applaud the author of this article for writing this.
I, too, used to work at Wal-Mart, and I would see things that would blow my mind. I would have customers come through my line and pay for their groceries with food stamps ($200-500)+, then break out a wad of bills that would be more money than I would make in a week and pay for 10 to 12 twenty-four pack of beer. Where is the justice. I have seen families come through and spend $200 on food, and still have over $2000 left on their EBT card. My husband does not even make that much in a month, and he works full time. Again I say, the system is not Well and it is definitely not Fair!
I waited on two young gentlemen one time, they were probably in their 20′s. I saw nothing wrong with their ability to go out and work except for laziness. They paid for their groceries with EBT, and it was expensive meats and foods that I would not be able to purchase. As I was ringing them up, one said to the other, “Man, I sure do love Food Stamps,” and the other man said, “Yea, thanks to the tax payer.” I literally wanted to stop scanning the order, jump across the counter and scratch their eyes out. One more story out of many more that I saw, a gentle man that I know the name of and that I know the business that he is Part owner in (A local car dealership) came in and spent several hundred dollars on EBT, and still had over $1700 left on his account. Something tells me some one was lying. There needs to be a MAJOR over haul in this government run program. Again the system is not right, it is not well, it is not fair, and they need to get some of these lazy ass people that are taking advantage of the system and trying to cheat the government, and make them pay back every single penny that they have swindled out of the tax payers pockets.
I have been a Target cashier for a couple of years and have witnessed some of the exact same situations as you have. I completely agree with you and think that food stamps should be limited to essential food like bread, rice, cereal, milk, cheese, some meats, fruits and veggies…things like that. There is no reason for them to allow pop and candy, those are not essential. I also do not get how they are allowed to get cash with their EBT card. My dad works as a corrections officer and has mentioned how many of the guys who are brought in for drunk driving and drugs have tons of cash, and have an EBT card in their wallet. I am not saying those two are directly correlated every time, but if you have money to buy alcohol and drugs, you probably have money to buy food.
Another thing that really annoys me is women come in with baby gift cards and use it to spend money on themselves on things like jewelry, makeup, movies, clothes… I try to tell myself they must have spent other money on the baby and forgot they had the gift card, but it makes me sad.
Sure, some abuse the system. But by focusing on these people, we turn public opinion against those who need the most liberal benefits they can get from the system to survive. I wonder if anyone who goes to 55k / year colleges ever have to deal with astronomical health debt and rising heating costs?
I currentlly receive. Welfare well I should say my childern do due to the fact their father doesnt fiancially contribute I receive 300 in food stamps a month for two children one which has type 1 diabetes which means she needs plenty of snacks and I don’t want this to seem like I’m trying to put down this article because I understand there is a difference in needing and abusing the system but I felt the need to put my two cents in I work 6 days a week trying to build my clientele up as I do hair but back to my reasoning I in no way can make $300 last a whole month for food last them they cost way beyond that and no I do not have unhealthy kids either I receive $262 in tanf which doesn’t even come close to what they cost but every bit helps and I appreciate it but if I decided on the 1st that I need something for myself or for the house then yes I buy it out of that money cause u can bet ur ass that later on in that month I’m going to b spending triple. That on something my kids need which will come out of my pocket not the states I just thought another perspective needed to b out there
What you say in your article unfortunately is very true. I don’t have a WM near- by, but I have witnessed fraud in a huge way in other supermarkets. A few times I’ve been behind a person on line with a full length fur coat using a food stamps or a card. Then getting into a Brand New Benz.It makes me wonder how the hell do they get away with that. I don’t mind helping people in need and often volunteer and donate to various organization. It makes me nuts to see out right fraud.
Plain and simple…welfare and public assistance are for helping people through temporary situations when they cannot support themselves. That money is to be used for necessities….birthday cake, steak, candy, cell phones, computers etc are not necessary to live a safe, healthy life. You don’t need a phone on your person at all times and you do not need an internet to sustain life. If you can afford these services, you do not need public assistance because it is not societies responsibility to provide you with them. That girl who wrote this article has a right to be angry at what she’s seen as does every tax paying American citizen. Do all people abuse welfare? No. She’s not saying they do. She’s saying we need to tighten up the system and stop this abuse. You, your boyfriend or your kids don’t need a $19.99 bakery cake to have a happy birthday! They just need love and acknowledgement to make them feel special. A $6 box cake made by a loving parent will do. The point, people, is tax dollars are being wasted with this nonsense. Those of us that work have to make choices and do without when we can’t afford it. Some people, ‘some’ being the key word, are abusing the system and it needs to be stopped. I do not wish to give Uncle Sam almost half my paycheck every payday to buy luxury items for people who don’t work. I am more than happy to buy them the staples and basic items they need to survive, but no, not luxuries. Luxuries are for people who have an excess. People who need society to take care of them aren’t entitled to luxuries. I work and I’m not entitled to luxuries unless I can afford them either!! I have to pay my bills and pay my taxes, then decide if I have extra for non necessities. People all over the world survive without cable, cell phones, internet, candy and bakery cakes. No, seriously, they do. Yes, seriously, it’s true. PS to the guy who asked if we want to go back to a time when old people starve…Wake Up!! They are. Truly disabled and elderly people as well as children don’t get the funds they need so some people can waste funding buying bakery cakes for their boyfriends and Christmas hams because god forbid they might have to make do without like the rest of us who are on a budget because we pay income tax.
I made the mistake of going to a walmart on the first of the month once. I was like why is it so crowded here? Then it hit me. Welfare
for those of you who think that it should be okay to buy anything you want with welfare, be it food stamps (which are federal and through the Dept. of Agriculture) or the cash benefits that come from the state in which you reside……..
Why should I work 3 jobs to pay rent and support my children, in order that I don’t have to stoop to asking for welfare assistance, and watch people using MY tax dollars to eat better than my children do?
Pull your heads out of your collective arses!
Once they are on welfare, the whole point is that they are already skewing the markets in the wrong direction! So if they are limited to items which are nutritional AND allow them to get the most nutrition for their FOODSTAMP DOLLAR…. then so be it. If they don’t like the restrictions, they can always GET OFF WELFARE.
And for those of you who say this girl has no business to judge…considering it’s money out of the pay check that SHE works for I’d say she does.She NEVER said that all people on welfare are like this,so if your offended your probably one of those people abusing your welfare and to you I say UP YOURS!
This young lady gives me hope for the future. Maybe someone in HER generation can make it stop, my generation can’t seem to figure it out. It HAS to stop.
http://www.adam-taylor.net/img/christinememe.jpg
No. If you take other people’s money, you should not have steak. Benjamin Franklin believed we should make people uncomfortable in their poverty to motivate them to work to get out. Do those people providing the steak dinner eat what they always want to or do the eat what they can afford? They eat what they can afford. Those taking a hand out should be held to the same standard. A little respect for those actually working.
First off I hope you reported a few of these people to Welfare as fraud.
Second I have observed something in NJ & PA that I’m curious if it’s true in ME: the Food Stamps & TANF people are dress head-to-toe in named brand fashion & so are their children & infants!! They can afford name brand $100 sneakers for a 2yr old, and carry Coach purses? Oh yes they all have I pods & I phones! Must be nice!!
((hats off to Christine for working & writing this!))
People, the author’s entire point in writing this article was to discuss ABUSE OF THE WELFARE system. She didn’t say anything about people who actually need welfare/food stamps/etc. So those of you who are attacking her clearly need to reread the article. Also, the article is called “Why we need welfare reform” not “why we need to stop welfare” or “why everyone on welfare is abusing the system.” Duh.
When we begin to rely on people and/or institutions to provide for us and stop relying on God…that’s when the real trouble begins. People and institutions are inherently flawed and will let you down. If not now, it will be for your children’s children.
not to mention the dependancy on the methadone clinics the state is paying for!! the pay for transportation, the drug its self, the nurses salary, the docs salary and the supplies to administer the drug!!!!
The saddest part to all of this …is that none of you, NONE OF YOU understand the world today … not at all, you dont know what your government is doing, you dont know that there is a food crisis, you dont know that the state will pay for a persons cell phone … as you complain about a poor person having a phone, within this food crisis … they make junk food,,, so there is something for as many people to eat as possible, right now, they are trying to make horsemeat legal, because there isnt enough beef, they are trying to make plastic rice, they are trying to make burgers from feces, they are trying to make burgers from flies and maggots … because there isnt enough food. Surprise. You probably also dont know that you will be losing your rights tomorrow, no more free speech … so lets keep focusing on what we should shove into a poor persons mouth .. because we dont already have enough on our plates… besides …the usa is becoming communistic … so you all have a great “bitching-clueless day” ; )
LOVE this! I think judging if someone wants a birthday cake or not shouldn’t have been said but I feel the system is abused. I worked in a grocery store and my mother in law owns a store. She actually had an employee who bought $100 worth of lottery tickets every week and was on welfare. She couldn’t understand why she had to move back in with her mom and couldn’t afford her low income $75 month apartment. Good grief. I wish we would start monitoring these people!
I work as a cashier at Wal-Mart 2844 in Halfmoon NY,and i agree 100%.I see this kind of stuff everyday.It’s not right.they either dont have enough,or they share their card,or while they are putting their grocery’s up they decide they dont want certain things and its usually meat.i had a csm tell me a couple weeks ago that she cashed a woman out with a $500 order on her FS card and the lady still had over $800 left,that sounds like welfare fraud to me.
Ive been using foodstamps and other government welfare assitance since I moved out on my own when I was a teenager, and its great! I dont see what the big deal is about having an iphone and foodstamps. I have both and its fine.
About the only complaint I have about the program is that I can’t buy cigarettes with my foodstamps. At least not directly. This is particularly bad since Im more or less a chain smoker (usually at least two or three packs a day).
I dont really know how else I could afford my cigarettes if I had to spend money on food! Honestly I dont know how most people are expected to be able to actually pay for their cigarettes without foodstamps.
Even with all my foodstamps and other government money that only comes in once a month, its hard to afford much more than a pack or two of cigarettes a day. Often times have to go to a store that allows for great discounts on cartons of cigarettes if I spend at least $50 food. Still I just wish that they let me just spend the foodstamps themselves on cigarettes and not have to deal with the hassle.
I was a manager at a gas station/kiosk. I had one person come in and beg to buy a pack of cigarettes with food stamps. I told him if he could eat a couple for me then I would let him do that. Needless to say, he walked out mad but I proved my point. I was abiding the law and was still polite about it.
I have a gripe to add that I forgot:
When these people are forced by unemployment or welfare to search for jobs they fake applications. As a supervisor for a retail store I have people constantly come into my store & ask for an application. When I explain that it is done online, they say “ok. can I have your name for my paper saying I asked you?” I reply “When they call here to inquire about this I will honestly tell them that you have not applied for a job.”
This irritates me to no end.
Wahh wahh wahh. Petulant whiny spoiled little girl and a bunch of angry, uneducated red faced nuts agreeing with her. Sounds like a Fox news special.
@ tina it may not be legally wrong (but it should be) and is defiantly morally WRONG to use your ebt cash to pay for alcohol THAT’S HARD WORKING TAX PAYERS MONEY paying for some lazy drunks alcohol!
This article says it all!!!
Wonderful article! I am 100% in your corner. I raised my daughter by myself and worked 2 jobs but I didn’t count on other people’s paychecks to pay my way. I believe the morals my daughter has stems from how she grew up. Got her 1st job at 15 bought her own school clothes, graduated high school then went to college. While in college for 4 years to become a teacher she worked 2 jobs while school was in and 3 jobs through the summer, she’s now teaching and still works a 2nd job on the weekend, and guess what she’s paying back some very large student loans, we all know teachers are underpaid but she loves teaching, hence that’s why she works a 2nd job! What’s worse are the people who think that working for minimum wage is beneath them, well then why do so many other people do it? I’ll tell you why because if you know how to budget even though it’s only minimum wage 2 people in the same house could make ends meet, why do we have to do it for them! Another point I’d like to make is I’m 100% for drug testing people who receive these benefits,I refuse to be their dealer! We get drug tested to work why the hell shouldn’t they for free benefits! I say get a job!! We are all suffering in this economy why should you get a free ride. For those who do need assistance I’m in your corner this isn’t aimed at you, but people that abuse the system are ruining it for the needy. Times are tough but why make it tougher on those who work for a living! Just saying………….
My god i just can’t believe it there are ASSHOLES on here complaining they can’t buy cigs with FOOD stamps FOOD being the key work jackass,not cigarettes!!! and it is not ok for your stupid LAZY ass to go buy your self a fucking iphone and use TAX PAYERS MONEY (NOT YOUR MONEY THEY’RE MONEY) to buy food when you didn’t NEED your stupid fucking iphone i’m so pissed and sick over you assholes! GO STARVE ALREADY
“Dealing with questionable clientele” is as far as you need to get before understanding this is nothing but a racist, classicist, elitist pile of drivel.
Clearly some of you don’t understand reality as you keep calling this an “article”. It’s an opinion- and a pathetic one at that.
I think there’s a lot going on on both sides of this. People feel entitled to live their lives the way they want to and others feel it unfair that they should have to pay for these decisions. I do encourage people to read the article- it clearly states she does not judge everyone on food stamps. But I just as deeply implore the author to look at a key factor- the use of the term “Welfare Queen.” I understand your frustrations, but that makes you come off as purely judgmental. I found myself agreeing with you in many ways until I hit those hateful words. This article went from feeling as though you were trying to shed light on a problem to you sounding spiteful and jealous. Get over yourself. Thank your mom, dad and loans for the fact that you’re looking only for “extra money” and move on.
Amen! I absolutely agree. While I don’t think it’s a huge crime for someone on Food Stamps to occasionaly buy a cake or steak, I know that it’s more than “occasionally” for many people on the system. As an in-home family support type worker in Maine for 6 years, I saw A LOT of things that turned my stomach. And I’ll never forget the person that told me how disgusted she was that the state was considering implementing the “junk food” tax, and she sure hoped they were going to up her food stamps if they were going to charge her more for her food. OMFG!!! And my other favorite, the woman who went to every town within driving distance to sign up for EVERY free Christmas gift service she could think of and then complained when they didn’t give her kids enough presents or the right presents.
I am all for helping people get back on their feet. I am very much for helping people pay for childcare while they work and for providing children with health insurance. I am very thankful that my own kids qualify for MaineCare.
The system is in SERIOUS need of reform, and I am happy to say that I voted for Paul LePage, who is actually doing the things he promised when he was campaigning!
Right on, Erika!
So after reading a bunch of comments I’ve noticed that some of them are saying that if you criticize people who abuse food stamps you criticize all people on food stamps. How exactly does that work? This lady has written an article about people abusing the system. Most people understand that just because you are on food stamps doesn’t mean you abuse the system. However many do abuse the system and there needs to be better accountability for the money the taxpayers are spending on welfare. The people who say that we should not say anything negative about this system are the problem.
I just don’t get it. I’ve been unemployed in the past and always managed to find a way to pay my own way. There’s no excuse for you dead beats who claim to be educated, yet find yourselves unemployed, and “have to” take “benefits”. There’s plenty of work out there for anyone who isn’t a lazy loser. I took work beneath my level of education and experience when I had to. I worked long night hours in sweat shop conditions until I found a better job. I also started my own business and made money on the side, and sold a lot of the nice things I had earned the money to buy in the past. As an employed person, I sometimes work 90 hour weeks. But I always work. If you can’t support yourself and the children you bring into the world without stealing from hard working people, you are just lazy scum. Welfare is for losers. All welfare should come with serious strings attached. 1.You must repay every cent. 2. You must pass regular drug testing. Positive test terminates all aid. 3. As a functional child of the state, you forfeit the right to vote until you grow up and pay your own way. 4. If you dropped out of high school, and haven’t earned your GED, you get nothing. 5. If you can’t prove active job hunting or current educational activity, you lose benefits. …..It’s just so heartless isn’t it? I meant, it’s just so heartless of all you lazy welfare scum to be living on the backs of hard working people who are trying to take care of their own families and don’t need the huge burden you force on them at the point of a gun. LAZY WELFARE SCUM. If you’re able bodied, there’s no excuse.
Education is a wonderful thing. And if you were educated on the way the Welfare system really worked rather than how you believe it worked, perhaps you would be much less likely to judge welfare recipient. Next time you need help, I do hope that you will find a more compassionate hand. Thanks for your opinion, now focus on getting an educaton.
I would just like to say Screw you!! I am one of the people in this lovely state that receives food stamps. Let me just begin by saying that IN MY OPINION you are one judgmental son of a gun! You clearly have no idea what its like to HAVE to ask for help. I have worked everyday since I was 15. At 32, I have been out of work for almost 2 years now. I was wrongfully terminated and receive ZERO unemployment and have run through the savings that I had. Let me just tell you that if it weren’t for the $200 in food stamps that I get a month me and my family would not be able to eat. Now, I understand that there are a few “welfare queens” as you not so eloquently put, but for the most part WE (as in the foodstampers of Maine) are pretty good people. As a matter of fact I have 3 degrees and a stellar work history. The economy has prohibited me from finding a job., even at McDonalds! So FUCK You for for making a general, blanket statement and throwing me in that mix of those who abuse the system!!
I find it interesting that the commenters who are complaining about the “sweeping generalizations” of the article all seem to fall into the same bucket of no job (or about to lose a job) but not willing to take a meager job as a wal-mart register clerk to make ends meet.
I was on food stamps for a short while to help support my daughter and I, however I DID have a job it just wasn’t quite enough. Bascially if I didnt have some sort of aide my daughter and I would have either frozen to death or starved. I was a cashier in a small town next to mine and I saw the same kinds of things happening. We didn’t accept food stamps in the store I worked in and there were a few times people would come in and try to buy cigarettes with their food stamp cards. I am also from Maine and realize that Maine has one of the highest opiate addictions in the nation. I don’t know how many times I was in line to pay my electric bill and the person in front of me was complaining that they couldn’t get the last 35 cents off their food stamp card in cash from the ATM. (gee I wonder what that person needed so desperately with that last 35 cents….Im sure it wasn’t toilet paper.)
VA is the same way, sadly it seems they choose by race and not by needs. I had 2 kids and working 2 jobs because I couldn’t get any help what so ever from the stated when I saw everyday people who would come to the store drive their Licolns and Acura and escalade trucks with 500-1000 or more on EBT
I couldn’t even get 100 to help with my grocery. Gosh and to say I didn’t even have a car like they did. But hey I made too much money.
You know I think every stated should think about how they give out money.
Oh by the way I was told once by the welfare employee she said : earn your own money you can do it. You don’t need us. Right, you know how expensive it is 2 have 2 kids and diapers food clothes.
I never again ask for anything from the stated. I did it on my own even if it meant to borrow money each payday.
I think this situation is really sad. Because people who have worked all their life and get layoff from work look for some way to provide for there family but they get denied of what they have worked all their life’s and people who never lift a finger N never worked sit and eat good steaks. I’m sad! This really is something to challenge .
While I do agree that there are a minority of people that need a helping hand, the majority of the people that are collecting it ruin it for everyone. I have seen generations of the same family all raised on medicaid–you mean to tell me that everyone in that family is disabled, unable to find a job or somehow needy to the point of not getting off their asses! Public assistance should have a timed limit to it and you should be able to get out of it exactly what you have paid into it.
Unfortunately, this article buttresses its premise with judgmental opinions without real facts. A wal-mart cashier at the tender age late teens/early 20s hardly knows enough about life to surmise what she has witnessed as “fraud” by simply observing her customers in line at a wal-mart. So, how is that for judgmental?
Looking down on people is a recipe for disaster-karma wise. You may be in their shoes in 10 years -
You decry their overweight bodies and poor nutrition choices — please instead consider how perhaps the public education system has failed them, how their parents (or lackof) have failed them — until you walk a mile in other shoes, you just shouldn’t form an opinion.
I have a doctorate degree and work and have never been on public assistance – what I do understand is that the systems around these people have failed them for generations and those systems need to be attacked, not the people who simply don’t know any differently. You entitled this blog “why we need welfare reform” but instead of attacking the system you attacked the people who receive benefits. Prove how the system sucks – we can change that, then the people will follow suit.
Nice to see that you understand welfare based on your judgmental and fabricated observations of your customers. Also, you don’t “toil” at a register, you toil in salt mines.
Take a step back and read the statistics on who uses welfare and for how long. Fact is that welfare is used by the elderly and disabled. The average welfare recipient uses the safety net for the short term. Even if your stories are true, they are the abnormal and extreme, and abuse is a very small fraction of welfare cost. In fact, 93% of welfare fraud is perpetrated by vendors, not recipients.
I’m sure some of your stories are truth, but you start off with a blatant lie. Massachusetts uses an EBT welfare system, doesn’t issue “welfare ID cards,” and the EBT system didn’t exist in 1991, back when “Dukakis was governor.”
More importantly, you latch onto stereotypes and perpetuate persecution of a marginalized group of Americans with your anecdotes. As a student of Providence College, I would expect you to exercise the powers of critical thinking and analyze the facts and statistics of welfare use in America. Clearly you abandoned your intelligence or you made the choice to pander with this rhetoric. Either way, I hope you find a more honest voice as you grow and learn.
This is mild. You should see what goes on at the Walmart in Presque Isle.
Well, I agree with the statement that the man that had a welfare card from 1991 was abusing, however dont complain about them having iphones or any other smart phone. Most welfare programs today will provide a cell phone for people to use for calling, texting and internet use for many reasons. 1) to have for emergancy calling.
2) to have for job search and contact phone number.
3) to have contact number and access for welfare and unemployment benefits.
4) to allow people stay in contact with parole officer, social services worker, and required schools for kids.
The next thing i would like to comment on is the fact that people who have been injuried at work (workers comp), disabled (private reasons), or dislocated often have long term “welfare” benefits however they are usually required to be reevaluated evry so often. The 1991 card was obvisouly fraud and you should have contacted your supervisor/manager about it.
There is no evidence of Welfare Fraud in this piece. Fraud would mean they did something illegal, and if so as a citizen and a cashier she would be required to report illegal activities. This is just the ramblings of an ignorant and very bigoted girl’s perception of what she claims she witnessed at Wal-Mart. Facts are what are important when approaching a subject one is unfamiliar with. The facts are that when people read information like this they confuse it with real news and use it as a way to vent all their frustrations in life onto a group that is really defenseless. It is interesting that this young lady works for Wal-Mart which is not only the number one employer in the Nation but also notorious for underpaying their employees so much that many of their full time workers can easily qualify for state benefits which has contributed to many of the budget crises in almost every state. However, when people refuse to look at the facts and let their prejudices take charge they vote against funding assistance programs. So what is left is an underfunded program that has sub-par policies, the inability to educate people on things like healthy nutrition, and people who are stuck in a system that will provide more for them and their families than any job like at Wal-Mart. The statistics on Welfare Fraud are very low, in fact there are many families who are eligible for benefits but do not apply because of the shame and stigma people like this girl create. It is unkind to judge a person unless you have walked a mile in their shows. Merry Christmas, I’m glad we are looking out for the less fortunate.
I would say to those of you who are defending the users of welfare- you are the blind ones. Continue to work and support them all you want but that doesnt mean we all have to be OK with this. I have NEVER seen a situation in which the system was being used correctly or I would eat my words.. As she stated, these people have more than the average 2 income family. I will continue to be upset with this when I see them covered in expensive tattoos with their iPhones on their ears while buying xBox games. How in Gods name are those things afforded when they supposedly can’t afford to feed their kids? I would have sympathy but we have had some SLIM times in our life, and when times got tough- we WORKED MORE. That is the answer to the problem- GET A JOB. Instead of abusing the rest of us who do work by stealing our tax dollars. ten times out of ten, the system is flawed. I dont know who to blame but I do know the answer is get a job. If you ask them, They would have too much pride to stoop to the level of working at McDonalds- yet somehow NOT working is NOT shameful to them?!?!?!? Doesnt make sense to me. Love me or hate me, it’s the truth.
This is very true. I agree with giving people a hand when they need it. Not for their entire life. I also dont understand how welfare and wic can be given to people who dont need it and denied to the people who truly need it. My sister has MS, cant work but isnt able to get assistance. Also I believe people should be drug tested when they pick up there wic forms or foodstamps… If they can afford drugs take them off foodstamps and put them in jail…
Republicans are ridiculous. I am completing my Bachelors in Social Science (emphasis on Management studies) with a Minor in Psych. I am a veteran using my GI Bill to pay for school (full time student)got a job as a cashier at Petco and I am getting State assistance-,Medi-Cal, and WIC for my daughter. To call people welfare queens is ridiculous. It is sad that when you serve your country and have a 3.5 GPA, full time mommy that you still cannot break into the workforce….oh and I live with my parents. I need assistance and there are many people that need help, but just because I am at the poverty level to qualify for state assistance, doesn’t mean that people should demean their quality of life, I have a smart phone, I have a lap top, and I get as much assistance as I can because these benefits are there to be used for qualified people. I will continue to bleed our tax payers dry until I get my Masters degree… out of principle, I still work, go to school, get assistance, and I can’t even eat at a Chili’s. So, I chose my $30.00 month for data/text…..walk a mile in another person’s shoes, you may realize it is not too comfortable for your conservative pedicured feet….
Republican, Democrat, or other…this article is a very well though out and written observation made by a young girl who, contrary to some of mindless entitled commentators, has the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. Is it wrong for people on assistance to eat steaks…you bet it is. I’m a full-time single father of 3 who gets $0.00 in child support, and I wish I could afford T-Bones even once a month…but I cannot. Now, I’m not saying assistance is wrong, but there are FAR too many people who seem to make a career of it, and many abusers who live better than many of us who are paying for them to do so. I totally understand how tough situations might lead one to seek assistance, but c’mon, do you seriously think they should get to eat steak, shrimp, lobster and the like? Those are NOT frugal items in any sense of the word.
Or I guess maybe I should rethink myself here. Maybe I should just go out and get on stamps and such to be able to eat and feed my kids steak. Maybe I should also get the state to pay for my kids’ daycare too. Maybe I could go buy myself a new car too instead of driving this 9 year-old car. Or maybe I should just go to the courthouse and see if a judge would award a dad child support from mom….Oh, wait I can’t afford an attorney…and besides it’d be a cold day in hell when a dad got a fare shake, and I’d get stuck paying her legal expenses too.
I ran into similar circumstances when I was a cashier in a grocery store.
If my mother wants to buy a lobster, she has every right to do so. she worked all her life from the age of 13 until she retired at 68. She paid her taxes . It is not her fault her paid in Social Security is not enough to live on at times. Shame on you.I agree there are some who take advantage , always have and sad to say there always will be. Rich or poor it doesn’t matter. Need only look at the headlines. No one in this country should have to be on welfare. But again that’s a whole other story. Which begins with the industries leaving, taking jobs away from those who once were thriving Americans. The girl wrote an honest article from her point of view. And it is a good article an gives many people a chance to voice how they feel. And as I said I agree about those who take advantage, though when a reform is worked out those that truly need help will be cut and those who know how to play the system will just keep playing. From what I gather the writer here is a college student , an I applaud her. She should also do a report on how many students are on foodstamps and medicare, how many students that graduate are not able to pay back their loans as they can’t find jobs, or are working at minimum wage because again there are no jobs for what they majored in, it’s a really tough world out there , an if you can’t change it for the better, to better all people, rather then complain , be kind . It goes a long way. An too …. have a whole lot of hope times will get better for everyone. <3
No one upon no one is “entitled” to anything in this country. Opportunity is there for ANYONE willing to work for it. So tired of people using “in this bad economy” things are tough. It’s called “you’re lazy”. It’s YOUR choice you decided not to finish high school…college…divorce your husband…not put money in the bank…throw away money on stupid stuff…or have a child out of wedlock. YOUR poor decisions are YOUR fault and no one elses. Everyone needs to get their ducks in a row…on their own merit.
Amen. Well said.
This may be the very first blog I’ve ever replied to, but well worth it. Excellent article!
Some of you that have replied (thankfully in the minority) are complete nitwits. You don’t DESERVE an expensive steak or any number of other luxury/expensive food items if YOU’RE ON TAXPAYER DOLLARS! Taxpayers DESERVE people on public assistance using our money as a hand-up and feeding themselves with healthy foods….how’s that going for us?
The point of public assistance is to ASSIST! Keep you from going hungry, feed your kids nutritious food, help you get by until you get back on your feet.
I can’t blame people for getting assistance if they need it. But actively find a job…even if it might be “beneath you” temporarily and get your butt doing something productive. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I’d admire someone that took ANY job after getting laid-off/downsized/etc.
I’ve often advocated for people getting benefits for a limited time (barring a REAL disability or something) and those benefits continuing for a short period after they get back to work (it’s not like you have enough money the day you go back to work).
And if you’re on public assistance, do you feel any obligation at all? Heck, if you can’t find a job, maybe try VOLUNTEERING somewhere. 24 hours in the day….you looking for a job every single waking moment?
I admire people that work hard, strive to make themselves better, and not be a burden on this society. If you’re on public assistance and need it, use it as an opportunity to get yourself back on your feet….that’s kind of the point…. It’s not an excuse to sit back and contemplate the reasons why life is hard or the infinite number of ways “the world” is keeping you down.
Just my $0.02.
I’m a working mother and I wish I made enough money not to get foodstamps and mainecare.but I’m very lucky we do have those programs because I couldn’t even get buy with rent and food and every thing my kids need. I think it’s funny how people at the store want to give u dirty looks like I’m just using the state not working.but I do work very hard too. You have to think about the familys that are trying. Why don’t they up hourly wage then people that won’t need it.
As an almost 45 yr old mother of 2 children, (single for the past 13 years) who has never taken assistance of any kind, this makes my blood boil!!! As she states….this is suppose to be temporary, and I am all for it! I am willing to help, seriously! It could happen to anyone. HOWEVER, I BUSTED MY ASS FOR YEARS to provide for my children, who by the way are both doing great in college……How dare people take advantage of, and even more so, that our government ALLOWS it!! And Uncle Sam wants how much more cash from me this year?!? Yeah……this makes perfect sense. Thanks for nothin!
Good for you – You wrote a great article- and for all those critics- remember she started by saying she’s in favor of helping those in need who don’t abuse the system. Just as I am. But I remember all too well when I was just a bit older than the author 40 years ago. I would come home exhausted as a single parent working 2-3 jobs and then having to listen to my perfectly able bodied neighbors tell me how they spent all day at home figuring out how to get stuff for nothing, working the system, conspiring and then eating filet mignon on their apartment deck. This kind of abuse has been going on forever. In my experience I have seen more evidence of the abusers than those truly in need. I WANTED to be convinced it was going to good use. I DO think that a kid deserves a nice birthday cake or a treat. Don’t turn your anger on me for being against the system as it is. Blame the abusers, The ruined it for the rest. Clean them out. Prove that it is truly used for those in need and you’ll win me over- they can all have cake!
Just a quick note here: Voting Republican will do NOTHING to stop this. The Republicans are in on the scheme, you see–give goodies away to the right people and you’ll always have their vote. We had 8 years of a Republican president, at least half of which also had a Republican congress. What happened? Bigger government. More intrusive government. More infringement of Liberty.
Why? Because the Republican party *DOES NOT CARE* about Liberty. It cares about the same thing the Democratic party, it’s best friend, by the way, cares about: keeping itself in charge.
I realize you’re young (and stunning, by the way), but you really have to understand that Conservatism is just another Collectivist ideology that cannot solve America’s problems. Yes, I know they mouth the Classical Liberal words of “Individualism” and “Capitalism,” but the simple fact is that their history demonstrates clearly what the are and are not for. Under George W. Bush more than 50,000 NEW regulations were enacted into law; the man rarely vetoed anything and his spending was unparalleled in American history until his buddy Obama took over.
I believe that as an outraged young person, you’re sincere in your desire for change. I believe that you’re truthful when you say you’re disgusted with entitlement mentality. But if you really want change, we need to get *rid* of Republicans and Democrats, and put people in office who will swiftly act to enact a complete separation of State and Economics.
Until we do that, things are only going to get worse. The Altruistic tendencies of both Progressives (who pretend to be Liberals, but really aren’t) and Conservatives will continue to destroy America until there’s nothing left.
Just heard a story today that a local store in Lynn, Mass. was busted for allowing EBT customers to “buy” $80 worth of items, while the store took $40 cash and gave the EBT customer $40 in cash (with which they purchased crack/heroin etc.). This went on for a long time, with many customers, to the tune of something like 500% more in EBT transactions running through this store than other stores (which ultimately got them caught). Yes, abuse of EBT, food stamps and other entitlement programs is alive and well, unfortunately.
I appreciate your comments and your level of frustration with the welfare system. I would agree that there are many faults in the process and that it needs to change. People should not be living their entire lives of the hard work of the rest of society. Where I
would disagree with you and where your argument loses credibility with me,
Is the statement, “that is why I vote republican”. Welfare has been in existence for the past 60/70 years, through both republican and democratic-controlled goverments, yet the problems continue to worsen. This is a societal issue not a
Political one.
This is an old problem. I didn’t see any new answers. The issue is how much abuse is acceptable in order to help those who really need it.
BTW, the abuse you mentioned is nothing compared to the greed, corruption and abuse of the business-political scamming of the American people through lobbying and excessive/uneccessary contract awards to big businesses.
Your Walmart “fraud” about some poor slob buying an excessively large cake is laughable next to big business scamming.
I don’t think this is entirely fair. I receive cash-aid and foodstamps. I live in California, so our laws are a little different, and we do have time limits. We also have a welfare to work program, so unless you are exempt, people on welfare have to spend 36 hours a week in an approved activity, whether that be school, work, or volunteering to do something like clean the welfare office.
I’ve always worked, and right now I go to school full-time. I have never made enough to be entirely self-sufficient due to current economic issues. Now, I know you said you are fine with people that do something with their benefits. My issue is with the fact you think people on foodstamps shouldn’t ever buy steak or cake, or any other food that is beyond basic.
Firstly, lets start with, I get $523 foodstamps for 3 people, myself, my two-year-old, and a 6 month-old baby. I also get WIC, so I don’t have to worry about buying milk, or formula, or baby food, or a lot of other things. Even with that, I do still spend $100 a month for pediasure, and soy-milk (that WIC doesn’t cover) for my kids.That leaves me $423 a month to buy food for ONE PERSON! My daughter still eats off my plate more-or-less.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I can eat some damn good food for $423 a month. I mean, I seriously eat steak like 2-3 times a week. It’s not my fault they give me nearly as much in foodstamps as they do in cash. Seriously, my fridge and freezer are overflowing half the time, I don’t know what I’d do with a crap-load of crappy food; I’ve barely got enough room for all the GOOD food.
And, you cannot take less than what you qualify for. I know, I’ve tried. If you apply for foodstamps and cash-aid you MUST apply for all qualified persons in the household. If you try and get aid for just 1 or 2 people, when 3 or 4 people living in the house qualify, the case will be denied.
So, if you have two kids, and you need an extra $200 to make it, but you qualify for $520, you take $520 OR NOTHING! At least in my state. So, what are we supposed to the do with the extra $300? Pretend it doesn’t exist? I’m gonna buy better food. Stuff I probably didn’t need, why not, I’ve gotta spend this money somehow. I buy plenty of good, nutritious, food, I’ve got tons of fresh fruit and vegetables (which cost more than steak btw). So what is wrong with this?
On a side note, what about people that can’t cook? Do their children not deserve a birthday cake, because their mother is on foodstamps, and can’t cook? I can cook; I really don’t understand not being able to. But if they claim they can’t and their food indeed taste terrible, why push the the issue? Why make the kid go through that? Or maybe, just maybe, this person does work, or go to school full time, and despite their ability have found a lack of time to make said cake?
Don’t get me wrong there are some ignorant, selfish, low-life, people on welfare. There is a lot of reform that needs to be done to welfare to encourage people to work. But to say somebody on welfare shouldn’t be able to buy steak, or cake, is taking things just a bit too far in my opinion.
The Welfare system is broken!! The system was supposed to help those in need at times of great financial stress but that is not what is happening. We now have 3rd & 4th generation warfare recipients. I can tell you with great certainty that the system is not there to help the working class that now find themselves unemployed….my husband & I are in our late 40′s & have worked since 15 yrs of age, paying into the system. Now we find ourselves in a terrible situation of losing everything we own including our home because of unemployment. We have sold everything possible; paid off debts; AND then I found myself in a serious health condition needing brain surgery and against every fiber in our bodies, we swallow every ounce of pride and ask for the so-called “help” from the State that we’ve paid into our whole lives only to be told we don’t qualify because we are MARRIED WITH NO CHILDREN!!! Then the person taking info from us quietly hinted if we were separated or divorced then I could get free healthcare – which is the only thing we were looking for! Then the surgeon told us that if we lived in Mass instead of Maine we could get free MassCare!! We will NOT cheat the system!! So what happens to us, the working class, that paid into the system and that in a time of great need we cannot get any assistance. I have been denied brain surgery….so here I lay completely crippled (literally) and wondering…worrying what will happen to us. The system is broken, it’s not there to help us at a time of need, it’s there to encourage fraud and to encourage people to stay on welfare for 2, 3 or 4 generations! I’ll say it again, this young women wrote an excellent article, thank you.
I have worked in the past for Kmart, and have seem the same atrocities on the united states government. I have seen people purchase christmas gifts that were food items (coffee sets, meat and cracker sets, etc.) with their food stamps. I have seen people promise food stamps in exchange for someone else buying them cigarettes. I even have a personal experience with one of my fellow employees using her food stamps every day at break time to buy $5-$6 worth of beef jerky and mountain dew, then at the end of the month complain because her daughters have been surviving off of ramen noodles for a week. Its disgusting and disturbing to me that these people are allowed to MAKE A LIVING off of other people’s incomes. Everyone needs help once in a while, but to live off of it is disgusting. There should be limitations to how long you can be on it, or at least that you are making a viable effort to obtain a job, then you should be made to repay some of your debt. Nutritional content of food should also be an issue. ALL PEOPLE WHO OBTAIN ANY SORT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT SHOULD HAVE TO SUBMIT TO RANDOM AND FREQUENT DRUG TESTING.
Try explaining to someone with food stamps why a cooked lobster is not covered…(hot, cooked, prepared food is subject to meal tax, making it like a restaurant item). This means that the lobsters that they had steamed in store must be paid for with actual money, and therefore generally just get thrown away after the customer refuses to pay for it. I also remember working as a cashier in a supermarket in college and seeing people wearing clothes that I couldn’t afford, then paying with food stamps and WIC. Like the author, I also beleive that everyone deserves help when they need it, but clearly the system we have does not work.
this article made me sad.
yes. some people DO abuse the system… BUT… not knowing EVERYONES situation… i don’t think EVERYONE should be judged….
“Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.”
― T.H. Thompson and John Watson
I work as a nanny. Last year the children of the family I worked for started school and I found myself unemployed. I got a job working for a new family, but it’s less hours and less money per hour than what I was making before. I turned to coupons to help my family get the things we need. I am not an “extreme couponer” like you see on that TV show, but I have built a small stockpile in my basement of essentials like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and cooking supplies, most of which I’ve gotten free or for pennies on the dollar. It’s really not fair when cashiers give me a hard time because they have to ring up so many coupons and the people in line behind me roll their eyes. Time are hard and you have to go what you have to do to get by. I don’t expect anyone to hand me anything…I took a lousy situation and find a way to make due with what I had. Not too long ago I went the the grocery store on a Sunday morning to buy my newspapers so I could clip coupons. The lady in front of me had a cart full of expensive steaks that she was paying for with her EBT card. It disgusts me that some people feel so entitled to buy stuff like that with our tax dollars, while I’m not only working a job but also spending about 20 hours a week finding sales and coupons. Some people need help, but there are also families who have been on welfare for generations and it needs to stop.
I have to laugh,as many folks blame minorities and illegal immigrants for the financial problems in our country. Here you have the stat of Maine, labeled as the whitest state in the nation (98%), with 30% of the population receiving welfare benefits. We have become the problem. It’s time for reform.
I have been saying welfare reform for a long, long time. I live in Vermont and Vermont takes anyone living in the state or out of state and put them on welfare. I know a woman who has received welfare benefits for 18 years. She has 3 kids and guess what she got a Bachelors Degree & Masters Degree paid for by the tax payers of Vermont. Not once has demands been put on her to go to work. The last few years since she married she has a glorified daycare of one child and she doesn’t even want to do that. She is lazy and she is teaching her children just get pregnant and get on welfare. The states are broke and they can’t figure out why. It doesn’t take a degree to figure that one out.
If you work in healthcare you see this sense of entitlement as well!
I really wish people would realize this article is hogwash. You are demonizing an entire group of people based on the actions of a few. The majority of people on social welfare do not abuse the system.
You all do realize that of your taxes that go to welfare programs, the social welfare mentioned in this article constitutes 1 % of it. The other 99% is corporate welfare in the form of tax breaks for corporations. Take Wal-Mart for example. They use software to determine where to place stores to get the best tax breaks so they can have a “free” workforce. So, technically, this girl who was being paid to work, was actually being paid to work off your tax dollar.
Funny that you mention that you work at a walmart and are a republican ( two red flags in my book ). There are many problems with Maine’s ‘systems’, one being big business, like walmart, being allowed to pop up on every street corner.These box stores have caused the problems with the lack of decent paying jobs in America. So nice of you to support China by buying their products. For another thing you are terrible for passing judgement on others. Many people struggle to make ends meet because Maine has very high taxes and thanks to your fellow republicans our oil prices are through the roof. So get off your high horse you ride and mind your own business. You are young and trust me life will throw you a curve ball someday and that self entitled attitude that your slinging around will come right back to kick you in the ass. So stop crabbing about what you don’t like and do something positive with your life instead of wasting your time spewing negativity on others.
Since she is only working during the summer I would assume she is doing something positive with her life…going to school. She probably lives with her parents who foot the bill for her room and board during the school year to help their daughter not be on the dole! If you don’t speak up about what you don’t like guess what…it will just keep happening! That is what is wrong with our country right now too many people were asleep at the wheel and not voicing their dislike for what was going on. Wake up America they are spoon feeding you nice and slow so you don’t notice you lost all your rights and you are expected to pay for those that want to sit on their butt and not complain. Well I will go down kicking and screaming and tipping my hat to the youth that do stand up and state their mind.
Christine,
Thank you for writing the article. Regardless of any negative feedback you might receive, stories like this do need to be brought to the attention of the public.
My favorite thing about discussions between people is everyone’s need to make the story about THEM. Christine was not attacking Welfare, or WIC programs, or anyone who uses them. She was expressing concern about the ABUSE of the systems. So if you DON’T abuse it, then don’t get upset about her article. Don’t sit and reply with a 4 paragraph comment about how “no one understands what it’s like” and “I’m doing this for my family because ble blah blue..” No is judging you for using these systems.
There’s a lot of negative connotations that are associated with being on federal assistance. If you have found yourself in a situation where you need these programs until you can find a job, get things together, or whatever the case is, then use your resources and provide for you and your family. The argument being presented here is to not become dependent on it or to use it in a matter that is not logical.
Well written young lady. I agree. My family had welfare for a short time to help when I was a small child but is no longer needing help and haven’t for many year. We were greatful for the help and are able to help others now who need it. I don’t feel bad for some of you people who write about having 3 plus children and needing help because of deadbeat dads…thats what you get for making bad life desicions. There are cases that some folks need help because of family disabilities and whatnot but these women who choose to KEEP having kids and get state help drive me nuts.WE ALL HAVE TO PAY FOR YOU TO SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING BUT KEEP HAVING KIDS! Try to make desicions that are smart and stop having chilren with loosers. Let’s hope Lepage can try to fix this!!!
With everything there is the exception…unfortunately, I find that when it comes to welfare the people who use it as intended are the exception. I work in the pscyh unit of a hospital. Nothing ticks me off more than having patients on medicaid who can’t afford medcations and such (copay is a whole $3), need food stamps, you name up but smoke Marijuana daily, drinks excessive alcahol daily, and smokes 2 packs of cigarettes daily…perhaps if they got off all those substances, they could afford to be more self effeicient
Great story Christine, glad other people notice too. I never had to work in the service industry, but still see it constantly. I do believe in helping those who are down, but not supporting them for a lifetime, it’s all the things in your story along with many other examples that create many problems in this country. My mothers boyfriend has a 16 year old grand daughter. She is very rebellious and one week decided she wanted to die. She made 2 tiny scrapes on her wrist, barely puncturing the skin. A teacher noticed them, contacted the counselor who contacted the local psych center. She ended up there for 72hrs under observation, was released, applied for and was granted SSI to the tune of $700 a month for being mentally “unstable” 3 years later she’s 19, dropped out of HS, no job and no plans or ambitions of ever getting a job. She lives in public housing for free because of her low income and receives $200 a month in food stamps. which she sells to support her new drug habit. At 19 she might end up living another 60 years, there is a very high probability that under the current system she will never be forced to get a job and will suck away at my and your tax dollars for the rest of her life, along with the countless other millions out there that strive for the same easy lifestyle as her. I work 60 hours a week and have an old flip phone. I’d love to have an I-phone, but sadly I have bills to pay and can not afford it. I’d sometimes love to just quit my job and collect welfare so I could afford all the things they have that I don’t. Sadly though some of us have to get up and go to work so I can hand away 30% of my paycheck to help all those who fell they shouldn’t have to do the same.
Right on, AJ and Jeff!
Linda, you said we should up the hourly wage. You’ve never taken an economics class, have you? First of all, most jobs do NOT pay minimum wage, but pay higher than that. Secondly, every time you raise the minimum wage, all wages typically go up and prices are going to increase. Do you know why? Because the employer, especially the small business owner, has to raise his prices in order to compensate for the wage increase. They either have to do that OR let somebody go or not hire to fill an empty position because the business owner can only afford so much for wages or he would go out of business. It’s a vicious cycle – raise wages, cost of living goes up, people scream that their dollars are no longer going further enough, demand minimum wage goes up more, and so on and so on.
Getting the Facts Straight on TANF
There’s no greater need for an accurate analysis than in the debate about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Unfortunately, much of this debate so far has been driven by stereotypes, NOT credible information.
That is precisely why, a year ago, the Maine Women’s Lobby and Maine Equal Justice Partners commissioned a study on the TANF program with a survey of more than 1,000 families receiving assistance from TANF, followed by focus groups. The goal was to better understand TANF’s impact on families and the Maine economy. The result is the most comprehensive and rigorous study of TANF families in Maine conducted since 1995.
The well-being of 25,000 Maine children and their families is at stake in this debate.
Here’s what we learned:
Ninety-two percent of survey respondents were women, reflecting the large majority of TANF families headed by women raising children on their own.
In most cases, TANF does exactly what it was intended to do – provide temporary assistance to families needing to get back on their feet. The median length of time that families receive TANF is 1.5 years.
Of the survey families that have returned to TANF at least twice in the last ten years, 50% reported that they “couldn’t earn enough from work to support my family” as their reason for applying for benefits.
TANF is a story about the low-wage labor market. TANF recipients by and large work in unstable and low-paying jobs. Nearly 70% of respondents reported working in the sales and service sectors. Research indicates these sectors are typically female-dominated, providing low wages and few benefits.
Working respondents earned a median wage of $8.36/hour—an increase of only 4.5% over the wage of a similar group of TANF recipients in 2001. By comparison, the average weekly wage for all Maine workers increased by 20% during this same period—nearly four times greater than the increase for working TANF families.
Taken from: http://www.mainepolitics.net/content/812/getting-facts-straight-tanf
what about big corporate welfare-HA HA HA ………………………..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,………………… drugs hookers billion dollar bailouts
whatever happened to resourcefulness?! you can make a whole year’s worth of cakes by buying the ingredients and making it yourself, all for the price of that one cake from the bakery! it is definitely a luxury to purchase a cake, and people on welfare should not be able to do that. necessary food items should be the only things you can buy. i agree with someone who posted earlier on having government grocery stores supplying necessary food grown by the farmers who are currently subsidized, that way purchases can be controlled (similar to commissaries on army bases). if you are truly poor and needy, you can find a creative way to celebrate holidays, make people feel special, etc. it wasn’t too long ago that people had toys made from wood and scraps of old clothing! but, i fear that what once might have been resourcefulness in these people has become entitlement like the others are stating.
if my parents can come to this country without a penny to their name, no language, no family, no help whatsoever, not once needing food stamps or welfare for the 42 years that they have been here (and yes, they are citizens, english-speaking taxpayers), then anyone can be successful! anyone that wants the american dream can have it! just shut up and work; it may not be the job that you want, or provide all the things that you want, but it will get you by, and make you a better person. sorry if this wasn’t candy-coated or politically correct, but this issue is my hot button!
Well written and accurate. To all the comments stating that not all people on welfare abuse the system, and we shouldn’t pass judgement, I would like to point out that nowhere in the article did the writer say that ALL people on welfare are bad or abusing the system. I have seen both ends of the spectrum. Many people truly need assistance, and use it appropriatley. However, I have also seen a woman pull up to my fish market in a Cadillac to inquire if she could by fresh seafood (including lobster) with foodstamps, which is legal. I didn’t allow foodstamps in the market (my choice & legal). I believe that things like lobster & porterhousesteaks are “luxury” items, and taxpayer social assistance should not be footing the bill for these items. If people are struggling to make ends meet and need assistance, then they should be trying to make their foodstamps, etc. stretch as far as possible, and not blow it all on big ticket items.
Very well said. Thank you for writing this.
Sara said: “Beth, you are too lovely, but I must say I am in some disagreement. I feel it is my duty and I like to help people who need it…”
Then, Sara, knock yourself out, dearie. Why is it that when socialists believe in something, they FORCE everybody else to do it too? Nobody didn’t say you aren’t allowed to give everything you own to scabs and social misfits. However, I should have just as much right to opt out, thank you very much.
I agree with SO much in this article, and I have seen much of it myself… there is NO excuse for the attitude that SO many people have, and Maine does indeed have a serious problem with these issues…
I was a foster parent for years though, and one of the benefits available to foster parents is WIC… which is a life saver when baby formula is $150+ a month ($250+ for my foster daughter, as she was on medical formula)…. the money that foster parents receive does not at all cover everything that a child needs at all…
I got MANY dirty looks and even some comments when I would check out with WIC and then people would see what I was spending MY money on… usually decent cuts of meat, fresh produce, stuff from the deli, name brand cereal and snacks, stuff like that… I was able to let it roll off, but it was frustrating to see people judge… I never explained, as that would have been violating my foster kiddos privacy… but it let me know what it feels like for those on the other end… at least those not so stuck in the generational/entitled part of it…
It took me a long time to get over the embarrassment of using WIC and MaineCare (also for only my foster kids… my biological family has health insurance through my employer)…. I got a lot of attitude about MaineCare in some situations as well…
I guess just remember you never quite know a situation for sure… I would have been the nicely dressed lady, with kids in cute name brand clothes, with a nice cell phone and a NICE RESPECTFUL ATTITUDE (which I think is the deciding factor in most all situations) who was using WIC checks and then buying $15 of sirloin tips and the “fancy” expensive popsicles as a treat for the kids….
I do however, realize that I am by far the minority is such situations….
The system of welfare will only get worse. At some point, our entire economic system will fail (see Europe today) but, until that happens, democrats know that they have the vote of every person they can get on welfare and that getting them off welfare will do nothing for the politician except possibly lose a vote.
That is also why democrats want to encourage illegal immigration.They hope the illegals will get on welfare and, through voter fraud, vote democrat as often as possible. The dems are corrupt. The people are just weak and do as little as possible to get by.
What frustrates me is that I was forced to leave college because of a chronic illness, for the first time in my life I have been unable to find steady work, I have medical bills that I am trying to pay, plus rent because I’ve lived on my own since I was 13 years old and have always worked HARD for everything.
And now, when I am truly in need, I can’t get ANY help from the State.
Because people LIKE THIS are sucking up all the money when all I really need is enough money to buy groceries, nutritious ones because I’m SICK, not god damn Kraft Singles.
Atta girl! You said it better than anyone i’ve ever heard before. Keep up the great work, you’re very articulate and informed. If all of our young people are like you, then our future is bright indeed.
Maine IS the Welfare Capial of the World. I live in Augusta. I see tons of welfare abuse every day. Most of these people are decked out in tattoos, have the best cell phones, 3,4, or 5 kids in tow, drive nice cars, dressed in fashion to the hilt.
I am retired military, work a full time job, and my wife works part-time. We can’t compete with them.
While I think welfare should be to help you get back on your feet, it should not be used for a lifetime crutch. There should be a limited amount of time.
When you drive into the state of Maine, low and behold… there is a new statue…”The Statue of Welfare.” The inscription says, “Give me your poor, uneducated, lazy, scum suckers, and minorities. We will take care of you. Welcome to Maine!!!”
How much did you make an hour working at Wal*Mart?
Could you support a family of four on that income? Of course you can’t.
What would happen if employers ACTUALLY PAID THEIR EMPLOYEES A WAGE THAT THEY COULD LIVE ON?!
Now you know why welfare abuse happens.
Itʻs always easy to state what is wrong with a system. The challenging part is finding, implementing, and executing a solution that works with success.
Although I appreciate young people taking interest in policy and politics in general, I think this young woman takes liberties with how much she assumes from a very narrow window of experience. Do people abuse the systems that are meant to help? Yep. Do the wealthy and our political leaders abuse taxpayers by spending our hard earned tax dollars on themselves? Yep. I am tired of the poor always being the target of our judgement. Maybe someone could start writing articles about how our political leaders get top of the line healthcare for life for FREE on our dime. Or how the wealthy pay 15% tax on capital gains (which for most is the majority of their income) while you and I pay twice as much. Welfare has been reformed, over and again, how about reforms for those who are passing the “reform laws” for our most vulnerable people.
Elizabeth said: “I get sick of these rants about people abusing welfare because it lumps all of us in with them. Yes I have a cellphone and a nicer TV, but they were things I purchased after saving up the money and finding a great deal on them (and I have sold off all my electronics when I needed to pay bills before). I didn’t cheat the system. The fact is, everyone just wants someone to hate.”
Yes, you ARE a welfare cheat. Oh, you can justify the non-necessity things you buy; but if your husband can’t sustain the family through the year — and you KNOW this — then why isn’t the money you’re saving going into the BANK instead of on stuff you don’t need?? You see, my dear, YOU ARE the problem as much as the blatantly nasty welfare cheats. Actually, you’re worse — because you justify what you do AND feel entitled. They just feel entitled.
really well written article !! there is always another side but i see where the auther is coming from and living in maine it is abused by a lot of people here yet there are alot of skilled jobs to be had in this state but people need to be willing to retrain ??
great writeup! this is why our country is tanking – the systemic and endemic entitlement mentality. it’s so sad, but like our Creator has said, “God is not mocked, what you sow you will reap.” it would appear our country has sown some pretty bad stuff and the reaping is beginning in earnest this decade.
All right. You want welfare reform, because there’s rampant fraud and abuse. Okay, I’m fine with that. What would that look like? How would you reform the system?
Well to start with lets drug test them, ALL of them when they apply. Think that cost is prohibitive? Well lets say it costs $150 to test them and I mean everyone in the house over the age of 16 be tested. So we may have as much as $600 wrapped up in tests in some cases more. But when we eliminate one family from the system because they can afford illegal drug use but not food and medical care that will pay for many many drug tests. There will also be those that know from the word go that they won’t pass the test so they won’t even apply. Even if it is only $200 a month that the family would have gotten that is $2400 a year that the system saves. You don’t pass the test you can’t apply again for 1 yr, second fail and you can never apply. When it is time to review it is time to retest for drugs too. If you can’t pass the test lets give them seeds to grow vegetables, that is humane and if you are hungry you will figure out how to take care of them. It will teach you self sufficency and pride in the fact that you can feed yourself. Vegetables can be grown in a flower pot if they live in an apt. I know I have done it. A drug test is the start for reform, it would change the system immensely. The second step should be to make sure that illegals are not using the system. If you can’t prove that you were born here and have paid into the system why should you be able to withdraw from it. That would be like me being able to withdraw funds from your bank account because I was behind on my bills. You wouldn’t stand still for that so why are we allowing those that are here illegally to withdraw from our tax dollars? I have stood in line in Wal Mart behind people who didn’t speak English who paid for their entire purchase of edible things with an EBT card (which there were 10 12 packs of soda, I counted) and then opened his wallet full of money and pulled out 2 $100 bills and paid for the non food items they bought. Not to mention they were wearing high end clothing. I do believe to pass the citizenship test you have to speak English don’t you? Or are they putting that out in Spanish too now?
I just want to know, did this “cashier” report this or did all she do about it was write this blog to complain and do absolutely NOTHING!!!!!????
This is a great article. I think you cover the topic tactfully and without undue hardness about the situation. I am aware that jobs can be hard to find. I myself am not working in the career that I went to 5 years of college for. Instead I drive truck for LOWES. However, I unfortunately know several people who seem to use the line of “I can’t get a job,” to cover the more accurate, “I can’t get the job I want, and working retail is beneath me.”
The system needs to either intentionally change because we realize it is broke, or it will inevitably change when the government goes broke.
I have worked as a Registered Nurse for 15 years. All I have to say to the author of this article and all of you judging these people, stop! You have NO idea what these people do for a living. I have many many many many patients on Welfare and they work full time. If people do not have a college degree, minimum wage is not going to raise a family. For those of you literally picking apart what foods being bought, maybe they are diabetic and need extra protein. How do you know they didn’t decide to treat themselves that one time and are feeling guilty. Buying a slip and slide, so what, maybe they can’t afford water park tickets, the kids shouldn’t have to suffer! Just like HIPPA protects my patients from me writing similar articles in regards to them being on state aid for medical or against me judging anyone of you publicly, I think the state needs laws governing people like you discussing people’s private lives. I understand that there will be that person that makes you tick, but being on welfare has nothing to do with it, you don’t know if they are having a bad, a smile goes along way….spread that instead of this trash you are writing. This article is nothing, but judgment and it disgusts me. The bottom line is you don’t know peoples backgrounds….if you want to make a difference get out and volunteer, get elected into a political position and get the facts, then you can educate the public and make changes. Honestly, you are a disgrace and this article may effect you in the future. Employers look at things like this. How would they know you wouldn’t pick apart their company and display it if you disagreed with something. Your thoughts may have some substance, but you must always have facts to back it up!!
Well few of you will understand global economics in lieu of fox news, twitter, conservative radio and mass media, the country functions because of exactly what the author is talking about. Every dollar spend by a consumer becomes compounded. Person A on welfare buys big screen TV-> walmart makes money-> pays employers-> buys more TV from manufacturers in Taiwan-> stock prices go up-> investors make money-> and everyone (both the big corporations and all the employees) pay taxes. In the end, that dollar that your welfare queen spent is only costing the country about 0.20$. Hell, through most of the 90′s that dollar spent was actually EARNING the country money. That’s right, most of the money they spend on useless junk comes back to the coffers of the national and state treasury.
So yes, you may find it unfair that others receive for free what you work hard for, but the economics are designed to work on this basis of money in and money out. Cutting welfare will cost the country more money in lost revenue than it saves.
For more raw, unbiased, numerically jusified information, you need a college degree in mathematics or a pHD in economics.
this post makes me madder then i was ealier today. i live in mass i have been working sense i was 14 years old to help my family. i busted my butt to get promoted at a job that has recently unjustly and illegally fired me due to my health failing in more then one way (i cant spell to save my life). until i can get everything sorted out i had to get my family on mass health so i can get my health problems fixed and for the past two months have been given the run around. btw my wife is eight months pregnant, and i have a three year old daughter and a one year old daughter. luckily for me my exboss is holding my insurance until the baby is born to make sure im all set. but i go into the mass health office and i see people with nicer stuff then me. i do however have an iphone THAT I HAVE HAD FOR OVER TWO YEARS. and was a birthday present from my mother. it is discusting.
You are not who the article is written about. You are the person these programs were put in place for. You are the one who has paid in since they were 14 and have the right to ask for help in your time of need. No one has a problem helping you through your hard time. It is about those that use the system, work under the table or not at all-ever and collect the benefits. You yourself are bothered by the fact that they have nicer things than you, they are the ones abusing the system. I hope they give you your benefits to help your family back on their feet because you are a worker and will go back to work when your health allows you to.
I think this article was very well written by an intelligent hard working young lady!! Cudo’s to you and your parents, it is nice and refreshing to see a person from the younger generation that will be making decisions for us older generation folks using their head, common sense and not thinking that they are owed something “just because”. I grew up not on welfare per say but I grew up in the foster home system which is another joke and misuse of tax payers money, and before you go jumping to conclusion and gasping at how horrible I am to say that let me just say that I am not generalizing and wrapping all involved into one comment, use your heads before you start squalling, I am just saying that there are many types of fraud in the systems that take the hard working middle class Americans to times of complete frustration.
As I say this let me explain a few things, since leaving foster care I have never once used the welfare system for anything not even to pay medical bills when I had no insurance for me or my children, never been on food stamps, worked my butt off to raise great moral kids, that I am so proud of and they are also well educated with college degrees that I and my husband paid for. We on the other hand, neither of us had a college education, just a sign of the times we came from. They are either close to 30 or in their 30′s and have never used welfare either.
Now back to the fraud that is a very big part of making this country in the state that it is at this time, When I was a child, tell me how a person can go into the local department store equivalent to “Walmart” in it’s time, have small children who are foster kids, barely weighing more than a 50 to 60 lbs and when the purchase order, that is what was used in my time, is written and submitted it has woman’s size 18 or 20 clothes on it, bra’s size 38 to 40 or more and no one notices that these are not items that a small child would wear!! That is just a few of the fraudulent things I am aware of, this is why I was so strict and adamant about my children having morals and getting an education to take care of themselves. As I said before I don’t think the young girl who wrote the article was talking about the short terms, or the ones who really need it, or the ones who in this economy have fallen on hard times at no fault of their own, but if any of you don’t think there is, nor can see that there are major issues with the welfare system and are disgusted that we the middle class have had to use all of our saving’s our retirement accounts, sell our homes and everything we have to stay a float in this economy while the lifer welfare recipients who have been raised using and abusing the system has no change to their life styles, and the ones who have paid for them all during their life is going in the poor house than you are either way to generous without brains or you are fooling yourselves by sticking your head in the sand and you are the ones who need to go back to school or college as some as recommended for the article’s composer, or if you don’t mind instead of throwing your money to fraudulent causes throw a little my way, and I am sure some will say well your lucky you had savings and retirement account’s and a house to sell to fall back on, in case you didn’t get it all that was earned by our own two hands and many hours of hard work, and the sacrifice of working and not being able to stay home with our children. That’s how I was able to survive in this horrible economy that is killing the middle class and small business owners such as myself.
Now I just have to mention the latest fraud that I don’t think many people are aware of, I am sure that you have heard of the news article of the water dumping to get cash for booze and drugs, if you haven’t foods stamp recipients buy jugs of water go behind the store dump it out and go redeem the bottle’s for the deposit fee for cash!! How about the mother who has 5 or six kids gets almost a 1000.00 dollars a month in food stamps and this is only one example many do this they just have less or maybe more on their EBT card, but anyway this one particular person sells half of the card for a dollar fee she gets cash uses it for drugs the person who purchases it uses the EBT card paid three hundred dollars for six hundred dollars of her card the purchasers get twice as many groceries for half the price and the seller gets cash for her drugs and she still manages to feed her children now how is that for fraud and for all you out there who feel that those of us that object are judgmental and heartless, I have one question, does this person need 1000.00 in food stamps or can I keep some of my tax dollars to save my own financial ruins at this time!! That’s my question to those who think we are judgmental and heartless and what ever you choose to call us that are tired of paying for the abusers of welfare, and that is only a few of the stories that I know of!!! Oh yea and I am the first to give and donate and help the less fortunate that I know are truly needy!!! Hope this makes sense had to hurry to catch my favorite tv show, and yes I pay my own electricity and cable!!
“This woman literally failed at image comprehension.”
Love it.
Great article, I’d love to see a follow-up going into how Maine welfare programs are different from other states…
Marry me.
Just to state, yet again, for those who were not bright enough to capture the main point of her article: The ABUSE of various assistance agencies is completely out of hand i.e the procurement of steak and other such food LUXURIES through use of money in which you simply are receiving as you are too lazy to find a job and to ignorant to make sacrifices at the grocery store for more nutrient dense foods. It’s disheartening that some of you spent the time to comment on her piece, some of which further argued that you truly needed the aid due to circumstances beyond your control; you failed to comprehend that she was not referring to you.
will you marry me? lol
In reply to what Jason Ward wrote – http://thecollegeconservative.com/2011/12/13/my-time-at-walmart-why-we-need-serious-welfare-reform/#comment-1626
I agree with what Jason said, but I would temper it by adding that I do think the Tea Party offers a clear change from the old style of Republican politics. I will happily vote for the Republican candidates who more clearly represent individual rights and capitalism – the Tea Party.
On a personal level there is little we can do, except perhaps ;Going Galt’ in our personal life as much as possible.
(btw the site on my link is someone I admire, not my personal website)
Elizabeth Jane said: “But I just as deeply implore the author to look at a key factor- the use of the term “Welfare Queen.” I understand your frustrations, but that makes you come off as purely judgmental.”
Since the author is a taxpayer who is paying for those welfare bags’ stuff, I say she has every RIGHT to judge. Judgment is not always wrong. Yes, it may make people feel a tinge of conscience and/or guilt, but people never died from a hard case of conscience OR guilt.
Loved the article.It is sooo true. I too work as a grocery store clerk and have seen these blatant ,misuse of foodstamps. Ticks me off. I grew up on welfare. I was proud to get away from it. I joined the military and learned to strive for better. I am disabled but I am still able to physically work, so I do. I got divorced last year which forced me to re-up for benefits so my child and I could get food on the table. I get $16 a month. HOly cow! WOW! I make too much to get any more than that. SO this cashier has walked miles in your shoes! I know both sides and it pisses me off to see my hard earned tax dollars being wasted away on somebody who obviously doesn’t give a damn about using his or her benefits to the max, ie,… using coupons, buying staples instead of junk food, juice not soda. Benefits are for needs not wants. SODA is not a NEED! it is a want. You don’t need soda to live, to survive. So spare me the I deserve this and that crap! Buy cheese not cheese doodles, milk not milk duds, peas not pizza. And don’t jump down my throut because you can’t eat peas, I’m speaking metaphorically. I am a big fan on using coupons. Get over yourselves and take advantage of the opportunities you are allowing to slip through your fingers.
I wish I had time to read all of the comments (or maybe I don’t). I do see a trend – those who are defensive and didn’t read (or comprehend) the entire article are calling this author judgmental. I didn’t see an ounce of judging – just an observer calling it like it is. Kudos to you, my dear! Lobster? Seriously? I’ve worked all my life and have never purchased lobster no matter how “special” the occasion is.Now I find out I’ve been buying it for others. Some things are just not practical purchases if you want your income to last the entire month, whether that income comes from the government or from a paycheck. Either you have morals or you don’t. This author, in my opinion, DOES.
The irony in the fact that the author, who worked only a portion of two years for, I am assuming, minimum wage, along with 75% of the commenters with their “I work 3 jobs to pay my bills, while going to school full-time, and I can’t afford steak or lobster” or “I have to scrounge up change for gas just to get to my JOB” arguments all received federal and state tax refund checks thus paying zero taxes into their state’s welfare system, is not lost on me.
Using the State of Maine as an example, they have one of the lowest welfare fraud percentages in the entire country at 2/10ths of 1% and a majority (70+%) of the recipients receive state assistance for less than 1 year.
I am in no way claiming there aren’t instances of fraud, as with most government programs, but I’d bet a month’s salary there’s more fraud on this thread with the “I’ve seen $3,000 a month in state benefits”, “I’ve seen them buying alcohol and tobacco with their food stamps” and “I pay my taxes” comments. Also, how many of you know that, in many instances, the non-food stamp money you’ve seen single mothers or fathers using is actually child-support received from their children’s absent parent procured for them through their state’s legal assistance programs and is placed on the debit card system they use? I guess that doesn’t matter since it’s so much easier to assume the worst of a young woman or young man than accept the possibility that you may be wrong.
As far as the “illegals are the problem” argument, frankly it is so incredibly ignorant, its not even worth addressing. I categorize those claiming that, if you offer an opposing viewpoint, you must be “either stupid or is on welfare trying to defend their laziness” as the same: ignorant. My favorite theme throughout the thread is the fallacy that there is no time-limit, on TANF benefits, some receiving it for years – even decades. And, although it was off-topic, the woman who stated that Medicaid pays for tummy tucks and breast implants…that was rich. Too funny.
You want to dictate diets and demand substance testing for money you pay to support people who don’t work? Why not look towards Congress who, in 2010, both the House and Senate each worked a whopping 40 days. At the average annual salary of $174,000, not including health insurance, we paid them $4,350 a day. Since I know you are all so very concerned about fraud perpetuated against the American People, I will be standing by for the blogs and comments on how we are to fight this massive fraud within our Congress. Actually, I won’t hold my breath because, hey, why let a silly thing like facts come between you and your holier-than-thou attitudes. It’s so much easier to look down on someone you consider beneath you than hold those who are actually draining our coffers accountable.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for the illuminating insight into the average American’s psyche and caste system. I am home, sick in bed, and this entire thread has been quite entertaining…especially those who are touting they homeschool yet their post is rife with spelling and grammatical errors. I suppose laughter is the best medicine as I’m feeling better already.
I volunteered as the head of a food-bank for a few years while there I witnessed 90%+ clients that came in came every month. We drove a car that was a few years old, while these clients seeking free food and diapers, etc. would pull up in newer cars than we drove. They also did not care about their cleanliness or appearance. Rudeness was given for free by them quite regularly. They acted as though we were there to service them and it was expected. Every once in a while we would see someone in REAL need you could tell the difference they were so thankful and also ashamed to even have to ask. We should have drug testing for anyone receiving assistance of any kind. Just like our congress and senators should have term limits we should have term limits for all who seek assistance.
Listen I live, work, and play in this country and probably pay more tax than 50% of the country. My thoughts about this are until the government decides to change this there is continue to be system abusers. I’m not mad at the abusers. I’m sure me and all my wealthy friends would probably get in line too if they said there was free money at the end of it. No matter what you do, you are going to pay taxes, and believe I have tried to figure every way around it. So there is no use crying about spilled milk, keep paying your taxes and keep complaining about things you can’t change. And for all the people trying to lump everyone that is getting help into the same boat, let me be an example to you. I worked hard all my life. Went through a downturn. Went broke. Needed and received help. Worked hard to become independent. Was fortunate and had an opportunity to become a hefty tax paying citizen. Now though I control my money and it doesn’t control me.
Very well put. My wife and I were approached at a Wal-Mart by a lady who asked “do ya’ll want to buy my food stamps?” I don’t know too many people if any who look down on folks who need charity. My sister’s home burned down 2 weeks ago, but due to the generosity of the community, total strangers and my church (my sister and her family don’t have a church) they have already found a new place and have it 80% furnished. What people do look down on, me included, is laziness, apathy, and abuse of charity or our tax dollars.
“laws of Wal-Mart legally said” A direct quote from AG Holder.
I believe that you are correct in need for a welfare reform however I beleive your using the wrong reasons. I beleive that someone anyone for that matter should be entitled good food and even some form of entertainment. I dont beleive they should be buying stacks of dvds and cds or even cases of steaks but the occaisional use for these purposes should be ok to do without being frowned upon. These are people who probably dont have cable and dont have internet or playstations to keep them entertained. Entertainement has long been used as a tool to give people an escape from the world around them and at times is a necessity to keep our sanity. Dont get me wrong going overboard with it should not be allowed but there should be some middle ground there. I think what we really need to concentrate on would be those who sell their food stamps for cash or even drug use. Or those of them who dont need it and get on food stamp programs to buy food for someone else. I have seen it a million times one guy loads a cart and someone else completely different not even related pays with food stamps. That is the kind of thing that should be stopped. However if they did limit the cash side to not allow this kind of spending they would also have to stop atm withdrawl of money and start making places like the utility companies accept the cash off the card like a credit card transaction. Also I beleive that especially around birthdays and holidays this limitation would have to be lifted so that all these children growing up in welfare families are not having to go without because Mom and Dad cant find work. My simple opinion of it take it or leave it its all the same to me.
Loren Johnston I live in Maine plus I do research before I run my mouth, her statistics about Maine and welfare, food stamps are wrong, just take the time to do the research (just google for the facts) and not run the party line which is blame the poor not the rich fat cats that set up a system to buy out the underclass off but not provide the help and incentive to change, thats the reason welfare doesnt provide systemic change for those born into the culture of poverty and dependency. Plus young lady, the current economy makes it difficult for those who do want to find a job. I too worked while I was in university, as a waiter, rich people can be just as rude, self serving, dishonest and their money doesnt always come from hard work, but I guess that is ok.
Scrooge McDuck, you’re a friggin’ idiot. You said: “Every dollar spend by a consumer becomes compounded. Person A on welfare buys big screen TV-> walmart makes money-> pays employers-> buys more TV from manufacturers in Taiwan-> stock prices go up-> investors make money-> and everyone (both the big corporations and all the employees) pay taxes. In the end, that dollar that your welfare queen spent is only costing the country about 0.20$.”
You “logic” is flawed because many middle-income people who EARNED that dollar could buy big screen televisions if only their dollar wasn’t being stolen from their paychecks to give to breeder sows to abuse. Your “logic” is flawed because 1) welfare queens don’t DESERVE
I work in a grocery store and i see it all the time. I always get yelled at when there isnt enough money on their card and they end up leaving half a cart full of food that they cant purchase. Try to keep track of how much you are getting instead of wasting my time by having to put all of it back.
I am a mother who has three children and a spouse who has MS, and let me tell you that I live with foodstamps and Maine care everyday. I hate to see some of the things that get said, but it is true what some people are doing with their bennefits. I find it unfair that their are families out there like mine that work and still get grief for trying to provide for our famlies. I go to school full time, work as a volunteer at my childrens school and take care of my family. I feel I work very hard night and day. I also get upset when the state accuses me of abusing the system when their are really people who do. I had my social worker give me grief and I told her I would never ask for help if I don’t need it and if she wanted me to give her a name and number of someone I knew that abused the system she denied it. Figure that out. I can’t wait until I am finished school so I can get my family to a point where I don’t need the help of the state.
Wow…the hatred from the welfare recipients who have …A COMPUTER and a CELL PHONE, and think everyone DESERVES to have steak, and maybe that $30.00 toy is the only one their BABY will get. Read a book that you borrowed from the library to them. Make a toy. Be creative. Enough is enough………….
and i wonder what the cashiers at Whole Foods /Trader Joe’s see?
Very good article, I would agree its a very misused system, But i think prior to Politicizing the issue. Really drill do to the real issue as to WHY is this allowed to happen. Food stamps and Assitance where around LOOONG before Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc etc.. the question is WHY has it been allowed to get to this point? Walmart ALLows it to Happen. corporate america allows it to continue to happen, Why? Because the really could careless where the money comes from they just want to the Money.
as a FORMER resident of Maine. I will say that yes in fact got “stamps” and yes I did Buy lobster. but when you can buy 2 lobsters for the price of a pack of chicken….and it SURE was NICE to shop at whole foods. and be able to BUY REAL food thats NOT processed……
its not a Political Issue its a HUMAN Issue..
Regards
I think your article is adequate, though not all people needing a hand are like this, you are also very miss informed. There are limits to welfare and strict conditions for receiving those benefits, as well as maine care. I have a daughter not eligible for any assistance though she is in the process of disability, she cannot work because of mental illness and seizures. I was on welfare for 6 years and subsidized housing for 12 years i worked my way off but it wasn’t easy every extra dollar I made was used in gas, car insurance and daycare expense. Though eventually i got off welfare i still have the medical insurance and i work and go to school stiil to hopefully someday get a job that will pay enough to stay off welfare.. so please get the rest of the truth before you claim welfare queen about people, though some are hard see each person has a reason be where they are. Listen to the song Precious pain it is the story about welfare,.
I couldnt have said it better.
Excellent article
I do agree that foodstamps and tanf should be used for a temporary time, and when you can get up and stand on your own two feet, do so and if possible when your on your own two feet help out the needy if you can. But I would like to say I am a single mom to an amazing lil’ man I do not recievce tanf but I do recieve food stamps. and through this article I am to understand that since at this moment I have no form of income, due to fighting for disability for numerous health isses, my son is not supposed to have a birthday cake, because I dont have the money to spend on it, I do odd jobs for my parents to make a few bucks a month to get buy and as much as I possibly can to get a few presents scrapped together for his birthday, but I would prefer to yes spend the food stamps I get for a small birthday cake for my son and the money on a few presents.
The people like this are remembered because their actions stand out. But how many remember the people on assistance who use their benefits the way they were meant to be, who have dignity and intelligence, and whose behavior and whose children’s behavior is within the bounds of that which is proper in any public place? You would barely notice them, or be aware that they paid with assistance benefits because of their demeanor, would you? Yet they are tarred with the same brush as these people and grouped in the same group whether they deserve it or not. Are they supposed to walk around with their heads low, and behave in subordination to those who feel themselves superior by dint of having jobs? You do not know if they are their because of health problems or other reasons, yet they have been judged and sentenced by the program they are part of. Perhaps it is time for a slower rush to judgment and time to think that people on assistance, like everyone else, are not of one character, but have many different and varied personalities and need to be treated, each one, as individuals as would each person who works at Walmart or anywhere else.
Which United States President massively expanded the Food Stamps programs?
“This program, on a full year basis, will cost something in excess of $1 billion per year. (Precise estimates will only become available over time. ) This will be in addition to the $1.5 billion for food for the hungry which I have requested for the forthcoming fiscal year, making a total program of $2.5 billion.” — Read more at the American Presidency Project: Richard Nixon: Special Message to the Congress Recommending a Program To End Hunger in America http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=2038#ixzz1gZB0ZRQN
What I find interesting about a lot of these comments are those written by people who are proud that they work two jobs or that they work hard for 55 hours a week in order to provide for one’s family. Have none of you considered that a economic system that requires you to work excessive and abusive amount of hours to provide for your family is utterly flawed and unjust? This is a problem in our country, it should not be seen a positive light. It affects our country especially children in an extremely negative way, one should not take pride in this. One mother claims to work 55 hours a week and claims her husband does nearly the same. Who is taking of your children? Who is making sure they do their homework? How is this system conducive to a healthy family, when you never see your children? No wonder our children can’t compete academically with children around the world when American parents are not involved in their education and are not around to motivate and push them to do better. You should NOT be proud that you work 55 hours a week, you should be pissed that you have to. If you are obligated to work two jobs or work 55 hours a week, then you are not earning a living wage and that should anger you. Secondly how long can you keep this up for? Will you be able to do this when you turn 50? Are you going to be able retire at all, can you even save for your retirement?
This issue is representative of the failure of the current economic system that believes in the disproved trickle down method. There are four unemployed persons for every single available job that is advertised in this country. This is not the time turn welfare on its head and be snobby, judgmental, and self -involved. Just because you and your family believe you are doing well, it doesn’t mean others are. That said if your father is working two jobs, then your family is struggling because one of your parents does not earn a living wage one job. Thus this makes you and your family not middle class, but lower class.
Welfare Mothers make better lovers !
Great, but get your tubes tied we don’t want to pay for all those babies!
Hey there, 1% poster, you sound rather defensive, which tells me that you must be one of the lowlife losers we are paying for. If you’re just a crotchety old bag who makes money but feels we don’t do enough for lobster-eating welfar breeder cows, then I say you give ALL you make to everybody you wish. I, however, choose to KEEP mine. If I earned it, I should have that prerogative, no? To keep what’s MINE?
While the article makes a valid points about abusing the system I think that the writer takes it to extremes and is, at times, rather thoughtless. While there are some that abuse the system most people actually need the assistance that are on it. Plus it’s our entire world that’s to blame. Compare the cost of a box of mac & cheese to the cost of a healthier meal or even fruit. Broccoli is close to $3lb at some times while the same money can buy you at least 3 boxes of mac & cheese. Those 3 boxes will go a lot further in feeding your family than 1lb of broccoli.
As the wife of a DHHS employee I can tell you that we’ve had the discussion about limiting the types of foods one can buy with food stamps many times.
1st the government cannot dictate what people can eat – like in the case where states or towns have tried to eliminate unhealthy fast foods – people cry Socialist.
2nd why should someone on food stamps be forbidden to buy birthday cake? Sure it’s not the healthiest of options but what’s to say they can’t celebrate a special occasion? I’m sure if we were down on our luck a special occasion would seem all that more unhappy if we couldn’t have one tiny little luxury like a cake to celebrate. What if it was for a child? Should that child not have a happy birthday?
3rd people who will abuse the system will do anything to abuse it. Limit what they can buy, there’s ways around it. My husband has told me stories about people buying the milk in the glass bottles with the $2 deposit and then returning the bottles and using the $2 return to buy cigarettes, even people buying the milk, dumping it in the parking lot then returning the bottles.
I’m not saying the system is good, it’s far from it. I’d also like to pose a few questions to the writer. I’m glad you had a job while in college, not a lot of students do. But why work at Walmart? If you claim these welfare recipients can get a job why couldn’t you pick another store to work at? Isn’t Walmart responsible for a majority of “mom and pop” shops being forced to close because better deals could be found elsewhere? Driving small families out of business and out of jobs resulting in being placed on welfare?? Doesn’t Walmart try to keep as many people as possible from being able to receive healthcare? Like scheduling them just enough hours to fall short of their eligibility requirements?
Also, I see that you went to Providence College. I do believe that is out of state. Pumping money into another state’s economy… If you’re so high and mighty wouldn’t it help your fellow Mainers if you attended school in MAINE. Creating jobs, in MAINE.
Since you’re obviously no longer working at Walmart, what are you doing now? Are you in politics fighting the “good fight” trying to work on righting the system? Or are you just another person who’s going to complain and complain yet do nothing about the situation?
So, dear writer, while you make statements that I can agree with I think you need to be a little less judgmental of the world around you. You’re article comes off very pretentious. I guess this makes me sound old now but I can remember when I was in college and thought I knew everything. I hope that you never end up in a situation where you need a helping hand and find yourself on the other end of a judgmental cashier.
This article is very well written and I know we all see it happening every single day as the customers behind these scammers or the cashiers who have to ring them up and bite their tongue because if they say something to the scammers they will lose their jobs and become one of the unfortunate people who are unable to find a job and have to swallow their pride and apply for the same benefits these scammers get fraudulently so they too can support their own families. Our system needs a severe overhaul. I know people who scam the system and they make me sick! But let me tell you all about me and my family. We have 6 people in our family. 2 adults and 4 kids. I am a nurse. I work full time. I have worked since I was 16 years old and have always paid my taxes. I am now 35. My husband is now unemployed. He got hurt at work, continued to work at that job for another year and a half on light duty and part time because his injury caused him so much pain that he was unable to work more than 18 hours a week, filed a workman’s comp claim, received a settlement much less than he deserved due to Maine’s corrupt workman’s comp laws (the words of his own lawyer), had to leave the job because it was part of the settlement, does not qualify for unemployment, and is unable to find a job he is able to do due to the injury. My husband has worked since he was 14 and has also always paid his taxes. He is now 38. The settlement he received went to pay for back bills. and get us caught up to current on everything which will be helpful when my student loan payments have to start being made in 2 months. Now here is the kicker WE RECEIVE FOOD STAMPS AND MAINECARE! Are we proud of this? No. But without it, we would not be able to feed our family and take care of our medical needs. I can not afford health insurance thru my job because it is over $500 biweekly which would be more than half of my take home pay biweekly. We wouldnt be able to pay the bills! We do not abuse the Mainecare system by running the the ER for every little thing and we go to the doctor only when we need to. I have asthma and my medication is very expensive. (No. I do not smoke either). We do not get alot of money for food stamps but what we do get helps us immensely. Oh and we do not buy junk with out food stamps but a treat every so often for us and the kids really isnt cause to criticize We do not feel entitled to these services. In fact we are grateful. Are we wrong for accepting the help? Should our family have to choose between food and electricity or heat? Should we have to suffer with illnesses that can be treated by a doctor because we have no health insurance and cant afford the doctor’s visit? (We have not nor will we apply for heating assistance as our family gave us the gift of a few cords of wood to get us thru the winter and conserve our oil for hot water.) Does anybody consider us scammers? I dont agree with people taking help under false pretenses, but I do agree with helping people out who are making the effort and need a little help along the way. Not everyone who receives assistance is a fraud.
Melissa E wrote:
“So if I pick up a birthday cake for my boyfriend (which hasn’t happened cause I usually bake it myself, but hypothetically…), I wouldn’t hesitate to pay for it with food stamps. That’s what they’re there for — to buy food.”
Hmm..not all food is created equally. Food stamps should allow someone enough food (staples) to survive. Birthday cakes and similar non-essentials should be off the list.
I totally agree with this article. I have had to use Medicaid before as well when my son was born. However, I was working two jobs and going to college full time. Also, my wife was working a job and going to college full time. How about mandating welfare recipients that cannot find a job have to perform community service. Maybe working in a soup kitchen helping out other poor people unless they can show cause why they can’t peform community service. I’ll bet this would curb welfare abuse! For everyone who says they can’t find a job, you are not looking hard enough or are not willing to accept a job. McDonald’s is hiring. Maybe you will have to move from where you live. The unemployment rate in the nation is 9.5%. That means that 90.5 people out of 100 in the job market have jobs. Did you know there are select places in the United States that cannot find enough workers to fill their job? In case you are wondering, I have worked at McDonald’s for several years. I did what I had to do to pay the bills and accepted as little government help as I could. Perhaps that is a lesson that some of you could use. Today I have a bachelor’s degree, a good job and I am working on obtaining my master’s degree and I am Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq war) veteran. What have you done for service for your country lately or are you just looking for your next entitlement?
Welfare fraud is annoying and we need to change the system so that it is a temporary help for those who truly need it and not a way of life. BUT, there is no bigger USER of the system than WAL MART!!! Wal mart refuses to give health benefits to more than 90% of its workers and hold meetings where managers TELL their employees to go get Medicaid and tells them how to do it! So now, we have WAL MART being subsidized by the government with my tax money! So, it seems WAL MART is the biggest WELFARE QUEEN OF THEM ALL!!!
Andie said: “What I find interesting about a lot of these comments are those written by people who are proud that they work two jobs or that they work hard for 55 hours a week in order to provide for one’s family. Have none of you considered that a economic system that requires you to work excessive and abusive amount of hours to provide for your family is utterly flawed and unjust?”
Is it the system, or is it people’s unsatiable need to have every new toy, gadget, car, house, phone, etc., etc., etc.? What I CONTINUALLY see is people spending money they don’t have on things they don’t NEED and then crying foul when they don’t have money for groceries. It’s PEOPLE that are flawed, not the system, per se.
First, I agree with everything you said about how messed up the welfare system is in Maine. I, too, work at Wal-Mart, but in produce. I’ve seen many similar situations to those you described. Secondly, the only thing wrong with this is how you said “That’s why I vote Republican.” I don’t care if the person I vote for is a Republican, a Democrat, or a deep-fried tennis shoe…I vote for the person I see eye-to-eye with the most.
As a part-time food vendor here in Maine; I’d like to “congratulate” the gentleman who’s using EBT to fund his vending cart supplies….I’m SURE he reports all of his income and pays his Maine sales tax as well!
Good article and so true. If people really knew what goes on with the career welfare people they wouldn’t be so eager to defend them. Career welfare is different from the people who really need a hand up because of temporary problems or medical problems. Some of the unreal things i’ve seen in 30 years of working in grocery stores are cute things like career welfare taking trips to DisneyWorld, or going south for the winter cause Michigan is too cold, or complaints that the “free” pantry didn’t have what they wanted so now they have to spend their foodstamps, or my personal favorite, buying pop in deposit cans on stamps and then emptying them out in the parking lot to get the cash. Yes it happens all the time and those of us who work in the grocery business can tell you which of our customers are career welfare and which ones really need help and can’t get it because they don’t know how to work the system. The government workers keep these people on welfare so they don’t lose funding and their own jobs. And the sad thing is we are paying for it. I’ve had employees told they can’t get help during the six weeks after childbirth but if they’d quit their job they could get a full ride forever. The funny thing is I’ve never run into a career welfare person who votes so it’s the uninformed taxpayer who seems to like our welfare state.
You are hated if you are at the top. You are looked down upon if you are at the bottom…. and you are worked to death if you are anywhere in between and willing to try… If you give out benefits SOMEONE is going to milk it.. it is life.. if you dont give out benefits SOMEONE is going to go hungry.. it is life.. and if you work.. you are always going to have to work harder… people are greedy and that is how it is..
Um excuse me?
“c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.”
So let me understand this, if you are on welfare you’re not allowed to buy a steak or birthday cake? Or splurge once a month on something yummy? You have balls. I am disabled and get food stamps. I am tired of people telling me what I can and can’t buy. Step off.
First off, wow, this article hit a nerve!
Second, to all those folks out there who felt obliged to accuse her of being racist a) she mentioned no one’s race in the article (you brought that to the story yourselves), and b) is there really a big minority problem in MAINE?
Someone mentioned low fraud rates in Maine, someone else asked why she didn’t report these ‘events’ to the authorities – because most weren’t crimes because of Main’s lax requirements and counter-productive incentives/restrictions.
If hot dogs & buns are legal to buy, than it was legal for the hot dog vendor to buy them – the cashier can’t ‘prove’ he was not buying these items for personal use…
Never ever let them get to you, girl. Keep your eye bright and know that you and a reminent still care about doing the right thing! Good Girl!
The article is BS
I live in the state of TN and i see this all the time, people coming through lines at stores using welfare for things welfare cleaerly was not intended for or selling there food stamps so they can buy other things. They need to look into it more, and the worst part is people who really need it can’t get it because of the rules on the wages, but you have people who abuse the privalage of having it
WTF. I just read some of these ‘tards whining about their welfare lifes and situations. Did the Democatic party or the socialist workers party link to this posting in order to cause an internet Occubagger campout on this blog? Fuck your kid and his welfare birthday cake you think is owed to you. Your EBT with only $67.00 a month on it sob story. Good fuckin luck leeches when this whole fucking thing implodes.
Welfare dollars put back into the economy are nowhere near equal the amount that would be in the economy if it wasn’t taken away from us in the form of taxes in the first place. For example, say the gov’t takes $100 in taxes from you. They take their cut, then give $25 to someone on welfare, and that person spends it. That’s $75 taken out of the economy. (The amounts aren’t a literal, it’s just an illustration.) So this idea of people spending their welfare money being good for the economy is completely false. Yeah, some of it makes it back in, but most of it is taken by the government, which doesn’t produce anything that helps the economy move along. It can only spend money, not create wealth.
The “poor” people in the US, the people living in “poverty” here have NO IDEA what real poverty is. It makes me sick.
Remember Ronnies welfare queens driving Cadillacs. More BS
98% of the comments abusing Crouselle and taking issue with her findings seem to be from welfare and food stamp recipients. Go figure.
Again – if you want to go to college, have children, or run up all kinds of bills, pay the freight yourself.
Food stamps and welfare benefits are intended as temporary assistance for families in need – not people looking for a way to fund life’s necessities so they can still afford gold jewelry, fancy cars, tattoos, and laptops.
If you find yourself taking extreme exception to Christine’s article, maybe you need to take a really good look in the mirror.
Ticked off said: “Um excuse me?
“c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.”
So let me understand this, if you are on welfare you’re not allowed to buy a steak or birthday cake? Or splurge once a month on something yummy? You have balls. I am disabled and get food stamps. I am tired of people telling me what I can and can’t buy. Step off.”
STEP OFF?? How about you FUCK off, bitch! No, you are NOT entitled to blow MY hard-earned money on such things. YOU didn’t work for it, I DID. I hope I live to see the day entirely implode to the point where ALL monies dry up and you shrivel up and blow away. You will NEVER be missed. If anything, your demise will improve MY life AND wallet.
While I agree with some of what is stated. I think it is ridiculous to say that because your on welfare you do not deserve to eat steak or buy birthday cakes. C’mon really? I think we also need to think about all the white collar crimes committed and not forget the favors that well off people do for each other but wouldnt dare help a stranger in need. I have watched time and time again how upper middle class people trade out services based I what they have or what they do for a living but yet they would pay someone minimimum wage because thats all they are required to do or they’d pay them less. The system is not perfect I agree, but do not judge everyone the same. I can’t believe that in all her time at Walmart she didn’t see anyone who used the benefits in a frugal manner. As for the WIC… if she had that much of a problem then she needs the assistance. Instead of being bitter about this we should all try to find away to help the less fortunate in our community. That is what God commands us to do. To take care of one another. If we start doing that then we will not need welfare.
I worked at walgreens as a pharmacy tech and watched a girl pull up in a land rover and dig through her coach purse to find the $3 she needed to pay for her copay after Michigan medicad had picked up the rest. I also had a woman decide not to pick up her child’s antibiotic ($5) because she was saving her $20 for bingo. Customers would become angry with me when their $3 copay was raised to $5. Meanwhile, I was 26, still in school and working part-time WITHOUT insurance. I could have slapped those people.
OMG I LOVE THIS BLOG! Queen #1 and #2!!!
I also worked at Wal-Mart and agree. I worked at the Wal-Mart in Seabrook, NH for about 5 years until I looked around and thought I need to decide what I want to do for a career in life.
I remember seeing people withdrawing cash to get cigarettes, or what not. We never sold alcohol but we did have a small selection of foods, and frozen foods, milk etc. People would always buy ciggerettes that was their top reason to shop there! Always pulling out their EBT card from their coach purse, trying not to break their freshly done nails, slowly pushing back their hair do, as it waited to process they would be fixing themselves up. It always bothered me that I helped pay for their habit rather than that money going to feed someone in need.
How ever, one day on the register a women was standing in my line wearing scrubs. She had a toddler and a maybe a 5 year old girl with her. The kids looked to me as if they were wearing second hand cloths, she bought a few basics, milk, cereal, juices, bread. She pulled out her EBT card but it was like she was trying to hide it. Her purchase was declined. I remember her looking up at me as her eyes turned red as if she was trying to fight back the tears. I thought this women looked familiar but I just shrugged it off. I told her it was denied and asked if she had another way to purchase the items. Her face turned bright red and she looked down and said no. For some reason I felt in my heart this women was honest and probably a hard working just trying to get by. I had some extra money in my check that week from over time. She was my last customer before I went to break. I quickly purchase the items after the women left and I was able to catch her standing outside with her children waiting for a cab. I gave the women the groceries and she asked what is this. I told her her items that she needed. I then took off before she could refuse.
A few weeks later I went to visit my mom at her work. She worked as a LPN at a nursing home. I thought I would surprise her with supper. As I walked onto the unit there was that women I bought food for. She was working as a CNA with my MOM!!!! Not to mention she was working a double that whole week. She tolled my mom what happened to her at Walmart and had no idea I was her daughter. I am not one to do kind things like this, its kinda out of my character to be honest. I mostly mind my own business and worry about myself. So for my mom to find out that was me shocked her. I joked and said “Shh don’t tell anyone, cause then everyone else will find out I actually have a heart”
That week she returned to walmart and gave my manager a card to give to me. It was a thank you card and inside was the money it cost for the food.
I went home and tolled my mom and my mom tolled me how hard she works. How she works two jobs as a CNA and has two kids. How the father is a dead beat and how she is struggling work, kids and nursing school. I never expected that money back. But its sad that people who REALLY could use it who are trying to better themselves suffer the most.
The people who cheat the system rob not only those who pay for the system, but also the people who need the help. Every professional beggar on the freeway offramp robs from poor people who need help. There is no right to feed your kids steak. You don’t earn money by filling out welfare forms or pumping out kids.
Go on welfare, get your tubes tied. My kids don’t need to starve so you can be fat and dirty.
Bums- Out. Illegal aliens- out. People who need help to the front of the line.
Its interesting that when basic first hand observations are made by those who can most easily witness such abuse, the pro-government forces come out of the woodwork (always dangerous to question someone’s religion). My god, they are now attacking a minimum wage Wal-mart cashier as a 1%er. Because, why? She pointed out that the system is creating a generational cycle of government dependency and perpetration of poverty? Really? Instead its lets attack corporate welfare (tax-breaks as welfare is funny, as it assumes all money is governments to begin with). Or lets attack a congress that works 40 days (which if my calculations are correct is slightly less than infinitely more work that the subjects in this article). As far as the “illegals are not a problem” argument, frankly it is so incredibly ignorant, its not even worth addressing.
Some of her information is wrong. For instance – it’s not all or nothing. It is income based. I for one – am so disgusted with the lack of respect and the assumption that if one qualifies for assistance they are and should be indebted and be living a miserable life eating porridge and gruel. Their kids don’t deserve birthday cakes – and they shouldn’t be allowed such luxuries as Walmart earrings! They deserve to wallow in their poor self esteem and feel worthless, b/c that’s what they are! If they can afford a cell phone – they must be scamming the system – after all – just look at them! This little girl could clearly spot a scammer vs. the professional father that was laid off recently. This little girl who has such social awareness as to, yes, maybe witness some of the probable “lifers” and go on to show them humane respect anyhow by titling them “Welfare Queen 1 and 2″. With such insight – surely she will never struggle. Afterall, if she found herself jobless – even if she had several children – she would be willing to stand on her feet as a Walmart cashier – and that will likely cover the cost of childcare and bills. I can go on, but ultimately the point is that this is yet another take on the abuse of the system – which of course exists. If only we saw such passion for the financial abuse our politicians so liberally disperse. Food stamps+welfare+WIC and heating assistance programs amount to 3% of our nations budget. 3%. Our defense budget is 50%. I am a.o.k. with 3% of our budget supporting those that qualify, b/c even though there are those that have lost or never even known confidence – who never knew their potential – maybe they don’t care – maybe they don’t know what they are missing. Maybe they are lying and making $$ under the table, but it’s not enough to live comfortably – These people get benfits *just* b/c they were born into one of the wealthiest nations on the planet – not b/c they deserve it – and even though those folks will get supported -I’m ok with it, b/c this assistance will also produce a warm home for a loving family struggling greatly. this system will allow a mother that chooses whole organic real food to feed her children that way. This system will allow the out of work parent to pull themselves together and not lose everything. this system creates Doctors and lawyers and teachers and mechanics. And, yes. crack heads too. But that’s none of my business.
My question is: Why did you apply to work at Walmart in the first place? My observation is that you have a “holier than thou” attitude. My recommendation is that you get outside of your “i’m better than you box” and go volunteer at a non-profit. You are a prime example of the sense of entitlement that so many of our young folks feel they are owed. Your article is a clear reminder why I switched from the Republican to the Democratic party.
Having read nearly all of the comments within this thread, I am of the opinion the one by “mynameisnotjoe” on December 14, 2011 at 9:34 pm is the most succinct. Kudos, Sir. Or Ma’am.
i am not sure whether to laugh or cry about the fact that a white girl going to providence college wrote an article about welfare reform. i’m glad that at 17 you toiled away in a wal-mart for a few months, but this by no means paints an accurate, complete picture of the welfare system. for those of you who defend this article by saying, “we know people use welfare the way it’s supposed to be used! this is just an article about some people who abuse it.” that is absurd; if the author was trying to say that, she would have. instead, we are left with the alcoholic, drug addict, welfare queen stereotypes with no evidence of how and when the system DOES work. what about all of the times a mother came in to buy baby formula with her WIC checks? or the time someone came in to buy milk, bread, eggs? strange how you left out those cute anecdotes.
why not focus your energy on education reform instead? imagine pumping $1 trillion into schools and mentoring programs instead of a pointless war? maybe then the “welfare queens” would learn about things like nutrition, or better yet – about how to break the cycle of poverty they and their families have entered into due to a range of circumstances. it is easy to call people stupid and lazy without delving deeper into the myriad of socioeconomic factors that come into play here. maybe you should use some of the $40,000/year tuition you (or your parents) are paying to take sociology 101.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink…if they qualify for gov’t aid they qualify for pell grants so if they want to they can go to college too and break the cycle, they have to want to.
Kev Reg, you sound like me!
I too look forward to the day that the entire system goes to hell. I’ll feel sorry for a few, but not most. Have kids you never could afford? Give them up for adoption. Can’t get a decent job because you’re not educated? Maybe you should have done better in school. Every choice creates an action (or reaction). Hey, welfare scabs, your problems are not MY problems. I don’t know you and, frankly, I don’t care about you. The cheats and the entitled have hardened my heart to the whole batch of you. I can’t care about you at the expense of me and mine. If you were in my situation, you’d see it my way. But because you’ve been raised with no moral compass, you only believe you are entitled to take from others, like the thieving scumbags you are.
I’m gonna have to agree with you on this one. I worked for child support, and was constantly given the line by both Obligees and Obligors, “I have more pride then to work for Wal-Mart” (McDonald’s, Burger King, etc). I think the point she was trying to make was, “a job is a job”.
I once took a phone call from a mother who had not received her child support in a few months. She was cursing and blaming our office for her not having her child support. When I tried to explain that we were doing all that the law allowed to get her “ex” to pay his child support she said to me, “well, how do you expect me and my kids to just live on coke and bread”. I looked up her state benefits, and sure enough she was receiving food stamps; that’s a lot of bread and coke.
I believe in giving to those who are in a rough place (not a rough lifetime). But, I too have seen the system played (from inside), and I am also a little fed up with it.
Makes me remember 3rd grade. When my class was asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, one classmate said, “be on welfare, like my parents”.
“Food stamps and welfare benefits are intended as temporary assistance for families in need – not people looking for a way to fund life’s necessities so they can still afford gold jewelry, fancy cars, tattoos, and laptops.”
Jackass it is temporary, because Clinton passed welfare reform.
Stunned — the fact that we’re paying the freight is what “makes it our business.”
If people don’t want interference and rules, they can simply pay their own bills, and nobody will care what they do, within the law.
Ask for assistance, and your business becomes public — because the public is paying your bills.
I totally get what you are saying, and probably would have written a similiar post when I was younger and worked as a cashier. But life has handed me a few curve balls. As a divorced Mom of 2, I qualify for WIC and Food Stamps and I am using them to help me get back on my feet. I recently lost my job and am actively searching. I’m not using Welfare, and I do my best to stay within the guidelines. However, poor people have birthdays too, and some people have special dietary restrictions (I have a child who is lactose intollerant so I have to get the more expensive lactose free milk or soy milk). Do I plan to use the system forever? No. Am I embarassed by having to use it? Yes. But, it is a godsend to me right now. Were these programs not in place, I would not be able to provide food for my kids. And yes, my cell phone and cell phone plan, all of the clothing I am wearing, and everything I own were generous gifts from friends and family or came from second hand stores. I am doing the best I can with what I have at the moment. Is it frustrating to see people abuse the system? Yes, very. But there are plenty of honest people out there who truley need the help too.
Wow… That is a very ignorant article, no offence to you personally. I know some people do take advantage of the system but not everyone does. My husband had a stroke 2 years ago, he now has seizures and can’t drive along with other problems caused by the stroke. He is no disabled, and the system doesn’t allow him to receive disability. I work about 50+ hours a week managing a store, we have 2 small children and I receive Medicaid as well as food stamps. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be able to feed my family. I have been “on welfare” since he had the stroke 2 years ago, and I see no end in sight to needing this assistance. I am educated, I could get a “better” job however it would make being able to take time off to take my husband to his many Dr appointments impossible. And because I am on food stamps does that mean my family doesn’t deserve a nice meal of steak or lobster on occasion, or that I shouldn’t be able to buy my children a cake for their birthday? You are no more deserving of such things just because you make more per hour than I do. I vote republican, and I think that people who say they are divorced just so they don’t have to report the entire household income in order to receive benefits should be dealt with. However, for people to sit on their high horse and look down on me when I am buying food for my family the best way I know how is awful! You have no idea what it is like to be in line at the grocery store and have to make several different orders to pay some with WIC and some with EBT, the people who are behind you, who were just telling you how cute and sweet your children are now are whispering and looking at you as if you don’t deserve anything in your cart, and then the cashier also thinks you are trash and throws your cans on top of your bread and chips. If you think I, or the many like me enjoy this you are wrong! And God help you if you are ever in a situation like mine. I hope you are greeted with the same amount of disrespect as I am as well as the same that was given in this link!
The 1 IN 6 AMERICANS THAT ARE POOR DON’T DESERVE ACCESS TO INTERNET INFORMATION, SOCIAL NETWORKING, OR ANYTHING ELSE! If they can’t afford a computer, why should they be allowed to have an iPhone? DAMN THE 22% OF CHILDREN THAT LIVE IN POVERTY EVERY YEAR. why don’t they do something about it with their infinite lack of resources? damn it. BTW, WAL-MART hands out welfare application to its new employees b/c they get the workers rights of Indonesia.
Re: the comments about the cake, some people don’t have a working oven at home. Maybe it’s broken and they don’t have the money to call someone in to fix it, or to get a new one. Hence, microwave dinners and pre-made birthday cakes. I’m not gonna begrudge someone’s son or daughter their birthday, if that money is already part of what the parent is receiving. I just expect them to spend the rest of it on nutritious meals.
As for the statements about us not being able to tell people how to use the money, that is absolutely true, unless the money is ours. And hey, wait, it is. That’s the sucky thing about being on the dole, and the best reason in the world to get off of it asap… so that you can spend your money any way you please. That’s why we value our salaries and our property and our vehicles… because they represent the freedom to do what we want, when we want to do it.
Finally, I would advise the author, as others have done, not to make assumptions too quickly. The woman with the vacuum cleaner and the hot dog dude were obvious cheats. Some of the others, not necessarily. We don’t know everything about everyone’s lives from the thirty seconds we interact with them. Keep an open mind so that you don’t accidentally make an incorrect judgment and then have to walk it back later.
In a free society, if you want to help people, you will not be stopped. In a free society, people who want help will endeavor to live in a way that someone will choose to help them. In a free society, people who show that they are not worthy of being helped will not be helped. In a free society, people who are helped are grateful, perhaps embarassed, and go on to improve their lot if they can, and perhaps pay the charity forward.
When that happens, I hope that the children of such leeches are scooped up before they take lasting harm.
I love the people who think that they are on food stamps and should have the choice to buy what they want. Do they really believe they are buying the food? This shows their education level. The taxpayer is buying your food! If you are given something, most people with manners accept what they are given and say thank you, not this is what I want instead. Anybody who thinks they should have a choice on what taxpayers buy them is so out of whack they need therapy or should be mentally evaluated.
Some of these excuse filled comments are hysterical. The ones complaining that it’s an infringment on someone’s rights when the writer questions the purchase of steaks are the funniest. It’s as if they’re unaware that we taxpayers are footing the bill. Then again, perhaps they aren’t really taxpayers or they think the money used to fund the abuse mentioned above simply grows on trees.
I am not a cashier nor do I work for Walmart but I do shop there very often. Two years ago after having my 17th knee surgery and 2 replacements I found myself unable to work as a nurse for about a year and on top of that my husband of 22 years suffered a seizure at his firehouse which caused him to be placed on light duty (desk) and his pay hours were cut more than half we had to turn to food stamps to help feed our family of four. I was devastated and embarrassed to have to do this because of exactly what you described above. The abuse of the system is rampant. Thank God we are able to provide for ourselves again but it does disturb me to see someone paying with EBT and buying the extravagant food items and then literally pull out $100 dollar bills or credit cards to pay for the “other items” I.e. XBox, tv,s etc. I know they say not to judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes but it’s really hard when you go out the door and they are getting into their Lexus Suv or whatever. How about doing without some of the extras you have and help out the situation.
If someone thinks that there isn’t a problem with people taking advantage of the system then you need serious help. It’s our tax dollars that are supporting the people that use these systems. Also, for all of you people who say “don’t tell me what I can buy”, then get off the system that WE PAY FOR! Yes, it is awful when someone loses their job and has money problems but the people that are paying for your stuff have a right to say what they want because they are paying for those peoples food.
I can not believe all the narrow minded idiots out there. What would happen to any one of you that lost your job?became injured?was unable to work and feed your families? None of you bigots have a clue! God forbid some one has compassion and sympathy for your fellow man. People work and can still receive benefits, idiots. If you flipped burgers for a living and had 4 kids to feed how far would your 200 bucks a week go after you paid rent, light, heat, gas…nothing would be left. Yes some abuse it but you will never understand what it does to some people to ask for help. Sit on the other side of the table and watch a 40 year old man with tears in his eyes tell you how he built his business from the ground up, never asked for help a day in his life, until it burnt flat and because he barely was making it by…couldn’t pay for insurance. So he is now a “loser” because he has no business, has no way to support his family while he struggles to start over? Or how about your grandparents that worked their whole lives and social security doesn’t even cover their rent! People get a life. Instead of sitting on here judging why don’t you put your time to better use and go help out at a local food pantry or better yet crawl back under that dark rock you came out of!
I bet over half the people on here complaining is now, or has been a recipient!
You are absolutely right! It’s encouraging to see the new generation of voters like you out there!
Come on troll turds, who linked you to this. SEIU or ACORN? I’ve never seen so many whining communists on one web page. Not even the Huffington Post can get this many leechers on on post.
What I’m wondering is how Nancy Drew managed to work at Wally World and NOT have to apply for welfare or food stamps herself.
But seriously, some of the things she listed are not evidence of fraud.
Lobster and steaks? Are those forbidden items? Were they supposed to buy fish sticks and frozen “beef” patties instead?
Using and iPod? How did she know it wasn’t a gift, or maybe borrowed from a friend?
Buying hot dogs to cook and sell? Is that fraud? Did he make more money than the limit allowed? How much money can a hot dog vendor make?
If TANF money does not have restrictions on what they can buy, then they can pretty much buy anything in the store, right? Right?
Fraud does happen. But she’s not going to prove it by listing personal anecdotes. Some people do need help, and fraud is not that common. Stop demonizing everyone.
“You are a prime example of the sense of entitlement that so many of our young folks feel they are owed.”
Think about that for a second, folks. That’s a coment from a self professed Democrat to the writer, someone who actually WORKED for a paycheck becuase she dared to mention that there are some abuses in our assistance programs. That’s right, the Democrat thinks the WORKER has a sense of entitlement, not the welfare queen with the iphone spending taxpayer’s assistance money on steaks and lobster. Thus is the bizarre world some Democrats exst in.
I think you hit the nail on the head with alot of this, but I can also tell you that sometimes as a Mother you have to swallow your pride and do what you need to do to make sure your children have food in their mouths. I am not a big purchaser of Steaks and Lobsters, however I do buy a steak or two a few times a year..in my situation there was a deadbeat father involved, every time the state would track him down he would move rather than pay to help out with his son…makes me wild that to this day I have not seen one red cent from this man, he owes over $30,000. I would not have needed so much help if I had gotten Child support to help with food expenses and clothing and other things I paid for out of pocket..I do agree a lot of people abuse the system, I think there should be a task force that is just set up to detect fraud and other abuses..people should be going in every 3 months for reviews instead of every 6-12..there needs to be more accountability.
One last time, people. For the short-bus folks who are completely agog that some of us truly believe this, I will say again: NO, YOU DO ***NOT*** DESERVE TO BUY STEAKS, LOBSTER, BIRTHDAY CAKES, EARRINGS (WalMart or otherwise) CELL PHONES, OR ANY OTHER NON-NECESSITY IF YOU ARE ON WELFARE OF ANY SORT. Just because you WANT something doesn’t mean you’re ENTITLED to it. If you believe you are, then you ARE the problem. This is why we’re so jacked up as a country — the TRUE selfishness is in the hearts of those people who take from others without question and then believe that they can do whatever they want with “their” money. Just because organized crime in the form of government stole it from me to give to you doesn’t simply make it yours. You have ill-gotten gains that many of you are complaining is not enough, all while defending your perceived “right” to do whatever you want. You have the right to quit sucking off my wallet.
Wow. If I ever raise a child so lacking in compassion as to use the term “Welfare Queen,” I will realize that I have failed as a parent. Is this 1980? Frankly, I didn’t see any evidence of “fraud” in your article. “Fraud” would be violating the rules of the programs, e.g., lying about income, etc. You simply don’t like the people using welfare and disapprove of how they spend it. How dare a poor child have a birthday cake, right? How dare a poor man buy alcohol? How dare the poor not run their monthly budgets by you for your approval first so you can weed out the unnecessary expenses? Don’t they know if they aren’t walking around barefoot and in rags they really don’t need help?
I also find it really difficult to believe that the welfare recipients were so much ruder than the average Wal-Mart patron. Perhaps they picked up on your nasty little attitude towards them and responded in kind? Reap what you sow and all that.
I sincerely hope you need government assistance someday. You need humility and compassion.
“I once had a man show me his welfare card for an ID to buy alcohol. The man was from Massachusetts. Governor Michael Dukakis’ signature was on his welfare card. Dukakis’ last gubernatorial term ended in January of 1991.”
–what exactly is a “welfare card”? I never heard of one, other than an EBT card-which is not signed or dated.
“c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.”
–What are people with an EBT card supposed to eat? People complain if they “eat too well” or if they buy “nothing but crap” with their EBT card. Please tell me-what are poor, EBT users supposed to buy according to those who use their hard earned money to buy food instead??
As was already stated, people who have EBT cards aren’t necessarily on “welfare”. Are you really going to begrudge, say, a single mother with several children who works her ass off but happens to have a deadbeat ex-husband who does not contribute and the system won’t help HER go after HIM, the person who should be helping pay for his kids groceries?
Instead of judging these people as “welfare queens” and losers, assuming they don’t have a job–why not report the people who are truly committing fraud?
It’s great to have an “opinion”, especially when it is biased and naive eh? But until you understand what it is like to have to live that sort of life maybe you should stop judging people for the way they have to live OR do something about what you truly feel is an injustice to the system…and Wal-mart–one of the world’s most corrupt, evil corporations.
I agree with this article, and I AM on food stamps. I have little choice. My daughter is permanently disabled and requires allot of care. Even though my husband works he makes little so we had to get some help. I do feel a little trapped because we cannot afford the daycare she would need for me to go back to work, and any program that would help us we would make too much for if i was working. Thus we will be on food stamps for a bit until she’s in school, thank you public schools for also taking on therapies of special needs children. I also hate it when i get dirty looks for buying roasts and such at the store. you know you can cut one into slices and have steaks for meals for a week?
However there is definitely a problem with the system. When we realized we weren’t making it on what we were making we went down to the Government office to apply. There is a big problem when the lady tells you how much you qualify for, looking apologetic, then with great relief thanks you for not going off on her. They can use and abuse the system, the employees included.
Bobby Jones, you hit the nail right on the head, brother. Liberalism is truly a mental disorder.
I think you’re article is insightful as a cashier witnessing these horrible cases of fraud and abuse, to include the abuse you suffered as a cashier. However, I will say that I was a bit taken back by your judgment on their purchases and their work ethic. The gentleman that you say has been on food stamps for your whole life could have been an injured solider or someone else who is unable to work like you or I. Also, why can’t families enjoy an occasional “nice” meal and why shouldn’t their child receive a birthday cake with their name on it? In regards to the foods of no nutritional value, I think you may want to see how far $400 goes to feed a family of 4 with only foods of “nutritional value” for a month. Remember, they need breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. God forbid one has an allergy or is sick. And the rest of your money has to be spent on bills and school supplies, and maybe you’ll have $30 left over. These are the stories I heard from clients I’ve worked with for the past 4 years. You’ll always have abusers, but you will certainly have people who are in serious need too.
In North Carolina college students are eligible to receive Food Stamps as long as they are full time and working at least 20 hours or doing Work-Study. I was working for five years after college, and I have decided to further my education and live off student loans and I have happily accepted the government’s assistance to feed myself. I may be here for two years, maybe five, but I wouldn’t let any cashier at any establishment make me feel bad for wanting the nicer cut of meat.
Just before you pass judgement so quickly, try taking a walk in their shoes.
“I think the state needs laws governing people like you discussing people’s private lives.”
My jaw literally dropped at this statement. “Seriously,” if you want to move to a place with such draconian laws, feel free, but don’t you dare try to poison this country with that shit. Utterly disgusting, horrendous, and despicable in every way. Shame on you.
Great post!
When I am spending my own hard earned money, I am “entitled” to spend it anyway I see fit.
If I am spending someone else’s dollar, I best be spending wisely.
There are people out there who truly need the assistance. This is not directed at you:
The people who feel they are being judged most likely are feeling guilty about something.
If you are being honorable and show integrity, you have nothing to worry about.
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_1214pols_demand_overhaul_after_ebt_bust_da_cocaine_heroin_seized_at_lynn_stores
Pols demand overhaul after EBT bust
DA: Cocaine, heroin seized at Lynn stores
By Dave Wedge and O’Ryan Johnson
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 – Updated 9 hours ago
Beacon Hill Republicans are calling for a massive overhaul of the state’s welfare system after a crew of alleged Lynn grifters was charged with scamming thousands from taxpayer-funded EBT cards — including some who allegedly took the public money as payment for crack.
“I want to see major reform here in Massachusetts,” fumed state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, a Taunton Republican heading a legislative panel reviewing the EBT program. “You can spend that money on anything you want. There’s no oversight.”
I don’t care why you get food stamps or welfare, you SHOULD be embarrassed that you are using them. That way you get OFF of them as soon as you can. I would use them if I had to as well but I would still die every time I pulled them out. A needy leach is still a leach.
I lived in Caribou, Maine for about 3 1/2 years in the mid 80′s and even at that time there was a town nearby that boasted about 90% Welfare dependency. People would get a job at their relatives body shop, for example, and work there during the spring and summer just long enough to meet the reqirement for unemployment and welfare. They would be let go at the shop during the winter and collect until the following spring and then get a job at a friends store and repeat the process. This would go on year after year. Most of the residents of that town were in fact 5th, 6th, or 7th, generation welfare and thought nothing of taking advantage of the system and in fact most drove nicer vehicles than most of us can afford. Brand new 4-wheel drive crew cab pickups with every option available. I was busting my butt 50-60 hours a week trying to make a living and those people never exerted themselves a day in their lives and were making more or as much as I did in a month. The welfare system was created to be a temporary leg up until you found employment. It was never meant to be a generational lifestyle as it is in certain parts of our country. Why is there no review of these cases periodically to give them some sort of timeline to help themselves, or else!! I have to agree with the author on their attitudes also. They have a sense of entitlement and demand more or better than someone that is spending money they earned themselves. They have no pride or they would make an effort to better themselves and provide a better future for their family for generations like we were taught when we were kids. The current shape our country is in should be enough of an alert to everyone, especially politicians, that there is a time to put away the bandaid fixes and actually overhaul most or all the programs currently in place and reduce the abuse and waste of MY money!! THE SOONER THE BETTER MR. OBAMA!!!!
I agree with most of what you wrote in your article. I am a mother with 4 children. My husband is in the military and after many years of working outside of my home, I am now a stay at home mom. I home school my youngest child and we live very comfortably. However, it wasn’t always this way. My oldest daughters father, my first Husband, commited suicide after serving two years in Iraq and I found myself left with nothing for a short period of time. I had to apply for TANF and food stamps to care for my young daughter. I bought things with TANF like the earrings mentioned above. I bought them for my daughter when she lost the ones her deceased father had bought her. I bought a birthday cake with my food stamps because I could not afford to get my child a cake for her Birthday with cash. I bought toys and dolls with it so my baby would have as close to a normal Birthday as possible while grieving the loss of her dead father. I know people do abuse the system. I do not believe I did by purchasing the things I did. I had worked all my life. My Husband served our Country and fought in a war to protect our freedom. I don’t believe that we can say ppl are abusing the system because of what we see them buy with their assistance. Would you have told my 3 year old she should not get a Birthday cake because her mother was on welfare?
Victoria said: “I sincerely hope you need government assistance someday. You need humility and compassion.”
Wow, wishing government assistance on people. What a deluded individual you are. For anybody to believe that GOVERNMENT is the answer to ANYTHING, much less the vehicle by which one would EVER learn humility and compassion, tells me how utterly hopeless you are. If you have kids, you have already failed them due to your disgusting attitude.
I was very interested in this article. I used to think just the same as the author. I am on food stamps right now. I still don’t like the idea of it and I totally agree that many people misuse and abuse this. It is very humbling experience to have to admit that you need help and it’s wonderful that it is there. My husband is a full-time student as well as a veteran who is graduating with his bachelor’s degree this weekend and is going into the master’s program. He has had a hard time finding work. We were completely blessed to have some help through the SNAP (Food Stamp Program). Our financial status, due to grants and such changes on an almost monthly basis. And now that my husband has a minimum wage job, which is less than 25 hours a week and minimum wage, our food stamp benefits were cut in less than half, which is less than I would budget for (if I had the choice), but really helps buy food for our family of 4 for $174.00 a month as of this month. However, he has had a lot of trouble finding work other than part-time and has actually been told that he would not be considered for a certain position because of his not being a minority and that the company had to hire minorities to be within regulations. We are thankful for the job he currently has and God has provided for us. We are currently glad that God has provided us enough for our bills each month. Because of free resources and other hand-me-downs, I homeschool my children and have no skills, other than a high school diploma that would get me as good of a job as my husband should be able to find with his work experience and education. For this reason, and because childcare for our two small children would be outrageous, I am a stay at home mom. If our situation gets any worse though, I will be working outside the home as well. As things are now, we own one vehicle, ration our gas (among other things), ask for things we need as gifts around holidays or birthdays, use natural things (like baking soda and vinegar) as cleaners and hygiene products, and do other things we can to be really frugal. And yes, we do get ice cream or coke with our food stamps sometimes. It is still healthier and cheaper than hitting the drive thru all the time. I am really looking forward to the time that we are able to put away savings that we can add to and/or be able to help someone else out. I would love to have great careers for our family. I don’t think that all people who are on welfare need to be by any means. By that same token, a lot of people that need it, can’t get it. My time on it has shown me that it’s hard and that there are a lot of people that really do want to work and just can not find the job that will pay their bills. We don’t want to drive bmws or have a 4 or 5 bed house. We just want to pay our bills and have a little extra left at the end of the month without having to go through change to buy toilet paper and soap or gas. I am also not saying that we are above any job. A job is a job, but I do think that it is ridiculous in our economy to expect us to have cable or health insurance when we can’t afford gas or food b/c all we can find is a job flipping burgers or for minimum wage that was never intended from its creation to be a career for people with families, but as a transitional job for first time workers or something like that. Costs keep going up, but what’s helping our pay go up to compensate for it? All of this being said, God is still on the throne, and He will still provide for our needs. I am one of those that truly need to learn what true necessity is. For that, I am thankful for being in this situation right now. I hope I learn well from it and never look down on someone else who is right there too whether now or in the future.
i’ve been on both sides of this. i used to work at a grocery store and would see all the people come in and use their food stamps on junk. my sister and i worked at this store together and at the end of our shifts would go home and compare stories on who had the most food stamps junk in their line. we saw many of the same things. chips, candy, soda, frozen pizza, ice cream, misc other non nutritional items and maybe and apple and a gallon of milk thrown in to look good. we were disgusted. our boss overheard us on break once complaining that we wished we could “just say no” to some of these people and reminded us that the law is the law and it is not against food stamp policy to buy any food item other than beer. this was a small town grocery store so we saw the same people over and over again and knew that this was a normal grocery trip for them. we hated it. but what can you do? then a couple years later i gave birth to my first son. his father walked out on me while i was pregnant. i had just lost my job at a security company and was so far into the pregnancy that no one would hire me. (another problem that really needs to get fixed) i lost my house and had to go live with my sister. her family was barely scraping by on her husbands paychecks and i didnt have any income so i swallowed my pride, bit the bullet, and applied for state insurance and food stamps. i got both and honestly more $ on food stamps than i really needed but used them to feed my sisters family along with myself and my son when he was born. i was also on WIC after he was born to help with formula (tried breastfeeding and literally couldn’t). but everytime i went to the store to use my food stamps i remembered my time as a cashier and how disgusted i was by those customers and refused to buy ANYTHING that had added sugar, mass amounts of fat and calories, or would be considered junk. i also would not buy expensive cuts of steak or seafood. i bought as cheap and nutritios as i could. and got off them as soon as i could, though it did take a couple years. i then married a wonderful man who had a wonderful job and could support me and my family. then while i was pregnant with our youngest, he hurt his back at work and lost his job. we went thru a couple of really bad years of him unable to work, me only being able to find part time work, roommates who barely paid their share of the rent and having to go back on food stamps. again, i remembered my time as a cashier and vowed not to buy junk. of course with a family of 5 and kids being kids we did indulge in the occassional candy and chips and soda but that was only a little at the end of the month when we still had stamps leftover and everything else was bought and paid for. i appreciate that the system will allow a hand up for those in need but it disgusts me to see the people who abuse the system. i think it should be changed so that if an item has added sugar, loads of fat, or is typically labeled as “junk” it should not be buyable on FS. interesting fact: you cannot use FS to buy any ‘hot’ food such as rotisserie chickens at walmart or heated sandwiches at gas stations. however if you walk into a gas staion, get a sandwich or burito or whatever from the fridge, you can pay for it first with FS then go warm it up in their microwave. (i used to work at a gas staion also.) the system needs a change.
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_1214pols_demand_overhaul_after_ebt_bust_da_cocaine_heroin_seized_at_lynn_stores
In the wake of Herald reports that found EBT cards were used to buy booze, lottery tickets, jewelry and other luxuries, the Legislature created a panel to review the program. O’Connell, who chairs it, wants restrictions on what can be bought. Current rules allow welfare recipients to withdraw up to $300 in state cash per month, in addition to federal food stipends.
“I want a complete overhaul of the system,” said Sen. Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth). “It’s a farce.”
****************
Massachusetts isn’t the only state finally waking up to the rampant EBT fraud occurring within their borders. Convenience stores and small groceries are getting busted all over the USA, along with people who have been selling the cards and services in return for cash or drugs.
We need a return to the stamps, with a photo ID for usage.
the question is WHY has it been allowed to get to this point? Walmart ALLows it to Happen. corporate america allows it to continue to happen,”
There are plenty of stupid comments here excusing people buying steaks and lobster with ETB cards, but this is my favorite. The writer seems to think Walmart has the authority to decline purchases with WIC coupons and ETB cards. Seriously, blaming the store? How dumb must you have to be to write such a thing?
Where is this pier he sells hot dogs at?
I receive money from the state of Massachusetts and I would encourage the state to monitor my spending. I spend the money only on things that it is intended for. I would never dream of abusing the system the way these people have. Shameful.
I think this is a very sad situation. I don’t live in Maine, but I live in a state where we do have rules and regulations about what you can and cannot buy with assistance. You are not allowed to buy alcohol or tobacco with your funds. If you do you are cut off. I had my son at a very young age, and the father walked out. I was on my own and daycare is astronomically expensive. (1,000 per month for an infant back in 2000). My son was born with a heart condition, I could not afford medical insurance for all the care he needed. SO i had to apply for help. I remember waiting in the lobby of the local office for 7 hours with a 4 week old infant while I waited for them to call my name. As i was sitting there I watched families of the non English speaking kind march in in swarms, walk up to the counter get a card and walk out, no waiting. I had to fill out scads of paperwork, it seemed like they wanted everything but a urine/blood test, . (which i am in full support of, they need to establish “testing” to receive assistance) I had to come back twice for interviews before they determined I was “eligible” to receive their help. In my state you have to go in for employment classes and job searching for a minimum of 40 hours a week. It was WORK to find WORK. I called my case worker the day I got a part time job at McDonalds. I thought i was doing the right thing by reporting my new job, take me off the welfare and food stamps I said give them to someone who needs them! They stopped everything immediately. Not realizing of course in my very young age I had to support myself and my son on 6 something per hour at 20 hours a week. I really think there is a whole other form of “abuse” happening, those who really and truly need it don’t get it, but those who don’t, get it. I did not support spending on unnecessary items, but between looking for a more full time job, working, and taking the bus everywhere (i didn’t have a car), I didn’t have time to cook, I bought a small birthday cake for my son’s first birthday. I remember having to shop with my food stamps, and how embarrassed i was when i had to buy any food with them. The one place that sticks out to me the most of the worst shopping places for me to buy food at with my assistance, a memory I have over 10 years old, is at wal mart. I tried to buy a small pack of gum because i had an interview and bad breath, the cashier looked at me and my card and said in a snobby voice ” you can’t buy gum with food stamps” I informed her that i could because i read my booklet, she rang it up and went through, she told me it must be a mistake and sent me on my way. In my state, you can be sued for harassing someone who is using public assistance, which is a good thing, because it is already hard enough without the wal mart cashier giving you crap.
“………….you should stop judging people for the way they have to live………….”
Just who “has” to abuse assistance programs?
I worked for a check cashing business that distributed Food Stamps for the Commonwealth of Virginia… Nothing got me more pissed off than seeing Shanaynay drive up in her Lexus, hair and nails freshly “did”, and designer clothes topped off with a Coach handbag and waltz in to pick up her $400 worth of food stamps….then, poor grandma Jones drive up in her 1/2 beaten car, climb into her wheelchair in her sweats and come in to pick up her $25.00 worth of food stamps.. I mean seriously, WTH?!?!?!?
“I think the state needs laws governing people like you discussing people’s private lives.”
Seriously??? Seems to me if you’re taking MY money, you belong to me. Kinda like a slave. Don’tcha think? I could use my house cleaned. Works for me.
You must be a heartless 1-percenter.
I know the author of this article personally as I have worked at that particular store with her…..it strikes a bad nerve in me as I am also on state help right now……I think that she should have researched why people are on it before she opened her mouth to state her “opinion” about people and their need to be on welfare…..I work 30+ hours a week and go to college myself….I did leave walmart to go elsewhere, but still in the general area…..there are times when what a person makes is not enough to meet all the bills that you have…..lights, home phone, gas and upkeep on the vehicle so that can get to work and class…..etc…….she needs to put herself in our shoes to understand that life does deal you a harsh hand sometimes and you need a way to get above water to float and not sink…..DONT JUDGE UNLESS YOU KNOW THE WHOLE STORY!!!!!
I hate to admit this, but it is all true. I have a relative in California. He has three children and does not work because the state pays for him to NOT work. He even told me that he could get a job anytime he wants to. I lived with him for two weeks and saw it with my own eyes. On his EBT card, he bought almost exclusively chips and soda for him and his children. He gives his baby soda in her bottle (but he waters it down!) even though she also has WIC. They live in section-8 housing (a 2,400-square foot house with a pool, really). They get free health care and have more disposable cash than do the people who are supporting them (that’s YOU foolish laborers). The older two children have their own TV and cable TV in their rooms. And, yes, they all have cell phones, which the government provides.
We need to phase out welfare over the next four years. If you pay people to NOT work, they will not work (duh!).
The future was looking brighter – Then the parasites told their parasite friends to comment on the article. I wonder how many actually even read it? It seems obvious that half the antagonists lending their ignorance to the discussion either didn’t read the article or have little in the way of reading comprehension.
The bottom line is state sponsored welfare IS the redistribution of wealth.
If you’re a fan of socialism, Marxism, communism; why don’t you just get the hell out of this country. Seriously, those are not the principles upon which this country was founded. America is for those of us who believe in principles like individual responsibility, independence from government and it’s services, and private charity. It’s ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave’ – Not ‘land of the free ride’ and ‘home of the pathetic’ If you wanna free ride, if you think that these policies actually help the country – Get the hell out. I’m sure American tax-payers would have no issue buying you a one-way ticket to a country who’s government is more compassionate. There are plenty out there. Canada has ‘free’ medical, why don’t you drive on up there, eh? Perhaps you’ll see what all the fuss is aboot.
Okay – make that 99% who take exception to Christine’s article and viewpoint being on food stamps or welfare.
People do need help and they deserve it. However, the women who shoot kids out of there pouch like a gatling gun and expect the government to pick up the tab don’t deserve a penny. I remember when I was about 13 years old growing up in philly. And no it wasn’t the soul brothers, but several crackers between the ages of 21 and 30 who were standing in the welfare line. They didn’t look hurt to me and were just in line to get a free handout. Now this was in 1981. I also saw girls between the ages of 18 and 30 that had a uterus like an alley cat and were too lazy to go get their welfare checks. I actually saw one lady drag her daughter along the payment because she was too lazy to go get her welfare check to feed her 5 kids. She was only 19. This abuse has been going on for ages.
Christina Bard, it doesn’t sound like the author is a millionaire herself. She just figured out how to make it work, it seems like. Maybe instead of getting your panties in a twist because of your guilt, you could learn something from her and her example.
I wrote on my blog about food stamps being allowed to be used at Papa Murphys and I got all kinds of hateful comments calling me horrible names. The sense of entitlement is mind numbing..
Christina Bard, are you using your welfare assistance the way she describes in the article?
wow
how racist
.
Well aren’t you just the special little consevative princess. I think that your job was to simply follow the instructions of your manager and ring up the purchases. But apparently, since you are one of the privileged class it’s your place to judge everyone beneath you as less than deserving. I am deeply offended to hear that someone like you actually worked in a sales position. Such a callous attitude towards the customer is not a good trait. If you are going to work sales expect to run into all kinds of people. If you want to find more of “your” class of clientele then maybe you should have worked in some posh store instead of Walmart “the cheapest store in town”. Everyone that is trying to get by on what little they get from the state will go to a place like this. And many of them are on disability thus they will be on it for much of their life. I find such naive conservatives such as you to be one of the problems in this world. You look through rose colored glasses and think the world is simple. Well little lady you are sadly mistaken. The world is cruel and unforgiving. And if you hadn’t been born with that silver spoon you would know it. So it would be best if you found out more about the reasons behind each of these people’s life stories before you started labeling them with crass stereotypes. Because each one of them has a story and no, they are not going to be happy people for having to survive in this manner. They are not going to say “bless you” when you let them buy something in your aisle. They are hardened souls that have seen things that your naive little soul hasn’t bothered to see. It’s called class poverty and it’s something the conservatives have brought to this country.
I am clapped my hands throughout most of this article. People overuse the system and there should be better guards, checks and staffing built in to help those who TEMPORARILY need assistance; the abuse of public assistance in this nation is rampant.
I used to date a guy who was a social worker at a TANF office and the stories he would tell me about some folks that came in would literally make me sick to my stomach. I am a first generation college graduate, a teacher, and I have worked since I was 15 years old (I was emancipated at 16). I pride myself on the fact that I have never had to use public funding (aside from the occasional educational grant or loan) to get by.
That being said, I have a few constructive criticisms and pieces of “food for thought” for the author:
-As a teacher in an inner-city school I see starving children who, in negative ump-teenth degree weather, have no coats, gloves, boots, etc. While you did admit that some folks need assistance I want to emphasize that to get rid of all types of public assistance would be detrimental to certain populations who need it (more than anyone, it should be for children and the elderly).
-I was about to share this article until you played the “this is why I vote Republican” card. My views tend to follow more along the lines of the Democratic party and I think the extreme bipartisanship (especially in the past few years) has been detrimental to our country. I think Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Don’t play the “Blue said, Red said” game. Though you’re obviously an intelligent and well-versed young lady, this statement deducted from your credibility as you introduced that you were bias because of a political agenda. If I were you, I’d cut that statement.
-One thing I would have liked to see you talk about is a possible solution to this epidemic. Personally, I think we should enforce more rules/regulations on these offices, create jobs in the process (someone has to monitor these programs, right? we need jobs in this country, right?) and take the money that we would “save” from that and invest it in our schools. I’m not talking post-secondary. I’m not talking about funding for student loans. I’m not even talking about high schools (and I teach high school!). I am talking about our elementary and middle schools. If we can promote literacy (beyond “image comprehension” — that line made me shudder), mathematics, and sound critical thinking (and hence the ability to make strong moral judgments) at a young age, I think we could fix this epidemic in our country (if not, we would be making great strides); I think we could teach kids that the “learned helplessness” is not okay and that to be independent, motivated thinkers is something of value. Somewhere in the middle of the “No Child Left Behind” Act, I think we stopped teaching our children what it was to be educated and started teaching them how to take tests to prove the “worth” of schools. The idea behind this legislation was great — it was meant to hold schools to a certain educational standard — but, along the way, it became about funding, jobs, and proving worth. With that, we lost educational value. But, I digress….that’s another soapbox to stand on.
-This article fails to mention that the economy is tough right now. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that is an excuse to be on welfare but I do think it means that we can expect that there will be a larger percentage of the population on welfare because there are more folks that may need it TEMPORARILY.
-My last point, which I make from atop my education soapbox (yes, again), is not at all a criticism of your article but is, rather, something that I feel is important for us, as a society, to make note of. We need to teach our kids financial literacy. Period. When things started to get more expensive over the course of the past few years, I tightened the reins: I indulged in the more extravagant things (eating out, entertainment) less, I moved from my semi-updated 2-bedroom apartment to an outdated 1-bedroom apartment that would –even with the increased prices of gas and other essentials– allow me to contribute to a savings account, my family agreed to make homemade presents for Christmas (no iphones at my house!), I learned how to be better at reducing and reusing (not JUST recycling), how to grow a garden on a windowsill in the middle of a city, how to save on household cleaning items by using more natural products like vinegar and baking soda, I have a budget…. it’s not that hard. Yet, how many adults (I’m only 25, by the way) think to do these things? How many people teach their kids the importance of doing things like these? Judging from the circle of people I meet (which I think is rather sizable as a teacher), my hypothesis is not many.
…I hope this was food for thought. Again, I think your article is very well-written and I concur with most of it. Please consider the few addendum’s I have recommended with an open mind and then promptly find a way to send your message to a senator, congressman, or the President himself.
I will agree the embarrassment did inspire to get off of them sooner, but the way I was treated had more to do with it than anything. PS… I’ve held steady jobs since then, and not needed support, and my TAX dollars go to supporting these programs, I think of it as paying back what I needed, and then some. the extra goes to the government who uses some to pay corporations like wal mart to build giant stores, then wal mart can afford the salaries of snobby cashiers. Also Wal Mart gets a tax cut for hiring people on welfare fyi
This article has it’s ups and downs but here’s the catcher, people have foodstamps and they can do what they want with them. I’m not saying it’s right but it’s true. Beer, lobster, steak, fountain drinks from the gas station, lollipops, gum, the fancy desserts that way over priced in the bakery, Boar’s Head subs, protien supplements to make shakes for people who work out… should I keep going? So unless they make a move real quick the people with the stamps will still use their “benefits” to please thier own fancies.
If you are a hard-working man or woman that just absolutely can’t stand that fact that “these people” are “living it up” just look at it this way YOU are BETTER than them. Because that’s what you believe anyways?? RIGHT!?
I would just like to point out the comments the EBT and welfare people are making. They all say the same thing: it’s not my fault. I think this story is brilliant and I am so glad that someone has the balls enough to opine this. I think everyone is always too afraid to say what they actually think about the system and I’m impressed that you did. This is a tough subject to approach and I think you did a fine job of it. I know a single mother of three who is on welfare and she doesn’t do squat to try to improve her situation. At the same time, I WORK WITH another girl who gets state aid and HATES it because it limits her income and she can’t wait to get off of it. The second girl is how the attitude should be, like you said. A temporary situation. again, very nice job.
Trillions of taxpayer dollars to corrupt bankers/corporations….. Trillions more to illegal pointless wars of aggression….. Focus your energy fighting the real problems in our country instead of attacking those people trying to scrape by here in Maine. I’d rather give my tax dollars to folks who are spending it on food than having it fund the war machine as they murder of millions of innocent people around the globe.
The most judgemental people in the entire world are all collected on this one page. You all suck as human beings. Thank you.
Wynter must be one of them there nigger Welfare Queens. Sure smells like one.
For one thing, this article excludes every person who isn’t on welfare who practices the same behavior. This isn’t a welfare-exclusive thing. I’ve worked in higher end stores to lower end and entitlement is not a problem of the impoverished, it’s a problem of this country. This country teaches us to feel like we should be able to accomplish whatever we set our minds to if we work hard enough, only to spit in our face when we’ve racked up thousands of dollars in student loans and still can’t get a minimum wage paying service job because there is too much competition for not enough jobs. The American Dream is a farce perpetuated by the trust fund babies we watch on tv living a life of luxury without having to lift a finger. So some people see this and think they want that too but it’s completely unreachable without the right luck and connections. Oh, too bad I wasn’t born into the Hilton family, those hard working Hiltons, they deserve those millions. So they buy steak with their food stamps, because well , the ceos of the banks are living it up thanks to bailout, why can’t we live it up on welfare (which is hilarious, btw, that any of you think that these people are living it up, totally hilarious)
Just consider for a moment all the republican policies that are abused by the wealthy in order to keep money from the poor, working, and middle class. Think about how many republicans are trying to make things like birth control illegal, which will cause even more babies born to parents who need welfare, and will make your body their business. Yeah, remember all those republican policies that will make it way more likely that unwanted babies are born? Those will really cause a welfare drain.
Why is it only ok for the wealthy to get breaks and hand outs and abuse the system, but the working class, who really need the extra cash, can’t bend the rules? I agree with the need for welfare reform, but I personally would not have eaten as a child if it wasn’t for the welfare that we were on until I was 8 years old. It used to bug me when I saw people come through my line buying cheetos with food stamps, and I still think we need more regulations on what you can and cannot buy with government money, but I think there are bigger fish to fry, such as the corporations and policies that have caused such widespread poverty in the first place that results in people needing to take such desperate measures to lead a normal life.
If you’re going to hold the impoverished members of our country accountable for their abuse of the system you need to hold the rich accountable for their actions, such as abusing foreign labor where they can pay a worker a dollar an hour, something that is completely unethical, and also takes jobs away from the people who want to work in this country but can’t since most of them have been shipped overseas.If you think welfare queen isn’t working full time on purpose, remember that most of the unskilled labor available in this country is customer service, most of the customer service is big corporation, and big corporations tend to refuse as many workers as they can full time in order to avoid having to pay out benefits. And you try juggling two part time service jobs when both expect you to have open availability and refuse to work around the other. Your logic is so incredibly flawed and ignorant to the reality of the situation. It’s really sad that people are agreeing with this.
Wynter, do you know of a country where there is no poverty?
I grew up in Maine, and my family was on welfare, including food stamps, for most of my life. Your story is probably all the more vivid to me because I frequented your Walmart when I worked multiple jobs in and around the Maine Mall in the late 90′s. I don’t wish to discount your experience, because I believe the system needs reform, but if we’re basing a call for reform on anecdotal evidence, I’d like to add my story to the pile.
I guess you could say my parents were “free-spirited.” My mother owned a tiny bead shop in Waterboro and my stepfather built hardwood furniture… but as passionate as they were about their craft, it was never enough to cover the roof over our heads or the grocery bill for two adults and three kids. They bartered for a lot of things. My mom drove a decrepit station wagon that broke down regularly, but worked out a deal to trade yard work and landscaping (which she is wonderful at) for car repairs. My stepfather sometimes paid rent with handcrafted furniture. Regardless, some things we needed money for, and so I hated grocery shopping with my mother. This was before the discreet welfare debit cards. I would stand in line with her watching the people behind us glare impatiently and, often, contemptuously, as she would produce her certificates for our food. Please note that we never – I mean NEVER – had junk food in our house. My mother was strictly against processed foods, so our groceries consisted of produce, meat, dairy and baking products; but I could still sense the disdain whenever we paid with government money. Even though I knew that money was the only way my family would eat, I was ashamed.
As an adult, I resolved to never take a handout again – never to feel that shame again. In fact, I find myself wary of any kindness – as if I’m afraid I’ll be judged for the taking. Maybe that’s what has driven me to become successful in business… I don’t know…but I’m self-sufficient and glad of it. I look back on the decisions my parents made with their lives and I see how they could have been more successful – could have done a better job at providing for their families… but I’m still thankful that the State of Maine didn’t let me go hungry because my parents didn’t have business savvy. As this self-sufficient adult, I have stood behind people in Walmart paying for Pepsi with welfare checks, sporting much nicer cellphones and manicures than I could afford and, to be honest, I’m torn. It hurts me to think I would be the judgmental cashier or shipper who once made ME so ashamed, but I also believe our system needs reform to safeguard against abuse or, maybe, lack of education. I would just hate to see that reform happen riding on a wave of assumption based on the worst-case stories of this system, when thousands of children, just like I was, are happy to have a meal at the end of the day.
Thank you for sharing your story. I hope during your time at Walmart that you also witnessed families, like mine, who used their government aid to provide legitimate sustenance for their families during a time of need. If you didn’t, I hope you’ll think of my family, too, in your very well-intentioned call for change.
Rachel: Your situation sounds like one in which the welfare was used correctly AND it worked out to show you what you needed to do to get OUT of the situation. I wish more people were ashamed of being on welfare…maybe we wouldn’t have so many who expected it as their “right”. It’s like my grandma and her shame of getting government cheese. She vowed to never get on welfare whens he grew up. That was a GOOD thing! If I was forced to take welfare I’d be horrified…I’d do it to keep my family fed but I’d still be horribly ashamed. And that’s how it should be.
First off, I just want to point out that not ALL participants on “Welfare/Assistance” abuse it. If there is something special going on such as a birthday or a holiday, then yes we buy “luxuries” as ya’ll have labeled them. Otherwise, we eat fruits, vegetables, and a minimal amount of breads/starches. I want my children to grow up knowing we need to eat healthy, but we also have to budget what we get. We are not frugal by any means, we are VERY careful as to what we buy with food stamps or even cash benefits. The whole reason we started going to school was so that we could get OFF OF THE SYSTEM!! It’s TRUE that the “System” needs to be revamped. Participants should have to be RANDOMLY drug tested each month, a positive test should AUTOMATICALLY make them disqualified for anymore benefits. I had a job before my husband started working, but my employer told me that they wouldn’t change my schedule so that our children would be properly taken care of, so I had to quit in order for my husband to provide for us. Also, with my husband’s minimum wage job there’s no way we could afford the rent which is 1300 a month, plus electicity which is 100.00 a month, plus oil which is 500.00 for 100 gals. of oil. These expenses don’t include food, diapers, toilet paper, etc. So, while the judgments have put out there about “extravagant” items, think about it from someone else’s shoes.
Oh, one more thing…..
In My instance, at the age of 19 I lost my mother to cancer, was raped, lost my father to cancer, gave birth to twins (product of rape), then lost one of my children to SIDS. I have since done my damndest to get on my feet. I have struggled on and off as a participant.
My point to all of this is that sometimes there’s more than meets the eye to the participants coming through the lines. I certainly don’t want to be judged… it’s not up to us as human’s it’s GOD’s right to JUDGE… Leave it to him!! Amen
Regarding the many many comments about “walking in their shoes” and you’ll understand why people need food assistance, I understand that some people truly do need help. But please, also try walking in the taxpayers shoes. We can’t print extra money for ourselves. Every single penny we pay in taxes comes out of our hard-earned pay. Even when justified, it is still a transfer of money from my pocket to theirs. Would I help people if it were optional rather than mandatory? Yup – but I would be extremely careful about who I would help and what I would expect in return.
Wynter said: “It’s called class poverty and it’s something the conservatives have brought to this country.”
What an ignorant heifer. Demonrats put you on other people’s money, which is barely enough to get by, yet conservatives (you know, those of us who fucking WORK in this nation) are the cause for your barely being able to scrape by.
I bet you neglect to “remember” or “know” that liberals also brought you slavery and fought civil rights tooth and nail UNTIL they realized how easy you folks were bought with a few food stamps. I have to say, they had your number, because you’ve been plantation slaves ever since, WILLINGLY shackling yourself to “the man.”
I really get frustrated when I see articles like this. I’m not nieve enought to think that everyone uses the system correctly, but it’s articles like this that open up all the nasty, rude, and hateful comments from others that have no idea what it’s like to walk in the shoes of someone who has to rely on assistance. The man that has been on assistance his whole life…maybe he is disabled? The disability doesn’t ever go away. I know that a lot of people get frustrated at the registers , but WM does make a lot of mistakes and they need to fix their problems so things ring up correctly. As a cashier it is your job to deal with all these conflicts…not all people have the correct people skills, but it sure doesn’t have anything to do with welfare assistance or food stamps. I really get sick of hearing people complain about the type of food people buy…Why do people think that just because you rely on FS you should eat hot dogs and sandwiches every meal? Yeah people say “well if you work for it, then you can buy what you want?” Well my response to that is…What is the difference to those who work and have credit therefore use credit cards only to file bankruptcy later in life…maybe they should have been buying hot dogs and sandwiches? I personally have bought a birthday cake for my son on FS because otherwise he wouldn’t have had one. Who are you to say he had no right to have a cake. My family is currently on assistance. I have a college degree and was the bread winner of the family; however my daughter got cancer and I had to stay home to take care of her for the past year now. I utilize WIC, which by the way is VERY confusing to pick out the correct items, and FS to feed my family of 7. I will not feed my growing boys crap to eat everyday. I paid into the system all my life until now and if I want to eat a steak once in a blue moon I and my family are going to do just that. My husband continues to work very hard at his job, but it just isn’t enough. The system is definitely broken. It’s not the people receiving the assistance you should be angry with…it’s the people making the rules to the system that need a wake up call. We have reached a point where I would love to return to work part time to make ends meet, but the way the system is set up I can’t. We would lose our FS and our medical cards while having to pay for insurance, copays, and now daycare to return to work and our family ends up bringing home $300 less a month if I tried to return to work. THAT is what is broken. When trying to get off the assistance, there is no grace period to get back on your feet…it’s cut cold turkey and set up wrong. So the next time you give dirty looks to the mom in line buying a birthday cake on FS…maybe it’s because her daughter is turning 2 and was told it could very well be her last birthday! There are 2 sides to every story!
I also work in retail and know that fraud occurs daily with food stamps. People who drive new cars, won’t wear something from Wal-Mart yet pay for everything with food stamps. Everything they wear from shoes to sunglasses, to whatever must be color coded daily ( never wearing same thing). Yet their children look like hobos with their wore out shoes and clothes. If they ask for something special they will get a face slap, or talked to like they are less than human.
Some people will say, ” report these people”, I once did this to a girl that worked for cash at a store I worked at.. While working for cash she drew her unemployment weekly. She drew food stamps on herself, her daughter, her neighbors 2 children(the neighbor made 2 much money), and her boyfriend. She drew 425.00 a month in food stamps,(gave neighbor $200.00 for her kids) free rent and utilites. When I reported her, she got a raise to $475.00. When another lady who worked there husband was laid off, she was turned down for any benfits. She ask the lady how she got them and her response was, ” you are trying to make the system work, you have to work the system.” The only difference between the two ladies was one was married so not eligible, the other was not married, cheating our goverment. The first lady changed me forever on Angel Trees for kids in need, as her daughter was put on it each year. I only do trees for nursing home patients now, as I don’t feel the nurses would lie.
Christine,
Very well said.
I’m reminded of the old saying: “Teach a man to fish and he eats forever. Give him a fish…and he comes back to you each day for more fish!”
The “entitlement” mentality in this country will be hard to overcome. It is refreshing to see someone your age recognizes this as so many young people don’t understand what has happened to our fine country.
Christine,
You wrote an excellent commentary, however you wrote it to all the wrong people!
Did it ever occur to you that YOU that by admitting to KNOWING ABOUT THESE CRIMES and FAILING TO REPORT THEM makes YOU and ACCESSORY TO THOSE CRIMES?
Did it ever enter your mind to write your: 1) COUNTY COMMISSIONER? 2) STATE REPRESENTATIVES, (ALL of them!) 3) YOUR CONGRESSMEN and SENATORS? 4) And here’s a biggie! YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF? Possibly reporting the names and card numbers and possibly copies of the receipts as EVIDENCE?
Or do you just want to remain a part of the problem in this nation? Knowing, bitching about, but to NEVER bother with SOLUTIONS?
BE A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN AND REPORT THESE CRIMES! Your taxpayers will thank you and perhaps even get off THEIR dead butts and begin to HELP YOU!
I would love to come up there and show you how simple it is to accomplish, but I am busy on dealing with our nations’ pourous border, the cartel and human smugglers that freely walk into our, “secured nation”. Only problem is, when the Minuteman Revolution took root in this country, people forgot to hand that money to those of us ON THE FRONT LINES! We pay for our own food, fuel, firearms, ammo and other necessary gear to perform these tasks… All without a paycheck!
DO YOUR PART! Trust us… IT WON’T HURT ANYBODY!
Semper Fidelis,
Gregory Romeu – USMC
One thing that is disturbing is this is what is seen at a Wal*Mart, which stays pretty close to the law. I know that in Minneapolis many small stores will pay up to 50% of the value of food stamps in cash – essentially a money-laundering operation so the cash can buy things that can’t be purchased with food stamps – like alcohol and yes, drugs.
The relatively generous welfare benefits and the minimal waiting times before eligibility have encouraged criminals and thugs to come here. Minneapolis in essence has state-sponsored gangs and thugs.
Another point – there is no incentive for government employees and managers to actually move people from welfare to work. For the state employees, having more people on welfare provides job security. For the state managers, an expanding welfare state means a larger kingdom to rule and greater. Maybe the state welfare workers should get bones for each person they are able to get off welfare and into working.
I don’t think any reasonable person thinks there shouldn’t be temporary (not permanent) help for those who need (not want) it. It’s the able-bodied people who are on it permanently, generation after generation, that are the big abusers. Welfare shouldn’t be a hammock, it should be a safety net.
For the critics above:
1) The iPhone is NOT $25 a month. Please! At that rate everone in America would have one. That’s a DATA plan (internet access) which is different than the VOICE plan.
See: <http://ipod.about.com/od/introductiontotheiphone/a/iphone-3gs-rates.htm)
iPhone voice, data and texting plans are pricey
2) "These are people who probably dont have cable and dont have internet or playstations to keep them entertained."
No. That is not necessarily true. You are such a soft hearted pushover.
If you read the blog post the author recognizes some people need assistance. What she is describing are *abuses*.
Here's a brief summary of some info from the census:
Of interest:
“As a group, America’s poor are far from being chronically undernourished. The average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually the same for poor and middle-class children and, in most cases, is well above recommended norms. Poor children actually consume more meat than do higher-income children and have average protein intakes 100 percent above recommended levels. Most poor children today are, in fact, supernourished and grow up to be, on average, one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than the GIs who stormed the beaches of Normandy in World War II.”
“While the poor are generally well nourished, some poor families do experience temporary food shortages. But even this condition is relatively rare; 89 percent of the poor report their families have “enough” food to eat, while only 2 percent say they “often” do not have enough to eat.”
And in sum:
“Overall, the typical American defined as poor by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family’s essential needs. While this individual’s life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians.”
Anecdote alert:
Recently I was going through a Wal-Mart line in Chattanooga. There was some kind of problem with two women checking out. Finally they moved on and the lady in front of me discussed the little kerfuffle which had just transpired. It involve the use of FS. The guy at the checkout said that the thing that *really* got to him was the people who used their EBT cards to get cash back — which they then used to buy items which were not approved (alcohol, cigarettes, IIRC).
Not all — probably most — FS users do not abuse the system, but there are enough who do it with such flare that it prompted the blog post above. (I am sure one lobster wouldn’t have been a blip.) As for food choices — sure — it’s up to them, but every dollar they spend on pricey food is one dollar less on other nutritional foods.
Disclosure:
We were on food stamps many years ago. One of my daughters uses WIC.
I think our writer is describing the symptoms of a heart problem in America.
You go to PC and you’ve never heard of a thing called “Argument via selective observation”? I’ve got to ask, you “Vote Republican” because a few people take advantage of a system the Democrats created? So then I guess you would switch to voting Democrat if people pointed out to you that people are taking advantage of the tax cuts the Republicans created? Or is this just some sort of propaganda piece to say we need to end Welfare because that’s the latest talking point of the GOP. Using your logic I could come up with examples A-D of people taking advantage of the regulations of Wall Street to say we need to end investing in corporations.
I dream one day someone will actually present an honest-to-God argument that is backed by data which encompasses a whole story instead of using logical fallacies like the one used above to push forth an agenda.
I think some good points have been made here–you don’t like what is going on? Do something about it instead of judging and complaining. It does nothing to solve the problem you feel so deeply about. Witnessing “fraud” yet do nothing about it but complain? yeah, I agree with something else said here about that–that makes you part of the problem.
I was a cashier at Kroger through high school. I have seen everything you stated and can state from experience that it is no different down here in Texas. Abuse of the welfare/WIC/EBT system is just as bad down here. This is a great write up, I will be sharing it.
Oh, I also want to point out the guy who was saying that soda costs less than milk… yeah, it costs less than full milk. It does not cost less than evaporated milk. And if all you’re going to feed your kids is sugar water, why not just cut out the sugar and the dollars and just drink water? Seriously, there’s very little justification for spending this money on junk food. Do you want that bag of chips, or do you want 2 lbs of dried beans plus two cans of generic brand canned veggies? One of those choices is nutritious, and one of those choices is not. The government, which is the steward of this donated money, should be strongly encouraging that it be used to buy things that will nourish the people it is feeding, not poison them. If the parents didn’t learn these basics during their free public education, then the regulations on the use of the stamps will have to do it for them.
Again, I’m someone who thinks birthday cakes should be allowed. But I don’t know of any sentimental occasions where the absence of chips and soda would constitute a soul-crushing disappointment.
I refuse to be politically correct on this subject. If you are receiving Food Stamps /welfare/WIC or any other government handout you should NOT be allowed to buy certain food items. Lobsters, prime cuts of meats, and junk/fast food should be off limits. It sucks making bad decisions, even worse to believe you are ENTITLED to things you couldn’t afford even if you were working. If you’re on Food Stamps etc., you most likely have some Medicaid. I suggest you get your ass to the clinic and take the birth control AS INSTRUCTED. What part of your sob story (irresponsibility) is supposed to above reproach? For those of you who defend your deplorable situation, you ARE the problem. If I’m paying in any part for your “entitlements”, which I am, than I want it known that I am and will continue to work on welfare reform and the end of the government handouts as they are currently.
For those who have written before me stating you are receiving government aid for a short time, good. Keep it that way.
Yes, Tim Kilgore. This 20-year-old college student is writing propaganda pieces to push an agenda, rather than relating an experience that had an impact on her life and choices. Moreover, she is the ONLY ONE making arguments about welfare… there are absolutely no other pieces on the web that you could read that are backed up by rigorously collected and analyzed data.
What was that phrase you used? Oh, yes. Argument via selective observation. Looks like men who hate corporations know how to use it, too.
Thank you for having the courage to speak up!
@Gregory Romeu-I reported the man who sold the hot dogs after he bought them on food stamps. I was unable to report anyone else because I did not know their names or addresses. I knew his address because he gave me his business card.
In response to “Bob says:
December 13, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Welfare queens are people voting themselves money, that is usually the point when a democracy starts on the path to implosion. Once voting yourself money catches on, every politician joins the game to exchange entitlement for votes, from there its about 100 years before the democracy dismantles because money is gone, honest taxpayers decline dramatically, every one tries to either leave the system or hide their incomes or failing that starts stealing from the system.”
Hahaha, I could’ve sworn you were talking about the corporations who buy votes in the house and senate to pass bills that allow them more tax breaks than they deserve and for more ways to cheat the working class out of making a living wage so that they can figuratively sit atop piles of money that they won’t use. I would much rather a welfare mother get ten times as much as she currently receives than watch a banker buy another bailout and then take home a nice big bonus check for failing at his job.
You act as if these people have power when all they have is one vote out of the rest of the country. The powerful, the rich, are the true “entitled” who believe that they deserve so much profit from sitting around while the rest of their employees do the leg work that those employees need government assistance and can’t feed their families without welfare. But just continue to be willfully ignorant. You’ll understand once your children need a job but there are none and you have to support them while they make well under the poverty level, flipping burgers at McDonalds, with their masters degree collecting dust.
Clearly this is nothing new it makes me wonder why the govn’t chooses to turn a blind eye to the matter. I hope you’ve sent it to the state house!
I honestly could not agree with you more, I’m not even from America though i have been on sites where a lot of people are, and to hear about the boasting about how they have this money and they don’t need to work ra ra ra, its disgusting, I have also known some people from there, that have just had children so they can get money, so they don’t have to return to work,
I am from Australia, And i get help from the government as i have just had my 3rd child and I am unable to return back to work until my child is old enough to go to daycare, I have every intention to return to work so i dont have to “live” off the government and have other people pay me each week out of their tax, I feel that getting money off the government or you could call it welfare is very degrading, i find it very degrading when people ask me what type of income i am on and i have to reply with “the pension” and i am only 25 years old
Capehart, are you serious or is this just a joke to get a rise out of the hard working people in this country? You should be ashamed. First of all if you can’t afford 4 kids, then stop having them or find a form of birth control that works for you. You can get it for free at planned parenthood. Do you realize what you are teaching your children? I was a teacher for a few years and my first year of teaching I had a defiant child who would not listen. I had pulled her aside and asked her what she planned on doing with her life after high school, and to my dismay she said she wanted to live off welfare like her mother. She already had it in her mind that she wasn’t going to work hard for anything in her life. You should be embarrassed, not for being on welfare, but for being okay living on it the rest of your life.
Christine, I loved the article!
All of you that think she is judging, try rereading the article. Pay attention! The bottom line is welfare is not free. Someone else is paying for it. Maybe be more appreciative rather than thinking your entitled to it. Buy the things that are really needed. Bake your own cake, afterall home cooked is better anyways. And for God’s sake, get a job! Swollow your pride and get a job, even if it’s a job you don’t want!
I think it’s time we all take on some responsibilities, not just the hard working tax payers!
By all means send this to your Congressman and Senator, but they’re not swayed by anecdotal evidence.
Interesting read … I have read several comments defending the purchase of high dollar items stating “everyone deserves nice things once in a while.” The fact of the matter is, government aid is intended to sustain individuals by providing necessities. Steaks and store bought cakes are NOT necessities … regardless if they are purchased infrequently. I have lived under various budgets in my life, and we are currently on a very tight one. We do not have the luxury of purchasing frivolities at the time. When we do have surplus, we can make the decision to do so because we have the luxury of deciding how our money is spent. Those on government aid (and yes, I was one of those as a child under my mother) should only be leant a temporary hand for the most important, life sustaining items. When cash is short, sacrifices must be made. This is a lesson more people in our country including our elected officials need to learn. Ask a child in a third world country how imperative it is to have a birthday cake or decadent meal … we need to be more appreciative and responsible with the “aid” extended to us in this country.
..your // Providence College // @Crousselle and hundreds others are the debt problems of america , goverments shovel billions , trillions to students and colleges and they stay drunk and methed up then they end up at wal mart or no job at all look around its every where and its not just one party honey its the whole dam greedy world, and all currecies will die. did college not teach you nothing ? really I know its the amercain thing to do huh, well its not working to good , eventualy all colleges will go bankrupt,state colleges first…………………..
I give my adult daughter a ride to and from work everyday. She has a small child and had him very young so she gets SOME assistance. She gets gas money on her EBT card every 3 months and she gives me her card so I can use MY money for other things. I also get looks from people when I go buy something that they probably think is unappropriate to buy with an EBT card but I am NOT using the system and neither is she.. it is just how they give the payment and it is how I use it. But I also wanna say I agree with the way u all feel just remember that some of the people arent getting a state check but maybe a payment for something they have already paid for. I am a hard worker and I pay taxes in Maine as well and I personally know people who use the state for all they are gonna give. Still a very good article. Thanks
How about quoting some sources for all of the “facts” that you describe in your final paragraph? Very unbecoming of any writer, and you destroyed the credibility that you had developed during the article.
Not to mention, the guy on the pier in Portland could probably sue you for defamation – especially if you are incorrect in your many assumptions.
You need to be much more careful with your writing.
Andie,you must not be very old to say what you said about people working 55 hours a week. Up until the last few decades, it was THE NORM for people to work that many hours or more, and MANY people STILL work those kind of hours OR LONGER (I have worked 80 hours a week for most of my adult life in order to take care of my family and stay off welfare as a single parent – even when not a single parent, I still worked 60 hours a week in order to ensure that we had what we needed and could live in a decent neighborhood). Hard work DOES NOT HURT ANYBODY. It’s what our pioneers did and the people who founded this country did. It’s the current namby pamby “I shouldn’t have to work hard to live well, so somebody owes me” attitude that is screwing this country these days.
Why is it wrong to believe that people should have to work to eat. Why do we have illegal immigrants in this country doing jobs that “Americans” won’t do. If I was hungry you can bet your gov. welfare payments that I would be cleaning hotel rooms, or working road construction, or working in agriculture. I have worked more than my fair share of dirty jobs and smiled all the way to the bank with my paycheck. Have a little pride, get a job, do it well, no matter what it is. Remember this also, we were created equal, with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The key word is pursuit, it is an action verb, so take action and responsibility for yourself and your actions.
All young people should work retail, they might have similar epiphanys..
This is beyond hilarious. How old are you? Have you ever heard the saying “the customer is always right”? Customers, regardless of economic background, are going to be rude to people in the customer service field. That’s just how it goes, hence the saying. I have worked in customer service since I was 16 and I’m 34 now. Lawyers, doctors, teachers and blue collar people all can be rude and obnoxious. All of them can be alcoholics. All of them have the potential to be “bad people”. Get off your high horse.
This “article” is just a chance for you to pretend you are better than others. You have limited experience in life. Chances are, you are afraid to experience more. Clearly you were satisfied with facing forward each day, ringing up food items, and paying VERY close attention to how and what people were buying. You are quite boring and completely nosey. I bet you have have no interesting traits. Someone like you would bore me in an hour. The reason? You hide behind saying something with having no substance within it. You are repeating what has already been said with a junior high mentality. Grow up.
Until you have walked in these people’s shoes, stop pretending you should and could call the shots on the freedoms they have to purchase what they want. They are afforded an amount of money. Mind your business. As if you have never spent money that you shouldn’t have. If you have, it has probably been your parent’s. I really doubt you are someone who paid your entire way at Providence College. Hypocrite.
The funniest part about this is that you think your experience of working in a high school level job, this article, and the act of sending this to any political party will change anything. The government assesses these people’s incomes and has ways of checking up on them. They don’t need babysitting from an ignorant kid that hasn’t accomplished much more than live in a couple of states and work a low paying job that created more of a chance to puff yourself up into someone who is better than other people.
When you hit a truly hard time in your life, which you will, you will remember the bad words you said about these people. One day you will regret your judgment. I feel bad for you. I wouldn’t wish that pain on my worst enemy. Be prepared kid. You are completely vulnerable.
What do I think I think that your voting republican should have nothing to do with why you’re disgusted with the food stamp program, For every bad use there are 5 or 6 that use them right and because you thinlk that these that you meet are so bad every one should go without, I believe that you need a lesson in humility,. No 1) I am on welfares foods stamp program not because I want to be, but because I’m stuck there 14 years ago I went to social security be cause I knew I had an addiction that I could not stop called cigarettes, I wanted help to quit, I paid my fair share in taxes working, when i got sick to the point I couldn’t get a real job I applied for disability hoping to get help not a hand out, Instead they did their best to not help me but leave me on my own to fend, well I put up with it for another 7 years having to go in debt constantly for doctors and medications that your Republican constituants charge us in america full price and sell to Canafda some times for less than half the price, But it’s against the law for me to buy it from canada and bring it back here, So I went wiithout because of that lady My Lung no other reason according to doctors than my smoking collapsed But the growths werent from smoking they were from the chemicals from the work I did for you republican supported businesses, Thats right glue cleaner ( M.E.K ) withoput propper ventilation, because the republican run company didnt want to pay for it. Or How about Asbestosis cause from removing the crap that Haliburton Co. was the lead company in production here in the united states, Another republican run business, Get over yourself people who dont use the system also dont use walmart, They take what little they get and support their townships, Instead of a business that cheats americans on a dail;y basis by buying from a country that doesnt believe in human rights, and put Americans out of business so ythey can sell more here than anyone else. Thats right WALMART the big savings store came to my town put 56 other businesses out with their low prices causing them to close and then raised the prices to more than the othwer stores were charging
And Heres No.2) Unfortunately for them instead of me being dead or unable after the operation it helped me to get back on my feet, But heres the kicker I wanted to go to school to learn to do something so I could get of SSI But oh no your disabled now leave it that way YEA DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED WORSE WHEN YOU DON”T, *Don’t take the minority you meet and classify it as all people like a Republican would.
I am neither Republican or Democrat, I am an American Waiting for a true justice system.
The one that will jail the warmongers and business frauds of the Republican party!!!!!
Ah Ali why do I say propaganda piece? Maybe it’s because of four examples someone is essentially suggesting the end of a social program which is a leap Evel Knievel couldn’t make. Unless of course Ali you’re saying this is actually just a colloquial piece that in no way, shape or form is meant to influence other’s opinions? Am I correct here?
As I said Argument via selective observation, the articles I have read regarding getting rid of welfare seem to all have cherry-picked their evidence as well. Though if you have a link to something which has thoroughly investigated data I’d love to see it.
As for me being a guy who hates corporations, I work for Bank of America. A little hard to hate corporations when you work for one of the biggest in the U.S.
I completely agree with this article! I don’t understand why so many people are getting offended. Obviously some people on welfare are very deserving of it and are not abusing the system, she is not judging anyone who’s not playing the system. Welfare is meant to be TEMPORARY! She is simply saying that our welfare system needs a reform. Anyone who is not trying to “work the system” shouldn’t have a problem with that. I’ve known people who buy other peoples food stamps for half the cost of what they’re worth so they can get cash and buy all the booze and drugs they want. The welfare system needs a change, that is what this article is saying, it’s not judging or saying anyone who’s following the system the way it should be followed is wrong. This is a great article, I wish people would actually read and realize what you’re trying to say.
This is a great article. I see nothing wrong with commenting on the people who abuse the system. I didn’t read anything that condemned people making responsible use of their financial support. I do not agree with regards to the steak and lobster. If a person has a set amount of money and manages it properly to get steak and lobster, so be it. I’d rather them buy that with their money then chips and soda. I am a father of 3. When I lost my job, I swallowed my pride and went for assistance to get me by. I was turned down!!! My children didn’t count because I managed to stay amiable with my ex and avoid court. Without State papers “proving” my parenthood, I was considered a single man and the measly job I found quickly was enough for one person. When I agreed to sign papers regarding my children, they asked me if I wanted a paternity test to find out for sure. There are faults and they are certainly at the state level. I will never support cutting welfare programs, but I’m all for regulation! Drug tests, rules about what you can and can’t buy. I think people receiving benefits and not working can use that time with financial management classes. And I certainly don’t believe that anyone should get CASH! No cash. Include toilet paper, shampoo, etc. into the “food stamp” category and let them get the necessities in life, but no more booze, no cigarettes, no frills. Just what you need. I still barely get by and do still get a little assistance (I’ve cut back on most things), but i don’t have a cell phone, I don’t have cable, I don’t have the perks in life for the most part. Does it make me sad, am I missing out? NO! My kids are fed, there’s a roof over my head, and things are slowly coming back together a little at a time. That’s how it should be. When all the bills are caught up and the money’s back to stable, maybe we can have those things again, but we’re just fine without them. I get assistance and was not at all offended by this post! Good for you! You’re (mostly) right and there wouldn’t be a problem if people were responsible. Then again, you can say that about anything I guess.
Anon, the difference here is that you WANT to be off the welfare eventually and do NOT like being on it. That’s the way it SHOULD be. It shows you have some pride in yourself and have a desire to take care of yourself. (I commend you for that!) The ones we are all talking about are those who don’t WANT to work and feel entitled and expect the rest of us to support their butts while they party away their lives and make more welfare babies. Those are the ones we all have some serious issues about and that the welfare system needs to cut off.
Okay i have tried my hardest to not post on this…i am a mother of two kids, one with special needs at the age of 2 1/2 we have multiple appointments such as doctors, nuerologist, eye doctors, ear doctors, mri’s, eeg, he has weekly speech, physical, and occupational therapy. i am a full time college student taking 4 classes and getting nothing less than a’s and b’s. i just recently was laid off from being a full time worker also. so what am i suppose to do, i have been on food stamps this whole time and also do recieve tanf, although it was cut while i was working i now have it back…i would like to know how you expect me to keep diapers on my boys butts, a roof over thier head and food in thier bellies? im 23 years old and worked from the time i was 15 till my son was a year old. i payed taxes and understand your concern but your putting everyone in one category without knowing people stories. do you have kids? do you understand the responsibilty of being a parent? i dont think you do. sometimes people have to do things they dont want to. i never wanted to apply for state help or anything. i was forced to by a shelter right before my sons first birthday. and to fill u in on how maines welfare system works…u have a 1 year period where you dont have to do anything. after that u need to be enrolled in some sort of education, looking for a job and keeping track of where u are looking(20+ hours a week depending on kids and how many adults). its not a free ride like you are thinking. like i said im in school full-time, i have my 2 bedroom apartment and my tanf benefit goes to nothing but rent and diapers. food goes towards nothing but food. and wic is NOT a welfare program. so when you get in a bind at somepoint in your life i hope you remember this editorial you wrote and think twice about your feelings as a 19/20 year old who hasnt had to deal with the struggles of the real world. im sure you went from hs to college and nothing in between like kids and some real responicibilities. as for the people who do scam the system or abuse it i think something should be done but the things you are suggesting for fs are way severe. take a walk in my shoes for just one day and tell me im doing the wrong thing for my family and my two handsome baby boys.
That is so crazy, It does need some repair on the whole system
I’m 40 years old, and I’ve never had a birthday cake with my name on it, or a “dream cake” with my favorite characters, or any of that stuff. Sheet cakes with fancy decorations on them — the storebought kind — are for rich people, not for those of us eating grilled cheese and PB&J. If you don’t have money, the kids wear handmedowns and discount shoes, and you don’t let the kids play too hard and rip up their clothes. That’s the way it is. It’s weird to think it would be any other way.
I don’t begrudge anyone on public assistance a steak dinner or giant birthday cake. These are legitimate foods. Or shall we insist on watery gruel and bland potatoes? That said, the story of the two women is quite a trip. And there is never, ever a reason to yell at your cashier.
As for the iPhones and other things that you think are extravagant: accepting public assistance does not mean the recipient needs to live in squalor. It also does not mean they have zero income aside from TANF and food stamps. If a person has income of their own it’s up to them how they spend it. Cash is fungible so it’s pointless to say they spent TANF on this and their own money on that. What matters is their situation overall.
An iPhone is a powerful and practical device. It can take the place of more far more than $200 worth of household electronics if you choose to use it that way. By the way, I have an iPhone and the least expensive data plan is only $10/month, though I recently increased to $15/mo which provides more than twice what I need.
In short, while you’ve made your case pretty well don’t be too quick to judge a person’s entire financial situation from the narrow slice you saw as a Wal-mart cashier.
There is no doubt a lot of people “game the system”, but even people on food stamps deserve to have a birthday cake and eat a steak once in awhile. I remember from my own in-between job experience while collecting unemployment, that I would make buying a steak on check-day a must. The rest of the month I would have to survive on Ramen noodles and boxes of macaroni and cheese, but having that one good meal every month made the rest of the months crappy meals taste better.
@ Angela Graffam
I have been on welfare, and I agree with what the writer wrote. You are condemning her for judging yet you have made allegations about her character and financial decisions … are these not judgements? You even went as far to say she has no redeeming traits … you must know her very well.
I don’t believe the point of the article is to point out the rudeness of customers in retail. We are aware that this occurs. The writer is emphasizing the entitlement and misuse she witnessed first hand.
I believe when and if the writer does hit a hard time she will be more responsible in her decisions.
Bryanna, I have to say that, personally, I am against “rewarding” young girls, such as your daughter, with food stamps or welfare for getting knocked up. If they can’t turn to family to help, then maybe they should give the child(ren) up to families who can take care of them. I didn’t lay in the bed, didn’t have the big O, didn’t get to smoke the ciggy afterwards. Why am I then forced to pay for them?
wow what an eye opener.
Here Here
And now about drug testing for these people on welfare.
Great article.
Frankly, if you’re here complaining at the author for you being on welfare, then you’re already wrong. Posting here means you can probably afford an internet connection. And spare me the “I’m at the library” bs.
Number of people Christine reported? ZERO. As such, I content that the entire story is bullshit, and was written simply to further Christine Rousselle’s own political agenda.
Give the story a day or two to circulate around the web before it’s revealed that Miss Rousselle either never worked at Wal-mart, or worked their long enough to add a slice of credibility to her having witnessed the things she claims.
Everyone knows that the food stamp system needs reform, but did you also know that food stamps are only accepted at farmer’s markets in a handful of states? Did you also know that the education system that could prepare many recipients to not spend their entire life on welfare has been vilified and slowly chipped away financially at by the very people who Christine claims to idolize?
Now which corruption should I outraged about?
My husband and I were both unemployed for nearly a year. We are both, thankfully, employed again but at about 60% of what our highest combined income was. While we weren’t working, we did not partake in foodstamps, unemployment, or welfare. We were smart enough to have some savings set aside. We also sold things we didn’t necessarily need and we lived on a modest budget. It’s amazing how full you can feel on 10 cents worth of Ramon Noodles! We ate a lot of pasta and bought chicken in bulk from Costco.
I get that there are families out there who aren’t as lucky as we were to have savings. A lost job and unexpected illness can be detrimental … but long-term dependency and abuse of the welfare system is just sad.
For those of you who don’t begrudge somebody on welfare some lobster or steak, why don’t YOU pull out YOUR wallet and pay for it for them yourself? Maybe if more people had to fork over the cash literally (as in pulling out their wallet and handing over the cash instead of having it raped from their paychecks where it “doesn’t hurt quite so bad”), they might re-think their stance.
Go up to some braid-wearing Shanaynay with her nails all “did” and her bejeweled cell phone and buy her a lobster, you buncha losers. See how quick you decide this might not be the best idea.
I dont agree with most of your article, i see your side of the fence, but have you ever been in the position that you needed help and youve asked your family for help? same thing some people do but they ask our government. not everyone can get a job, people are disabled, there are reasons that people need help. yes people do abuse it however, alot of people in this country need help when they have kids and cant pay rent and are working 2 or 3 jobs, especially single moms. or what about the fathers our their that hve to pay $500 in child support for one kid when they are making $10 an hour? the economy is bad, and people do use the system, however the majority of the people need it. now if you really wanna talk about the problem with the government assistance, their is many many rich people out there with name brand bags that cost like $500 with food stamps that are “working” the system. but the system is the system, its messed up in every area untill they fix it people will abuse it. do they need to get tighter on it yes, but alot of people still need help. just walk in other peoples shoes before you speak about something. theres always two sides of the story. and the steak buying..so does that mean they have to buy “great value” instead of name brands? same thing food is food.
its a good article but A LOT of false “facts”…you CANT buy beer with an ebt card and if sumone wants to buy “wwe figurines” for their kid with their tanf, is that wrong?! bc tanf is child support too…i understand a lot of ppl abuse the system but she has so much false things in this article….she even bitches about ppl gettin birthday cakes for their kids with food stamps…im sorry but i dont see a problem with that…for the record, i bust my ass and work full time and dont get help, besides the child support the state gives me…this girl is clearly just upset and i am willing to bet if she had a kid i would see her in the skowhegan dhhs office lmao…..and she says they should instead of pay 25 a month for their phone, spend it on food…u dont get much wid 25 bux to last a month lol…..its weird how you remember a dozen incidents while working a job like they happened yesterday…or as if they were made up lol….but u did mention being a republican, so that explains a lot…once again i KNOW ppl abuse the system but you need to get FACTS b4 you write sumthing like this….i did like the LIE where you said you seen sumone buying beer with their ebt LMAO….good luck on your next blog and try and make it a little more accurate
Here is a possible deterrent to this.
1. Make a special line for food stamps and monitor it with highly qualified employees that are trained to look for fraud.
2. Occasionally have a welfare fraud person there (dressed as an regular store employee).
3. Report suspicious activity immediately.
4. When they swipe the card, have it linked to a database that transmits a photo of that person so they can verify that is the person at the register.
5. Reform welfare by changing all welfare contracts to allow random audits of all bank accounts, service contracts (cell phone, I-phone, cable TV….) to see if their lifestyle is in extreme contrast to what they stated on the contract. Welfare should be last resort and no frills lifestyle allowed when getting hand outs.
If this is too much effort, then they are not willing to take a real job so let them suffer due to their laziness. Life’s lessons are hard.
Inmates found a job, why cant anyone else?
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/11/02/129064/washington-state-gov-prisoners.html
Really people welfare queens? That is why we are broke? The young lady said that this is why she votes Republican. Did you people forget we have 2 unpaid wars going on right now? At a cost of over 1 BILLION$$$ a week in Afghanistan alone. And that is why I don’t vote Republican. Just think of what we could do here at home with all the $$ we spend on our empire, but hey let’s just blame the less fortunate. I’m sure there are plenty of people scamming the system, but if you asked the very people you are chastising you might just learn that most want gainful employment. But hey we all know it’s a blissful life on easy street if you are on welfare, cause any one on it chooses to be poor right? I just hope none of you judgmental people ever needs help. Walk a mile in someone’s shoes before you pass judgement
I have no problems with drug testing at all. Yes I am on food stamps. I don’t drink. I have never smoked or done drugs. I have never done anything questionable at all while on assistance. I don’t even speed while driving down the freeway. Yes I do think that every year people should have to be tested. You have to reapply every year and have a meeting with your social worker, they could make it maditory that you have to go get your drug test before your meeting with your worker or you are suspended until you submit your test, and if you are late to submit your test I think they should randomly order a test to make sure your not waiting til the drugs are out of your system. I’m totally serious. BUT, I will say this too, simply being on drugs is not going to kick you off, but it should be mandatory for you to start rehab sessions if you want to continue to recieve assistance.
Someone earlier in the comments posted that lobster is cheaper than beef. I’m sorry to say that at least in my area that is complete and utter crap. Most weeks, using loss-leaders, we can buy cuts of meat (usually beef/pork) for less than $2 a pound. And right now I can buy an entire chicken for 89 cents a pound. Lobster at the cheapest advertised price I can find (not in my area btw) is a minimum of $5 a pound. To me $3 – $4 more a pound is not cheaper.
I am just curious why this would make you want to vote republican??? First off you say you wish they would regulate what people on food stamps are able to buy because you say they don’t use them correctly and buy junk… well your very republicans are the ones against these very regulations… AND since when do you vote just because of which party a person is a part of??? You should vote for someone based on the individual and his/her principals that you feel would be the best choice for your community and/or country not just vote based on party alone!!!! I agree with what is being said but voting Republican is not going to fix the problem…. did you know millionaires are able to get food stamps??? You can thank the Republicans for that one… don’t believe me, look it up….
For the people who are sitting there saying not to buy steak or cakes with fs are ridiculous I have many health problems and make trips 50 miles away for my doctors visits. I also work along with my husband who works 2 jobs. We work just as hard as everyone else but dont make enough to live on so we get help from the state other wise my children wouldnt beable to eat and yes we do every once in a while get steak as a treat in life its not like we can afford to go and do other family things like bowling or anything that cost money so as a treat we treat ourselves once in a while to a good meal and i buy my son and neices birthday cake with it otherwise they wouldnt get a birthday cake otherwise normally we live off of mac and cheese ramen noodles peanut butter and jelly and as for (Therealnintyninepercent) We didnt not make bad desicions, I was born into a family that was poor and had physicaland sexual abuse going on behind closed doors and same with my husband his father threw him out at 16 after he had already bounced from foster home to foster home and would beat him we got pregnant at an early age and have worked hard to provide for our family we have lived on our own since we were 16 I am in college we have been on fs on and off through out the years and on medicaid since i was younger i have lots of health issues and most health insurances wont accept u if u have preexcisting health problems my medical bills are 3000 dollars a month thats not including my 3000 dollars a month in medication so judge me all u want but i would like to live and be on medicaid then die and my son grow up with no mom because i was on medicaid and we didnt need fs for the longest time up until recently wen we ended up with the custody of our neices when there mom died and how selfish of me taking in two little girls who lost there mom and we are the only family they have left
Don’t you wish you could just take the name down and the observed behavior and pass that along to the proper authorities…that would do 2 things, it would stop the abusers, help the intended, and take the dead beats off the system, that you and I pay for. I see abusers all the time and it makes me wild!
Amber, nobody is begruding you – you have a disabled child. The system was originally set up to help those in need such as yourself – families who have REAL disabilities and need real help. You are the families who DESERVE to have our help – it’s the moral thing to do. The ones we have a problem with are those who are perfectly able to find jobs and work and take care of their families and have NO EXCUSE for not working, but have the mentality that it is everybody else who has to take care of their living needs and they aren’t responsible for their own lives.
I’ve been in your shoes (but didn’t get assistance – please don’t misunderstand – I don’t have a problem with you getting help because you truly need it). My daughter was born with a heart defect and was disabled for the first couple of years of her life before and then after her heart surgery. I had to shut down my daycare business because she couldn’t be around other kids due to the risk of infection, so I was unable to work at the time (drove me nuts, too, because I’ve always worked and like working). A cold could have killed her – at 6 months of age, she was only 8 1/2 pounds. Could I have used help? You betcha….but we didn’t take it. My husband took a second job in order for us to survive. Money was extremely tight, but we did it.
What I think is really sad is that there are working people out there that need a little extra help (foodstamps, or medical assistance) they can not get it. There are also people out there that have had their social security and medical benefits taken off of them when they need it the most, and can not go out and work because of their health problems. Yet there are very capable people out there that can work, but are too lazy to get off their asses and work for what they have. I do believe they should drug test everyone on the system, or applying for benefits. Those of us that do have a job have had to take a drug test at least once in our lives, and thats money we earn. Money we pay in taxes for others to be lazy. I have used state funds (foodstamps, medical, and cash assistance) when I was working and had to take care of my child. I only used it when I needed it, and not any longer than that. I was working and just needed the help. I was not living off others payments to the state funds. something needs to change with all the people on state funding.
@Ginger-You are so clueless LMAO. I lived in Maine all my life and then lived in South Carolina for 3 years-a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and then Missouri after the Joplin tornado. I couldn’t find a janitorial job in South Carolina and I applied for many jobs that were $6.25 an hour. I didn’t have any pride left. Give me a break. I didn’t have THE CHOICE to get a job no matter how hard I was trying and applying. Why do you think that it is about CHOICE all the time. And stop blaming immigrants. I can’t believe how cliche you people are. The last that I heard, immigrants were not responsible for the 58% of kids in public school in South Carolina have to eat free lunch.
And in Joplin, I was delivering sandwiches on roads where people didn’t have homes to live anymore and they HAD to live off the state. Did you see the devastation there? I moved there and then that tornado hit. STOP talking about what you have NO idea about. All of you are a bunch of ignorant kids pretending to know about life. Get over yourselves!!
Why don’t you go move to the ignorant south and join the high unemployment rate and see if you have any “pride” issues when you are wondering why you get up anymore b/c your life is so pointless b/c you can’t get a job after a couple of YEARS.
Here’s an article for you. This is the type of person you people are:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/south/view/20100124south_carolina_lt_gov_compares_welfare_to_feeding_stray_animals/srvc=home&position=recent
I am telling you all … I HAVE walked a mile on welfare. I was told at nineteen by a government worker I could extend benefits I received through my mother IF I GOT PREGNANT. I was a full time college student (on scholarship) working full-time hoping to keep insurance under Medicaid. So what did I do? I purchased a major medical policy to cover me until I had insurance of my own in case of a major accident that could ruin me financially. I ate Ramen Noodles and borrowed friend’s cafe cards at school. I saved every penny I could, graduated and became the one that broke the chain.
I realize there are reasons we may need assistance in life. The writer is only criticizing those who abuse it. Do I think it’s fair that I worked full-time in college and helped PAY for those abusing government assistance?? NO. Do I think it’s right that certain individuals ate lobster and purchased high dollar items from my meager earnings? NO. I paid my taxes and squeaked by. Necessities people. If we are allowing people enough money (with or without combined income) to be able to go out and use their aid in this way, then we need REFORM. If nothing else, to help more people who really do need it.
For those saying she didn’t want people on welfare of foodstamps to have birthday cakes, that is not was she intended. I have worked for a grocery store Bakery for almost five years now. We have these cakes called “signiture cakes” they are $50 each before tax and only feed about 20 people. These are shaped like Princess Castles, or Pirate Ships, etc. The ONLY people who ever purchased these cakes (We made them pay in advance and collected the receipt with the order) were people paying with EBT. There was a point in my life working 2 full time jobs and going to Culinary school full time which was basically a third job and I’d never spend $50 something of one cake… for a two year old… sorry.
i am a single mother working full time and supporting 4 people on a very tight budget. i get fs assistance, i am very frugal and use coupons to make it go further. i think that if you get assistance you should have to provide receipts every month to show what you r spending the money on. i definately believe that there needs to be reform. people need to be held accountable for their spending. the problem is that most people on assistance think that its their money and not the state’s money. by the way, the last thing im buying with the money i get is steaks and lobster. it usually hamburger, hot dogs, tuna fish, fish sticks, chicken and maybe pork chops.
Oh and I use Internet at my inlaws or parents or church or McDonald’s (where it is cheaper to buy food for my family than at the grocery store) OR I am on my iPhone that is NOT paid for by the government, but by me doing odd jobs at my parents house, and even though it cannot be tracked by the state or government, I DO report it as income. My hubby does not have a “real” job, but he does work odd jobs fixing things and insulating my parents house and over the summer he (with a crowbar, sled hammer and chain saw) single handily tore down a house. He got paid by the hour, and we reported every dollar to our social worker.
That’s the way I should be. But not everyone does. Idk how to fix that, but a lot of people do get jobs that have no paper trail. No way of the state finding out except someone reporting them.
It makes me mad when people abuse it. But it certain situations i can see people using it. My girlfriend has it but she is a single mom and has a job, not to mention just finished college, she is using the right way. With all the good intentions of getting off of all assistance. I dont pay for her bills, I have my own to take care of, but the point I used to work at a grocery store and people would come through my line with, WIC, EBT all the time but have 100s in their wallet. Just pathetic only the people that REALLY need it deserve it. Another thing if you have xboxs, ps3s, and 65 inch hdtv’s you dont need any help,
Very good read. Once you give someone something they don’t deserve and then do it again and again, they feel entitled. It is sad really. By instituting these programs we have taken away their motivation and sense of pride.
I would like to tell Beth that I long for the day you too will need assistance for whatever reason and tomorrow…i’m gonna have a steak on you Bitch!!!!!
I feel like this article is very ignorant to the truth behind many people on food stamps, state aide, and WIC. My husband and i both graduated college at the same university, had two kids, he got laid off, and i was working as a bartender and he was mowing lawns. We had to get on sate aid, and i am that person who is guilty of buying lobster, steak, and birthday cakes with the EBT. Why? not because i was looking to abuse the system, but because we were given a ridiculously high amount of money each month that was only spendable on food. If i could have used some of that money to pay our mortgage, i would have gladly done so, considering the keeping of our house was our greatest financial struggle. the problem is that the ebt cards give TOO MUCH, making it verrrrry easy for people to rely on that. We got about 600 dollars a month for a family of four just for FOOD! do you know how HARD it is to even spend that much on food per month?! Perhaps if it wasnt such an over the top amount of money, more people who abuse the system would be motivated to get jobs, but until that is changed, you are going to keep encountering this in every walmart checkout. Its more than just a hand-out, its a meal ticket to a lavish lifestyle, because i sure as hell cant afford steak and lobsters now, with a good job.
Yeah. There’s a reason the cashiers at Wal-Mart are so judgmental of people on welfare.
It’s because they work their asses off in a horrible job that makes them miserable, and in return they end up making less money than the welfare queen. Lobster and Steak are regarded as extravagances to someone like the author of this piece because they can’t afford them, despite have a job. And yet the people who aren’t working can.
Welfare should be designed to make people on it miserable. Not because I bear them any ill will, or I think they deserve it, but because society will collapse otherwise. If people on welfare are happy then they’ll never get off of it. And more will join them.
and this article is about 30 years too late…when there was paper food stamps, ppl would send their kids to the store with the papers to get a lolli pop and get change back, and buy cigarettes with that money lol
I totally agree our welfare system is like a “Free for all” system and is an unregulated nightmare of misappropriated finances. Both Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the welfare mess. The abuse of the system didn’t begin with President Obama’s term of presidency. It’s been going on for years. One of your respondents listed Social Security as welfare. It is not welfare. I and many other American’s over the age of 60 paid into the SS system for years (Since I was 14) and by drawing our benefits we are not welfare dependents. I’ve seen millions of American taxpayer’s dollars “Disappear” during government projects and during the Iraqi conflict of which I personally was assigned as an auditor of millions of American dollars which were somehow lost in the system. I honestly believe such things as welfare fraud and misuse of taxpayers dollars are here to stay as is poverty. Our government has become so “Big” they intentionally overlook such monetary losses as those resulting from welfare fraud in the long run. How very sad indeed.
what about ppl living in low income housing…should they not be allowed to have a christmas tree?!?! bc u think they shouldnt be spending their money on that bc they cant afford a higher priced home?! and if you’re worried about tax payers money then worry about financial aids as well. bc those get abused the same, if not more…tons of college students take their financial aid to buy a car, drugs, or just party with it…and dont even get supplies or books….is there a difference?!?!?!
Well said! Thank you for giving voice to this issue.
This article is poorly written and is a terrible misrepresentation of a demographic.
Although I am not quite as young as the author, I do happen to be a twenty-something Republican female and can refrain from such distasteful comments and scathing remarks as found within. Author, you have failed to present yourself as a hard working college student but rather a judgmental, pretentious brat.
I understand the concept of supporting oneself and could speculate that I’ve worked harder/more in my short lifetime than you probably ever will, but please do not categorize and pass judgement on entire group based on a small sample. Also, consider your venue. WAL MART.
Hopefully your appeal for reform does not fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile, ditch your blatant disgust and focus more on effectiveness.
i understand what you are saying..people who cheat the system are so wrong. (like the woman on yahoo who wasjust investigated cuz she owns a 1.3 milliond dollar house, and is on welfare and bought the house with welfare $$) but then there are people like me….i have almost ALWAYS worked at least one job, sometimes 2, raising 2 children with my husband. unfortunatley now i am divorced, raising 2 children and was working..until i was hospitalized in july for 10 days. my specialists, doctors and nuerosurgeon wont let me work. (say i cant stand or walk for more than an hour a day, cant lift more than 10 lbs) so now i get “cash assistance” and food stamps….ill be honest. its not even $400 in cash assistance. now 2 children in pull ups at night…laundry, gas to get them to school and all of our doctor apps, and medicine co pays, toilet paper, femine products, shampoo, soap, dish soap,and such (food stamps dont cover ANYTHING but COLD food) and i buy everything that i can at the dollar store. no name brand tampons here….does it suck.yes…do i have a choice..no. Now this leave barely anything. surely not enough for rent, or a flat tire, or any sort of “putting away just in case” (like when the car broke down this month) what do you do about somewhere to live? find a roomate? with enough room for you & 2 kids? for less than 300? then what about the previous nesessities i mentioned before? help with housing is a 9 month waiting period. i UNDERSTAND people who cheat the system and it sucks. it sucks that when i go in to see my case worker she assumes i want to cheat the system so i am treated like crap. it sucks when you see people getting all kinds of christmas help from all these agencies. did i apply? YES! but I UNLIKE others followed the rules, and applied to ONLY one( if you apply for more than one supposedly you disqualify your family). we were not chosen unfortunately. but then i talk to this woman at the store who applied at THREE places. and there was another woman saying “oh yeah me too..you should see all the stuff we got from all of them!” me? oh yeah i followed the rule and wasnt “picked” so yeah those of us who are on welfare without a choice, dont like those people either. but please dont treat those of us trying to just make it through like the rest. i personally cant wait to get back to work. even minimum wage would be almost triple what the state gives me. (and the state automatically takes any child support) i have my associates degree & a vocational degree. (massage therapy) AND BETH: you are acting like the most hateful spiteful person. and it makes me mad…i paid my taxes making GOOD money. i need a little hep right now…so yes i will buy a birthday cake. and to those saying “you cant afford your kids..give them up for adoption”….ok so you suggest that i take my elementary aged children and put them up for adoption? smart. so then the state can pay their therapy? do you know the state of michigan PAYS to keep foster kids? so maybe instead of being honest and working hard to get off….il do what you idiots say…give my kids up for adoption or to the state..AND then get them back as foster kids!!! FRICKIN BRILLIANT!! then i woud get my food stamps, cash assitance AND get paid to have them.
I very much agree with the majority of the points made in this article. Welfare reform is necessary in my opinion and needs to happen ASAP. I can understand and have no problem supporting the people that need assistance and are on welfare because they truly need it. I live in a small town in Maine where half of the town is on some sort of assistance or in need of it, although most are drug dealers with multiple children that can’t be bothered with working or even trying to find a job.
I work at a Subway in one of the local college towns (where I will be attending college starting next month) and some of the people that come in astound me. I have had someone pay for a Big Philly sandwich (a $9 sandwich for those who are unaware) with an EBT card. What really bugged me was the fact that said person had on all name brand clothes and $80 shoes.
My mother works in the Wal-Mart in the same town where I work and she has told me many stories of people that come in and try (successfully) to pay for food (junk food and all of the pricey food) and non-necessities with food stamps, EBT cards, etc. I personally believe that that money is supposed to be for the basics and people should have to perform drug tests in order to receive any benefits.
Welfare is broken. But the republican party has NOTHING to do with resolving it. The republican party is responsible for creating greater economical hardships and divides amongst the classes. I find it appalling and amazing that a young person, such as yourself, can’t make that mental leap. Please don’t fall into the trap of parroting the small minded opinions of your parents without using your brain to see the bigger picture.
Please don’t fall into the trap of saying you are a “young conservative” because it gets you attention and praise from the older people in your life.
Think. You seem smart. READ and think with your brain AND your heart.
All I know is this pisses me off so bad. I hate people on welfare who buy shit that I cant afford to buy after working 40 hours a week for 25 years.. Fuck you all and your stupid excuses.. Bipolar.. too many kids.. ( tie your fucking tubes). Get your fat asses up and do something. So sick of the state of Maine and its redneck ways.. Loser State is what we are..
@pissedoff Wow you illustrated your point perfectly.
Facts about Maine’s program:
http://www.mejp.org/PDF/tanf_facts.pdf
There will always be people who abuse the system, no matter what it is. The fact remains, though, that there are people out there who genuinely need it. Just because it may not seem that way to us as we are standing behind them in the line at the grocery store, or ringing up their items, doesn’t mean the need isn’t there.
Are we really going to condemn someone for buying a birthday cake or a steak? As a college student who works part time and takes full time classes, I can’t afford to eat extravagantly very often. Generally my meals consist of canned soup, mac and cheese, and cheap frozen dinners. Does that mean that every once in awhile for a special occasion, I don’t have a nice meal or a birthday cake on my birthday? No.
And let’s not forget that many people who have food stamps aren’t just buying food for themselves. They’re for a whole family. For people who condemn the system, would you be willing to condemn children to being hungry? Would you be willing to feed them out of your own pockets?
Are we also going to say that people who use food stamps or EBT cards should also not be allowed to buy any other items? I’m not sure I’d call the occasional purchase of music or a movie a “luxury” item that shouldn’t be purchased by anyone that gets help paying for their food.
I’m always shocked by the narrow-mindedness of people on here, especially the ones that claim to be Christians, but are so against helping the “least of these.”
i personally think that none of you have any right to judge anybody,what if you had to be in that situation one day,than what..stop judging people.ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE!!!point blank
@Acrossley
I have been on Social Security and I got off of it twice. This writer, had she the proof that I was on it, would judge me in the same ways not knowing my circumstances or my future plans. It is quite clear that the article is saying that the food purchases, level of retail choices, and customer reactions were inappropriate. It was the point of the article. This wasn’t about reform was it? I see barely any statistics and there is one citation. It was poorly written.
“Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.”-That is a judgment of the type of purchase made. Extravagent is a judgment. Giant birthday cakes? Is that an actual ring up code? Then say that. Otherwise it is unclear what is being conveyed. People have a RIGHT to buy what they want. DEAL WITH IT. We need reform b/c people like lobsters and birthday cake??? Fraud I can see, but governing what someone buys is fascism. Aren’t Republicans against big government??? That’s what you are calling for if you ask for monitoring and reformation regarding what people purchase.
“People ignoring me on their iPhones while the state paid for their food.” That is a poorly written statement. It is not purposeful. It makes no sense. The state is not in the actual act of paying for food in the present tense. It is to judge. Read it for what it is intended. Perhaps write it by wording it as “People were ignoring me on their iPhones while paying for their food with their EBT cards, in which the state had granted them money.” It’s just plain mean to write that way and also unproductive. Read it for what its worth Acrossley. It’s bullying.
Yes, I am going to judge someone back who is judging people they don’t know. Why wouldn’t I point out what this person clearly doesn’t realize? Perhaps if it is pointed out to her, then she will see the ignorance and arrogance she houses and let some of it go. Or at least cite some sources next time. Isn’t that what college does for you? It helped me in that way. And then life helped me in that way. I welcomed people pointing out my flaws. It helped me figure some things out instead of living in a bubble.
“The woman asked what the charge was, and a quick glance at the register screen showed that the peppers did not ring up as food. (Food items had the letter ‘F’ next to their description.) The woman immediately began yelling at me, saying that, “It’s food! You eat it!”
This wasn’t the only time things like this happened: if a person’s EBT balance was less than they thought it would be, or if their cards were declined, it was somehow my fault. I understand the situation is stressful, but a person should be knowledgeable about how much money is in their account prior to going grocery shopping. EBT totals are printed on receipts, and every cell phone has a calculator function. There’s no excuse, and there’s no reason to yell at the cashier for it.
Your last sentance is the best. She clearly has no experience if she doesn’t understand that there are rude people everywhere and that just because you don’t like what some people do, doesn’t mean that there needs to be political action. She will not be prepared if she doesn’t change now.
As a former Walmart people greeter, I sympathize with the author. I could only make it 6 months there before the epic stupidity of the average shoppers there got me to the point of madness. I understand why so many people drink these days.
Christine Rousselle, if you ever make it to NC I’d like to buy you a steak dinner. And don’t worry, the money is money I earned actually working.
Phil, the deal is, college students HAVE TO PAY THOSE FINANCIAL AID LOANS BACK. If they choose to party away their student loans, while I don’t think they should be allowed to, it’s their loan to spend. They DO have to pay it back. The gov’t is very strict with that, too. When they get tax refunds, if they don’t pay on those loans, the gov’t takes those tax refunds. HUGE difference between that and food stamps.
My husband works at a grocery store I could have written this post (actually, I often have, and I get the ignorant and clueless accusations about being judgmental). People have had EBT cards so long the magnetized strip is gone. He sees three and four generations shopping with their EBT cards. One woman has told me she sent one of her three children to live with her mother so her mother can get paid for her child by the state.
Once as my husband was checking out customers and he asked “Did you find everything you need?” the customer said, “Yeah, everything but somebody to pay for all this stuff.” The customer and her adult son yukked it up about how great it would be to get somebody to pay for it- and then they paid for all their groceries with, yes, their EBT cards.
EBT cards buy more crab and lobster at this store in an inland state than any other form of payment.
I have twice now known of a person on Medicaid be furious when asked to pay the 3.00 (that’s 300 pennies) co-pay for medication for their kids. One of them had just bought 30 dollars worth of junk, and when she had to fork out 3.00 for her son’s antibiotics she groused, “I guess this will just have to come out of his pampers money.” She also bought herself a fifty dollar pair of tennis shoes that month.
One mom I met and tried to befriend has never known anybody else not on EBT. Her 7 y.o. son tells my husband that there is no need to go to work, we can get all our food and medical care for free like they do, he’ll show us how, and then my husband can quit his job.
His mom hasn’t worked in the five years we’ve known her, except an occasional baby sitting job (under the table, unreported)- she has literally called an ambulance to take her and her baby into the ER for things like colds, baby acne, and a skinned knee (then she walks to the grocery store, does the shopping, walks back to ER and takes a cab ride home (cab paid by the state).
The system is broken. It rewards profligacy and punishes prudence and it takes a strong person to withstand its siren call once in the system.
My mom (64) was on unemployment for two years (the state of NY kept extending it for unknown, unsolicited reasons). She called in every week and told a white lie that she was looking for work, but confessed to me that with her experience and education level she makes more on unemployment than she would at a job.
I am pretty much a liberal in most areas, but when it comes to this issue I agree 100% with the writer of this essay until the line where she says that she votes Republican. That I will never do.
I have a friend(who I am no longer close with) whose husband is in the service. They were living down in SC. While her husband worked full time for the Navy, she started working nights(when he was home), just to have a little extra cash. She worked for two nights and just stopped showing up. She said she didn’t want to miss anything in her childs life. A few days after this happened, they went and applied for assistance. On her husbands facebook, his status read, “Dear people at the wic office with your coach bags, wearing your ugg shoes with your oakley sunglasses and playing on your iPhones. You make me sick. Oh wait. That’s us! LoL”. I instantly said something to her and told her there were people that needed it more than her. They weren’t paying rent, due to having military housing, but they had maxed out three or four credit cards on unnecessary items such as TVs, Apple Computers(yes, multiple computers), toys for their daughter, and furniture because “they didn’t like the color of theirs”. I have never been more upset with a friend in my life. They also have a dog and cat, along with a sugar bear that they bought after they went and applied for assistance. In the past two years, they have been through approximately 3 new cars, and by new i mean 2010-2011 cars. On Black Friday, they were so greedy, that they kept their year old daughter up so they could go shopping at midnight, any sane parent would have waited and spent the extra money, or found a babysitter. They were also selected for a program to receive money for Christmas to assist in buying gifts for their daughter. I’m pretty sure only about a quarter of that has been spent on the daughter and the rest on them. They make me sick.
@ Tea Party “Objectivist”: No offense is intended, but the tea party is NOT Objectivist in ANY way, shape or form. Objectivism is NOT a Conservative ideology, is NOT a Progressive ideology, and is NOT compatible with either one. I realize that a lot of the tools in the Tea Party have been carrying signs with slogans culled from Rand’s books, but they’re grossly ignorant if they believe for a moment that Objectivist philosophy is compatible AT ALL with Conservatism. It ISN’T.
The Tea Party is merely the obverse of the Occupy Wall Street movement. What both object to is the same thing: corruption in the interaction between Politicians and Big Business. The sole difference of substance is that the Tea Party blames politicians and wants to give business a free pass while the Occupiers blame business and want to give politicians a free pass. Both are right in who they blame–big business AND politicians are guilty as charged. Both are wrong in their approaches, and their solutions *will not work*.
You sure make a lot of assumptions. It also comes across as like you feel your better than these people, which is the tone of a lot of republicans. You have no idea what others are going through or why they are in the situation they are in. Yes, there might be abuse to the system, but for you to pass judgement on them is completely unfounded and frankly ignorant.
sounds like she is saying people that shop at walmart are all on welfare . she said she expected questionable clientel. stereotype much? maybe you would be better suited working at macy’s. becareful you may need that help someday.
What makes *me* sick is all this hate. Suddenly, when people are behind their computers and safely anonymous, they become bitter, mean, judgmental, and assuming. People assume that because someone has a different opinion, that they “didn’t read the article.” How about this: everyone has a different PERCEPTION. You are not right, and he/she is not wrong, and vice versa.
I too, am frustrated by this broken system. I too, agree that one should not buy lobster and steak with food stamps. I too, agree that there needs to be reform. I realize that there will be abuse, but you know what, I’m not going to bitch and moan about my tax dollars going to welfare, because for every person who abuses the system, there is at least one person who desperately needs it. I don’t ENJOY having money from my paycheck taken for SS (which probably will not be available when I’m old enough to benefit), Medicare, etc. People often argue that they “earned” what they have, and for that they become entitled. Just because you worked hard to get where you are is no excuse for hostility and hate for those who haven’t gotten to where you are. This is not a Democrat or Republican “problem,” this is a UNITED STATES problem. We all got here TOGETHER, and whoever is currently in the white house isn’t the problem, either. We have had problems building for years, decades. Stop pointing fingers and making rude remarks about party, occupation, social class- whatever- and have some f***ing compassion, people!
someone needs to examine their privilege.
Agreed,
Welfare is a huge problem. Particularly for the “moochers” and “queens,” they’re giving up productive lives in exhange for a free ride at the bottom of society, from one generation to the next.
The question is how do we fix it. How do we get a majority of the voting public to agree that welfare doesn’t work, and that we must find another way to help those who are in need of real help?
Good post. Glad to know this problem is being publicized.
I think this piece could have made some good points about correcting the worst abuses of welfare in Maine, but instead it comes off as heartless and arrogant. Almost an effort to prove “street cred” among her fellow college conservatives, having worked in this dynamic and lived to tell about it. It’s great that you had this experience and developed those views, but rather than develop a knee jerk position about it, do some deeper thinking and exploration of the issue and the related issues. And tone down the cavalier attitude in writing about it and more people might pay attention, rather than simply dismissing this as a completely partisan piece.
CLAnswers, you said it best.
To JENNY, who posted a huge bunch of scripture. I’m sorry, but where in those scriptures does it say that the GOVERNMENT is supposed to take care of the poor? Scripture only talked about US and the church doing it…not the gov’t. The church was doing a fine job of it until the gov’t got involved and took it over. Now churches have stopped because of it. Not for long – in one state I’m aware of, there is a big push to take it out of the gov’t hands and put it back in the churches and synagogues where it belongs – and churches are jumping on board with the concept. The state legislature is even working on the issue.
BTW, for those of you on welfare who say you are looking for jobs, there are a gazillion jobs up in North Dakota right now. They are DESPERATE for workers. The pay is extremely good on the oil rigs – upwards to 6 figures, and even McDonalds and other what would normally be called minimum wage-type jobs are paying $10-12 an hour or better. Plus there are jobs for all other types of work there. Seriously, if you are willing to move, you could have a job immediately there and be making BIG bucks. It would be a very fast way to get you off the gov’t dole. The weather isn’t the best, but if you can make big bucks, what difference does it make? It’s a low crime state, lots of fresh air, and it’s really decent country to live in (if you can deal with cold winters and hot humid summers).
Who knew a seasonal part-time Wal-Mart cashier was qualified to pass such judgements? Who is she to dictate what food poor people can purchase? We all know Wal-Mart cakes are dirt cheap like $11.98 cheap. Who are you people to begrudge someone’s children birthday cakes? While we may not agree with the purchases that are made by some recipients it is not fraud and frankly none of our business. Just because someone needs assistance doesn’t mean they lose their civil rights, this is America not China. We receive ZERO assistance and my husband works 6 days a week for overtime and provides for all of my children, I have 3 from a previous relationship and their father pays a measly amount of child support. I don’t have an ebt card for the measly payment I have it issued via papercheck because I don’t want an ebt but also because of judgemental assuming twats like this cashier and nosy ass customers. Furthermore in most cases child support is hardly even a reimbursement for what it costs the custodial parent to raise the children. So what the support is spent on is really no one else’s business. And as far as nice vehicles, many Families bread-winners have lost their jobs, how do you know they didn’t own that nice vehicle prior to receiving benefits? Same goes for any other luxury possessions recipients may own. Since when do poor people owe an explanation to the rest of us for what they own and what they purchase? I NEVER get my nails done professionally, I grow my nails naturally and manicure them myself and i don’t receive any assistance, a manicure kit at a dollar store costs just that a dollar, so if one’s nails look expensive that doesn’t mean that they necessarily are. I get my support issued via check because i don’t think it is some lowly Wal-mart cashiers business in the first place. All with the exception of the hotdog guy and even him frauding is questionable. he may be eligible for benefits despite his hotdog stand. I find it hard to believe a Wal-mart cashier is an expert on welfare benefits,, especially considering Wal-Mart employees are the biggest recipients of said benefits, notice the author of this blog makes no mention of her co-workers though……..I don’t doubt she votes Republican, it would be typical behavior, screech against abortion but don’t you dare expect them to help feed your starving kid in a rough time—-you better do that yourself, you get no mercy from the right, what hypocritical behavior
I don’t think this broad ever even worked at Wal-Mart, this is just more Tea-bagging propoganda
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/28/pf/north_dakota_jobs/index.htm
from the article: With oil companies paying top dollar to the new onslaught of workers they need — doling out average salaries of $70,000, and more than $100,000 including over-time — other local businesses are boosting their pay to compete.
Entry level jobs everywhere from restaurants and grocery stores to convenience stores and local banks pay a minimum of $12 per hour, according to the McKenzie County Job Development Authority. Truck drivers make an average of $70,000 to $80,000 a year.
Taco John’s, a Western fast-food chain, has increased its pay from $8.50 an hour to $15 an hour in Williston to hold on to its workers during its busiest shifts. It’s also trying to keep pace with competitors, including the Subway and Hardee’s down the street, said general manager Christie Smith.
There’s nothing special about what you saw. Systemic fraud enabling to buy votes is part of the political landscape of this country.
Jason, you clearly have no idea of what the tea party represents or their stance on anything.
While I agree that the welfare system is abused, I also believe there are good and honest people using the system. My family and I are one of them. My daughter, son-in-law and two grandkids live with us and my husband and I are both in school to be able to get better jobs so we dont have to live on the system. My husband has two parttimes and one full time job, my son in law works part time due to school. My daughter will be starting back in school here shortly. We are on the system because even with the jobs and student loans we are considered low income. We pay all of our bills and we dont live beyond our means. We dont have cable and the only reason we have internet is because of my schooling. For medical reasons I can not work a typical cashiering job anymore or any job that requires me to be on my feet for 4 plus hours. The only extra we do have is netflix of which we only have one coming at a time just so we have something to watch from time to time because we cant afford to go rent movies or buy movies because it isnt a necessity.
When we go grocery shopping we do all of our shopping at once, usually ends up being 3 carts full. We have had to teach my daughter and son in law that you dont just go in and throw whatever in the cart. For example, my daughter wanted some bagels, she grabbed the first ones she saw in the flavor she wanted. I showed her that the off brand was just the same and cheaper by almost a third of the name brand one. I do get roasts because there is enough there to feed everyone in my family with enough left over to make another meal. I also buy chicken, hot dogs, hamburger and so forth to try and balance out what I feed my family. Every now and again I do buy everyone something special that they want as a treat. I realize this is money that tax payers have taken out and is put towards the program, but that shouldnt mean kids shouldnt get a treat every now and again. Kids do not understand the difference. Granted some people go overboard and buy tons of candy or junk food, but like with cakes, I just buy the mix and make it myself, but i can see, as the one person stated, buying the pre made ones because it was a special occassion. Some people do abuse the system full force.. I will agree with that, but some people need the extra help just to get by. All our earned income from jobs goes to bills. My children live with us because it was hard to live on their own and pay their bills as well as day care and still provide for their children. It is a tough economy and many of us are barely making it even when we are working. I live in a small town where jobs are scarce as a whole and I live in a state where the unemployment rate is very high. We are planning on moving out of state to help provide better jobs all the way around, but until we can save enough money to do so, we still have to rely on the system. And our state is one of the more stricter states in trying to obtain assistance.
After reading about 1/3 of the responses on this page and reading the entire blog piece I’m struck by how arrogant and foolhardy people can be. I mean I would venture to say that this young woman who wrote the piece worked hard and made little money for her hard work yet instead of chiding the corporation that kept her standing on a mat all-day with few breaks and no health insurance she instead complains about “welfare queens” that use their Food Stamps to buy cookies, cakes, and “slip and slides”. Many of the people responding to this blog piece with righteous indignation might take a step back and realize that you probably don’t actually pay a dime in taxes and probably never will so really you have no right to complain about “where all our tax money goes”. Now, if you have a job (many don’t) and pay taxes (but don’t get a refund at the end of the year, many do) then complain all you want about fraud and abuse, blah, blah, blah. When you lose your job and can’t afford to feed your family, I really hope you don’t need the Food Stamp program because with so much righteous indignation going around it may not be there when you really need it. So I guess maybe you lock yourself in your closet (where you must live most of the time anyway) and pray for God to bring you some food. Maybe if you’re lucky a Welfare Queen might show up at the door with a Twinkie.
RIGHT ON GIRL!!!!!…THE ONE THING I NOTICED IN MY AREA IN SOUTHERN MAINE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT THE SAME PEOPLE THAT R ON WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS ARE THE SAME THAT R BUYING WEED, PILLS, BOOZE….I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE DRUG TESTING FOR WELFARE…I HAD TO PASS A DRUG TEST TO GET MY JOB AND EARN MY MONEY…I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE ON WELFARE SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE A MANDATORY DRUG TEST…PERIOD!!!
I understand that there should be some type of reform in public assistance programs. However keep in mind that appearances may not always tell the full story. I have an EBT card and use it to feed my family. Do I buy my kids birthday cakes with it?…Yes. Do I buy steaks for dinner on occassion? Yes. Do I buy soda with it? Yes. Have I bought junk food with it? Yes I have, and I have seen the scorn in the eyes of the customers behind me and from the cashiers as I probably don’t look like the normal EBT user. Those who sit in judgement do not see that while outwardly I look as healthy as anyone that I have suffered a severe brain trauma and am disabled by it. You can not see that three years ago my wife, and mother to my four daughters passed away. I pay my bills, and scrape by the best I can working what I am able within the confines of my disabilities, and the social security my daughters get from thier mothers account. I am sorry if it offends you to know that I try to provide my daughters with a sense of normalcy, that I don’t make them do without food wise what other kids thier age like to partake in. The thing is that they don’t issue different types of cards to different sencarios it is all the same, a EBT card for me is the same as the one everyone else gets. Just remember this, you can never judge a book by its cover.
I don’t like people who cheat the welfare system. But what I dislike even more is ignorant 20 somethings who think it is ok to judge what the rest of the world is doing. Grow up and experience a little bit of life. Have a major crisis or two before you judge the rest of the world.
here in the sunny bankrupt state of California i witnessed and served many people who are dependent on the state. Juvenile Dependency Court, this is where social services intervene in families abusing their offspring… just in these courtrooms of California (this is not an accounting of the housing, food, medical, dental, childcare,transportation, and counseling services provided to each family); California, in a single Juvenile Court Hearing provides the services of an attorney for the mother, children, social worker and father… uh, fathers, there maybe multiple fathers on each case… we also provide any type of interpreter a family may need to understand the proceedings. There can be a father for each child… observed 7 attorneys just representing the ‘dads’ in a single case. We also provide transportation from whatever prison/jail a parent may be currently incarcerated/in custody in at the time of the hearing…this must include a prison security personnel to accompany the dad/prisoner…. multiply this times the number of cases being heard in one courtroom, times however many courtrooms are functioning with an average of 30 cases each day X’s 4 week days (CA Juvenile courts are “dark’ each Friday to deal w other issues) X’s all of the Juvenile Dependency Courtrooms in each county throughout CA…. no wonder we’re bankrupt! These are the same peeps using EBT cards @ WalMart (the EBT card was to decrease the experience of shame of using FoodStamp cards etc. it ‘looks’ like an ATM/Debit card like working peeps have ya know)
When i 1st began working @ the Juvenile courts i noted that the majority of the peeps in the hallway waiting to attend their cases all had cellphones…i did not @ that time due to the expense…so how do people on assistance from the state afford cellphones and a working person cannot? Something is so out of whack when i provide services to a woman who has never worked a day in her life obtains the equivalent of 36k a year that was significantly a bigger income than i was earning putting in 45hrs. or more each week.
…sigh… waiting to ‘see’ just how CA will handle the upcoming crisis we will inevitably face soon… listen to people expecting to receive Obama Money on a monthly basis to meet their family needs with the next election.
Beth…..I’m not going to WASTE much of my time replying to your ignorant comment, but I HAVE to say a few things! Thinking people on welfare should be a slave to you…..you should be embarrassed for saying that! I am an RN, between my husband and I we make six figures a year. Taxes are a part of life, deal with it, I pay a lot in taxes each year, however I don’t feel I should get slaves for it!
The irony is….so many claim that these people are lazy, but you who are “working class” has a messy home….., but you seem to have lots of time to SIT in front of a computer reading hundreds of posts and responding…..here is a tip…..clean your house yourself!! Being a RN for fifteen years I feel i have some advice that can help you. You have a lot of resentment about this topic and it is more personal than you think it is. When you have so much hate in your heart you miss out on all the beautiful things happening around you! Best Wishes to you!
I completely agree. The ones that are getting upset over this article are generally the ones that are abusing the system or think that it’s ok. What most people don’t get is that NO, you’re not entitled to a lobster or steak or birthday cake. It’s not your money and it’s not the government’s money. It’s tax payer’s money. Money that someone else had to work for so you could sit at home and think of more ways to work the system. You’re not entitled to anything other than nourishment. I think that foods should be restricted to things with nutritional value. Do I have junk food in my house? Yes. Do I have an iPhone? Yes. I’ve earned it with my money. I wasn’t born wealthy and I’m not enormously wealthy today but the reason I can dictate what I have in my house is because we’ve worked for it. Falling on hard times is just that. It’s not buying something you normally wouldn’t just because it’s not your money. I’ve received food stamps when my ex-husband came home from Iraq and became a police officer making $9/hr (in 2005). I had just had a baby and we were raising my nephew. We received $125/mo for a family of 4 and you can believe that it was spent wisely. And I was humiliated. Now it seems the cool thing to do is see how much you can get for free. Absolutely disgusting! Get off your rear and get a job and stop costing people their hard earned money. (This isn’t meant for those that truly need it and are actively looking for work)
I wish anyone cared but as long as there are re-election votes to be had, welfare will not be reformed.
Also those of you defending the people who purposely depend of the system permanently are NOT helping their situation. The economy NEEDS people to work and supporting this kind of dependency is NOT helping ANY OF US! I understand that if you need it, by all means, PLEASE be on it!!! But the thing is that people earning money learn to do without so why can the people not earning money do the same. I’m only 23 years old and please try and tell me I have been entitled and had parents pay for everything for me and sure I must have 5 credit cards to pay for my luxurious lifestyle too, but wouldn’t that mean you are passing the same kind of judgmental rudeness you are implying this author has? Well you are WRONG! I have held a job since I was 14 years old, put myself through college paid for by me out of my own pocket, no scholarships, no pell grants no parent’s help. Have paid for rent and bills since I was 17 and continue to do so. It is possible, and blaming the economy only lasts so long. and abusing assistance doesn’t help that situation. The only people who should be so defending and judgmental are maybe the people who feel guilty. I grew up very poor, power and water getting shut off on a regular basis. doing without and getting IOU’s as presents. So those of you who feel entitled to MIddle class purchasing without Middle class imcome, I’m sorry… but it just doesn’t happen. Sure spring for a special occasion or present, but doing it on a regular basis because you feel that money is YOURS is WRONG. it’s not yours. it’s actually mine, and my parents, and my siblings and everyone else. Be FRUGAL, I coupon to make ends meet, it takes time but it’s better than abusing the system. Sorry if this makes me a horrible person, but I have been there too, and people need to realize that helping the people or making excuses for the people who ACTUALLY abuse the system is not helping them or any of us!
(If you are on Assistance for proper reasons you have no need to respond because you have nothing to feel bad about)
The money is not stolen from tax payers, you pay taxes and the government divies it up between many programs and other things. Granted people who abuse the system disgust me. There is a lot more money dissapearing into political black holes then is wasted on lazy stupid people.
I would absolutely love for these free loaders to get out of my pocket….It truly makes me sick to work 50 hours a week….every week, and look at my gross then net. I am a retail store manager, and my store accepts ebt….I can’t get through a single day without seeing a grown, prefectly healthy man or woman….in my line…abusing this card. Most of the ladies have rings on every finger, coach hand bags, and park their new cadilacs or suburbans in my front door. Not only do they expect free food, they expect curbside service. This is not temporary assistance for most people….it has become a way of life. And as far as steaks, lobster, and birthday cakes…..that’s not the half of it….just think of all the neighborhood cookouts that these food benefits are supplying. Hey….when they use the card for the food, they can use what cash they have, or the TANF, for the booze!!!! I’m sure most of this leizure time grilling is done while I am AT WORK!!!! There is no reason whatsoever….that these cards should be used for steak, lobster, or birthday cake…..or candy!!!! I try not to purchase items that I can’t afford….so it’s very simple! We all know those people that are always “looking for a job”. You know the ones….people that you only bump into from time to time….and finally you realize that every time you have seen him/her….for the past ten years….when you ask, “Hey, how’s it going? What are you doing now?” The answer is still….”Looking for a job”. Same thing they have said, over and over, year after year. Get a clue government officials!!!!
What saddens and angers me most, is the thought of my 20 year old son, going out into this world and working hard for his living, only to realize that he is going to have to spend his entire adult life supporting a whole population of people who have no desire to work and take care of themselves. Then to top that off….he will have no retirement benefits for himself when he is old. By then retirement age will be, what….85?
We teach our children to work hard and try to achieve their goals….and then the government takes half of what they earn and gives it to people who wouldn’t work if you paid them!
Another thing…..at least a couple times a week, I have people come into my store and ask for an application, then they ask me to fill out this form for their unemployment. The form states that they have applied for a job, and I’m supposed to sign it. Well, turns out…..they don’t even want the application. They just want me to sing saying that they came in and did the application. Some are even so bold as to say…..”I don’t want more than a few hours a week, I don’t want to stop drawing unemployment, or lose my food stamps! Heaven for bid they actually work enough to stop riding the gravy train!!!!
SOOO SAD that this is just a cycle that seems to never end!!!!
Why are you so proud to brag on the internet about helping these people commit fraud? Did you inform anyone besides the rabble of the internet that Mr. Hot Dog Cart was running his business off food stamps? You seem to be friendly with him and know where he operates so why not turn him in for his criminal activities as he was probably not reporting income so he’d be in for tax evasion as well. You’re totally aces at helping him cheat the system! Thanks for being part of the problem! The people buying high priced food items are known to resell them to get cash. Did you try to ID them at all either especially as you claim that so many were also using tobacco or alcohol and presumable getting an age check via state issued photo IDs? You do realize that you can report illegal activities and that your tax dollars also pay for enforcement of laws. You have heard of police, right? And we certainly have plenty of other other overbearing regulation enforcers in our bloated government, right? You have realized this haven’t you? Perhaps? You’ve maybe just not made the connection that you have the agency to do something about it besides complain and vote once in a while for the candidate of your choice who sit in an office far away and isn’t invited by Mr. Hot Dog Cart to dine on fraudulently obtained food? Or am I asking too much of you here and your precious minimum wage time?
Instead of whining about fraud and continuing to complicity help it happen why don’t you actually *do* something about it as you’re able. “Oh, but it’s my job to ring people up…” Sure, but it’s also your duty as a citizen to be an active participant in preventing crime. You’d call 911 if you saw a mugging, right? Of course! So do as your able to stop people from mugging the government and bilking tax dollars back out illegitimately.
When I was on food stamps…
I didn’t work — ever. I didn’t even go looking for a job.
I refused to go to any of the classes offered by welfare.
I bought a whole new wardrobe.
My kid wore name-brand clothes.
I had a cell-phone, a laptop, and internet service.
I sent my kid to a private preschool.
I bought soda, popsicles, extra-rich ice cream, buffalo wings, pizza, and frozen meals.
Oh yes,
And I was in grad school full-time (yes, I mean full-time 48+ hours a week).
I had no time for the welfare classes that were held during the day.
I needed the wardrobe to complete my internship professionally — but I bought almost everything second-hand.
My kid’s clothes were all hand-me-downs.
I used the laptop and internet solely for school. The phone was a family member’s plan.
Preschool was cheaper than daycare would have been even with the aid I qualified for.
Finally after over a year of schooling, working my tail off to make straight-As, while doing my best to be a great mother, I became so ill that I could not get out of bed, or eat much of anything for two months. I could keep down 7-up and popsicles. Later, I ate whatever sounded good, nutritious or not, because I could only eat a bite or two at a time. When I could finally get up, frozen meals or take-n-bake pizza were what I could stand up long enough to prepare for my family.
And I cried in humiliation every time I had to go to the welfare office to renew my benefits. I also cried with joy the day I got benefits the first time, stood in the produce aisle with my son, and told him yes, we could buy fruit this time.
Still want to give me that nasty welfare glare?
the point of haveing a i phone and how much they cost and the plan…well verry good point the cost of that would feed me !!! yes the system needs a good look at and some people said about every case is differant well i phones are all the same expensive take that to your case worker
Stop attacking the symptom. This country doesn’t need welfare reform — Big Business needs to get out of the government, corporations need to stop buying out politicians. Then this country won’t be forced to support a growing lower class. Yes, there are people who take advantage of the system, but POLITICIANS DO IT EVERYDAY, and FAR WORSE than these people will ever be capable of doing. The funny part is that the majority of these politicians are CONSERVATIVES. Stop attacking the people who do what they have to do. There are MILLIONS of people in this country who WANT to work but can’t, because big corporations sold their jobs overseas. I could go on and on about this. Don’t bother attacking welfare recipients in times like these — go after the more important issues, like what put them there in the first place.
i also fail to see the comedy in recipients couponing to stretch their stamps further……….how is that funny?
If anything it further proves the author of this pretensious blog is talking out of both sides of her mouth……………you can’t say be frugal but don’t coupon it doesn’t even make any sense, most Wal-mart employees are so underpaid I wouldn’t be surprised if the author isn’t collecting herself and is perhaps not receiving as much in benefits as she would like and is maybe jealous other recipients are receiving more
That would make sense
Porchsitter, you can’t get grants for college unless you and your parents are either dirt poor OR if you have a kid. Apparently having a kid opens up this major door for people to get a lot more “gubmint” money.
Kat, I DO have the right to complain because I have to pay IN every year on taxes, and I don’t make a ton of money…barely am considered middle class. I don’t get anything back, haven’t in over 15 years, and always have to pay in several thousands of dollars – was self-employed until gov’t mandates eliminated my job field. Now I work for even less money – 25% cut – and will most likely STILL have to pay in every year. I work 60+ hours a week. I barely scrape by and do NOT live an opulent lifestyle, driving a 20-year-old car, don’t go anywhere, no vacation in over 16 years, very rarely eat out, don’t go to movies, concerts, or anything that costs money, and use massive amounts of coupons and shop sales in order to afford to buy groceries – I also only fill my gas tank once a month. There is nothing else in my budget to cut because every single thing I spend money on is a necessity. No frivolities in this household. If things don’t improve, my health insurance will have to go (everything else is a requirement in order to survive or gov’t mandated), which would suck since I have health issues and NEED the insurance. So yes, I think I have the right to complain when I see people living much better than me ON MY DIME, driving brand new cars, with Iphones, getting free health care, buying steaks and seafood that I can only dream about. I’m lucky to be able to buy meat and usually buy it from the “reduced for quick sale” bin. If it wasn’t for my huge garden I had this year, I wouldn’t have any veggies to eat over the winter. So yes, I CAN complain about it. I wouldn’t want to live off the gov’t, though – that’s being a slave to somebody, and I’d rather take care of myself, thank you very much. I also DO something about it, being heavily involved in politics and working with my state legislature to reform and/or eliminate welfare and put taking care of the TRULY needy back in the churches and nonprofits where it belongs.
Walk a mile in your shoes…. Id rather not because i actually work. I have live in 3 states in a year and found a job within the first two weeks everytime. Im a waitress and it pays my bills. I take care of my childwith no help from the goverment. I have had hard times and you know what went… My fancy phone, gaming system and things like that so dont make excuses about gifts and blahblahblah. If your really hurting you sell the nice stuff. Most do not deserve my tax money so please stop making excuses for the people who dont. I believe that if they get help and are able to work then the state should make them work for it…. Pick up trash on the roads things like that. It would help get some off of ebt and welfare. Now for the people who are working but still need extra help. This young lady was not speaking about you…. So please do not bash her for her views. Ps stop having children if you cannot afford then.
Much of what this young lady is saying is true. However, there is the other part of what this young lady is stating that is nothing more than an inexperienced 20 year old who has probably been spoon fed her entire life.
While I do understand and for the most part agree with your sentiments, I’d like to point out that there is a flipside to this. Yes I’m educated, yeah- I have a job. So does my husband. And we still qualify for food stamps.Just because someone has an i-phone or buys lobster, Bon- bons, or some other decadent food with them doesn’t necessarily make us fraudulent. I also consider myself an ultra- conservative “mostly republican.” There’s got to be some consideration, some social justice, some charitable attitude tempering your rant or you miss out on the humanity of those who really do need some help. I even do occasionally go out to eat- pay cash at a restaurant. Sometimes I even get to take my family to a movie. Should I crucify myself over it just because I get food stamps? Sounds to me like your pushing too hard to convince conservatives to believe the only worthy picture of a welfare recipient is a homeless waif. More and more “regular” people are struggling in this economy to feed their families, and once in awhile that includes birthday cake and ice-cream.I pay taxes, I am a responsible U.S. citizen- lets focus more on not supporting every illegal that uses our taxpayers money. Or how about our representatives foregoing some pay- raises and truly serve their country with fewer side benefits. You probably have seen some super blatant crap comin through Walmart , but don’t lump us all together . You have no idea how long I saved for an I- phone or what circumstance leads me to eat shellfish instead of gruel . And untill Washington gets fixed,republicans included, don’t look for many changes on down the line.
I truly hope you never fall on hard times…you WILL choke on those words.
This is not a “call for serious welfare reform” as you so eloquently put it, it’s a hate speech directed towards people who truly need the help. Yes, there are bad apples in the welfare system, but why take the low road and demonize everyone for it. Your narrow-minded outlook of the welfare system makes me fear for the future.
You think the welfare system is destroying this country? HA! Why don’t you pick up a damn newspaper or watch the freakin’ news sometime. Our flawed welfare system is the least of our worries at this point.
Christine is rude to say the least. A few things that immediately jump out at me:
-The woman who exclaimed that peppers are food. They are food. You ran the register. The register was wrong. Naturally, she responded to you. Sorry you had a job where you had to interact with people.
-You chastise welfare recipients for having cell phones, then expect them to use their cell phones to calculate their account balance.
-You chastise people for buying toys and birthday cakes, as if their children are somehow not worthy of having toys since their parents receive welfare. Punish the children. Perfect solution.
-Calling people “Welfare Queen” illustrates your immature bias.
You make some good points at the end about the problems with Maine’s welfare system based on the numbers and how the program works in practice (as opposed to on paper). However, your attitude throughout your “article” completely negates the validity of your argument. Rather then come across as a well-informed young person, you come across as an angry child.
You want to argue for welfare reform, I’m all ears. I see a system that creates dependency. But do so with facts, not a spoiled child’s attitude.
Ah….It is so nice to see such an article in print. It happens at all stores unfortunately not only just Wal-Mart….but is most commonly seen there because of their low prices so customers can get more bang for their free buck.
And…to whatever incredibly ignorant ass said ” the cashiers should control it more at the register”….We are paid hourly to ring items…we dont make the laws and we obviously cannot control what people choose to buy with their state admin. aid. WE HAVE NO CONTROL AS CASHIERS!
Thank you for writing this article. I plan on sharing it with my store in Florida. You did a wonderful job and we experience this type of thing all over the US unfortunately.
A well thought article for someone who barely has any credible experience in the real world. Change has to start from the top. Beginning from the Presidential Office all the way down to the Social Services case worker.
Why do Senators and Representatives, who are deemed as ‘public servants’ earn a 6 figure salary + fringe benefits? Why must we be taxed so highly while the big corporations get tax breaks? Why can’t our government create American jobs by subsidizing companies so they don’t go overseas? Why can the multi million dollar war cease?
Maybe, then just maybe all of the citizens of this great country have a fair shot at economic stability and not depend on Government Aid. I have no judgment towards anyone who receives aid because I have no clue what goes on in their lives…
But know that while our government, GOP or Democrats, don’t change their corrupt ways, don’t expect normal, lower in the food chain folks to inspire change when our leaders aren’t leading by example.
While we sit and critique those who try to buy a decent meal for their families, think this: All those fat, good for nothing politicians who DO eat at The Palm five days a week, sip on Johnny Walker Blue Label while secretly smoking smuggled Cuban cigars and attend multi million dollar fundraisers with A lister celebrities- All on our hard earned tax dollars… THAT should really make your stomachs churn.
Very interesting.
I’ve often admired the lobster tanks in supermarkets. Weird animals, for sure. But I don’t know why they bother to keep them. I’ve only seen a customer buy lobsters once, and she was buying them with food stamps.
Nice to know I’m not the only one who’s witnessed this.
I see a few peoples comments regarding the posters examples she used about the steak, lobster, etc. and how EVERYONE is entitled to eat what they enjoy.
Sorry to say, they’re not.
I’d love to eat a rack of ribs with all the trimmings, or a dozen bacon-wrapped baked scallops for a snack, but the reality of it is, my bills come before my taste buds. When I grocery shop, I pick up the essentials, and if we preceded our budget, we get some goodies. My girlfriend and I work 35+ hours a week. It’s not a rigorous job, but it’s enough to make you tired by the time you get home. I also live in an apartment building that happened to be section 8 approved. I get to see the abuse of welfare; people constantly walking in with 12 packs of beer, outside smoking a butt, and the odor of marijuana filling the halls is also a nice addition.
Anyone trying to defend people on welfare because you use food stamps or EBT, please stop. Stop and let the working men and woman voice their concern. Besides, we’re the ones paying for it, we should have a say.
I don’t have an issue with people using welfare when they are in dire need. I understand that especially in this hard economic time that the government needs to help it’s citizens. But they is a very fine line between people using the welfare to get back on their feet and people using it as a free ride through life.
I could go on and on and on with examples and reasons we should be doing this a certain way, but the poster wraps up what I have to say fairly well.
Pleasepleaseplease use logic!!
You should do a little more research before fabricating “welfare queen” stories. It appears that Massachusetts didn’t start issuing EBT cards until 1997. See: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ebt/ebt_status_report.htm.
Or is this one of those “If it isn’t true, it oughtta be” tales that conservatives are wont to make up about the poor?
Where to begin. I vote Republican. I’ve received food stamps. I chose to apply for food stamps while my husband was attending nursing school and was unable to work. I did not work because of the costs of daycare, formula, diapers, and other bills far outweighed the income that I could possibly bring in. Instead, I chose to stay home and breastfed (free). Thankfully we have a supportive family and were able to move in with my husband’s parents. Food stamps was our way of contributing to household costs when there was no other way. When my husband received his first check as an RN we chose to forgo any government aid. Talk about a very hard transition! It went from buying whatever we needed or wanted (for us, it was healthier options, an occasional steak, and candy for Christmas presents) to buying the cheapest we could find and I began coupon clipping like a madwoman. Unfortunately, many on the system are uneducated and are not capable of holding onto a job or only making minimum wage. Chances are that the same people who receive food stamp benefits are also able to obtain Medicaid insurance. Along with a job comes the cost of food, birthday cakes, insurance premiums, and out of pocket costs of health care (which everyone knows can be EXTREMELY expensive.) After adding all these new costs together then hand them to someone who is probably making minimum wage and just got off a program that made all this stuff free they are thinking that their old way of life was a lot easier. Why get a job? Although there are people “on the system” that are truly in need there are many who do abuse it and think it is alright. It is a way of life. Their parents and grandparents used them and many are just following their guidance. This is wrong. As for the people who buy foods with no nutritional value, who has taught them that there are better options? No one. I do agree that the government agencies do need to scrutinize the paperwork a little closer to avoid people from abusing the system, but the government also needs to stop giving out HUGE bonuses to government officials who are already bringing in huge incomes. These monies should be used to improve public schools to better educate students so that they won’t need to rely government aid. As for me, I’ve witnessed and been a part of both sides I approve of aid allowing the purchase of cakes/cupcakes, steaks, and candy because there is nothing wrong with celebrating special occasions even when in need; chances are they are not doing this every shopping trip. I also believe that there should be some sort of job skills education enforced and monitored within the program.
ticked off says:
“So let me understand this, if you are on welfare you’re not allowed to buy a steak or birthday cake? Or splurge once a month on something yummy? You have balls. I am disabled and get food stamps. I am tired of people telling me what I can and can’t buy. Step off.”
Actually you and many others can…repeatedly. While the rest of us make the most of chicken and canned tuna, you sit at at keyboard claiming “disability” and the right to steak and cake. Step off the dole or live within constraints.
Dear Christine, I enjoyed your article It reminded me of a time when I was just out of high school and I was working on a construction site across the street from a welfare office. I would see people in fancy cars park- and stroll in the welfare office get themselves a check and then over hear them making “party arrangement for the evening. Must be nice.
All the best Marc
@ImyBalasetti:
YES. You NAILED it. Thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth.
I also think that those of you giving us 20 something year old people a hard time should really rethink their opinion because basically right now I’m paying SS for my own parents. So what happens when i’m the age to receive SS?? Who is paying that?? my own kids? well what if I see that I can’t even afford to have kids? I don’t receive the same benefit you are living off of now? don’t discredit us 20 something years olds because we are just trying to see how our own future is going to play out.
I agree if you are buying steak and lobster you are getting TOO much food stamps. I have neighbors that refuse to get married because their gov’t assistance will be cut off! they have three children and get like $600-800 a month in food stamps and they buy steaks, shrimp and oysters on a regular basis! I am single and live by myself and pay all of my own bills including $350 a month in child support and he makes more money than I do! If the gov’t would just require all food stamp receipts to bring in all receipts and have them checked by a computer to verify Items purchased and items that do not qualify will be deducted from their next check maybe this ABUSE WILL STOP!
@ImyBalasetti
“while our government, GOP or Democrats, don’t change their corrupt ways, don’t expect normal, lower in the food chain folks to inspire change when our leaders aren’t leading by example. ”
Ah…the ole they’re corrupt so it’s ok to be corrupt…no fair to criticize this problem while other problems exist. That kind of thinking is bound to lead to good things.
“we sit and critique those who try to buy a decent meal for their families”
Awww….(always “the families”)..steak and cake according to some here…. I have a vague memory of what steak tastes like.
Sarah says:
December 14, 2011 at 10:57 pm
I honestly could not agree with you more, I’m not even from America though i have been on sites where a lot of people are, and to hear about the boasting about how they have this money and they don’t need to work ra ra ra, its disgusting, I have also known some people from there, that have just had children so they can get money, so they don’t have to return to work,
I am from Australia, And i get help from the government as i have just had my 3rd child and I am unable to return back to work until my child is old enough to go to daycare, I have every intention to return to work so i dont have to “live” off the government and have other people pay me each week out of their tax, I feel that getting money off the government or you could call it welfare is very degrading, i find it very degrading when people ask me what type of income i am on and i have to reply with “the pension” and i am only 25 years old
Sarah… We did a study about this very same thing here in the States… We realized that every time an unemployed, often uneducated female drops her panties, it going to cost the taxpayers, (The people that WORK FOR A LIVING) A LOT OF MONEY!
I wonder if you could relate to or perhaps draw the same conclusions?
QUIT MAKING BABIES IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO RAISE THEM ON YOUR OWN OR WITH A, now, this might floor you, but they are called a “SPOUSE”!!!!
Its funny how you assume that she is spoon fed or that she is a brat. That is called judging someone which some of you are whining that she has done this. She is a working American. Atleast she is taking care of herself and as a working American she has every right to state her opinion on this matter seeing as she is paying taxes to support these programs. Now if some of you would actually read what she has written. She has no issue with the people that need this help just the ones who abuse it. I have work as a cashier and when u see someone spend 200 dollars everyday on lottory tickets then get a soda with ebt there is a serious issue. There needs to be drug testing and forced labor for people who are able bodied. Random home visit to see that they truely need of this help and they should not be aloud to have more children while using these programs. If they do not follow guidelines then the money should be cut off! Birth control is free at state health departments. These things can help lower the number of people on welfare, ebt, etc… that are abusing it.
Great article!
I saw this on the news and freaked! I do totally agree of some restrictions with food stamps! Like no lobster especially. But to dis on the poor children getting a cake! Thats just crap. they deserve a cake to. Yeah, ok maybe they could make one themselves. But have you actually thought that in the long run its cheaper. Think about this, baking a cake takes electricity, maybe they are even struggling to make that payment every month. I do receive food stamps and have applied for jobs at McDonalds. Guess what no calls back. What am I over qualified. Probably not! But see all these kids working and still live at home and they get to just spend the money on whatever. I need a job to survive. I buy all low end items, store brand if its cheaper. I usually do shop at walmart because I can get lots cheaper. I buy coffee. Is that a crime. It actualy keeps me from eating when I really want to. Cup of coffee instead of breakfast!
I know these people who own land they paid for in less then 3 years, have a beautiful house, new cars, flat screens throughout the house, mini bikes, run a business. But they are smart they can hide most of the money but just have another kid every 5 years so they can continue to recieve MaineCare! Now thats sick to me! Did I mention they took vacations all the time while recieving this aid. Well its sad to think that our government cant see these purchases and wonder how they can afford a 1200.00 a month mortgage along with 500 plus in car payments and still get assistance. I did finally get mainecare after a wait period and havent even gone to the doctor. Even though I should for certain things. But for people like I just told (who were also buying peoples medications maincare paid for) you about were abusing drugs so a doctor I did start going to took my .5 mg of klonipin years ago because they were addicting….lol…well maybe some should look at those getting 2 mg and taking 3 4 times a day should be cut back. I needed those occassionally for anxiety I have had since I was in my early 20′s. Never abused them either, but now cant get because of the abuse. Maybe if I had those when I lost my job as a manager because I was overworked, and also robbed at gunpoint, I wouldnt have lost my job.
I will have my judgment day and I do hope its soon enough!!!! I am barely making it. Did I tell you that I am cold everyday cause I cant afford heat. Thought I would just charge it to my oil company and hope I could pay it, just to be warm, nope that didnt happen, they wanted it COD.(cash on delivery). Wish I even had money to relocate to North Dakato where jobs are booming! I want to work and need to work but nothing! Even the temp agency look at me funny cause I havent worked in 4 years! Took a long time to recover from the robbery. I have sold everything I own to get by so now I have nothing. Only thing I have is my best friend who will probably end up in the shelter soon because I cant feed him!
Until all the morons who are getting what they shouldnt get stop I will enjoy mine! Oh wait lets not forget about the immigrants who are coming here and getting assistance!!!! Gee most of them get more then us Americans who were born and raised here!!!!
@Rich R
Your cynicism enthuses me. It is evident you failed to understand the principle behind my comment.
Our goverment leaders are, in fact, without a shadow of a doubt, corrupt. What government isn’t?
It is very off the cuff to assume providing a decent meal to a family entailed lobster, steaks and cake… I never said that in my statement. If not, I would’ve taken the time and effort to clarify and state that is what, by definition and crudity, the components of what a ‘decent meal’ is.
See? We are all so quick to point, critique and timber down ideals, yet we don’t take the time to reflect and act responsibly on them. To each its own. Fraud or not, it’s up to our elected officials to make the changes. It’s up to us to not allow them back in office. Yet, we sit behind our laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones armed with the best of arguments and insults in a battle of never ending wit, yet we don’t go out there and inspire change. After all, our government elected officials are, too, abusing the system. They aren’t so different from those who abuse government aid.
i hate people who are like this i understand if they need it before they find a job but come on people who just use it with out trying to find a job are just lazy i think they need to get rid of welfare after 1 year it gives them a chance to find a job but after that if they dont find one oh well by by no more free money for you
How could this nice girl write such cruel things about poor people? Doesn’t she know life is hard enough without being shamed? These people, the less fortunate amongst us, have to drive all the way to Wal-Mart (the lack of a government-sponsored food delivery program is one of the lesser reported travesties of our day) to (I can’t in honesty use the word ‘purchase’ here) obtain food. And more than likely these people, mostly Americans residing here legally (well, mostly), had to miss some important program on television or other reality-evading activity like online gaming whilst WAITING IN LINE! Life is hard enough without having to wait in line, darn it to pieces! Don’t these people have enough problems without also having to wait in line? Don’t they have to wait in line even to just get on welfare, for Pete’s sake? And all for what? You guessed it– to wait in line at Wal-Mart JUST TO GET FOOD! Why didn’t this young lady instead write about the fortitude, may I be so bold as use the word nobility, it takes to actually (I mean physically & in-person) go to Wal-Mart where they are FORCED to wait in line to obtain food? We need to be just a tad more sensitive here folks! Oh, and also we need to get the federal government completely and utterly out of the welfare business altogether, and leave it up to the states where it rightfully was before the fascist FDR radically worsened the ability to provide care at the local level for those in genuine need in this country.
i would like to say that i am a mother of 3 beautiful children and on aid. im on it because i really do need it, but i use it for my kids. i dont use it to run a business or buy expensive things for myself. i buy the food and things my children need because i dont have an income right now. i am a fulltime student. im trying to get a career and not just a job that i will hate and not get paid much for. i wanted to become a nurse to help people and im working hard to do that. i have 2 weeks left and i will be done with my externship. its almost christmas and yes we will have food but we wont have new ipads, wii’s or dirtbikes for christmas. i shop cheap on groceries so our food lasts and i pay my rent. i rent a room from a friend because i cant afford to get an apartment. i barely have enough to buy my kids gifts. i hate that people will go get on welfare and abuse it, so when i am in line at the grocery store i feel awkward like im being judged. it sucks for the ones who actually need it. im praying that i get hired on after my externship so i can take care of my family without having to be on welfare. i paid into it in the past so i dont feel bad that i am on it temporarily
this year for christmas i wrapped up stuff i got from a yardsale, i didnt go and trade my foodstamps for cash like most of the people on it do. i bought my family food! yes they do need to change something but they wont, they will keep making it easy for all these scumbags trying to live for free!!!
this one is @ you suck christine guess what just cause you apply to a job and dont get a phone call you dont stop there and say oh they wond higher me u keep going back and back and back untill they give you the job you wouldent be on welfair if you would just go back and keep trying for the job not just puting in the application and waiting for a phone call duh what are you waiting for the Mcdonalds elf or something no i dont think so i think your just like the other people who use wellfair u put in one application and never check back on it u leave it there and expect it to fall right into your lap let me tell you life dont work that way i understand that and im only 18
I would like to add my two cents worth it makes me mad for those who do abuse the system. Here in California there is alot of FS fraud you know those who abuse the system who drive fancy cars have hundreds of dollars and they pay for their food with FS. I have seen this when those who need it cant get it those who have it dont deserve it. It just makes my blood boil when I see those who abuse the system. Yes there has to be something done about it but it wont happen. They do check income for those who need it but if you are over the income requirement you dont qualify.
Think if someone in the United States could take a look outside their country and see how this works in northern Europe, There are more human systems that take care of their people who didn´t grow up in rich families.
If you have a system like yours, you have to follow it up where the money goes. You actually have to help these people even more, edjucate them, let them work for the state. You cannot just leave them on their own and then complain???
In reading all the responses I see a lot of anger and hurt as well as annoyance at the government and the programs. People talk about people receiving assistance that other people pay for out of taxes. As I stated in my other post, my husband works three jobs and we pay taxes. So basically we are paying for our own assistance if I go by what everyone else has been saying. I hate being on the system, and if it was only my husband and I we would not be on it, but we take care of our family who can not find jobs so are in school to get degrees for better jobs. My husband and I have not had a vacation since we got married. We dont go to special things and when special things like church picnics pop up or such or our pastors birthday and people picth in some money to help towards food or whatnot we usually end up not attending because we cant afford to pitch in. With our student loans we pay our rent up until we are scheduled to receive the next loans, pay up our utilities, and pay for books ( which are not cheap) for school and cover anything needed for birthdays or anniversaries that may be coming up. The only time we eat out is for our anniversary. This year, due to my husband being laid off his job in february and not being hired even by McDonalds because he was over experienced, and me being hositalized 3 times and almost losing my life twice, both due to doctors error, and also taking care of my mom who has dementia and providing for her because she does not receive enough in her retirement money to cover everything she needs, we were forced to apply for help. We didnt qualify for medical assistance so we have over $30,000 worth of hospital bills to pay as well as doctors bills for follow up check ups, of which I didnt go to the last couple ones because we couldnt afford to, and I am suppose to be on medication that runs $70 a month but I do without because we cant afford it. We get $760 in FS a month most of which goes to buying formula for my youngest grandson because he doesnt get enough off of WIC to last a month and that stuff is not cheap, and to getting baby food and food to feed my oldest grandson to last a month. The rest is then used for the rest of us for meals and most times I buy in bulk so that we can make more than one meal out of what is made. I dont buy lobster or crab or any of that stuff. I have splurged for Thanksgiving as well as for Christmas dinners. My husband had a nother job that just laid him off until Spring. he only makes minimum wage at all his jobs. I use to be able to work as a waitress and a cashier. This is all i was qualified for. But I can not stand on my feet for long now so hence why I am in school so that I can get a degree to do something with my life, even at age 41. I enforce my children to obtain jobs and go to college to earn degrees so that they can support themselves and not be on the system. I hate being on the system but we need the help to keep our heads above water.
In regards to the one who mentioned about moving to North Dakota because of job availability. That is a good answer but if they want jobs but currently dont have jobs it makes it hard for anyone to move. We plan to move to Texas because my sister lives there and with my mom having dementia and knowing she wont be around much longer she needs to be closer to all her family. But in order to move us all there we have to save up at least $20,000 so that we can get a place to live when we get there as my sister cant afford for us to live with her and doesnt have the room. To pay rent in advance a few months so we have time to find jobs, and to pay for moving and deposits and so forth. And after doing all that we will be lucky if we have enough to get groceries so we dont have to apply for assistance there.
To those who suggest selling things off, we have done that more times than I care to count, and while it is an option, to be honest I am tired of losing out on stuff that means something to me because it was a birthday or anniversary gift. My husband and I have survived off of ramen noodles and PB and J, and so forth. But there also comes a time when you say enough is enough especially when you are working and can only afford so much.. We have more money going out than coming in. Yes we have cell phones and they are the basic phones. But we dont have cable or dish network. Yes we get netflix and that is $20 a month that could be used for food but it is our one extravegance. We have internet as I need it to do school work, yes I can do other things like play games and such on it as well. Yes i have a computer, same reason as just mentioned. Most of the stuff I have like a fridge and oven and washer and dryer I have because we rented to own it because we couldnt afford to buy them out right, which yes in the long run cost us more.
Do I feel that there needs to be improvements in the system yes. Do i agree with having to do drug test? Yes. Do I agree that there should be strick requirements to be on the system? yes. Do I believe it gets abused? yes! Do I agree that you should have to be a US citizen? Most definitely! But if I have worked most of my life ( since age 15) and have paid taxes for that whole time, into the government to take care of these programs, why can I not make use of them when I need to? My parents worked and paid into the program, my husbands parents worked and paid into the programs, we have paid into social security and probably wont see a return on that with the way things are going, so why is it when those who need assistance either cant get it or get dirty looks from people because of it! As I have seen mentioned, unless you know a persons story dont judge, but at the same time there needs to be a limit to what these programs offer as to who and so forth. Just a little tidbit. there was a man who won the lottery, I think in NY, and he was on the system. He was still on the system after winning but it was because they did not consider the winnings earned income so he was able to stay on the system. THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH! As well as noncitizens, and people who use drugs illegally and are on the system. We always tell our children not to be ashamed to ask for help, but then things like this occur and they grow up ashamed to be poor. My husband HATES when people give us stuff. He is a proud man and he will work any job that he can find. he doesnt get specific and if he loses a job he is out hitting the streets the very next day and doesnt stop until he has nowhere else to try or he obtains one.
great propaganda, and a great forum to spread it. i question the existence of you, however, i applaud the distraction you’ve been able to spread. animal farm in the best representation. kudos. i do wonder what your economic background is though?
You know, I agree with a lot of your points, however you could have done without the judgmental undertones and words such as “welfare queen” considering you don’t actually know the situations of these people.
Welfare abuse is a very real problem and I have seen it myself. I am on EBT benefits currently, but I also work 2 part-time jobs and I am a full-time student. I don’t get help from family and I am paying for school and taking on the debt of student loans by myself. I am not complaining, but merely explaining why I use state assistance and I don’t plan on using it once I am on my feet and able to make actual money.
I know people personally who abuse the system- my mom and I lived in “the hood” for awhile and some of our neighbors had sports cars and Cadillacs, yet they lived in a poor neighborhood? Yeah, they’re not as poor as they’d like others to think.
And voting Republican does not mean anything- both parties particularly love contributing to corporate and political welfare, i.e. business bailouts and our tax dollars going to pay for the lavish lives of congressfolks- these people are already millionaires, yet we need our taxes to pay for their mansions and private jets? Who are the true welfare queens???
so what you’re saying is.. poor people who can’t afford food don’t deserve to ever buy “nice” things? They don’t deserve to buy a birthday cake for someone special? Please. for every person who abuses welfare there are 10 people who desperately need it and don’t even get it, or do get it and use it responsibly. Get over yourself. The ones commenting are hypocrites for the sheer fact that they also think they are entitled. ridiculous.
Ok people just like you have been reading on the comments, she makes good points in this story. I myself am on Tanf, and foodstamps. Because of stupid decisions that I made when I was younger it is very hard for me to find any work at all. Do I like being on assistance? NO. Do I want to get off of them and earn my own money? YES. Am I grateful for having either one of them? YES. I am a single parent of two I am 26, a full time college student, and I take care of my mom. It makes me really mad when I have to go in and renew everything and I see people driving expensive cars, carry REAL coach purses etc. People like what she discribed in the article make other people who are on Tanf, and food stamps and truly need them give us bad names. Now for all you people who are being rude on here talking down about us buying steak, birthday cakes, and what not. You really need to keep your opinions to yourself. There are some family’s that don’t have a way to bake a cake, not to mention there are some people that really don’t know how to read or make things. Kids see something they like for their special day and they parents want to make them happy. You all need to stop being so harsh on here about people who have assistance. Not everyone can get a job fast food, seasonal, or anything. So take a more deep thought about what you are trying to say on here and know your facts.
I am a divorced oman on SSdisability, and in CAlifornia, and 1 you cannot use cash aid for alcohol! B My ex husband doesn’t work and if he does it is under the Table as their is a club called deadbeat dAds that share how they get out of paying child support and buddy my $$$ pays my rent and bills, and leaves me with one tank of gas nd California schools are cutting buses for kids to school which now means I will be driving my kids to school as well as my constant Dr. Appointments counseing for one bullied son that is suicial but instead of a childrens mental hospital they would put him in juvenile hall, and a daughter who suffers from bullying from a girl gang that has her severely depressed and wishes she were never born! Not to mention what it has done for my self esteem not even being able to buy her anything but new underwear or soccks let alone shoes jeans clothes that fit and the last week of the month I don’t eat so my kids can. Were not evengetting into the prescriptions and the vitamins the Dr says if I don’t supply he won’t see her again! So Buddy whoever you are! Get a grip. The problem with welfare is our government taking in foreign refugees suppying them wit their own homes new cars medical foodstamps and Tanf, including the migrant workers that come to pick the fields and they have to supporort their families as the farmers can’t afford to pay them enough to feed all their familis they are allowed to bring up wih tem plus once they get a CA. DrivesLicense they become residents and are given assistance and is why they all come up not to mention that they run from Cameron and his drug cartel as they have taken over south America central America Mexico and are working on The united states. I pray to /od you aren’t married and if you are your wfe gets ahold of me when you join deadbeat dads club wanting visitation but don’t want to support thm cause you have a mid life crisis and a 34 year old babe that wants to be courted properly and doesn’t give a sxxt about your kids. You DO NOT HAVE A CLUE! Stop supporting the rest of the world and take care of our own citizens 1st and you will find wefare reform right there! What an ignoran Biased and judgemental ass yiu are. As the Corporate millionaires give there kids Cars cell phones and IPods for good grade those earrings might be all she gets for doing a good job at school and chores for a semester ,d those IPods are usualy bought at pawnshops or come from the kindness of the generous middle class that understand how hard it is to stretch a damn dollar as a candybar costs that much in many places across this country. And Maine Give me a break a big state with not a whole lot of corporate bigons supplying jobs! WAKE UP COLLEGE BOY, you have a lot to learn- get a vasectomy and do this country a favor!!!
I’m discuses by what I hear. This post is an ugly train wreck.
I read the post and many of the comments. Its all ugly and judgmental. I find it hard to believe that a cashier in a busy Walmart store was able to judge someone well enough to have a say in what they deserve or don’t deserve in her short time in the real world. (I’m willing to bet you seen some abuse but not all of that was abuse)
I KNOW people abuse the system. And when I say system I mean all things in life. For example government elected individuals who has a salary that is crazy high make cuts from the elderly who paid their dues. Presidents own oil and rape the gas prices to fill their pockets.
You work, you pay taxes. It’s life! Vote on what matters to you. I personally would like to see some of the higher paid Americans get a pay cut and less tax breaks. I know many people work harder in life and are paid much less. However someone has to do it. Just like the cashier at Walmart.
What you don’t understand is you do not make the law. You can’t choose what is bought with assistance. And I’m sure some would rather go without then ask for help. Let me tell you, you are one car accident, one unexpected bill, one natural disaster, in health problem away from complete failure. The system has rules and regulations in place based on YEARS AND YEARS of experiences on what works and what does not. So when you ask for help at the last second. The help will not be there for UP TO 90 DAYS! 90 DAYS!
Let me tell you from experience (before couponing shows came on) I would have money left on my card because I spend wisely and budgeted my money. I would have crazy money on my card. But it was needed the next month. Or I was one of the people buying “crappy food” that I saved up for. Why because some months I qualified others I didn’t. Nothing was reliable. Ex husband would help sometimes then fall behind. Assistance was always a month off from child support and some months I would have extra and the next month I would have nothing. Its just the way the system works.
I learned that you have to play the system when you notice you NEED help. At the first sign not when your last string broke.
Assistance is a set amount. So they buy junk one week. The next they are more careful as they have little or no money left.
Also if we cut people off with kids we will make them struggle and then in america you will either be poor or rich. So a mom gets assistance and has the internet (as some comments suggest) His/her child has a invaluable tool that is a MUST now.
While I was on assistance I flaunted fancy clothes and purses. I do not need to validate how I live but I will happily say I had a aunt that was able to afford the finer things in life and would kindly pass along her gently used items. I also was a product reviewer… which is currently how I support my family. On my own and without any help from Uncle Sam or the young cashiers $1.30 in taxes.
But I will tell you I am sick of walking in Walmart and loading up my cart with my 3 young children in tow and getting dirty looks and rude comments. (I look young and so my 3 children all look completely different – and yes the all 3 have the same father)
How dare others judge me. People behind me like that I decide I’ll slowly hand write out my check out today and make them wait. I’m a young single mom, I have 3 kids, I’m feeding 2 boys with bellies of grown men. and my cart is over flowing with junk. Haha hell who am I kidding my cart is over flowing and my oldest is pushing one behind me.
This subject has been debated (better) longer and harder in many arenas. There are some glaring errors in your reporting. A couple are that you can buy food “and other things” with food stamps. No other things can be bought but food. Not even toliet paper.
Certainly not intoxicating beverages nor smokes. i would also like you dear writer, to spend at least as much time sitting at a Welfare application desk to determine the following:
1) How many of the welfare folks being cared for are children, and the single parent of children living with severe limitations in life (poverty is only one).
Until we enforce child support we will have welfare.
2) How many of those applying are elderly and handicapped and simply cannot work. Life can be hard once you have begun to “work” your way through life.
3) Recognize that a mother or father with three children will receive as much for boys age two to consume as boys age 17…good luck with that problem.
I would challenge you to survive on what a poor family receives for a month and see how empty your tummy is and how desperate you are for survival. It is a means to an end.
Welfare is not just the food stamp portion of assistance..Did you know that there is a program that even helps farmers to provide these programs by investing in crop rotations and surplus…: Did you know too that unemployment is a form of welfare..as are reduced day care and so are many other avenues of assistance. If we listed them all here, you would probably find some area you or your loved ones have utilized.
Social welfare is not an easy, fun, opportunity enhancing lives…nor lazy rewards to folks who need it. It is much, much more than a moral issue…it is a generational curse that begins with men who walk away and leave…or women who can no longer cope…or children who do not have good nutrition because cheap foods contain none.
Agriculture and food stamps and children and poverty all get in and out of the same bed together on different days.
I hope that your little salary at Walmart keeps you happy and well fed because sooner or later you will need some help and you will probably not find it at the end of your arm…that is because you were too busy patting yourself on the back at not being one of “them”.
From one of the “worthy poor”…
Amazing how this post touched the nerve of so many welfare cheats.
Many of your commenters either lack basic reading comprehension or are deliberately mischaracterizing your argument. You clearly never wrote that “all” those who receive welfare or food stamps assistance are lazy or frauds. You simply told your own experience that “many” customers on assistance were clearly abusing the system. I don’t think anyone could dispute this. Even the Obama administration seeks to cut the budget by eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse.” The author was simply helping point out some avenues for saving money.
In fact, if people actually read what she wrote, they would see that, far from wanting to abolish welfare assistance, she wants to save it: “Something must change before the state runs out of money funding welfare programs.”
People don’t seem to understand that those abusing the welfare system are stealing from the truly needy and destitute. What if you saw someone stealing food from the hungry? Would you stand by and do nothing? That is exactly what the author saw and, rather than be silent, she decided to speak up for “temporary aid helping those who truly need it”. Those commenters who told their own difficult stories when they really needed government assistance should not be angry at the author, but angry at those who abuse the system, because they are stealing from them!
@DPMT: Keep telling yourself that, kid
So. Talking to the readers who think we should never get steak.. Blah blah blah. So, I have a friend on food/medical, etc. she is NOT mentally disabled. But she has a disease that effects her daily life. It’s cystic fibrosis. There are bad cases of cf, and there are worse cases of cf, she has the worst. Would you walk up to my 20 year old friend who is sick and spends the majority of her time hospitalized, and tell her. You never have the right to eat steak! Shame on you for buying this luxury!
In fact, it is probably the only luxury she has! The life expectancy for a HEALTHY CFer is about 40. She is NOT a healthy CFer. She goes nowhere, she’s not healthy enough. When she is finally healthy enough and she DOES go do something??? She gets sick and ends of hospitalized again.
When she was 18 she was granted a wish by the MAKE A WISH foundation, she was in the hospital for weeks getting healthy enough to go to Disneyland. Then as soon as she got back, she had to go back to the hospital. This is her life. And you would judge her on her buying herself a steak? Don’t worry, she won’t buy lobster, it’s too expensive here. She started going to college but found it was pointless due to being sick all the time she couldn’t make it to most classes (they don’t offer much for online classes here) and she was trying her hand in the culinary arts, also realized that was pointless, no one would hire someone who can’t even speak a sentence without going into a coughing spasm that goes on and on and on til you think she’s going to pass out or heave all over the place (she sometimes does usually heave at least once a day from a coughing spell)… Think about how you have the ability to work!!! Don’t act like its some terrible chore! My hubby has in the past (when he was blessed with a minimum wage pizza delivery job) worked up to 80 hours in a week, an average week had around 60 hours worked, he would work more when he wasn’t taking classes. He went to school full time. We received food stamps for the kids. About $100 per month. We budgeted our money very well. Paid all our bills on time. We didn’t have a new computer, or new tv, or new sterio. We rented the cheapest house in town (about $500) we did buy things new. If we had extra cash, we put it in savings. Back when my hubby had a good regular job, we had bought a new (used) car. It was really nice since our car before that was a tin can on wheels (geo, good for gas mileage- bad safety ratings!) we got the car when we found out I was going to have another baby (again this was financially good times for us). Before the baby was even born, DH lost his job. Along comes months of no job. Then he gets pizza job.
We ARE penny pinchers. We have up first an emergency fund, then save up more for other things. But since we can’t save money now, we rarely go out to eat (dollar menu anyone?) if we do go out to eat we usually go with hubby parents who ask us out about once a week. We don’t go do shopping sprees or anything like that. We do not accept gov assistance for cash (tanf). I try to not ask for anything we don’t need from anyone!
Guess what. I have an iPhone. I have an iPod (birthday present) I have an iPad (birthday present!) I have a computer (it’s a Dino that was top of the line in 2000, it’s so old you can’t even upgrade it anymore) we have a laptop that we were able to get my hubby for SCHOOL. With SOME college grants (first in his family to EVER go to college!) and some we foolishly put on the credit card. (I hate credit cards.) anyways, so we have those things right? Well, no, we had to sell our car to pay bills. Life is good though. My kids are not going hungry. We work what we can when we can. Apply for jobs when we can. Homeschool the kids so it’s one less penny out of your pocket (not like it matters because they will take it even if it is NOT used.
Again I beg of you all to please just be nice. If you are blessed with a job. awesome. If you work and still get gov assistance. Great. If you have no real income and your ONLY life luxury is a steak dinner once a month. Sweet. I am so glad that it is possible in this country that NO ONE should die of starvation. Hey, it still happens! It shouldn’t, but does!
I am glad that since we don’t get to do family things like my kids’ friends do, we can kinda do stuff at home with them.
Oh, and my kids all have handheld gaming systems, their grandma got each kid a system when it was their birthday. Awesome grandma.
Why are you all so upset that people are eating cake? What does that change? If someone on assistance eats $100 worth of cake, or $100 worth of (whatever you think is reasonable) what changes? How is it any different? $100 is still spent. It’s not like they’re buying regular food AND cake and lobster. It’s certainly a very poor budgeting choice, but their limit is fixed, is it not? From these comments it doesn’t really seem like you care much for people on assistance, so why are you so concerned about their nutritional needs? Do you just somehow NEED to know that these people who are already poor and struggling are also unhappy with their dinner? Explain it to me please.
@JS
Really. That is how I feel. You are given X amount. Why should it matter to my cashier how I spend my $100? It is the most I can spend no matter what. But it’s wrong if I want to buy something like a steak? Say I buy 1 lb of steak. It cost me about $2.57 (what I usually pay) I just fed 3-4 kids with that steak, or two adults. If we have two steaks it’s $5.10. Add a few potatoes, I buy 10 lb bags for $2 a bag, so let’s say a potatoe is about 10 cents each. Oh an veggies, $1 for a bag of frozen veggies. (all my kids always eat veggies with their dinner) so, I just spent $6.60 on dinner. Wow, good deal! If we did ramen noodles it would have been $3.00, cheep, but I prefer healthy kids.
After reading severl of these comments I am very upset, I have ebt and I don’t care what people think. Every situation is different, people should not judge. I buy my daughters bday cake with it, but that is once a year. And I do buy sodas and snacks. I ama single mom and I work 2 part time jobs, I still live on less then $1000 a month, I don’t just rely on my food stamps everymonth I also put about $100+ worth of food in my home out of my pocket. Its not that we eat a lot but just to have good full heathly meals that what I have to do. So when I have foodstamps and no money left from the paychecks I do use it.. I do once in awhile buy nice steaks and wish I could afford lobstar. To be honest I have even bought energy drinks with it.. but that is only when I need a boost to get through a long day of work when my child has kept me up for the previous 2 nights, but once again that is just when I don’t have cash right handy.. I still use cash first..
What most of you see as abuse its what some of us call surviving, I no longer get TaNF but I do get Cash on my card for child care, but in order to get that money off It cost $3 at any atm, well when you get exact amout that you need to pay out then it makes it kinda hard.. so what I do is take the money out of my paychecks and pay out babysitters and the money on the card I use for what I need and yes sometimes its things I don’t really need or something you might see as abusing the system.
Just come to Southern California and see the illegal aliens qualifying for those same benefits you spoke of in Maine. these are individuals who have NEVER paid a dime in taxes but still get benefits. Once some of these immigrants get legalized they immediately bring their elderly parents and other relatives who begin getting the same benefits Americans who have paid into Soc. Security and Medicare for years. And we wonder why Socail Security and Medicare are broke!! This has to STOP
The abuse of the system has been going on for a LONG time. I worked as a cashier in high school 30+ years ago…and the same abuse and entitlement were observed.
I love how some people up here think that Christine’s point of view makes her a girl with a silver spoon in her mouth and assume all other sorts of things about her actual living situation.
Did it ever occur to you people that it might be the only available job she can get? I’m from a small town in Massachusetts and because of the way the economy is, I can only get a job at a grocery store. I tried applying for a hostess position in one of the restaurants in town and found out later that, for TWO hostess positions, there were over 2,000 applications. If that doesn’t say anything about the economy, I don’t know what does. Cashiering is one of the most thankless jobs in the world. I know that all too well. I have dozens of stories from my over three years of experience in my cashiering job. I have seen both sides of the issue. I have seen those truly in need using food stamps and those who use food stamps only to buy what most would consider non-essentials. I have seen the ashamed look in the eyes of those people who clearly hate having to be on welfare.
I’m a 20-something at a good college and my parents are only paying for the education. They’re not paying my loans when I’m done, they’re not paying for my food at school, they don’t give me a spending allowance. Everything I make over the summer and the winter break is my spending money for the entire school year. If I run out, I run out. I get no help from my parents. When I graduate, I am expected to pay off the loans and the interest. I will be completely on my own. And you know what? I’ll be grateful for my parents teaching me to do everything myself. I will sacrifice. I already know that, as long as I stay on a cashier’s salary, I won’t be able to make ends meet if I overspend. I can only hope that I am able to find a good job with my degree. My head isn’t in the clouds. I know the real world is harsh and cruel. I know I’m not guaranteed a job just because I have a college degree. So for those of you being judgmental of the college kid’s lifestyle, you also need to remember that not all college kids are wearing rose-colored glasses and think they’re going to land a six figure job as soon as they graduate.
And for all those religious people out there who think God is responsible for providing your needs, I have two responses for you:
1) God helps those who help themselves
2) Ever hear of that parable where the Master gives the three servants talents and while two of them go and out and work and make more talents and are rewarded for their hardwork, the third servant who does nothing and gives the talent back is thrown into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth?
For those of you on welware who are trying to get out and only use it as a temporary measure, who need it, or are on it because you are disabled, God bless you.
WIC uses photos of the foods they want you to buy, and the strict type, color, weight that is not offered at all stores. We make a judgement call to “Try this one, it’s as close as I can get.” and when I and my son were on WIC – I always felt stupid when the cashiers looked at me like I was a bleeding idiot. But after going to 5 different grocery stores, and a wal-mart to look for the very specific items.. I was then wasting gas, time, and needed to get back home to feed the stuff to my son. I was refused because the color of the lable was wrong, or because it was 2 oz shy of the amount on the picture. I never wanted to be on WIC, but I also was educated in what foods I Should be eating that would support breast feeding, and also as he was transitioning onto real foods, what types would become the ‘staples’ of his diet and support a healthy intake of which foods and how much. It also alleviated the need to buy eggs, milk (Expensive now.. at nearly 4-5 bucks a gallon.) so that I could buy other things I needed that qualified as food. Wether it’s steak, because I need the protein, ground beef (Though it’s fatty and to make it healthier I would buy the leaner meat, but at 93% fat free, it costs more, and to you, you might consider that a luxury item.) or I might want something else YOU consider to be a waste of money, but something I need for a specific reason. Say, Cranberry juice to stave off a bladder infection.
WIC foods, even though they are pictured in the cards… DO NOT ALLOW FOR VARIATIONS IN WHAT STORES OFFER. NOR do they allow for the store not to carry the 12 oz version of that particular type of CEREAL. Why is CEREAL on the program? What a waste, it doesn’t fill you up, and your putting the milk in with it – as a food. I would have appreciated the items like meat, to have been part of it to get the proteins i needed, rather than the cereal. I found it to be too much cereal – but there you have it. Someone else dictated what is right or wrong for that particular program.
Being out of work sucks, it sucks worse when you don’t want to ‘game the system’, but you have no other choice. So here you have the WIC program providing you with certain types of minerals, calories etc… but with the FS or other monies… I need to purchase other items.. – or maybe.. I was given groceries by someone, so I don’t need to buy those that month, but I need to spend the money – else I’ll lose that the following month when I am NOT gifted any groceries. For whatever is going on in someones life, you cannot know the full extent.
Sure, people game the system… but others DONT and you may be assuming the worst about them, and it is like a rumor… it is all made up.
Now, I never renewed my WIC when I needed it most BECAUSE Of cashiers like you, who look down on people who ARE intelligent enough to look at the stupid pictures, but who need a little help because it is ultra confusing when you’ve not been on it long, or can only get a ride to one type of store – and can’t really shop 10 stores, to buy everything on the WIC program. Considering that you get XX dollars in a small voucher, and you DO NOT get any refunded to purchase the REST of the items somewhere else. = You get STUCK either doing without ANYWAY – or… trying to find the one obscure place that has everything. (They do not, btw.. SOMETHING is always wrong with whatever you pick out, no matter what. The size, the color of the label – one time, the condensed milk was completely out. I examined the shelf stickers, and the photo – everything was the same BUT the color on the label. The cashier REFUSED to allow me to have it – because the COLOR of the ink was wrong, no matter the fact that otherwise, the content of the product, the weight and size of the product, and even the manufacturer of the product was exactly the same. I and the manager agreed that they were essentially in every other respect was the exact same.. but I was unable to get those items.
You want to make that poor woman out to be a moron.. I’ll tell you what, I felt like a moron only because of how the crappy cashiers treated me, like I was a poor welfare queen, who was trying to game the system, when all I was trying to do… was get what I was in need of, despite how utterly stupid the weights, sizes, and color of ink was… so I could get home to eat nurishing foods, that would provide my baby with the best chances to survive at home after being born a preemie at 2 pounds. I didn’t need the cashier’s rash of shit because she felt I was a moron. I was worried about other crap in my life, and was just trying my best to understand the silly ‘rules’ of what I could or couldn’t get – even if it was comparable, would save the ‘system’ money.. or not. Sometimes, they would only allow brand names – but if they were out, you would assume they would allow you to buy the store brand right? WRONG! Grow up honey, you have a lot of learning to do, and don’t think that any mother is an idiot because she fails at picture logic. Sometimes, it just plain screwed up and what is pictured, is NOT what is outlined in the information next to it. LOOK CLOSER. And after you’ve been the receiver of WIC or other programs… THEN you have the room to speak your mind about it. BTW did I mention.. I WAS WORKING THAT ENTIRE TIME!? That’s right.. sometimes you don’t make enough. Sometimes.. even active military and their families… are on food stamps because even though they are active duty and employed, and have benefits… they do not earn enough COLD HARD CASH to make their meager ends meet and pay the bills. Stop treating people on welfare harshly, do not sit in judgement, and while we need reform, how about the big wigs in the senate and sitting over rule of our country get held accountable for their mega checks. Let THEM take a pay cut – instead of the rest of the country. Let THEM receive less pay, so that we don’t have to pay more in taxes. Let them, lose their jobs… and give up the seat to someone who is financially more in need than they are.
My advice to the author of this piece, and to those who pass judgement and making comments… Do not.. sit in judgement of others. Lest you sit before someone like you – who deems themselves better than you, who can dictate your future, especially when you see that you yourself, are in need of assistance for whatever reason.
I sit here and am reading all the constant replies from those who receive assitsance and those who dont. It is truly disturbing some of the comments made by some people on both sides, however, some are just downright inappropriate.. on both sides! many of you have made very valid points, including the author of the original post. Many people have stated things from her post that have been either misread or misunderstood. I agree there needs to be something in place, like drug testing, to help stop the use of assistance by people who do not really need it and just work the system. However, not everyone abuses the system. It is also true that tax reform also needs to be done. The government is corrupt, period, all parties, period. Its called being wealthy. There is a whole lot that can be said good and bad in regards to the rich as well. But just like the poor, there are good and bad apples. Warren Buffet is one of the top ten richest men in the world and yet he donates a major portion of his money to charieties. Granted he probably gets a tax write off, but still… And then there are others who make a ton of money and spend it on junk… Hmm lets see… athletes, movie stars, singers… hello! All this for having fun basically. I realize what they do is technically work But getting paid such and such an amount to do what they do? And yet teachers and the education system suffer badly! Doctors, who in the 1800′s and early 1900′s use to get paid only in trade most times. And yet what do most athletes, actors, and musicians spend their money on? Again, some make bad names for all that are in these fields but still.
Then we have these big corporations who, as some have pointed out, take their companies overseas to make an even bigger profit by not having to pay the high salaries they have to here in the US. PEOPLE we have people who have killed themselves and their families because they lost their jobs and couldnt find new ones and were too prideful to ask for help.
We have almost as many homeless in America as in other parts of the world. We have just as many going hungry as there are in the rest of the world. People willing to pay for medical insurance through their jobs but cant because many jobs are not offering it anymore. Kids becoming obese and getting into drugs or getting pregnant young, many times its because of no parental structure because the parents are having to work from sun up to sun down, and yet we complain about the youth and how poorly they are doing. How can we expect the system abuse to stop when we arent even able to give our children the best education available because our government is more concerned with helping out other countries or some such other thing that takes precedent over teaching our children. Teachers who are underpaid and are expected to teach children who are either too hungry to learn, are bullied because of some reason beyond their control, or dont care because nobody takes the time to help them at home anyways.
Kids shooting up schools and their classmates because of various reasons, kids commiting suicide because they are tired of being bullied either by the internet or in person ( i have a 9 yr old niece who has a weight problem due to not being able to handle stress that she has to deal with from a mom who is on drugs and doesnt want to be around her but is forced to be by the system and then gets called a hippo by others at school and decided to try and kill herself because she couldnt control her life and she was miserable).
And then have people on here bashing others opinions. While some have been okay others have been down right hateful!! And attacking!!
Yes I have been on the system, and no, as it has been suggested, i am not touched by this post because of being a welfare cheat. I was on the system with my exhusband who wouldnt work and who was abusive in every way. When welfare came in and removed all four of the children I had ,3 due to sexual abuse by my ex, they didnt remove me, just my children and when asked what we were going to do my ex said have more children! I was young, we lived in a town with no public transportation, and I had no family to turn too. I didnt know about shelters and such to get help. With my last pregnancy I worked 2 part-time jobs and one full-time job and while I was asleep my ex would spend the money from tips I earn that were to go towards bills. As soon as I could i got away from him, but yeah I was on the system, it was the worst 3 years of my life but I would not have survived otherwise. When you get on the system you open up the door for them to come into your life whenever they want and to make decisions based on things they see but not necessarily know for fact. After getting rid of my ex I worked 2 full time jobs and live with my mom and helped her pay bills. I then remarried a man who is a very hard worker and doesnt like handouts or charity at all. But he recently has had to accept it because of jobs not being available, yes even McDonalds and he did call backs and reapplying and so forth. He just got hired on at a retail store for christmas and they are only giving him 2 days a week. Nobody else is hiring except the railroad of which he doesnt qualify for because it involves travel on the positions he would most likely be able to take but he cant because he has a sleepapnea problem where he falls asleep driving longer then 20 minutes even after sleeping a full night. I have fibromyalgia and PTSD from when I was with my first husband that has made it difficult to work jobs such as waiting tables like I did, or even as a cashier in a gas station or walmart, like I have in the past. Everything I can do i dont qualify for, nobody will hire me without a degree, and what I am qualified for I cant do anymore.
The point is there is good and bad in EVERYTHING and judging people by sight or by rumors or whatever, is not right. That is the only problem I have with the original post. Many true things have been stated throughout this whole thing, but a lot of unnecessary things have been said too… Just my input!
I just want to say, You are very brave to put your face in the paper. I am concerned for your safety, I hope you are careful. I did not get through all the posts, but I agree with your point of view and believe that is the very first place we should start when it comes to saving money in government. I am 100% for this kind of reform and it can even start with tagging items in the store as EBT or Tanf purchasable items. If it does not have the tag, you cannot use your card for it.
I work at WalMart and it is very sad but unfortunately people will continue to do it I was on food stamps because I was the only one in my household working and then my husband decided to leave me and the good old state of Missouri cut me off of the food stamps because they said now that he left I make too much money and that is not the case I do work a full time job at WalMart still but it still isnt quite enough…I only have my monthly household bills and car insurance no credit cards no lavish car dont have any jewelry or any assets all I have is me and my 4 year old son and my job (that I’ve had for three years) but .40 a year raises doesnt add up to much when u think about it…so back to my point I dont understand how the ones that abuse it continue to get it every month and those of us that are trying to make it on our own and just need a little help cant get anything even though I have been working for the last 25 years and yes have paid taxes every year of that ….something has to change for everyone involved
We should not blame the people for abusing the system; we should blame the system for allowing it to be abused. Everyone will take advantage of a situation if it allows. There are loopholes in our tax laws that people abuse everyday…it is a program fix not a people fix.
With that being said…that was a wonderfully written article.
Although I’ve seen some challenge you, I haven’t seen any comments with a truly valid argument to what you’ve witnessed. Example… “Doesn’t everyone deserve a steak every now and again…?” A truly sad commentary on the entitlement that some express. I’ve been “Ramen noodles poor” and at times scraped together recyclables to buy food, but I was able bodied and never stopped trying to do something different the next day to improve my lot in life. Sometimes that required working 3 jobs while I was going to school, so I’ve walked a few miles. I dealt with crappy customers, mean bosses and all the things that go along with working, but I never took a dime of any kind of state aid. Thanks to the hard work, I have a good career now, but also get taxed to the nth for it. The thing is, there is a choice. It almost seems as though Maine promotes a welfare culture, does little to promote a way out, but if you don’t go that avenue and actually work you butt off, taxes you to death for those that won’t. I’m not a big Lepage fan. Despite that, I do believe Maine needs a man that isn’t glossed in his comments, but also demands that we draw the line somewhere.
Need to add that my husband also has scolosis and should be wearing a brace which would cause him to not be able to work due to the severity of his scolosis and yet the man has worked 80+ hours aweek most of our life together and since he was 16 after the doctors told him he shouldnt be working. He is able to go on disability but refuses because he WANTS to work. He is being handed a get out of work free pass and he choses NOT to take it. He goes into work even when he is hurting all over from head to toe. He has heart problems and knee problems and is on medication for his headaches he gets really bad but has to portion them out because we cant afford private health care insurance and most jobs around here do not offer medical insurance anymore. He goes to work even when he is sick unless he is so sick he is running a fever and throwing up. He will usually go in and they have to send him home. I have seen him work on just 4 hours of sleep, two full time jobs. He dedicates his time to supporting his family, but yet because of the economy, jobs are scarce and while he is working it isnt enough to pay all the bills PLUS food. So yes we get help with fs, and yes I am ashamed to use the card, though not so much as I was when it was the paper stuff. When we buy our groceries I hide the card as best I can when we checkout until it is time to pay and then swipe it as quickly as possible. I havent had new clothes in a long time. We had to break down and finally get a new (used) vehicle. And we do save as much money as possible when we can, even change as it adds up. Im not complaining, but those who dont receive assistance and judge me for accepting it, ( not those who understand that some people do need it) are being hateful.
As an ex-cashier, even at Wal-Mart, I have ALWAYS treated everyone as equal, even those who are rude to me- on the system and off. And i will admit that while on the paper food stamps with my ex I would buy something cheap to get change back- but I used it to buy diapers or fuel to get back and forth to the store as we lived 8 miles from the nearest town that accepted food stamps. we didnt receive any other assistance except foodstamps and I wasnt able to work at that time because I didnt know how to drive and my ex wouldnt work. I hated being on the system then and I hate being on it now. My husband and I only eat one meal a day and make sure everyone else in the house hold is fed three meals a day which includes meat, vegetable, fruit, and a starch. And while I try to purchase everything as healthy as possible sometimes the healthy stuff is more expensive. My husband this, past summer, was only earning $800 a month take home. Our rent is $400 and we have to pay electric, gas, water, trash, internet, and cell. I have to have a cell phone because I am my moms POA and need it for emergencys. I only have a basic phone with basic features. I just hate being judged and I am not referring strictly to the original poster.
this is to people who are critical of those who think those getting food stamps should not be able to buy anything they want with them.I don’t receive any sort of aid from the state,my husband I both work full time,we almost make 50,000 a year, I will tell you I don’t very often buy expensive steak or seafood. To the woman who said she bought steak for 2.57 a pound must be living on another planet, even the local discount grocery store has never had steak at that price. If you were earning the money you need to buy your own food believe me you would be more furgal. It is like a slap in the face to those of us who’s paychecks are helping to pay for your foodstamps.
Lol, if you can’t get steak for $2 something a pound it is not my fault. My Fred Meyer has awesome sales and they send me good coupons! I am absolutely serious about how cheep I can get steak. I always go for the best deal, if it is hamburger, that’s what I get, if it is steak, that’s what I get. I don’t always get it, it isn’t a daily food, I don’t think that would be healthy. We eat a lot of chicken. And we eat our share of rice and beans. I get beef roasts too! A $5-8 roast can feed us for a long time! Day one it is roast, day two it is tacos, day 3 it is chili, and we eat it til it’s gone, usually about two days, I add things daily to the mix so that it lasts longer. I do the same thing with pork and chicken and turkey. I might turn into into a stew or mix it up with pasta and sauce…
Let’s look at some numbers shall we? Max amount we can get per person is 150/month. That is $5 a day. That is 3 meals a day and snacks (kids need snacks) wow that is $1 per meal (3 meals) and $1 per snack! (two snacks) are you saying that $5 a day is TOO much? Yes, I do know how to make a dollar stretch, do YOU? I happen to know that my husband is about to get a full time job where we won’t have EBT anymore. I bet I know that I will still be able to budget our money. I will still be able to plan and scrape and get a couple steaks each month. I don’t care if I have to eat beans and rice all week so I can have a little steak. How much is your food budget? Per DAY? I know people that complain about not having enough money for food, but they eat out at least a couple times a week, and get their coffee shop coffee … I know one girl who complained to be (these are not on EBT) that she didn’t have enough money to buy meat (this is a close friend of mine) but then I watched her buy a cup of wild grain mixed rice for over $5. Wow. I would never buy that!! And she complains about not having enough food for her kids… Then in the same week she got not dogs, well that’s not bad right, except they were Oscar Meyer and not on sale! That’s nearly $5 too! Goodness. I only buy hot dogs if they are less than $1 we ALL make our choices. Truth is, we get by on less than we are allotted. Yes, LESS and that is WITH buying meat. I am frugal. I coupon where I can. I wait til there is a sale and I use my $3 off any meat purchase coupon good ol’ Freddy’s sent me.
Here the next clencher, we own next to NOTHING. No car, no furniture, we have a porta crib for the baby (baby shower gift from 9 years ago (not recalled) I have two toddler beds for two of my kids, (they were both free at yard sales) and my older kids, they don’t have a bed. The only reason my hubby and I have a bed is because someone gave us one. I do not own chairs for the table we use for a dining table (that is my grandmas, she loaned it to us).
Yes I have a lot of kids but, before you jump down my throat, we don’t use all that we could be on. We say no to everything except what my kids need. And food. And soon things will be good again. Since my hubby did finish school at the university and has a degree, he will soon start a new job (ironic how it isn’t anything like what he went to school for) at a college! Wow, he will be working in a college? Yes. Oh NO! Guess you still will be paying for my food because it is a public college. At least he won’t have to do anymore backbreaking odd jobs anymore (he had to go to the chiropractor several times this year and NO the state/government does NOT pay for chiropractors) also funny that I have refused to except gov money to pay my rent… When now the gov WILL be paying my rent. Lol. Ironic kinda. But yes, I refused to use TANF and HUD my kids are on state medical, and we are on food stamps. We also qualified for more things, but I said NO to them all. We qualified for free daycare too. But nope. We paid bills with grants and loans to get by when DH was in school, what we couldn’t pay for was paid by parents.
I look toward to budgeting our income! And since my hubby paid taxes on income for nearly 15 years before we needed assistance, I feel like we were paying ourselves back kinda. Now we get to pay taxes again for the next 30-40 years.
Great article!
Not to mention the losers who buy food and trade it for drugs. The dealer’s may enjoy all that food for a little of their chopped up mess people get addicted to.
The article is well written from a certain point of View. The Author is correct on her views of those view themselves as being “entitled” to something despite never having paid into “the system”. I believe that was the point of the article.
Personally my family and I are Food stamps and we have been since the birth of our third son. I am a disabled veteran who works, and she is a college student ( and full time Mom) who is earning her BS in psychology, and outside of that was a Customer Service Specialist for Wal-Mart. Any way we receive less than $100 in assistance, but we still manage to feed our family of five (her, I, and three healthy boys). My point is not everyone abuses the system, in fact many who are on government assistance programs actually do need the assistance. Am I one of them? That’s a subjective statement depending on who you ask. I feel that I certainly have (and continue to do so) paid into the system (two tours of duty in Iraq, State Emergency Duty for Hurricanes in NC and Katrina and working 40+ hours at job that paid minimum wage with no hope of a raise). Many of us have. It’s clear from some of the posts listed as a response to the articles. It’s with them that Author has NO beef ( pun intended), but rather those who feel they deserve something for doing nothing and these kinds of people are everywhere. That’s the point. These willful “parasites” are what destroys the intent of these aid programs (to which many have no real oversight at the state and local level).
Personally adding oversight in my opinion is adding more burden to the government and takes away from real responsibility. Why should the Government be a “Watch dog” to something that should be governed by personal ethics? Again that is the point of the article. It well written and well said.
We definitely need reform with the whole welfare system. Georgia’s representative, Jack Kingston is trying to help. I do not know all the answers because the government is broke and yet people who could work refuse because they are getting free money. It seems that laziness and lack of patriotism are all part ot the problems
Welfare needs to stop being a lifestyle for people,there needs to be strict regulations,and limitations to give people motivation to break the cycle. So in turn people who are absolutely incapable of working due to disability or mental instability can be taken care. those are the people we need to worry about.States need to stop making it so easy for people to take advantage of the system. If your a single mother and you have one child receiving benefits from the state,the state should not keep paying because you continue to have children.I understand accidents happen,but people need to learn from them not continue to have more because they know the state will take care of them.
Good for you Christine for bringing this issue to greater light. An issue that I am sure so many have witnessed. I applaud you for your courage and candidness. We do need reform and we need your generation to step up to the plate and take a stand….
Jen
I work in retail and also see people that abuse the system. However, until the government starts to help people that ARE trying, the situation is not going to improve. A few years back my husband and I were both working for minimum wage, and we had a baby that we had to pay for daycare for. The winter was particularly cold so we applied for heating assistance. We were told that we did not qualify for any assistance because we made 100.00 too much. Then the woman looked at me and said “if you were not working, we could help you with heat and so much more.” I looked at her and asked “are you telling me that if I quit my job we could get help?” and she said “no, I am telling you that if you were not working, then we could help you.” I told her that it was a messed up system when people who are working cannot get help. We walked out. The whole system needs to change.
Hi…I read your article on welfare, and I do agree on most of the things you have to say. Except on the choice of food. I have recvd food stamps and assistance from time to time. Only when I need it, and I quickly get off of it if I am making money. I am a single Dad of a little girl, her mother left when she was born, and is not in the picture at all. I dont recv child support, and struggle in these hard times. But for some reason, if you are on food stamps, everyone thinks you should be eating porridge. You know, just because one is poor, doesnt mean they cant enjoy some good food once in a while! Are you trying to say that if one has a steak in there cart and pays for it with food stamps that they are bucking the system??? People, esp kids, need to enjoy life once in a while, while they are down and out! Just because we are poor, we shouldnt be given a hard time if you see a steak, or a birthday cake in are cart once in a great while, for Christs sake! If I dont have the money to buy my daughter a cake on the one time of year she should be happy, you are damn right I’m gonna use food stamps to see her smile this one day of the year…regardless of the size or price! And if we eat rice and chicken everyday. you are friggin right I will buy a steak or two once in a while. ! We deserve to have a small bit of happiness in this world, just like everyone else! I do hate that people abuse the welfare system, but even more I hate the “better than thou” attitude of people like you friggin judging me!
It’s an easy thing to judge and criticize, to feel superior. It’s not so easy to offer an acceptable alternative. Welfare reform from the 1990s has been largely successful in ending abuse of the system and generational welfare. Why didn’t Republicans enact further reform or eliminate the system when they had all of the power in place to do so during the Bush years? Why isn’t the Republican controlled House debating it today? I might take these conservative rants seriously when I see a realistic solution offered. Of course there isn’t one, Republicans use resentment of the poor for political gain, they never offer to end welfare, to cut food stamps and housing assistance from the working poor, the unemployed, the elderly and disabled. Instead of complaining about liberals and political correctness, why don’t you ask the leader of the House what he plans to do about the poor receiving food stamps?
Welfare is less than 1% of the federal budget, one cent of every dollar of federal taxes is used for keeping the very poor from starving and dying of disease in the gutter, the alternative would cost society much more than that.
I work at a Walmart in northern Maine, and witness the same junk every day. While I eke out a living, paycheck to paycheck, hoping I have enough money for gas every week, there are people on food stamps buying $300 wedding cakes. I don’t understand how the system has gone so terribly wrong, but something needs to be altered. I can’t even get MaineCare long enough to figure out whether I have multiple sclerosis or not, but the same family can have full welfare benefits for three generations. This is outrageous!!!
this is as scary as it is true!
Excellent blog….very well put…
You are my angel with guts AND brains! I have personally witnessed more than a dozen incidents of welfare fraud in the past month or so. The problem has become epidemic and most working people are fed up. It is unacceptable to expect those of us who are barely able to provide for our own family to continue to give to those with more than we have. I say give to the needy, not the greedy.
Thank you, Christine, for your article. Welfare abuse is rampant, I agree. What I don’t understand is why voting republican has anything to do with it. Not a one of our dear “leaders” is dealing with this, or any other problem, effectively. Aisle side has become meaningless – 2 sides of the same coin. Yes, I am completely disgusted with the system that our government has become, and I blame all sides, not just one. Meanwhile, as they continue to investigate eachother, our economy is headed very badly down. And they will blame eachother for the soup lines… pathetic.
If you haven’t lived in those peoples shoes just keep your mouth shut. Yes there are some who are riding the system, but who are you to judge for you will be judged. If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say another word. YOU DON’T KNOW THESE PEOPLES UNDERLYING PROBLEMS. I have been unemployed for 2 years now and looking and looking. Fighting unemployment because I quit my job for them making me, by myself, do all the maintenance related work on 13 restaurant’s at 110 hours a week. I have begged and begged to the company to get me help but no response from them. I have known that if I was to quit my job that I would eventually lose my house I own and that is what happened. I can’t get assistance because they told me I have a pending case with U/E. No food, can’t pay my rent, no $$$$. Thank god I have friends that have helped support me. I hope and just HOPE that if I do get on assistance (or find a job first) that I’m not going to be part of people’s rumors and being stared at with all different looks of disgust. You never know what life will through at you, just remember you could be the next one in line for assistance.
Can’t count the number of times I’ve seen African-Americans buy food and goods with welfare checks while they load it all into their shiny, new BMWs. Fraud? I see it every day. We need a new President that will stop this criminal insanity, not encourage it like the current one.
Jill Suzanne Faucher-Ross I WAS A cashier at supermarkets, delis, Wal-mart and ASDA(the UK version of Wal-Mart). Honey, what you described there is NOTHING compared to what myself and many other cashiers have had to go through with with idiot people. I worked at the Wal-Mart in Brunswick, Maine. The people on welfare were the least of my worries. I’ve had to deal with ignorant locals threatening me, insulting me, trying to start fights, calling in false rudeness reports to my manager because they could not get their alcohol, one girl i knew got ROUND HOUSED by an angry customer (they were probably angry disenfranchised republican ‘males’). If you want to talk about cashiering being a hard job, and the utter disfunctional psychos that you can deal with in any of these jobs, I CAN TELL YOU STORIES THAT WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR CURL! Your article is very mean spirited and you better hope and pray YOU don’t end up destitute one of these days! When you are, you don’t GET OUT OF IT EASILY AND YOU WILL FIND THAT TO BE FACT. The way our system in this world is, ONCE YOU ARE ON WELFARE, YOU DON’T JUST ‘GET RIGHT OFF OF IT’. You’re stuck. Once you are as poor as some people are, the greedy way our system is, YOU DON’T JUST GET RIGHT OUT OF IT!! For the few who do, it takes years and years and years and most NEVER CLIMB OUT OF IT! When you see those cell phones, or what not, it’s usually because they were given by richer relatives as a gift. People hated me for having nice jewellery or a nice sweater, they felt I should dress in rags if i was poor and eat beans and rice instead of normal meals. What they don’t know is that sometimes you get those things as gifts. i got those things as Christmas gifts. As for the ‘WELFARE QUEENS’ as you call them, I don’t blame them in the least. And you won’t either, when you find out what it’s like to go hungry like me, and several other people. You, too, will do EVERY THING YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO to get any kind of bargain. The two of them probably have a lot of people to take care of living with them. Even if they don’t it’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS ANYWAY! Maine has problems alright and it’s welfare people are not one of them! THE PEOPLE ON WELFARE ARE THE RESULT OF YOUR HATE FILLED ATTITUDES! Perhaps if that snooty state allowed a little PROGRESS of some kind, something to help it’s people instead of cater to it’s mass anti social jackasses that don’t want to be bothered by other people, maybe there would be more work for the people there and less people on Welfare. Perhaps if they took their heads out of their asses and started getting mass transportation instead of expecting everyone there to take a $300 taxi trip to Rockland to sign up for benefits or hitch hike, maybe people would not have to turn down offers that are 60 MILES AWAY THROUGH MILES OF WOODS! You need to grow the f up and realize that EVERYBODY wants to live in this world! Not just our privaleged asses! You need to realize that it’s another day for you and me in paradise. You have a long, long, long row to hoe in your life, yet, toots! For the record, i am neither republican nor democrat.
I’m a butcher with kroger, and there is nothing above I have not seen first hand. Ive cut $100+ worth of steak for people buying with stamps. And there attitude is the worst! BEST part, apparently the people with government assistance take offense to us knowing that they have it, so we are not alloud to say and of the plans (food stamps/wic/.ect) we have to call them coupons. I say drug test before aproving any help. Drugs are expensive, and if you can afford to get high you can afford to Feed yourself. It’s so bad it’s to the point I love my job, unless its the first week and a half of the month.
My family received welfare back in the 1960s for a brief time. There were no food stamps but, rather, you were required to go stand in line and were handed bags of food…potatoes, eggs, flour, sugar, cheese, powdered milk….etc. Depending on how many people lived in your home determined how much food you were given. I read posts about people buying decorated cakes with their food stamps and a sob story about one Mom who felt she needed to buy a fancy cake for her dying daughter’s last birthday. Hasn’t anyone ever heard of baking a cake from basic ingredients and decorating it yourself? Problem is, that would require EFFORT which seems like a foreign concept to many. Easier to use the money of others rather than putting some of you own effort into the situation. And, those who post that everyone deserves to have steak now and then are fools! Seriously? We are a working family and never eat steak due to the fact that…we cannot afford to do so…partly because so much of our wages go to supporting government entitlement programs. What – don’t know how to bake or cook from basic ingredients? LEARN HOW! You are not working and have plenty of time on your hands!
As a teacher in a poor, rural area, I see this EVERY DAY.
In two of my classes, EVERY SINGLE student is on Medicaid. Yet, somehow, EVERY SINGLE one has a smartphone.
100% of the children at my school are on free lunch, yet, I see Cadillac Escalades with 24″ rims pick kids up more often than not.
Good one here: I was in line at Wal-mart recently. A lady was buying dog food and tried to use her card. She threw a fit when they would not take it for dog food. She sent her BF/Baby-Daddy/whatever to go get 10 pounds of ground meat to FEED THE DOG.
Better one:
Our church decided to help out a family in our area who was getting thrown out of her house. I have SEEN the abuse of the system first hand with them. The only reason we’ve helped is due to the baby.
We managed to get them set up in a trailer.
Mother is still married to husband who is in prison for sexually molesting her daughter. Won’t divorce him.
Daughter was sent to college by our church. Got pregnant, and can’t narrow it down to who the father is. She is capable of working, but won’t. She won’t even take the driving test.
Son is on enough meds to knock out a bull-elephant due to behavior and anger issues.
They receive $800 per month of food stamps. I’ve been in their house to install some window unit air-conditioners. They eat better than I do, and my wife and I both have decent jobs.
To top it off.. Mother, Daughter, and son ALL have cell phones paid for by taxpayers.
Those that keep saying “everyone deserves steak and lobster every now and then” PLEASE explain that logic to me. Now. Both my wife and I work, and have fairly decent jobs. We do not eat like that routinely.
Perhaps that idiot attitude is WHY people won’t have anything. You are NOT entitled to eat steak and lobster PAID FOR my those that DON’T spend like that on THEMSELVES.
Those that say that Welfare is 1% of the budget is VERY misleading, and I suspect purposely. When you lump together all the programs that are not labeled as “welfare” but are entitlements programs, the number changes significantly.
Well there is abuse in the system there is no argument here, but I have seen some very negative remarks about how people on welfare should be limited what they eat or what they buy. I agree I have seen many a buggy with nothing but junk and candy to eat. I agree that is wrong. Then on the other hand….I saw comments to birthday cake that one lady said it was bought in place of a present. You would not say that if you on assistance. Why do you want to punish someone to as I call Blah food because they are down and out. I get very creative with the food I buy. Some of the people apparently have not had to be in government programs. I hate and do say hate to say I have been and mostly likely will be on and off again welfare for the rest of my life. Before you start yelling and screaming It is not because I want to be but because I have a disability daughter that needs 24/7 care and her daddy died at an early age of 37 and before you scream put her in a home. Forget that she is my child. I work when I can, but because she is only 14 (mentally 2) I can only work during school hours and when shes not sick. I don’t have enough fingers to count on my hand how many jobs I have lost because of me having to take care of my child. Yes I understand your frustrations. I have them too. I get mad when I see a buggy full of junk. But some of us are there cause we have no choice, my daughters medicine alone is over 3k a month. Here’s a word to think on. Why don’t you get mad at the government for rebuilding countries we are at war at. Now there is in my oppion a huge waste of money. Please people, yes you are entitled to your oppion, but its very hard to know the situation without walking a mile in their shoes. Also what scares me is the government track record they will punish everyone for a portion of people that are abusing them.
I worked at a Wal-Mart as a cashier for three years while I was in high school and college. I did not see any of this at all. You know what my biggest issue was? Amish people coming in and buying Fruity Pebbles and Mountain Dew–seems a bit hypocritical, seeing as they’re supposed to be shunning the “English” society. Let’s go after them, too. Oh, and let’s not forget that over 22% of the children in our society live in poverty, which is one of the highest (behind Mexico) in the developed world.
Everything is true. We need reform and the government to stop bickering and get it right. This is an awful economy and it is getting worse by the day. The economic indicators mean nothing. They are not seeing the larger picture and something needs to give. Even with Medicare, fix it do not cut from it. The baby boomers are retiring now and depend on this. We need major changes NOW.
I like your post but what are your ideas on reform? Bring ‘em to the table !
You have my vote!!! It is not an entitlement, it it assistance in the time of need.
I just think it sucks that I have to work really hard and pay almost half of what I earn so that I can fund others, some of which will NOT work. I think if every person who obtains any money from the government had to do time each week volunteering before they got thier checks we would see lots of people just going and getting a job. Hand- outs are no good!! For any of us!! (except those who really can’t work because of physical or mental problems)
Something really needs to be done about this problem! Is anyone paying attention???
Some families are trained all thier life how to “WORK” the system. It’s really hard to get out of this way of thinking. That your owed something with out working. I don’t know what its going to take to break this and teach people it’s really ok to just go to work and get paid. Meanwhile, I just keep on plugging and working to pay for my family and some other family out there. PS Can you eat a steak or two for me????:)
Well lets see, first you say before anything you feel many of your clientelle are questionable. SO before you even begin your topic you have made a stereotypical judgement that the people youa re working iwth are “less than” you,
THen you start to talk about all kinds of interactions you had with clients you didnt know doing things you didnt understand because, suprise, you’re not them and you are not in their position.
Then on the basis of a very superficial understanding of the people you are dealing with or the whole issue of poverty in general, you make long reaching overgeneralizations about the entire system as a whole. One which is stereotypical biased and without any substantive knowledge of the topic of poverty. Rather it is a fixation on the things you didnt like about the people you worked with and a shallow observation about a much larger issue.
Isn’t it odd that there are so many detractors posting in this thread, explaining why they receive and deserve others’ money while spending their time on an internet blog while sitting at a computer, or on a smart phone?
What a country, when those that are poor enough to argue that they are entitled to MY money can spend their time on computers w/internet access, smartphones, etc.
what many people may not realize is people get PAID to blog and write anti-posts to various sites to skew/manipulate people’s impressions indicating that verbiage is important. it’s just like paying people to riot in other states (wisconsin) to make an impact. it’s a psyop of sorts since it does work. and how do you think they’re getting paid? well the elite/leadership/whatever love OPM to fund their shenanigans and the biggest OPM out there is the u.s. taxpayer. even vp biden is out there giving away u.s. taxpayer money to other countries to “help” them out… lol they love it and think it’s a joke. OPM = other people’s money.
Welfare reform does need to change. And, these people were definately taking advantage of the system. But, you present yourself as a spoiled little girl who has been totaly sheltered from what real life is all about. I’d like to read this blog when you rewrite it in 10 years.
what need to happen is the state needs to do drug testing when applying for welfare first. That will get alot of people welfare and i was no mainecare for a little bit now my husband found a job and no longer have mainecare but the health ins. is $300.00 a week. it’s tough but there r jobs out there and most of this state who is on welfare can work but think ity is easier to live off the state withs is bull the people who have jobs who need just alittle help arent getting it but the people who just say f*ck it get whatever they want (new houses that we pay for) cars, ect…but for the people who have worked there whole life and now have retired they dersive to have some help.. but like teens who get pregnet at 16 and live off the state for the rest of there lifes not right…
Ya’ll aren’t getting it.
SHE MADE IT UP.
The card with “Dukakis’ signature”? He left office in 1991. Mass. DIDN’T START USING EBT CARDS UNTIL 1997.
She’s another “welfare queen” storytelling liar. Just like her hero, Reagan.
Shame on you, young lady. Shame.
There are those that would accuse this young woman of being “hateful,” “entightled,” “judgemental,” and “spoiled.” Before you accuse her, read the story again – line by line – two or three more times, if needed. She is not describing everyone, she is describing those who abuse the system. There are abuses in every system, unfortunately, but if the government was more well-managed, then the abuses could be cut down significantly. I understand, as I think we all do, that situations sometimes get so out of hand – through no fault of your own – that you need some help. But that’s what it should be. It should be help, not a lifestyle and not a family legacy to be passed down. The liberals would have us so dependent on them that there is no chance of becoming self-sufficient. That pisses me off. My father had a great job until company cutbacks forced the company to let him go. Thankfully, my mother had a job that had benefits and paid enough for us to live on. She got a second job teaching piano and my father worked for the Census Bureau collecting data for the 1990 census. He found a job 1 year later with a good company. Guess what, life happened again. He was diagnosed with cancer and spent the next 3 years in treatment. During that time, my mother started working her 2nd job again and we were forced to BUDGET our money. I was 12. I watched my parents worry about bills and finances. We didn’t eat expensive foods, save for Christmas Eve. I didn’t do any extracurricular activities except band. My instrument was my aunts from her high school days. Not once did they go on public assistance. They MANAGED their money. I learned to do the same and I can say that it served me well while I was in college. I worked full-time (sometimes 2 jobs during summer and winter break) and got my 2 year degree as an RN. I lived on my own while in college and I didn’t once take out a student loan, nor did I ask my parents for money. I went without. Suddenly, clothes, make-up, going out, and spending money wasn’t important. After my 2 year, I went back to school (while working full-time) and got my BSN – with no student loans. I am finishing up my MSN with no student loans and am looking to start CRNA school in the next year. I have SAVED my money to do this. My husband and I live well below our means, so we can save for my education. My parents worked to pay the bills while life was in turmoil, I worked to pay my bills while I was in school. All this so I can have relative comfort and because I refuse to allow someone else to pay my way, but you let someone else come along that doesn’t have the self-respect and preservation to close their legs, get a job, or become a productive member of society and all of a sudden they deserve everything I have had to work to get? Sex and childbearing is a choice (in most cases – but that’s, another argument for another day), Refusal to get a job is a choice (refusal and forced unemployment are two different things), Misuse of money is a choice. Abuse of the system is a choice, not a term we “hateful,” “judgemental,” “entightled,” and “spoiled” conservatives have come up with.
alot of people off welfare i ment to say at first*
Last year I was in a California Walmart and saw a woman with a baby attempt to buy the following with her TANF welfare card…
Twinkies
Doritos
Jolly Ranchers
Lucky Charms
Cigarettes
The Walmart in my home town is NOT a Super Walmart. Therefore they do not carry food staples ie milk, cheese, fruits & vegetables etc. Therefore, I don’t see why the woman was at this Walmart to begin with. When the cashier questioned the cigarette purchase, the woman argued and stated why she “needed” them. The cashier let her use her card to buy them “just this once”.
As I left the store, I saw the woman proceed to leave the store, light up and smoke her cigarettes in her car with her baby.
To this day it bothers me that I did not speak up and tell the cashier that as a taxpayer I refuse to let it slide “just this once”.
Speak up America.
AMEN!!!!!!! I hope someone finally pays attention to your words. I have witnessed this everyday. I have worked for the last 30+ yrs and only a couple of those years did I ask for state aid. Iwork for a living. I , like you , understand that there are people out there that need the help but more of them DON’T ! They abuse the system and that makes it harder for those that do need it.
YOU GO GIRL!!!!
My sympathy ran out long ago. Charity is the work of good neighbors, churches, and other VOLUNTARY institutions, not taxpayers forced to contribute.
The principle that apparent or claimed need alone is justification for absconding with the property of other people is erroneous. There is no moral right to the fruits of other people’s labor. That is an absolute.
Well there is abuse in the system there is no argument here, Me and my husband have 6 kids together 2 from my first marriage (my husband died) and 4 from his marriage. He works I stay at home cause we also have a disability child. We pay for our food and use foodstamps, we get 200 a month, but you know what we wouldn’t need any foodstamps if the dead beat mother would pay her childsupport, but here is the kicker she gets food stamps 200 a month. Now this is where is see a problem. She is able bodied doesn’t have any children to worry about. She can work, but refuses too cause she refuses to pay child support. She lives off live in boyfriends, goes to bars parties. She doesn’t get to see her kids unless she has a supervisorbecause she allowed abuse to happen in her home. Yet we are the ones paying all the transportation costs to get kids to these therapy sessions. This is not a full solution but a start is to makes sure all deadbeat (not the ones trying to pay their childsupport) parents are held responsible. And no she is not required to pay a fortune. She only pays 273.00 a month for 4 kids. I have seen many parents have to pay that for one. I also believe that she should not be allowed to get food stamps if she does not even attempt to pay her child support. Just a thought there.
“They’re buying food with MY TAX DOLLARS.” REALLY? Unless you make well over the median income, YOU DON’T PAY ENOUGH IN TAXES TO COVER YOUR EVEN YOUR OWN EXPENSES, let alone someone’s welfare. Road plowing, police protections, education, military – are you paying your fair share? Doubtful.
Now, how would you like it if the people who are ACTUALLY PAYING THE BULK OF TAXES started dictating how YOU spend your money the way Miss Rousselle & others want to dictate how welfare recipients spend theirs?
Miss Rousselle is not a nutritionalist, psychiatrist, or law maker. Yet, for some reason, we’re taking her opinion seriously.
I’m adding my 2 cents, too…..I’ve worked as a cashier at grocery stores and gas stations and saw SO MUCH irresponsible spending. People would LOAD up on big brand sodas, expensive cuts of meat (filet mingon vs flank steak is a HUGE difference!!!!), sugar-loaded foods like cookies and candy, as well as other highly processed garbage for their families and saw nothing wrong with it. They’d have gold and sparkle all over them, dressed in BIG brand clothes, and wore expensive shoes (and women with expensive purses, had beautiful nails, and their hair always looked amazing)….talking on their expensive cell-phones…and if you happened to see what they were driving…you’d have died there on the spot because their customized vehicle would have cost a fortune to a normal person! While at the gas station, they’d come in and buy ice-cream treats, sodas, etc DAILY for their kids! What’s wrong with buying JUICE, BREAD, VEGETABLES, MEAT, and HEALTHIER foods as a majority and only the junk as a special treat (ex. BIRTHDAY cake with icecream and special dinner)? I’ll admit, I had to receive assistance…for a total of 4 months while I got back on my feet, but I worked!!!! I scrimped and scrounged…and used it to feed myself and my 2 children (and my Grandmother that was nice enough to let us stay with her for about 7 months) until I was in a stable job and my divorce was final and i started receiving child support. It was humiliating, but had to be done because I made sure my kids were fed! I even remember a girl when I was in High School that already had 3 kids that wore gold on EVERY finger, had both ears covered in gold, gold capped teeth, gold necklaces and bracelets, wore new Nike shoes every other week (different colors and styles), and wore the big popular brand of clothing at the time…stating that she couldn’t wait for her check to come in so she could get her some more gold. WTH?!?!?!?! My sister called me one day (she’s battling cancer/fibromyalgia/depression, etc.) in tears one day and told me about her day while waiting on her paperwork for financial assistance/disability/food-stamps to finish processing. She’s got 4 little girls and a husband that really should spend eternity in jail. She went to a local church that helped people with their bills and other basic necessities with donations from the local community. This man was in there, dressed very nicely, with HUGE gold and diamond rings on, big gold watch on, nice shoes, and drove a NEW Lexus (he came in about the same time she did, so she saw his car). He was bragging to people in the waiting room that they were gonna pay ALL his bills for him…and they did!!! My sister went in dragging her 2 youngest girls (age 2 and 1) with her since her husband couldn’t be bothered to watch them and they refused to help her because she didn’t have shut-off notices on her bills and gave her a total of 6 diapers to help her out and sent her on her way. How can this be right or acceptable? It’s not a Republican/Democrat issue….it’s a HUMAN issue!!! We are not helping the right people enough and the ones that are taking advantage of it EXPECT to continue to get it without having to lift a finger. Something’s gotta chance somewhere…….
Not an easy topic to debate. My best friend is disabled. She is a single mom and due to the dead-beat-dad, she does not receive any child support. Never being a quitter, she strives to generate money from her home. Breeding show cats, babysitting, etc. For the last year, she has been quite “successful” earning an average of $475/MONTH. She is on disability and food stamps. Her FS were $370/MONTH. Being an honest person as well, she reported her average earnings to the welfare dept who quickly cut her FS down to $90/MONTH. In what world of mathematical calculations does that makes sense? She is worse off than when she started, and she was trying to generate income.
On the other side of this coin, my husband has an exwife who refuses to work full-time. The jobs are available. She simply chooses not to work to support herself. And why should she? Despite My husband and I having shared/equal custody and residential responsibility of the 3 children, we are court ordered to pay to her $10,000/YEAR in child support. The children are with us 186 days/year, but because she refuses to support herself, the state of Maine thinks its ethical to force us to support her. She is on food stamps, welfare, works part-time in an ice cream shop to pay for her concerts and club nights out, cigarettes and alcohol, beauty salon trips, etc. She always looks like a million bucks. The children (when in her care) claim to go out to eat constantly, midweek trips to Chuck E Cheese, 2 weeks of vacation in the summer every year, etc. She’s been on the state programs since 2007 and shows no sign of getting off them. She has discovered that if she keeps her income below $10,000/YEAR, she won’t lose her welfare benefits and we will still have to pay the maximum payout in child support. If she increased her income closer to $15,000/YEAR, the child support nearly disappears, and she will lose her benefits. Must be nice to have that choice.
My husband and I both work. He works as an ironworker here in Maine and earns a mere $28,000 gross income. I work 2 jobs, totalling 112 hours a week. We manage our combined 4 children and our jobs “somehow.” My son from a previous marriage is disabled. His medical insurance is through Anthem with a deductible of $1,400 of which I haven’t met yet, and the year is almost over. He attends speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavorial therapy, and tutoring. Still, I manage to work more than 40 hours a week to pay for those programs. Our combined income for a family of 6 is well below the federal poverty line. We feed our family of 6, plus two dogs, on $100/WEEK. We do not receive any type of aide. My husband and I go without medical insurance because we can’t afford it.
Before you say that I don’t understand what its like to be “out of luck”… my husband and I, and our 4 children, were homeless two year ago, for a total of 6 months. We know what it’s like. We still had our jobs, but lost our home, our car, everything to the struggling economy. And because we still had our jobs, we were denied for any state aide. We were living out of our minivan, the only vehicle left, and the charity of friends and family who allowed us to camp out on their living room floors. Because we could not buy groceries – had nowhere to store them – we were forced to dine out most days. This obliterated our income. We were unable to save any money, but our children needed to eat.
It’s a vicious cycle, but more often than not, the system is abused. You can feel sympathetic for that one woman who bought a fancy cake on FS for her dying daughter, but she is rare. Most welfare recipients are taking advantage of hard working taxpayers, and they know it. It is an unforutnate generalization, but the unfortunate thing is that it’s true. When all your bills are being paid by others, it gives you the freedom to buy “luxurious” items with your own money.
My husband’s exwife… never wears the same outfit twice. Her hair is always fabulous. Her nails perfect. She only ever buys her shoes from a very expensive shoe place in the Mall. (I forget the name.) She is always taking trips, or attending concerts, going out to eat, shopping, clubbing, etc. Where does she get this money? She claims she pays for her “entertainment” with the money generated from her less than part-time job. That may be true. After all, if someone else was paying for my food, rent, heat, and I was receiving $10k in cash every year for children I only cared for half the year, and I was able to use my personal income to splurge, life would be grand. Wouldn’t it?
I could not agree more. I am all for help where it is do and I know there are people out there with permanent disability who depend on the state for their living. I am perfectly okay with legitimate use of aid such as food stamps, and medicaid.
What I am not okay with is people going through lines to withdraw TANF cash for their beer and cigarettes. Not okay to support your business with food stamps, and not okay to be buying someone else’s children’s birthday toys with money from my husband’s paycheck! I, too have been behind “Welfare Kings and Queens” in the store and witnessed what I would say is abuse and misuse.
I grew up on state welfare, because I had an absentee father and a mother with 5 children at home. But what I have learned form that is that I don’t ever want to depend on the government again for ANYTHING. My husband and I aren’t rich, in fact, I think we’re somewhere around the poverty line. He’s a medical assistant and I am a stay at home mom. But that is our choice and we do such drastic things as forego cell phones, and drive 10 year old cars, and “oh My gosh” – don’t go out to eat so that we can be self supporting. We actually have this thing called a budget (GASP!) I am convinced that if we can make it work, so could a LOT of others, but that would take this vanishing ideal called self reliance.
Our Grandparents made it through this little event called the Great Depression. Are any of us REALLY that much worse off than they were?
Great article!
@ Kathleen Flick
The REST of us haven’t made up what we’ve seen with our own eyes.
While I appreciate the thought behind this article and agree with some I feel that it is written one sided and from a young point of view. My family currently receives FS even though both my husband and I are working. I work my butt off working at a restaurant scraping up as much money as I can but I still fall very short of money to bills ratio. I also do not have *extra* bills,no credit cards or things along that lines. Now my point in sharing this is, I work hard, do the best I can in this very tough economy why should I not be allowed “luxury” items such as steak or cake. Did no one ever buy things on sale or discounted. When i do that wod that still qualify me as abusing the system? FS assist so many people with such varying situations that it is hard for me to swallow a comparatively handful of people abusing the system as the norm. While I completely am against abuse and fraud I am very grateful that there are those out there that still recognize and are willing to assist us who are doing our best and need a hand. And by the way if you truly think getting assistance from the state is “easy” then I would challenge that you have never had to go through the process yourself. Pages of paper work, income and bill proof and several phone interviews as well as a review ever 3-6 months where you go through it all over again does not qualify as easy to me.
You should see the Walmart in Scarborough now. It’s a Super Walmart filled with “Super Idiots”. I was standing behind someone in line who had multiple WIC orders and food stamps. They ended up having to put back a bunch of baby food and formula because they didn’t have enough money. That same person then proceeded to pull out a wad of cash and purchase beer and cigarettes!!! They put back baby food because they couldn’t afford it but bought over $70 worth of alcohol and cigarettes?!?! I’ve also seen people buy Easter candy with their food stamps. Not just one or two bags….but an entire cart full that added up to over $80 worth of candy!!! I was 18 and living on my own, going to school, and working full time. I payed rent, my car, other bills, etc. I would of loved to have had even just $50 a month in food stamps to have been able to afford meats. I made too much money to qualify. I lived off of macaroni and cheese. I would have only needed the help for like a year. But I’m not the type of person the system helps, I need to pop out a kid the state will pay for and get fired from work for not showing up to qualify…….really Maine……REALLY!!!???
A young woman attending a private college writing an article based on six months of work experience and extrapolating that to assume she knows something of the world.
Quelle surprise.
First of all, I find it ironic that a few of the commentators complaining about this article have said that the author will understand the other side of things when she gets a “real job” in the “real world.” Last I checked, any legal entity where one works and receives a paycheck IS a real job. And the fact that she has to deal with public assistance fraud on a daily basis….how much more “real world” can you get? You think she’s judgemental? How is your comment chastising her for her opinion any less judgemental? What, because she’s in college and not on public assistance she’s not allowed to voice her opinions, but because you are struggling you can say whatever you want? It doesn’t work that way. EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion, whether you like what they have to say or not. I don’t like everything that has been said in these comments, but too bad for me–those people have every right to think and feel whatever it is they think and feel. And I have every right to respond to them.
Secondly, I think it’s wonderful that the government offers TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE to those who need it. The author does not have a problem with that, which she clearly states (it seems like a lot of those who are upset with the article have not read it in its entirety or are only seeing what they want to see). What is problematic is those who take advantage of the system, and that is the author’s concern. She does not, at any point, say, or even imply, that all people using public assistance are trying to cheat the system. [Direct quote: "I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it. What I saw at Wal-Mart, however, was not temporary aid."] If you are on food stamps, should you be buying luxuries like steak and lobster? Should you be entitled to have a luxurious meal or other luxury items paid for by public assistance (i.e.: taxpayer dollars)? I don’t think so, considering hard working people who aren’t on public assistance often can’t afford such luxuries and wouldn’t even think about spending their hard-earned money on anything but necessities. If you have the cash to pay for DVDs, booze, games, etc. and then use food stamps to pay for your groceries, there is a clear problem. Those who are using public assistance in the way it was intended to be used do not spend their food stamps on such frivolous items, as many people properly utilizing public assistance have stated on this comment board. Kudos to you for being responsible human beings!!! I think it should go without saying that when someone is in a financial bind, he or she should limit purchases to what is absolutely necessary, whether that person is using public assistance or not. And if you are on public assistance, I believe that you should be grateful for the help rather than taking advantage of being able to spend money that you yourself did not earn. Many people on public assistance are grateful, and it is unfortunate that they are being lumped in with the overwhelming number of people who boast about their ability to cheat the system. There is no shame in using public assistance when you truly need it, and I am sorry that those who are honest are made to feel shamed or humiliated for needing it–it is an unfortunate consequence resulting from those who are dishonest.
Lastly, I fully understand that welfare in particular does set many people up to stay on welfare in that if you get a job, you’re no longer eligible for welfare, even if that job is not enough to support you and your family. It is a shame that the system is set up that way and that honest people who happen to be down on their luck are put in that position.
**On a side note, just the other day in NYC I saw a (supposedly homeless) man (according to his sign) begging for (other people’s hard-earned) money…a fire broke out in one of the large buildings, and he whipped out his iPhone to take a photo. Anyone else see a problem there?
I look at all these comments through the lens of the third world resident and think, “So this is what the “1%” think of the wealth that pours down on them from every direction!”
Yes, from the perspective of humans who live in economies where most of the population get by on less than $1 a day would see those who live in the domain of a state where many can live off dole as described in these comments, both “pro” and “anti”, as part of the “1%” . These would be unable to read this blog and its comments because they have no internet access, indeed no access to anything they don’t produce for themselves, or with the immediate help of their equally impoverished community. Are the “1%” grateful for their good fortune? Apparently not, if all the carping, whining, and back-biting displayed here is to be taken at face value. Maybe just as well to scrape by on <$1 a day.
My family was on welfare growing up. It was shameful to my mom and we drove out of town to buy groceries. When we did, she sould allow us to buy items we would never receive without food stamps. One time she bought NY Seltzer water and chocolate covered grandola bars. We were so poor we never had money for anything. I think she did it because she was trying to console herself. It’s hard living in a society where people thrive off of showing off what they have. Today my own family has never been on welfare but one time my husband asked me to stop by the store to get a bottle of liquor for the office party later and I was with my son. It was about 9:30 in the morning and you should have seen the look I received from the cashier who clearly was passing judgement on my purchase. My point is it’s easy to pass judgement when you don’t know the entire situation. If you had to live off of the salary at WM and you had 2 kids I guarantee you would be on welfare too.
@problems – Here is where we have issues. You feel that you deserve certain things in life. I grew up very poor and if we could not afford something, we just didn’t have it. No gas for the car…we walked. No money for clothes…we wore what we had and lived mostly in hand me downs. Why does this generation of people think that because they cannot provide for themselves that someone else should? Doing without as a child gave me the incentive to get a good education (that I paid for myself without government grants or loans living on mac and cheese and ramen noodles) and figured out a way to make ends meet. When ends would not meet…I did without. You are responsible for yourself…no one else should pay your way nor should you expect them to do so. If someone is disabled and unable to take care of themselves, then and only then should others feel the need to step in and help out. Having cell phones, internet access, cars, closets full of clothes, eating steak and lobster (ever) are not necessities. Put in some effort and make your life better for you and your daughter. Very few understand the difference between needs and wants and even fewer understand a strong work ethic and pride in providing for yourself. When my wages go to provide funds for an entitlement program than, yes, I have a right to criticize how those funds are spent by those receiving them!
I work in the Medical Records Dept. at a local hospital in a Regional hospital.
And I am amazed at how many people on Medicaid, or nothing at all, find the money to purchase marijuana…(shows up in the blood work for most traumas’.)
Any bets if they receive some form of welfare?
I’m sorry, but in my opinion, it is grossly easier to make a few inconveniencing phone calls, show proof of income every 3 months, than have to work 112 hours a week, and hardly ever see your family. By the way, the 112 hours I work between my 2 jobs is a minimum average. Last week, I pulled 134 hours. Do the simple math. Yes, I hardly slept. I did that so that my husband and I could buy our children 3 Christmas presents each. Not a single gift was over $20.
You say you are “grateful” to those still willing to help… I am not willing to help those who abuse the system. Last I checked, I wasn’t given a choice before the government reach their slimy hands into my paycheck and took nearly half of MY income. I am not willing to take food from my own children’s mouthes, or deny my DISABLED child therapy he needs, so that I can better provide for your children. I am not willing, nor am I able. But that doesn’t stop people from taking from me…
Spot on article, bravo to the author. However, I do echo the sentiments of some other posters, name calling(Welfare Queens) not necessary and detrimental to the point at hand, stop that.
Taxpayers do in fact have every right to know/question/criticize how their tax dollars are being spent. Welfare dollars should be spent frugally and not on luxury food items like steak, lobster, and shrimp, basic common sense, When you are financially strapped and relying on government money to help you out, at the very least you should do everything in your power to stretch those dollars. There are homeless veterans living on the streets, municipal services(police& fire) are being slashed across the region, school programs eliminated, regionally infrastructures failing/crumbling. There is only so much money.
A couple of my experiences:
-When I was in college, I rented out an apartment. The woman that lived above me was on section 8 paid $90 a month in rent, the rest was subsidized by the state. I paid $800 in rent. This woman also attended college, paid for by the state because she qualified for a low income grant. This woman had no job, no disability. Her boyfriend worked and lived with her, when the state would come in for routine inspections, she would move all the boyfriend’s stuff out temporarily. They were always going out to dinner, on weekend get aways etc.. The kicker…she did not drive a Caddy, no, she drove a Porsche.
-My own grandmother, never worked a single day in her life. She still collects alimony from her husband whom she has been divorced for over 30 years(welcome to Massachusetts). Her children help her out financially, but she has no offical income She is on EVERY assistance program offered. Her rent is subsidized, she has goverment sponsored cell phone, etc.. She also travels around the world, generally going to the islands at least 2x per year and Europe 1x per year, wears designer clothing and jewerly, etc., she drives a brand new car.
For the most part you are probably correct, but as far as the purchase of a slip and slide and other childrens items I would have to disagree with you. Why should a custodial parents child do without “fun” items because they aren’t able to force the other parent to pay support? For some parents a TANF check is the only way of holding a “dead beat” parent responsible to support their child. DHHS will issue the TANF to a custodial parent to help support the child and garnish the absent parents paycheck etc.
I think another entitlement program you could look into as a form of fraud would be college aid in the form of grants and low interest loans. Why should the whole country be forced to pay for a student to continue their education? If a person wants to further their education and they can afford it then good for them, but I don’t see why everyone else in this country should have to pay for it. I see so many students waste this money on so many non-school items and it is fraud and abuse of a system designed to help students who could not otherwise afford school.
Oh, Oh!! I forgot to include this! I know someone whose daughter had a child by a “yo-yo” loser. And get this….he just got disablility for ADHD…$600 per month….he is 23 y/o.
lol @ all you idiots saying “that’s why i vote republican” – who do you think created the atmosphere of corruption allowing public assistance to grow out of control? who do you think receives the kick backs from corps like walmart to *not* change it? There’s a ton of money to be made by the abuses on both ends of the stick. While your points are valid – your conclusions fail to go that extra mile, and thus – miss the mark. By all means – vote republican.. see where it gets this country.
hope you n our wonderful governor can fix the world because some ppl abuse the system! maybe walmart could get rid of the angry, toothless, fat, and smelly cashiers, they give the rest of you tellers a bad name…somewhat like someone else buying lobster with foodstamps (which on occasion is cheaper than hot dogs) makeing me a bad person….hope your world lives up to your expectations….btw I am on food stamps (35.00 a month) and get medicaid and medicare and am on SSDI. And I know that system gets abused also….but Id be dead without it.couldnt afford the drugs or docs keeping my disease in check so I dont die, would republicans rather I died so that someone can buy 10,000 toilets for the government? corruption is everywhere!!!….but thats another story, big pharm must be republicans too!!! But its Christmas and I forgive your not knowing what its like to be diabled or poor. Maybe Walmart could ID you at the door during christmas,and eliminate the problem by not allowing any people getting assistance from the state into the store bet thats when the honest poor abuse their welfare help by buying their children a gift with that money the state gave them out of your paycheck! And fire the stinky tellers, their usually the really fat toothless ones, get rid of em all, then you would not be offended by being one of them, what goes around comes around! Maybe that bailout money for the rich could have had a better use? What if God was one of us, just a bum on the street, seeing how you treat the less fortunate!
@Kathleen Flick:
You carp:
ya’ll aren’t getting it.
SHE MADE IT UP.
The card with “Dukakis’ signature”? He left office in 1991.
Mass. DIDN’T START USING EBT CARDS UNTIL 1997.
She’s another “welfare queen” storytelling liar. Just like her hero, Reagan.
Shame on you, young lady. Shame.
You can carp, Kathleen, but you can’t read. The card with Dukakis’ signature was an ID card, not an EBT card. To repeat, for the semi-literate: “I once had a man show me his welfare card for an ID to buy alcohol. The man was from Massachusetts. Governor Michael Dukakis’ signature was on his welfare card. Dukakis’ last gubernatorial term ended in January of 1991. I was born in June of 1991. The man had been on welfare my entire life. That’s not how welfare was intended, but sadly, it is what it has become.”
its funny to say ” did they work for that meal” no so why do they get to buy steak with fs? amagin this.. alot of people who are on FS DO WORK…we get some foodstamps even though my boyfriend works full time and i take care of our 2 year old.. i am looking for a evening job and having no luck at the moment, And even when we were both working we recived some fs so dont assume just because someone is on fs they dont have a job! my boyfriend works like a slave so i think if he wants to buy a peice of steak he can! not everyone are the scumbags you may see… i agree alot of people are and they abuse it not its wrong to just assume everyone are low lifes. I was on tanf for 1 year and I payed my rent with it EVERY month I NEVER used it to buy junk or things for myself.. nor do we have fancy phones or iphones and ipads we have a track phone in which i spend $20 for mins about every month or 2 its there just incase we need it on the road. there are alot of people simply out of work because there is no work and if you do find work alot of the times its only for 10-15 hours a week because that is all they have to give out !!!!!!!!
And once again….READ, PEOPLE!!!! She does not say that everyone using public assistance is taking advantage.
“I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it. What I saw at Wal-Mart, however, was not temporary aid.”
I was behind a woman at the grocery store; she bought her few items with food stamps then walked out of the store. As I was walking through the parking lot she was loading her stuff into a brand new Cadillac Escalade. Here I am working 40+ hours a week to barely scrape by with my old Ford. Maybe it wasn’t her car, I don’t know, but it made my wonder what the hell I’m doing wrong. I would never abuse the system but seeing that would make someone want to, and that’s not right.
After reading the comments, I’d like to punt out that the author of this article did not condemn people who are on assistance. She condemned the obvious fraud, waste and abuse of assistance. Like some of you, I too found myself needing to be in assistance at one point in my life. Three children to support and my ex husband didn’t make much money so he was only made to pay $50.00 per month in child support. I found it to be extremely hard to get off assistance and was only able to do so once I found two jobs. One that I reported to the county welfare system and the other paid me under the table. Once I saved up enough money so that I could afford two months of after school care for my kids, then I stopped all assistance. I am all for helping people out, but the system needs a MAJOR overhaul.
The child support topic is a whole other issue entirely. In the state of Maine, if the non-custodial parent makes more money than the custodial parent, the non-custodial parent must “compensate” the custodial parent. Still following?
The non-custodial parent is FORCED to work, under threat of jailtime. The custodial parent is NOT forced to work. Even if the children are older. Head hurt yet?
If both parents have equal and joint residential custody, the parent who makes the most, STILL has to pay the parent who makes less… even if it’s a choice decision.
Here’s another fun fact to wrap your brain around… The child support gets taken out of my husband’s paycheck AFTER taxes. So let’s say he makes $700/week. The government takes out their taxes. Now his check is down to $550/week. Another $200 comes out for the child support. He has paid taxes on child support money he doesn’t see.
Stay with me on this… at the end of the year, he has to claim that $10,000 of child support as EARNED INCOME. He taxed a second time – in a sense – on that child support money. However, his exwife does not have to claim the child support as income. Am I the only one who finds a problem with that?
My husband and I have his children from a previous marriage no less than 186 days a year. We have court ordered shared/joint.equal custody. During school vacations, the kids are with us 24/7. All 3 day weekends, the kids are with us, plus on average 3-4 days a week during the school year. During the summer months when the children are not in school, they live with us 5-6 days a week. Basically, when the kids have school, they live with Mom. Which means she does not support their breakfasts – they eat on the school welfare program. She doesn’t support their lunch meals – they eat on the school welfare program. Mom supports their dinner, in which case, they have food stamps. Mom doesn’t have to worry about childcare as she does not work, and the children are in school all day.
If the children do not have school, for any reason, they are with us. When they are with us, void of school, we support their basic 3 meals a day – without assistance. When they are with us, my husband and I still have to work fulltime. We pay for their childcare. When they have a medical/dental appointment, we bring them because she refuses to “impose” upon her personal schedule. On days when such appointments are scheduled, either my husband or I lose those hours of pay since we have to leave work to take them. It’s also our gas being utilized since Mom lives nearly 45 minutes away from us.
Mom enjoys her “free” summer time without the children. During those 3 months, my husband and I still pay Mom $10,000/year in child support… all while trying to support the children in our home. My husband and I work full-time at minimum. We have to pay for summer camps or babysitters every summer in order to work. While Mom sits back at the beach and COLLECTS from everyone around her… Us, the taxpayers, welfare, food stamps, etc.
My husband and I live in a fixer-upper house because that’s all we could afford. Our 2 girls share a room. Our 2 boys share a room. My husband and I sleep on the 2 couches in our living room where we have been for 2 years. My husband’s exwife lives in the lap of luxury on state aide. Her house is a 4 bedroom cape with a pool. She has 2 fairly new trucks. My husband and I have a minivan which we share. His exwife has 3 dogs – 2 pure bred puppies which she recently bought from a breeder, and a pure bred lap dog. Our 2 dogs were rescued. His exwife had the extra money to decorate her house to the 9s! Lights everywhere! Big blowup snowman on the lawn! It looks beautiful. We have a Christmas wreath on our front door because we can’t afford the increased electric bill of decorative lights. She has a netbook, laptop, and desktop computer, house phone and Iphone. I have a cell phone I’ve had for literally years. The screen likes to shut off on me at random. We have no house phone.
Am I jealous? One could argue… however, there is one thing I am not jealous of… her lack of dignity, lack of self worth, and lack of personal accountability.
I live in Maine.
A new entry level employee at our hospital turned down the health care benefits for her and her daughter because “why should I pay for health insurance when I can get free Mainecare?”
Also just wanted to throw this out there……if you are receiving welfare of any kind, and let’s say that you already have a child (maybe even things were good when you had this child, maybe not)….what would possess you to have another child?! If you can’t afford to pay for the one or two you already have, why would you want to have more??? Family Planning offers FREE condoms and you can get either FREE or REDUCED birth control!!! And let’s not play dumb…..we know what causes you to get pregnant!!! You have to really be dumb or be trying to get pregnant. (Can’t wait to see the back lash this one stirs up…..I’m sure it’s your “right” to have kids…..is it my “right” to pay for them??? ) I would love to have a baby, but I can’t afford one right now. But don’t worry, two people at DHHS told me if I have one, and cut back my hours to half time, the state will pay for it…..
Aid should be handled by charities, without any government funding thereof.
What’s a “welfare card”? It is an EBT card. Massachusetts did not issue special ID cards for recipients of welfare in 1991.
If they did, show me. Show me where Massachusetts issued special identification cards, six years prior to the EBT card, to show who was getting welfare.
There was undoubtedly a state ID card, probably issued by the same entity that issues driver’s licenses, but it would not have indicated whether the person was receiving AFDC/TANF.
You definitely made some great points but I also think there are a lot of faults with your points. First off not everyone who is on government aid abuses it and it should be the government’s job to decide who should and shouldn’t be on it. There is a review period of every year to see if it’s still something required. Also I don’t think it’s fair for someone to judge another person based on what they see because you don’t know what the rest of their life looks like. It’s a system that was created to help those in needs and everyone seems to define “in need” differently. If a man owns a hot dog stand and he’s on government aid, how much money do you think he actually makes after standing there for 12 hours? I am willing to bet he makes a lot less than what you make standing behind a cash register at Wal-mart.
For those of you with ants in your pants about them having smartphones, I think you need to stop and think about what is actually available to the public to purchase. Most phones comes for free and not everyone has a data plan on their phone. Plus how do you know they themselves purchased the phone and it wasn’t a gift? Long story short I think there are a lot of issues with the system and there are definitely too many loopholes but you also have to remember the people who set up the rules can’t always enforce it so it’s up to EVERYONE to help. Tell me not once that you haven’t broken a rule like texting while driving, running a red light or even jaywalking (yeah people it’s illegal but you still do it!). So the moral of the story is don’t let the few be the judges for the majority and don’t judge a person until you fully understand their story.
Are you implying that people on State Assistance are living a life of steaks, lobsters and alcohol? A life of luxury on a couple of hundred dollars a month? REALLY? Then put these people in charge of the budget. I make a bit more than a state assistance check would provide and I have to make cutbacks when I go to the store, but the welfare people seem to have amazing money management skills.
Or was your story just a hateful, elitist, narrow minded view of a people whom you believe deserve nothing more than your lecture? What if these people have a very successful job and then loose it? Remember the CEO that had to deliver pizzas to make ends meet? He probably still had some nice stuff when he used his food stamps. Would you have judge him the same way? No. You think it’s fine if it’s temporary but apparently you’d like to be the judge of what is a hardship and what is temporary. Did it occur to you that welfare cards are not granted for life? My license expires and I’m required to get a new, updated card, but MassHealth grants cards that have no expiration and never need to be re-issued? You realize what an insane implication that every card ever issued will be valid forever?
You’re full of hate. Hate for people who you deem as unequals.
What the detractors here cannot get through their head is this: All of the attacks on this writer does NOTHING to alter what others have seen happening routinely.
The irony is that many detractors’ comments have done more than she to illustrate the entitlement attitude in this country. She doesn’t have to say another word.
If they did, show me where a person having such an ID card proves they were getting welfare.
So what about the people that really need it or the people that cant find a job that have been looking for 2 years now. I can’t afford to work sounds bad I know but day care cost are so expensive by the time I pay that put gas in my vehicle I will be pretty much broke see I live 30 minutes away from Bangor and about 25 minutes to Belfast I have a mini van witch only get’s about 16-17 miles per gallon I had a little car witch got crushed by a tree during the storm Irene. All I am saying is who cares if someone buy’s a stake or two on EBT at least it is not chips and soda. SO sue me for buying my little girl a birthday cake that she wanted I love my daughter very much and I DO want her to have a good life she is only 3 how is she going to understand when I say no honey I cant buy you that cake because it would be fraud on my behalf to buy it with food stamps they are only little once and I want her birthdays to be remembered as something fun. I am not one of those people that just go and buy junk I make sure my daughter is well feed with veggies and fruits and occasionally and only once a year a birthday cake that she wanted for her birth day. My husband works a full time job we pay rent every month of $500.00 dollars plus we pay utilities our light bill is about $75.00-$80.00 a month plus our car insurance is $72.00 every month we have a bill to pay just about every week of the month this all comes out of $277.05 this is what he brings home after his boss takes out $125.00 for rent now you tell me how much grocery’s and other house hold items we can buy and make sure my daughter is well fed and well taken care of we get $355.00 a month of food stamps now I don’t go and buy a cake every month it is spent on FOOD and maybe every once in awhile a case of soda for my husband that well deserves it. Just because you all that hate us poor people that get FOOD STAMPS and thinks it’s wrong that we get them I don’t care what you all think with out them my daughter would be hungry. So think of the people that deserve Food stamps before you get them taken away from us PLEASE If I loss food stamps I won’t be able to feed my daughter and that would be all your faults by trying to get them taken away just think about that think of the poor families out there the one’s that are actually buying food for their children and families.
At least those “stinky smelly toothless cashiers” at Walmart are trying to support themselves… I see too many folks living off the system with no gratitude or remorse for the taxpayers who support them.
I live on SSI and receive food stamps on an EBT card every month. Without the help I would starve to death and probably be homeless. I don’t buy steaks and lobsters, I buy a months worth of food to last me as well I can, many ramen soups and budget minded purchases to last. NOT everyone abuses the system, some of us rely on it to be able to live.
@ Emmalou… your ability not to find work that is “worth it,” might have a little something to do with your lack of education.
Which – not “witch”
Steak – not “stake”
I totally understand how the situations you describe would be aggravating for you. I agree that the welfare system needs an overhaul. However, calling people “Welfare Queen 1 & 2″ is disrespectful. Try getting your point across without rhetoric and I believe you’ll have a much stronger argument.
Nikki: ” I disagree that certain food considered “extravagant purchases” should be stopped as well. If a person wants to buy a steak, lobster, candy, what is wrong with that?”
Because it’s not their money. It’s MY money. It’s YOUR money. It’s the money of working people who pay taxes, not the person using hand-outs. That money was FORCIBLY confiscated from the working people, an act of dubious morality. Those receiving it should not be permitted luxuries for the simple fact that they’re living off money that the rightful owners could have used.
You want luxuries? Work for it.
Loanie:
“For those of you with ants in your pants about them having smartphones, I think you need to stop and think about what is actually available to the public to purchase. Most phones comes for free and not everyone has a data plan on their phone.”
I’ve never seen an iPhone available for free — and how were they watching videos without a data plan?
I enjoyed your article til I got to the part about “now I am reminded why I voted Republican.” Sorry, I had to laugh. I’m not a Democrat-lover. I’m an independent and dislike both parties. However, the Republicans ideas on welfare in my opinion are why we have lifers on the system. You ever try to get off welfare while having kids? Me either. But a couple of friends have been in that position.
I went through a job training program after I was laid off. Luckily, because we didn’t have kids, my husband and I didn’t need welfare to assist us during those tough times. I was permitted to go to school and still collect my unemployment benefits. The state didn’t pay for all of my schooling – we paid for a good bit of it too. We weren’t well off. We cut out a lot of excesses. Three years later, I’ve got a good job and will pay back in taxes in 2012 at least double what the state paid to me for my education. I don’t count paying back unemployment as taxes on my income while employed (for over 15+ years) paid for my unemployment even with extensions.
Now go to the folks on welfare. They are not allowed participate in education programs like this. These education programs are not open ended. I had to come up with an education plan, search for jobs and prove there were jobs in my local area requiring this education, and have my plan approved with a timeline. There is a deadline to complete the education.
People on welfare are required to get a job. Any job. So for those without education, those jobs mean Walmart. You might get them off some assistance, but we subsidize Walmart’s work force. People on welfare are not allowed to receive assistance while being full-time students. But being full time students in jobs the local economy is looking for, whether it’s plumbing and welding or nursing or IT, is the quickest most efficient way to get someone OFF of Welfare.
Yes, there are idiots who take advantage of the system. But the system is set up to their advantage. So the jokes on us. If the system was set up for education, we’d all be better off. Including those on welfare.
@ Debra… no one is saying “everyone on assistance is abusing it.”
But there are too many people who are abusing the system to ignore it. My best friend is disabled and highly dependent on the system. I don’t fault her one bit. She, like you it seems, legitimately require the assistance. But there are so many NOT like her, or you.
“Are you implying that people on State Assistance are living a life of steaks, lobsters and alcohol? A life of luxury on a couple of hundred dollars a month? REALLY?”
You’re assuming the only income they have is what comes from the state.
“You’re full of hate. Hate for people who you deem as unequals.”
Pot. Kettle.
@”The Marquis”, who says:
‘A young woman attending a private college writing an article based on six months of work experience and extrapolating that to assume she knows something of the world.’
‘Quelle surprise.’
Your disdain drips from the page, emitting an odor of astroturf (does Soros pay his blogger surrogates well?), but the young lady’s testimony is a useful contribution to the public policy discussion, nevertheless, as proved by the multitude of illuminating comments that have crawled out from under various rocks to justify the authors’ living off OPM.
We need to crack down on these, in due time, though it would create better examples to crack down first on the Jon Corzine’s, Franklin Raines and James Johnson’s (form Fannie Mae CEO’s), Turbo-tax Timmie’s, Eric Holder’s, and TBTF bank CEO’s of the world, i.e., the well-connected workers of the system whose lootings are orders of magnitude larger than any of these petty perps. Accountability should apply at all levels, from the top down, but this will not happen until an effective challenge is mounted to the enabling of the petty perps by the mega perps, who freely buy them off with OPM extracted from the middle classes. This will not happen until this strategy is widely recognized for what it is: extorting from vulnerable middle income producers via taxes and inflationary debasement of the currency to raise the funds to bribe a class of reliable voters for “bread and circuses” whose mindset is so well illuminated by the various comments in response to the poster’s testimony.
To those, who seem to be recipients of state assistance, and who are commenting that without the state healthcare you would die from preexisting conditions… I have this to say.
I have been struggling with health conditions for years. Just to name a few: fibromyalgia (previously chronic muscle pain, before everybody and their brother was diagnosis with it), polycyctisc ovarian syndrome, chronic migraines. uncontrollable acute asthma, arthritis in my feet, knees, hips, hands, back, shoulders, and neck. Cervical cancer.
I do not have health insurance. I pay out of pocket for everything. Combined, my husband and I earn $43,000 a year. $10,000 is automatically deducted for child support for his welfare-dependent exwife who refuses to work. So we support our 4 children, and ourselves, and my medical bills, plus our children’s medical bills (and we have a disabled son) on $33,000 a year.
Last time I checked, I could die from cervical cancer. A reality all too known in my family. But I can’t afford insurance. And because my husband and I both work, we aren’t approved for state insurance.
To those on state insurance who claim the government shouldn’t let them die simply because they are poor, I say this… Is your life more valuable than mine? I work to support the system that supports you and keeps you alive… but who is helping me stay alive?
You seem like you’re an intelligent young lady and therefor should do more than complain about it. Complaining doesn’t change it. If you have the intention to expose the problem, you should follow it up with the intention to assist in fixing that which is clearly, within your vision, broken. What are you doing about it? Your words are empty and crass without action. Your observations obsolete. Wal Mart is just one of the many places where welfare is abused. You have much to learn, you one. Best to you in your pursuits. I do so hope you widen your scope. You will not accomplish much just by bemoaning a problem as you will by actively seeking to find a solution.
Katherine Doyle: At least “the stinky tellers, their usually the really fat toothless ones, get rid of em all,” have a J-O-B and are willing to do it. If you *need* welfare cause your sick or TEMPORARILY out of a job….it’s for you. If a person is just lazy and has no work ehtic, I have no sympathy for them. Futhermore, I don’t appreciate paying for their lazy rear ends for sitting around all day. I work, why shouldn’t they? Enough is enough.
I worked at a Walmart in TX and my experience was pretty much the same as described here. My Walmart was in a college town and there were lots of college students with Lonestar Cards – but they also had acrylic nails, tatoos and Coach bags. Meanwhile, I was working 30 hours a week to help us get a little ahead. I only worked there for 4 months and then went back to being a SAHM. I don’t qualify for assistance. I also don’t carry a Coach bag, wear designer clothes or get my nails done. It’s called sacrifice and more people need to learn it.
to diana I do not live in luxury. I have a car to get my daughter to appointments that are 300 miles away ( oh and she can’t walk well so walking is out of question…and duh wouldn’t make the appointment in time if we walked. Next I buy steaks only when its on sale cheaper then hamburger. I do make my own cakes and cookies. I have a cell phone only because schools have to be able to get a hold of me at anytime if my daughter gets sick goes into a seziure ect. I try to work, but when I have to be out of work for a week at a time because my daughter’s body has refused to behave like it should and I am in a hospital with her guess what I lose that job. I can’t leave her in the hospital its against the law. I am required to be there. My internet is public internet or a friends internet. As for bettering myself. I have a college education. I am educated, but had the blessing to have a disable daughter born into my life and as responsible parent I take care of my daughter. As for robbing the system far from it i get 100 dollars a month in food stamps. I live week to week. My children wear hand-me-downs, thrift store or clearance clothes. The only clothing I buy full price are the special clothing that I have to buy for my daughters needs. Please in the future unless you have a disability child don’t be so quick to judge. People need to really think before they type. And for the record I (for the most part) agree with the orginal post. I just believe people need to be aware and realize not everyone robs the system.
Food for thought:
I make $35,000 a year. In the last 5 years, I have had 6 middle school students give birth to children I am now supporting with my tax money.
Currently, I am up to spending $22,000 in legal and administrative costs in the adoption of my child (we couldn’t conceive in 8 years of trying.)
Why is YOUR situation more important than MINE? I don’t see any of these people tripping over themselves to pay for MY child. And I wouldn’t let you. Instead, I worked HARD to make it happen.
Meanwhile, my wife has a parent-teacher conference with a parent who is livid because her scores in PRESCHOOL rose high enough that she was no longer eligible for a $600 check for being “developmentally delayed.” Quote: “You people cost me $600 a month!” Did I mention what mom drove up to the school in? I better not. (Hint: It was a LOT nicer than my 2003 truck with 116K miles on it.)
Cry me a river.
The problem of poverty is mostly created by our anti-poverty efforts. These encourage people to stop seeking solutions, and to instead start seeking comforts for their problems, namely the free welfare money and benefits. It’s a 50-year campaign by Democrats to buy votes, much like their policy of importing new voters from third world countries in order to marginalize the erstwhile white, Christian, conservative majority.
I think there are many who abuse welfare but You cannot blame all for what some do. There are many who need help at times in their life and we need to step up and help them. Judging all by what you saw is not a correct answer to any problem. There are many ways to help the correct ones and weed out those who abuse, so thanks for what you feel but these are not second class citzens they are people in need.
This’ll be lost in comments, but I want to share this experience of mine with you.
This year I was out of work for several months. As my savings ran out, my church’s prayer guild went to bat for my family. Within a few weeks I got a new job (a miracle in itself), but not before I had to go several thousand dollars into debt just to keep bills paid. (My family of five does not live extravagantly. No car payments, no cable, no dining out except 1/2 price night. Still, living costs money.)
Not only were we prayed for, but several anonymous donors sent us grocery cards and cash. With that, we were able to scrape by without further borrowing.
Today we’re back out of debt. We were so happy about that, my wife and I wanted to plan a little vacation, as we haven’t taken the kids anywhere in a couple of years. Plus, as an airline family, we travel very cheap. But we realized immediately that if we did take a trip, it could look very bad for us after our church family had sacrificed so much. As a direct result of their charity, we’ve elected to postpone any travel until at least mid-year.
Now, if we had been on government welfare, we would not feel any shame at all about spending money on niceties. And that’s what was happening at the checkout stand in this narrative. There’s no shame or gratitude involved in government handouts. So the recipients feel no need to discipline themselves. The money comes from a faceless entity by force of law, not from real people out of Christian love.
Why are we surprised by your Wal-Mart observations? Because we’ve been told that paying our taxes is all we need to do. The politicians would take care of things for us.
Thank you for shining a light on this.
I agree with the abuse of the welfare system. There are people that need the help and I don’t disagree with that. I have worked in the social work system for many years and have seen many things, families working part-time for 2 weeks and then quitting their job. What they would say to me is being part of that program they had to openly look for a job, had to find one, part time or volunteer,and then their TANF checks would go down (not stop), they would be making less money that way, so after 2 weeks they would quit, TANF checks would go back up and they would start the process all over again. A person on TANF that volunteers makes 2.00/hr from the state plus their TANF…do you know any other volunteers that earn any money. My cousin got divorced from his wife, between the food stamps, the housing, the TANF, she made more money than he did and he has a really good job, plus he got the kids half time and still had to pay her over $150 a week. I have a friend who got their B.A while on the welfare system, got a brand new laptop, their housing paid for, their phone paid for, food stamps, child care, when they got their B.A they said that they weren’t going to work full-time because they would lose their benefits. I have a friend who announced on facebook that they are getting more money from the state…all her kids are either in school or head start program, so she is at home with no kids at least half the day, and has gotten at least 3-4 new tattoos in the last month, who paid for that? I am a single mom, I have a 3 year old, and I work full time, I am trying to get on mainecare because insurance is too expensive and I can’t afford all my bills with the insurance. This Christmas I paid for some of my son’s Christmas presents with bottle returns and change, and I couldn’t get him the toy he wanted, but saw friends, and had friends that I know on the welfare system praise that they got their kids these incredible expensive toys. I can’t afford steak, or lobster for that fact, and I don’t buy junk food for my son. I always spend my money on fruits and vegetables first, then buy chicken, yes sometimes hot dogs because they are cheap, cans of beans again cheap but healthy. I understand why some people get upset because no matter how hard we work, we can’t afford some of the things that we see people on welfare getting, and our taxes are paying for that. I have seen people that do struggle, and its not easy to watch, I know many people that have struggled and made it through, and got back on their feet. I hope that the government can figure out how to make the system work in a way that we stop losing money and people can be “weened” off. There are jobs out there, yeah they might not be “ideal” jobs, but I see places hiring for cashiers, hotel maids, gas attendants, it’s a job, stop saying you can’t find one because they are out there, you just might have to settle until a better one comes along.
I think the bigger problem here is people (as a society) have begun to feel “entitled.” The American dream used to be a full-time job, food in your house, and a house that is not being threatened with foreclosure. The American dream has now become “living off the system.”
The fact is that the ones in charge of distributing the tax money do not live in the situations they help to create. I know once on welfare it is hard to get off. But life is hard. Nothing should be easy or you lose appreciation for it.
My house is not one most people who consider a “nice” house. But it my home, and I am proud of it because I got it with hard work, blood, sweat and tears. I will do whatever I must to keep my house.
My job is not a great one. I make pennies a day. I have to work 112 hours a week for $300 (after taxes). It’s not fun. I would MUCH rather spend that time at home with my 4 kids. Especially during the summer months when they don’t have school. But I can’t.
Vacations for my family is a few days of camping in the summer. And we save for that vacation for literally months. My husband and I don’t receive paid-time-off, so when we take our camping trip, (locally) we have to plan for being without an income for a week. We budget. We sacrifice. We go without luxuries. I dye the gray out of my hair from a box I buy at Walmart for $7. My husband wears jeans with holes in them because he’s a welder and constantly making holes in his jeans, and we can’t afford to keep up with the wear and tear of his occupation. His boots have a hole in the toe so severe, his big toe pokes through. Yet, even in the coldest of winters, he is outside doing his job… with 3 layers of socks on.
The problem is, these abusers of the system don’t want to sacrifice. They don’t want to work incredibly hard for what they have, when they could be given the same effortlessly. Are they the smarter ones? lol
My husband and I don’t have health insurance because our companies don’t offer it, and we can’t afford it even if they did. When my uncontrolled asthma flares up, I am being rushed to the ER, unable to breathe. My last hospital bill came in last week. $1,200. Every week I send the hospital $10. It’s what I can afford. But it gets paid.
My husband and I don’t have retirement. We fear that by the time we are ready to retire, Social Security will be nonexistent. How will we live? We are planning ahead. We are trying to pay off our house as soon as possible. He is 37. I am 33. We have a savings account where we put $5 a week. We have life insurance should anything happen to one of us because we depend on each other so heavily to support our children.
This is life. This is reality. And it’s not always easy or fun. But at least its dignified. As least we know we have done our best, at no expense of others, to make do.
I agree with all that you have written, and applaud your work! However, as a former resident of Maine and a graduate of UMaine’s nursing program, I can’t help but notice that you are attending Providence College. Why do you go to school there rather than the University of Maine? Many of my peers (mid-20s) have amassed serious debt due to attending private or out-of-state schools. While I do not know what your tuition or aid is, I do hope that you do not turn around after graduation and poopr job prospects and change your views.
By the same logic, we should take guns away from everyone because some people abuse the right to own them, right?
@ Melissa E.
This young lady clearly stated GIANT BIRTHDAY CAKES! If you are in such a tight budget then wouldn’t you want your food stamps to stretch for as long as possible because you are in NEED of assistance so it’s much cheaper to bake a cake than to purchase such a GIANT one.
I have seen people who literally don’t bother taking any kind of birth control because they “know” the state is going to help support them. Christine thinks giving help to those who need it isn’t a bad thing. She simply believes it should be a temporary time. It’s the people who have the fancy cars, big rims, iphones, diamond necklaces and earrings but somehow can’t afford to pay for food that she has an issue with.
@ Christine, I think you wrote this article beautifully. You weren’t harsh and I’m sure you held back because you simply wanted to sate what you witnessed at work. Those who are getting all defensive about it are either those who don’t know how to read, because you never said you were against it, you just said there should be limitations OR they are abusing the system themselves.
First off, this girl evidently doesn’t have a clue about the REAL rules of Welfare, TANF, MFIP or whatever the name is that your state goes by. There is a 5 year limit for Cash Assistance….this is a LIFETIME Limit…once your 60 months are up, they are up…it doesn’t restart if you pop out another kid, it doesn’t change….your spindown starts the minute you apply and get approved…I am SO SICK AND TIRED of people who are the effing 1% turning up their noses at people like me who granted may have made some bad decisions in their lives, for accepting help from the state….I’d like to see you swallow your pride JUST ONCE and walk into YOUR human services building (if you even know where it is) and say those words that make your heart drop…”I need an application for welfare”. Yes welfare is supposed to be a temporary thing, and yes I do understand that people are known to abuse the system…but still get off your damn high horses and realize that in todays economy and job market, if you have a job you are DAMN lucky….if you DON’T have a job, it stinks…jobs are far and few between and it’s hard as hell to find work these days…I myself alone have applied everywhere I can apply in my small little town that I live in, in rural SW Minnesota, and even have had a few interviews…NOTHING comes of them….so before you go bitching and moaning about what people are spending their foodstamps on, just remember, not EVERYBODY abuses the system….
You are too harsh toward users of the welfare program. I might agree with most of your points about people being poor spenders, but your comments make it too easy for the debate to get into racial and class issues. Why call the women “Welfare Queens”? That’s too far. You can’t use those kinds of names when you are talking about people on welfare. It makes it appear as if you are simply criticizing people whom you don’t really relate to or care to understand.
@ Shannon Morris
I guess you aren’t familiar with the concept of Constitutionally protected in the Bill of Rights.
Typical redirect. Instead of talking about the problem, some just try to redirect the issue.
Fantastic article. I could not have said this any better myself.
Do like they use to do during the depression, have them wait in a line and get cheese and bread, along with milk. Thats it, it should be enough to live off of until u can get a job. We have become a gentle/kinder society where we are giving the bums a better living than us hard working people. If it were up to me you would see alot of people on the side of the road picking up trash to pay for the money we spend for there food that they are getting.
Do I sound mean, maybe, but I have seen too many jobs out there maybe mininum wage but its a job til they can get a better one. Good luck on reforming society it will never happen as I have heard too many times we have become a kinder genteler society.
They should all be drug screened. When you apply for a job they screen you and i feel it should happen to them as well. Also re-screen them when they want an extension.
I have worked at a walmart for 3 years now, and I just wanted to comment and say that this is perfection. I see things like this constantly and I am glad that you were able to take time to write this all out.
This is so true and I’m happy it’s being given more public attention. I’m willing to bet anyone who has been a cashier at some kind of food store probably doesn’t agree with, or is unsatisfied with the welfare program.
I worked at a dollar store over the summer, a place that should not have even accepted food stamps because nothing in there has any nutritional value, and it was a rare sight to see a person actually buying food with “their” money. I mostly witnessed people buying cases and cases of soda and/or loads of candy bars and junk food. It made me so mad seeing those people do that every day that I had to find a new job.
And the worst part is, people quite often had a remaining balance when I was done checking them out, and most people refused to pay balances even as low as 25 CENTS. Government aid programs are being severely abused and I’m not quite sure why nothing has been done, considering even just the amount of comments that have made it to this page.
@ Jess… I know of a similar situation. My husband’s exwife cheated on him during the marriage. He was willing to give her a second chance (for the sake of their 3 children) and make it work. She wasn’t as willing. Her new boyfriend had money, a life my husband could not give her as a welder/ironworker. She left him, and the kids behind the week before Christmas 2006, and moved in with her new boyfriend. A couple weeks later, she filed for divorce and demanded he begin paying $200 a week to her as a sign of “good faith” to the court. Which he did. Only then did she reclaim the children from him and “grant” him weekend visitation. She immediately went on welfare, food stamps, insurance, the whole 9.
They went to court in February 2007 and the divorced was finalized. The judge granted her primary custody and him weekend visitation. March 2007 she dropped the kids off with my husband and left. She abandoned the kids for over a month to my husband’s sole care. She told him that as long as he continued to pay to her the child support, she wouldn’t take the kids from him. So he did. He couldn’t afford to take her back to court for custody, and she had convinced him that he wouldn’t win anyway. Her arrangement gave them both what they wanted – he wanted the kids, she wanted the money.
April 2007 she reclaimed the children when her boyfriend got sick of her crap and kicked her out. She needed the children to remain on welfare and to obtain subsidized housing, which she did. She removed the children she “loved” from a warm, inviting home to an apartment complex with known felons and drug dealers… just to continue the ability not to work.
From April 2007 until June 2010 she moved and relocated the children 10 times. Each relocation with into a different man’s home. She’s been on welfare ever since, only works part-time to support her “beauty” regimen. Those poor children have been dragged from stem to stern for their mother’s selfish need to be supported by anyone but herself.
In July 2010 I sold most of my belongings to financially aide my husband’s attempt to gain full custody of the children. It was a very long and tedious litigation. He won shared and equal custody, but did not win primary custody because the judge believed the children belong with their mother. And he still has to pay $10,000/year to her in child support. Even though we have the kids more days a year than she does. And she is still on welfare, and receives nearly $400/month in food stamps. But she only feeds them one meal a day because they eat breakfast and lunch through the school’s welfare program.
She is now living a 4 bedroom beautiful cape with yet another boyfriend. He works and supports her 100%. She sits at home, despite the kids being fulltime students, and collects food stamps (still $400/month) and $10,000/year from us in child support, and works parttime on the weekends at an ice cream shop for “spending money.” Must be nice.
John – Merely pointing out the unbelievable hypocrisy when it comes to applying the same logic to something most conservatives find sacred. Do a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch or not???
…and please don’t accuse me of “misdirecting” simply because you failed to make the connection.
I could not agree more & it disgusts me. I do think there are folks who legitimately require assistance due to disability or temporary reasons, and I don’t condemn those folks in the least. What I do have a problem with is all the folks (often generations of families) who intentionally milk and defraud the system. I regret to say that I have a couple distant relatives who live in welfare dependent regions who basically set out to obtain assistance versus relocating to an area with more jobs or taking ANY job available locally (few jobs in the region). It disgusts me. I have worked 3 jobs while taking college classes, worked full time while completing my degree, have had multiple jobs when my primary job wasn’t paying the bills. I work hard for what I earn and it is not much. I pay taxes and I really don’t want to support lazy people who simply don’t want to work or feel they are entitled to something or intentionally defraud the system. It is these people who make it difficult for the people who really need it!!! Maybe as tax payers we are entitled to question people like those mentioned in this article. We are supporting them so why not start holding them accountable? If you know of people committing this fraud please report them. As contributing members of society and taxpayers we should have some rights and if we can’t change the system perhaps we can take small actions to help pave the way for change.
People in this country need to stop feeling entitled – just because you are breathing doesn’t mean you are owed anything. Actually it is the other way around – you are expected to contribute if you are able. Not wanting to work or sitting on your duff eating bons bons all day until you reach obesity and have diabetes is not grounds for seeking disability or public assistance nor is having multiple children to remain on assistance. These folks who are not legitimately in need are screwing all of us & they need to be held accountable. Until there is change in the system all we can do is report these folks & help educate about rights vs privileges (take driving a vehicle for example – this is not a right but a privilege)!
The thing that stinks most about this is that I would be doing far better financially if I were on assistance than I do by working. Wish I could collect free money every month and drive a 30-40K new vehicle.
I worked for WalMart when I was in college 20+ years ago and saw the abuse first hand as well. I did not come from a wealthy family, but my family was never on public assistance. Some seasons in life were harder than others, and during those times it was rice and beans, beans and rice on our dinner table. Even given food stamps, I can assuredly say my mother would have never purchased extravagant food items such as steak or lobster. I once say a lady with six children, all about nine months and 15 minutes apart in age, purchasing a case of Slimfast canned drinks, a case of vienna sausage and a few boxes of saltine crackers. The Slimfast was considered a food item and was about $20 a case. Unbelievable…
I have no problem helping somebody out, but luxury items are not necessity, nor are they a right. If the government will buy me a steak why should I work or try to better my situation? With my family today, items like that are a special treat, and in this economy even though we’ve managed to stay employed, we certainly are very conservative in our purchases.
Welfare needs reform. It needs a step-down process so that when somebody does gain employment, benefits aren’t ripped from them at once.
Great article – glad you had the courage to write it!
As an Army wife I see this all the time. We automatically qualify for WIC but haven’t signed up for it because my husband has always worked, and so have I, but I quit my job to stay home with my son for at least 6 months. It’s frustrating because we could be saving money if we signed up for WIC, but I feel guilty doing it, yet angry that he can deploy to war for a year but makes so little money that we qualify for every Welfare program under the sun.
In our Country it is backwards, the politicians who have no hazards get the money and our soilders who are in harms way all the time qualify for welfare. I say go ahead and apply I would rather my tax dollars went to pay for milk for a soilders baby than to a politician that wants a new Mercedes. Why should you be stressed out about money along with stressing over his safety. I would like to thank your husband and you for your service to our Country. Thank you.
i wanted to voice my opinion on all i have read this morning , until we have walked in someone’s shoe’s we do not know what road they have been down , there are a lot who have never , will never or should never get help in any way . there are a lot who will get it , still get it , and should always get it , its hard telling and not knowing , i am certain of ONE THING no where in the good book or world arcives have i been listed as a judge , to sit and decide on what should or should not be done . I have lived long enough to have seen the good , the bad , the right , the wrong , the up the down ! who are we to sit back and judge how it should or should not be done , I’m over 50 you people under 30 you have not seen shit yet ! but its coming . start looking at the whole picture instead of the fine print in the bottom corner . in order to make change we as a people need to stand together and make good changes together, have peace and compassion for our fellow man , and when we do that as a whole , everything else will work its self out , we wont need welfare because everybody will help everybody , we wont have a corrupt goverment because we will be the goverment like it was ment to be
Wow, I should think that being over 50 you would have learned that the fine print in the corner is the part that will screw you everytime. That is usually the escape clause so there is nothing you can do about whatever they decide to do to you. My advice to those under 50 is to be SURE you read the fine print the important part is hidden in there.
I am over 50 and have seen the good the bad and the ugly too.
The person working her way through college is privileged and shouldn’t be judgmental about people gaming the system. Welfare queens are never lazy or corrupt and only spend their food benefits on nutritious food, never on alcohol or drugs or even potato chips. They spend all their time (and people who have never had a job have *plenty* of time) teaching their children to study hard in school and get a job and be productive members of society, unlike their mothers.
Yeah. Right.
Yes, there is plenty of abuse but not just in the welfare system. I receive no cash and no medical. I am unemployed (but definitely not due from the lack of looking and applying for employment) but receive food stamps. I can’t get ssi for my disability as I can see, hear, and have use of my extremities. It doesn’t matter how hard it will be to keep a job once I get one due to my “issues”. I need brain surgery or I am going to die. But a five year old who won’t stay in his seat in school and pay attention in class can receive disability payments which the parents control. I don’t have a problem with working, I want to work no matter my “disability”.
I have spent the last two days attempting to read every comment on here and I finally got done. Most of what I want to say has already been said, but here’s a little more.
I have a friend whose husband is disabled. Once in a while she will buy a birthday cake for her kid instead of baking one because she is TIRED. She has many children and she homeschools and works from home. If buying a cake ensures her kids can have a nice party, and then they eat beans and rice the rest of the week, so be it. I would never begrudge them the little things that make you feel human (I am also cracking up over everyone talking about cake mixes and canned frosting…has anyone ever made a cake from scratch? Do people DO that any more? Canned frosting is so very nasty.)
I have an iphone. My husband and I bought them after being without a cell for 5 years. We used what was leftover from our tax money after paying off debt and doing home repairs. It was our treat. We got a good deal (now, you can sometimes get them for free) and the plan is not much pricier than any other cell phone. We do not have a landline And honestly, the benefits far outweigh the cost. I could write pages and pages and pages about that.
Someone complaining about someone buying earrings at GOODWILL? SERIOUSLY? I buy all my jewelry at Goodwill. I feel good that I can buy an entire outfit for $10 and get complimented on it. It makes me feel more like a human being. The idea of picking on people for buying a 50 cent pair of earrings is just despicable. The cocktail dress I bought at Goodwill that I wear on the very, very rare date night with my husband was worth the $4 I spent on it. But I suppose I should have used that $4 to buy a sweatshirt or something so I can LOOK poor.
I would like to hear some justification for not using coupons. That’s probably my favorite complaint. Seriously? You don’t think people should be smart with their benefits? How does that make sense? A few judiciously used coupons are good for EVERYONE, the retailer, the manufacturer and the consumer. But I am not allowed to buy things on sale or use a coupon because I am on food stamps? It doesn’t make any sense. At all.
I can’t wait for the day we are off the government teat. I tell you what, it sucks. It sucks feeling embarrassed. My husband has two degrees, we both work and we are taking a financial class in January. I’ve had people tell us we just spend our money poorly until I tell them how much we make and watch their jaws drop.
I have argued over my WIC vouchers because the cheese I tried to buy was one that absolutely WAS allowed but the brand had not been entered into the system, and the cashier tried to tell me it wasn’t allowed because it said “low carb” on the package. UM, ALL CHEESE IS LOW CARB. There are hundreds of exceptions, and even if you get everything right there might still be a problem because of the cashiers inexperience or some problem with the computers.
We are the working poor. My husband had the same job for 9 years. There is NO upward mobility. He has been looking for a new once since completing his second bachelors a YEAR AND A HALF AGO. He finally has a job interview and you know how he got it? Not by putting in resumes…no, he got it by finding out the contact info of company bigwig we have mutual friends with. He works his tail off, gets a degree, gets another degree, and can’t get an interview without pulling strings. The economy stinks.
I hate that there are abuses…that there are people who OBVIOUSLY have money coming in under the table and are buying nothing but crap but I hate that it means that a woman getting child support gets looked down on for buying a slip n slide.
I do not feel entitled to the food stamps and WIC. But I am grateful for it, and I don’t like being looked down on because the economy is rough.
I could have written this article. I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree. For two years, I had a double major, and I took so many credits I had to petition the Dean to approve my academic workload. On top of this, for the majority of my 4 years at college, I worked 40 hours a week. My “work week” was in addition to all of the studying that came with the double major, and time carved out to experience a college social life.
The first few years out of college I struggled to pay rent on my own and pay my student loans. I worked TWO jobs. I worked F/T at an insurance company (where I will celebrate my ten year anniversary next year), and P/T at a grocery store; both jobs together totaling at a minimum, 70 hours/week.
At the grocery store, I saw exactly what you saw at Walmart-customers using food stamps to buy lobster, steak, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Seriously?! I worked two jobs and could not afford to buy my own steak. Customers using WIC checks to buy Oakhurst milk and brand name cereal. Seriously?! Save me some money, and buy store brand milk and cereal like I buy myself.
When used appropriately, welfare serves a valid purpose and meets a valid need. But I can tell you what I saw was 80/20 or 90/10. And the 80% or 90% was misuse, NOT appropriate use.
Well written. I hope those who can do something about this problem, read this.
I was working one night in the Labor/Delivery Floor of the hospital where I am employed. We had a patient that had a C-section the day before and was resting. This woman was very polite, well-mannered, and respectful. She and her husband had gotten pregnant right as she finished her college degree (at 32 y/o). He worked for the local municipality as a maintenance crew member, so no huge management job for him. Her degree was in education. She was a teacher. They both worked their tails off to get her through school. They never once relied on public assistance (per their comments) and they waited until they were in a better position to have a child. Her cousin comes in with 4 kids behind her and stomach swollen with another. While I was in there giving medicine/taking vital signs/adjusting drips, she was on her iPhone talking about how “His deadbeat ass gonna pay for this baby too.” While she was ignoring both the patient and her kids, the children were running through the room, turning on the in-wall oxygen, pushing the nurse call button because it was fun, and plugging and un-plugging the IV machine. She got off the phone and started talking about her baby and how much she weighed and how uncomfortable she was while pregnant and then, the clincher *verbatim*: “I glad I on that Medicaid. They paying for everything while I in the hospital. I get a big room like this one and I be treated like a queen. You know what else, my government check is gonna go up and I be getting more money. Then that broke-ass-***** gonna pay me too! Girl, we be living in style.” This woman proceeded to hand her teenage kid an EBT card and tell him to get her a soda and some hot fries from the cafeteria. Instead of using her money to buy healthy food, she is buying junk food. In addition, she mentioned they were going to Outback later on because she wants some of their cheesy fries and besides, she is getting her state check tomorrow, anyway.
How is this not abuse? You have a family that refuses to take assistance, plans and saves for the life they want, and refuses to put themselves in a position where they are dependent on it, then you have a woman that has more children than she can afford and is pregnant with another one that will take any handout given to her? I’m sorry, I can’t conjure up any sympathy for people like that who abuse the system. There are legitimate reasons for people to get assistance and those should not be marginalized, but if we create a system where the recipients are made to go out, learn a trade, then get a job using that trade, it will directly benefit the economy and cut down on both fraud in the system and the money needed to sustain it.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
So buying your child a treat such a steak for their birthday or a cake is “luxurious” these days huh? Wow. You want to know what luxurious is sweetheart? Luxurious is when CEOs and business execs walk into a corporate bailout hearing in 5,000 dollar suits and 5 mil. dollar private jets, and then receive billions in aid from those sweet republicans you voted for (democrats suck too, all politicians are crooks right now). Luxurious is when corporations pay more in lobbying for laws that create our corrupt system than they do in taxes. Thats luxurious. Why dont you write an article about GM and the banks, you know, those with privilege like yourself fucking up the system for everyone else. Seems a bit more productive than harping on poverty stricken people buying cakes for their children. And while were at it, why not EDUCATE those on welfare on food, finances, etc.
At one point in my life, I was a single parent trying to pay rent and support my two young daughters. I worked full-time, and had inquired about getting a govt. “supplement” to make ends meet. I needed just a “little bit” more to be able to pay my rent every month. There were no “extras”. When I inquired with the local Maine housing dept in my town, I was denied. My annual income at the time was “just over” the cut-off to be eligible. Their response was this.. “Well, you could always quit your job, and then you would be eligible for our assistance”. I very kindly said, “My daughters’ well-being is what makes it all worth it to work and provide them with a decent life-style, and that is why I do what I need to do. It is sad to say that our government gives little-to-no incentive for those who are work hard, but just need a hand for a short while to be able to “wean” off the welfare system.
I eventually went back to school, earned a degree (of which state did pay for), and was finally able to free myself from the welfare system.. This program helped me in so many different ways.. It opened up avenues for self improvement, self-esteem and self-worth. I was extremely grateful for this program (ASPIRE), and without it, it would have been much harder for me to achieve my goals. .
However, there is still much to do in regards to welfare reform…time limits on assistance is one. More scrutinized monitoring and work incentive programs are a good place to start. Help those who help themselves–
Thanks for your article. It was worth reading.
I think it is sad that a few irresponsible folks ruin it for everyone else. I have been disabled an unemployed since 1986 but owned my own day care home business, supporting most of my family needs (my husband’s salary took care of the other 30%) through that means for years before the onset of a disabling stroke, which made i necessary to thereafter depend upon state assistance. The state did fund my higher education after the fact to the point of a B.A. in Psychology, but then failed to follow through with the placement assistance which they know is essential for people with disabilities to attain jobs, therefore I have not held a single full time permanent job since 1986. I am more than willing to work hard and have proven that through various efforts invested in volunteer work annually for both political candidates in the Fall and fundraising for area Pregnancy Care Centers in the Spring. It’s all they will permit me to do, which I think is a crime and wasted talent here the rest of the year, but there is nothing I can do to force them to get me hired. I thank God for living in a country which at least does take care of it’s disabled citizens. When they get members of the disabled community full time permanent jobs (I’m fluent in Spanish as a second language to boot), then it will be clear that America is finally on the right path to getting all of America working again!
When my father (a lumberman) accidently chainsawed thru his kneecap, our famiy had to get on government supplied food. It was edible and nutritious, but certainly was not lobster. I think we need to go back to that sort of program, perhaps with food bank boxes of preorganized food boxes containing OK’d daily food groups/supplements designed for daily nutrition, no candy, cake or lobster! LOL Basically the WIC approved food, but all boxed up so no one can get filet mignon and beer, when what their children need is orange juice and breakfast cereal, potatoes and hamburger, etc. Something more akin to what people on a budget like you and me eat regularly. The government food thing didn’t work, because the government decided it did not want to be in the food canning and distribution business any more. So they got food stamps and WIC cards and since then everyone has abused them. This kind of abuse that you have described in your article has been going on since I was a young girl back in the 60′s and my mother remembers it from farther back. A cashier/store should have the right to get verbal on people’s ass and say, hey ma’am, this item is not what is showed on the picture, described on the WIC card, so it is not purchasable on your government dime. Pay up, please. Don’t pussyfoot around the issue, Beer and booze should never be allowed into a welfare home, as I KNOW, it will lead to people on welfare staying on welfare. I feel it is the government placing policing the issue into the hands of the store managers and cashiers, but somebody has to do it and you guys are the front line of denese for this problem. You need to man up and just say NO to these people. No, you can’t buy that item with your WIC card, give me money please. Report people wearing Mr. T gold chains and diamond bracelets and driving a corvette coming into your store with WIC cards and welfare stamps, and etc. Just take their driver’s license number, (I assume you are shown that, as we have to do that in Texas when purchasing ANYTHING). or write down their vehicle license plate when they leave. Call it in to the authorities. After 3 or 4 calls from several stores or the same store, I would think the officials would have to actually make an inquiry. Maybe shut off their food stamps or put a hold on it, at least.
It would REALLY help if the state would follow through on their promises. After they spent over $30,000. taxpayer dollars between financial aid and scholarships toward helping me to attain a B.A. magna cum laude (my GPA at graduation was 3.54, in the top 10% of my college class) their paperwork stated they provide placement assistance toward helping graduates to become fully self-supporting in reaching the goal of the provision in the first place. The problem is that they utterly fail to follow through with that essential piece of the puzzle. This is why statistics prove that only 3% of the disabled community is in fact self-supporting and of the remaining 97% only a third even work on the part-time basis. It is a criminal waste of talents, skills and abilities in addition to taxpayer dollars. I am fluent in Spanish as a second language and have proven fund-raising skills, yet because of my mobility impairment no one is willing to hire me. When qualified members of the disabled community are finally helped into permanent full-time employment, then and only then will it be clear that America is fully working again. The discriminatory tendencies against the disabled in the marketplace are not going to stop until the government stops enabling them.
My daughter works her butt off at a part to full time job, goes to college full time (she is going for the nursing program) and raises three of the most week behaved and loving children. Sleep is not much of an option for her most days because besides work school and homework…her own and her children’s (this is every night after dinner at the table (yes, they are fed by FOOD STAMPS) they do homework, baths, bed and then there is more homework, laundry and a house to clean! Guess what? On her kids birthdays those precious kids get a real birthday cake made by a decorator at Walmart and once in a while she has a Steak! That man with the hotdog stand probably couldn’t find a job. So he is out there working! he too has rent and living expenses. He gets out of bed and is trying to provide for himself? maybe his family? Welfare Queens are often raising kids on their own, going to school, working loving their children and it’s people like you that judge my daughter who works her butt off. fortunately she is smart enough to know that with everything going on in her life, she is too happy, busy and forgiving of ignorant people.
Signed,
Welfare Queen’s mother (who does everything in my power to help her and when I can’t….it breaks my heart. I am soooooo proud of my welfare “princess”!!
SOME OF THIS QUEENS AS YOU CALL THEM HAVE MEN THAT WORK AND GET PREGNANT EVERY YEAR..THEREFORE THAT’S WHY THEY ARE USING WELFARE.
THE ECONOMY IS THE WAY IT IS BECAUSE THIS IS BEING GOING ON FOR YEARS.
MY MOTHER HAD 5 CHILDREN AND HER HUSBAND HAD FIVE, WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER IN 2 ROOMS IN NYC.. HER HUSBAND INJURED HER BACK AND COULDN’T WORK, SHE WORKED 2 DIFFERENT JOBS TO FEED US. PEOPLE USE TO TELL HER SHE COULD GET WELFARE BUT SHE WAS TOO PROUD TO GO ASK FOR HELP. WE CAME TO NEW YORK IN 1947, THE ECONOMY WAS WORSE THAN NOW BUT WE WERE FED AND CLOTHED WITHOUT WELFARE.. AS FOR US, WE ALL STUDIED AND WORK AND STILL DO. AM 74 YEARS OLD NOW AND I COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY
BUT THAT’S MONEY THAT I PUT IN. AND I STRUGGLE TO GET BY, BUT WELFARE PEOPLE HAVE THE LATEST ON CELLS, TV’S COMPUTERS, DO THEIR NAILS EVERY WEEK,SMOKE , DRINK, AND WELFARE SUPPLIES THEM FOR EVERYTHING.
THE GOVERMENT SHOULD BE ASHAME!!! THEN THEY WANT MY VOTE.. THEY ARE ALSO A BUNCH OF THIEVES ! GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEM.
At one point in my life, I was a single parent trying to pay rent and support my two young daughters. I worked full-time, and had inquired about getting a govt. “supplement” to make ends meet. I needed just a “little bit” more to be able to pay my rent every month. There were no “extras”. When I inquired with the local Maine housing dept in my town, I was denied. My annual income at the time was “just over” the cut-off to be eligible. Their response was this.. “Well, you could always quit your job, and then you would be eligible for our assistance”. I very kindly said, “My daughters’ well-being is what makes it all worth it to work and provide them with a decent life, and that is why I do what I do. It is sad to say that our government gives little-to-no incentive for those who work hard, but just need a hand for a short while to be able to “wean” off the welfare system.
I eventually went back to school, earned a degree (of which state did pay for), and was finally able to free myself from the welfare system.. This program helped me in so many different ways.. It opened up avenues for self improvement, made me a stronger person,and gave me more self-worth. I was extremely grateful for this program (ASPIRE), and without it, it would have been harder for me to achieve my goals.
Asking for and getting financial assistance can be humiliating, but when managed appropriately and effectively by both the government and the recipient, it can serve as a catalyst for a brighter future.
Thanks for your article. It was worth reading.
When my husband and I first cohabited, about 5 years ago, I lost my very lucrative job as a Crisis Intervention Counselor. I was making a comfy $55k a year. It was devastating. along with the loss of income, I lost my medical insurance too. Friends, family, all pressured me to go down to the DHHS office and apply for food stamps and financial assistance while I was looking for another job. I held off for a few months, but couldn’t do it anymore. I remember a real depressing day when my son and I had PB&J sandwiches, for the 4th day in a row, and he looked at me and said, “Mommy, are we having peanut butter sandwiches again because we’re poor.” Talk about a knife in my chest.
I finally sucked up my pride and went down to the welfare office. Do you know what that lady told me?
Lady: “Are you living with anyone?”
Me: “Yes, my boyfriend.”
Lady: “Does he work?”
Me: “Yes, full time.”
Lady: “Do you work?”
Me: “No, I was recently laid off. Looking for a job though.”
Lady: “Is your relationship with your boyfriend invested?”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Lady: “Do you love him, or would you be willing to leave him?”
Me: “I’m sorry? I’m confused…”
Lady: “If you leave him, I can put you and your son in a local shelter here until another subsidized apartment comes available. You can get a monthly check and food stamps too. Maybe go back to school..”
Me: “Excuse me? Currently, although we might be struggling really bad right now, my boyfriend, who yes I love very much, provides us with a beautiful apartment in a nice neighborhood, and you want me to give that up for subsidized housing?! I do not need to go back to school. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I just need to find another job. Don’t you have any programs that can just help us out for even just a month? I’m looking forward a welfare check. Maybe you know of a church that can help us get food, like a charitable food pantry? I am not leaving my relationship or home for a measely welfare check!”
Lady handed me a $25 gift card to Hannaford and said, “You know where to find us if you change your mind.”
I was astounded. And appalled.
you cant group all people together some of us NEED the assistance to take care of our families. i for one work my butt off every day and guess what…i had to make a choice: do i buy food with my paychecks for my KIDS or do i keep the heat and lights on? well thats a hard choice…hmmm… i think i will swallow my pride and get FOOD STAMPS. you cant call it fraud or abuse since we go to the local meat market and get a months supply of pork products (yes including steaks) on FOOD STAMPS. that is bs. and to the author directly….you may claim you understand but you DONT. try being poor for once in YOUR LIFE and having 2 kids, oh and guess what i work my butt off at WALMART. the job doesnt pay enough to pay bills and buy food but as a REAL MAN i do what i need to to take care of my FAMILY. now i can say there is abuse going on but DO NOT ever try to group us all together just because we buy meat, things to make meals, drinks, and some SNACKS.
First, Great job on a well written article. However, I do believe that some of you need to re-read the article. This young lady never said that food stamps should be stopped. She never stated all people on food stamps committed fraud and she did not say that EVERYONE on food stamps ate only stakes and lobsters everyday. She did point out that she saw in her 2 years of working at a national chain that she WITNESSED a huge amount of fraud, and if you are honest with yourselves you will admit that you have seen it too. I believe that with her 2years of experience, that she can state that some people chose a “nice meal” occasionally while other chose it as a “everyday” menu, and I think that most people would say that is EXCESSIVE. This young lady does not state that buying a cake for your child is the worst thing in the world, however, that is not what food stamps is intended for, I bake my kids cakes & trust me they aren’t always pretty, but guess what I’m with them & they are with me! She wrote the least about the man on welfare her whole life, maybe she realized he could have been a wounded solider or disabled, but it still needs to be out out there, I am completely OK with soldiers who may need assistance for the rest of their lives, but you know let’s have a check of the system. (We don’t have iPhones at my house, why because we can’t afford them. If “someone” is paying your food bill and you can afford a iPhone maybe you should put that money in the bank & save it till you can afford to get a certificate of deposit (CD) and learn to save money…whoops soapbox) She writes that she believes that the “taxpayers” are paying for a man’s hotdog business. Would you like to pay for my business, I mean straight up, would you like to fund my business but receive nothing in return. Yeah, I didn’t think so. They do have other programs for that though
I can assure you that this young lady has been honest in her account of 1 how she was treated as the cashier, she has actually down played it, because cashiers are treated MUCH WORSE and 2 some peoples ability to just push and play the system till they abuse it, sometimes even for generations.
She also writes about the NEED for reform. She never states that the food stamps program or for that matter any program be revoked. She does write that if you make even the tiniest bit of money of the “formula” they take all of your money. The program does not help you with a hand up, as it should. It keeps you bogged down in the system, because you can’t get a job and get help. Many may feel that they have to decide whether you want your family to eat or you want to get a job…that’s how it starts. If people would start caring about their communities again and see “beyond the end of their noses” they may see that many of their neighbors want off these programs, but can’t because they need the assistance.
On a personal note I use coupons…alot of them(but not extreme couponing, because I don’t need 500 toothbrushes), I shop for more fruits and veggies than I do “sugar” cereals or potato chips. I cook at home at least 6 nights a week, but we do enjoy sharing a $5 pizza at our home on Friday or Saturday night.
Ok, so I jumped on my soapbox…have a blast with it, but remember my comments are mine and not the writer of this article, please do not confuse the two.
while I also think welfare needs reformed I think Christine is an uppity better than thou republican who has no clue what its like to struggle and I would bet she has no children
either and for those in question no I have never been on any type of assistance in my life but because I am human and a democrat I know what compassion is
The reason the stigma is gone from FS, is because there are SO many people that are receiving it, thanks to ginormous corps like WM have left our country with no jobs.
As for people that would like to see us to decline into some Dickensian society where we have to beg the church for help, and go to debtors prison when we cant pay our bills, great. That’s what we are heading toward anyway. This country is in desperate need of education and a truly free press, to help get us there. Idiotic people that have voted for years against what is in their own best interests are going to be sorry when they are the one with no job and the unemployment is cut off, thanks to a govt that runs on a month to month basis. We live in a third world country, the infrastructure is a joke, we have an infant mortality rate lower than S Korea’s, we have no real health care system for the poor, and a public that’s happy as long as they can watch TMZ on their idiot pod.
Lisa Hamilton,
If your daughter is working, going to school, attempting to better her life, she *IS* among those who SHOULD be receiving assistance. THAT is exactly what the programs are for. To assist those who need a little extra help. Kudos to her! I hope she succeeds. Sounds like she has a great support network.
However and unfortunately, this article and the writer, I believe, was targeting those who are not going to school, not working, not attempting to better their lives.
God bless you. Keep up the good fight! You will make a great reporter!
I hope you know that both US Senators from Maine are Republican, the Governor of Maine is Republican, the Maine Senate is Republican by a 20-14-1 margin, and the Maine House of Representatives is Republican by a 78-72-1 margin. If Republicans are running the show, but it’s easier to commit welfare fraud in Maine than in other states, then why vote Republican?
I have been working as a cashier for the past 13 years (I work for Meijer, WalMart’s primary competition in the Midwest). Ms. Rousselle only scratches the surface.
While yes, there are those out there who do indeed need assistance, I have no problems helping them. BUT… there are more than enough who are systematically abusing the system. I am not judging them, I am simply stating what I have witnessed in my job.
I do understand that sometimes you need to have a cell so that family can get ahold of you. But here’s a suggestion: Rather than committing to a contract for a $200 phone with a $40+/month charges, try spending LESS than $20 to purchase a prepaid phone from a company like Tracfone, Virgin Mobile or Net10. Most months, I use less than 50 minutes of airtime on mine. No, its not a “Smart Phone”, I can’t access the internet or play the latest games (though I bet I could beat your butt on “Tetris”!) But my family can call me anytime they need.
I agree with Ms. Rousselle that while there are those out there that don’t abuse the system, it frankly boggles the mind the way that those who DO abuse it have the balls to do so so blatantly.
I had a woman come through my register; she had maybe $150 worth of grocery items. She apparently knew the woman who was in line behind her and they were getting reacquainted after a long absence. She was telling her friend of a recent vacation that she and her two sons had taken to Hawaii and the wonderful adventures they had on the trip. Then (you guessed it!) she paid for her groceries with a Foodstamp EBT card. I told my wife this tale, and she commented “well, maybe someone else paid for the trip?” If you’ve got friends that are willing to shell out to take you to Hawaii, I’m sure they love you enough to help get you some food once you’re home. (and where the heck can WE find some friends like that??? I’m just saying…)
Some people are so quick to be offended. If you had actually really read the article, you would realize that Christine is not belittling ALL recipients of ALL types of wellfare. She’s simply reporting a problem that folks who cashier at Wal-Mart or albeit any grocery store across the country see everyday, myself included. I would even say that these “welfare queens” are in the minority. But most of these people who are so quick to make judgments agains Ms. Rousselle seem incapable of admitting that there are many who abuse this system, who refuse to work and use the tax dollars of those of us who work multiple jobs to live outside of their means. While I think people deserve nice meals and beautiful cakes for their children, the fact is that if you’re on welfare, you have given in to the fact that you just can’t afford these things. It’s sad, but its the truth. People buy things like nice steaks, lobsters and cakes and then complain that their children don’t have enough to eat, or that they go hungry themselves so that their children do. If people forego the nice foods, they could buy three or four meals for the same amount of money. They say that it’s no ones business what they buy with their food stamps, and that’s probably true. But if you’re buying these things, you have no right to complain when your stamps run out and someone is still hungry. The part of it all that makes me angry is that I see people all the time in my checkout line (again, this is not EVERYONE on welfare) who wear very nice clothes, nails professionally done, and so many of them have separate cash transactions in order to buy their cigarettes and high dollar alchohol, all the while talking or texting on their iPhones or Droids. I don’t mean to make anyone mad with this comment, but step back and take an honest look at what these things cost. If you can afford to buy all of these things for yourself, you DO NOT NEED TO BE ON WELFARE! While I do not know the individual stories of these people, it’s hard to imagine a scenario that would justify having these things. For those of you who have fallen on hard times, legitimately cannot work, are constantly searching for work, or just don’t have enough work and who truly do need welfare and who are not abusing it…great job. None of these comments are directed to you. You’re doing everything right. For those of you who are abusing it, stop wasting my money.
Great piece Christine.
This only touches the tip on welfare fraud.
I know of a friend who had a summer job in Newark NJ, back in the early 90′s.
Where he and a co-worker had to process welfare forms for the state and counties.
After about two weeks, he told me he started noticing the SAME people coming in using different DL’s (when photos were optional) and ID’s to claim benefits under different names. Some families or persons receiving 3 to 4 welfare checks!
I understand being upset with the system but the GOP is not going to fix the problem. None of the presidential down to the local mayoral candidates are willing to completely overhaul the system. It requires work- something neither party is capable of doing. In fact, I might argue that those jobs have become a ‘welfare system, as well. For someone do upset about the system, did you ever report these people? You have access to their information.
Funny, the nastiest, and most consistently abusive customers I ever encountered as a cashier were little old white church-lady types who paid in cash.
Shannon Morris says:
December 15, 2011 at 10:19 am
John – Merely pointing out the unbelievable hypocrisy when it comes to applying the same logic to something most conservatives find sacred. Do a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch or not???
Shannon,
We do not see a “few” bad apples. In my neighborhood, and in my small school district, a person who is NOT abusing the system is rare.
From the comments here, it seems that my observations are not unique.
You’ve attempted to make a comparison of conservative verses liberal ideologies, thus demonstrating that this issue is so “us verses them” that it cannot be rationally discussed. It is always a “well, what about this that YOU want” issue.
The 2nd Amendment discussion should be left out even without pointing out that 99 million lawful gun owners have NEVER committed a crime with their firearms.
Don’t try to distract the issue of SPENDING with discussions of RIGHTS specifically outlined in the Constitution.
In the end, issues MUST be discussed on their own principles and merit.
Asking me to pay for another person on my $35,000 income while spending (at this time) $22,000 for my adoption AS the welfare recipient in our church just told my mother that she has decided to have ANOTHER child is a hard sell to make.
Having 7th graders with iPhones tell me that my little LG vue is “so 2 years ago” while have 100% of the class on Medicaid is a hard sell to make.
Seeing people in line ahead of me buying ground meat for their dog on food stamps is outrageous.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter. We are broke. In the “real world” everyone keeps talking about, if you don’t have the money, you can’t spend it.
The reality is that the US government WILL have to make cut-backs on what it has historically done. The conservatives will have to accept the reality that military spending will have to be cut drastically. The liberals will have to have to accept that social entitlements will have to be drasticaliy cut. No one gets to protect their pets when the bank account is busted.
The day he was born, my 6 month old son owes $46,000 of the national debt. It takes a VERY selfish society to look him into the face and explain to him why HE will pay for OUR irresponsibility.
How much do we spend on war every year? There are millionaires collecting unemployment, and corporate welfare is breaking us a lot faster than any poor people ever could. America is very near the bottom of the list when it comes to money spent on social programs. Ironically, right-wing fundamentalist Christians lead the way in attacking the poor. How very Christ-like.
“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.”
Ezekiel 16:49
I am not disputing that the system is being abused, but to take something away from everyone based on the abuse of some is just wrong. If people like you had their way, my own mother and I would have suffered greatly when I was a child.
By the way, it has ALWAYS been against the law for people to attempt to purchase either cigarettes or alcohol while on food stamps and anyone found guilty of trying to do that can and should be kicked off of the program. Further, those businesses accepting food stamps for such illegally obtained products should lose their status as being eligible to take food stamps as payment for any of their merchandise, period. When the government actually starts penalizing those breaking the law, we might then finally see compliance happening across the board. The time for accountability is overdue.
I was listening to the radio (on my day off from a paying job) and heard a commentary on your article (I’m from Wisconsin, the “Other Welfare and now “Recall” state but we won’t go there on the recall…) and it lifted my spirits that there are some young people that draw reasonable conclusions from actual experiences. The writer isn’t making value judgements against people who legitimately are in need. She had the courage to point out what most of us won’t – that government programs are out of control and fraud and mis-use is what is causing the downward spiral of our country. Am I going to deny someone a birthday cake or steak? No. Do I have any use for someone who demands the purchase of a vacum cleaner for $3.48? No. The sad fact is that people proudly scam
the system and have distain for others who try to get a job and get out of the welfare system. They pass this attitude down to their children who in turn do not value education or work and think that the government (your tax dollars and mine) owe them a living. They take little to no accountability for their behavior and when questioned claim that people are wrong to question their behavior because society hasn’t given them a chance. Sorry, they’ve had lots of chances – how many state and federal programs are there?
I often lose hope when I see the generational effect of years of irresponsibility that welfare has caused. The words of the author lifted me up this morning. Education is the only hope for our future and thank goodness she lives in a country where we (still) have freedom of speech so she can state her point of view.
‘Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.’ => bastards, how DARE they buy a cake for their kid?!? (Also, later on your article you talk about non-nutricious foods – steak=lean protein=healthy, lobster=same… so decide what your point of view is first…) ‘After the woman swiped her EBT card, it showed a balance that equaled the cost of the peppers. The woman asked what the charge was, and a quick glance at the register screen showed that the peppers did not ring up as food. (Food items had the letter ‘F’ next to their description.) The woman immediately began yelling at me, saying that, “It’s food! You eat it!”’ => and SHE was the weird one?!? Aren’t you smarter than the computer, couldn’t YOU put the freakin’ F next to the peppers?!? ‘EBT totals are printed on receipts, and every cell phone has a calculator function. There’s no excuse, and there’s no reason to yell at the cashier for it.’ => of course we shouldn’t yell at people, but seriously, it’s probably quite stressful indeed to not know if you have enough food to survive the day, the month, if you’re kids are gonna have food to eat – does ANY of us know how that feels like? I don’t think so … ‘Welfare Queen #1 remarked that it must be tough to stand on a mat all day and be a cashier. I looked at her, smiled, shrugged, and said, “Well, it’s a job.” She was speechless. ‘ => lol, yeah, cause the author of this piece is NOT complaining enough about her job, and how horrible it was, and what stupid, uneducated people she, the poor thing, had to deal with. The customer extended her human contact, and the writer basically replied: you stupid b***h, if YOU had a job, I wouldn’t have to be here dealing with you! Very ‘intellectual’ … and yeah, btw, people with lower incomes, lower education, tend to buy food not high in nutrition values – be it for their lack of knowledge about it or lack of money or both – Whole Foods didn’t get their nickname Whole Paycheck for nothing … ‘The next man in line said that the two women reminded him of buying steel drums and cement. I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.’ => if that’s her reason, I feel sorry for the Republicans for having such a non-human voter … I mean, are all food-stamps-receiving Americans stupid? Uneducated? Vulchers? How many people (%) is that??? ‘This is peculiar, as Maine’s poverty rate isn’t even close to being the highest in the nation. ‘ and why is that? Aren’t some of the wealthiest people in US living in Maine? Which makes them some of the richest people in the entire world? I think that kinda tips the scale a liiiiiiittle bit … ‘There is no time limit and no motivation to actually get back to work. Furthermore, spending on welfare has increased dramatically, but there has been no reduction of the poverty rate. Something is going terribly wrong, and the things I saw at work were indicators of a much larger problem. Something must change before the state runs out of money funding welfare programs.’ now THAT’s the point I completely agree on and something does need to be done in encouraging people to get out there & be active in their search – so why don’t you start a support group for underprivileged or join an existing social group or maybe (wow, crazy idea!) see for yourself how these people live & do what they do before you write more judgmental stuff like this?? If you’re in rage of the system, blame and change the system, not the people – I’m sure YOU would do everything in your power to feed your kids too!!!
It could be that a measure of minding your own business would be in order here?
Is this what they call ‘class envy’?
Reading some of these comments, it’s clear that some of the commenters were paying no attention to what Christine actually wrote. Allow me to quote:
“During the 2010 and 2011 summers, I was a cashier at Wal-Mart #1788 in Scarborough, Maine. I spent hours upon hours toiling away at a register, scanning, bagging, and dealing with questionable clientele. These were all expected parts of the job, and I was okay with it. What I didn’t expect to be part of my job at Wal-Mart was to witness massive amounts of welfare fraud and abuse.
I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it. What I saw at Wal-Mart, however, was not temporary aid. I witnessed generations of families all relying on the state to buy food and other items. I literally witnessed small children asking their mothers if they could borrow their EBT cards. I once had a man show me his welfare card for an ID to buy alcohol. The man was from Massachusetts. Governor Michael Dukakis’ signature was on his welfare card. Dukakis’ last gubernatorial term ended in January of 1991. I was born in June of 1991. The man had been on welfare my entire life. That’s not how welfare was intended, but sadly, it is what it has become.”
Like any good person, the author understands the need for aid when a person or a family falls on hard times. I think everyone understands that. But what is so frustrating and so anti-American about Welfare is that so many people have come to depend on it not as a temporary supplement, but as a permanent source of income. It is not viewed as funds to be used for life’s necessities, thus allowing the individual to retain any other income, scrimp, save, and eventually pull themselves out of poverty. THAT is the problem.
Steak and lobster are fine now and then. But you know what? Work in a grocery store long enough and you see the same people time and again. And you see that they’re buying that steak and lobster every week, along with their beer and their soda and their Snickers bars.
Those who abuse the welfare system, and other forms of assistanc, not only enslave themselves to a lifetime of government dependency, but they unfairly besmirch others on assistance who treat it properly, and who try so hard to find gainful employment that will allow them to be self-sufficient once more. Those people deserve our respect and understanding, and our gracious help; to them, welfare, WIC and TANF are vital to their survival, and they treat them as just what they are – a temporary stepping stone. Not so the welfare queens and kings of the modern era.
The first thing I think we have to do is stop calling these things “entitlements.” No one is entitled to anything in this world, except what they earn themselves. That includes not only money, but also respect and success.
I wonder what would be a better word than “entitlement…”
I have a question for everyone on here. What do you think is going to happen when the country is broke and there are NO food stamps, NO welfare, and NO freebies. If you think it is hard to explain to your kids that we have to live within our means NOW, what do you plan on telling them then?
My kids have to be told no on many things because we can’t afford them. They aren’t poor like I was growing up, and I truly hope they never have to be poor. But we as a nation need to be prepared for the moment our nation becomes bankrupt. P.S. That time is coming SOON!
Welfare was made for a reason-when people needed it. It is now,with the other programs available, used as a means of living over multiple generations. Face it, these government recipients are voters and that’s what the government is currently doing-buying votes. They need to cut the programs to the point that it will actually give a person incentive to work. Drive down the street sometime-in places you will see close to brand new 4×4′s or expensive cars -they have the newest cell phones, cable or satellite tv, are able to go out about every night to the bar, have excellent health care and free child care. Why do anything else? Disgusting!! The whole program needs to come to a halt.
I understand that you can get very angry with people who buy these things. I am on food stamps right now raising 3 children on my own. I get child support to pay for my bills, gas and anything my children need. Yes, I do buy their birthday cakes with food stamps. I do not get any cash assistance. I make it work with $1000 a month. I just completed school recently and now that I have done that, I am looking for a job. I may get a porterhouse steak maybe once a year, if that. You have no idea how hard it is just to get off of food stamps. When I get a job, I will be losing most if not all of them. I live in a place that the rent is based on your income. So, when I get a job I have to take in consideration of how much my rent will go up, how much more money I will be spending on gas, if my youngest child will require daycare and how much that is a month, plus what I will be losing in food stamps. They system does not consider your bills or any other expenses when you get food stamps. At least not in my state. Before I had my youngest child, I worked full time at Walmart while supporting my 2 children. I did not get any child support or any help, except for fuel in the winter. I have busted my butt all my life and I will tell you now that once you are getting any assistance, it is so hard to come off of it because you are thrown back into the world with little or no help. I am terrified that when I do find employment that my wages will not cover what I have been getting help with. Sometimes it isn’t worth going to get a job until all of your children are in school so you don’t have to pay a daycare. I understand your frustration with “welfare people”. I do not consider myself a welfare person. I have worked very hard to finish school, raise my children and keep up a household. Please make sure you look at people and not judge them because they are getting a little junk food with food stamps. In one of my classes I was told a story. Here it is: Driving down the road you see a woman driving while talking on a cell phone. There is a small child in the back seat. The woman is constantly looking back at her child and swirving all over the road. What would you think in that situation? I thought the same thing. I thought that the woman needed to get off of her cell phone, look forward and pay attention to what she is doing. What if I told you that the woman was on the phone to 911 calling because the child in the back seat was choking on something.Things aren’t always what they seem. Think about it!
first of all let me say i was recieving food stamps in the early 90′s. i had a daughter,and a job feeding and cleaning up after horses at a ranch-the only job i could find at the time,didnt know anything about horses.but i did what it took to provide for my family. i had a hard time making ends meet. i swollowed my pride and went to social svcs and got help.it was easy because of my family needing to eat. i was on assistance for about 22 months and then started my own business-i went down and told them i wanted to get off assistance. yea it felt good. when i went shopping for food i used coupons,bought generic,and bought bulk-when i knew i was gonna use the food in time so not to spoil. i bought and used alot of beans and potatoes,to try to strech out for the month.i tried shopping like i was going to have to answer to someone why i bought what i did with the money they gave me-because that is actually what it was,money someone else gave me. i was very grateful that the program is in place. i am lucky enough to be well off through hard work that i dont need to be on assistance. now, the point is that not everyone on assistance is screwing the system, but there are some major problems with not only food stamps but also with medical assistance and low income housing. i know in my town here in souteastern colorado there are alot of people that need assistance.alot of them use it responsibly, i also know that something is wrong when some people are living in low income housing, getting other assistance and driving new cars and have new big tv’s and theater systems-huh. yea i have all that and more-but i work my ass off 12-14 hours a day. also the medical insurance thing should be looked at-i think that if you are on public medical assistance you should be made to quit smoking or drinking-i see people on public insurance assistance,on oxygen and go to the hospital or Emergency room and are still smoking-i pay about $1,200 dollars a month for my health insurance, and i see people on public insurance treat doctors and hospitals like crap when they dont get what they want or have to wait for too long-or what they think is too long-when other people are paying for their medical care,and they dont try to do what it takes to get better and want to get better now. crazy!! i know there are people that need assistance-you know who you are-i know there are people that take advantage of the system-you know who you are, others dont need to judge you,you do that yourself when you get defensive about how you spend other peoples money, and defensive when someone brings up the subject. the people who do right are eager to and can explain how they spend the money responsibly.when the people who regulate public assistance figure out how to reform the system,alot of people will be very unhappy. or alot of people will be very happy.
The problem with food stamps buying steaks and lobsters is that most people who actually work for a living wouldn’t dream of purchasing these items if it isn’t in their budget.
Just ask my six children.
Just an FYI, it is possible to have an iphone on a prepaid wireless account. I inherited an iphone and spend $25/month on voice and texts. Of course, if we had food stamps, maybe I could afford the actual monthly data plan.
I think that unless you’ve been in someone else’s shoes then you can’ really judge them. I don’t see anything wrong with a parent buying a large store made birthday cake for their little kid to bring them tears of joy. It’s only once a year. I don’t see anything wrong with someone trying to treat themselves or their family with a steak once in a while. And that Iphone could have been a gift and 25/a month for service is very cheap. My phone costs 40/month and it’s a old fashioned phone. In order to have jobs call you back you need a phone and like I said it could have been a birthday or graduation gift from a grandparent. Also, for the guy who was on food stamps since 1991, maybe he’s on disability and will remain on disability for his entire life and in some states you can receive food stamps as well with your disability check. It’s not easy to live on 500 to 700 a month, plus pay rent, buy food, pay utilities if you are disabled for life so he will in fact need food stamps for life so he can survive.
Everyone wants to assume that others are up to no good. But you really don’t know someone else’s situation. My great grandmother and grandfather have lots of money and if I was in contact with them they might buy me an iphone and pay the bill. But just because they have money doesn’t mean that I do. Some people who receive food stamps are disabled, they may not look it but there are all kinds of disabilities and I would want to judge others because what if what happened to them, happened to me. Like my mom has TMJ and is horrible facial pain but when you look at her you wouldn’t know it. So, you would judge her because she’s always smiling just to stay positive but inside she’s in a great deal of pain. It’s really not fair to judge others.
Very immature.
…You know, it’s like the old, old story about the blind men and the elephant. They are all feeling different parts of the animal, and saying, that’s what an elephant is !
Yes, there are people who abuse the system. If people who abuse the welfare system are criminals, they aren’t very good ones because they’re only getting food stamps and a couple hundred bucks a month. Ceos and insider trading type folks abuse and bankrupt the system, send American’s jobs away, and get yachts and bonuses and political offices and unlimited power. Now, these people are ReallY good criminals.
There will always be ignorant, selfish and rude people in every social class.
Don’t be grow up to be one of them. How long can a person get welfare? What is the total amount they can get for themselves and how many children? What can you buy with this? How much apartment or house can you afford on 10$ an hour? How many people need jobs and how many are available and what do they pay and what kinds of advancement potential do they have? What are the size of the bonuses received by the people who are sending this country to hell? These are the kind of questions this young lady needs to be asking, not dum-wiitted questions like ” Um, why is that lady on welfare buying a cake ???”
Get the facts. They are out there.
This article is shallow, one-sided and Clearly the author has not seen enough of life to judge, or to see the whole picture, nor has she tried. Plain and simple the girl who wrote this article is, at this point in time, a stupid bitch. Let’s pray that she and so many others like her get themselves not only some compassion but some true education, and a true wish to understand and learn. Hopefully these lessons will not be in the school of hard knocks.
Wow! Written like a true privileged, haughty Republican. Now, come down off that high horse for a minute and think about your judgemental observations. “Welfare Queen #1 and Welfare Queen #2″ ?? Who the hell do you think you are? Your still in college with NO life experience under your belt, working a part time job at Wal-mart and you think you know enough to comment on people needing/receiving Welfare and deciding who needs what? what’s appropriate and what’s not? A birthday cake is appropriate. A slip N slide for a child in the summer I do not have a problem with and it’s unfortunate that you do! Also, you judge how long someone may receive welfare? what food someone can buy on welfare? God help you. Carma is a bitch
Yes, the worst thing about these mythical “welfare queens” is their entitled attitude. Don’t they know their place? Poor people should wear a mask of shame at all times and should never give Walmart cashiers, who are the true heroes of our nation, any lip.
And how dare these people eat anything besides bread and water?!? I pay taxes so I should have the right to tell people I don’t even know that they are giving their kids cereal with too much sugar! Poor people don’t deserve to have red meat or birthdays or shellfish or snacks of any kind. Who do they think they are? Walmart cashiers?!?
Poor people who buy $100 of groceries a week for a family of four with food stamps are the real threat to our democracy! Never mind large corporations who make millions of dollars in profit every year yet pay no taxes by taking advantage of off-shore tax shelters and sophisticated, quasi-legal tax planning tricks. Thank goodness that we have the author of this blog (who undoubtedly has a wealth of life experience from her two semesters of American Government at world-renowned Providence College and her dog-eared copy of Atlas Shrugged) to inform us of this grave danger to our nation.
@ Kathleen Flick
She was saying some guy tried to use his welfare card, not EBT. Back in the 1990′s, in many states, you needed to have a welfare card to prove you were the person who received the stamps and applied for them and that was allowed to spend the food stamps.
I just want to say thank you for posting/writing this someone gets it (and of course everyone else that likes this.) Now if only over stupid states, government, president, and whoever else could just get it.
“everyone deserves to have the foods they enjoy”. THAT is precisely the attitude that needs to shift. No, we don’t DESERVE to have what we enjoy. We are blessed to enjoy what is available and within our means. Not everyone on welfare, unemployment, etc. abuses the system. For those who do, yeah they need to be held accountable and have an amount of respect for the people who do work and pay taxes so that they can get the assistance they need.
You know this has been going on for years not just recently, there are some people that really need the help and should get it. You guys are mad about the system don’t be mad at the system be mad at the people who run the system they are the ones who are supposed to follow through and see if people really need the help or not. When you sign up for welfare benefits they always tell you they will do checks to see if you are living beyond your means but they never do. There was a case of a chiropractor who had his own business lived in lakefront property with boats and traveled to different countries yet collected welfare benefits for years but no one wants to be mad at those type of people. Here is someone who is well off but using your tax dollars to travel and live better than most of you complaining. Also not only does your hard earned money go to help the poor and elderly but what about wall street and the government and city, state taxes that take your money and doesn’t use it how they say they will. You should complain about that because that is the problem with America people want to bash bash bash but not think of the true problem or even a solution. For you people saying these people can get up and work just like you speaking from experience it is hard to find a job now days even at Walmart…here in Houston I applied to stores like that they did not hire me yet when I shop there the lines are ridiculously long. And why is this because they want to save money and not have to spend it on paying people to work, be mad at that also be mad at companies who took away jobs and moved them overseas so that they can pay people below minimum wage and avoid paying taxes, I say to those companies you want to take work away from America than take your company and product and move it out. Let the same people you provide work to be your consumers and spend their money on buying your products or services. So people need to realize the deep root of the problem and stop blaming everyone who needs help. Maybe the department of human services should actually hire people to do the job correctly and try to minimize the abuse of welfare services but don’t take away from people who really need the help that is not fair.
Wow, clearly people do not know how to read or comprehend. She is talking about the people who ABUSE THE SYSTEM, not those who really need help! As for the girl who has four children for four different men and who feels entitled to Iphones, maybe you should get yourself some education, protection and self-respect. Learn how to keep your legs closed. Ignorant people should not be allowed to breed.
I find it funny how many have attacked the author as being “privileged,” “immature,” “no life experience,” and even a “bitch” even as they completely ignore all of the comments from others who are older, have families, jobs, and life experiences who see much of the same things.
Perhaps it is telling when the younger generation even sees what is going on and says “enough is enough.”
– John
a 40 year-old, public school educated, middle-income father who sees this every day.
I have been on disability for several years & my boyfriend lost his job when dhl pulled out of Ohio. We have struggles quite a bit over the last several years. But we have never recieved government assistance. Luckly my house is owned by my parents so if I’m a little late on rent it’s ok. His mother takes us grocery shopping often & evens gives him money. I qualify for all the assistance but have never even tried to sign up for it. I know that not everyone has family to help in the times of need but we would have still made it without their help. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to to get by but you do not abuse the system just because you can. I also agree with the states that are or are trying to make you take a drug test to get the assistance. We all have to take one to get a job & if you have the money to buy drugs then clearly you do not need the help.
The abuse of the system should anger EVERYONE, whether you’re currently using a government service or not. If you’re on assistance for legitimate circumstances and utilized the services responsibly, then nothing about this article is directed at you. No need to post your life history and financial woes to defend yourself or your predicament. We understand. If however you’re on assistance and this article angers you, then you’re probably one of the people abusing the system. To cite one of the commenter’s examples, I completely agree that your children should be able to own DVDS or toys and it’s probably heart-wrenching and embarrassing to be unable to purchase these things on your own. We get it. But that doesn’t give you free range to use our tax dollars to buy them with EBT cards. If you can’t afford food, these items are a luxury and not necessary to sustain life. The system was not designed to provide means of entertainment for your family. Ask your grandparents’ generation what it meant to be poor, the sacrifices they made and then take a look at your own life and what our country has provided for you. Then re-evaluate just how bad you have it. To quote the same phrase dozens of you are using to justify abusing the system, I’m willing to bet those are some shoes that you wouldn’t want to walk in. They were splitting cabbages, you’re buying DVDs.
And for those accusing the author of being judgmental, here’s a reality check. No one cares what you do with the rest of your life, but when it comes to welfare and government assistance, we have every right to be judgmental. This is our hard-earned money and as part of a democracy, it is our duty, obligation, right and responsibility to evaluate where the money we’re funneling into the government is going. If I can’t afford to buy a lobster, then I’m sure as hell going to judge you for using my money to buy one. Regardless of whatever circumstance put you on welfare. I’m sacrificing part of my paycheck to feed the family you decided to have, so have some respect and use your head when you’re shopping. If things took a turn for the worst and I suddenly found myself in a similar predicament, I can assure you I’d treat your money with the gratitude and respect it deserves. If you feel uncomfortable being judged on your purchases, then you’re under no obligation to continue accepting government assistance.
JMoore:
Spoken like a truly delusional, lockstep Democrat. Karma is indeed a bitch, and it will be visited upon you like the Four Horsemen someday. God save you.
Well said, NotEatingLobsters.
I completely agree; I was a cashier at a grocery store for some time and have seen many of the same abuses. Welfare needs to be reformed because it has become a lifestyle and I personally do not want for another person to eat lobster when I eat grilled cheese on a weekly basis to save money.
Do not condemn the cow, when it is the farmer that cares for them.
Maine has made an industry out of farming the welfare system, and you cannot do that without welfare cows.
Just goes to show, once a farmer, always a farmer.
Maine has found that there is more money in milking the tax payers(local and federal) yhan milking cows.
A related anecdote:
My sister is an elementary school teacher at a public school. She recently asked her 4th grade classroom if someone could explain the role of government. One little boy raised his hand and announced that the “government is what gives you money when you have a baby.”
Although he’s not from one of the several families that drop their children off in Lexus’s for the free breakfast program each morning, it seems his parents have already instilled in him the “American way”.
I especially love the part where she calls the woman entitled because she complains that bell peppers didn’t ring up as food. Who of us hasn’t had the cashier that was as dumb as a box of rocks. She obviously expected the woman to pay cash for the balance instead of realizing this is a problem to fix. Yes she yelled at you. Vegetables “are” food you stupid nit!
I have worked as a cashier in a major retail store here in Maine. I can totally identify with this young lady because what she wrote is true. Unless one has worked as a cashier you would not really know what its like to see abuse and fraud. I am sure she did not mean ALL people using EBT and Taniff are abusing the system but I can assure you all that at least 75% of the people I checked out were. ( and yes, they had manicured nails and really nice phones, not to mention diamond rings ) My nails are a mess, I have a tracfone and I dont own any diamonds. Oh and btw, I am 51 years old, so we cant say I use my “parents” credit card. Cudos to her for speaking up.
Very interesting.
When the lady remarked about your standing all day, you should have said
“It’s a job. You might try one sometime!”
This article reminds me of the years I worked for a supermarket and experienced the same things. I agree with comments that people should be allowed to by steaks occasionally and birthday cakes…but the writer isn’t ridiculing individuals with occasional steak purchases. She is commenting about the overall behavior of individuals who blatantly abuse the system.
When you work at a local store that supports an area, you learn the habits of specific customers. When I worked in a similar position, I regularly saw people spend hundreds of taxpayer dollars on Twinkies, Froot Loops, Potato Chips, Macaroni and Cheese and Sugary drinks to feed their children and promptly whip out over $100 for cartons of cigarettes or beer. I also got to know that some of the couples weren’t married so that the mother could collect all the free money from the state including medical expenses, food stamps, cash assistance, money towards housing and heating and WIC vouchers. They have all the money to buy the lobsters and cigarettes and beer and I absolutely WILL criticize these purchases.
When people are acting this way with food stamps, just imagine how they act in the rest of their lives. My intimate personal experience with this was with a former boyfriend. He was very depressed and needed treatment to get back on his feet. I understood that sometimes people need help so I worked hard to help him get on disability so that he could get medical care and prescription coverage. The goal was to help him get back to a state where he could help himself.
Though I had been paying for his living, clothing and food expenses prior and he owed me money and also owed money for electric/heating bills, his first check of $700 immediately went to…paying off a $350 Cable/Internet bill so that he could stream movies more easily, $100 worth of candy, and the rest went towards RC Helicopters. I thought, okay well maybe he needed that to feel good after spending so long not having anything. The next check was just as useless to helping him get on his feet and spent just as frivolously.
If *I* were receiving resources funded by my neighbors, I would be very thoughtful of the fact that many people are trying to keep a float without assistance. I would be spending that money respectfully.
Well good for you. You obviously never had kids and been down to no money and no food. Yes you cited examples of the bad side but didn’t you also have the people going through there who bought food and were glad to? Yes the system has flaws, here in Texas unless you are illegal you get nothing and I mean nothing and yet they drive brand new cars and live in fine houses while those that are in real need live in cars and tent cities and scrounge for food. Not to mention the senior citizens who are eating cat food because they do not make enough social security to buy food and medications and pay the light bill..And do NOT get me started on Walmart. I have had two kids work there and it is the biggest law breaker and fraud there is…I have a handicapped son on disability and medicaide. He gets very little and has medical needs. Without the medicaide, we could not afford his medical bills and NO he does not have an iphone and neither do I! You can cite your concerns and experiences but please do not pretend that you are an expert….until you have walked in their shoes.,,,and seen how blessed you are.
This is an excellent piece and well written, albeit it is not so much a political issue as you and other commenters think. Having worked at a K-Mart a bazillion years ago while in high school and first year of college, nothing has changed since we as a COMMUNITY do not expect change. We keep giving out money without expectations and wonder why nothing works. Giving out money is not governmental as many churches do this as well and most churches are run by people who are far right of Democrat.
As a teacher, I believe anyone who is unemployed or underemployed and collecting any type of SOCIAL SUPPORT needs to volunter at their childs school (if they have children and can get fingerprint clearance), volunteer in the community and/or do something productive which indicates they have an interest to re-integrate in the community and get their life on track. People should not be allowed extra time to watch TV – hell, I don’t even own one by choice.
While I would not deny some one a steak or lobster for a special celebration – especially since they are cooking it at home and not going to a restaurant, I can see where all other nutritional issues need to be ‘disallowed’ if they do not provide nutritional value. I always try to imagine what it would be like to have a classroom of students who all had some form of protein at breakfast.
We live in a day and age where these things can be monitored – Walmart does not have the will to do so as it may hurt their image/business. This being said, you as a college student have a choice to make also – you can work someplace else and ‘vote’ with your feet by not shopping or working at Walmart. We as a community can PROTEST when stores are willing to overlook how WIC and other money is spent on food which does not support a childs health and well being.
Many people believe these types of issues are completely governmental and controlled by one party or the other – when one looks beneath that cloak, we realize these issues are COMMUNITY issues and we choose to sanction them by doing nothing. I sure wish more people would feel compelled to take action – it would make a ton of difference in the world.
I live in maine I see what is going on I to am on food stamps/welfare does that make us all the same no. I agree with some of the things alot of these people have all wrote I also disagree with a lot of the things people have said Its funny how many people have opinions on this topic but yet not everyone understands that yes we do have a problem with the welfare but its because people have been on it and have more kids so they get more money why isn’t there a limit in those cases its called getting your tubes tied kids are a blessing but when your having them for the wrong reasons or your having more even though you can’t afford it why is this o.k., people have rights I dont have a problem seeing people with more then two kids when its someone who has had no choice and had to get on it there can truly be two sides of every story. But when the state knows of case were they are having more after they have been on the state there should be a limit……and as for the lobster thing I was a cashier I would get upset when lobster was 10 a pound and they where buying multiple but when its 3.99 and they aren’t getting that many I think its different as for soda why do you think people buy soda I buy it not because I wouldn’t rather be drinking juice but because it is cheaper and goes further same with certain foods I would love to eat healthy but honestly the price for healthy food is so expensive that people are over weight because junk food is more affordable there are so many things that need changing and changing just one thing isn’t the answer we are where we are because who ever has the power to change prices and the way life is doesn’t do so. I think that if insurance could pay for people to go to gyms things would be different maine care wouldn’t be paying as much towards med. for unhealthy people….many changes are needed….but who has the power to do it????Oh and the birthday cake thing truly how is that wrong!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems to me that there is a lot of ignorance revolving around this subject…to those of you so ticked off about your “hard earned” dollars going to help those less fortunate…consider this: what about your hard earned dollars that pay for the millions of dollars spent on Governor’s Mansions? Millions on lavish furnishings, maid staff, cooks, electricity and water bills, lawn care, decorations and parties for these mansions….can they not afford to buy and live in their OWN homes with the millions they get paid to be in their position??? What about the $200+ a piece ash trays for Air Force 1??? Or the lavish decorations, parties, spending and such for congress and the White house….the “special treatment” for our politicians when they fall ill and must go to the hospital….who’s hard earned money pays for those things??? YOURS!!!! It seems to me that a lot of you should consider WHO you should really be pointing the finger at….instead of being angry that someone who works full time at minimum wage with kids spends $10 to buy a freaking birthday cake for their child for their birthday, or treats their family to a steak here and there, MAYBE you should be more upset that your TAX dollars bought a $200,000 coffee table for one of the 4-5 living rooms in a Governor’s Mansion!!! YES there are abusers of FS and Wellfare…..BUT there are abusers of ALL walks of life….that cannot be avoided….Millionaires and billionaires embezzling …..the rich swindling from their companies to fund their lavish habits….no matter whether low-middle- or Upper Class you will ALWAYS find abusers!!!! The cost of living steadily rises, food costs are through the roof…..it is in fact significantly CHEAPER to buy “unhealthy” “JUNK FOOD” than it is to buy “HEALTHY foods like fresh fruits and veggies, meats, etc… Most of you don’t realize this because you are not having to be as conscious of this fact…..and how about our seniors???? They worked their whole lives, building this country….many of them fought for our freedom in wars we forget about every day, they are unable to work because of their age and/or health….they rely on SS and Medicare/Medicaid…and frankly will probably never see even half of what they paid in for taxes come back to them through those programs….so what are they supposed to do? Fall through the cracks and die??? A person making Minimum wage working a 40 hr work week makes approx $ 1,160 / mo BEFORE taxes….add a child to that….rent, which on average here for a two bedroom apt is approx $750-$800/mo….$75/mo for water….hmm let’s see…during the summer the electricity runs on average around $300/mo….then there’s car insurance, cause it’s against the law to not have it…that’s a wide range…mine’s $95/mo for just liability so we’ll go with that…..oh yeah gas in the car to get to and from work, grocery store etc…phone bill?….who do you know doesn’t have a phone, whether it be a home phone or cell service….let’s say $60/mo for that, and that’s pretty cheap I’d say, mine’s a bit more than that but I know they have those month to month plans out there…..what’s that total up to? WOW I’m already at $1,280 and that’s not counting any for gas….and LOOK AT THAT….NO GROCERY MONEY!!!!! And that’s already over the amount of the monthly income….BEFORE TAXES…..not to mention if there is childcare involved…..PEOPLE do not be ignorant about this subject….there are people who are working their rears off making minimum wages, and probably work physically harder than most of those with desk jobs who sit at a computer most of the day and there is not enough for them to come close to making ends meet!!!! How about we pay the construction workers, city workers, police and firemen, plumbers, daycare workers, etc….the high end income and everyone sitting on their rears all day long at a computer the minimum wage???? Seriously! Stop judging and pointing the finger at those who’s circumstances are unknown to YOU…..concentrate on the governments lavish spendings and wastefulness with your tax dollars…..I mean seriously….SOME of you are acting like poor people are some sort of infestation….like American “Hitlers” treating the poor and less fortunate like they should be exterminated or left to fall through the cracks…..get real people….life is NOT all black and white….If you can afford to put food on your table and give thanks for it, realize your own blessings that you are fortunate to not have to worry if your kids will get any gifts for their birthday or Christmas this year cause their husband walked out on them….(hypothetically) Be glad that you have a JOB, that you aren’t searching aimlessly for a job in these struggling times, be thankful that you have clothes on YOUR back and food on YOUR table…and stop criticizing those who ARE struggling to do the same……get over the fact that there are abusers out there…..it happens, no one likes that fact, but it is what it is and there are abusers in all walks of life….not just in those who are poor or on wellfare…..It is a shame to me that people are so hateful and rigid and selfish these days!!! Be careful how you treat others, cause one day you could loose your job and not be able to find one and be struggling to feed your family and you will end up needing the same help that those people you criticized do and you are not going to want to be judged and hated upon, and you will want others to show kindness and understanding to you…..you never know what life will throw at you, so don’t judge others for circumstances you don’t understand or are not suffering from yourself!!!! I hope everyone on here can find it in their hearts to bring some kindness to those they see hurting or struggling and be thankful for what they are blessed with this Christmas/Holiday season!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!!
When I was in college, there was a guy in our townhouse complex (most of the units were subsidized), this guy was the local fence, selling (among other things) food stamps at 50 cents on the dollar, which he got from some of the other residents. I was eating a lot of macaroni and Ramen noodles back then, and could have used the food stamps. But, you’re either part of the solution, or part of the problem..
@ Melissa S…
Darling, suck it up and quite whining. What you described in your earlier post about having to pay “increased” rent and buy your own food and gas and child care… darling, us working class folk do that kind of stuff every day… AT REGULARLY MARKED PRICES.
Seriously, I am so sick of hearing welfare recipients whine about how hard it is, and how we (working class) don’t understand. I do understand. I’ve been on my own since I was 16. I had to put myself through college without grants and loans. I had to pay for an apartment and work while going to school. I managed to graduate, get a great career, which I later lost when the economy tanked. I have 4 children. We spent 6 months homeless. I *DO* know exactly how hard it can be to survive in this world, but you know what, everyone is required to do it. It’s called work. No one ever said life would be easy.
I make $15,000/year. I work 112 hours a week, 2 jobs. Four kids and daycare is expensive, especially in the summer. I live in a house that is falling apart. Christmas is a devastating time of year for me as a parent. My dog just chewed up my one and only bra and I don’t have $2 in my bank account to get another one. I’m flipping out here! But that is life. Sh*t happens. It’s tough. Suck it up. It’s been nearly 20 years since I went to college, and I am stilling paying off those loans. No one paid for my education but me.
First of all, I do believe that this is a well written point of view.There are a ton of welfare queens out there and I do believe that something should be done about it. Also, I am a mother who is on foodstamps and medicaide. My fiancee, myslef and 5 of our children recieve foodstamps. My 12 year old is the only one who recieves medicaide. My fiancee works a full time job and I work only about 10 – 20 hours a week. I have looked for another job, but the market being as it is, a better job is hard to come by. My 12 year old son has Dysthymia, ADD and an Anxiety disorder. His meds cost almost $200 a month. I am constanly on call for his school because we never know from day to day how he will do. My fiancee and I are both also in college. We want to get off of all assistance and be able to provide a better life for our kids. I have and do work in a store that accepts food stamps and it is horrible how some people use them. It is also amazing how much some of these people get a month in benefits. We are hard working people who are just doing the best we can for our kids. His kids and my kids at least have a roof over their head, nutritious food to eat and parents that are willing to do anything to make their lives better. Until you walk a mile in the shoes of some of these people, please don’t judge. Some of us do the best we can and it still is not enough. We have to swallow our pride and ask for help. Do you think thats easy? What would you do if you were fighting, trying to feed your kids and then look in the pantry and there isn’t a thing in there to feed them? Would you look at them and say, well sorry kids but your not eating tonight. Would you damn your children that way? I am not proud to be on assistance. I am working as many hours as I can get, plus I go to school full time. Along with that, I cook most dinners, keep the house clean, pay the bills, do the laundry and spend as many waking hours with my kids as I can. How many other reciepiants can say that? At least I, unlike a lot of them out there, am trying to better my families situation. This is not a pity me post, this is a post to “inform” the Therealnintyninepercent’s and CDogs out there who want to blast real people in need, that we are human and we are doing the best we can. We have jobs, we are in school, we pay our bills and our taxes. Do you think we need to be humiliated by the likes of you or anyone else out there who doesn’t know or understand our situation? Therealnintyninepercent, do you want to know what my incentive is for getting off assistance? It is my children! They are the reason for everything that I do. I have a piercing, I have a tattoo, and I paid for these with my own money that I EARNED BEFORE I needed any type of assistance. See, it’s simple really, live my life, walk in my shoes for a day, and then you can judge me freely. Until then, buy a vowel, get a clue, do what ever you have to do, but wisen up and get educated about the real reason most of us are on assistance.
I think you should have to take a drug test if you are on welfare. That would be a good start.
Sadly, I saw the same type of thing bagging groceries as a high-school kid in rural Montana (I’m now 51). The incident that truly perturbed me was a couple that I took groceries out for that had used WIC, Food Stamps and other welfare to purchase staples. They took their cash and bought alcohol and tobacco products and steak (a rarity for us while growing up the son of two teachers). I carried their groceries out to a brand new Chevy shortbox pick-up with massive custom wheels and tires on it along with two brand new Polaris snowmobiles in the back. I told my folks that I felt like turning them in. They applauded the sentiment, but said that were I to do that, I’d need to resign my job. My first loyalty needed to be to my employer…and like it or not…this represented revenue to the company….
Some people are on disability and have no choice but to use the system. Have you noticed that the Wealthy and Governement have no problems separating the peppers at check out defining if they are to be eaten or to be placed as art in a crystal bowl. My sister once was told that a pumpkin was not allowed on her food stamps and it was not clear as to why some produce is not considered food. Some people arent given the ability to have an education and others just dont want one. I agree there is ignorance throughout the world but I would hope that you would dig a little deeper than walmart to make your decision as to who is the wosre culprit in this situation.
I dont shop at Walmart because of its ignorace regarding the treatment and respect of its employees. Also One of the delegates of Walmart has taken a seat on some very influential NON PROFIT oragnizations and has played his hand there is stripping the rights of workers and embarking upon the deterioration of the american way by trying to road block union members and their right to collectively bargain and wants to take their hard earned dollars to line his own pockets.Sometimes we forget that some people are backed into a corner and when we have never been there its easy to assume and to write a commentary on something we have never experienced.
My thought is be glad you have a job and so not have to deal with the attributes that have made some of these people victims. YOur own government plays a part in making our people poor and helpless. ITs what they want;
Go price check somewhere else
The person that wrote this article saw these people in a checkout line… Did she know anything about these people… Probably not… Therefore she is passing judgement on a persons situation that she know nothing about…
I bet a great number of the people that have responded here consider themselves to be christians…
Well if you are one of those christians and you are supporting this… then you need to go have a talk with your pastor… or study the life and words of christ a bit more…
Is there fraud… YUP… should we do what we can to prevent fraud… YUP…
Should we lump everyone on assistance together and stereotype them as moochers and freeloaders and the like without ever taking a moment to actually do some research before you start throwing rocks… nah go ahead and just throw that rock… but don’t be pissed when someone throws one at your glass house you hypocrites…
WWJD?? Nice slogan… to bad most people that call themselves christians do not give a shit about what jesus would do…
Love the article. the sad thing is that welfare is for the frauds, the people that actualy need it get nothing.
I had just come off Active Duty Military, and i went to apply for emergency heating because we had moved into a new home they told me i was not eligible because i made too much money in the past 3 months (according to them) i told them that i have four children and a wife and no heat at my house womans reply was “not my problem” needless to say i know people that are lazy and never work and have heating oil delivered to them every year for nothing and no questions asked because they lie about income. we had to borrow money from people to heat our home.
Second me and my wife went to apply for food stamps to help us in this transition once again we made too much money in the past 3 months i told the lady i dont have that money when i had it i didnt ask for help, she replied just lay low and dont work for another month and we can help you then, and we wonder why people are abusing the system.
I just got done serving my country and because i wasnt a deadbeat no one in the state of maine system would help us. I know a lot of people that dont work because the state enables them not to look for work….its a disgrace people who really need the benefit are shut out.
Needless to say my wife and i are working again im back on active duty serving in the middle east right now…no thanks to the state of maine…..
Your sentiments about the welfare system are well-founded and I totally agree. However, the problems are not simply about Democrats versus Republicans. This is a long-term, bi-partisan issue and it is only with both sides of the aisle working together that it can be solved. Don’t vote for a party, vote for an individual, and more specifically, vote for their record not what they say.
“That’s not how welfare was intended, but sadly, it is what it has become.”
That is where he is very wrong. The system is working exactly as intended.
Wanna take a wild guess at whom they all probably voted for?
for those of you judging this lady for her perspective on what she saw as a cashier: she is talking about the serial abusers. there is nothing wrong with a handup- she’s talking about handouts. yes, like the commenters above talking about buying cakes for children with cancer or whatnot, or having to be on foodstamps themselves- these people are not abusing the system and i’d guess she has no problem with them.
after about a week of doing this, you can usually develop a trained eye that distinguishes the difference between those who are abusing the system and refusing to work (handouts) and the ones who need it despite working, working all their life, losing their jobs, etc (handups). those who feel entitled are the loudest about not realizing their balance, buying the gourmet items all.the.time. and their children treating the EBT card like their allowance. those who are temporarily using the system are generally humble about what they buy, how they act in line and are embarrassed for the first few months of use, till they realize everyone in their line has an EBT card too. but they remain humble.
also, know that AFC, foster child families and whatnot get fs to use to take care of the clients or kids in the homes. these people may have no shame like a temp user does, but their “kids” don’t ask for the EBT card, and don’t realize it as a fact of life like the abusers’ kids tend to do.
Exactly how is this welfare fraud? They are buying food, yes it might not be what you think they should be buying but there is no restrictions on what they can buy so really this paper shouldn’t be about the shoppers but the government since they are the ones who do nothing about it. I know people abuse the system but there are single parents out there and families who do all they can do and still need the extra assistance to get by and you shouldn’t be so quick to judge because that could easily be you someday.
The problem with so many things one finds on the web, and in life like this, anecdote does not equal fact. If you decided to scrutinize all red haired people and see how rude they were, you’d likely have some stories to tell too. If you chose to single out peopel this way, you will generally be disappointed. How many other people were rude to you? All those danged rude employed people!
Great article! As someone who’s now in his mid-50s, I have a few observations I’d like to add about how perceptions have changed in the past generation or two:
1. My sister and I grew up in a single-parent home where my mother could’ve qualified for free/reduced lunch and probably food stamps. She came from a family of hard-working legal Swedish immigrants and purposely chose not to participate. We took sandwiches to school and we both went on to get college degrees and have had good careers.
2. When I was a low-ranking serviceperson, married with two children, we could’ve qualified for food stamps and WIC. We chose not to on principle, plus smart shopping at the military base commissary stretched our money. Nor did we utilize free/reduced school lunches even when we lived in the Washington DC area, which is high cost of living.
3. My adult daughters all make their own way in life, even the one with a special needs child. She works full-time and her mother helps somewhat with child minding, along with her siblings. I’m sure the example we set is a strong reason they’re among the 47% who pay income taxes.
4. In my youth we were happy if we got a birthday party. Back in CT in the 1960s most middle and working-class moms just baked a cake from mix and the family and a few friends were invited over. It was not a big production like today. And no one would’ve considered it OK then or in the 1970s and first half of the 1980s to use food stamps or welfare payments for a store-bought cake.
5. I’ve never understood why food stamps weren’t like WIC, ie it could only be used for basic food items. It’s just a software fix.
6. A couple years ago the then-Gov. of Oregon and his wife did a splashy experiment showing how “deficient” food stamps were, ie recipients couldn’t eat for a month on them. Far less publicity was given to some Oregon families who shopped carefully and fed them and their children nutritiously and well on the amount the Gov. and his wife completely inadequate. I even read their menus, posted with the news articles in the paper, and they were pretty good.
7. Finally, I remember one military pay period where we had just $10 for meat and poultry to last 2 weeks. I finally found a store that had pork chops severely discounted. We weren’t big fans of pork chops, but we ate them and enjoyed them that half of the month.
So many of you are saying “who are we to judge?” and “who are we to say what types of food they can and cannot purchase?” Really, that is your first thought? That is what is wrong with this country. Too many people seem to have the attitude that they are entitled to something for nothing. If you are on food stamps, then apparently there is some financial problem in your situation(or it’s just a scheme to live off the government). I would think that you would rather use your food stamp money more wisely and purchase food items that can go a long way rather than paying $8 or more per steak per person. There are so many children that will grow up “living on the system” because that’s all they know. It is a cycle that we need to figure out how to stop. Let’s mold our children to become responsible, accountable, considerate men and women. Never forget that they will one day be making all the decisions for this country.
There was a time when you could take pride in yourself for taking care of yourself…you reached Maslow’s heirarchy of “Self Actualization” by acheiving all that you could…”be all that you can be”. It seems today you reach “Self Actualization” by figuring out how you can “game” the system better than anyone else, and get more than anyone else without having to work for it!
I’m not say everyone on welfare or any kind of public assistance is guilty, and I’ve been behind people paying for goods at a super market or WM with some method of public assistance, and I want to grab them and congratulate them for their wise choices! In fact, I’d like to thank them for not squandering MY tax money! But I’ve been behind the kind you’ve described so elequently (hope you turned your article in for your E.Comp assignment)in your article.
What ever happened to having pride in your ability to take care of yourself and your family…or do you consider the public dole as taking care of yourself and family.,,,forever? Will we ever get back to having pride in keeping ourselves OFF public assistance?
I don’t eat steak, or lobster or prime rib! I even eat very few pot roasts anymore…they’re too expensive for my budget…unless they’re in the marked down bin. In fact, even soup bones and beef shanks are too expensive to try to build a meal around. But I still take pride in the fact that I’m doing it myself, with no assistance from anyone else!
I understand your concern on some of the fraudulant people, but they are not like that, And the way our economy is now…now is not the time to start cutting welfare..duh. there are no jobs, businesses are closing left and right, I know because I am one of the unfortunate ones who had to close down mine after 10 years. You obviously have never had to be on welfare. some times it is hard to get off. Maine has a lot of people on welfare, because there are not a lot of jobs out there right now, poeple are not hiring and if they are it is part time. Try to raise a family on a part time income. Do a little more researchand look at both sides of the issues before you judge.
How small-minded and judgmental can you get? While corporations are robbing people of billions you have your eye on those least able to defend thenselves.
to the commenters who claim their hard-earned money is going to “these people.” Actually my hard-earned money is going to these people. Yours is going to support the debt incurred by two unnecessary wars. You see what you believe. I never even notice what people are buying or how they pay for it because it is none of my business. Writer, you should be fired from Walmart. And others – we have bigger government waste to tackle than a little kid’s slip and slide. Take a closer look at the collossal defense contracts, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fact that even Bush admitted Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. That you choose to focus on how someone spends their WIC dollars says a lot about who you are as a person. Go to church. Look Jesus in the eye and spew your venom about the needy at Christmas time. I’m sure that will go over well with your God who told you to help the poor and judge not lest ye be judged.
I am sure that there is fraud happening in the system and a few of your stories do prove just that. I am however confused as to how a small child asking for their mothers ebt card is fraud? or how buying a birthday cake for their chidren is fraud? because they receive food stamps their children shouldnt enjoy to have a cake at their party like every other child? should they also not have steak because it was bought with food stamps…. how about chicken, hamburg, pork chops, or a roast or how about a turkey for thanksgiving or ham for easter?? Would it be okay with you if they bought these items to make their children meals to eat at the dinner table like “normal” families? or because they receive foodstamps should they only eat ramon noodles or mac and cheese.
And furthermore some of these people are working full time jobs but still cant make ends meet,some of these people have spouses that have left and left the responsibilities behind, some have been left alone to raise the children because a spouse has passed and they are working and paying their bills and trying to raise their children. So there are two sides to welfare, I agree that fraud happens and it is outrageous when it does but the small child asking for the ebt card does not say fraud or the buying of the steak and neither does buying their child a birthday cake say fraud! The man running his business and buying his supplies with foodstamps is fraud and instead of taking the time to rant on your blog you should have reported him to the local department of human services.
Cluebat-get a clue. The system is not intended for users of the system to buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at almost $5 a pint. How in God’s name would you justify that as a necessity? Thanks for the laugh!
People, quit fooling yourself. These people are abusing the system. They aren’t looking for jobs either. But why would they? This ridiculous system is feeding them and buying them nice things for doing nothing. At a job that worked a few years ago, we had people calling to ask if we were hiring. When we said ‘no,’ they would ask if they could put us on their list of places that they visited to fill out an application. They had to prove that they were going out to try to find a job to keep receiving their benefits. It just goes to show how lazy these people are.
Someone said that the author said that people aren’t allowed to have a steak once in a while. She never said that. She said, extravegant purchases included steak. Which, I’m pretty sure she saw these people buying steaks OFTEN, not just every once in a while. And yeah, sure, a steak is fine every now and then. But I can almost gurantee these people aren’t buy $5.99/lbs. Sirloin. If I had to guess, it would probably be the more expensive cuts (not that Walmart has a very good/expensive meat selection). Did anyone notice how the author never said anything about how someone on wellfare/food stamps bought only food and had a few steaks in there every once in a while? Neither did I. If I had to guess, the same ones buying the steak are the ones who loaded their cart up with “extras” that shouldn’t be allowed to be bought. It’s funny that everyone here keeps only bringing up the steak and not the lobster, jewelry, alcohol and even the guy who was supplying his hot dog cart business at the expense of us tax payers. The article is obviously way over your head. She’s not saying that people that buy steak and birthday cakes are the ones abusing the system. She is giving those as examples of “extravagant” purchases. This big picture here are the people that buy all of these extravagant purchases (like jewelry, alcohol etc.) are abusing the system.
And for everyone who is saying don’t judge unless you know all the facts of these peoples situation, open your eyes. If you can’t tell who the people are that are abusing the system, then you must be blind. It’s not that hard to spot. Kind of like the lady in front of me at Walmart that used her Lone Star card to pay for her items and then got into her Cadillac Escalade to drive home.
Good article.
I would have to say that, while it is slightly off topic, the comment made about people who receive student loans and how those should be done away with and people should have to pay out of pocket for those loans or not be in school ( paraphrasing a bit but same thing) upsets me. I am in school and my classes run $1,070 per class. In order to pay that every five weeks, plus the $50 to $250 for books and then add my regular monthly bills into the pile I would have to be working 3 jobs at minimum wage to be able to even support myself. How would I even find time to do school or for sleeping! My husband also attends school and so that means everything is doubled. We are both going to school so that we can get degrees so that we CAN better ourselves so we CAN be off the system. The student loans help. trust me If i earned enough to pay for my classes and still support my other bills I would instead of having to pay all this money back when I am done with school! I HATE being on the system and have worked enough in my life to say that I AM paying for it myself, so to speak. But going off on student loans and people having to pay their own way through college or not go to college at all is just wrong. Those who receive student loans ( and use them correctly) are trying to do better. If they are not able to earn degrees than it would just force them to be on the system because of lack of jobs. Anymore you have to have a degree in many higher paying jobs just to survive. granted you dont need one to work at walmart or Mcdonalds, but working at these places, while at least admirable, doesnt pay the bills very far. AND I HAVE TRIED! I am on the system, I only receive fs. I have car that is in relatively good shape that I use to get around town but it also needs repairs. I do without medication and going to the like I need to because I cant afford it. My family gets the homebaked cakes, if any at all, for their birthdays. When we are short of money and a special occassion comes up I MAKE a card. For valentines day this year I decorated our bedroom and had a few items for eating like sliced deli cheese and deli meat, and some fruit. This was paid for out of employment money before my husband lost his job and two days before i went into the hospital and almost died.
We have taken in roommates to try and help compensate for finances instead of getting on the system. My husband and I go without a lot of things just so our children have enough to eat. We wont have anything but a christmas dinner this year, no presents, because we cant afford them, but myhusband and I know that the holiday is not about the gifts it is about being with family and that is all we care about. I dont wear any jewelry except my wedding ring. I have an old denim purse that I use. I need to get my glasses redone and have needed to for a a year now but cant afford to do. I dont buy steak, or lobster, or such. My kids always say there is nothing to eat and yet there is food in the fridge and cupboards, it just isnt what they want which is junk food, because I wont buy it. Most of the time, when I budget correctly, I still have food left in the freezer at the end of the month to carry over.
I know the original post writer is not refering to people who actually need assistance. I understand her point of view though I hate how she does stereotype. I ahve worked as a cashier and some of my customers that have been the worst ones to deal with are the ones who have money to burn. While I am not denying them the right to spend there money as they want it gives them know right to treat people like idiots and like they are beneath them. I have been yelled at and made to feel stupid by many fancy well off people while those on the system have showed compassion. And please dont say it must be because I am stupid, as I am not. If I was I would not be a student majoring in psychology maintaining 4.0 GPA, on the Deans list, and two honor societies. This is from a girl who was lucky to get C’s in primary school, but didnt get pregnant just had problems at home and ended up getting her GED. I am trying to better myself, and in order to do that I mayhave to have some assistance here and there but I am working on changing it so I dont have to have any!!
I hope you know that both US Senators from Maine are Republican, the Governor of Maine is Republican, the Maine Senate is Republican by a 20-14-1 margin, and the Maine House of Representatives is Republican by a 78-72-1 margin. If Republicans are running the show, but it’s easier to commit welfare fraud in Maine than in other states, why vote Republican?
I worked at least part-time since the age of 13. I earned a college degree by maintaining the grades to keep a scholarship. I went to ONE dance in college – because it was part of my job as a resident assistant in the dorm. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t use drugs. That’s the story of where I’m coming from. I also earned a teaching license in my home state, and worked my tail off. I divorced my abusive husband when the police wouldn’t stop him, and ended up fleeing 1500 miles in the middle of the night for my own safety. I continued to work, although my teaching license wouldn’t transfer. I have done doggie daycare, customer service, working in a fabric store, and anything else legal to pay the bills – while I paid my children’s sperm donor child support. I haven’t seen 2 of them in 7 years, because he convinced them I abandoned them (by fleeing his stalking, beating, and raping me but allowing them to choose where to live).
My most recent job was as a home health aide. It was very physically strenuous, and after almost 2 years, my patient assaulted me, causing a total psychiatric meltdown. I spent 10 days in a psych hospital. I have been drugged half out of my mind for the past eighteen months. I have PTSD from an entire lifetime of abuse, and depression and anxiety from being torn from my sons and from fear of not knowing what pain will come next.
I finally broke down and applied for benefits a couple of months ago. I have paid into the system for 35 years (really), yet I feel guilty for being unable to function. The meds make me incoherent much of the time, with my IQ of 147, my degree, my expired teaching license, and my 3 languages. I have nothing to show for myself. I have been declared disabled due to PTSD, acute depression, and anxiety. (Gotta love those random, public anxiety attacks.)
2 days ago, I used my “SNAP” card for the first time. Here is what I bought: Milk. Fresh produce. Cheese. More fresh produce. 1 kielbasa (on sale) – lowfat. Sauerkraut. Yogurt. What did I spend my $13.72 in cash on? Oh, frivolities such as laundry detergent in a giant bottle (It costs less per load that way.) toilet paper (on sale), toothpaste (on sale), and dental floss. My grandmother was a home ec teacher, and I know how to “shop smart”. I am also very nutrition conscious.
I was humiliated to have to use my card, because I KNOW a lot of people use these benefits fraudulently. I’ve always believed that if you can afford to smoke or buy alcohol or sodas, you don’t need benefits. I still feel that way. THOSE are luxuries. I have the use of an old car ONE day a week to go to therapy and the psychiatrist who regulates my meds. On that day, I do my shopping for the coming week.
You won’t see lobster or a pre-baked birthday cake in my cart. Those are luxuries, and I shouldn’t expect others to pay for them on my behalf. I will not, however, apologize for finally utilizing benefits for which I’ve been paying for 35 years, and I cannot apologize and will not be ashamed of having been “broken” to the point that I can barely function. The humiliation of having to swipe that benefit card when I buy groceries is enough for any person who used to have dignity to cringe. I cringe, but I will not apologize. Perhaps those tax dollars would have been better utilized prosecuting and incarcerating my abusers, but criminals are the ones with the most civil rights. And hey, they have rights and I don’t.
Excellent article. I am encouraged to know there are youth who can THINK! Thank you, Christine! Thank your parents. God bless you in your continuing life long adventures.
A very well stated. People do not realize the depth and depravity of welfare fraud and abuse. We just had an investigation where a woman here in Seattle lived in a 1.2 million dollar home and collected over $1200.00 in housing funds along with welfare benefits. What is more appalling is that the home inspector for King County that goes out and inspects homes money goes to help pay rent for did not say anything. Her explanation? “It is not my job and the woman had a believable story”. What came out was that the woman committing fraud actually lived with her husband and was not renting out the home, and her husband is a doctor. This goes to show that welfare abuse is not based on social class.
I too worked at Walmart and while my wife and I were struggling to pay our bills and provide for our family, people I worked with and the customers that would come in would use their EBT cards for everything. Very few pulled out credit cards or debit cards. I actually had several people use their TANF to by those prepaid visa/mastercard gift cards where they would put $100.00 or $200.00 at a time.
People ask me how I would revamp the entire welfare system. My response, all those currently on welfare and have been on it for a year or more are given 6 months to get their house in order and then they will be dropped with no availability to request any type of extension. This will be based on some criteria: (1) Are you mentally and physically able to work? Meaning, if a down syndrome individual can work at McDonalds then those who suffer bipolar and depression can work and hold down a job. (2) If you have not held a job for over 3 years, then you must commit 1 full year of community volunteer service. (3) Found convicted of welfare fraud in any form and you lose all rights and privileges to seek out assistance from the State for any type of human services program indefinitely.
The next thing would be to change the way the welfare program gives out the money. Those who receive TANF will have to provide a true budget of their needs. This is based on necessities and not wants and desires. The money is then paid out of a trust fund and the recipient is required to attend classes on financial responsibility and accountability. Drug testing will be required for all applicants and random drug testing will be done for those who are currently receiving assistance.
There are other ways to implement welfare change where we make it more to help people become more sufficient and living within their means.
@ some of the comments: a) She never said they shouldn’t be allowed to buy steaks. However, ever heard the phrase,”Beggars can’t be choosers”? Enough said. If you’re actually going hungry, you take what you can get. b) I have job out in the real world and I still feel the same way she does. It’s people like you with your attitude about getting over it and how we can’t change things that are the problem. Now that I do have a “real job”, it infuriates me even more. I get sick every year around tax time when I actually start looking at how much $ I’ve paid in and how many hours I’ve worked merely for charity. On avg. people work 3 months out of the year for charity. The problem is that the whole system needs reforming. They’re simply aren’t enough jobs for everyone in this country that pay enough and have benefits, etc. We need to stop importing more than we export. Bring enough jobs back here for everyone to work and get a majority of people off welfare. As the saying goes, “A 20 yr old that is a republican has no heart but a 40 yr that is a democrat/liberal has no brain”. I couldn’t have said it better myself. And in case you haven’t figured it out, I have no heart. People used to live without heat, indoor plumbing, cell phones, etc etc. Now somehow the government has decided that these things are necessities and taxpayers should provide them for people that ‘can’t’ afford them.
My husband and I have worked hard all of our life and we were both layed off at the same time and unemployment is not that much we are at the point that we either buy food or medicine.
I thought I would apply for food stamps until we found a job. I went and filled out the paper work and handed it to the hispanic lady and she said I did not qualify and as I looked around the room I seen alot of illegals with five or six kids and one on the way and every time they have a child they collect benefits for that child. I live in Texas and If you are an American and white you pay to put their kids through school, medical care, crimes and jail time, over crowed highways You Pay You Pay You Pay. . .
We pay more taking care of the illegals than people think plus they take our jobs they not only work one job they work 2 or 3 plus what they get from benefits from the state. Its about time our government woke up and fixed the money pit. Take away the freebies and immigration will follow.
Rick Perry you do have a job problem and immigration problem not everyone can do construction jobs and the illegals are taking our jobs. You may create jobs but they go to the illegals.
And if you are 50 and above you may as well forget about employment because you are the first to go last to get hired in a new company.
I think it is a disgrace the way you put the seniors in the poor house with your stupid rules.
If you are collecting SS and just happen to find a job let them work SS is not that much.
Wow, you had to toil away scanning AND bagging items? What cruelty. Seriously though, people can buy steaks and birthday cakes and whatever else they want. Why? Because all they’re doing is living within the bounds of a system that was put in place for them. You should spend less energy hating on them and direct more anger towards the welfare system.
Also, why not offer some solutions while you’re at it instead of purely complaining? Anyone can complain. How about contributing an idea or two to fix things?
I’m a conservative and tend to agree with some of your overarching points, but don’t hate the players (i.e., the people who abuse the system), hate the game (the creators of the system).
Wow, this definitely strikes a nerve in all. First of all if you are using food stamps to buy exspensive cuts of meat or lobster, pop, etc, you either are not going to be able to feed the household for the entire month on what you receive, and family will go hungry, or, which is probably the case, and why those of us are upset at these people that do this is; that there is UNREPORTED INCOME IN THE HOUSEHOLD- FRAUD. People that truely need some help feeding their families know that they can’t buy such extravagant things.
Although this disgusts me, and should be looked at, as all government spending should be looked at. What about corporate welfare? Tax loop holes, exemptions, etc… that large corporations get from the state. Although, I do believe you should reform and put time limits on the Welfare system, the corporate welfare system is much more expensive for the state, and that burden then falls on the tax payers.
Anyone, whether paying with cash/check/credit/debit/EBT/whatever, should have the couth not to scream at a cashier. Having BEEN a cashier in the past, it’s usually the ones with the big diamonds and the platinum credit cards who feel it is their God-given right to scream at cashiers.
The lady who wrote this article did a great job! I was one of those people who had to be on food stamps and assistance. I was a single mum lost my job and it took several months to find another. But I didn’t buy steak and pre-made cakes and things. I quit smoking and I didn’t drink because buying diapers and paying my bills so I could have a warm place to raise my baby was more important than those things. I didn’t like the people I knew who also had the same assistance and they abused it. I didn’t have a cell phone…believe it or not people CAN survive without one! I has no cable, no long distance on my land line and I managed to live quite happily. I got a job and stayed on assistance for about 3 months til I got caught up. I worked long hours and was able to pay for everything on my own. The assistance was designed for people like me and many others who lose a job or get hurt or have children with extreme special needs and work hard but need help to survive. The people who TRULY are trying to the BEST of their ability and who TRULY need it are the ones who shouldn’t complain but be thankful for this young ladies article. It speaks volumes of truth for the MANY who do abuse it! The cashiers also see the SAME people going through the lines EVERY week. It may be their lines or another cashiers line. The people who are offended and the people on it who keep ranting about how its horrible the looks and comments people make about them are. Yes it can be humiliating but if you again are TRULY trying your best and TRULY in need instead of getting mad at those people looking and commenting turn to them and say a heartfelt ” thank you for helping me through this hard time! We really appreciate you hard work and for the assistance we have so we can feed our families while we are trying to survive” maybe if the people on assistance would have compassion and thankfulness to the people paying for their assistance then those who are working hard will be more readily happy to assist! I am thankful for all the taxpayers who helped me in my hard time while I struggled to find a job. I am more than happy to help those with our hard earned tax money that TRULY need it. They should have everyone on assistance turn in their receipts every month and have budgeting classes if you have to be on the assistance more than a few months to help those who are taking advantage and help those who were never taught how to budget. People who are on assistance should be more than happy to be accountable for what they’re spending the money on. It’s not THEIR money so they can’t claim it as invasion of privacy! I don’t think this young lady is racist or that she needs to grow up or live in the real world. I think she does and has a better grasp on it than many of us do. She is not the ignorant one here. Her words speak volumes of REALITY! God Bless girl and I thankful for your hard work I am thankful for the tax dollars you spent to help me!
I love a lot of what this lady has to say. I do think however, that many people are taking her too literally. Yes buying steak, lobster and birthday cakes can be seen as an extravagance when everything else bought with the FS is unhealthy or not needed. Take it in context, i do not believe she is saying or intending to bar everyone who needs a birthday cake for their little children, i think there is still room for compassion even in a government run system while still making it better. And to one cynical critic out there, yes there will always be fraud in every system…whether you’ve grown up to a real job or not in what ever it is you consider to be the real world. Does that mean we turn a blind eye to it and allow it to happen? I think a fix to all these complaints would be to develop a system, a computer system to track purchases would be a start, to identify perpetrators of fraud. Subject them to a review and take away their privileges if abuse is all they are interested in. Unfortunately as many of you may hate to hear this, education of many on welfare may be a partial fix, As attested to by this writer and by many of these comments — some people are ignorant of what FS should be used for, believing it’s a free pass to whatever qualifies as food. This misconception that is aided by the government workers who counsel these people. This corruption runs deep, don’t now look at the welfare recipients and label them all as greedy work dodgers because they choose to work the system that refuses to fix the pitfalls. But with that said, all you recipients of welfare, who intentionally abuse what is there to help you not to sustain you indefinitely, don’t self righteously call me or anyone else a poor judge of character because your actions bring judgement on yourself. You don’t want to be judged? Then let your actions be above that judgment. If you are truly using welfare as it was intended, not simply as it is allowed, and you are free of any abuse then you wouldn’t feel judged by such comments as this article. Or lets put it a little closer to home, if you had a sense of responsibility and not simply a sense of entitlement you wouldn’t feel judged either even if you do occasionally abuse welfare’s intended use.
I have to agree with you Christine on this one-I to have worked for Wal-Mart as a cashier and I couldn’t believe what people purchase with their TANF money. I can see someone using that money to pay for their electric, phone, time warner cable (if they have it), putting gas in their vehicle. But when it comes to purchasing alcohol, expensive video games, and all those expensive things-their should be a limit to what someone can purcahse on their EBT (TANF) side of their card. Its not fair to these Amercian’s who have to fight for everything but these people get everything handed to them on a silver platter. I just don’t get it-if Lepage wants to cut anything, cut the funding for TANF and restrict what they can purchase, they do it with foodstamps. Come on now.
I agree with your article to some degree…there are truely people there that need the help and shouldnt be made to feel bad if they splurge for a special occ. For instance..a widow who has small children..she works but she is still drawing some in Wic or EBT cash and all of her check goes to rent, ele, clothes ect.. ect.. but if its her childs birthday or just to get them a little something special every now and then..thats not wrong and she shouldnt be made to feel bad. I know I worked a full time job went to school full time and I was forced on to welfare after my husbands suicide..it hurt my pride but i just couldnt afford any other way…I was traped..my job as a intern(i was paid) depended on me being in school full time so droping out wasnt an option..it was hard for me to go and use the EBT card but i did it for my child..yes I did splurge every so often..I didnt abuse it but I did use it. Did I buy beer or tobacco no..So I guess what i am saying is dont be so quick to judge..yes some out there do take advantage of it but some dont and if you look down on them then its not right. Just my opinion…
The people you need to blame is the congress and senators of Maine… People by nature will take advantage of situations if the opportunity occurs. The people that create the opportunities are the ones to blame. Survival of the fittest, the people abusing the system are just trying to get what they “think” are owed to them. If Walmart is going to allow people to price adjust everything then don’t get sour about it, a cashier is an hourly job your going to be there regardless. If you don’t like the policy take it up with Walmart executives… Simply what I’m trying to say is your taking out your anger and frustrations out on the wrong peopl.
I read this article but havent had time to review the other comments ( i will later as I am eager to see other peoples reactions) I think you couldnt have stated it better! I live in Maryland and I myself received Food Stamps, TANF, WIC and MEDICAID for a short time while I got on my feet as a single mother of 2 to a deadbeat father! I would go to the store late at night or very early in the am so as not to hold up the line bc I know it takes longer to ring such things up. I was only able to afford the basics – there were NO extras in my house – cakes, cookies, steaks, lobsters, etc… I wasnt able to have a cell phone or buy toys for my children because I simply could NOT afford it. Like I said, we had the basics for survival. It was a tough couple of years but I was able to get a good job and now we do not depend on the state for anything. I have seen these “Queens” as you referred to them as. It makes me angry to see such utter disregard to the system. They act like everything is owed to them. I was truely POOR and not even close to making ends meet and I wasnt given enough money but I made due because I had to. I wonder what types of lies these people come up with to get so much? I wonder what types of hoops these people jump through to finagle the system? If they put in as much effort to getting a job as they do to get the benefits, they may be able to support their families. I also believe there is a BIG problem with the staff at the Social Services in my area. I would call, no answer, leave messages, no return call, stop in to see my case worker, she wouldnt be in, turn in my paperwork timely, denied benefits (the little i recieved) I had to fight tooth and nail to be heard and to be helped. To see and know of others having things HANDED to them makes me sick and makes me sad for other woman & children in my case who REALLY did need the help. Serious flaws, but I DO NOT see a change coming anytime soon. What a DISGRACE!
I worked in a supermarket in Michigan back in the mid-late 70′s and witnessed the same exact abuses back then. These kinds of people know how to work the system and there is no stigma attached to receiving government handouts. At least back then they had to use actual food stamps so everyone in line would know, now it’s done like a credit card transaction, so nobody even knows. It’s disgusting how so many feel entitled to rip off taxpayers who work for a living, while they sit back and claim to be poor and underprivileged. These sad excuses for human beings take up more space on this planet than they’re worth in my opinion, and they continue breeding more of the same.
Here’s a quite radical solution:
1. Means test all welfare clients on a regular monthy basis.
2. Zero income tax.
3. Tax everything at source, i.e. point of purchase.
Oh BTW, buying steak and lobster might actually not be as bad as you think. They are high in nutrition and protein. Better that than high fructose or fat – and, if they are sourced locally, actually helps the economy. But I doubt Scarborough Maine Wal*Mart sources Maine lobster. It’s probably flown in from a centralised warehouse in the Phillipeans or something…but I digress.
Hear! Hear! Well said but also add that the recipients bring in those children and they get interviewed as well with questions like…Does your dad live at your house? Where does Dad work if he does. Who lives at your house? Small children will tell all that needs to be told to stop the fraud. I watched my daughters best friend use the system for a while, living with her “baby daddy” and collecting. “Baby Daddy’s” legal wife got a little irritated and turned her in. Guess what…she can’t get anymore benefits and I think that is fair and square and I love her like a daughter too. Another girl I worked with had her baby on Medicaide and then married the daddy, they had to pay back the hospital bill, that was fair and square too. They gave them 90 days to get $5000 paid back and the baby was almost 2 at the time. This was all in MO.
Very well written article. I hope that you turned this in for a grade and got a good one. I know what you mean about people especially the drama queen 1 and 2. People will do anything to cause a scene because they think if they cause a huge enough scene that people with give in. Good thing for standing your ground. I mean really how stupid do people think we are. And on another point. If drama queen 2 previously worked at walmart than her dumbass would have know how to read a barcode and know that the vacuum cleaner was not $3.00. I swear people always trying to get something for nothing.
It seems to me that there are a few respondants to this article who need to take some time to consider what they have and how they have it. Their “entitlements” do not come from the “government” they come from people who pay taxes such as me. To buy anything beyond the basics with their assistance money and to be anything but appreciative for what they have is rediculous and assinine. I have been at or below the poverty line. I worked (with no government assistance) and fed and housed my family. We didn’t have steaks, lean meat, or fresh vegetables. Our bread was from the day old bread store, our clothes were second hand, we had no cell phone, I managed to save $20 to buy a small used tube TV, we had no video games, there were no trips to the barber (we learned to cut hair ourselves) we did not buy alcohol, we did not smoke, we did not have a computer. The library provided our computer (we had to go and use it). We played used board games for entertainment. We were not unhappy, we were motivated to do better and provide for ourselves rather than expecting someone else to work to provide for us. All over this nation there are jobs. But doing nothing is much more attractive to many. You might have to move, your kids may not have the latest video games, you may have to make a birthday cake from scratch or better yet have a birthday sandwich or make a birthday special another way.
I am sick and tired of people and their “I am entitled to…” attitude. I don’t want to pay for your entitlements. I am more than willing to help you get by when you are down on your luck. But why do I have to work each day to pay for your life decisions or your choice to live beyind your means. These people should not starve but they should learn to live within their allotted means. This should not include ANY extras (smartphones, TV’s, games, food other than the basics, etc.). And for what you do get…be appreciative and understand it is not “your earned money”. It is the money a group of people have been kind enough to front you until you get your family in a better situation. Perhaps this entitled attitude may explain why you are in these situations in the first place?
To those of you who have conservatively used these funds as a stop gap or to help get by in a tough period while you regroup and move forward. You are welcome and I wish you the best. To the others of you I have no sympathy. If you spend more than $300 a month on food in most cases you can get by on less you just refuse to try. You assume that if someone will give it to you that you must need it or have to spend it. Perhaps working to save society a dollar or two could translate into you saving money for yourself and in turn (with some time) you could even get yourself out of my pocket.
Been there…Done that…and did not cry like a baby with my hand out expecting the country to provide for me while I spent my time looking for benefits rather than how I could support myself and constructively contribute to society rather than serve as a drain.
Reinstiture the WPA! No work…no Pay! We have highways littered with trash. Nothing gets me more upset than Welfare. What happened to families taking care of each other. If my brother/sister NEEDED help…I would HELP! If they were bums…let them go hungry. My brother offered his sister-in-law $400/month if she turned into him a letter from any organization showing that she had done 10 hours of volunteer work. She refused…so did he! Wow, where can dumb people make $40/hour! On top of that tax free.
Thank you, Thank you for having the gumption to make a statement… I fully agree that that abuse of our welfare system happens a lot, I have seen it myself at the stores. I am so proud that you have taken a stand!
What I love is that after the World Trade Center episode I lost my job and applied for food stamps since I didn’t have a salary anymore. I was told that since I had worked the in the years prior I should have saved my money so I was denied. Meanwhile the guy behind me that couldn’t even but two words together because he was so messed up got them handed to him. Our government is just messed up, to say the least!
One pragmatic and practical idea is that the Government simply get out of the Welfare system all together and hand it over to the Churches and make the Churches responsible for the care of the needy in their community. You want to see how fast Welfare abuse will stop?
It is unfortunate that some people abuse the welfare system. However, one should never forget that, for many, welfare is what is keeping some families alive.
The structure of our society supports a system where people are born into wealth and into poverty and because of that, people are not given the same opportunities from very early on.
We say we are in a society that rewards hard work, but what about children whose parents pay their way through college out of pocket, who party all four years, barely attend class, barely graduate and end up inheriting both their parent’s business and wealth? Compare that to the child of a single mother who is not fluent in English and cannot afford the rent of an apartment and therefore must stay at homeless shelters. For her, (studies show) it is very probable it is actual more affordable and better for her child if she goes on welfare reluctantly because working at minimum wage and having to pay for daycare would leave her struggling even more and be more unable to give her child the proper food, clothing, and home. What about in the future, where the child will not have a parent at home to help them with their homework, because they did not complete high school, or a parent who knows nothing about college applications or FAFSA? This child is clearly born into a situation where it makes it very unlikely that he/she will be able to raise a family of his/her own without similar obstacles in life.
Clearly we do not live in a world where we all start on a level playing field. Welfare systems, while they can be abused like any other system (look at millionaires and business CEO’s who’s fraud actually costs our society more money), they are there for the many people in this country who cannot afford to survive otherwise, whether that is because they are disable physically, mentally, do not speak English, do not have family in the area to help them, do not have the education needed to obtain jobs that pay livable wages, etc. Before one judges every customer that comes through their line at a store that sells the cheapest goods, goods that are already not top of the line and thus mothers CAN afford them on welfare, they should know the circumstances they are coming from. Seeing as that is impossible, why don’t you keep your criticism to yourself? I mean really, if you are a child with a parent on welfare, a birthday cake may be the only thing you receive in a year that makes you feel like any other kid on their birthday. Is it that wrong for a mother to want their child to have one day to feel special?
I can tell you our welfare system is not perfect, and some of her examples show that. And I know it is abused. However I can say that until you walk in the shoes of someone who just wants to keep a roof over their child’s head and food in their stomach and the only possible way to do that is through welfare because of these structural injustices that create real obstacles in people’s lives, then don’t judge and instead educate yourself on all the problems inherent in this society that make having a welfare system necessary. You may as well start by taking any sociology class.
Awesome!! Hahahah This is just awesome! I’m glad there are other people out there who think everything is f’ed up in the system!!
Just because someones card has a date that old doesn’t mean they have been on welfare the whole time. I know people who weren’t a food stamps for a very long time but they came onto hard times and needed help again. So once again people should not judge other people without knowing to circumstances. If you have not walked a mile in the other person shoes you can’t understand what they have been through or what their going through now.
I am sending this to my Senator and conrgressman. VOTE Republican in 2012!
Obama must GO!
DID you know that those looser can get food for their animals also? Here in Standish at the Town hall they will pay for the cat and dog Food!!! FYI I posted this to WCSH6 Facebook page… Thanks for sharing
I recieve Food stamps, I have for the past 7 years. I do however have a young child and I am also married. I do not work right now ( I am also 8 month pregnant) but I have worked in the past 7 years while on wellfare. I would like to NOT be on it for the rest of my life. But sometimes you have to do what you can. now my husband works a full time job about 60hrs a week and we only get 195 in foodstamps. That is not nearly enough, to feed my house, but then again I am not buying, soda pop, and mass amounts of junk food. Milk, eggs and meat are really expensive. I agree that there should be a regulation on what people who receive EBT (FOOD) can buy. Now EBT (CASH) is a different story, I see a lot of people around tax time go to Wal*Mart, Kmart etc. and but 42in TV and Video game consoles and such! Its annoying to me. I am trying to scrape enough money to pay my electric bill because my House hold income over the limit. But guess what??? My family doesn’t go out to dinner all the time. We can bearly pay some of our bills. If more people would see EBT as HELP rather then a way of life it would work out better.
I’m a walmart veteran myself. I’ve seen piles of abuse ofwelfare and usually the ones ready to abuse that system have no aversion to theft. I lot of those folks spend what real money they have on drugs, while stealing food and using welfare. After all, neither the state nor walmart will shoot you for stealing from them, but drug dealers will.
While I agree with some of the article.. a lot of it I do not. I’m on FS, unfortunately. Have I been on it a decade? No.. about a year. My partner and I have been looking for decent jobs since he got out of the military but there are none. He finally found a job at a motel but he only makes a third of what he had been making. So we need the foodstamps and medicaid if we want to feed our children and give them insurance right now. We’re also both in college right now to better our lives for our kids.. so we just need a hand right now.
What does a woman trying to trick you about the price of a vacuum have to do with her being on foodstamps? Maybe she was simply an idiot and really thought it was only three bucks. Maybe she’s a conwoman.. I don’t think she’s a “welfare queen”…
Also, if a person is on foodstamps why can’t they buy a birthday cake for their child with it? Just because I’m broke doesn’t mean my child shouldn’t have a birthday cake with a Dora the Explorer on the top.
Do I think people should be buying steak and lobster on it? Of course not.. but they’re going to spend all their money up on a meal or two and then not eat the rest of the month, that is their mistake.
Ofcourse, do I have a fancy cell phone? No. I don’t have one at all. Land line for us!!
Am I dressed to the nines in fancy clothes? Nope. Can’t afford them. Do my kids look decent? Yes, they do. I got a lot of nice namebrand clothes from a second hand shop or first hand.. because my kids deserve to look ok.
I was a cashier myself and yes there were times where I thought “Wow that person has a lof of gold jewelry on to be using foodstamps” but who am I to make assumptions. Maybe those things were purchased before they needed help? Maybe that person had that cell phone and plan before they needed help.. maybe getting out of a cell phone contract is too expensive for them..
We need to stop making assumptions about others.
Should there be drug testing? Absolutely, because too many people are buying crack with their foodstamps and cash benefits.. [they simply sell their cards to their drug dealers]
Should there be a time limit? It’s hard to say because right now we don’t know when this job crisis will be over.. So I really don’t think there can be a limit right now.. because how are families who are intently job searching going to feed their kids if they get kicked off?
I can not believe there are so many in defense of this abuse and waste. If not brought under control the whole system will eventually collapse. What will the truly needy do then?
This is old news and not brilliant. This is only a small fraction of the problem as the larger is the conservative minded fraud that goes on at a much higher level on Wall Street and banks. Open your eyes people, as does welfare fraud need to be regulated the banks and corrupt Wall Street is what REALLY needs to be regulated and watched over. That is the biggest fraud that is going on not someone who bought Filet Mignon.
Wow, great post. 20 years ago I worked in a grocery store and witnessed these same types of things daily. Today I see the kids of those parents as adults using entitlements and living the same lifestyle. Thanks for posting the reality we all live in and not apologizing for posting the truth.
Hello, I am a moocher of the system. I receive $198.00 dollars a month for food from the state of Hawaii. Yes.. I live in Hawaii. I also receive close to $700.00 dollars a month from SSI. I’m on a waiting list for section 8 housing. When I get that I will probably only pay $130.00 a month for rent and utilities. Right now I’m paying $350.00 a month for a room in a house.
AKA moocher.
I am paid to live in Hawaii. I am paid to live on an island where there are no heaters or wood burners. No one closes their windows and in this house there are no doors, only screen doors. I am paid to live where people yearn to vacation. I go to the beach and lay in the sun. I swim with the turtles in the warm ocean waters. I walk everyday to just take in the beauty that surrounds me. Often I ride with a good friend of mine, up to the volcano to watch the red, orange and white lava flow into the sea. I go out to dinner with friends and I laugh a lot. I have so much spare time that I have to think about what to do.. I can sleep in if I want or go to bed late. I have no real time schedule. Yes sometimes I have to go to appointments, like the doctor, or the drug store to pick up medication and quite honestly I resent “having to do anything.” All my doctor visits are free and so is my medication. I just walk in, tell em my name and pretty soon I have a bag of medication handed to me for absolutely no cost. It’s wonderful!!
I know it must make you mad that you have to work for your money. You have to do something that you’d probably rather not do every day of the work week. You have to stand in one place till your feet hurt and deal with people like me. UGH! I wouldn’t do that ever. I did do that at one time in my life and quite frankly for such low wages it’s not worth it. All the taxes that come out of your check.. makes it all seem so futile. I know what it feels like to have to work and put up with bosses that are unfair and controlling. I know what it feels like to wake up tired but still get out of bed and do it because I have to. I have to pay bills!
Well, let me just say this. Thankfully I am disabled. I thank God I am unable to work. I thank God that your tax dollars feed me, supply me with clothes and flip flops. I am grateful beyond everything that I do not have to live the way you working people do. I’ve been there, I did it and there isn’t anyway in this world I would again want to do it again. I would rather be poor, I would rather use my EBT card at your register then work at the register. I would rather have direct deposit into my bank account for my SSI check than pay almost half of my check into taxes.
I have no idea where working people get the idea that because they work they are better than me and can call me names because I receive money from your tax dollars.
You tell me who’s the dummy. Someone who has all the free time in the world to do what ever she likes or someone who is a slave for low wages? Where may I ask, honestly.. is the pride in that. You don’t have the time to enjoy life. You have to work. You can’t go and pick fresh Mangoes off the tree in your back yard, or eat fresh bananas, or swim in the warm ocean, play with the turtles or just fiddle the day away doing nothing but smiling.
I’m sorry but I just don’t buy into the trap you are in. I lived it and as God as my witness.. I’ll never do it again. All that life gave me was slavery. A cycle of work and pay out. A cycle of owning a home and working to pay the mortgage. So you never get to enjoy your home or your family. You get up in the morning and drag yourself to work so you can have an SUV, make the payment, buy the gas, buy the insurance, feed the kids, clean the house, do the yard work, take out the garbage.. fight with your neighbors because their dog barks while your trying to sleep. HA! Have at it! I don’t think you have anything to be proud of. All you working people do is work. I get to live life, see life, swim in life. I get to have freedom and you don’t.
If you hate me because I live for free, then hate me. You know deep down if someone would pay your way and end the day in day out slavery,, you’d do it.
I really think it’s jealousy. Because while your at work today, I’ll go to the beach and put on my mask and snorkel while I look at beautiful blue and yellow fish. I’ll swim with turtles and lay in the sun. I can do that everyday.. You might, if you can ever save any money, get to do what I do maybe, once or twice in your life time, if ever at all.
So just be all haughty behind that register. Grumble in blogs about your work ethic and how much better you are than me. Tell it all brothers and sisters. Tell how cheated you feel, tell how much you pay out to support me. But when you lie down tonight and place your weary head on the pillow, when you look over at the clock to make sure the alarm is on so you won’t be late for work, really and honestly, ask yourself if you’d rather be doing that or be paid to live in Hawaii?
I feel empathy for all of you. I’ve lived your life and I hated it. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t refreshing or rejuvenating. It sucked the life out of me and it took all of living away from me.
I do want to thank you though, for all the life you sacrifice for my sake. Just know, I’ll think of you while I’m dozing in the sun at the beach.. Thank you for everything!
Living for free in Hawaii.
I would have to guess this story is written by another spoiled kid who’s Republican parents put her through college only to have her look down upon others who are less fortunate, that is the true Republican way, If you don’t have money than your worthless and a burden on all those born wealthy. I know of many people like this, there parents by there cars, pay for there college and anything else they want, and then they look down upon others who don’t have everything handed to them on a silver platter. I so despise people like this, if you were a good person you would be out volunteering to help needy children or something positive instead blowing your money on senseless things you could live without. Republicans are spoiled selfish snobs, who wouldn’t give a starving child a dollar.
This upsets me very much. Have a heart and an open-mind. You don’t know these people’s stories so don’t assume or judge based on what you see as a cashier. They don’t have the same opportunities as you. You live a privileged life, sitting behind a cash register as you witness something you will probably never have to experience and never be able to understand. Why don’t you question how they got to where they are now? That is what we should be worried about. When did you get the idea that you are worth more than other people and that they shouldn’t be able to get the same things in life as you? It concerns me that someone so naive as you is getting this much positive attention. I worry about the direction our country is headed if you are the kind of person people are willing to follow.
It is unfortunate that some people abuse the welfare system. However, one should never forget that, for many, welfare is what is keeping some families alive.
The structure of our society supports a system where people are born into wealth and into poverty and because of that, people are not given the same opportunities from very early on.
We say we are in a society that rewards hard work, but what about children whose parents pay their way through college out of pocket, who party all four years, barely attend class, barely graduate and end up inheriting both their parent’s business and wealth? Compare that to the child of a single mother who is not fluent in English and cannot afford the rent of an apartment and therefore must stay at homeless shelters. For her, (studies show) it is very probable it is actually more affordable and better for her child if she goes on welfare reluctantly because working at minimum wage and having to pay for daycare would leave her struggling even more and be more unable to give her child the proper food, clothing, and home. What about in the future, where the child will not have a parent at home to help them with their homework, because they did not complete high school, or a parent who knows nothing about college applications or FAFSA? This child is clearly born into a situation where it makes it very unlikely that he/she will be able to raise a family of his/her own without similar obstacles in life.
Clearly we do not live in a world where we all start on a level playing field. Welfare systems, while they can be abused like any other system (look at millionaires and business CEO’s who’s fraud actually costs our society more money), they are there for the many people in this country who cannot afford to survive otherwise, whether that is because they are disable physically, mentally, do not speak English, do not have family in the area to help them, do not have the education needed to obtain jobs that pay livable wages, etc. Before one judges every customer that comes through their line at a store that sells the cheapest goods, goods that are already not top of the line and thus mothers CAN afford them on welfare, they should know the circumstances they are coming from. Seeing as that is impossible, why don’t you keep your criticism to yourself? I mean really, if you are a child with a parent on welfare, a birthday cake may be the only thing you receive in a year that makes you feel like any other kid on their birthday. Is it that wrong for a mother to want their child to have one day to feel special?
I can tell you our welfare system is not perfect, and some of her examples show that. And I know it is abused. However I can say that until you walk in the shoes of someone who just wants to keep a roof over their child’s head and food in their stomach and the only possible way to do that is through welfare, then don’t judge and instead educate yourself on all the problems inherent in this society that make having a welfare system necessary. You may as well start by taking any sociology class.
I am not Republican by any means- however, I do have to agree with this article. It is people who abuse the system who make it difficult for those who really do NEED welfare to use it. If you’re working to provide for your family and still do not have enough for essentials… that is where welfare comes in and can truly be a godsend. I get angry about the fact that people are taking the system for granted instead of being grateful for the assistance they are offered.
First of all, BIRTH CONTROL!!! I have read and heard so many sob stories about how they [a welfare recipient] has four kids, dead-beat dads, and can’t support them all. Yes, hindsight is 20/20, however, birth control and condoms are FREE at any local clinic. Any person in the U.S. today (of the pre-pubescent age and above) knows that when you have unprotected sex, you can (and often will) get pregnant. Aren’t responsible enough to take one small pill at the SAME TIME EVERY DAY? There are PLENTY of other options that don’t require much effort on your part. FYI, antibiotics inhibit the effects of birth control. Yes, you already know this. It says so on the label, your doctor or pharmacist has mentioned this to all women taking them, and it is COMMON knowledge in all women (and most men) today. I have been on birth control for over ten years and have NEVER even had an “oh crap” moment. Because of this, I have been able to support myself (if often barely) and do the things I choose in life. Yes, I want children, however, until I can support one, I choose not to go off of birth control (as of now, it will be another 3-5 years until that day comes. Yes, I will be in my mid-thirties but I choose to raise a child when I am ready and can afford it). Your church says Birth control is ‘evil’? Then your church can pay for your children. Not me. If you want to have 5 kids, good for you but why should I have to pay for YOUR kids???
I grew up at the poor/poverty level and never received government assistance (My parents were too strong willed and independent to ask for handouts). However, I hadn’t realized this until I was older. My father worked as a truck driver and was never home, while my mother stayed at home to take care of my sister and I. As we got older, she started working as a waitress on nights and had to travel 2 hours each way just to take college classes. I never had the big birthday cakes nor did I EVER get the princess Barbie cake that I had always begged for. My birthday cakes were ALWAYS home made and often still left in the glass baking pan, topped with frosting and sprinkles. Am I damaged for life because I had never got that princess birthday cake? Not even close. My clothes were always hand-me-downs from my older sister, we NEVER had sugary cereals and soda, and we never went to Disney Land as kids (even though we lived in California). My first car was a POS (literally; peeling paint, mystery puddles, the works!) I had to share with my sister after my parents had raised enough money to upgrade to a ‘newer’ car. If I wanted gas money, I worked for it. If I wanted ANY money, I worked for it. This is hardly the case of a ‘privileged white girl with a silver spoon in her mouth’.
After High School, I had joined the military and served several years active duty overseas. Because of this I am now able to pay for college. I don’t do drugs (of ANY kind), I don’t drink (nor go out), and I am working 3 jobs because none of them can offer me full-time work. I barely make enough to pay my bills and my trips to the grocery store DO NOT EVER include luxury items such as lobsters and sodas. Yes, I am lucky because the only mouths I have to feed is my Fiance and my own. This is so because I had been responsible for my actions since day 1. I work hard for EVERY dollar I have and yet after every paycheck I look at how little it is because such a huge chunk has been taken out for taxes. Taxes that go straight to the generations of ‘Welfare Breeders’ who choose to produce more babies solely because it produces more income. Generations teaching future generations how to get free money. I would gladly help those who try to help themselves, unfortunately, I don’t get a choice in who I help since YOUR welfare check comes from the years of MY hard work. Therefore, the next time all you individuals cry about how your kids ‘deserve’ that princess birthday cake or slip-and-slide, please think about all of those kids who DIDN’T grow up on Government Assistance and how they had to ‘suffer’ through a boring, homemade cake. Life must be rough.
While on one of my MANY deployments in the military, I had read the best sign on a bus stop bench, “CAN’T FEED ‘EM, DON’T BREED ‘EM!” Such a great motto! I just wish more Americans would adopt this same type of thinking.
Christine,
Well said. I live in North Carolina (but grew up in Indiana). My husband is an officer in the Army and I am an attorney. We both came from families that worked very hard to provide for us and were not born into wealth. Everything we have we worked for an earned – nothing was given to us. I think that it is a mistake for people to think that all of us “judgey” people are rich or born to wealth. Neither of my parents went to college and yet they worked hard so my brother and I could go (my brother got a full ride to Notre Dame – that means he paid nothing because HE EARNED IT).
That being said, the amount of fraud is a problem in every state. As a prosecutor in Indiana I witnessed mothers and fathers living together and lying about their addresses so that they could get welfare, TANF, food stamps, etc. Families teach their children how to manipulate the system. Steak and lobster are luxuries that you get when you can afford to buy them. If you are on food stamps – YOU CAN’T AFFORD luxuries. You should be working towards the goal of getting off food stamps so that you can buy yourself lobster one day.
Here in North Carolina there is no stigma. WIC items are clearly marked on the shelf. Every day I drive to work, I am amazed at the number of people hanging out on their porches, on facebook, at the mall – NOT WORKING.
Where is the incentive to work? Why work when you get make just as much money collecting the handouts.
If you are on benefits because you need help temporarily then I applaud you for doing what you need to do to make ends meet as you look for a job.
If you have no plan to ever get off of the benefits then shame on you.
So yes, if I know you are abusing the system and I look at you with disgust – I am judging and I do think I am better than you. Not because I have money but because I have morals.
More people need to speak up so we can stop these problems and work towards solutions.
This article does a great job bringing to light a problem with welfare. Items redeemed should be monitored. Continued eligibility should motivate people to get to work for themselves, not to be lazy. Your unique position as a cashier helped you to see how easily people may be able to take welfare for granted.
It seems you had some venting to do about things that happened to you, and you are right to feel the way you do. It is rude for someone to yell at you because they don’t have enough money, or are trying to take advantage of welfare or Walmart’s policies. It is embarrassing for them to have to turn away items, but they have no right to treat you that way.
However, that doesn’t mean you can automatically disregard their possible need for assistance, or give them a label such as “welfare queen.” I may not agree with what they are doing, but that gives me no right to stoop to name-calling and branding. You need to be careful in putting labels on others. You can’t judge them based only on your interaction as a cashier. An i-phone might be a gift from a close relative. I personally know people try to “work the system” to be lazy, rather than work and that is a sad thing. But who are you (really) to judge whether someone is a moocher, or not. Appearances can be deceiving. Getting a gift for a child isn’t a bad thing, especially if they do without most of the year. You can’t judge someone without knowing their full story.
If you really (and I mean REALLY) want to do something about it, write your local politicians, the welfare eligibility specialists, -anyone who has an influence in this area, and let them know of the things people are doing to “work the system.” Your unique perspective may be useful in solving the problem. To further help, apply for a job or volunteer to help with eligibility cases and planning how benefits are determined. Offer classes to help people learn how to stretch the dollar and make every penny count, how to make something from little, how to earn money with your talents. Put your energy to good use to help solve the problem.
If the purpose of this article is to vent, then job well done. But if you are trying to make a difference, then I challenge you to do something about, even if just letting your constructive voice be heard by those who make the difference.
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I love that some of you are saying to just get rid of the welfare system all together. You know who this will hurt the most, foster children. Foster kids depend on the welfare system, more specifically, medicaid. If we didn’t have medicaid these kids whose parents are making bad decisions wouldn’t be taken care of. If they were to get sick and not have medicaid, oh well. I had a foster child for 10 months who was very very sick. We were in the hospital about every 2 weeks with her. She had two major heart surgeries, she had diabetes, and an autoimmune disorder. If she didn’t have medicaid, then she would have died without the proper medical care she needed. People, think before you say just to get rid of something so important all together. Reform is needed, yes, but to get rid of the whole system all together would be disastrous.
@ Scott- I am republican, and I am on the system. My husband and I both work but we live in a small town that has very few jobs. so we are only considered part-time. I dont think being democrat or republican or other has anything to do with whether a person is on assistance or not… So I dont understand the republican comment.
To all those who have posted comments regarding Christine Rousselle’s article: First off, I try never to judge people (although have been sorely tested when I am shopping and see the abuse by the shoppers of our welfare system in Maine). Second, I have never been upset about or begrudged the people who seriously need help. I just do not like the widespread and rampant abuse of the system, including all types of assistance,. A lot of people today feel they are entitled to this assistance. I just love that word “entitlement”, which could, very easily, mean some people feel they are owed this assistance. I have worked from the time I was 11 years old, first as a baby sitter, picking strawberries and potatoes, putting myself through high school as a waitress, and finally working almost 50 years in a secretaril position. The abuse must stop – once the abuse has been stopped, I am certain that the Maine welfare system will have sufficient funds to be able to help those who really need the assistance.
“Beth says:
December 14, 2011 at 11:23 pm
For those of you who don’t begrudge somebody on welfare some lobster or steak, why don’t YOU pull out YOUR wallet and pay for it for them yourself? Maybe if more people had to fork over the cash literally (as in pulling out their wallet and handing over the cash instead of having it raped from their paychecks where it “doesn’t hurt quite so bad”), they might re-think their stance.
Go up to some braid-wearing Shanaynay with her nails all “did” and her bejeweled cell phone and buy her a lobster, you buncha losers. See how quick you decide this might not be the best idea.”
I don’t know what’s worse, the blatant racism or the misogyny that compares the horrible act of rape to getting money taken from your paycheck (which, in the grand scheme of things, very little of that money is funding welfare compared to things like the wars, bank bailouts, etc)Why not say what you really mean, that you don’t like welfare because it gives the marginalized members of society the ability to live and *gasp* sometimes enjoy themselves.
Welfare is the only part of my taxes that I don’t mind being taken. I’d much rather feed the poor than pad the wallets of the ceos of big corporations, fund the murder of innocent people overseas, and put band-aids on the gaping, deadly wounds of our nation instead of actually healing them. You obviously have no idea who the real criminals in this country are.
excuse me but there are people taking advantage of welfare I work with women who live with the fathers of there children and make as much money as I do and get state funded health care instead paying for it like my husband I do for our one child. The key is not to get married that way they can qualify state health insurance instead of paying it themselves and also receive big fat tax returns while the rest of married people pay. Don’t be fooled. The population in maine was only up 7% last year but applications for state funded health rose by78% What is wrong with this picture.
Instead of sticking to the facts and proposing solutions along with your experiences at Walmart, you managed to turn a potentially intelligent article into nothing but an unproductive-name-calling-b*tch-fest. Congratulations.
AND I have also helped out many others when i could afford to before I got on the system. We received extra money that we wa snot expecting and we used it to help a family of six who was goin through a rough time due to an accident her husband was in. And we helped a neighbor who was on assistance but barely making it. We have volunteered with our local crisis center, my husband has mowed lawns, and shoveled snow, I buy my clothes second hand WHEN I do buy clothes. I have helped family members, my children, my sister, my mom when they needed it and they have helped us. But everyone in my family is having it rough in these economic times. Our political choice has nothing to do with it.
There should be a phone number on the back of those EBT cards or a fast way to contact a department that handles abuse of those welfare systems, good article. If I were governor, this is what I would be targetting for reform along side medicare so medicare doesn’t take as big as a hit as planned. Find those people on welfare for 5 or more years and cut them off.
You make some blanket statements about Maine that the data doesn’t back up.
For instance, while Cumberland County, the county you worked in, has an “average” poverty rate in comparison to the rest of the country, most of the state (12 out of 16 counties) has 12% or more of the population living in poverty. In 6 of those 12, 15%+ of the population is in poverty – and most of those families have kids under 12 who are going hungry. This, kiddo, is why 30% of the state is getting government aid – they need it.
If you have the privilege to live in one of the southern counties, where there are greater resources, you may very well be able to keep yourself afloat. But what if the only thing you have going for you is that you outright own the dry cabin you live in on family property that hasn’t been taken away? Do you uproot generations of your family to gamble on finding a job in this economy? There are all sorts of issues that compound people’s ability to fend for themselves.
I have a Master’s degree and 15 years of work experience. I come highly recommended in my field and when I lived in rural Maine, the only job I could find after 6 months of looking virtually every day paid me 23K a year. I supported a family of three on that money, but believe me, we struggled to pay for fuel, food, and more. Because of our particular situation, we didn’t qualify for aid. Do you know what that means? There were TONS of people who had it worse than we did.
I also, frankly, don’t begrudge people for purchasing a treat for a birthday, a wedding, a funeral. Just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to celebrate.
Your points would be stronger had you no devolved to name calling (welfare queens) and silly conjecture (watching YouTube 24/7)
Perhaps if you had the integrity to avoided personal attacks, your story would seem more like fact and less like hype.
i think you are a bit judgy “scanning, bagging, and dealing with questionable clientele.” what is “questionable clientele.”? I shop there , lot of what you wrote about i have seen , but to post it like that , shows a bit judgmental . just saying !!!
As a student in a social services program, and someone who recieves foodstamps to help feed her family, I think this article is very one sided, Snap benefits are awarded to those who need them or can lie their through a review. I think this “author” needs to take a few more classes and continue working at Wal-Mart, and to the comment at the top calling us EBT users “loosers”, its spelled LOSER, please use spell check its their for a reason.
Please get your head out of your white privileged ass and look further into WHY people fall into generations of welfare and assistance. Issues of poverty go hand in hand with issues of race and socio-economic opportunity. People who come from poor black or white families, who have been poor for multiple generations, often did not have the same opportunities to increase their family wealth (maybe because of discrimination in the housing market and higher education, as happened to black soldiers after WWII who were not allowed to take advantage of the GI Bill to buy houses or enroll in the university of their choice). It is very, VERY difficult for individual family members to break the cycle of poverty when it is the only existence your family has known for generations. You obviously comes from a privileged background- your white skin and the fact that you are in college tell me so. I also fit the same description. And yes, there are some people who take advantage of the welfare system, and that would be frustrating to witness everyday. But you should NOT judge people coming from a totally different social and economic reality based on her privileged standards of a white college student. LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD A LITTLE BEFORE YOU MAKE JUDGEMENTS!!!
Joe:
You rock! Very well said.
Ms. Debb:
You did not seriously just write what you wrote and mean it. You thank God your disabled so you don’t have to work and can live free in HI enjoying life? Perhaps the funniest thing I have read in a long time and the craziest I have ever read. If you are doing all of the stuff you say you are, I’m curious-what is your disability? If you can do all you are capable of to fill your days, why are you unable to work? What are your restrictions and limitations that keep you from working ANY job? Let me guess-you must have a mental and nervous condition. You must be too “anxious and depressed” to hold down a job. To that I would say, Welcome to Life! Get some Prozac, see a therapist, stabilize yourself, and get a job.
My favorite part of your rant is “if you hate me because I live for free, then hate me. You know deep down if someone would pay your way and end the day in day out slavery, you’d do it.
I really think it’s jealousy.” What a crock of BS. I personally love my job. I get up and go to work every morning and enjoy what I do. I would in no way trade working for laying around and NOT being self sufficient. If I won the lottery, I’d still work. If someone would pay my way day in, day out, I would still work.
Again, I’m curious-what specifically would you suggest I am jealous of? Your ignorance, lack of motivation, or lack of strong work ethic?
Here we go.Can you blame your brothers and sisters for a system that is full of holes?No matter what system you come up with there are pit falls.We have the rich stealing at will from wall street and the banks.CEO making there pay scale so great that to leave there workers bankrupt.blame the little guy.If, you fall for this you’ll fall for that.
I believe that there are welfare recipients who game the system and that is frustrating because I don’t get to regularly buy lobster etc. But, how much worse is it when the Ultra Rich do it? Look at “Frank and Jamie McCourt, who own the Los Angeles Dodgers, have not paid any income taxes since at least 2004, their divorce case revealed. Yet they spent $45 million one year alone. How? They just borrowed against Dodger ticket revenue and other assets. To the IRS, they look like paupers.” (taken from the LA Times). How Many “Welfare Queens” would it take to add up to their robbing the system?
A couple of observations:
1. I worked at a higher-end retail outlet that was not frequented by food-stamp users or “Welfare Queens” (whatever that means). You know who else sometimes acts rude and entitled? Middle-class people. Also, wealthy people.
2. You know who else exploits loopholes of the system for the their own gain? Middle-class people. Also, wealthy people.
In other words, every human has the capacity to sometimes–or even all the time–act like a jerk. The behavior is not the exclusive purview of the poor, and they shouldn’t be judged as if it is.
You even say that the system in Maine encourages dependency. Sounds to me like the people who have thus become dependent on it are as much its victims as they are its abusers. So why spend so many words disparaging them (and make no mistake: calling someone “Welfare Queen” is disparaging and dehumanizing, which her having been rude to you doesn’t entitle you to do) instead of, say, doing some deeper research and proposing viable alternatives? To the thinking reader, you diminish the credibility of your opinions because they seem like nothing more than snobbery.
Some people just don’t want too hear the truth,I am middle class and so are alot of people in Maine who are draining the health care system that was intended for the truly needy. WAKE UP!
For everyone commenting on people coming in with name brand clothes, consider the following:
I have clothes from high end designers which I purchased second hand at THRIFT STORES! Just because it’s designer does not mean it was purchased new or expensive, it might have even come from a clothes drive where some local rich people were giving away last years designer fashions that weren’t current enough for them to keep wearing. Also, stores like TJ Maxx sell designer brands at significantly reduced prices. A pair of designer jeans cost me the same at TJ Maxx as Walmart brand jeans cost me. And when something is on the sale rack there it’s even less. I only buy deeply discounted clothes and know how to work sales, doesn’t mean I’m rich by any means, just smart.
For people who have their hair and nails done, maybe they just know how to do hair, maybe that’s their job, or their friend does it for them. There are a lot of articles out there telling you how to look good for less, do it yourself, makeup tutorials, etc. Do you expect people on welfare to be walking around in burlap sacks? How exactly do you expect them to land a job if they show up for an interview in old, ratty clothes, looking a mess?
It makes me angry that people post that judgement shouldnt be passed and its ok to buy birthday cakes and steaks etc with food stamps or any type of government funding weither it be food stamps, welfare, etc. My husband and I dont qualify for any type of help. We both work our butts off to make it and some months it doesnt stretch as far as we’d like it to. We have one car thats far from being brand new and we share, no cell phones, use the library for internet access, dont eat out, our clothes come from second hand stores, and we grocery shop with coupons and a list of items that will last as long as we need them to and provide us with adequate nutrition. I cant tell you the last time we had birthday cake or steak. I cant remember what soda tastes like or how it felt to own a $200 cell phone. Our Christmas is planned out months ahead so we can buy small gifts, one at a time and that are NEEDED. We dont have credit card debt or any other debt to speak of. My children are well dressed, well rounded, and are hard working. None of us complain about hard times…..they’re expected and we work through them as a family. I honestly dont think we’d would take governement help if we could……we’d just go out and get a second job. I’m not to good to flip burgers, sale clothes, clean houses, or any other type of job that will bring in some type of income. I dont care how hard the economic strain is, theres a way and a way without Uncle Sam holding our hands. I know, I live it eveyday.
How about “pay forward” system? When I needed help I got some from charities and was expected to help in any way I could.. I cleaned offices… babysat kids..etc… I have also been on the assistance system and understand how it can be hard to “get out” When I made too much money ($100) in a 3 month review I had to pay back my rent assistance that was $200 per month… yikes why was I struggling with two jobs??? I reevaluated and found another job waiting tables. I think changes need to be made… a limitation on both dollars and timeframe!!! wonderful article. lots of comments and ideas.
Who made you Queen and the person who can decide how people should live? I’m not saying that people on food stamps always buy what they should or that they are honest, but who are you to judge?
Take a look at the millions of corporate welfare and the misuse if you really want to go after waste.
Most conservatives have an “aha” moment when they experience firsthand the realities of so many policies that have good intentions. The problem is, if you speak frankly about them, as this author has, people are quick to label you as a “heartless” and the conversation goes nowhere.
@ Shawn- VERY GOOD POINT! Over this past year alone there have been many in the news who have been arrested for NOT paying their taxes.. guess who they are? The rich! And many havent paid it for years! Or what about the ones who embezzel money from their companies!!! As if they wasnt rich enough!! And people are complaining about the food stamp programs. What about the fact that the government wanted to cut military pay and yet they sit on the “hill” making 6 figures and most will continue to receive decent amounts even after they are no longer in office! These payments are obscene!! Kudos Shawn fo pointing this out!
Who made you Queen For A Day? Who are you to decide how people should live? I’m not defending any individuals but if you really want to go after waste go after corporate welfare. They get millions, not hundreds of dollars and billions/year is given to corporations who abuse the system in ways which make your complaints look silly.
Scott I agree with you 100% I was born into an unwealthy family my parent’s lived with my grandmother for the first 5 years of my life then my dad worked his butt off to build us a home now they are losing it because of one stupid person that was just signing papers and not even looking at my parents situation so now they are in four closure and they shouldn’t even be. I hate this world and I feel bad for my daughter being born into such an F up generation I am sorry I am on food stamps and Maine care my dad was in a real bad car accident a little over a year a go he had no insurance nor Maine care they wouldn’t treat him they sent him home that same day his neck is all messed up and he get’s real bad head aches. So to the spoiled little girl who wrote this take a walk in my shoes for a month if you think you can do better let me see it try and make $277.05 a week pay for the bill’s and food and all the house hold items and plus clothing for my fast growing 3 year old it is NOT CHEAP by no means oh and heating oil for my home to keep my daughter from freezing to death my poor parents don’t even got that they have wood stove but if you don’t get up and tend to it every hour the fire go’s out and my parents freeze all night long do you know what that feels like NO you don’t even need to worrie your self one bit do you sweat heart because you know that mommy and daddy will always have money to fill up the oil barrel all through the winter unlike me and my parent’s that don’t even have two pennies to rub together. YOU have NO right to judge the people that have to live on state aid I am sorry I will not give up food stamps and Maine care to let my daughter stave to death or die of some stupid virus. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN I pay taxes to you now I deserve my food stamps thank you very much.
I completely agree with this girls article. I am a college student who is just about ready to graduate and put myself through school. I chose a challenging degree to give myself a better life. I have done everything myself, I bought my own car, pay for nice cell phone, own my dog, and pay my own rent, while still allowing myself to be claimed by my mother to help her out when she receives her taxes.
When I was younger, my mother worked 3 jobs to feed me and clothe me and buy me toys. It was never enough but she made 100 dollars over the limit to qualify for food stamps. We had barely anything. I went hungry on more than one occasion just because we did not qualify for food stamps. I was always very envious of the kids who lived better than I but when I would hang out with them, their parents sat on their butt and did nothing all day, when I was left alone all day and night because my mother worked so much and my father was gone. I did not understand why this happened until my mother lost 2 of her jobs and we finally got assistance. They actually only gave us 30 dollars a week for food, and nothing else. So it not enough it was less than what she had before. But it did help. We would go and buy grocery’s I never had nice steaks, lobster or anything like that, I had hand me down toys and clothes. It was awful to watch others buy all the things they wanted (not need) and have everything and work for nothing.
As I am getting ready to graduate, I still struggle but because I allow my mother to claim me to still help her as she has had numerous injuries in the past year or so, and has a hard time working. I live with a roommate and it still doesn’t help. I go hungry all the time because I can’t get food stamps because I am in college and still claimed as a dependent. but if I came off my mothers taxes I would lose all health insurance and eye and dental but don’t qualify for medicare cause I am over the age limit with no kids (all because I don’t want them).
Its terrible but true. People abuse the system I have never had help in my life and don’t think I deserve it. I watched people take full advantage of the system. I understand occasionally spoiling your kids, like an occasional cake or something, but hey my cakes were always hand made and I loved them so much more. There should be something done to limit people and actually help those who need it. I think assistance should not go to women who have 5-10 kids and all with different dads, its what birth control is for and that is free, and never work a day int their life. It should be for people who have sick kids, laid off, basic life hard times, not just abusing it because they don’t feel like working or just think they should abuse it cause it is available. Its awful. So no one can say I didn’t see it from both sides I have and it makes me disappointed in human society. But something should be done.
My husband works at WalMart in the sporting goods department. People here buy shrimp, packaged for fishing use, with their food stamps. Why? It’s shrimp, considered a food. Food stamps pay for anything considered food. Sickening how many ways there are to bilk the system!!!
All I know is that when I took bag of oranges back to Walmart because they were bad, I was told that now I have to have my receipt because of people abusing the EBT system. They come buy groceries with the EBT card and then return things with no receipt for cash. So now, when I occasionally have something that needs to be returned food wise, I have to have my receipt. I also know that when my husband was sick with cancer, we went to get help with food stamps. Because we owned our car worth $1000 we didn’t qualify. We were told to sell the car, go buy a brand new one and the state would pay for the new car, pay all our heating and utilities as well as give us food stamps. Sweet deal….to bad we had to much of a conscience to take them up on it.
Thank you for this article. This has been going on for years in every subsidized, and give away program the Government runs, by those who have never paid a dime into the system (and most likely haven’t for generations!). I’m so happy though that a younger generation is waking up to this realization. The Government continues to allow this abuse, while cutting programs and benefits to the working class taxpayers. NEVER forget this when you go to cast your vote in any election.
My husband works at a Walmart in sporting goods. People here use their food stamps to buy shrimp, packaged for fishing bait. Shrimp. Food. Even though it’s fish food in sporting goods, food stamps will pay. Makes me sick!
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” I do not mind people paying with WIC”
Oh you are so kind and wounderful, you don’t don’t actually mind. Good, because it’s not actually up to you is it?
These comments are so discouraging. The level of ignorance astounds me. This morning the headlines stated that 146.4 million Americans now fall into the low-income category, defined by the Census Bureau as earning $44,405 annually for a family of four. Another 49.1 million are below the poverty level of $22,314 annually. Are we to believe that all these people are lazy and uneducated? The average SNAP benefit for those receiving food stamps in 2011 is estimated to be $133.84 per month. In 2010, the amount was $133.79. I doubt most of these people are living large on that. And as for the people who complain about large EBT amounts showing on the grocery receipts–be grateful. Unused benefits roll over from month-to-month. So if you see a large balance, that person is doing well and saving your money.
Chelsea,
Do you not realize that your comment was EXTREMELY racist? Telling someone to “get your head out of your white privileged ass” and then repeatedly referring to the ‘color’ of their skin (assuming the author really is “white;” I have met a lot of very light skinned people of non-european decent) is (surprise surprise) RACIST! Just because a person is of light skinned decent, it doesn’t automatically mean they are “privileged”. Has ANYTHING ever given to me because I am “white”? Nope. Not a thing. Are there numerous college scholarships limited exclusively to ethnic decent of the non-european type? Yep. I am friends with MANY people of darker skin colors than myself (some are even blood related) and yes, some of whom have come from poor backgrounds. However, some of whom have also come from privileged backgrounds. Guess what? It’s the same in ‘white’ families too. Have you never used the term “white trash”? Guess what color of skin you are referring to? Do you not remember that during WWII, all the Japanese Americans were pulled from their homes and forced into concentration camps? Everything they owned was stolen, destroyed, or sold. Fast forward to today and Japanese Americans (and many other of the Asian decent) are often the most hard working and highest earning people today. Ever wonder why your Asian classmates always excelled in school? Or why so many doctors are Asian? It’s because a strong work ethic was instilled in them from birth. Yes, there are always exceptions to everything but don’t blame people for being poor simply because they are not “white”. Please, grow up and see the world for the changing ways it is today. We have a black president. The days of crying ‘minority racism’ are over. Your life is created by YOUR decisions. Stop making excuses for yourself.
Corporate Welfare constitutes 98% of the ‘welfare’ given out in this country, but you don’t hear about it because corporations have publicity departments with skilled writers to spin their stories. I know, because I used to be a public relations writer. There are 10,000 $100 bills in one million dollars. Corporate welfare is seldom heard about because corporations know how to point the finger at the welfare mother and stir up angst over these individuals via the right kind of publicity. Most people fall for this ruse. Apparently, you have, too. Educate yourself.
I am actually living in the Geater Portland Area in Maine currently and mother of a 10 yr old and have another on the way. Worked my whole life but due to being a high risk pregnancy and unable to work I have had to turn to tanf and food stamps. Believe it or not the state of Maine only gives me 336 dollars a month in cash benefits, and about 300 in food for a month. I am only on this program cuz i cant work till after the baby is born and im expected to live of this amount till may. I agree we need reform but the mothers abusing the system are the ones to be blaimed. I barely get by so thats ridiculous that people are taking the money and spending it on crap when i cant even pay my rent!
Back in 2010 I got laid off from my job. I didn’t have a whole lot of money saved up, and I decided to sign up for unemployment, which was already paid into by former employer. After paying rent (which was pretty high, but it would have cost me a lot more up front to get out of my lease) and basic utilities, I wasn’t left with much for food. Because of this, I qualified and signed up for food stamps. Here’s what’s different about me (and I’m sure many others that were/are in my case) and the folks that the author writes about in this article:
Upon entering unemployment, I cancelled every service that was non-essential to life; and I do mean NON-ESSENTIAL. I cancelled the cable (outright – zero channels) and watched grainy local TV via an antenna I had. For entertainment, I rewatched DVDs that I owned. I cancelled my Internet. I went to my neighbor and explained my situation and asked if I could piggyback off of his Internet for a while so I could search for jobs (when I went back into the workforce I cooked he and his wife a beef roast as a token of appreciation). I even had my gas disconnected, and depended on an old rickety space heater I had to keep me warm. I called Verizon and told them to cancel my $25/month data plan and downgrade my unlimited-everything plan to a very basic plan. I took my iPhone and stuck it in a drawer for six months, and instead got by on a very cheap phone that didn’t do anything more than send text messages.
For food I rarely had anything more extravagant than spaghetti and canned tomato sauce, or canned chili with some canned corn mixed in. Breakfasts consisted of orange juice out of the jug and a granola bar. Lunch was almost always a quick cup of Ramen noodles. Sometimes for dinner if I wanted something a little nicer, I would buy a chicken breast and cook it up on my grill and throw it over some rice with some canned mushrooms. I made it six months without buying more than three or four six-packs of beer; I always bought that beer with cash in a separate transaction.
And finally, for six months I spent 8-10 hours a day chasing down employment leads, and calling and emailing employers. It was some of the most mind-numbing and mentally exhausting stuff to do, but I did it and I got back in the work force and off of welfare. Because you see, the way I viewed it: if I was fortunate enough for my fellow Americans to give me a hand up in a hard time, I was only going to take just enough to get by. And that’s just what I did. I rarely used more than 25-30% of what I was allotted per month. And I know there’s other responsible people just like that out there, and I applaud you all. But I also know that when I go to Wal-Mart 5 times in two weeks, and 3 out of those 5 times I see the same woman there, and every time I see her she’s buying shrimp and lobster and steaks on the government dole, and all-in-all stuff that even I don’t buy maybe more than once a month (on a full-time salaried well paying job, none-the-less)…well that indicates a huge problem that is a huge slap in the face to the taxpayer. And it needs to stop.
Yes, there is fraud. No, you don’t have the right to judge the TYPE of food they purchase. In one sentence you complain they shouldn’t buy steak, then you complain they buy nutritionally devoid foods. It can’t be both sweetheart. Sometimes people get laid off. They still have contracts with their cell phone companies and have to fork out the $25/month minimum or pay the $300 cancellation fee. Just because they’re carrying the phone, it doesn’t mean it’s activated. My 9 year old has about 4 cell phones in her purse. They all turn on, the calculator works, but we don’t pay for them. The government can be cheated, it happens. But instead of being judgmental and bitchy online, people should do more community outreach. Groceries aren’t cheap. Living isn’t cheap. Especially for adults who have families. People no longer reach out and help each other, they instead stand back and hate without even knowing what’s really going on. You should be spending your hate time contacting lawmakers, to encourage more strict guidelines for qualifying for government assistance. It’s more constructive.
I work at a grocery store part-time in Virginia, and it’s the same situation here. Generations of families will come through and burn through one EBT card after another, buying such things as Starbucks coffee, Lobster tails, and junk food with no nutritional value whatsoever. My husband and I both work and we can’t eat as well as the folks receiving food stamps. I am not against aiding individuals temporarily until they are able to provide for themselves and their families; however, the abuse is out of control. I’ve seen customers come in and exchange their EBT benefits for cash. Another thing I’ve noticed is the amount each family receives in EBT benefits. My family of 4 can eat on half of what some folks receive. Who knows when or if there will ever be any reform.
Well, Im a single dad with a 7 year old. The economy sucks right now, and not a lot of people are hiring. Not even at the staffing service.
In 2005, Wal-Mart got $37 million from Uncle Sam in the transportation bill. The year before, Wal-Mart made $20,000 profit every minute of every day for a total of $10.3 billion dollars on the year.
Now, that’s Super Welfare.
The author needs to educate herself. She has tunnel vision and needs to step back and look at whole picture…and take some economic courses, to start with. This is not a simple subject.
I read this as a Mainer who just lost her job & insurance, who unwillingly, painfully, swallowed her pride and went and applied for MaineCare and other benefits so that her family (including a disabled child) could have food and healthcare while she hunts for work that will pay the bills. The bills, by the way, are considerable — 1 month of medical supplies for my son cost roughly $2000, and if I scrimp on them, he will become sick and could die (he has diabetes). *NOTE TO TROLLS: JUVENILE DIABETES IS NOT CAUSED BY LACK OF EXERCISE OR A POOR DIET. SO DON’T START WITH THAT STUFF, IT ONLY SHOWS OFF HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE*
I don’t want financial support from the state. I feel ashamed simply for going to apply for it. But it’s either that, or my children do without food and life-saving medication. This post makes me want to cry and rage all at once, because at the same time it’s highlighting the arrogance and obscene sense of entitlement shown by some who abuse the system, it’s also pointing a blaming finger at those of us who did NOTHING wrong. I don’t consider the disclaimers in the post to be enough. Yes, there are bad people who abuse the system. But not all of us who ask for help are looking to siphon money off taxpayers. Indeed, some of us pray to be able to continue calling ourselves taxpayers!
@ Erin. See my comment above. The average monthly food benefit is $133. Actually in Virginia it’s $129.55, according to the USDA. So you can feed your family of four on $65 a month? That’s $16 per week. I grow all our own produce and have chickens for eggs, and I can’t manage that feat.
My Ex (son’s excuse for a mother) is on welfare (EBT) and Cash Assistance (TANF) here in Florida and abuses the hell out of it! It gets me so bad, she buys people things and trades food for cash to her friends. She doesn’t have physical custody of my son but she clams she does while the reality of it is that he lives with myself full time! Not to mention the time she did have him she qualified for child care assistance and the child care “deductible” was paid for not in cash, but with food stamp credit! WTF ? I have reported them both, think it helped, no she never even heard a word about it. just saying we wouldn’t be facing government shutdown tonight if this fraud was handled! that and we would have a lot more dirt bags behind bars, I have no problem feeding the people in jail! they cant eat 100+ dollars worth of show crab legs (I work at Winn Dixie-Seafood dept) every weekend! This has got to get under control!!!
I think this is spot on. I’m amazed at those who think it’s unfair to say that we should have a say in what people buy with food stamps. They aren’t buying it. Tax payers are. I don’t eat steak but once in a very blue moon because I have to pay for it myself. If someone else is paying for your food it should be a pretty narrow list of what you can and cannot buy. There should also be a limitation on the amount of time you are on welfare. I’ve been laid off before, so has my husband. It meant cutting back and not doing anything “fun” for quite a while. We chose to grow a lot of our food and I bought whatever meat I could get on the best sale. Why should they be exempt from this because they are getting a handout. Now as someone in a dual income household it honestly infuriates me that I fork over 35% of my families income to taxes and shop sales and only buy large items after saving up when I see the woman in front of my purchasing extravagantly with an EBT card.
You captured my heart. It is all yours, it is about time people start seeing this reality.
Thank you for actually working a job and for such insightful observations – may there be more young people like you -
Welfare and other entitlement programs are killing this country. As more people enroll and become slaves to the government, less are actually working. When the system swings to where there are more taking than being taken from, the system collapses. When that happens, and it will, who is going to pay for the deadbeats to eat? I sure as hell won’t. You don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s not a hard concept to understand.
And I love the finger-pointing going on. “Oh, she’s ignorant.” What a crock. She’s not ignorant, she witnessed abuse! Good on her for writing about it. I’m sick and tired of deadbeats draining the system. I’m sick and tired of the name-calling that goes on when someone has the audacity to point out the abuse. I’m sick and tired of the people who play the system. So instead of calling her names, why don’t you look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re a drain on the system. If you are, then shut up and go find a job. Any job. Get off your butt and actually do something. If you’re not a drain on the system, ie someone who actually needs help, then you should be cheering this young woman for pointing out the abuse. Why? Because the abusers will ruin the system for those who truly need the help. Then what are you going to do?
If this isn’t brought under control?? Poor people, who many are mentally ill, undereducated by OUR school systems and jobs that pay so low a wage that two people have to work two jobs each to pay the high cost of living. But then on the other hand.. There is corporate welfare. State corporate subsidies cost $11 billion a year and $7 billion worth of them do not require job creation and living wages. Federal spending tilts in favor of the rich when you add corporate welfare to the mix. And this pro-wealthy favoritism becomes more pronounced when you consider who is paying for it: over the last few decades, the tax rates for the rich have sharply fallen, both in personal income and corporate taxes. The government has provided money to hundreds of banks and a handful of insurers and automakers as part of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief. Program. Do you know how much money the government gives directly to the poor? Only $79,945.00 per year.
If there is anything to b i t c h about… it should be how much money is given to corporations, or how many tax breaks corporations are getting.
The national debt is 15 TRILLION dollars.
There is nothing that shows corporate control over the government better than Washington’s basic response to the current economic crisis. First we had “the rescue” and then “the recovery.” TRILLIONS in public money flowed to the biggest US banks, insurance companies, etc. That “bailed” them out (suggestion of criminality?) while we waited for benefits to “trickle down” to the rest of us. As usual, the “trickle down” part has not happened. Large corporations and their investors kept the government’s money for themselves; their profits and stock market “recovered” nicely. We get unemployment, home-foreclosures, job benefit cuts, and growing job insecurity. As the crisis hits states and cities, politicians avoid raising corporate taxes in favor of cutting government services and jobs.
You are all so uneducated, so gullible. Stop watching Fox News and get a freaking education about the FACTS! Not the opinions of staunch republicans. Find out for yourself what is really going on. If you dig deep enough you just might discover who you are really working for.. I guarantee it isn’t me. Fools!
You hit the nail directly on the head College Conservative. BRAVA! You wonderfully state the necessity of food stamps for the those in crises while calling out the blatant abusers.
Those who comment they don’t see that you compassionately treat the truly needy differently than the obscenely abusive have not thoroughly read this article and engaged their brains.
Well done!
My family was on welfare for a time when I was 10-12 years old. MOST of my extended family was, and MOST still are, on welfare. I HATED using food stamps. I hated the way people looked at me when I used them, and no, we didn’t always use them appropriately.
I worked a full-time AND part-time jobs in the summers, then 20-30 hours a week during the school year, so I could go to college. I didn’t go to an expensive college, I went to one I could afford. I made sure I would never have to be on welfare again, and if that means working in McDonald’s again, so be it. It’s the decision I made.
Yes, there are people who do need the help, but they are few and far between. Most people don’t need it, they just want it.
My brother and half-brothers have all been on welfare and still are. I asked once why they didn’t want more in life. Their answer was that as long as they had a roof over their heads and enough money to eat and buy their beer, they were willing to sacrifice “things” for the freedom to go hunting and go out and “play” rather than work a steady job.
So yeah, there’s abuse in the system, because we’ve made it too easy for people to abuse it.
In the one lady’s defense, cash assistance, especially when you have children, comes out of your CHILD SUPPORT… it’s not your tax dollars, like you all think. And if you don’t get child support, they enroll you in a “welfare to work” program that I believe Bill Clinton started. I don’t qualify for cash assistance because I get support for my children and have a job, but I agree with most… I don’t think you should be able to roll up to a convenient store and buy hoagies or McDonald’s with your food stamps… I do, however wish they’d allow people to buy things like shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products… I can’t count how many times before I found another job where I went to a blood bank just to get these things for my kids….
To the lady who whined about losing custody of her kids because she bailed on them to “flee” her abusive husband… You didn’t take your kids with you. THAT is abandonment. Eurgo, you must help support them via child support. Suck it up.
To the ones who continue to say we are “judging the poor,” I have a question. What defines poor? Are the poor the people who get up every day and look for work, but can’t seem to get hired? Or are they the ones who sit on their asses every day, not motivated to find work at all? Are the poor the people who are victims of the economy or jobless area in which they live? Or as they the ones who made the conscious CHOICE to remain on welfare benefits because they do get more money than if they were to work? I think we need to define “poor.”
My husband and I are poor. By federal standards, we live below the poverty line. We have 4 children. We both have fulltime jobs. We share one vehicle. We own our house, but it is falling apart. We are poor. But not poor enough to warrant any assistance – per the state of Maine apparently. Would we even accept the help if offered? That would depend. Are our children starving? I mean legitmately starving…
I would do just about anything for my kids, which is why I choose to continue “slaving my life away” to show them self-worth, accountability, and personal responsibility. I work 2 jobs. My husband works more than 40 hours a week. We are still poor. But we live within our means. Even if the state granted us aide, we probably wouldn’t accept it because he and I agree on one thing – it should be rationed out to those who truly need it. We don’t deem ourselves in that category. Sure, we’re struggling. Every week is tough. Sometimes he and I go without supper so our kids can eat. But it could be a lot worse, and some do have it alot worse. Give them our tax money. For now, we’re doing okay. We don’t need it. As long as we can work to survive and provide, we will choose that course. There are those who don’t have a choice – and they should get the money.
First. Maine is a wonderful state. Second. I think the bit about hotdogs is extremely hilarious. Third, I do agree that we need a welfare reform asap. The iPhone bit proves that abuse occurs. Therefore, it needs to be changed.
Many years ago, I was one of those on welfare. My husband worked, but almost always minimum wage jobs, and I stayed home to take care of my kids. It was frustrating that the price for childcare for 2 kids was more than I could make at any of the jobs within walking distance ( we had 1 car and no bus service where we were). Paychecks went to pay the bills. We got no cash assistance. We did not buy pop or cigarettes or alcohol. We had cable only because that was my Christmas present from my parents, we did not pay for it. Most of the time we had no phone. The most I got from food stamps was $180/mo. Yes, I was one who would get my kids a birthday cake with the food stamps, but at the same time, it was budgetted in, we ate more ramen noodles, or mac-n-cheese, or peanut butter sandwiches, in order to have that small extravagance. It was so hard, but I wouldn’t change having that chance to raise my children. When I see what is going on today (it was going on 20 years ago too) my heart breaks. I would have loved to have steak. I would have loved to buy cookies for my kids, but we were in the unfortunate class of people who WORKED and therefore did not qualify for much. If my husband had decided to stay home on his rear, we could have got enough cash to pay our bills, and about $600 in food each month. Welfare needs to be more supportive of those who TRY, and LESS tolerant of those who don’t.
What have you learned about the value of anecdotal evidence while in college? Do you think it should be used to comment on public policy?
Obviously a lot of people who receive food stamps and other forms of public support can make lousy decisions; everyone does. I still don’t think these abusers of the system are as damaging to our economy as the rich recipients of tax exemptions; isn’t that welfare? What has hurt working people more; your “welfare queens” or the rich who demanded and got “less government regulation” of our banking?
I know lots of veterans and their families who depend on food stamps.because they have no arms; lost ‘em in the war! Well, not really- but you wouldn’t know if it was the truth or not; that’s an example of why you should never trust someone using anecdotal evidence to support an argument. At best it’s hand-picked experiences used to support existing opinions, but most of the time it’s fabricated hooey!
I’m confused as to how this “article” is being confused as anything other than a blog post. This reads like a catty, entitled, undergrad who doesn’t offer any support as to why the welfare system is broken outside of juvenile, snarky quips and Regina George style judgements. Everyone wants to point fingers at a broken system but no one wants to offer a solution. “Naturally, she votes Republican.” Shaking my head that this even came across my facebook newsfeed.
This article was great until she ruined it by saying, “I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.” Really? It’s the democratic fault? I thought the article was supposed to be pointing out how people abuse the system, not why she votes republican.
Its sad that People do this. Recently here in Florida a family was living in a 1.2 million dollar home and now the department finally caught up with them. They were taking vacations around the world while living on welfare it makes me sick to my stomach knowing that the man in the home was a dr and recieving government assistance while I am struggling and raising a preemie baby and 2 other children and live on one income and I do ok. Not saying I don’t struggle I do but I still manage to put food on my table it may not be lobster or shrimp and steak every night but they each a healthy meal every night. Everyone has to understand and budget just the right way to feed and shop accordingly
To “A Taxpayer”:
Just because I dare to throw in the issue of race does not mean that I am racist. Racism IS a problem in this country, and if you are white then you have benefitted unproportionally from the systems in place. This is a fact, not one most people want to look at or admit, but it is a fact. Yes, I’m familiar with “white trash” families- I come from one myself. And being from Seattle, I’m very aware of the destruction of Japanese Americans’ lives during WWII. Yes, these problems are in some ways “better” today, but they have not gone away. And I think it is important to talk about ALL the factors that play into a discussion of poverty and government support, even at the risk of being labelled a racist because I bring up the legacy of race relations in our country. How can we expect everyone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when not everyone has bootstraps to pull?
Wow, talk about some ignorant people on here. The post said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about people who use the system for what it was intended. You all need to learn to read before posting. One thing I might like to add though is this; If you people are all so destitute and living off of food stamps, how are you still paying 30-60 a month for internet access in order to post these replies? Are all of you who are on assistance huddled around a library computer that you walked to? Talk about misguided and poor priorities!
As someone who grew up in a location VERY close to the writer up in Maine there are a few things the writer of this seems to miss or leave out.
1. During the summer lobster typically is very cheap and due to the lobster catch in Maine being increasingly larger over the last few years (due to liberal regulations on the fishing industry) lobster gets to be very cheap. Less than 80% lean ground beef in most cases during AugustSeptember. To cite lobster as a luxury food is a bit silly because in Maine it tends to be on par with chicken or pork chops if you pay attention to market prices. Since the writer was infuriated by this I wonder if she could provide what the price per pound was while she watched this.
2. The iphone bit strikes me as a red flag. Unless ATT has done something drastic since this past August reception in Maine sucks to the point of getting any kind of reception is hard. Also why the factually wrong cost per month of the service? A quick look on their website clearly lists the cost per month. Lack of a correct easy to get fact strikes me as odd, if not slightly lazy. Further combining that ATT insists that a 2 year contract be made, one that hinges on a credit approval. Now I’m not saying that everyone who is receiving assistance has shitty credit, but the two tend to go hand in hand because in order to receive food stamps you must already be below a certain threshold of income. I’d be surprised if ATT would be that careless in signing up new clients.
3. TANF is not connected to FS and is actually a grant from the fed to the state who in turn decides how it is distributed. Considering who the current governor is I find is amusing that she fails to make that connection and recognize where the blame is on that as he’s had ample time now where he could have changed it.
4. FS are based of income and family need and once it’s used up for the month it’s gone. The eligibility is also clearly stated. http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/services/snap/faq.html#workrules. Again easy to reference but I suspect in this case the writers personal agenda out weighed as desire for actual clear factual citations.
5. In the case of the hot dog guy why the indignation yet no action on what you suspected to be fraud? You had his name on the card yet did nothing? It would have been simple to go home and report the guy on suspicion of fraud. However it would seem you chose to do nothing about it. Very odd.
6. Did you really work at that WM? I only ask because your linked in profile shows no work history at all. While not the rule, most people in college are hard up to have much of any kind of work experience to put down. I would think you would want a perspective employer to know that you have worked in the past if only a lowly cashier position such as the one you said to have held. In this case based off only your linked in profile it would seem that this story of your work experience might be missing some key details.
it’s the horrible entitled 19 year old cashiers that make this situation worse for those who need it. i know there are a lot of people who abuse the welfare system but this article was written from a snobby retail girl prospective. Clearly this girl has never been at a point in her life where the help gets ripped out from under her all at once.
Also I am not sure what point she is trying to make by judging what foods people should be buying. She’s both pissed that people are buying nice food like steaks but also pissed that people are buying cheap crappy food. Oh, and she is upset that the people who are using their food stamps are using price matching to get their food for cheaper? This is a wal-mart policy not a food share policy. Props to the woman on food share for making sure she can get the most out of her food share that month. Savings are something to be proud of, especially in a time of need. Oh and about the woman arguing that food items aren’t ringing up as food? bell peppers are food. the customer was right.
Also, who is she to judge what sort of phone someone has. She does not know that customer personally. Maybe they got the phone as a gift or won it in a contest. Maybe the customer is locked into a contract that they started before they were on assistance. I don’t think anything listed in this article was even that bad of an abuse case. Just merely the author being pissed that these people were on assistance.
I agree that there should be a more effective system in place but she offered no realistic alternative. I don’t know what the solution is, but it seems no one else does either or it would have been put in place by now. I have been in the place in my life though where my family needed to make the decision to be on assistance. I was sure thankful it was there. My husband and I were both working dead-end jobs and with the birth of our daughter we knew we had to do something. We qualified for state insurance but just barely. In fact if we made a combined $13 more per 6 month review period we would be kicked off completely. So even if we could get a raise through work, it meant losing our only health insurance. The best decision for us was for me to go back to school so I could get a better job. This allowed us food share and less worry about losing insurance while my husband continued to work to pay the rest of our bills. Maybe a new system would benefit those people who work instead of punishing them? If my husband and I had never gotten married my tuition would be paid for by being a single mother. We would qualify for state insurance, energy assistance, rent assistance, and food share. However, because I am married I qualify for none of these?
This article is written like the journal entries I used to write in my personal journal when I came home at night after working retail. However I think this chick may have a change of tune if she ever finds herself laid off with a couple of kids in tow and some snotty teenager judging her every move.
I absolutely adore the fact that everyone automatically judge people using these services. I understand that there are people that abuse the system but stating that they should just get a job and pay for it them selves is a little ignorant. Living in the U.S. has proven to be a tough thing to do as of late. If you do not have a marketable skill or know someone to get you a job it is very tough to get one. My husband has a 4 year degree from V.T., speaks four different languages, and was in the military and it took him 4 years to find a job. We live in a very small town which neither of us are from and the only reason I had a job is my schooling helped me make connections with a local doctors office. During the year he was unemployed yes, we had food stamps. If we did not have that benefit my children would not have eaten since we were living on one (very small) income. I’m not saying that anyone is wrong, or that they shouldn’t have their opinions, just that maybe we shouldn’t judge all recipients based on the actions of some of them.
UM LEE that is not what I am saying it would not be worth it to have a job by time I payed for gas and day care I would be BROKE I may spell some things wrong sorry I am not perfect but it is not LACK OF EDUCATION. The other reason that I don’t have a job is because I have seizures and I am not allowed to drive so stop FUCKING judging some one you don’t know sure I will go and get a job just for you and kill people while I have a grand maul seizure and cause an accident. STOP JUDGING PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW GOT IT my daughter is everything to me I would never put her in harms way by putting her in the car and drive and have a seizure and kill or have serious injures
I can relate to what you write about in this blog. I know how you feel because I work at a Credit Union, and I know what it is like to deal with these types of people on a daily basis. It is hard being the person who actually physically hands the money out to these people. Like you, I have experienced the rudeness and sense of entitlement that these people often portray. They usually are the people that act ignorant towards us most of the time. From my job experience, and reading your blog, I too am reminded on a daily basis why I vote Republican. I am also a young girl in college, so I feel for you. Keep voicing your opinion because we need more people like us to stand up against this abuse. KUDOS to you!
I absolutely adore the fact that everyone automatically judges people using these services. I understand that there are people that abuse the system but stating that they should just get a job and pay for it them selves is a little ignorant. Living in the U.S. has proven to be a tough thing to do as of late. If you do not have a marketable skill or know someone to get you a job, it is very tough to get one. My husband has a 4 year degree from V.T., speaks four different languages, and was in the military and it took him 4 years to find a job. We live in a very small town which neither of us are from and the only reason I had a job is my schooling helped me make connections with a local doctors office. During the year he was unemployed yes, we had food stamps. If we did not have that benefit my children would not have eaten since we were living on one (very small) income. I’m not saying that anyone is wrong, or that they shouldn’t have their opinions, just that maybe we shouldn’t judge all recipients based on the actions of some of them.
So Jane, you feel that buying Porterhouse Steaks and Lobster is an effective use of our taxpayer dollars? You feel that purchasing 400$ worth of non-nutritional items is not abusing the system? The author never claimed to have a “fix” for the problem, she is writing about her observations and to be truthful, they sound pretty damn valid to me! There is no where in this article that I see her attacking or humiliating anyone who uses the assistance for what it is intended, you might want to re-read the post.
Although your article brings up a lot of truths about the abuses of the welfare system. I think you may come across to harsh to those who are abusing it. I agree that change is necessary but those who abuse it only do because they can. Who is not going to abuse a system to buy things that they can not if that system allows them too–im guessing practically no one. Thus it should be the system where the blame lies not those who abuse it.
My grandmother was so kind and replaced my floor in my bedroom with a new carpet. She knew we were on a fixed income and needed help at the time. I didn’t buy trash food and saved alot making my own dishes by scratch. So I bought her a lobster. The cashier gave me dirty looks and made comments. I was really mad at her. You were given so much money to survive. It’s up to the person who receives it how they spend it. For you information there is a time limit and those who are on it longer there must be a reason. I know one fella that was shot as a by-stander and he gets help to feed his family. Sometimes mental heath is a reason. I learned never to judge anyone. Don’t worry I don’t collect anymore they helped me with collage and I own my own buisness now.
Wondering if she ever REPORTED these abuses?
Dear Christine,
I wrote you an open letter on my blog. I hope you get a chance to read it an respond.
http://www.freshgranolafamily.com/2011/12/letter-to-college-conservative.html
-Myndee
I live in Illinois and worked as a cashier at a grocery store for almost 2 years. All day, everyday, I witnessed the exact same crap you mentioned in here in your article. Now I have no problem with giving benefits to people who truly deserve it, but most people I served at the grocery store did not deserve one cent. These people would buy food with foodstamps while wearing fur coats and using smartphones. Others would buy the food with foodstamps and then spend their “cash assistance” on alcohol or cigarettes or other junk. And most of the food they buy has little or no nutritional value. The system in Illinois is I believe just like the system in Maine: My hard-earned tax dollars are paying for their laziness because there is no reason or incentive of any kind to get a job. PLEASE share this article and your thoughts with your congressmen by going to house.gov and senate.gov, it only takes 5 minutes.
Is there any justification for an able bodied person getting public assistance for a lifetime? Liberals need to realize that there is a distinct difference between “distress” and “poverty”. Also we need to realize that “needy” and “deserving” are two different things. When we “help” needy people whether they deserve it or not, we are actually doing more harm than good.
Well aren’t you just so cute and young and perky! You obviously have never wanted for anything in your sweet young life. Try living in the real world a few decades before you go passing judgment on people less fortunate than yourself. I’ve been on food stamps and I have bought steak on food stamps. When I got home I cubed the steak up (it’s cheaper than buying the “pre-cubed” steak) and used it to make a beef stew which could feed my family for 3 or 4 days. Just because you see steak when you are checking at the register doesn’t mean that people on food stamps are eating like Welfare Queens.
BTW Welfare Queen is a phrase borough from Ronald Regan. I was alive when Ronald Regan was president. Ronald Regan destroyed this country. Ronald Regan began the outsourcing of American jobs and “Trickle down economy” that is directly responsible for the “Great Recession” that we now find ourselves in. Ronald Regan also raised taxes. Try getting your news from somewhere other than Fox “News”. I’ll give you a hint Fox “News” is not news it is highly slanted opinion (propaganda) paid for by rich corporate advertisers.
Attacking welfare recipients for Food Stamp “fraud” is soooo easy. Horrible that somebody actually gets to eat a steak or a lobster! I mean, what food would you recommend that they buy? And what would you tell the fisherman or farmer who caught or grew the food being consumed?
You’re finding that as a blogger, it is really easy to hit a popular nerve and condemn the things NOBODY wants to see, but if you really want to be impressive as a columnist, try computing the taxpayer cost of prosecution and imprisonment of welfare fraud offenders. Try, also, computing into your blog the unprecedented unemployment sweeping the world, which we haven’t seen the likes of in about 80 years, who and what caused it, and how the millions of people innocently affected by this have to cope with it. Try even, if you like talking about generational welfare, measuring the impact of its practices in other American societal classes — the legacy admissions to Ivy League schools, the neighborhoods you can’t get into and places you can’t live because they’re too expensive, how rich people with drug problems get into expensive therapy programs and poor people with drug programs simply get arrested — has on those not gifted by accidents of birth or geography.
You talk about unfairness. OK. Try explaining unfairness to the gifted inner city kid who has to attend the dumpster public school system while the slacker rich kid or suburbanite gets an education 10x better simply because of where he lives.
I don’t doubt that what you have say is true, and no one can blame you for stating simple truths. Welfare fraud and abuse are bad. They should be stopped. They are unfair to the many of us who work hard every day and the many others (whom you forgot to mention) who are on the system and DON’T defraud it. Or do you think that everybody does?
Consider that people from all political parties have been trying to “reform” welfare for decades, and how successful have they been?
You are at the beginning of a long road toward something great, Christine, but please realize that political beliefs and simple observations are only the beginning of that road, not the end. The end of the road is often found with people like Eisenhower, who could spend his entire life in the military and then warn his fellow Americans of the evils of the “military-industrial complex” or any number of the millions of Americans who climb from the poverty you describe every year to achieve success.
It is in some realization of the complexities behind what you see or perhaps in having the courage to confront your neighbors and friends about the world that they live in, not the strangers on the other side of the checkout counter. Writing that “Something is going terribly wrong” and “Something must change” and that it all reminded you of “why I vote Republican” is awfully cheap and easy, Christine. Don’t you think? Republicans support welfare, too, Christine, because they see that sometimes things aren’t as simple as documenting what’s wrong — sometimes it’s about finding a better solution. They support it because it’s the best we can do, flaws and all, and because they know that in this world, no one is pure. Corporate welfare, tax breaks for the rich, and the simple fact that all men and women are NOT created equal; that good health is a gift and that we’d rather not be stepping over the homeless in our streets or end up watching people starve; all these, and perhaps more, are their motivators for supporting welfare. Vote Republican all you like: Welfare will not dramatically change unless people do. How do you suggest we make that happen?
In 1986 when I worked at then Shop n’ Save as a cashier… I saw the same thing; but instead of the EBT cards they used actual food stamps. They would by candy bars separately until they had enough for beer or cigarettes. I was not allowed to do anything but ring it up. Nothing has changed.
Dennis I may have a computer but like I said my husband dose work just he dose not bring home enough money a week to pay for everything I have internet because I need it for school sense I cant drive there. Our phone bill is only $15.00 a month so there like a lot of people on here are trying to say not every person that get’s food stamps abuses them I sure don’t I buy meat packages every month at $100.00 for a bunch of meat then I am left with $255.00 on my card to by the sides to go with my meals so that is not much to go and splurge on junk
Thought this cashier worked in Minnesota for a minute.
One final thought: Do you know WHY none of these stores fail to enforce welfare rules?
Because they’d lose a paying customer if they did.
So much for anybody’s sense of right and wrong.
Nice little expose, but if you want to find where we taxpayers are REALLY wasting money start digging into Defense Contractor Fraud. Makes “Welfare Fraud” look like a drop in the bucket in comparison.
Christine, you’re young, and perhaps, after you’ve seen a bit of life that hasn’t been financed by your parents or your student aid or your trust fund (and no, a summer job at Walmart for two years doesn’t qualify, dear), you might have a different opinion of what is essential and what isn’t. I probably qualify as one of the ‘one percent’, and I do everything in my power to help those less fortunate, including paying my taxes, on time and without complaint. A parent who buys a birthday cake or a gift for a child’s party or a slip and slide on an unbearably hot summer day isn’t an evil ogre – she’s a mom. A shopper who, perhaps in a moment of frustration, tells you that peppers are food (they are, you know, dear), isn’t abusing the system. Some of the people you describe are trying to get something for nothing, perhaps (or they could really be mentally disabled, and you should be grateful that you are not among their number) but not everyone on food stamps is on ‘welfare’. Some are disabled or on Social Security (perhaps the old man who bought the hot dogs to do his level best to become an entrepreneur … honestly, why would you as a ‘conservative’ want to argue with that?) while others buy items that you see as void [sic] of nutrition, but food stamps don’t go very far and unfortunately, in this nation, the cheapest items in the store are not things like whole grain bread, milk, fruits, vegetables, real cheeses, and lean meats. They’re subsidized corn-syrup sweetened snacks, cheap white bread, plastic cheese, pasta, pasta and more pasta, fat-filled hamburger, sugar-water drinks, etc. It is actually cheaper to feed a family of four at McDonalds than it is to make dinner yourself.
I grew up in a private school, with a healthy trust fund, and went to college without ever wondering where the tuition was coming from, Christine, so I know where you are at. However, I had parents who had a strong ethical sense that to those to whom much is given, much is expected. Unlike you, I spent two years in the Peace Corps, and broke my heart. I have spent the rest of my life working to help the disadvantaged in every area of my life, from being a foster parent (foster parents get WIC too, did you know that?) to writing about the abuses of a society where a CEO earns 400 times the average salary of his employees, to the disheartening financial services industry that is raping the poor and middle class.
If you want to work for welfare reform, start with corporate welfare reform, and ‘trickle down’ from there. People who are getting $400 to feed a family of three per month are not your enemies. Learn to know who your enemies are.
This is one of the best articles I’ve read in a long time. Excellent work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzspsovNvII
I am upset by this article. It was so mean and judgemental. She has no idea what it is like to be on WIC, Welfare, or needing assistance, so she should not report on it or pass judgemnt on others. I can’t believe she used terms like, “questionable clientele” and “welfare queen”. That is no better than using racial slurs (just replace race with socioeconimic status). I hope she doesn’t end up jobless, with some mouths to feed. Who will pay for all the nice things she is accustomed to? Heaven forbid her child wants that WWF toy! I guess poor people should have zero enjoyment and only have the absolute bare necessities. I’m sure that attitude will really help the children have a positive outlook about thier future in this country and have compassion for others in it.
I think it was a very well written article up until the two points as follows. You where reminded why you vote republican? Miss this is a non partisan issue. As you would imagine, yes the Dems may seem more in favor of the welfare funding. (in my opinion spirit of helping out your fellow man.) But on the other hand the republican party wants it in place so their businesses can pay their employees just enough so they can qualify for these benifits. (the biggest offender of this is Walmart) That increases the proffit margin of the company by reducing costs such as health and retirement benefits.
The other point was that 30% of the state was on some sort of welfare. I do believe one of your states chief industries is fishing. The employment is not year round for that and I am sure has a huge impact on the # of persons that get placed on it in the off season.
There are a huge amount of people that abuse this program. Have it down to a science of how many children to have, where to live, so on and so forth. This is why I have said for years that we should have a cap on it. These programs pay for college and a two year degree is enough for anyone to suppport themselves. I have often said that after 30 months they should be withdrawn from the program. (A baby bird isn’t allowed to stay in the nest forever)
I am 38 years old and until november 1st have never had to apply for foodstamps. I have five children and a wife. My wife is a fourth year apprentice electrician and I am a firesprinkler fitter. We had a baby in june and my wife hadn’t worked since march. I was laid off On Nov. 1st and last week my wife had to take an apartment maintenence job for $10/hr. Things will be back to normal in march 2012, but these kiddos have to eat. There will not be any purchase of lobster or extravagant steaks and the like. It’s about getting the biggest bang out of your buck for your family. I have a son that has CP as well and don’t get any financial aid for it. I tried shortly after I received custody of my two children but couldn’t keep taking the time off of work to make all the apts. and shortly there after make enough to not have to worry about it any way.
I agree with alot you have to say and concur that your points of view are fully waranted with the rampid abuse of our welfare system. i just please ask that you don’t put it on one side of the isle or the other. I have seen the abuse you are speaking of first hand from family members and it makes me sick.
I am sort of an inigma when it comes to my voting since it is mostly Demacrat. But I believe in what is right first and foremost.
Sincerely,
Adam Allen
Kudos LORI and AMY! I couldn’t possibly have said it better myself! There are indeed people out there who abuse the system, but buying a steak once in a while or a birthday cake for your child does NOT constitute abuse. You don’t know everyone’s story and furthermore who are YOU to judge? You will pay taxes regardless of where they are going so live your life and stop being so judgemental of those who fall on hard times!
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. — Thomas Jefferson
First off this has nothing to do with democrats or republicans, or race for the matter. So get those thoughts out of your head because it is ridiculous. Everyone is gonna base there experiences with this off their current situation/their lives and the people that surround them. If you live in a heavily populated area with a bunch of white trash, or blacks or spanish or whatever then your gonna blame the entire race for it I don’t think so . Same goes for democrat and republicans which is probably even worse considering this country is messed up due to both parties past and present. It all comes down to the individual if they are gonna chose to abuse the system or not. No matter what we do or say the individual is gonna do what they want.
I don’t agree with the abuse that is going on either. I agree with the author that the “Queens” are telling her the vaccum is $3 when you can’t even get a fisher price vaccum for that price. That is ignorant and that is a prime example of abusing the system. Same goes for all their expensive assets (phones cars jewelry). Now I am NOT saying everyone who is on welfare and all that do this or aren’t in need of help because people are. Yes i agree that nice things can be bought at a cheap price in certain stores but personally if i were in that situation id rather have food on the table and roof over my head then a nice watch or whatever.
Where I live the the people that are abusing the system drive around in brand new Cadillac’s Mercedes Lexus BMWs ect. They live off the government keep having children and sell drugs. Compared to my mom and dad driving 10+ year old cars and have worked their asses off to provide for the family over the years with no help from the government and no college degrees. But everyone wants to take the easy way out…so much for working for what you want and accomplishing your goals. Before everyone freaks out and starts running their mouths I do believe that if someone is in need of help that they are helped. I don’t like to see our fellow people living on the streets and kids eating left over scraps that’s sad and wrong. There is to much division in this country and in my opinion that is the problem starting from the top of the government down to everyone on here bashing each other.
I am proud of the author for voicing her opinion I am young as well and I think we need to stand up for what we believe in because it is our future that is at stake here and this country is either gonna rise up or crumble… our choice.
I am on food stamps myself and i agree. I use my stamps for food that has nutritional value. Buying lobsters and steaks is not ok. I have it because im a foster kid that has no family, works full time and goes to college and has a hard time buying gas let alone food. People who abuse this lifeline that i need right now are horrible and should have their food stamp rights taken away so they can be given to people who will use them for their purpose
I’m glad that as a public servant (teacher), who makes beans for a living, I was able to qualify for WIC when my twins were born prematurely.
For every person you see “driving a Lexus with a fresh manicure and iPhone” – there are several you don’t see who really DO need the assistance our government provides.
I was in line at Walmart once and a guy was paying for a candy bar with his welfare card so that he could get $900 cash. I asked the cashier why he bought a candy bar and got all that cash back. She said that people who are on welfare can’t get just cash off their cards. But if they buy something they can cash the rest of the money out. No telling what he spent that money on.
Awww sounds like somebody is jealous that they had to be a cashier at Walmart while other people got to shop. You know NOTHING about their situation, why they’re on the programs, or anything else (and ya know what, they don’t owe you an explanation). What gives you (or anyone) the right to pass judgement on anyone else? Absolutely nothing.
I hear these stories/gripes from college students who’s parents pay for their education, rent & food. They work their way through college by working for minimum wage, yet what they mean by working their way through college is having spending money for shopping, parties, etcs. Seems as though those living off their parents hard earned money are doing the same as those living off the government… Be thankful you nor your family has had to be forced into the “system” of which there is almost no way out.
Back when I used to work construction, some of these welfare people would come by the site to sell their food stamps for .50 on the dollar. Sweet deal.
This is sad, that there are so many judgemental jerks out there who don’t know what they are talking about! Let me tell you what the average honest person gets. First of all, there is no brand new car. There is no thousand dollars a month to play with, designer handbags and or lobsters and steaks overflowing their fridges. Or new iphones. How do I know? I am an average person on SSDI. I was hit in 2007 by an illegal in my car, it was totaled as I was hit so hard my axle snapped. I have two herniated disks and I now have Fibromyalgia from the spinal trauma. I have arthritis in every joint and I am numb from the waist down. Anyway, the illegal ran back to where ever, and I have no recourse because the insurance company is fighting me cause the ID wasnt valid. Anyway. I have no new car. I have no new phone. I am on a library computer before that becomes an issue. I have a rip off handbag that looks real but isn’t and was given to me. I have bought steaks, but not lobster. I make $823 a month on SSDI and $315 in food stamps. My rent is subsidized so I pay $425 for rent. This income is for three people! I have used my SSDI to buy toys, but for birthdays. Its not even the end of the month and after rent and bills I have $22 left in my account. If I am living the high life someone please tell me where. And before someone questions where their dad is, he is paying child support but it goes to the welfare dept to help cover the stamps and insurance. Insurance that is secondary as he also has a family plan that covers them as well. Bottom line is, the ones you guys are talking about are the ones who are scamming the system having ten family members living with them, not those like myself. To lump everyone in the same category as that ignorant woman and Micheal have done is reprehensible and insensitive. I am grateful for what I get and I acknowledge it is a gift. To say as she did “I don’t to be one of those loosers.” and for Micheal to agree, showed how ignorant they really are.
I love how the author is now deemed the ‘guilty’ party by welfare sympathizers. Rather than berate her, thank her for standing on her feet all day processing your plundered purchases!
This chick is an ignorant itch! She is simply a snotty person with her nose down on anyone that is not like her. It’s interesting that if this woman had this much amount of venom against a black person, a gay person, or any other thing else she would be drawn and quartered. But people whom are on hard times and unbeknownst to her why, she is applauded for her insensitivity. Calling people “welfare queen”, and “loosers” makes her more ignorant than those she is so quick to insult. That’s sick, and inheritantly sad.
I agree with wanting a reform, but reading this piece that you wrote does not encourage it. The reason I say that is you have obviously never worked at a customer service job before working at Walmart. Just because someone yells at you or might be less educated does not mean that you should label them. Many people are on welfare because they are less educated. If you are really that concerned about welfare reform like I am, do something about it instead of complaining about your minimum wage job where someone might actually yell at you.
You people who support this woman and the bigoted views that she expresses have no compassion or morality whatsoever.
“The first woman, henceforth known as Welfare Queen #1, paid for about $400 worth of food with food stamps. The majority of her food was void of any nutritional value. She then pulled out an entire month’s worth of WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program) checks. I do not mind people paying with WIC, but the woman had virtually none of the correct items. WIC gives each participating mother a book containing actual images of items for which a person can and cannot redeem the voucher. This woman literally failed at image comprehension.”
Do you know what her educational level is? Do you know what type of life she has lived? Are you going to take her and her family into consideration at all?
Fuck you… and yours.
I love how everyone that is saying “don’t judge the people on welfare you don’t know their situation” are saying that the author has everything handed to her and that she spends her money on partying ect. Big deal if she is in college she seems intelligent enough to speak her beliefs and her opinion, shes not just another droid living life conforming to what the government wants us to believe…good for her! If Im not mistaken you are the one judging her not knowing her situation either so how bout you don’t use that in an argument because thats a bit hypocritical!
Well written article for the most part, but by implying that voting Republican is the way to change this abuse is totally erroneous. The abuses of the system have been happening since the programs were instituted, and Republican administrations have been in place for 36 of the last 50 years. The party affiliation of the Commander in Chief will not improve the conscience of the individual, and it wouldn’t surprise me if many of those committing welfare abuse do vote Republican. What will stop these abuses is catching the abusers and then taking away their benefits with no chance for reinstatement.
A good start is to drug test before benefits are handed out. Partial benefits are necessary to allow those that need help the ability to start working again. I like the statement “Welfare was never intended to be a career path”.
Here’s how I see it, bottom line: people on food stamps should not have the right to go buy extravagant and expensive foodstuffs and other goods. Period. They are not paying for it, we the taxpayers are. They should not be allowed to cheat us out of that money. You can do just fine and get plenty of nutritional value from basic, affordable foodstuffs.
And before you say to “walk a mile in their shoes”, etc, etc., scroll up a bit and read my personal story. I lived for six months on food stamps and never, ever once bought anything even remotely as expensive as a steak. I turned out just fine.
Re: Where’s the compassion 6:18- You inadvertently made an excellent argument against the propriety of citizens like Welfare Queen #1 appearing on voter rolls, let alone maternity wards. I am sure that was not your intention, but blind squirrels…
Let me see if I have this straight: Someone who sees rampant welfare abuse, completely illegal behavior, and does nothing about it because actually doing something WOULD VIOLATE, GOD FORBID, WALMART STORE POLICY, is suddenly NOW going to impress us with her disgust at illegality and her sense of right and wrong?
@ Emma lou
I am so glad to hear you are going to school. Your lack of proper grammer and horrid spelling could use some higher education.
I’ve been reading through all these posts, and expect for a slight few, nearly everyone who is getting upset over this article is (gasp) on state assistance of some kind.
If you don’t like where you live, don’t pull out the race card, and whine about how your skin is a certain color and your school district is poor and boohoo. Just move. I didn’t like where I was living or the crappy school my son was forced to attend, so I… guess what?
I MOVED. You don’t like your surroundings, then do something about it.
You don’t like the stigma associated with welfare mommas, then do something to change it. Like, getting a job. There are plenty of jobs out there. Problem is, you either don’t want them, or they don’t want you.
The excuses are just piling up in here. It’s ridiculous. Yes, there are a lot of things wrong with this country and economy. Yes, they can all be fixed with proper tweaking and if everyone complied with the rules. HOWEVER, those of you who jumped on the welfare bus as it got out of control are not “stuck” on it and using that as another excuse. “It’s not our fault. You don’t know what it’s like to be on welfare, to struggle, and it’s not easy to get off welfare.”
Bull. Just another lame empty excuse. You can get off. You just do it. You get a job. You suck it up because it’s gonna suck earning your own money for once, and you deal with it just like the rest of us are FORCED to.
Tell you what, if you don’t like that idea, I’ll stop by your house once a week, and you can hand over $80 to me “just because I’m poor.” How’s that sound? And once I have that money, you cannot tell me what to do with it. That sounds fair.
I enjoyed reading this article, very well written..I also enjoyed reading through most of the comments…But as much as I agree with most of you all..I would have to say that in my personal opinion (which doesn’t matter to many other people) that the government shouldn’t be handing out any amount of money in any sort of welfare program whatsoever..What did people do before the government shoveled the money out to the ‘poor’.. There were such things as charities and churches which helped out people who were in dire need, financially as well as spiritually, but people had to make their lives the best that they could..They didn’t rely on government help, and that’s the way it should be..Freedom is risky but it allows for people to do what they want, live their dreams..Sadly, not everyone succeeds in their dreams, but life isn’t fair, and that’s just how the world works..
The government ‘says’ that everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed in these dreams, whether or not they earned it.. Hence we have the problem of today, people have become dependent on government money, so much so, that they cannot realize that their lives would be better without it..And because the government has stepped on the shoes of the charities and the churches who were doing the job of helping out the needy, they have now become bogged down in government regulations and bureaucracy, the church has stepped back from their responsibilities and even allowed the government to stick their nose where it should not be..
Socialistic policies from FDR and others haven’t helped either, these programs to give everyone a fair shot at their dreams may sound good on paper but they redistribute the wealth from those that understand freedom and the free market and gives that money to those who do not understand it. They have placed their trust in government handouts and have become slaves to the state and they will continue to be slaves until the ideologies of the country has changed..
Socialism and other things like that, (Communism), have been tried before int he past, they have never worked and only caused worse conditions in that country, city, or town.
Some good examples would be Russia, Rome, and even a few colonies in Colonial America tried different types of socialism in an attempt to create a Utopia, where no one would go hungry or be poor..
If people understood and knew History, then we would not need to repeat the mistakes of our forefathers..These things have been tried before! They have failed utterly!
Our government has been and is continuing this path of social and economic destruction, and they are taking all of us with them..
There are still a few ways to avoid total collapse but these ways are dwindling the longer we citizens allow the government to push us around, remember that the government is only here to protect us from threats that are both foreign or domestic..The problem is that the Government is now the threat, but it doesn’t want to give up its powers..So soon, if it comes to that point, anyone who speaks out against them, will be branded as a ‘terrorist’ or ‘traitor’ and silenced quickly..The biggest threat to the Government, at least one that is in a mostly socialistic or communistic state, are well armed and knowledgeable citizens..
Finally, I’ll leave you with this:
Ron Paul for President 2012!
Ron Paul has the right ideas, and would get us closer to the right track then anyone else would so far running on either side of the parties for President..
The church needs to get back on its feet and take back their responsibilities to the needy and the poor, so that the government doesn’t have to step outside their jurisdiction..
Public schools, if not disbanded, should stop their propaganda machines and start teaching kids the truth about the History of the world, because if we know the mistakes of the past, we can avoid them in future generations..
I could go on and get off topic more, but I’ve tried to stay true to the subject..
And I would like to thank the author of this article for sharing this story with us all.
Thanks.
Can you send this in email format to me? I am on a kindle that wont let me copy and paste it..
and it wont change until they have a government official in every store to be called to the register for questionable purchases. Sorry, but that is where we are at right now. Get the names and cut them off. Maybe fines, etc.
Let me get this straight… I can’t afford to buy expensive name brand foods with MY HARD-EARNED MONEY… but welfare and food stamps recipients SHOULD be allowed to buy expensive name brand foods with MY HARD-EARNED MONEY??
Do I understand that correctly?
I meant 36 of the last 60 years…
As a former member of management from Wal-Mart, I can understand this cashiers attitude. To every scituation there unfortunately are those who abuse the system. Those who chose to abuse the program will always do so. It will make those that use it as it should be used will suffer the affects. As far as the Alcohol is concerned. No cashier is obligated to sell it if it makes them uncomfortable for any reason. That is managements job. Also the volume of customers at one store is not as high as another. A high volume store, (Seabrook, NH) will have alot higher missuse of the program as it is much easier to put one over on a very busy cashier. All cashiers deserve high praise as the abuse they receive is unfortunately directed at them.
Yes, old Lyndon Johnson’s so-called “War on Poverty” sure worked out well, didn’t it? Forty years and several trillion dollars later, there are far more folks on welfare today than when he started it all. And his lefty devotees continue to increase the payout today.
Once again the right takes shots at an easy target.
This is an old meme…one began by Reagan with his “welfare queen” myth, one which his minions all but admitted was a lie. Meanwhile during the 80′s his republican friends stole billion$ from hard working Americans via S&Ls. Since then, people have looked upon all welfare recipients as suspected thieves.
Now, we have borne witness to the greatest theft in human history, one not perpetrated by people on TANF benefits but by people who look a little more like you. And what do we concern ourselves about? Something far less significant in the grand scheme of things.
No one says welfare fraud shouldn’t be addressed, but the efforts being spent to address it is like spending an inordinate amount of time pursuing a petty burglar while the bank robber strolls past, money bags in hand, without a care in the world.
The biggest thieves are the ones you don’t see, folks. But I doubt that point is enough to distract you from the dog whistle you’ve tuned your ears to.
Very interesting. I agree that the welfare system needs to be reformed, but there are people that truly need the program. I actually know people that should NOT be getting welfare, but she had a better lawyer than the state of Florida. It’s sad…truly sad.
Great article! I worked at a grocery store in Florida (Publix) for 4 years and witnessed the same atrocities you are speaking about. Ebt cards and brand new Cadillac Escalades with 22″ rims should not mix. While there are legitimate reasons for people to use gov’t programs, there are no excuses for such things. Thanks for speaking up!
Matt… I couldn’t agree more.
Logan: You, like many other people who have commented, obviously didn’t read this article in its entirety. She was OBVIOUSLY bashing the system, because the system produced the abusers. She was merely using the people as an example of how awful the system has become.
Actually, SO MANY of you who are criticizing this girl don’t understand the point. And she makes it very clear from the get-go. No one is saying you can’t use welfare when you absolutely need it, but it crosses the line when people abuse and misuse taxpayers’ money, and I’m sure everyone can agree on that. So quit whining about how this “child” is being judgmental, because she’s merely using real-life examples as a way of bringing this issue to light.
So sad, this poor hard working white republican voters has been paying taxes to support lazy welfare ass DEMOCRATS all her damn life, but this shit abuse fraud happens 24/7 in the food industry; phones, and HEALTH CARE- every doctors office in the country every day, every ambulance service in the country every day, every hospital emergency room in the country everyday is used and abused by thes useless DEMOCRATS 24/7 and our federal laws require that we graciously provide the best of health services in the world for FREE ASAP or risk risk these pieces of shit playing the race card and making a complaint that their free service at the emergency room after their free ambulance trip (so as they did not have to use gas in their car parked in their driveway) . POOR Litlle WHITE girl has NO IDEA how much she has to work the rest of her life to pay for these useless creatures DEMOCRATS who are producing more DEMOCRATS as often as they can ( VIAGRA is covered by their Medicaid Card paid for by the taxpayers_my bluecross insurance that I and my employer pay for does not cover VIAGRA) so as to keep the block VOTE for the DEMOCRATS so as the DEMOCRATS in office will conitnue to fund these free programs with your hard earned tax dollars so the democrats get the votes. Poor little girl has only learned a small lesson about the wastefulness of our DEMOCRATS as long as we provide it for free they will take it, time to ROUTE all asswipe DEMOCRATS out of Washington OUT of State Government!! Kerry Jeanice
People need to do just what this girl did amen to her keep spreading the word on how currupt our system is and needs real change and when it comes time to vote VOTE BIG TIME Conservative dont settle for middle of the road Republicans who want to comprimise on the Socialist of this country come on Socialism had its greatest shot with the dems having house and senate and biggest socialist in president and we see how that dint work lets try a big swing in the opposite direction give us a chance to see true capitolism work…..
Omg people… Yes, if someone can afford Porterhouse steak with their EBT then they’re receiving too much in benefits.
My husband and I both work. We pay our own food bill. The USDA estimates that a “frugal” food budget for a family of six like mine would be over $700 a month. Wanna take a stab at how much I spend on groceries a month?? Less than $500. Usually FAR less. And we eat well enough. But I don’t E-V-E-R have money for steak. Not EVER. The last time I bought steak, they were selling whole NY strips for something like $3.99/lb and I froze it to serve on special occasions. It lasted MONTHS. And, well, that was probably two or three years ago now. And we bought it with money we earned. I rarely buy anything that’s not on sale or clearance. I don’t have the luxury of having favorite brands. It’s generic, store brand, or whatever’s on sale. That goes for everything, from peanut butter to milk to laundry detergent.
We’ve BEEN on food assistance. My husband was laid off from a good, decent job, stuck in a dead end job with barely-above-minimum-wage pay, trying to find any opportunity he could, and we had three kids to feed. And, of course, with three kids, I was a SAHM because there was no point in MY getting a job- it would have hardly paid for a sitter and the gas to get to work and back. So we swallowed our pride and applied for assistance. The case worker treated us like dirt and acted shocked when the computer system confirmed that we qualified for assistance. We ended up getting something like $450 in food benefits a month. I NEVER spent that much. Yes, I bought my kids birthday cakes with the benefits, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to afford, say, diapers, or laundry soap, or a little gift for their birthdays. On extremely rare occasions, we splurged for a nice meal. We couldn’t afford to eat out, and the benefits were there, even rolling over from one month to the next. And yeah, there was the occasional candy bar or pack of gum. But my husband was working a full-time job, including occasional overtime, at this point. We weren’t sitting on the couch eating bonbons- we were true “working poor.” And STILL we had money left over EVERY month. It was simply too much money.
We had no vices- the money we “saved” by having food benefits was not EVER spent on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, video game systems, big screen TV’s, etc. If you can afford those things you MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY to receive a handout. The people PAYING YOUR GROCERY BILL can’t afford it half the time. Why should a person have the right to benefit from the labor of others, to the point that they live better than those who pay their way?!? That’s INSANITY!
As a single working mother of 3, (husband left, not my decision) I was on food stamps. I was making about a dollar more than minimum wage and child care took a huge chunk of my income. Even with grabbing all the overtime I could, I was often behind in my bills. I bought clothing at garage sales and second hand stores. My parents helped me to get school clothes for the kids, but they did not have much. We didn’t have cable tv, just a small black on white. I often bought shrimp in the shell and frozen when it was on sale. I could get several meals out of it and my kids loved it. I often got dirty looks for buying an occasional piece of good beef or other “luxury items”. What you never saw in my cart was soda, candy, high sugar cereals, chips, or other junk food. I think is would be great to disallow junk food from food stamps. Unfortunately, fresh produce is extremely expensive and you can buy a lobster for what you would spend on fruit in some stores, so it is often hard to eat healthy on food stamps. Several politicians tried and found that they live on beans, rice and pasta. I would vote to not allow junk food to be purchased with food stamps. Please don’t assume that people on food stamps are not hard working individuals. Usually we are.
I think this article is pathetic. To ridicule our poor by making them to feel like 3rd class citizens just because they have accepted a few dollars in state aid to feed their families when the wealth in this country is so unbalanced is just pathetic. I sure hope nothing ever happens (death of spouse, disability, layoff) that would cause you to have to be judged in this same harsh way you have judged. Let the Lord judge it is only our job to help the poor. If we give them money for food and they buy birthday cake that is their choice. We do still live in America with freedom to make our own choices, right? What type of person says here is money to help you eat and then puts stipulations on it. I mean the money should be spent on edible items but as long as they will cure hunger, the choice they make is their own. Not everyone that receives assistance is living off the system. With the wages in this day and age, even a 2 income family is poor enough to need help.
First of all this is by no means an article about politics…it is an article purely based on biased judgment. Judgment toward populations of people who already face heavy oppression. Second, albeit this young female writer, is not supporting a family on her wages earned at Walmart…as Walmart hourly wages are hardly considered to be livable and the majority of Walmart positions are not benefited…meaning NO health insurance…therefore this young writer …if she were supporting a family would likely qualify and need in order to support her family…food stamps, TANF and Medicaid…in addition to the income she earns while judging the very people who make her job possible….
Also…let’s suppose for a second the man in her story looking to purchase alcohol…is a disabled Veteran…Or the two women, this writer mocks due to their “obvious lack of intelligence”…let’s consider for a second the possibility that these women have cognitive disorders or mental disorders…the thing is this writer has no idea…but has no problem placing judgment and even worse has no problem publicly humiliating and belittling them. If anything…this article is a great example of lack of services…She is describing/highlighting a population of people, who are poor, who have difficulty with things most of us find simple, who are under nourished (possibly do to lack of nutrition education), who have to (possibly) choose between food and a gift for their child (slip-n-slide).
A large percentage of people receiving government assistance are considered disabled (this includes our disabled Veterans)…and most certainly not living the “dream” as TANF is most certainly NOT even close to being a livable wage. I invite this young writer to attempt to live off these government services…I am most certain she will struggle…
I totally agree that the screening for eligibility should be tougher. On the other hand, people who genuinely NEED assistance, like my mom – who has no retirement and has to “live” on her SS of $900 a month – get understandably frightened when congress or the governor threaten cut-backs. I’d love it if, instead of saying they want to cut “so many dollars” or “so many people” from assistance programs, they’d say they were going to make the requirements for getting and keeping assistance more stringent.
This is easily the most well spoken article I’ve read about this topic yet. It’s a temporary system to aid people into a well balanced lifestyle on their own so they’re not living off a fixed/no income like they are on the system. Dont take advantage of that hand that’s reaching out out to you. Get motivated and get yourself out there to get a job.
The vast majority of the comments agree with the writer. That gives me hope.
What a bigoted young twat. If she weren’t being one-sided about this it would be about immigrants or intellectuals. She’s a numb and conditioned republican. I beg to god that she falls upon hard times and needs to purchase a birthday cake for a child she may soon have. She lacks empathy and spirit, I weep for her and her kind.
Thank you for this very appropriate blog. I see these abuses, in other forms, every single day– from the perspective of the healthcare provider.The following bloggers should not mistake your article as an ideological battle.: Fat Milhouse Sean, Hillary, Carrie, Maryann Cruz, Capehart (a beaut!!), Heather, Jacee, Capepark.The writer has not talked about the sins of the truly needy, who deserve all the help they can get: She has identified the abusers who are soaking the rest of the working population. And their antics are available to see in all circumstances where “free” help is available, to those who know how to work the system. Do we need to support those who are able to “work the system”? Is that what Medicaid is about???
Thank you to the following bloggers who understand the jist of this blog: Jen B, trav, Jason Vincent McMillan, Linda Fogacci-Walker, Heather, Jim M, and everyone else who gave the writer credit for speaking freely to expose what everyone of us sees but doesn’t dare to talk about, for fear of being called racist or unkind or “unfair” or too “right wing”. Give me a break from such idiotic and mind-numbing thought-patterns.
I too once needed foodstamps and unemployment benefits. I was not proud of it and worked toward getting off of that ‘dole’ as soon as I could. I think, but I am not sure, that the system then was less lenient, compared with today.
All I do know is that our government cannot run anything well. It never puts into place the controls needed to eliminate fraud. So let’s vote toward getting rid of government solutions.
I don’t beleive any one of you have a fair opinion until you have studied in depth the class systems of the United States. It is almost embarassing that this article was written with no citations or facts to back up any of the arguments/opinions coming from what is considered collegiate material. As for the aurthor, Christine Rouselle, I Challenge you to read the book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” by Dr Ruby K. Payne (which is a short quick read) and come back and put your final thoughts on this article.I beleive that would make for a wonderful article and even if you have the same veiw point on what you experienced I would be inclined to respect this article in it’s entirety.
Is anybody else reminded of Hank Reardens’ brother & wife from ‘Atlas Shrugged’? All the welfare-sympathizer posts attacking the author & conservatives in general are lashing out at the hand that feeds them…in fact, they practically take the position it is their right to receive and your duty to pay. Hanks brother was sniveling and disgusting…Ayn really captured the flavor these recent posts in her work!
Tiff said: “I would like to tell Beth that I long for the day you too will need assistance for whatever reason and tomorrow…i’m gonna have a steak on you Bitch!!!!!”
Unlike you inbreds, I SAVE money and I have stockpiled food for the “just in case” scenario. I don’t go all ghetto and spend $1.25 for every $1 I have. Maybe folks like you should learn that. Because when the money runs out — and it WILL run out — WTF are you going to do? You’re dead bitch walking, is what you’ll do. Won’t bother me a bit. Enjoy that steak, ho. I’ll be outliving you.
Jessay said: “Welfare is the only part of my taxes that I don’t mind being taken. I’d much rather feed the poor than pad the wallets of the ceos of big corporations, fund the murder of innocent people overseas, and put band-aids on the gaping, deadly wounds of our nation instead of actually healing them. You obviously have no idea who the real criminals in this country are.”
Then knock yourself out and pay all you want. I, however, do NOT want to pad the pockets of ANY others, rich or otherwise. I want to pad my OWN pockets from my OWN hard work. NOBODY deserves what I’VE earned unless I CHOOSE to GIVE it to them as opposed to having it stolen from me.
I can understand the article…….Those who do not agree Be honest….you have never been in line in a store when someone is using their EBT card for anything other than what the purpose of the card was designated for?
Thank God we live in a country that allows people to speak, maybe if more people did that we might not be in the mess that the DHHS is in.
I do not agree with the cutting of funding for our most young and elderly. I am sure that the money can be cut in other way.
Since posting I read more posts by people who are truly ideologues – complaining that the writer hasn’t provided a solution to the problem or hasn’t considered their own personal point of view (how could she?) or is deriding those who need the support of such assistance every once in a while or is not adhering to a ‘what is fair” agenda that never will fit with the self-sufficient focus of of the country’s founders (read, the Constitution). These are; tanya, sara, oscarmine, Nick Sam 2, Wheres’ the compassion?, Caitlin, cbwrrn, rhonda a, jane, Alyssa, trust fund baby Gina. Take your 15 second moment of fame.
No ideologue, Ellie, just someone who grew up believing that those of us who are fortunate have a responsibility to those who aren’t. You know, the caring for the widows and orphans, healing the sick, visiting the friendless, giving human needs to the poor. Pretty basic stuff. Young Christine must have read Atlas Shrugged at an impressionable age, but if she has any conscience at all, she’ll grow out of it. If she doesn’t, then she deserves our pity far more than all the ‘welfare queens’ at Walmart.
@ mitch – it is not about sympathizing, but about understanding. If you do not take time to understand or figure out why someone is doing what they are doing you are never going to find a solution tothe problem and that statement is true of any and all situations. When one takes to acussing and backlashing, then they themselves are guilty of reiforcing the problematic behavior/issue. Educating is key and those who educate do not just complain, but teach and do so with out biases.
The greater problem doesn’t lie in the abuse of welfare, it stems for the fact that people need to rely on government programs like welfare to get by in society. Instead of demonizing people that survive day to day on food stamps because this “great” nation doesn’t give a hoot about people that have a hard time being integrated in society (like return soldiers from Iraq, the disabled, and ex-cons), we should provide these people with a much more structured, less corrupt system of support. For example we could raise taxes on the top 0.5% of earners in this country and generate billions of extra dollars to be redistributed to the people that rely on welfare. This may sound like socialism but socialism’s main goal has to do with everybody owning the means of production, not providing support for the most vulnerable people in society. Or should we just do away with welfare all together and throw everybody dependent on this system under the bus because some people (far from the majority) take advantage of food stamps.
Yeah-whatever said: “What a bigoted young twat. If she weren’t being one-sided about this it would be about immigrants or intellectuals. She’s a numb and conditioned republican. I beg to god that she falls upon hard times and needs to purchase a birthday cake for a child she may soon have. She lacks empathy and spirit, I weep for her and her kind.”
Aw, aren’t you sweet.
See, you useless waste of oxygen, what you fail to realize is that she is already head and shoulders above you and your kind. One, she’s a young lady who does NOT already have two or three crotch fruit she’s taking care of. Second, SHE WORKS. Third, she is literate and can spell. Now, I could go into all the OTHER differences between conservatives and “your type,” but I also realize that hese three single things alone are more than “your type” can comprehend OR strive for.
And you can say all you want that it’s about empathy, compassion, or having a heart, but we ALL know what you REALLY want is the hard-earned money of others that you don’t deserve. You couldn’t care less about empathy so long as you get your monthly check. That’s what makes you and “your type” useless.
Helping those who TRULY need it, are grateful, and are good stewards of the money I provide is one thing. I can’t begrudge anybody that. But what we have too much of is a bunch of greedy, useless, whiny, entitled, EXPECTANT lowlifes who, because they KNOW they can turn to the government, refuse to save or plan when times are GOOD. I don’t have time for folks like that. To me, then it’s survival of the fittest — and if you go bye-bye in the deal, yeah, whatever.
Hi Paige,
Being treated meanly by two women at Wal-Mart does not count as “evidence” for anything other than your discomfort with class differences and your distaste for poor people. And one of the things Republicans are most fond of is the idea that the government should not invade their personal lives — you’ve described around four or five instances of small-time “corruption,” some of which aren’t, and now are suggesting that people who have qualified for government benefits should use those benefits only as you see fit, despite the fact that they are themselves free adults whose circumstances you know nothing about. Meanwhile, there is actual corruption on the scale of billions of dollars and millions of lives, much of it originating in the principles championed by Republicans. It’s not the handful of jerks you met at Wal-Mart that are the problem, friend.
This woman has clearly never worked at Walmart. She doesn’t know the policies at all. It’s ridiculous and of course she just so happens to point out the minority of people who are on welfare. Give me a break
To everybody who is saying that there is no reason that people shouldn’t be able to buy fancy cakes, steak and lobster with foodstamps. Here is another way to look at it. My husband and I both work full time, we aren’t rich but we aren’t poor, we raised our child and are now empty nesters. When our son was home, we NEVER had a store bought cake for him, because you can get a cake mix and a can of frosting for less than $5.00 or actually make them from scratch for about $3.00. Why waste the money on a store bought cake when homemade usually taste better anyway? The only time we ever buy steak at the store is when it is on sale. Why should someone who is on foodstamps have the luxury of my paying for expensive items, convenience meals and tv dinners while my family makes due with rice, beans, ramen noodles, pasta, and inexpensive cuts of meat? I worked as a grocery store checker and it amazed me the people who would buy cases of Coke and frozen pizza on foodstamps and then complain that they needed more benefits because they would run out of foodstamps halfway through the month. There are legitimate reasons for getting aid, nobody is saying there isn’t, but, if you can afford a smart phone and other luxuries, you can afford to buy your own groceries.
Gina Hamilton said: “No ideologue, Ellie, just someone who grew up believing that those of us who are fortunate have a responsibility to those who aren’t. You know, the caring for the widows and orphans, healing the sick, visiting the friendless, giving human needs to the poor.”
The problem is, today’s “poor” feel they can do whatever they want with other people’s money. Today’s “poor” have at LEAST one television (usually more) and a car. Today’s “poor” are only “poor” in relation to the rich. American “poor” would never make it in truly poor conditions. I’ve SEEN poor countries. I’ve SEEN poor conditions. American “poor” have no idea how things REALLY are for poor people. So please, do us all a favor and quit preaching to us how we have a duty to furnish the lazy welfare bums (not ALL welfare people, but the ones who have chosen generations of laziness) with everything their hearts desire. Most still live more comfortably than barely making it low-middle class. You know, many of the ones supporting these ingrates.
I’ve known too many poor who CHOOSE welfare over actually having to take responsibility for their own lives and futures. It creates a hardship for the working middle class, and it wastes resources that could be used for TRULY needy people.
I love how yeah-whatever says “hope you have a kid that NEEDS a birthday cake”
Bitch, please.
I didn’t have a big nice birthday cake for half of my childhood birthdays. My mom made me a 9×9 sheet cake from about 2 dollars worth of ingredients and it was plain icing with simple boring candles on top. I didn’t NEED a fancy birthday cake nor did I ever expect a cake of any kind, or anything related. I was thankful for what I had. It sounds like already you’re passing the whiny, bitch-and-moan sense of entitlement on to your kids; if you don’t have kids already, it sounds like you’ll be passing it on to them when you do.
I work for a fast food restaurant and while we don’t have EBT (yet), I do have these very same customers. While I work 40 hours a week, coupon, pinch pennies and have a cell phone w/o (gasp) internet, I wait on people who can’t spell entitlement, yet can sure spend it.
Jen said: “I don’t beleive any one of you have a fair opinion until you have studied in depth the class systems of the United States. It is almost embarassing that this article was written with no citations or facts to back up any of the arguments/opinions coming from what is considered collegiate material.”
Are you thick? She’s a KID who wrote her EXPERIENCES based on what she’s SEEN. No citation is necessary.
Secondly, America is the only place I KNOW where you can come from nothing and become a self-made millionaire. You can’t do that in Europe. You are born into a caste, and youf family stays in that caste for generations. Places like China, you can’t ever be what you want. You are TOLD what you will be, and you WILL do it.
Only in America could we create Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and any number of folks who are independently wealthy but who started with an idea and not much more. So before you go bashing America because things aren’t always (insert whine here) FAAAAIIIIIR, maybe you better think about what it would mean for this country if EVERYBODY was a welfare queen. In case you haven’t noticed, the money we give these folks has almost never made any of them better off. So what is the point, really? We are teaching people to be dependent instead of independent; to be thankless instead of being grateful; to be lazy and unproductive instead of the best person they can be; to give up hope of ever being in a better position instead of realizing that within THEMSELVES is everything they ever need and that the only one who keeps them from being better off is them.
Welfare as it is used NOW, labeling as it is done NOW, redefining what is TRULY considered poor as it occurs now, is what is causing all of this. Some liberal says, “We now deem that X, Y, and Z are now considered bad off.” Those people say, “Hey, I’m now in need of services because the GOVERNMENT said so.” So the government buys people, buys votes, defines who you are, what you can do, how well you’ll do it, and lazy people fall for it.
Why is it that 48 percent of Americans pay ZERO income tax? I keep hearing the argument that it’s because they’re poor. I’m sorry, but i must have missed the memo that told us that 48 percent of ALL Americans fall beneath the poverty level and are POOR. I call bullshit on that one. But it’s a way for the GOVERNMENT to manipulate the system, redistribute wealth, and buy voters while keeping those people reliant on the government THROUGH the hard work of others. Cronyism at its worst.
By the way, my fiance works as a recruiter for an HR services company. I can’t tell you how many times she comes home and tells me this same thing:
“Called a (man/woman) today to set up an interview. (He/She) told me that they were no longer interested because they were on (welfare/unemployment) now.”
I want to take a second to say thank you for speaking the truth. Those that are offended are most likely abusing the system themselves. Most people that i know who have had to go on assistance do everything in their power to get off as soon as possible. It was made for short term circumstances. Those of you that are on there and working to get off should support what she says. If we can make it short term than those that really need it will have the opportunity to utilize welfare when it’s really needed. It’s not suppose to be a lifestyle. Again, I look forward to seeing more of what you write in the future, as far as i’m concerned you have a bright future. By the way why are so many people commenting negative stuff but not saying their real name?
I’m 61 years old, a cold-war veteran, have worked since I was 10, do not have a tricked out cell phone or a tattoo collection or suffer the ravages of self-abuse. (And I have a daughter who graduated from Providence College 2002!) I’m a records clerk in a doctor’s practice and see the system abuse here too. Able-bodied 20-something gangstas on Medicaid getting their mood stabilizers while I, who can’t afford the phone, car, or clothes they have, smile and serve them. And a local business owner who tried to report the Medicaid (“MaineCare”) fraud of two of her employees was told there is no one to call at the state to report it to. If they say they are poor, they’re assumed to be honest. (That was before Gov LePage.) No wonder the takers are squealing and marching on Augusta. The genuinely disabled and helpless, who the system was designed for, have virtually no voice, and are going to be trampled by the I-want-my-free-stuff-and-I-want-it-now mobs.
Welfare as it is NOW begets more welfare. There was a time when people didn’t bring illegitimate kids into the world because they didn’t have a way to take care of them. NOW, they know if they get knocked up by Bubba or Tyrone, they’re just peachy because they will get them some welfare dollars. And if they have MORE chillens, they gets them some MORE welfare dollars! Same with being lazy pukes. When you give slovenly pigs money with no expectation that they would work for it, learn a trade, or do anything remotely resourceful, you are, in essence, paying them to be slovenly leeches on society, which then teaches all 15 of THEIR kids to be leeches on society. Why should they BOTHER to do for themselves when they KNOW they will get a check??
Like I say, if you start feeding strays, eventually those strays become reliant on you and lose the instinct and ability to hunt.
Well said, now lets pass this around, and around and around again. And with luck maybe our legislature will see it and do something about it! yeah, wishful thinking.
i know california passed a walfare reform law…. 6 months max on walfare, they also offer job training programs. florda has passed a drug testing to get on walfare. i say this is a start. combine the two and im sure it would reduce the amount of people that would even be allowed to be accepted. i also think walfare should be regulated like unemployment, you have to of had a job and had been fired from it to be able to receive help( not work for 3 months and quit so you can get on walfare) but walfare/tanf isnt the only programs that need to be fixed… HUD needs a major overhual. i see people live rent free because they choose not to work. all these programs need a change.
I guess all I can say after reading the posts after my original post is that most have the same opinions…..but no compassion. People say that they would understand if they knew the circumstance, but would they really? There were people who knew exactly what my family was going through and still treated us like lepers and “welfare losers”. My husband has been working for over 30 years and his condition can’t be helped and he’s devastated about not being able to work. But yet, some of the people who knew our circumstances would stand in line behind me and talk about “welfare losers”. I definitely had to shop out of town because of the hostility. But yet, these same wonderful people….well, it would never occur to them to bring over a hot meal to a family in need or donate to local charities. Years ago people were all poor and they still would give when someone was hard up, it was their decision to just give to those in need. We live in a cold-hearted day and age where the government feels the need to tell us what to give and who to give it to. Yes, it makes me mad seeing some who can’t keep their legs shut getting tons of stuff and doing nothing to better themselves. But there are many in need just like I was and I can tell you I cried about going on it and it was so hard to put my hat in my hand to ask for help, but I was desperate. It’s funny bcause I always donated to United Way, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Relay for Life and many other charities, but when the time came to turn to all of them……American Cancer Society was the ONLY one to help, the rest listed, nothing…..so why did I give? In Wisconsin our state insurance is paid when you pay for your vehicle plates, so I pay for the insurance once already, then I pay $146 a month to have it on top of co-pays. So just an FYI not everyone gets free insurance, some of us still pay to have it and almost as much as anyone else. I paid over $2,400 last year to have insurance and pay most co-pays and that’s not including medications and we are poor. I’m off food stamps and the other stuff, but I’m still on the insurance. We’re not all leeches, just don’t be so harsh and ready to jump. The system is broke, it needs to be fixed, but try to keep open minds and compassion to those of us who didn’t have a choice. My husband wasn’t working after fall 2009 and we didn’t get his disability for almost 17 months, so we were living on my income only. I would have gladly worked 10 jobs, but, someone had to take my husband to his chemo treatments, his neurology appointments, his cardiologist and his other 3 doctors. Someone had to get his medications, and caregive to him and someone needed to spend time with our daughter since she was 2 at the time and he couldn’t watch her. I was paying daycare on top of everything because he was too weak to watch her and we couldn’t afford someone to be with him and it would kill me to leave him alone during the day. So sometimes just working another couple jobs isn’t possible and some things are just beyond our control. I pray most never have to deal with true tragedies in life because they can change everything in a blink of an eye. It is time for change, but voting Democrat or Republican isn’t going to fix things. Perhaps if someone gave Washington DC an enima and put average joes in every position, people that could balance a checkbook, we could fix things, but griping on here isn’t going to change things, doing your research on who you vote for and spend time looking at the guy at the bottom of the pile who can’t afford to spend millions on his campaign, that’s more than likely the guy you want, because he might actually be a little closer to reality and real-life. Just some thoughts for people to think about and chew on.
Beth you have a choice, you have a voice. At the airport buying a ticket for Pakistan or somewhere else. Freedom of Speech is granted in this country, freedom of choice is granted in this country and many other rewards. Bigotry is not tolerated by educated people. So maybe it is time for you to leave and go to a country that has no compassion or rights. See YA
Great article
I once knew a person whose husband was a chiropractor. This woman got sick and went to her doctor. Doctor said she had colon cancer and needs to get health insurance immediately. Talk about abuse of a system by someone with the means.
Christina, Please don’t lose your Republican values after experiencing four years of clueless, liberal, socialist professors.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with Welfare and WalMart. I grew up with a hard working single mother who jumped on and off of welfare. Because the program helped raise me, I am appreciative. But I also grew up with neighborhood friends with parents who resembled your forementioned moochers of the world. It makes me furious to read that, while working, you were insulted for having a job by someone who didn’t. I can’t believe that, or can I? The sense of entitlement in this country is sickening and why we see iphone carrying, lobster eating, families that barely live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t “lower themselves” to work hard and carry a steady job at WalMart. It’s attitudes like these that ruin a program like Welfare for the hard working single moms, ashamed they need a financial bridge between jobs.
Before passing judgement on these people I think you should consider what your life would be like if you actually had to support yourself entirely on your Wal-Mart wages (from what I can tell this was just a summer job). Imagine if you had to pay for shelter, clothing, food, gas, electricity, healthcare etc. on $7.50/ hr. Many people make the choice between slaving away at minimum wage jobs and still coming up short, or abusing the system and being able to provide a decent standard of living for their families. Is it their fault that our society is so flawed that it is impossible to earn a liveable wage for the majority of Americans? I strongly recommend the Book “Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By In America” by Barbara Erenreich.
Christine, I applaud you in a very well written article. I hope your generation can turn things around.
The article was good! Some real issues but I do want to take a moment and state the issue on the other part of the scale. I am a mother of 3 small children. One who is autistic and another who is an infant. I work 36 hours a week as a CNA in the state of Maine. I also attend 2 classes at school. Furthermore I also receive food stamps. I don’t think of it as other peoples tax money I think of it as MY tax money. I don’t go out and buy all kinds of junk food and I’ll be damned if I have food stamps on my EBT card and one or even maybe both of my children ask for a piece of candy I will not turn them down because I will be screwing the system over. My bills are paid, my kids are fed, and healthy with the help of temporary aid. Why turn a kid down when they want something in reasonable price range? For another thing, If its my birthday or its summer and I want a friggin lobster I’ll be damned if I refuse it because I am on state aid. It’s not abusing the system! They gave me the money to feed my kids. Well they are fed, why shouldn’t us “Welfare” people have to go without when “working” adults and kids can go out and spent their money on things that they don’t need either? Yes, frankly they work for a living but yet I do too and a lot of people do who are on welfare. People are on disability because they have to be, not because they want to be. People are injured at work and can’t work. Don’t discriminate before you know the whole story!
Jacque said: “Beth you have a choice, you have a voice. At the airport buying a ticket for Pakistan or somewhere else. Freedom of Speech is granted in this country, freedom of choice is granted in this country and many other rewards. Bigotry is not tolerated by educated people. So maybe it is time for you to leave and go to a country that has no compassion or rights.”
Jacque, my freedom of speech is as fundamental as your right to be an idiot. Just because you don’t like what I have to say doesn’t make me wrong. America tolerates a lot of shit. What YOU label as my bigotry is nothing compared to what the scum of the earth are doing to our fine country — REGARDLESS of the color of their skin.
You can’t deny the FACTS, though — there are more blacks PER CAPITA on welfare programs than any other race. Hell, we have people who come here from other countries — can’t speak the language, have no money, probably only ever bartered in chickens and maize — yet THEY make it and oftentimes own a business inside of two years. However, generations of folks who CHOOSE to be losers keep on breeding more. You call it bigotry. I call it statistics and simple math. Whatever…
I’ve been on both sides of this story. At some point in my life while both my husband and I were in college and raising 3 young children we found ourselves needing temporary gov. assistance. My husband was going to college fulltime and working 2 jobs and we weren’t making ends meet. We were blessed to finish school and employed. I don’t feel the young lady is demonizing all welfare recipients. It’s hard to read or listen to someone criticize welfare receivers if you’ve been or presently are on welfare because somehow you tend to take it personal. I myself, while waiting in line to receive my meezling $300.00/mon assistance witnessed others on the outside selling their funds for alcohol, cigarettes,…etc. But I just want to say this; I was a nurse for 30+ yrs and witnessed much gov. assistance abuse and had the attitude of,”you owe me” thrown at me while trying to help or educate some patients. I’ve assisted in many deliveries of young women as young as 14yr. old with multiple pregnancies sometimes bearly out of the hosp. with one baby and back again for another. What’s so sad is it could be prevented because we offered FREE birth control which was declined. There’s no excuse for a young woman to continue to reproduce one baby after another if she can’t support (1), yet we’d see it on a daily basis. It’s not just a generational habit, but the gov’t makes it so easy to continue dependency. It’s hard to be objective in this matter when you know tax dollars could be supporting our elderly instead of a healthy young man/woman who can work but choose not to because it’s so easy to stay on gov’t assistance. And I’m speaking about the ones who abuse the system, not the people that truly are in need.
Kat said: “For another thing, If its my birthday or its summer and I want a friggin lobster I’ll be damned if I refuse it because I am on state aid. It’s not abusing the system! They gave me the money to feed my kids. Well they are fed, why shouldn’t us “Welfare” people have to go without when “working” adults and kids can go out and spent their money on things that they don’t need either?”
You fucking ho-bag, it IS abusing the system. You’re a fucking ingrate and you’re raising your kids to believe that you can do whatever you want with stuff you didn’t earn. And who the FUCK are you to question what WAGE-EARNERS do with their money?? The differences between us and you is HUGE — but most of all, they earned every fucking dollar they choose to waste. YOU did NOT. If it wasn’t for us hard-working people, your brats wouldn’t get a fucking thing — and you could kiss you lobster goodbye. Fucking waste of oxygen… I AWAIT the day the system crashes. The more I read from folks like you, I pray for it. PRAY for it.
I would like to think if you saw someone swiping their EBT card to buy BEER as you have you would have called over your store manager as that is ALSO part of your job to be doing working as a cashier. So before you can totally point the finger you should also check and see how you handle all those times people where “abusing” the system when you helped them do it. I will admit people do abuse the system, but what did you do at the time to stop it when you saw it happening?
The level of privilege and ignorance throughout this entire article both disgusts and amazes me.
You have no idea how these people came to be on welfare or what their personal life situations are. Not that it matters, because it’s not your place to judge what they buy or what they do with that money anyways.
What about if instead of mocking these people who have so much money that they have to use FOOD STAMPS you work to create more jobs for them? Or lower the costs of tuition so that they can afford to go to school.
What’s that? It’s not your problem? And you don’t care?
If you care so much about the fact that there are so many people on welfare why don’t you question how they got there in the first place.
You know what’s making your state run out of money? The military budget. So how about you call your Senators and ask how much money is being spent on defense vs. welfare a month before you make such inflammatory accusations.
Welfare Queen 1 and 2? It’s things like this that make me sad to call myself an American, because putting myself in the same category with people as close minded as you is insulting.
12 years ago my daughter a FULL time student working a part time time job making 6.75 per hour (20 hours per week ) asked for help for her daughters day care (a cost of 86.00 per week) while she continued her high school year) and she would pay her dipers food etc,,, NEVER or WIC, NEVER or FOOD STAMPS, NEVER on MEDICAID and was denied BECAUSE she made to much and lives with us (her parents) Thank GOD she graduated and is now working for the Gwinnett Police department in Georgia. what the HECK is the goverment doing to our own people GET SERIOUS !!!! and do something about t=it!!!
I saw a link to this on Facebook so here I am.. I am a very liberal person (more so than your average Democrat), and I have to tell you I agree with you fully. There are other factors that lead into this besides laziness and lack of intelligence, I’m sure but most people who live on it for so long ride it out until they are told no. Programs like welfare-to-work could work, but well, when has bureaucracy ever turned out to be incredibly effective? Someone will always find a loophole. Too bad the loophole for welfare now is the size of Alaska..
But, it’s either not enough assistance (like when I needed unemployment and only received $120 a week to pay my bills – and I have a wife and two children), or too much in many people’s cases. Many just choose to ride that line of mediocrity until they are no longer aloud. I personally am on food stamps for some time now and it’s just enough to cover basic staple foods. My wife and I both work and it doesn’t cover the bills, so we wouldn’t be able to live without that assistance at this point. We conserve our water, plan our trips, use cheap cell phones (Tracfone for instance) and almost never go out to eat. I can’t even remember the last time I even bought new clothes for myself. Once I move into a career when I’m out of school within the next 2-3 months, I will not need it. If they are not aware for some time, I could probably continue to collect this money for food until the next evaluation. I won’t do that, because I have ideals, but it shows that there needs to be reform in welfare in VA, too.
This place is disgusting. All of you brats that demand that ‘other people’ buy you steaks and birthday cakes are the reason this country is headed for the toilet. When you are in line next to the person with cash or a bank card, remember, they are not asking you to work two-three jobs to pay for their food. If their insurance goes up they do not ask you to work an extra shift to pay for their medical. The woman who stated her mother buys her nice things for gifts, ask yourself, why won’t her mother help feed her own grandchildren. The money will run out, it is inevitable, all the people that cannot ‘bake’ a cake will be the ones to starve. No wonder alcoholism is so prevalent in Maine, deep down in their souls they know they are stealing from their fellow citizens and know they are utter failures at life. When grandmothers buy expensive presents for their children while the children are on welfare and food stamps, then grandmothers are now trashbags. Keep justifying your incompetance as parents and human beings. The scale will soon tip and all the taxpayers will say enough.
Signed,
Working mother of 3 who was abandoned when they were 5, 9, and 10. Never took another person’s money, never considered that other people were in the bedroom with me making the kids and they were somehow responsible for MY kids.
I really can’t wait for the revolution. This gig cannot last forever.
Bravo, Beth, Bravo! Well put!
It still amazes me that these people think they aren’t any different than wage-earners.
Signed,
Former welfare recipient
I have been a cashier at a large grocery store since I was 17 and have even worked midnights. I am a Law student now.
I agree with everything you have said here, except I disagree with you regarding the poor woman who was trying to buy peppers and they weren’t classified as food (F). It *is* food, you *do* eat it; and it’s not even unhealthy food. You simply cannot be angry at someone with food stamps buying unhealthy food if you’re also going to be angry at a woman attempting to buy a healthy food (the green bell peppers you mentioned is a healthy food).
As a cashier myself, I have stories just like yours, not limited to someone trying to buy hot prepared foods in order to cater a party – fortunately, those foods are taxed, and in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, taxable food items are not eligible for EBT/SNAP payments.
Obviously, there needs to be stricter regulations for the poor. The disabled should, on the other hand, not be given any hell when they apply for food stamps. The disabled truly can not work to save their own life. The poor just need help finding a job so they don’t need as much assistance from the gov’t.
Great job Christine! It’s sad that the attitude of so many Americans has sunk to the level of dispare and lack of hope that they would rather burden others to support them than to help themselves.
And by the way, this should have very little to do with why you vote Republican. You need to understand that Republican beliefs are dangerous to people with a Wal-Mart paycheck.
BTW, liberal and conservative are very broad terms. I may say liberal, but I like to think that I’m an idealist with real humanist values and believe everyone should have the right to resources to become productive citizens. I hate that people think “liberals” believe in a welfare state. That’s just BS. It’s just too bad people say “liberals” this and “liberals” that. It’s too broad a term. “Liberals” generally agree on these matters. Get your facts straight. It’s the damn politically correct hippies you have to worry about. You know, the kind that try to petition for wider sidewalk because their feet get squished by passersby. I say we do away with “conservative” and “liberal” and just be real and come to a middle ground. There should be only one platform: the human platform. Maybe then we’ll be a little closer to what America was intended to be, hmm? Very little poor among us and a more open-minded, tolerant country.
A coworker referred to this article at work today and I have to admit, it got my blood boiling. While this article is well written and an understandable point of view, it is not the only point of view. Or should I say that not all people who receive assistance are “welfare queens.” As a single mom, I was on and off several types of assistance in Maine for several years. I will never understand how or why anyone would want to live off of $430/month. It’s rather difficult. Even with food stamps, see if you can provide for two school age kids with that amount. And if you are one of the lucky ones who actually receive child support, well, forget about it immediately. The state wants it all during your time on assistance. You might get a “pass through” or “gap payment” of $50-$80. Now if you consider rent, heating, electricity, water/sewer, car and insurance, and child care (unless you get assistance for that) all for less than $500 a month? Daycare alone for two kids is at least $800/mo for full time and around $400 for just after school. And forget about new shoes or jeans when your son or daughter wears through theirs, or a pair of earrings that your daughter is dying to wear for school pictures. Oh wait, you can’t afford school pictures, so don’t worry about those earrings.
Now I’m not saying that those women in the article were not rude and abusing the system. They have and unfortunately probably will continue to do so unless something changes. However, before you smirk at those who have Mainecare or EBT cards, remember that some of them (more than you realize because all you hear about are these welfare queens) really are people who are just trying to take care of their families and want to have a day or week without having to hear “Mommy, can I get a snack milk at lunch? Do we have enough money for that?” Some of us did and do it the right way, we work hard to get a better paying job so we can pay it forward.
Lupy, WHY, when your TEEN-AGED DAUGHTER spread her legs and got knocked up, are you railing against the system for not giving her money for her kid? She did what she SHOULD have done — come to her FAMILY to support her. Why on earth should I be paying for HER mistakes?? Multiply this times millions, and you’re talking some real dough. Maybe instead of teaching her to run to the government to bail her out, you should have taught her some values and how to keep her legs closed.
I see a solution so easily done. Each store accepting the cards should report the usage and items to an online integrated database. Don’t tell me it’s hard because I get coupons in the email everyday from the stores I use. The state then has a simple alarm system for items which trigger a call in to the office. First offense = education class on use – required for the holder. Second offense = education again and a reduction based on the amount not in compliance, say 25%. Third offense your done, off, out of the system. Also it is time to break the chain of dependency. Each year of use requires 100 hours of community service. The first year could be free if you want but after that it is time to cut the freebie. Reform is possible also if the community service is making the same people who receive, stand in Walmart to handle card disputes for the State. An army of recipients policing the system for free seems like a really good deal.
Very well written, but Republicans HAVE been in office for many periods of the welfare program. That is not the solution. Politics rarely are. Many, many changes could make it better…but what if even 10% of the people on welfare need it to survive? Even if there are 90% undeserving, welfare Queens and Kings out there, what do we do for the 10% that honestly need it? Abused women, sick people, kids from broken homes, elderly who can no longer work. Yes, there will always be cheaters of the system, but I would rather take care of 10% than exclude 100%.
Tessa, AMEN, sister!!!!!!
Interesting story until she injects a political agenda. She makes valid points that can be expressed without a political agenda. Reasonable minds from both parties, including independents, support the proper use of federal & state aid for families who need assistance.
On the other end of the spectrum is corporate greed by large corporations, both foreign and domestic, in which profits are absolute above all else, including our families, neighbors, communities and the environment. Though welfare reform is a valid objective, it will not solve budgetary problems nor will it fix the economy. The reality is that US manufacturing has been exported to other countries that offer significantly lower incomes and benefits, not too mention relaxed regulations that impact natural resources and drinking water – all in the name of profit.
If the goal is to fix the economy, we need to bring our jobs back to the states. Next time you purchase clothing, furniture, appliances, electronics, automobiles, gifts, etc., you would be hard pressed to find products that are made in the USA. If you want to be part of the solution buy products manufactured domestically (if you can).
Help Americans get back to work and keep their jobs with a living wage that allows them to put food on the table, buy health insurance, pay a mortgage, and invest in their children’s education without worrying about growing old broke and destitute.
Ironically, the writer worked for Wal-Mart as a youth in school. Wal-Mart is by far the biggest retailer in the world. They employ over 2 million workers globally, yet fail to pay a living wage to a disproportionate amount of associates, many of whom are on welfare themselves (many more who work flex-time which is an end around to avoid paying good wages and benefits). Even more ironic is the fact that; you can’t find product in their stores that are made in the USA….
Perspective matters….
Julie M,
I love it when the ignorant, Julie M. for example, tell others that they need to “educate” themselves. She states that 98% of all welfare goes towards corporations. That is a lie. There is indeed much too much corporate welfare, but it is no where near 98%, not even close.
I think it’s time for The Ant and the Grasshopper story by Aesops — and another one with a liberal bent.
AESOP’S VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
_________________
FAT AND SASSY’S VERSION
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, ‘We shall overcome.’ Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.
Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around him because he doesn’t maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote.
or when they ask for cigarettes and they pull out a wad of cash to pay for them!
I think what we need is serious Walmart reform http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/08/walmart-heirs_n_1137492.html
So in what way are you related to Governor (dickhead) LePage, or are you just on the take for this like a true republican? Ever heard of corporate welfare sweetheart, probably not because your just a baby. Well your Walmart is a major recipient. By the way I’ve owned and operated a successful business for over 20 years, but I (like you) are one of the 99%. Grow up kid.
Although some terms need to be changed as far as TANF checks go. EBT however I think should stay the way it is. I am a fulltime working mom, who rents my home and barely make it through the month paying my bills and I recieve EBT assistance. I think if i decide to purchase a birthday cake premade or even a steak or two now and then i should be able to. Why should some foods be allowed and not others. Then who will decide which foods are more important…that is an unfair response. Having said that i am fully aware that this is a temporary program and should be treated as such…. I however, without this assistance would be able to pay for oil or even electricity if i come off of this program. The money in which I pay for oil or our light bill would be used for purchasing food….and what good is the food if I cannot afford to pay for the hot water for a shower or the electricity to cook the food in the first place. I think people like myself who work a full time job…even those with a part time job are the ones who need this assistance. A better way to help weed out those who truely dont need it…maybe those without jobs or disablities collecting such state help should be made to put in so many hours of community service a month. in doing so the town gets a little extra hand in making the community a better place and in turn they are earning their right to have such programs.
Gary, the fact that she can see, at her tender age, what you refuse to see just tells me how far up your ass your head truly is.
The fact is, instead of blaming these companies for the bailouts they get (and trust me, I DO blame them), look to your government for GIVING them the money. You don’t blame the welfare recipient for taking money willingly given them, do you? Of course you don’t. You probably excuse them as being weak and all too willing. Do you blame the taker or the giver for creating the situation? Without the giver, we wouldn’t be talking about this at all now, would we?
F-in morons.. SHES NOT TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GENUINE IN THEIR NEED TO SEEK HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What part of this do you NOT understand? If you are taking care of your children properly- I ll gladly give every penny I have. Unfortunately the kids always seem to suffer while mom and the current boyfriend EAT the aforementioned steak. I see what is written here by you self entitled lazy jackasses and I should laugh at the simple mindedness you clearly show by not understanding. Instead it enrages me to see all these dogooders berating hardworking, taxpaying citizens. Its ok if your OK with footing the bill BUT IM NOT. And with their bullshit excuses on how they arent “given” jobs. WELL NEWS FLASH- its called “get” a job for a reason. Its not called “give” a job. Get off your ass, stop mooching off the rest of us. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. If you dont want the public “humiliation” from all of us unfeeling, cruel bastards- then stop having 6 illegitimate children (those poor babies are, in truth, the real victims) while we foot the rest of your bills. There are mentally handicap people who WORK in Maine. At my local Shaws, there are SEVERAL mild to severe mentally retarded people who work there. At Wendys, they employ a Downs Syndrome young man, who has HAPPILY worked there for several years. Target employs another boy who chases carts with not much on the mental capabilities aspect. if these folks can work- whats your excuse? WHERE THE FUCK do you get off claiming you can’t work or you are disabled? It doesnt hold water. You OUGHT to be downright ashamed of yourselves if you are truly abusing and mooching off the system. Keep lying, cheating and stealing- it will be YOU answering to God someday, NOT those of us supposedly expressing a lack of compassion for being robbed of our hard earned money.
Great Post! I’ve been on both sides. Twenty years ago my husband and I basically had to start over because of a failed business. I applied for food stamps and was accepted. It was a whole new world. I was a little stunned when I saw one very well-dressed lady in line with me to pick up her food stamps and she left in a Jaguar. We only needed the help for 2-3 months before both my husband and myself found jobs. I did not like the welfare scene at all. Oh and we did not buy extravagant food either. I was well aware that other people were paying our way. Now, I’m a pharmacy technician and I am seeing the welfare system abused mightily. I don’t mind when children are getting their medication for free; but when adults get angry because they have to pay $3.00 for a medication that costs $125.00 I get a little angry. One man told me that we owed it to him to pay for his medication. Really? Here’s another one that I bet most people do not know: a welfare mom can have her education paid for, get help with child care and have a common law marriage without giving up any welfare benefits. She can get married and retain her welfare standing as long as she doesn’t report to the welfare office that she is married. One woman actually had two welfare cards: one for her maiden name and one for her married name. Apparently there is no cross checking of social security numbers and that is where the problem lies. The welfare system was put in place to help people in trouble. It has become a way of life for some families- passing down from generation to generation how to lie and cheat and free load off the working class people.
I was on Welfare for two years. I was a single mother going to college, lived in an economically depressed area and had no child care. And you know what? I bought my daughter toys on TANF, yes. I bought her birthday cake on TANF as well. I bought food you, with a life where you’ve obviously never struggled, would probably think didn’t “deserve” to be used with an EBT card.
I don’t deny that Welfare needs reform in many states. No, no one should be on it all their lives. I support the Welfare I was on, which included forced job searching/school for the duration of cash assistance. There ARE abusers, yes.
But you’re being very judgmental in your lofty position. You don’t know the stories of every person who walked through your line. You are assuming you do and looking down your nose, as are many of the commenters.
I now earn barely enough to make rent, go hungry several days a month so my daughter can eat, and work long hours. But I receive no assistance beyond the beauty of my daughter’s public school. Christmas for us this year is going to consist of some dollar store toys and books.
Who are you to say that others should have no happiness because they struggle?
These are the democrat plantation voters they have been grooming for the past 50 years .
Katie — now a kid working a Wal-Mart job is a “lofty position”??? SERIOUSLY??? Wow, the have-not haters are out in force.
My husband and I are on FS but we both work. It is just a supplement and only about $180 a month. This doesnt go very far when food prices are so high. Anyway, our daughter and son-in-law moved in with us becasue he lost his $10 an hour job and she is in school plus raising two babies. When they applied for assistance we HAD to be added to their account because my daughter was under age 22 and living with us. My husband was very upset because we did not want to be added to theirs, even though it meant more food stamps. We wanted to be on our own so that we could get off the system as soon as possible. My daughter and son-in-law receive FS and TANF. They only get $80 a month in TANF and that goes for diapers and clothes for the babies. None of us smoke or drink, and we certainly do not eat high off the hog, as the saying goes.
It amazes me the way everyone, on and off the system, has been talking and bashing each other. People have been bashing people over misspelled words, or because they agree or disagree with people buy with the assistance.
The fact remains this- There are people who abuse the system, however, just because someone receives help does not mean they abuse it, nor does it mean they buy things that are unnecessary. Many people are frugal. Most appreciate any help they can get.
Just because people have jewelry or phones or even internet does not mean it is paid for by welfare. In many cases they may have obtained them before they needed assistance. And while it may be easy for many people to go without things when on assistance, such as internet, it is also possible that for one reason or another they need internet, like for school, and there may not be a library close enough to walk to or they may live somewhere like in the country where they can not just go over to a friends house. I know most libraries in my state have only a specific amount of computers available and some have one hour time limits per day. This doesnt help those who have work schedules and so forth and can only use the computers at certain times which may not coincide with the libraries operating times and school work takes anywhere from an hour to 4 hours depending on what needs to be done. Many libraries have stipulations on what you can use the net for, including if a paper has to be written you can not save it on their computer for a future time and granted there are the things you can buy to save it from the computer to for future use.
The other thing is that even if everyone was to get off of welfare right now, we would all still be having to pay taxes. As the saying goes there are two sure things in life- death and taxes. Taxes will be around regardless of assistance programs because our taxes go towards paying for our government officials from the state to the federal. It pays for fixing roads, emergency situations such as katrina, and many other things that to some extent dont make sense. And yet all we are doing here is complaining about the small percentage that goes into the welfare programs. Yes I am on the system, but I have also worked most of my life as has my husband. Am I entitled to receive help, since I paid into it yes, I feel I am. Do I desire to receive help for the rest of my life, no! But just because I receive help doesnt make me any less of a hard worker than anyone else around me who has not had to use assistance or chooses not to when things get rough. My great-grandmother lived during the depression and I was raised believing in hard work. I did not chose to go on assistance because I did not want to work, and yes I understand that this is not what the writer was stating. I read what she wrote from beginning to end. I understand her anger at the abuse of the system. I am also not defending those who receive assistance just because I am on it. That in itself is also a stereotype that many have stated throughout this who commenting section. And to those who have stated to “just move” if you dont like your circumstances instead of complaining about them, moving takes money as well. Moving to a place that has jobs available is a good idea, I grant that, but in order to move people have to have money to move an entire family. If it is just one person, it is a lot easier.
1-Do drug testing
2.- Make people everywhere have to take classes in order to receive benefits ( my daughter does)
3-Give time limits ( with consideration to those who try to find employment but can not)
4- For those required to apply at a certain amount of jobs per week. make it so they have to go through the interview process before they can get the paper signed.
5-Require more jobs to do on the job interviews ( my husbands job started to do this this year. Someone applys for the job the usual way, is given a verbal interview, and then given an on the job interview in which they have to work one day ( with pay) to see if they are hireable for full or part time work in the company. (Maybe this should be required for a week of those who are on assistance- this way they earn some money, they pay some taxes into it and still are working). If they are offered teh job and do not take it, they lose their benefits, if they take the job then they stay on benefits for a month to be able to get two paychecks in. They are then required to work at least 6 months to a year before qualifying for any assistance that way they cant quit after the month is up. If they lose there job after the alotted time period they have to start all over and they have a specific amount of time to find another job otherwise benefits will be lost UNLESS they can prove they are seriously looking for work and trying.
But the fact remains, taxes will still be coming out of our paychecks regardless of whether there is welfare or not.
Stuff like that has been going on for years, and I suspect it’s rampant across the nation.
Back in the early to mid 90′s a bunch of buddies and me roomed together in another buddy’s house. None of us were making more than minimum wage. We had the bare necessities and probably the only thing that was splurged on was booze – even then it was likely to be cheap.
We shopped for groceries at the cheap grocery stores and bought things like bologna, ramen noodles and mac-n-cheese. Cheap things that go far and fill you up. We took our hard earned money and were able to barely afford enough to feed ourselves for the week.
Quite often while in line we’d see a woman with or without some/all of her family in front of us at the register. More often then not, most of the children were wearing expensive sneakers and in-style clothing. On the conveyer belt? Steaks, other pricey cuts of meat and lots of junk food. All paid with food stamps. It made my friends and my blood boil.
I live in northern Maine, and in my town 80% if not more, are on food stamps. If we didn’t have food stamps, half the stores and businesses would shutdown, being the largest source of income for the food businesses. All our industry moved out in the late 1980s and early 1990′s. there are no jobs, so few most people just dont bother looking anymore because all thats left is foodservice or retail, that they neither are educated for nor physically capable to do. Many of these people are on food stamps, the proceeds which create jobs in places like Walmart. Where you, being a cashier paid for by this benefit, service these people. You should learn a little about what service entails in the retail sector, as if i were in your line, and you turned your smug nose up at a mother with children buying food, or a dad with children for that matter, you would hear it. you can tell this is one of the first jobs you’ve held in public, because you certainly can tell you’ve never walked in their shoes, or been humbled by loosing your living wage, that you need to pay for your children’s well being, and not to pay for your iTunes addiction and gas to go see your friends. Its embarrassing enough using food stamps, its so much harder because of checkout people behaving like you behave.. Please Dont think all us Mainers are trained from birth, we are proud people and having to use this system becomes a necessity, but its not easy on us. there’s usually many factors in these peoples lives that are much worse than just having to use food stamps. but you should study about that in your sociology class and maybe a couple psychology classes wouldn’t hurt, and a beginning anthropology class would help you understand the facets of being extremely poor with no way out and what it does for you, and your whole psyche and self worth. Have you ever run out of fuel oil in February and have no way to pay for heat because there’s no help available day after day for weeks on end, And you beg and plead for help and borrow and scrape to just have enough heat so your kids can stay warm atleast half the night? Well thats what you and your republican governor and his henchmen are bringing upon us, those of us who have no choice. please i hope you understand i value your opinion, and it makes some sense but your talking about hurting more people than helping. By eliminating these programs people are going to starve, and people are going to freeze. You want to make a difference, get more fraud enforcement involved. Its a few bad weeds that ruin it for everyone. Cashiers should have a way to report directly to dhhs when these problems arise. I think fraud prevention starting at the cash register would fix many issues.
I used to think just like this. A selfish upper class girl who went to college on my parents dime, and even got a decent little job while at college for my spending cash. Then I was married, had 4 children and my husband lost his $55,000/yr job with benefits. We have a child with an incurable condition that requires monthly medication which without insurance costs $750 a month, along with quarterly specialist visits. Suddenly we qualified for mainecare and food stamps. And I can tell you it has absolutely been the most humiliating experience to go through the line and think, oh god, I know I’m being judged because I’m getting organic milk and yogurt, or kashi granola bars. Or when my children ask me why they get free lunch at school now and I don’t have to send in the checks with them anymore.
So while my husband weekly looks for a better job, (he took a 15hr/wk job at $11/hr so we’d have something), and he started his own business to do contract work when he can get it, and we’ve sold everything we possibly could to make ends meet, I have to look at it and say, “What the hell, we paid into the system all our lives while we were working! So now, I actually think its okay if we have to take back from it.”
However, I will NEVER judge another single person on FS or Mainecare like I did before. You simply can not ever know all the circumstances that bring someone to that situation. Another question I’ve come to ask myself is if I was so against welfare before, but also am a professing Christian, am I willing to “freely” give up some of my wealth to help those in need? Think before you judge!
The problem with this article about your two summers spent at Walmart is grossly untrue. You base your opinions on observations of people in the store and not on fact.
Who are you to judge others needing social services? Who are you to say what a person is to eat or not. What information do you have to support your judgements? Your sarcasm in referring to customers as “queens” is rude and immature. I suggest you do some research before you post stories that are based on your perspective. I have a two degrees in social work and the first thing you learn is to suspend judgement. Continue to vote Republican and there will be no social service for Mainers. Crime will increase and hospitals will become overwhelmed. Stop speaking out of turn on this. Your article is a disgrace to needy people. Instead of judging why not listen.
Yes, there are people who are truly in need. These are the orphans and widows that we are admonished in the Bible to take care of. We are advised in the Bible to work so that we can take care of our own and also be in a position to be of help to others. . . But we are also told that those who do not work (and are able-bodied) shall not eat.
Then there are the Mooching Criminals stealing from decent, hardworking taxpayers and are facilitated by our corrupt government.
Something is wrong when folks like myself with a family don’t receive any government help. . . we don’t want it by the way. . . and willingly forego driving or leasing brand new vehicles (only used here), wear last year’s or last decade’s styles, don’t own iPhones or laptops, don’t have special TV connections, don’t eat out with regularity, limit our material positions and have no luxury toys. But increasingly, we are observing pathetic and lazy people who mooch off the taxpayer in order to buy all the things we cannot afford or will not indulge in purchasing. I believe this is by design to discourage and dismantle our nation.
It’s odd to me how the leftists and their sympathizers proclaim to want to end poverty all over the world, but in reality, they seem to be using the money they get from the government to foot the bill for their entertainment, leisure and indulgement. I might actually give some credence to a liberal’s message if I see him or her ditch his or her expensive phones, gadgets, vehicles, clothes and “toys” in order to feed a truly hungry person somewhere else in the world.
Another interesting way that liberals and certain government programs are sucking hardworking taxpayers dry? Via public school systems. There is a public school 1/4 mile from my house. My children are districted to attend this particular school, but my children have qualified for Very Strong Needs Academic Programs. Most of the children who qualify for the program live in a particular area of our county, BUT the program is housed in a lower performing school 30 minutes away from our home and the homes of MOST of the other students who qualify. The school is billed as a “magnet school” in order to make it more attractive, and in reality, this is nothing more than political correctedness speech for modern day busing. In order to meet my child’s educational needs, I have to spend over 2 hours a day in the car driving him back and forth to school. Imagine the cost of gas for my family, the toll it takes on a child and the family. Yes, I could put my child on a school bus, but he would have to be at the bus stop at 6:30 am and would not arrive home from school until 5:45 pm in the evening. . . longer than most adults work each day. This is WRONG. Yes, I’m thankful we even have an option in my county to meet my child’s needs, but face it, my child is being used as a political pawn in the name of distorted “social justice”. By the way, I do homeschool some of my children, but honestly, I can’t afford to do it for long. . . if I could have back the tax money I dumped into the system to support the public school system that is clearly corrupt and broken, then I might have a choice for my children. Charter schools would be great, but as we all know, charter schools embitter the left as they fear all funding for their corruptedness and forced “social justice” measures would dry up.
I’m sick of the hypocritical abuses from the liberals and corrupt politicians and activists in this nation as they attempt to rob hardworking Americans of their freedoms via their pocketbooks and choices.
Join me in the revolt that will make the Occupiers look anemic.
I love how everyone is saying I did nothing about it. I reported the hot dog vender using state money to buy food he was (most likely) reselling. I was able to do this because I knew his name. He gave me his card. I didn’t know the names of my customers, and it’s not like I can report “lady in jeans and orange tank top” to Maine DHHS.
You are describing a dysgenics problem and claiming its a welfare program problem. Well, really, it is and its not. The fundamental problem is that really stupid people thrive and multiply at high rates in the USA due to a very benign environment. While the welfare system is a part of the reason why its not responsible for all of it. Most (but not all) of these people are unemployable and on welfare due to asocial behaviour, usually in combination with very low intelligence, characteristics that are very much inheritable. If they werent fed and clothed, they would lie dying in the street, forage in your garbage can or worse. Young lady, do you agree with this problem description?
Every lowlife says, “I used to feel like you do, but if you only walked a mile in my shoes, blah, blah, blah.” What that means is, “When I was working and paying taxes, I didn’t like paying for lowlifes. Now that I AM one, you better not judge. Just sayin’…
There’s a big different between a hand up, and a professional welfare recipient. Imagine if personal responsibility was the rule and not the exception?
you are a disgusting ass privileged white girl
Offensive article, calling people “welfare queens” does not make it very credible. Try to be less racist next time.
It’s selfish conservatives that make me extremely wary about any efforts to curb benefits.
And, “yourmom,” you are a skanky, scabby, nasty nigger.
Dear Cobby above…..
You need to get the f out of a town that is 80% on food stamps. There is no future for your kids, they will not learn to thrive but will learn to be drains. BE A PIONEER, Leave that God Forsaken Town and go where there are jobs. GET SOME BALLS AND BE A MAN. I bet you heal your psyche.
PS If you have internet and wi-fi you really don’t need food stamps and fuel assistance.
Odafin Huxtable said: “It’s selfish conservatives that make me extremely wary about any efforts to curb benefits.”
So let me get this right. I work, I earn, I want to KEEP what I earn, and I’m selfish for this. You don’t work, you take a welfare check that’s money I earned, and you’re NOT selfish for reaping the benefits of the hard work of others? I swear, you leftist ass wipes are THE most demented, fucked up wastes of human excrement I have ever come across. To call you retarded is an insult to retarded people. Retarded people were born that way and can’t help it. YOU, however, CHOOSE to be sub-human in your beliefs.
Here’s a new one for you (I’m not in Maine, though we want to move there!): I am 40+ years old, retired military with 6 kids. I’m in college getting my degree in Education to become a certified Special Ed. teacher. While I have a retirement check and VA benefits, we hit a rough patch this year with some emergency expenses, and now for the next couple of months until my next student aid/VA benefits arrive, we can’t make ends meet. For the first time in my life, I applied for food stamps to help feed my family for the next 2 months. (All I need is help for 2 months). They told me NO. Want to know why? Because I am in COLLEGE. I am struggling to make something of myself and be productive in society, and I CAN’T HAVE 2 months of help. I would have to DROP OUT of my university program to get aid. Yet I hear stories like yours all the time – generations of welfare recipients, the sense of entitlement, and lobsters and big screen TVs. Can someone please explain this to me??? I’m trying to become productive to society, and need short-term help, and I can’t get it??? I paid taxes for 20+ years of my military career! (We’re getting help from a church now, so my kids are not going hungry and will have some Christmas presents).
Yes I know all about that, my husband lost his job a few years ago, so I went to try and get health coverage for my child. During this time I was working 50-60 hours a week to pay the bills,as a CNA making $12 an hour. I was told to stop working overtime because it wasn’t good for me and come back with 2 weeks of pay stubs with no overtime. Welfare is not there when you need it. It’s has become lifestyle for many.
What I’ve heard in both the post and the comments is that the author is not talking about the people that REALLY need help, which is really nice until one stops to think that she is in absolutely NO position to make judgements like that. Did she spend time to talk to these people? No, she saw what she wanted to see and made determinations about their worthiness or unworthiness and decided whether or not they measured up to HER mental social yardstick. From the sounds of things, everyone else that defends her has that same yardstick and they’ve decided that they are better than others. It’s nice that you’re able to be prejudiced from your “middle-class” tower. I hope none of you ever have to utilize the confusing and difficult world of state aid. I could talk all day about the reasons that you bitch about (cigarettes, alcohol, iPhones, allowing children to use the card) but it won’t do any good because the only way most people will figure it out is if you have to go through it. The author needs to realize that despite her strong feeling that all these horrible people that she witnessed were people and that she doesn’t have nearly enough life experience to determine how worthy these people are. Little girl, you can put your nose in the air and sniff about how you have a job, but until you can’t get one, or can’t afford to get a job because you’ve got kids and you’ve been abandoned, you have no idea what any of these people have to deal with.
I understand that because I’ve been there, I was a conservative and staunch Republican, but I’ve had to live it and believe me, it isn’t easy. Walk a mile before you decide that you’re so much better than others. Remember, most of you are just a couple of paychecks away from having to do what you NEVER wanted to do.
I worked at a grocery store in high school and experienced a lot of the same things as well.
As the wife of a medical student, and the mother of one with another on the way, I am extremely grateful that there is some kind of supplement from our government as we go through school. I am also diagnosed with Celiac Disease and so I am a welfare customer who purchases speciality, and often pricy, groceries because I need to for my health. I totally agree with you that people abuse welfare. There is very little incentive to get off welfare. For us, we have big dreams of finishing medical school to provide a living for ourselves. For many others, who by their nature do not want to work, they have almost no incentive to get off welfare and for this very reason there needs to be welfare reform. Programs need to be put in place (I’m not fully educated as to what programs already exist) that show the recipient is working to get off welfare in order to maintain benefits and of course to increase motivation to become self-sufficient. But I do hope the government continues to see families like mine and offers help because it has been a huge blessing for us. My point in all that, not everyone of welfare is bad or not willing to work, or trying to buy expensive things because the gov’t pays for them. The other thing I wanted to point out, we drive a 2009 Civic. Bought brand new. Let’s say you are the bagger at the register and see that I pay with Food Stamps and then you help me to my car. What would be your evaluation? When we started school, our only car broke down. My husband’s mother graciously paid for this car for us with the intent of paying her back when we are done with school. She wanted us to have something more reliable. When I apply for food stamps, I have to report what car I drive and its value. The gov’t is aware of what we drive before we are awarded welfare. I once had a bagger ask me about my Nike Shocks I was wearing. “Aren’t those expensive shoes?” he asked. I don’t know if he saw how I paid for my food. But let’s say he did and was questioning my attire because of it. Little does he know, my husband purchased them for me as a birthday present, from Ross, for 15-ish dollars (not sure the exact amount), prior to us ever being enrolled on any welfare program. My point, you never know someone’s circumstances when you see their car or if you see them using a nice iphone or wearing something that looks expensive. Being on welfare, I am disgusted with many things. Why is the government paying for people’s soda or candy? Why is the government paying for people’s pizza from Papa Murpheys? I almost feel like in some cases they push you to apply and use certain welfare programs. If you are pregnant and on medicaid, they strongly suggest you enroll in WIC. etc. I agree with you that the system is corrupt and people are rude and take advantage of its blessing. But be careful with your judgements. And by the way, I vote Republican too. Mitt Romney 2012!
There is so much wrong with this article. For you young lady I hope you meet a nice boy fall and love, and get pregnant. Then I hope he leaves your ass in the dust, with your young infant and sick too, yes sick and unable to work, here’s also hoping that you do not have any family members to help you. Or, lose a job that is your only means of income and good luck finding something in this economy.Maybe you could get cancer? Or your house could burn down. I hope you Feel what it is like to be left helpless and be forced to rely on the government for some assistance to LIVE. Try being homeless… I am sure from your point of view that you are some entitled princess with family support and brave you for working with the big bad welfare queens at Walmart. How harrowing it must be for you to have to look down your nose on people on a daily basis and judge the items in their cart. You went to PC, have you ever volunteered at Crossroads RI, ever help the homeless or donate to charity?? Or, more likely you just feel entitled to sit around bitching and moaning about things you have no idea about. By the way bellpepers are food, you bitched about people eating non nutricious items and then also bitch about vegetables? I am sorry, what are people on food stamps allowed to eat? Who are you to judge a person who is struggling and on foodstamps if they choose to buy there child a cake for his or her birthday and forgo a few small meals to do so? On the same lines, can you not buy a candy bar or earrings for a child who has nothing to look forward to on a birthday or christmas? because they are poor, they should not be allowed to buy anything for the family that isnt just toilet paper and shampoo. Screw you. Grow up, look around you join the real world. All of the assholes on the internet who would like to grab pitchforks and torches to mob the poor are cushy entitled assholes or the uneducated who do not understand living in poverty. If you are alloted x amount of provisions to buy food a month, and with that you buy food, you are using them with intended purpose. Trust me, the DHS of every state makes sure that a person is really in need before issuing any stamps and oh, on a seperate note, you can own a smart phone or pc before tragedy or need for assistance happens, hell some people on welfare and food stamps do work, just need suppliments to pre exsisting income. you make me sick
Great article. I tried to describe the numbers and the economics of it here: http://reasonableviews.com/2011/11/15/food-stamp-folly/, but you described the real, personal, tangible side of what government dependency does.
Weird comments. Why does exposing welfare fraud make one automatically insensitive to those on welfare? Especially when she wrote, “I understand that sometimes, people are destitute. They need help, and they accept help from the state in order to feed their families. This is fine. It happens. I’m not against temporary aid helping those who truly need it.”
Hi….I work at an Aldi’s store in Iowa……………I see this SAME crap EVERYDAY and sometimes I work as a cashier 10+ hours…open to close then after a sh***y day like you’ve described I have to clean the entire store!!!!!! Oh and let me add…..I work obviously VERY hard for my money (which anyone shopping in Aldi’s can tell we work hard for less prices on groceries for our customers) so some days I wish I had EBT. (I don’t just for the record). I once had a customer w/ a $400 cart of groceries paid w/ EBT card……the ONLY FRESH ITEM WAS ONE HEAD OF LETTUCE WORTH 0.99 CENTS!!!!!!!! THIS COUNTRY NEEDS SERIOUS HELP! THE END.
Dear Retired Mil Guy,
You don’t want to move to Maine, I moved here with my youngest child, it is welfare central. Many own two and three homes and they get food stamps. They call people like me MASSHOLE to my face while they collect food stamps. For every $1 Maine gives the feds it gets back $1.40. I can’t wait for my kid to graduate so I can leave. Another trick they have up here is the men don’t marry the women, they just shack up so the woman can still leach off the taxpayer. I don’t get what kind of “man” can sleep with a woman in the home of the child without bothering to marry that woman. You are telling the mom, she is nothing but a trashbag not even worth marrying. The women are so greedy for a little cash they accept this trashy behavior for themselves and their children. This is not the rarity, it is the norm. I thought Mainers were hardy, New Englanders, but they are mostly greedy bloodsuckers. Without the rest of the country, and the Massholes, Maine would break off and fall into that cold, cold Atlantic.
PS New Hampshire has the brains.
compassionless. please never procreate.
I know this girl and she is far from educated in matters such as these. This is absolutely opinion based and backed up by no statistical information. There is also no way someone invited her to lunch because she’s disgusting.
Like anyone will change this. Do you blame these people? They see cooperate America stealing from hardworking people all the goddamn time. They are only employing the practices they’ve learned from people on Wall street. How to steal. And by the way, voting republican aint got SHIT to do with trying to reform welfare or health care. If people could come to an understand about the greater good for this nation, rather than holding everyone hostage when it’s time to talk about it–we MAY be able to get some where. But until then, enjoy complaining about first world problems.
To those that call it, Tanf, SNF, government, etc etc it is none of these things. It is the person next to you in the check out line who refuses to quit and give in. The person who works the second job, third job. Stop calling it government, it is millions and millions who refuse to give in. The numbers are dwindling. For all of you who find it so easy you just attract more and more to the flame and then there will be no one left to fund the all giving, system collaspe. The middle class is being crushed from both sides and becoming smaller and smaller. Stop being part of the problem and keep pushing against the destruction of the middle class, don’t give in and teach your children to not give in. Without a middle class there is nothing to aspire and the psyche of the country will collapse, then you have nothing, despair.
REALLY? so we’re complaining about extortion more or less right? and acknowledging the need for an overhaul and ‘regulation’ of welfare because people can be greedy? sure i agree. but what are we focusing on? hotdogs? …fu#%ing hotdogs? it pales in comparison to the extortion at the other end of the wealth spectrum: government money being taken by the billions and turned into $million bonuses for wealthy people-not even successful people- these businesses went bankrupt. if lawmakers gave the taxpayers money back to the taxpayers… there would be no one on welfare. no foreclosures either. just sayin. cause it’s true. instead; we gave it to the same failures who are putting people out of their homes while they collect those same peoples tax dollars. and why? because they control our policymakers through lobbying; so they gave it to themselves. and so the same people stay rich and the same people stay on welfare since ’91. let me know if you see a connection.
Dear Welfare Queens:
You are not entitled to steak, cake, hooch, toys, earrings, or anything else that is not life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I pay for your steaks when I can barely put brown rice and peas on the table for my kids. I work three jobs, my husband works one with long hours. I am willing to help the truly needy with real food, but I’m sick of hearing excuses for people’s manicures, extensions, fancy kicks, and cell phones.
How the heck can you squirt out five kids from five different “baby-daddies”? If you worked like the rest of us, you wouldn’t have the time or energy to roll around with strange men.
As for the truly needed who have fallen on hard times. God bless you and I hope you will be able to recover soon, and I’m glad to be of help keeping food on your table.
—————————————————-
For those of you who are responsible recipients of SSI, FS etc. the bloggers’ article is not about you.
The articles above document the problem with generational SSI / FS.
Just remember all glorious socialist entitlements are based on your consent, via voluntary enrollment into FICA.
I saw the same thing while working at a grocery store in Washington state back when they were actual stamps. A parent would have their child buy a piece or two of bulk candy and then be next in line to receive the change in order to buy a 40 oz beer. The WIC customers usually bought the proper items, but the food stamps were abused.
Someone I know works in the bakery of a grocery store and she sees this sort of activity every day. One guy comes in all the time in a nice suit and drives a new BMW while paying for his food with food stamps. And for those people spewing nonsense about being compassionate, compassion comes from people giving freely of themselves to help others not exploiting hard working tax payers so they can sit on their ass or commit fraud. Maybe the best way to end this corrupt system quickly is for everyone to lie and get food stamps so we can bankrupt the system completely and force change.
Christine, if I wasn’t married I would propose too. Please write another article soon.
For all the negative commentators, wake up. She is discussing abuse of the system and supporting those who truly need the help. If you truly don’t believe there is widespread abuse in the system then you are truly part of the problem and ignorant of the facts.
If there weren’t so many people abusing the system, more needy people would be able to get the assistance.
From the state level there is lack of over site that is needed to manage the system properly.
I sincerely hope Christine discusses drug testing for benefit recipients in the future… If you are against that, we all know why.
The welfare system is so flawed that at one point in my life, while I was working full time, I was so broke there times when I actually had to choose between spending my last few dollars on food or toilet paper. Yet when I applied for assistance I was turned down because I was enrolled in a higher education program and when I started crying to the welfare person, she, I shit you not, started trying to talk me into getting pregnant. So work full time, go to school you, try to better your life, no help. Be broke and get pregnant ALL THE HELP YOU NEED AND MORE!!!!
And on another note, in response to the first comment. You have no right to be calling people losers if you can’t even spell the word!
The government shouldn`t even be involved in this. If you need help go to your friendly neighborhood church. People are always ready to help those who are truly in need. If you are out of work and “looking” then start lowering your standards a little til you find something, then work your way back up.
This story is full of luls. 1. Smart phones can be free in many instances, due to carrier subsidy, and because the credit checks are lousy they can often go a few months without paying a bill and then simply rinse and repeat. It has almost zero bearing on someones ability to afford anything. 2. Actually most of that can be exactly what TANF is for, bitching about someone buying a 5$ pair of Wal-Mart earrings, or a toy for their children to play with is not only being petty as fuck, but missing the entire point of TANF and that is it’s ability to provide some semblance of normalcy to a family. 3. The bitch worked in Maine. Lobster can be almost as cheap as hamburger meat there. A big birthday cake can be like 20$, and again, I couldn’t give less of a fuck. Who the fuck am I to say birthdays are cancelled because some fucker is poor? 4. Anecdotal conjecture that could be anything from the dude talking about a stand he works out and trying to make himself feel better while hitting on a cashier, or just completely fucking made up. Could it be true to? It’s a real thin possibility unless the guy is also guilty of tax evasion, in which case you’re bitching about a felon breaking the law. Congratulations. That’s what criminals do.
Shitty people do shitty things, and welfare has literally nothing to do with it. There are plenty of shitty millionaires that do shitty things to people non stop, that doesn’t make anyone with money evil. It simply means people are people and they are going to do stupid shit.
@ ImyBalasetti
Please..you are not that hard to understand…and I am far from trigger happy.
Here is what you wrote that I was responding to: ““we sit and critique those who try to buy a decent meal for their families”
Now..perhaps you didn’t read what I wrote close enough.
Here’s how I phrased it: .”..steak and cake according to some here”
Here are some samples of the “some here”:
Megan said “I think if i decide to purchase a birthday cake premade or even a steak or two now and then i should be able to. Why should some foods be allowed and not others.”
Jodie D tempered it a bit with “I have bought steaks, but not lobster.” Hey..sacrifices.
Skeye said “buying a steak once in a while or a birthday cake for your child does NOT constitute abuse.”
Stephanie notes “Yes, there is fraud. No, you don’t have the right to judge the TYPE of food they purchase. In one sentence you complain they shouldn’t buy steak, then you complain they buy nutritionally devoid foods.” Steph might consider that there is a middle ground between crap junk food and extravagant food.
This all stemming from the author’s concern over:
c) Extravagant purchases made with food stamps; including, but not limited to: steaks, lobsters, and giant birthday cakes.
As for all the other ills in government and society, 3 dozen wrongs don’t make a right…but they do make a pretty good distraction.
But I will attend to them soon..just as soon as I finish my generic frozen vegetables.
Alright then, what would you suggest as changes? Sure we can suggest welfare reform, but how can you really ensure that the system is working correctly? How would you prevent fraud? Increasing the government’s power? I am of the opinion that that is likely the last thing you would want to do. What we need is a serious plan to address the poverty of this nation. I am not talking government handouts or even a revitalization of the existing system but a new system all together that addresses the root causes of poverty. Let’s change our education system, increase available job opportunities. It’s very easy to paint with a broad stroke and label those on welfare as lazy, and yes I agree that there are those who manipulate the system, however it is fair to say that those most effected by changes in the welfare are the people who are already using the system effectively. Perhaps I am idealistic, but with unemployment rates as high as they have been over the last decade, its not that Americans are lazy, its a sign that there is no work. I would argue (I don’t have numbers to back this up) that there are likely more people who would like to have a job for themselves and to earn money than to be dependent on any sort of welfare system, yet unfortunately they fall victim to the system. A question that we must start asking ourselves in this day in age is: is the American dream even possible anymore? Sure my grandfather pulled himself up by his metaphorical bootstraps, but are the same opportunities available now? Signs point to no. So let’s revamp this system and change our approach to poverty altogether.
I slept on the streets as a child … lived in government housing at times and ate from the hand of tax payers. My mother was shot six times by my father and disabled until the day she died. I come from a vicious cycle of drugs and alcohol, young deaths and several unplanned, unfunded pregnancies. It’s a chain linked together by government funding, programs, misuse and certain neglect. Members of my family were and still are as dependent on government funding as they are on the unauthorized prescription drugs they take daily. I was used as bait at local churches by a mother already receiving an abundance of monthly support. A mother who was very capable of working a desk job but instead handed checks monthly. A mother who lived with a man from the time I was eight – a man who made a substantial amount- but refused to marry to keep her benefits.
I am a product of the system, but I am the one who broke the cycle.
I attended college on scholarship, married a loving, bright man and started my own business. I educated myself to escape the shame and embarrassment I felt when holding my free lunch card, when begging food pantries for unneeded items and when witnessing my family scam. I received Medicaid through my mother until I was nineteen at which time I sought insurance assistance. I took an average of twenty hours per semester and worked full time … I was told by a government worker I could continue my coverage IF I GOT PREGNANT. Was I pregnant she asked, almost hopefully? No. No I wasn’t.
The system is abused because the system is severely flawed. It causes dependency rather than temporary assistance. It’s goal is to sustain rather than create independence.
The debate over certain items being allowed while on assistance really bothers me. OUR COUNTRY HAS A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT LIKE NONE OTHER.
NO. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE A CHILD WITH A CAKE OR WORKING FAMILY WITH A STEAK. HARSH? What about the starving child on the street who simply wants a warm meal? Visit a third world country and ask them if these things SHOULD be provided. The argument is not whether or not the money is on the card or even if the receiver of the assistance should be allowed to choose his/her own items. The argument/ point is that the program is out of control is ANYONE can afford such items and still be able to eat the remainder of the month. Many commenters have voiced how difficult it’s been to receive temporary assistance due to the income remaining after experiencing a lost job, pay cut or disability. These programs should be focused AT THIS GROUP. We should be centered around helping the working class RATHER than creating dependency.
I have walked the mile, and I have worn the tattered shoes. I slept on pavement when my mother’s luck ran out and I witnessed her misuse the funds when we had surplus. Not everyone does this – I know, and I have friends who receive temporary assistance currently. I agree with an earlier commenter, though:
“Charity is the work of good neighbors, churches, and other VOLUNTARY institutions, not taxpayers forced to contribute.”
It is NOT our governments job to care for us, feed us and clothe us. “A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ALSO BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE IT ALL AWAY.”
Perhaps if you are receiving too much aid you should do right by the tax payers and system and report the abundance. If you are concerned about the decline in future funds, perhaps instead of choosing steak or a store bought cake, you could purchase non-perishables and distribute to those less fortunate. Remember, if you can consider your next meal a given and your head covered at night, there is without a doubt someone in greater need than you. I’d like to help those people out MORE than I’d like to see you enjoy the occasional luxury of a steak dinner. It’s not nice, it’s note easy to hear, by more people need to be saying it.
R.I.P. CS
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense , who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
… … – Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn’t always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still remember him, pass this on.
If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Beth said: “You can’t do that in Europe. You are born into a caste, and youf family stays in that caste for generations.”
Perhaps you are thinking of India when you describe the caste system? Clearly, you did not pay attention in 9th grade global history.
Beth said: “What YOU label as my bigotry is nothing compared to what the scum of the earth are doing to our fine country — REGARDLESS of the color of their skin.”
Bigotry-noun, plural -ries.
1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.
2. the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot. – Taken from Dictionary.com
^Both definitions of bigotry actually describe you perfectly going by the way you have presented yourself on this thread. I mean, refer to your last statement, someone calls you a bigot and you completely dismiss it (like you’ve done with nearly everyone that disagrees with you) with your bizarre political rhetoric and then some bullshit to top it off. You are clearly focused on the racial aspect of this whole welfare debate and it’s obvious that you harbor some prejudices . You make comments like this:
Beth said: “Go up to some braid-wearing Shanaynay with her nails all “did” and her bejeweled cell phone and buy her a lobster, you buncha losers.”
Beth said: “Tony, you niggs gonna die because you’s too stooooopid to keep yourselves alive BY yourself. I be happy for stooooopid people dyin’.
”
Many of your comments are ignorant and add nothing to this debate other than showing us that you can’t even express yourself without calling people names or berating them. It’s actually kind of sad and I hope you one day learn how to interact with others without being so abrasive.
@ Amazed- Good points!
“1-Do drug testing
2.- Make people everywhere have to take classes in order to receive benefits ( my daughter does)
3-Give time limits ( with consideration to those who try to find employment but can not)
4- For those required to apply at a certain amount of jobs per week. make it so they have to go through the interview process before they can get the paper signed.
5-Require more jobs to do on the job interviews ( my husbands job started to do this this year. Someone applys for the job the usual way, is given a verbal interview, and then given an on the job interview in which they have to work one day ( with pay) to see if they are hireable for full or part time work in the company. (Maybe this should be required for a week of those who are on assistance- this way they earn some money, they pay some taxes into it and still are working). If they are offered teh job and do not take it, they lose their benefits, if they take the job then they stay on benefits for a month to be able to get two paychecks in. They are then required to work at least 6 months to a year before qualifying for any assistance that way they cant quit after the month is up. If they lose there job after the alotted time period they have to start all over and they have a specific amount of time to find another job otherwise benefits will be lost UNLESS they can prove they are seriously looking for work and trying.
But the fact remains, taxes will still be coming out of our paychecks regardless of whether there is welfare or not”
This article is so true. I use to own a tattoo shop and be so sicken by the amount of business I did on the first where the welfare check was being used to pay for piercings and tattoo’s. Then after my divorce and the shop being closed because of the divorce for the first time in 13 yrs I needed TANF. I was so embarrassed for getting this type of help but realized it was there for people that needed it. However It only took me 2 MONTHS and I was back on my feet and off it. I’m sure the cashiers prob see two people going in and one selling stamps to the other. I have a neighbor that sells her stamps 50% of them for 50 cents on the dollar just so she can get her drugs that the tanf check dont cover and the last two weeks every month her 5 yr old dont know if hes gonna be able to eat. We really need to do something about the people who abuse the system so the ones that truely need it can get the help they need.
Has anyone even noticed how many people are talking trash about Christine?
Posting negative comments about how horrible she is, how wrong she is, late at night, when the libraries that offer FREE internet access are closed…
Apparently, they can afford internet and computers, just not food for their tables. Maybe they should prioritize NEEDS before WANTS.
i work at Walgreens people come in all the time with ebt cards and buy candy or soda. i understand when you are in a hard time and you need something to help feel better. but i would have the same people come in and get the same things. and all most all ways they got cigarets. there was a kid about 9 who came in once a week and would buy $5 worth of candy with and ebt card. i had a mom come and buy some of the pre made ester baskets with an ebt. she spent an hour finding the biggest once she could that her ebt card would pay for. people need to learn the different between what they what and what they need.
lol, the same fat slobs she refers to vote republican as well, I bet my life on it.
Here’s a solution: amend the Constitution to deny welfare recipients the right to vote. It is a conflict of interest to allow the government to give free money to voters. To remove the conflict of interest, a person who accepts money from the government should be required to relinquish their right to vote.
LOL at the “commieObama” hat for sale at the top of the page, so ironic. The fact that the author has the balls to insult anyone’s intelligence is sad and pitiful. Here the little cunt is pointing the finger at everyone else while she is working for a corperate monster that has shut down 10′s of 1000′s of private businesses so you can by Fruit Loops and a NASCAR t shirt at the same time. What a waste of a perfectly good set of tits.
@ She is absolutely right
You said “Has anyone even noticed how many people are talking trash about Christine?
Posting negative comments about how horrible she is, how wrong she is, late at night, when the libraries that offer FREE internet access are closed…
Apparently, they can afford internet and computers, just not food for their tables. Maybe they should prioritize NEEDS before WANTS”
You like many others are being judgemental in a different way. Some people have owned their computers for awhile. Many may have just gotten on assistance, other may have a job and still need extra help. Others may be using Wi-Fi from a hospital ( I know I have when I was in there- and many hospitals carry it now), may be piggy backing off someone else ( like one man stated), or maybe someone pays for it for them because they need it for school or such. Or maybe they live with some who already has net. Nobody knows anyone elses situation. I know there have been times I have taken my laptop, which I own, to a 24 hour truck stop and ordered a soft drink or another free refill drink and have done school work there because I couldnt afford internet, but was not on the system. I was not able make use of the local library as they only had 4 computers and you were only allowed an hour per day on them and if they were occupied you would have to wait. I did not have time to wait, and most days I did not even get off work until after the library closed.
Everyone here, for most part has stated very good things, including Christine. I think most people have a problem with how it was presented. If she would have just said something similar to the following:
I have worked at Walmart for two summers in a row while on break from college. While working there I have seen a lot things that have bothered me and one one of those is the abuse of the system by some people. I see many people come in and buy things that I would not consider a necessity myself, and so I do not personally understand why these people are purchasing them when there are more important things that the monies they receive from assistance could go for. While I know some people truly use the system for what it was meant for, there are a few who take total advantage of it.
For example, I had two ladies that came in and came through my line and the used TANF and EBT as well as WIC. It disturbed me because they had attitudes like they was better than everyone else and yet could not be humble enough to treat me as an equal. I work hard for my money and they made me feel like my job was worthless. They did everything they could to point out inconsistencies and made me feel like it was my fault when things didnt come up the way they felt they should. They also tried to get an item for much less than it was worth based on the fact of it being misplaced on the shelfs.
Another lady got upset with me because the register stated she had to pay out of pocket for some peppers that the computer did not recognize as food. I relaize it is food and I personally do not know why it rang up differently. But she yelled at me like it was my fault.
People also get upset with me when they purchase more than what is on there EBT cards and dont understand why there isnt. I know many people call and verify how much is one their cards before proceeding to the grocery store.
And so forth.. Not perfect but I think you get the idea.
I think more people are upset about how she phrased things and they felt attacked. She has also stated she did turn in the hot dog guy, quite a few times she stated it and yet nobody is listening.
People who have worked most of their lives and paid taxes and then something happens so that they can not work or are unable to for a specific amount of time, in my opinion, ARE entitles to benefits. Those who havent worked a day in their lives and are not disabled and there is nothing at all wrong with them should be working. I understand that having kids is an issue, there is a fine line on that one just depending on who and what is going on. People who intentionally get pregnant just to stay on welfare are in the wrong. Accidents happen, it happened to my sister, but they never got assistance and they got married and will be celebrating 30years of marriage this month. Life happens in general, there is abuse in every thing nowadays, even on the job. People take longer breaks than they are suppose to and more. Most people here, on both sides of the issues, have made very good points. and while some people believe those who are on welfare should eat gruel ( as it is being referred to) because they are poor, I would have to disagree within reason. Those who work and have worked and have paid into the system should make the assistance stretch, sure, but saying they have to go without just because they are taking back some of what they have put in is wrong. Those who abuse the system are obviously a whole other story.
Stating political sides and stating race and referring to peopel in a stereotypical way should have been avoided. That is the one main thing I see majorly wrong with Christines post. Her assumption that just because she has a job and is not on assistance, which is how it comes across, doe snot mean that others who ARE on assistance do not have jobs. Again there are those who dont and never have- i will grant that. But all this slamming and name calling is not solving the issues at hand, all it is doing throughout the 2,000+ comments in response to Christine is adding more fuel to the fire. She agreed that some people need it and should get it and they deserve it, but some people take advantage of it and make it harder for others so that the tax payers feel slighted by paying into a system to encourage their behavior. I am sure not EVERYONE that is on welfare flaunts what they have. And in most states, that i am aware of, there are strict guidelines and rule to follow and regular reviews. In 2000 I worked in a restaurant where peopel on the greyhound bus would come in and I would over hear conversations like _”yep got to get to such and such state and then onto such and such state to get my welfare” THIS was obvious abuse. However, some friends of mine who I have known most of their lives in person went to apply and was enformed they needed to sell off their vehicles and then the worker proceeded to list these vehicles- like a mercedes and so forth. These people had NEVER in their lives owned a mercedes and only had one vehicle and had only owned 3 in the whole time I have known them. And yet the records where showing they own 5 cars at that time. And no, they were not hiding them anywhere. Identity theft possibly? who knows, but as I stated- Abuse happens everywhere in everything in life. And charity is not so easy to find as many would like to think.
Just my input…
FOR THOSE WITH NEGATIVE RESPONSES, i don’t think she is referring to those on temporary assistance. i think she is talking about those who abuse the system. i think her point is that if people have to have temporary assistance, that is what the program was designed for and by all means, use it. just be sure to budget properly. if the budget can include a cake or steak i think that’s fine, as long as your basic health needs are a priority and are met first.
my husband has been unemployed about 50% of the past four years, and being our only source of income for the majority of the time, it has brought us to some very needy times. we are fortunate enough that we have not had to get onto food stamps. as i type this our account is -$18 and we have just enough food to last about two weeks, including all of our canned goods and ramen noodles. but we budget carefully and are always okay somehow. if we come to the point that we need assistance, and it is still illogical for me to get a job, we will surely take assistance! i am definitely in support of government assistance.
i am NOT in support of government dependence. my sister-in-law suffers from depression and other health issues. she has worked a total of maybe 9 months in her life. she has been on food stamps since before i met her 6 years ago. her son is 16, so possibly that long. the real problem is brought to light by what her children say and do.
when we go to the store they ALWAYS ask for something. i almost always tell them, “im sorry, that isn’t in my budget” or “im sorry, i dont have the money for that.” they know their uncle works. they also know when i take them to the store they get nothing. when they come to my house there is no tv. there is only internet part of the time. we do not regularly have sweets except old halloween/christmas/easter candy. i expect them to help with dinner, keep their space clean, and treat everything and everyone with respect. we work for what we have, and though we don’t have the nicest things we keep our things nice.
then they look at their mom. she does not work. she doesnt plan to. when she was denied cash benefits after moving to a new state because she owes too much money to the judicial system, she freaked out about how to make ends meet and then found her solution. disability! when she takes her kids to the store, they buy “better” food than my family. yes, they have steak more often than we do. yes, they have ice cream at least once a week and they have dessert every night. they do not treat their things with respect or keep their space clean. they do not have to work for what they have. they have some of the nicer things, but don’t keep their things nice.
from their point of view they think we are the strange ones because if we could have a “better” life from getting assistance, why don’t we? i’ve tried to explain it to them but they can never grasp the idea that it is important to work for what you have, even if you have the choice of someone handing it to you.
in a personal perspective: after reading her article, i felt the writer was okay with me getting on food stamps if needed, but she is hoping someone in government will find a way to fix my sister-in-law’s frame of mind and dependency, especially because it is very likely to be passed on to her kids.
Wow, this is not what I expected. What I thought I would see was you talking about how half your co-workers are on food stamps or income assistance, to the tune of $400k annually per typical Wal-mart location. Those many MILLiONS in subsidies to underpaid Wal-Mart workers could be avoided if they were paid living wages. But no, it’s too important that richest Waltons (6 of whom have as much wealth as the bottom 30% of Americans) add 3.5 million more people to the combined-richer-than-you metric.
Now, I think it’s terrible that some of these people feel no obligation to contribute to society. Like the Paris Hilton without the inheritance or the entire finance industry. I would love to see these folks required to do some amount of work for the state in exchange for food stamps, even if it’s only 10 hours of work per month. Take Human Services Department, add it to the Department of Labor, and provide skill training and job placement. A state worker finds out what these needy people are good at, and tries to match them to a suitable job. Crazy, right?
My point is, the system needs drastic changes at both the top end and the bottom end. If we “fix” the bottom first, there will be millions of honest Americans in further hardship. If we fix the top first, we can set up a good example for not sucking gov’t teat, and build the infrastructure to catch the poor when their milk supply is cut off.
I am shocked and dismayed that a person so young can hold such disgustingly vicious views. Please educate yourself about the human condition before commenting on it. May God have mercy on your soul.
Two universal laws; accept them and be done with it.
1) If people can get away with something, they will, no matter what other people think.
2) If Democrats and lib Republicans can ensure a permanently enslaved voting block by stealing from workers and giving to lazy parasites, they will.
Rule 1 will never, ever change. Rule 2 will only change if there’s a true, bottom-to-top revolution that completely restructures this country as it was originally intended to be. Which is to say, Rule 2 will never, ever change.
The system of law in the US, which was originally based on principles have given way to law based entirely on politics. Resulting social programs have contributed to civil decay. For some perpetual welfare recipients, it isn’t so much that they don’t have an occupation, but that their occupation consists of leveraging the system that supports them. As a former cashier, I couldn’t help but think that if these government dependents would put that much energy, intelligence and entrepreneurship into a productive living, the results would be impressive. Not only would they better contribute to the general welfare economically, socially and civilly, but it might improve self-esteem for some.
My contempt is not for those who take advantage of the system but for the politics that make it possible.
I’m convinced the two-party system (Republicans/Democrats) hasn’t the political will to solve our problems. After all, both parties benefit from political prevalence, and like the welfare system, we’ve become far too dependent on this conforming system. The will must come from the people, untethered from the two parties, to limit the size and scope of politics that drive the government.
Interesting viewpoint. I too worked at Wal-mart and saw all types of abuse. However, I am on the system but out of necessity. When I first got benefits, I had no other way to feed my daughter. I was working as many hours as scheduled, begging for more as my avalabilty allowed. I am a full time college student, then a mother of one, paying for daycare out of my own pocket, paying for house note and utilities. No luxuries like cable, car, paid trips anywhere, and very little unhealthy snacks. Like a few that I read said, you can’t judge everyone by their buggy and actions.
I am now remarried but with two kids, a husband, still a full time college student myself (with almost two years left to go), but we buy healthy stuff for kids. If we buy cakes with kits or sandwich trays, it because we want to make the kids day special just once for that occasion. Those items are not bought everyday or weekly.
Just because some abuse the system, not all that are on the system likes being on it and wants off. Improve the economy and see how many families are able to come off and live like they want.
By the way, I live in Texas. One the states with rising unemployment.
Now let’s hope she gets a job for the government and just as much buzz happens about the spending of the government.
I would hesitate to call everything that you describe fraud, with the exception of the hot dog guy. I have worked for a major grocery retailer for the last thirteen years, and I’ve witnessed everything you describe and more. However, it is more inidcative of poor judgement and the true heartlessness of the welfare system than it is fraud.
I too have seen generations of my customers on welfare, and I watch them buy high price items with their benefits in the first two weeks of the month. I then watch them scrape pennies to buy bread and balogna the last two weeks of the month when their benefits have run out. The system needs to change to encourage betterment. Require recipients to take a class on budgetting and cooking. Make them do some sort of work in exchange for their benefits (even if it’s filing papers at the welfare office).
That said, you’ve missed describing real instances of welfare fraud. I’ve seen many customers offer to sell their food stamps for cash so they can buy cigarettes or booze. I’ve seen people who do not report all of their income in order to keep their benefits. That is fraud.
Bravo young lady – for telling it like it is, for being brave enough to do so, and for working so hard to ensure your own future. It does my heart good to know there are young conservatives out there. You are the future of this nation! Hang in there!
Wow! Thank You So Much for paying for this!!
Steve
Common Cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
I work 50 to 70 hours a week while watching nearly 50% of my income go to taxes. I’ve seen things like this young lady has written about. Like others I’ve had hard times but refused to ask for government help. Want a cake for your child? Get the ingredients and BAKE it, read a recipe and work a little. I appreciated it more when my mother made my cake instead of bought it.
Seeing all the comments about how terrible peoples lives are and how they deserve to reach in my pocket and take what I have earned makes me sick. I am always happy to give a hand up, it’s the hand out that is a nogo.
For all of you who think you have the right to take my money and time, I have one question. What is the definition of slavery? Since most of you cant be bothered to look, I’ll do this for you. “A civil relationship in which one person or group of people has absolute power over the life, fortune, and liberty of another.” You are reaping the benefit of my work and time. Next time you cry about slavery and slave owners, you might want to look in the mirror.
48% of the US does not pay taxes while the rest of us do, what does this tell us about our society?
Keep up the good work young lady, possibly you will be one to change this quagmire of a situation that our great country has fallen into.
Said to see there are so many judgemental people in the world. I have an adult developmentally disabled son who has tried to gain employment without success. So yes he gets an EBT card for his food. Oh my yes he does buy meat and not just hamburger. He does get some snacks also. Why do people think just because people are on the system they cant have snack or meat other than ground beef. He hasnt bought any Lobsters yet. Yes he has cell phone that we provide and decent clothing that we also help provide. So before you judge and I admit there is abuse of the system, not everyone is lazy, abusing it, or living off of you.
This is NOT to those wo understand that sometimes assistance is needed, but to those who begrudge EVERYONE on welfare. If I have worked for 30+ years and have paid taxes and some of it goes into the system, then explain to me WHY I am wrong in accepting assistance? Its like saying I dont deserve my social security when I retire even though I have paid for it for umteenth years.
Never seen anyone that looks remotely like the author of this piece working – or shopping – at a walmart.
Many, many factors relate to reasons why people should or should not need or use government assistance. Until you have been there, you really do not understand. Another huge contributing factor is lack of quality, affordable childcare or childcare assistance. A married mom of one recently had to quit her job at the restaurant where I work simply because childcare was costing her more than her salary. By going down to one income, her family will benefit from her stay at home status, but the economy will not benefit from her payroll taxes, etc. Even low income individuals who are working contribute to social security and medicare taxes. Her family qualified for childcare subsidy, but could not afford the copay. Personally, my copay for childcare is $348 per month. If my monthly income exceeds limits in a good month, I will lose benefits even if the next month is terrible. Very insecure.
Great article. Something needs to be done. Hand up, not hand out!
Are you specifically referring to INCOME taxes in the 48%? Which taxes are you considering in this statistic? Where I live, food is taxed, yes, even milk, flour, eggs, all of it. We pay taxes in many many ways.
Are you truly suggesting allowing children to starve because they have unintelligent or incompetent parents? Do you remember the Great Depression?
The system has now been “transformed” to create total havoc, overload it and bankrupt it which will cause all the leeches to take to the streets. Remember, hungry people will become desperate. Exactly what Obozo wants throughout the United States.
While I believe we do need to help those who have lost jobs and need some assistance, I also do not believe that Welfare should be a way of life. My husband & I gave up a lot and worked hard to pay our bills and support our children. All 4 have excellant work ethics and a sense of responsibility. I believe in giving my money to our local church with no overhead and the money goes directly to those who need fuel, food, clothes. One aspect that I did not see in all the responses is the fraud in hospitals. I worked many years in an inner city (DC) hospital as a nurse pratitioner and took care of many able-bodied men who could have worked but chose a life of drugs instead. The government paid for their treatments when they were shot/ knifed/ over-dosed, etc. Some spent their checks on drugs, then were admitted for renal faiure and spent weeks being dialized only to repeat the same process the next month. They had no insurance although some had Medicaid. They took no responsibility for their own health problems. The substance abusers who wanted to go to rehab or the methadone clinic only wanted the ones that were free saying they did not have $5/week to go to the other clinics – mind you – these people had $40-$50/ day habits – yet could not afford $5/ week. We have created this life-style by not providing the incentives to come off the system – and believe me, they knew how to work the system to their advantage. This blatant fraud keeps money from going to those who are truely needy.
You must not be aware that welfare reform already occurred in 1996. There is a 60 month lifetime limit for cash benefits. Individuals who receive cash benefits are required to attend a welfare to work program for about 30 hours per week and need to find a job or some community service position within a certain amount of time or their cash will be cut. Why should people be limited on how they use cash benefits? This money can be used to pay bills, send a child on a field trip at school etc. The problem is that some people did not have the benefit of a middle class upbringing and education- therefore they did not learn good money management skills or how to prioritize. Also- no one is getting rich from cash benefits which can be as little as $200 a month.
I worked at Shop n’ Save in high school in the mid 90′s and my experience was very similar. My favorite scam was the family that would come in and Mom would take her cart filled with steaks, seafood, and other luxury food items and pay for it with food stamps. Directly behind her would be her live in boyfriend who bought the bulk staple groceries and paid cash. They then would head to the parking lot and load it all up in his new pick up. It was infuriating mostly because it was so blatant and they either had no fear of being discovered or just plain felt entitled.
I only lost my cool with a customer one time. This was a young woman who was using WIC. When buying juice on WIC it had to be 100% juice and you had to buy the store brand if it was available. After explaining this to this woman buying apple juice she shouted “My baby doesn’t drink no store brand juice!”. I yelled back “My father works 60 hours a week in a chemical plant and our family drinks store brand juice!”.
I truly do feel for those folks who just have no options and need some temporary help. Lord willing few of us will ever have to make that decision. Unfortunately the system really seems to mostly help those who are part of families that are raised dependent on the state for generations and know nothing else.
If you want to see welfare done right, check out how the Mormon church does it. It will be worth your time. Start at http://newsroom.lds.org/topic/welfare-and-self-reliance
Wow, lots of chips on shoulders. Those of you who are offended by what she said because you have fallen on hard times and need to take advantage of help, perhaps you should read the article again. She was very clear that she understands there are people who genuinely need assistance AND who do not abuse the system. She is talking about the ones who do abuse the system. I really don’t understand the people who feel that having a Porterhouse steak is somehow a right. I can’t tell you how many times I have stood in the meat department contemplating buying a nice steak, but even though I work and I make a decent living, spending that much on one meal is just not reasonable. Would I like to, yes, but I have other responsibilities. To make matters worse, we are now paying to provide free cell phone service for those on assistance. My state discovered they are paying for 260,000. fraudulent cell phones. Did they shut them down??? No, they told the people they have 35 days to correct the situation. Are you kidding me!? Oh, and BTW, you don’t have to be a “veteran” cashier or a “seasoned” citizen to get that this is B.S. (before you go there, I am 45.)
You people are retarded.
Okay, YES, there are people who need the welfare. I have no problem with that. I don’t even WORK at WalMart and I see this happening ALL THE TIME. I live very close to the WalMart that the author works/worked at. I am related to people who I know abuse this system, and I tell them over and over again that they need to stop. This 99% crap needs to end, because I’m sick of people saying “GIVE ME SHIT, I DESERVE IT.” Well, you don’t. My father works to raise myself and my little sister. HE WORKS. HE HAS A JOB. HE EARNS HIS LIVING.
Wake up, people.
Riah,
“Personally, my copay for childcare is $348 per month. If my monthly income exceeds limits in a good month, I will lose benefits even if the next month is terrible. ”
Do you see how the “compassionate” government has trapped you? You are disincentivised to work harder and earn more. Once you accept government assistance it is very hard to stop. You and many others are being kept down on purpose by the government. They want you dependent…
I’ve heard many of these examples too many times that now I believe I’ve become immune to the abuse of our system. Well, that was until last week when I was driving to my night class and there was a guest explaining the break-even fact. He explained that when welfare first started it was intended to get people back on their feet, that’s fair. He said that for someone now to get off of assistance, we live in western New York, a person would need to find a job that pays $47,000 to break-even in the benefits in total that one receives.
I found that incredible when I first heard that figure, because that’s more than my wife makes busting her ass working at the VA hospital. Don’t get me wrong, she’s proud to work there, I’m a retired Navy corpsman. But she’s vastly underpaid considering her work ethic and lack of one of those around her, but that’s another story.
That would be enough of the story to make my point, but sadly it’s not even close. The next day I told her about the radio show while I was visiting her at work and a co-worker overheard me. She told me that she had gone to her veterinarian’s office to have her cat spayed over the weekend. This co-worker is underpaid as well. While she was sitting there a woman walked in dressed to the nines in designer everything with her cat for the same procedure. The only thing was because the lady was loud and proud, my wife’s friend heard that the lady was paying for the procedure with medicaid! My wife’s friend was dumbfounded and asked the receptionist later if this was possible and the receptionist verified it. So now we’re paying for people to get their animal’s fixed? I have seen it all…
The attitude of most people’s comments on your post show that they’ve missed the point of welfare. I understand that it’s frustrating to see people abusing the system but the truth is those people will get through a bureaucracy if you want to help those who really need it. Also as someone who was on WIC, the rules are not as straightforward as you claim. Yes there are are nutritional guidelines (of which I wholeheartedly approve) but you can get up to the register and find out that your whole grain bread is not the right brand and while they pay for organic produce they don’t pay for organic milk and very sugary cereal is paid for while healthy stuff is not. Also at the time I was on WIC, my husband had a smart phone (paid for by his job) and I did buy toys for my children (not a slip n slide but my son has low muscle tone and qualifies for therapy and a slip ‘n’ slide would help keep him active and using those muscles). My point is you can’t judge people by outward appearances and it’s somewhat appalling when those who are educated and privileged judge those who never had the same opportunities. There is a class system in society and we are less socially mobile than most European countries. This idea that America is the “land of opportunities” is myth. Why should those women work at Walmart, make minimum wage and not be home with their children when they are not working for anything. They can’t save up and attend college, they don’t even see the opportunity to better they’re children’s lives. They need more help, not less and while the help I would advocate would be in the form of education, not cash, the education would still cost the state.
You seem to suggest that you know the difference between who does/does not deserve state-assistance, since you seem to be the almighty voice of God, pray tell who deserves it? Interesting/ironic that such an arrogant sounding article would come from a former Wal-Mart employee. I agree that at some level the system is most definitely being abused but this article seems to suggest that the majority of people who shop at the Scarborough Wal-Mart are misusing if not abusing our Welfare system. Last I checked it was not a crime to buy steak or lobster for your family. It’s common that people want to live above their means and as long as it doesn’t become a situation where they sacrifice other things, such as their children’s health/safety or their health/safety, then I see nothing wrong with it. I wonder if it were middle class or working class people coming in and buying expensive purses/food/televisions, that might be above their means, if she would find the same kind of judgment.
HOORAY!!!! I agree whole heartedly! I see abuse all the time, and as a single parent bringing up my child without any child support and working 2 and 3 jobs to survive, I don’t understand how people get away with it! This system needs to be TEMPORARY help or help of some portion when a person is trying to work. But the welfare system seems to cater towards an “all or nothing” system. I have seen people on welfare that has a child and turns around and has another child while on welfare! They feel it is their “right” to have a child, I truly believe that with “rights” there is “responsibility” and if you can’t be responsible then you shouldn’t have those rights!!
We not give these Debit cards instead of actual food stamps so as not to embarrass the welfare — that’s BS-we as the tax payers should be able to see the people who we are supporting. It is pretty sad to see the people on welfare buying things that I don’t buy because I am on a budget and cannot afford to buy those things. I could also go on and on, but the working class does not have the time to continue to fight this because we are just that — the WORKING class.
What concerns me in this exchange is the political implyed implications. Republicans can’t fix it! You have to fix it! Your state and your voters have to repair what is broke in your state. I find it hard to believe that any political party has an overwelming desire to repair a system that is putting millions of dollars in their corperate pockets evey year. Abuse? Yes, Political concern? I don’t think so. Is it the Democrats fault? Is that what I’m hearing? I guarantee the Replublican representative will do just as much as a Democrat representative. Nothing except feed your anxiety and use it for a campaign slogan, nothing more. Everybody here makes money in this system and thats what it is about today is money. I too am a conservative but not a replublican. They are the pied piper leading the greedy to the slaughter. They showed us that on wall street and in the housing market and now want us to fund a pipline to texas for big oil. Be a conservative! but don’t jump on a band wagon cause it sounds good. Remember the quote “if is sounds to good to be true, it probably is”. Invest in yourself and not in a political gauntlet by supporting the values that has nearly distroyed our country and the middle class. I suggest the middle class of people are now the baby millionaires supporting the very monster the will devour them as well. Someone has to pay for their heathcare for their families for life after they leave office, pay for their retirement after being a public servant, enjoying the benefits of being above the law,(Insider trading) etc. I could go on and on. If we cant fix the abused system in washington how are you going to fix welfare fraud? You can’t, they don’t want it fixed! You do but the machine does not.
Cell phones, housing, groceries, childcare, animal care, education, etc.,
“A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ALSO BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE IT ALL AWAY.”
Being a single mom, now, with two children I can understand the frustration when you see someone abusing the system. I can too relate to the feelings of people on welfare/foodstamps, since now after my divorce from my husband of 18 years left me with both kids to raise on my own with no help. I have always worked since I was 13. I had money saved in a savings account and we owned our house. My ex-husband was the kind who would work on and off just enough to put money in his pocket for the weekend. Once he left our house I was still working full time while raising both kids, who by the way are both disabled, and I still found time to donate time and money to local charities and I run my own parent support group. I in October of 2010, I left my house and moved to a rental I could better afford and left my job, both my children took a turn for the worse. At that time I lived off my savings and attempted to collect unemployment due to unforeseen circumstances. (I knew I would be denied but was worth a shot) My ex-husband would not pay child support and I could no longer afford my COBRA insurance at $850/month, with the kids not getting any better and no idea as to when I might be able to go back to work, had to ask the state for help. I since went back to college and I am now working on my master’s. I receive grants/loans. I am the woman who goes to the store and buys merchandise with her TANF benifits for the kids, whatever they want. Maybe people do not understand what exactly TANF is. I get it cause other wise my ex-husband will not pay!!!! The state collects for me and I get the money then put on the card, with my food stamps. Which by the way food stamps is exactly that FOOD stamps. If I want to by healthy food such as lean meat and seafood, why is that bad. Complain if I buy microwave meals or stupid crap, not when I buy food that is healthy. And the merchandise I buy with my cash benefits is just that my cash, my child support. So the next time you are quick to judge, remember I don’t question your purchases when you are in line in front of me. Walk a day in another persons life and you may see what life is really like. It is not as clear cut as many think.
Our gov’t is the problem! No need to tell them as they are the idiots who let it keep happening. Why? Because these welfare recipients vote! Maybe there should be a law that says you cannot vote if you live off the people for assistance. Really why should they? They do not pay into the system, they just take! Just an opinion! God help us!
YES! I could not have written this better myself! I worked as a cashier at Walmart #1210 in Nicholasville, KY for five years. I saw the exact same thing every single day. People using their EBT cards to buy lobster tails, baby back ribs, shrimp. The one that stuck in my head the most was a woman purchasing eight tubs of cotton candy with food stamps. It wasn’t uncommon for groups of young children to come in at the end of the month and use whatever money was left over on their parents EBT card to buy themselves candy, chips, coke, ice cream, etc. all because there was an extra $50 on the card, and if you don’t use it, you lose it. And the amount of welfare recipients I saw with Coach purses and smart phones was appalling.
My family earned a decent living. We weren’t rich by any means, but we weren’t poor and certainly didn’t qualify for welfare. My parents had four kids, all born close together. So we had to forgo certain luxuries such as name-brand drinks. And forget about lobster.
I’m okay with WIC, as it is extremely regulated (I know of stores who lost their WIC license for giving the wrong brand of milk), but food stamps are a joke.
I go to college as well and work 3rd shift at Walmart. I too have seen some very unethical stuff go on!
@ LEE Well Guess what my husband works he pay’s taxes to I think $350.00 of food stamps is not taking money from you. I am glad you moved but well I can’t afford to do you live in Maine? go look it up we are one of the poorest states right now so I guess I will go and get a job and put my life my daughters life and others in danger when I have a seizure. YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT YOUR SELF I have worked I started when I was 15 then in 2008 I got pregnant with my daughter at the time I worked at a little country store so when it was time for me to go back my boss had to higher some one else. So I have been a stay at home mom with my little girl cant you just understand what I am saying I don’t want my daughter to go hungry I could get TANF but I chose not to all I want help on is food. So Lee would you please stop bashing me would you want your son to go hungry? it would hurt you to see him starve wouldn’t it it would me I am sorry for being poor white trash and taking care of my daughter so I guess I better call DHS just for you and have them take my food stamps away so when you hear about my poor little girl Marissa has died at the age of 3 of starvation you can be happy.
There’s too much crop going on in this country. So much dirty politics that has been creating unbelievable amount of lazy people. We the working class I mean the very hard working class are suffering so much from this unfair society. I’ve been working as a RN in this country for almost 23 yrs. now (BTW migrated here in 1989). The abuse that the author of this article had undergone through could be the same degree of abuse that’s been going on in any industry. A lot of people on medicaid are truly pain on the neck and act like they bought every nurse’s soul and let them dance around in their own personal interest. These people under welfare privileges thinks that they could go ahead and kick everyone, threaten them and let them work so hard so they can get everything they want whereas we the hard working ones don’t get anything free.
The comments are clear evidence that there is a segment of society that is 100% judgmental and biased. I speak of those who are attacking the author. Either your reading comprehension is sorely lacking (or nonexistent) or you believe that stealing from honest, hard-working Americans is A-OK. But no, she’s pointing out that people are abusing the system, BAD ON HER!!! She must be a wealthy white girl from a privileged family who has no idea what life is like. How dare she talk about the welfare system. It’s our right to live off the hard work of others!!! Don’t you dare take away my free stuff so I can spend the money I do have on nice cars, big TVs and all sorts of other cool stuff. And no, I’m not talking about people that have legitimate needs. I’m talking about the people who drive BMWs, wear fur coats, have the latest/greatest electronics but use welfare to get food and other items. Maybe instead of attacking the author for pointing out that the system is being taking advantage of by DISHONEST people you should attack the DISHONEST people who are abusing the system.
And to the person that said it’s the system’s fault – really? A clear example of what’s wrong with America – blame the system, not the crooks that are abusing it. Pathetic.
Capehart-
People like you is why the writer posted this article. Get off your lazy ass, get a job, and put your kids in daycare. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems and take ownership of your life. Your kids can’t “share” an iPad? Are you serious? There isa no way I can explain to you how stupid you are. Get a job and stop being a lowlife deadbeat.
If I were Shakespeare, after the kill all the lawyers quote I would add …and bomb all the Wal-Marts. Also read http://finance.yahoo.com/news/six-waltons-more-wealth-bottom-172819426.html. To the end of the article though!
Although I agree that we are in needs of reform, and I agree that there are a few bad actors out there commiting fraud, I find this article to be full of gross generalizations that are unfair. This article and the examples you offer further promote prejudices and dicrimination toward poor people. There are fundamental flaws with our welfare system that you acknowledge, yet you still blame the people and not the system.
For your next article I suggest that you take a look at the welfare system, ask yourself why there are no incentives for getting off welfare and out of poverty, ask yourself how the institutionalization of poverty benefits the rich, ask yourself what your life might be like had you been born into a family receiving welfare, and ask yourself what you can do to help people who are struggling make change in their own lives.
I will be the first to admit that my leanings are not generally conservative, however, as someone who did all the “right” things, graduating high school, getting a college degree, working at least part time since I was 16 years old, not having children I could not afford, and refusing to allow a medical condition which, in most cases is debilitating to keep me from being a productive member of society, I was stunned to find myself in a position to truly need assistance. However, after over a year of unemployment, due, I suspect, in large part to the fact that I am over-educated, thus unable to even get an interview to be a cashier at walmart, the grocery stores, or gas stations, I found myself in the social services office of my county (in Texas). I completed a zillion pages of questions, about how much my rent is, utilities, car payment (and what kind of car is it?), etc., submitting bank statements and a letter from my landlord to verify how much I was paying in rent for my room, I was declined benefits. I requested an appeal, and actually got to go in and talk to a counselor, and after half an hour of tears, I was awarded 3 months of food stamps, but nothing else. Because I have no children, and was not pregnant, I didn’t qualify for TANF, AFDC, rental assistance, WIC, or Medicaid. AND I cannot get food stamps again until 2013, because under TX rules, adults with no children that have not been declared 100% disabled by the federal government are eligible for 3 months of food stamps every 3 years. I did my best to spend responsibly those 3 months of benefits, because I was grateful to have them. I bought food with nutritional value, and, aside from a 24 pk of soda/month, I didn’t spend it on junk.
I have a friend with a disabled son, and when he was a child, her $8/hour scooping dog crap, combined with his SSI benefit was “too much income” for her to qualify for any other benefits.
It irritates the hell out of me to see people in line with their benefits (whatever they may be), wearing more gold than my entire family owns around their neck, with their designer clothes on, talking on their iPhone, then pulling their Lexus/Cadillac/Hummer keys out of their Coach purses.
I don’t know the solution to the problem, but it seems as if the problem DOES get worse instead of getting better.
Beth:
I am responding to your message towards me. For one, my kids are not brats! I am not teaching them nothing. I am a hard working single mother with a full time job and part time student. I pay all my bills, I don’t have a nice car, nor a nice home. I live in a trailer that is not even considered fair living conditions. I have no money after I get everything paid to even pay for the food, nor my trailer fixings. My trailer is 39 years old. My car is 17 years old, and I can’t afford to get it fixed to get it inspected, which means, I have to rely on others for rides and have to pay them for the rides. My autistic son goes to a special school and where I live in the country the nearest special school is an hour away. Without a car he doesn’t get to school, I have to borrow money and pay it back after I work extra. Which means less time with my kids, more money to the sitter. Which paying for a sitter that will even take an autistic child in this area is very expensive and very rare as to they need to be specially trained.
I am a wage earner! I work hard for my money and even working hard as a certified nurses assistant I get paid very low for the kind of work I do. I’m not saying buying a cake every week or lobster every month is necessary. Even the “poor and welfare” people should once in a while buy something special. By the way I don’t even like Lobster and I make my kids birthday cake! I buy healthy food, my 4 year old who is autistic is allergic to gluten which means everything is more expensive and money is less stretchy with gluten free foods. A half loaf of bread is 5 dollars. A 2 pound bag of flour 6 dollars. It pains to hear about people questioning steak compared to a banquet meal. I would rather see people eat steak than a frozen food dinner. They say expensive food. Well you know gluten free or even lactose free is expensive but some people can’t eat the frozen dinner or the regular bread, milk, cheese, flour etc. My oil tank right now is on empty, I don’t get another check for another 2 weeks, that means turning the thermostat as low as we can tolerate it and pray that we can go until I get paid again to get oil, because my kids need to eat and rent needed to be paid.
I read your first post Beth, you put at the end of it
“Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting
some kind of battle.”
― T.H. Thompson and John Watson
Calling people undeserving, ho bag, their kids brats because they have a disease where they may not be able to work when they are older, is not being kind because those children who needs the special stuff is fighting a battle.
You nor no one else knows what anyone else is battling. I see it everyday I work with the “undeserving” as you would say everyday. I work with disabled clients, ones who use to work hard from the time they were 16 and now that they are 65 or 85 they had a stroke and can’t work. My dad worked his butt off to support his family. i didn’t grow up knowing to how to “use” the system.
I am one of those people that have been mentioned that holds their EBT card in the palm of her hand ashamed that I can’t support my family. Tired of people looking down their nose at me because I need a little extra help to feed my kids. Even when I wasn’t on state aid. I to worked at Wal-Mart, I to have questioned some people motifs but never once did I ask them why they do what they do. Honestly, its none of my business, just like me explaining my problems to you and the world is none of your business.
I work, i pay for my bills with my paycheck, I pay my sitter with my paycheck and I have taxes taken out. Just because My town is one of the lowest paying towns in my state, doesn’t mean my kids have to starve or go without heat, because I had to stay home because one of my kids were sick with the flu, or I had to leave work early because I had to rush them to the hospital. My kids have and will always come first. So please, please, before you snub your nose at someone because they have a few kids or have that one nice outfit they save to go out so people don’t look down on her, that she got at a thrift store, or hold their EBT card in their hand out of shame; don’t judge because one day you yourself will be judged.
As most people above I see this quite a bit in the grocery store as well. When my first son was born and my wife and I weren’t married yet she received WIC. This is how I envision any type of food assistance program should be. It is very specific forcing you to only purchase healthy foods. We both worked part time and I was in school. We were on assistance for about 6 months and it was very helpful. The other food stamp and welfare programs need some serious cleaning up. It is absolutely ridiculous when taxpayers are footing your food bill and you are getting lobster and prime rib, while many of the people paying for your food can’t afford that themselves. Food stamps and welfare should be very restrictive focusing on necessities and healthy low cost items. You should never be better off on welfare and food stamps than anyone actually working to pay for their food.
Personally I find your article offensive. One is the clearly right wing, FOX News wannbe writing that stinks of ignorance, the other is of implying that if you are on food stamps freedom doesn’t apply to you. Steak and lobster is considered food, don’t complain what they buy with their food stamps, are you against free choice? I can see where you are going with this but you clearly lack the understanding of fraud on all levels including corporate and small business fraud is bad. Corporate schmucks that hide overseas money while taking jobs away, small businesses that skim money(cash) and deduct items for personal use all are what fuels the obvious reason or what is wrong with this country.
The motto of: If I didn’t get caught it’s OK is what most people think.
Open your mind, soul and heart for a better America. Fraud on all levels is what will bring this country down!
I also work at Walmart in the deli and witness this kind of welfare abuse. Although I cannot be totally sure, I’m pretty confident that EBT is used to purchase expensive deli meats, cheese and party platters.
When my wife and I were on EBT, we were told by DHS to only use it for staple items (milk, bread, canned goods, eggs, cereal, flour, sugar, butter/margerine, etc.). We never used it for deli product. Since working for Walmart, we’re no longer eligible to receive EBT benefits, but we cannot afford deli meats/cheese either. But we get by very well, thank you.
I pay my taxes for GOOD, RESPONSIBLE government, not for bums who won’t work.
And if you can’t find work locally, MOVE where you can and get off the welfare system. I never was proud of receiving EBT benefits. Working for our living is much better.
It’s amazing to me how the near-poor on this board are so vitriolic against the real poor. As long as that kind of crap continues, the real issues of economic injustice … which, trust me, has nothing to do with small-time welfare ‘fraud’ (probably not even fraud, just alternative choices to what some on here would elect) will never be solved. As long as the powers that be can keep the lower middle classes squabbling with one another over whether a poor person should buy a $12 birthday cake with SNAP funds or whether a poor mom gets to spend $15 on a birthday present for a child, the real theft of our resources … to corporate welfare cheats in the guise of big oil, big banks, big pharma and insurance, and big military industry … will go unchecked. And those bastards are laughing all the way to the bank. Christine, spend your time worrying less about the shopping habits of the poor and more about the macroeconomic machinations of the super-rich, please. When you take your economics classes (and you will, do a little research about how much we spend in corporate subsidies versus how much we spend per capita for welfare and supplemental nutrition. It’ll open your eyes in a hurry.
Great article! You are definitely onto something. Keep up the great work.
Not everyone on foodstamps & WIC abuse it & not all of them are jobless. I get both, I work my ass off & without them, we would be eating ramen noodles everyday. As far as the phone comment, some people are in good situations where they can afford things & then something happens & they can’t. Just bc you have a smart phone & food stamps, doesn’t mean you’re abusing the system. The ones you CAN tell are abusing it, are the ones who have their hair done, nails done, brand new name brand shoes on, paying w food stamps. THATS who abuses it. Not me w my iPhone from 2+ years ago.
Thank you Christine for you brave and truthful article.
I agree that people abuse the system and ruin it for all of of us, however my husband and I both worked full time and qualified for stamps. Not everyone getting help is a person afraid to work or does not want to work. Nothing feels worse than being judged before knowing the facts. i think this is a tad judgemental because a persons lack of inteligence as u refer to welfare queens could be a factor to why they need help. They could have mental impairments you don’t know. The purchase of a birthday cake and a slip n slide really? I look at it this way at least they are spending it on the kids and other things that are more necessary are spent some how. What if the mother promised a slip n slide for a birthday present but couldn’t afford it and a cake for a childs birthday would it have been more suitable if they bought the cake mix and frosting? Bottom line is I think you should have a bit of an open mind to peoples situations you make good points but the people aren’t educated on what they should buy or not and as far as wic goes I know everyone has had issues with getting the wrong item. The pamphlet does not have pics of every purchasable item and every store has their different stipulations on what u can by even by size.
Christine! First congratulations on the intense traffic. That show’s some serious writing prowess. You also presented facts. Now let me please beat on some of your audience. For those who called a college student working her way through school at a Wal-mart a judgmental know it all… shut the front door.
This is her story. If you don’t understand ask questions. The nation itself is a welfare one. Hell, we owe Mexico an ass ton of money…MEXICO! Maybe that’s why they are getting pissed that the fat kid with the maxed out credit card keeps deporting their people.
Everyone needs help from time to time. One commenter said “may God have mercy on your soul!” Really??
“I’ve been on welfare…you have no right.” Hey, poverty wench! Did you send that comment from a Mac Book?
Christine. Very well thought out piece. I am going to do an essay on this myself and give you full credit! I remember working my way through college and eating a baked potato for all three meals. I bought the damn things though!
Keep doin what you do playa!!
When I was a child and my parents got divorced back in the late 60′s, my mom got in the system. Back then we got boxes of commodities. Things like powered milk, and eggs, canned veggies, fruits, and hams, bags of rice, beans and pastas, cheese, peanut butter, flour, sugar.
The amount you got depended on how many people were in the family and the food had to last you a month or you had to spend your own money on things you wanted that were not in the box.
We were on this for 3 months then mom stopped getting it, as her pay checks were coming in now, and we no longer NEEDED help. Things were tight but we made it. We were eating but we were OFF the system!!!
We did not get help with rent or medical.
I think if they took away the food stamps and started giving out boxes of food again things would be better as you would not be able to get things like pop and candy or fast food like you can now with the food stamp programs.
I know of some who buy the easter baskets for their kids as it counts for FOOD because of the candy in it. This IS just WRONG!!!
If people want those things they should have to pay for them put of pocket. These are LUXUARIES, not NECESSITIES
Its always been abused even long before this. I was born in the 60′s and remember distinctly all of the welfare misuse. This is nothing new.
I have to agree with at least one other person who also commented: in order to truly understand you have to walk a mile in their shoes. Being at the checkout only gives you a glimpse into someone’s life. So what if they bought a birthday cake? Have you ever been a single mother working two jobs and still can’t make ends meet? All you want to do is give your child something nice for once. Have you ever been poor and wanted to perhaps make a really great meal for the person you love–maybe even purpose over said steaks and shrimp? And what exactly is the problem with the hot dog stand owner buying items for his cart with food stamps? Especially in light of both democrat and republican presidents/ congress bailing out banks, car companies, etc.. I’d much rather support a guy in my neighborhood trying to make ends meets by actually working than using my tax money to overpay CEOs.
Where I live I have witnessed people being kicked off food stamps because they moved and didn’t change their address within two weeks, or because they had a change in income (actually made LESS money), etc, etc. It becomes almost a full time job trying to stay on food stamps–not an additional stress anyone needs when they are trying to feed their families, look for better work or go to school on top of all their other responsibilities.
I agree that there are people who take advantage of the system and using government aid as a long-term solution can lead to other problems; however, I don’t understand how belittling those who are on government aid and calling them names does any good. Instead it just breeds an air of superiority–an “us” versus “them” mentality that is neither constructive nor helpful.
I am all for helping people that need it, but the abuses outlined in this excellent article pretty much tell the tale. I work across from the projects at a Military base. The occupants of these projects are multi-generational leaches on society. Most of them will never get off the govt teat. I saw some responses to what this bright young person wrote that were quite frankly an indication of some of the entitlement some people feel towards other people’s money. That is what welfare, food stamps, WIC and all of that is. Other people’s money!! We don’t mind helping (some of us anyway) but probably 80 percent of the recipients are abusing the system and that is probably a low figure. The economy is bad and many have lost jobs and desperately want to get back to work. I understand that. If I were in that situation, I would work three jobs or do what it took to survive and God forbid if I had to take some kind of assistance. I would be absolutely ashamed.
Okay do any of you realize that alot of these people receiving benifits are WORKING they are paying taxes that most are not just sitting around collecting? some of these people are going to school and working to try to get better paying jobs so they dont collect? Most are putting their tax dollars in but cant make ends meet so they get a little extra help,so really they are not taking anything out of your pocket….please do get over yourselves. Also most post on here are just saying that alot of what she mentioned is not abuse of the system it is her personal dislike of some things she has seen! That is being judgmental! And to Matt who says good for her for doing something about…what did she do? Oh thats right NOTHING but rant on a blog! As I stated before she should have done something by calling DHHS on the man supplying his business through his foodstamps but did she no, she wrote a blog. A good percentage of Maines welfare actually goes to the refugees and immigrants collecting from our state, most of whom do not work but drive around in brand new cars ect. I heard no mention of any of that. Those are big problems with the system we cant feed our own but we can feed others.There are many problems with the system then buying cakes and steaks and a mother giving the card to her small child and it will never be perfect and if you want to complain about it so be it but do it by facts not personal attacks!
Great column. This would just make me sick to see on a daily basis. Maybe all libs need a job as a Walmart cashier for a few months.
This reminded you of why you voted Republican? Really?
Sounds ridiculous to me. Obviously the Republicans aren’t any better at fixing this than the Dems. Until people realize you can’t legislate social responsibility, we’ll never have a solution. Fact is, these people who aren’t productive members of society will always bear a cost to us. They will either be on food stamps or stealing our food. They will be mugging us for our money or costing us money in a prison. They will be living in government housing or squatting or setting up homeless camps (Bringing other costs).. Getting rid of the benefit doesn’t get rid of the problem. Bringing people into society and teaching the value of hard work is a solution.. Not an easy task when you have blogs devoted to further alienating the people who already are far from integrated into the working society.
the system is not working……..we need companies and manufacturing brought back to American soil……..China is laughing at our country as we sink further and further and send more of our money that way!
As a struggling family, I see where you are coming from. When someone in front of me in the check out line has two carts of high-end food and junk food top with frozen pizzza and soda, ice cream specialites, bags of chips and more…..my small cart of food, real food, basics, staples, vegetables paid for by real money, earned money, by the way for a family of six we spend under $300/month for food, not because we want to because we have to. And the sixth person is an grandparent who could not afford to live on her own, as well as having health issues. We make do! I see so many that don’t even know how to make do……the system is not working…..and it starts with having jobs on American soil!!!
I have read alot of the posts, personal opinions aside we are a concerned people, we must change things…..get involved with your community, VOTE and pray for our country!
I agree that allowing EBT cards has reduced the embarrassment that people used to feel about whipping out food stamps in the store, embarrassment that was added motivation to get off the handout programs. Making public benefits mainstream and socially acceptable is the root cause of a lot of this dependency. I think larger stores should set up a food stamp/benefits only line, like the express lane but for EBT cards. That would push the embarrassment factor back to an appropriate level, and also keep the rest of us from having to wait in line behind someone who piles up $500 worth of stuff and then spends half an hour arguing about it. This has happened to me repeatedly. Those of us who have jobs and take responsibility for ourselves don’t have an extra hour a day to spend yelling at cashiers because we can’t buy more steaks with this month’s handouts. Worse, I’ve actually seen complicit cashiers give tips to people about how to go back to aisles and pick up more items to add to their pile. The tips were given in Spanish, so I’ll let you infer the context.
I have worked as a cashier and have seen both abuses and blessings. I do NOT vote Republican, because I follow the scriptures which teach us that we are to provide for the poor. NO WHERE in scripture does it give me instruction, privilege, or right to JUDGE the poor. Leviticus 23:22 is a clear example of our responsibility to the poor. There are many more in the bible. I am a professional now, and pay significant taxes. I regard those taxes as a privilege, and a blessing, for they afford me the opportunity to take care of the “fatherless and widow”, as the Bible directs.
I do wish to apologize to the writer of this article – no one needs to be harshly reprimanded in stating observations. In time, and with the twists and turns of life, you will better understand the nuances that lead people to do the things they do. For the poor, perhaps some of the “frivolous” purchases were made to make life less “poor” as well.
Also, please take note that all states do NOT have the freedom of purchasing toys and telephones with a swipe of the EBT card. My son and his wife have three children, one of which is a special needs child. My daughter-in-law is chronically ill. My son works 50 – 60 hours a week at a low-paying job. He has a 4.0 grade average in college but was unable to return to school because of his work schedule. They lost their EBT because he “makes too much money”. Nonetheless, while they had it, it would not pay for anything “non-food”. Toilet paper, soap, shampoo, toothpaste – these were labelled as “luxuries”. I would suggest that the particular state in which you worked has a welfare problem, and would benefit the rest of the union by reviewing their management of tax payer dollars. As for the State of Ohio – they have a very tight reign on what qualifies as an EBT purchase – OH! But WAIT! THAT HINTS OF “BIG GOVERNMENT!” Republicans certainly don’t want THAT!!!!!
Right on. I retired from education, a chosen vocation because I wanted to make a difference in the world. I came from a poor working family and worked my way through college in the sixties. Did receive a few minimal grants and NDEA loans, under $5K, which I did not have to repay. My parents weren’t able to contribute anything toward tuition, but provided clothing and other necessities as they had always done without welfare. At the time,I witnessed students with new vehicles and the lastest fashion, whose parents made substantially more than mine and received twice the amount of grants I did. I began to question the fairness of the system. I put in 35 years teaching in an impoverished area and was my loan was forgiven a percentage for 10 years. However, I have become further disgusted with the system and now vote republican. I have seen kids on free lunch who had $5.00 per day to spend on chips, juice, etc. to supplement their free lunch! Schools have to sell this junk food to survive due to lack of funding. These same students always had money for field trips, etc. Yes, some of them have fashions that many whose families work can’t afford. Yet, we continue to subsidize these families that are abusing the system. We are raising children who think hey are entitled to whatever they desire and someone should just hand it over. At Christmas, we see children with wish lists with extravagant items of electronics and are on the “Angel” tree to be furnished by angels who have a job while THEIR moms sit at home and run a “baby mill” to get further benefits. Just witnessed this on tv, just this week. I decided instead of perpetuating this disgrace, I will give to families that I know personally who are in real need. I’ve done this for the past 5 years and it makes me feel good inside to know I have made a real difference
First of all I am a mother of four, two I birthed and two I may as well have. I get tanf for my step daughters whose mothers get SSI and tanf and food stamps but do not help with my girls.
I get MaineCare for myself, my husband and all four girls. We also get food stamps.
I also do odd jobs pay taxes and volunteer. People should stop assuming and judging welfare clients. Ya some are using it the wrong way and taking advantage of it.
Tanf is intended to take care of your children. May it be to pay rent buy clothes maybe birthday presents or pay bills.
Food stamps are only HALF of what they believe your family will eat. I pay CASH for the rest of my food. Yes I have bought my girls birthday cakes with food stamps and yes it’s ok. I even asked my case worker!
I’m not sure if people realize we are in a massive recession . If you have a job, great but if your looking chances are you won’t be getting one. I’ve been looking for a regular job for 6 MONTHS!!! unless I want to be a stripper, pimp, prostitute or drug dealer ( which I would never do ) I’m not getting a job!
I’ve noticed that immigrants are taking advantage of what Maine has to offer for help.
$65 million dollars was just cut from state help! Elderly, single mom/dads, etc lost the little help they got. But yet every single immigrant that steps foot into Maine gets anything and everything!!!
Stop passing judgement on those who receive welfare because of a few bad apples.
I was born & raised & lived in Maine my WHOLE life! I’ve worked and paid taxes for 12 years. And continue to do so. So I am not ashamed of the help I receive.
Screw those taking advantage of the system and making us all look bad! It’s disgusting
The fact that you’re a moron disturbs me. I would bet that most of your welfare people are Republicans! To make a blanket statement that you vote GOP because of welfare fraud is just plain stupid. It’s an issue that needs to be addressed by law enforcement not a political party. With your logic this would happen: People speed in their car on the roads in America. In order to stop the speeding you need to remove all the cars from the road. Stop being drones people and act!
Food stamps are SUPPLEMENTAL meaning they are given as a base amount so people who don’t have can have. I don’t agree with people buying lobster, shrimp & T-Bones BUT since there are folks out there who do they are the ones who suffer when the end of the month comes & they have no supplement left. I do feel that cigarettes, beer & any other non-necessity should not be able to be purchased with a snap card. I can’t tell you how many “obese” people I have seen swiping food stamp cards in line before me at the register. The ONLY part of this bolg that I disagree with 100% is the part about the birthday cake. Kids go without as it is whenever it comes to being on assistance. They didn’t ask to be here & if a simple birthday cake can put a smile on their face I’m all for it. Being on assistance will depress them 364 days a year as it is. The old “get a job” demand is wonderful when jobs are obtainable. Since they aren’t I suggest the folks who say this as if it’s a second language should step back & be thankful for the job they have instead of badgering those who don’t.
I can appreciate your frustration with how people treated you personally and were rude. I work with customers too. However, If ANYONE came through your line and treated you any way than respectful, that would be wrong, no matter if they were on government assistance or not. I’m sure you have your examples of many well-to-do men and women who treated you disrepectfully because they felt it ok to do so…they may have even thought you deserved that kind of treatment because you worked at Walmart!… But you didn’t give any of those examples. I am also white and grew up in a Republican household. Since then I have had the good fortune of having been in relationship with an Hispanic, and seeing and experiencing the racism that can come from white America. My husband is a black Liberian (that’s in Africa, in case you didn’t know), and now I have the good fortune of seeing and experiencing again the racism that can come from white America. (I say ‘good’ because both of these experiences have opened my eyes and mind to people outside of my race and culture). You think that the example’s you gave are people that feel entitled? I don’t know the color of their skin, and frankly it doesn’t matter, but for the sake of argument I will remind you that it was ‘white Americans’ that created that entitlement, and fostered it for “generations” as you say. Yet still, NO ONE IN AMERICAN FEELS MORE ENTITLED THAN A WHITE AMERICAN! We are entitled to our houses and cars and clothes, and liberties, and freedoms; yet believe that so many people are NOT entitled to those same things, especially if they’re on government assistance!… If you want to see change in the system and with people’s attitudes and sense of entitlement then change yourself and your attitude first! Your comments are just as rude as the customers you served, and worse yet, are judgmental. I’ll remind you of what a very wise man once said, who wasn’t a White American by the way… “In the same way you judge, you’ll be judged!” Be very careful with the choices you make, even as a white American. You never know if one day you’ll be waiting in line for government assistance and have someone post comments about you on their blog, how some white American was taking advantage of the system when she could have been working…even at a Walmart.
I’m sure you haven’t seen the latest MSN article stating that 1 in 2 Americans now are low income to poverty. The reminder is good for all of us…”In the same way you judge, you’ll be judged.”
Despite this young girls talent for writing, I really feel as though this is a distorted view on the whole picture of welfare in Maine. Considering that this girl was gathering her data at Walmart, perpetrator of destroying family run businesses and non supportive of local businesses, the whole picture is not represented in this article. Not to mention that there is a whole website dedicated to “the people of Walmart” that exposes the pure unconsciousness that can frequently shop at this institution because they are so cheap. No one really knows what will happen in life, be careful who we judge because we might be in their shoes someday. Perpetually being on welfare and having no attempt to better themselves is a problem but just thinking that voting republican can solve welfare could be a problem too. Human beings have basic needs which need to be met and as I see her point in the article that an iPhone is not a basic need, we need to look at educating people on making wiser choices. Why is our educations falling short of making proper economic decisions that we do not know how to stay off from welfare or when we are making food choices why are we choosing unhealthy food items. Lets look at educating people to change instead of thinking that some political party has all the answers. Just think about what would happen in society if everyone was taken off of welfare, is that the answer to the question? What would happen to society? To local crime? Look at the whole picture, be part of the solution, not the problem. Take action locally and make a change. Be the change that you want to see in the world.
I know dealing with those people were a bad experience and unfortunately those are the ones that make the truly needy look bad. I also know their are people who know how to use the system. I live in il and people trAde drugs for food stamps and so the ones with the link card (which) is what it is called hereight not be the one on it. I have worked with some families like you are talking about and it is terrible but I also know famines that appreciate it and need it when my kids were young we had it for awhile and I wouldnt buy my kids a small Easter basket that year because I felt so bad. It seems the ones that don’t need it find a way to corrupt it yet Ihate for the ones who are going back to school and have kids and need temp help those who appreciate it. I know doctors offices that see those families get frustrated too and yet the few that appreciate it and use it for the right reasons get harassed. It’s. It an easy answer for sure.
What an intriguing article. The welfare system has been abused for quite sometime by many, however we forget that there are still people out there who really need this system. The problem is, if we start putting certain stipulations and rules on who could can receive what, this may disqualify many who need it. For example, in Texas you cannot receive food stamps if you are a college student. Why? Because they assume that you are receiving fin aid at the time. Last year when I lost my job and had been diligently looking for work ever since. I had been denied for unemployment and had began selling my plasma just so I would be able to eat and put gas in my junker of a car. A relative told me to apply for food stamps just until I was able to find another job. I went to apply and after filling out a ton of forms and waiting for about three hours, I was told that I didn’t qualify for food stamps because I was a student. I was shocked. I had managed to pay for the one class that I was taking for that semester before I lost my job months later. I didn’t understand I was in need but because of the small fact that I was a student, it appeared as if I really wasn’t. How sad that our generation (I’m 25) is coming to point to judge those who are receiving assistance. Who are we to examine their purchases and say that we don’t feel that they deserve it? No one knows anyone’s current situation.
The people that blast you for posting the things I and many others have observed speaks of their IQs. Do not these nitwits intimidate you. They “think” and I use the term loosely, that will force you to give up. They also can not face the truth so they blast others for telling the truth. It would be interesting to see them pay for these abuses out of their own pockets. I bet they would have an epiphany.
To nitpick the article about whether or not someone should by a birthday cake—-in my opinion—is silly. I am focusing on the heart of the article —which is the “abuse and ungratefulness” that is displayed by waaaaay too many recipients of welfare.
Every time you threaten to reduce food stamps or assisted housing someone will hold up the poster-child of a 90 year old lady in a wheelchair on oxygen. Do I think she deserves help? OF COURSE I DO!! But for every person that you show me like that—I can probably show you five people that don’t need help but work the system to get it anyway.
Personally I feel our country is suffering from “moral decay.” There are people who commented above that they have used the system for as short a time as they possible could. I applaud those people. But there are waaaaay too many others that work the system for every last penny they can squeeze out of it.
We have made ALL of these programs TOO COMFORTABLE for people. I don’t want to see people starve. And I don’t want to see them homeless. If I had my way I would suggest building huge barracks type buildings—-something cheap with partitions for rooms. At the end of the barracks would be a food distribution center full of ONLY healthy foods. No one would be without shelter—and no one would go hungry. I might even throw in an RN to keep an eye on any minor medical needs. I’ll bet if you did this the cost could be cut by 80%!! The people would of course complain of the noise and how they could hear all the screaming kids in the nearby cubicles. They would complain that there were no sweets and junk food to enjoy. As a matter of fact—they would probably complain about EVERYTHING. And for those that were not happy—-I’d tell them to GET A JOB!! And they probably would.
Anger is one of the best motivators to make change. You can’t make people angry by not giving them food and shelter when they need it. But you sure don’t have to make it sooooo EASY and sooooo COMFORTABLE for them!
I am unemployed due to education cuts, and have resorted to food stamps. To me it is a bit shameful that I am in this situation, but I need all the help I can get. If my food doesn’t ring up as food, I would not be upset because of entitlement, but because I need every last dollar to get me through the month. Do we not deserve to have a birthday cake? Sure it may be expensive, but sometimes a little sacrifice can brighten your child’s day… Imagine if you never had a birthday cake growing up! What does labeling people by calling them drama queen accomplish? I think you belittled your argument and lost track of the point you wanted to convey in this article. You don’t know these people, nor their situations, sure some people may abuse the system, but what gives you the right to label everyone. I wonder if Walmart knows they are hiring individuals to judge their customers and to write such discriminating college articles like this. Maybe you can spend more time doing your job as a cashier and less time tallying up all those on welfare that you help.
I’ve got to throw in my $.02 here. First and foremost I completely agree that some people on welfare abuse the system. Some not all. My problem is that at the end of her story, she says that welfare spending has increased and that’s why she votes republican. Kid, don’t you see that the increased amount of people in need of public assistance increased at the end of George W’s term? It’s because of a half witted Republican that the jobless rate is so high and our economy is in the toilet! It’s like a monkey threw crap at it’s cage walls for 8 years then blaming the smell on the person in charge of cleaning it up! I love the Obama Russian hat too. As if President “My Friends” McCain and V.P. “brain dead” Palin would be doing a GREAT job with this country if they would have run! Get a clue kid!!! Sorry for the rant.
@Frank McAleavey I find it interesting that you ignore the unemployment rate during the Bush administration as being in the 5.7 to 6.0 range for a majority of his 8 years, even after the DotCom bubble that was caused because of decisions made at the end of the Clinton Administration (which by the way had no “surplus” as the numbers were speculation on future revenues). And considering the economy tanked and unemployment rose after the Democrats took over the House and Senate, and the provisions of the forced agenda was placed on banks to provide loans to those who could not afford it, otherwise face not having any federal guarantees through Freddie and Fannie.
How about you take a look at history instead of spewing talking points, like you actually understand them.
There are so many more stories of how multi-generational families are exploiting the system. How about standing in line behind two rude girls talking on their iPhones and buying salmon at Whole Foods with food stamps? Or standing in line behind someone who buys $350 worth of groceries at a warehouse store then goes outside and loads it all into a Lincoln Navigator? Meanwhile, we’re cutting corners and coupons to take care of our family since one of us was laid off, trying to live within our means and NOT taking advantage of the system of which we probably qualify.
There is so much fraud waste and abuse in every government program.
That is why the government sucks at whatever it gets it’s hands in. It’s ALSO why our government should not be in the business of health care.
There are people who legitimately need welfare – but generation after generation?
And then there are people like this:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/food-stamp-abuse-caught-on-camera/nFBkw/
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A Channel 2 investigation exposed a blatant case of welfare abuse and it was all caught on surveillance cameras.Cameras that usually catch shoplifters and robbers this time caught a man pillaging your tax dollars.
The video, obtained by Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland, shows two men wheeling up to a Food Depot grocery store checkout line with two brimming carts of food and a flatbed of soda. One of them pays with what looks like a credit card. But the receipt shows it was paid with a food stamp card. Total for the bill: $749.09.
Sherry Stover is the store cashier who brought the video to Strickland.
Strickland asked Stover as a taxpayer, what she thought when she saw the video.
“That burns my butt!” Stover told Strickland.
Stover brought Strickland a printout of everything the men bought. Some of the items include 43 cans of Pringles, 31 twelve-packs of soda, and 12 dozen eggs.
PDF: Receipt For Items Purchased With EBT Card
Stover told Strickland she recognized one of the men and has seen him make huge food purchases before. She said the man, Syed Mehboob, runs a convenience store less than a mile away.
I LIVE IN THE STATE OF MAINE AND WHAT SHE WRITES IS TRUE. I WORK FIFTY PLUS HOURS A WEEK AT A VERY GOOD JOB AND DONT EAT AS WELL AS SOME PEOPLE IN LINE IN FRONT OF ME. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH FOOD STAMPS THOUGH.GO TO LEWISTON MAINE WITH FOOD STAMP CARD ANY WHERE ON KNOX, WALNUT, PINE AND LISBON ST, YOU CAN EASILY TRADE FOOD FOR DRUGS THEN GO TO THE GOOD SHEPARD FOOD BANK AND GET GROCERYS TO FEED YOUR KIDS.PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR TWENTY YEARS. MY LAST POINT I MOVED MY FAMILY OUT OF LEWISTON MAINE WHEN MY LANDLORD CAME TO ME AND TOLD ME MY RENT WAS GOING TO GO FROM 900.00 TO 1200.00 BECAUSE I PAYED CASH FROM WORKING AND THE STATE OF MAINE WOULD PAY HIM 1200.00 FOR WELFARE RECIPIENTS.
LARRY LITCHFIELD
Since so many people seem divided on the question of what people should be able to buy with their benefits, I have begun a poll on my blog that asks that question:
“Should we limit what people can buy with their food benefits?” Stop by http://thenouveaupoor.wordpress.com/ and register your opinion!
It’s sad that you are both misinformed, misguided, and a TERRIBLE writer. Your story about the so-called “welfare queens”‘ doesn’t even make sense. It’s obvious that your ridicule of the poor is much more important to you than your sentence structure, continuity or reporting. I am glad you are in school because you still have a lot to learn.
so you can’t rebut her story so you character assassinate her and her abilities. Wonderful.
This article shows so much insensitivity it is hard to know where to begin…so I won’t. But I will say, Grow Up Girlie. It’s a big tough world out there and those two “Welfare Queens” you described so dismissively have more of a clue than you do.
and your reply is…..
You know what I want to do here? I want to volunteer to stand at the checkouts and wait for these people to show up. When they do, I want to yell and shame the hell out of them, call them out on what they are doing. Your blog was very well written but this cannot be completely blamed on being democratic. This abuse has been going on through both sides of the political spectrum. This is where our congressmen and women need to come together to work out a solution to the FRAUD. When this happens, I’m sure there will be a significant dent in the budget.
I ran into this same thing when I was in nursing school. I was 18, I worked, I had a $500 used car to get me to work and school and I Ramen noodles and mac and cheese for my meals! I didn’t have a social life because I couldn’t afford it! Yet I went to school with girls getting their education PAID for! They received free child care, they got food stamps and ate out for lunch at Red Lobster and other sit down dinners, While I ate my 8 cent ramen noodles. Huge problem.
I am sad to say that I am not at all surprised.
Lots of comments, both here and on facebook. Lots of name-calling, too. Kudos to you for being brave enough to take a stand and write this blog.
I lean on the side of feeling you are being a bit judgmental, but I don’t know exactly all the thoughts you had while observing and putting your thoughts on paper (er, page?). Certainly, many of the commenters here believe they know exactly what was in your head, and use your article to bolster their own beliefs, one way or the other. I, however, will do my best to be a bit more open-minded or “fair” in what I feel may have been left out, or maybe not realized, while putting together your blog.
I purchase nice clothes and shoes, even fancy toys, for “angle tree” giving at holiday times. I know these items go to children and families who are in need, most likely on welfare and most likely using EBT cards. Heaven forbid you should see a woman using an EBT card to support her family while her son wears a pair of the latest Nikes I purchased for him through that program, or even as she is wearing a gold necklace with the birthstones of her two children dangling on it that I also purchased for her last Christmastime. (Every mother deserves a nice gift, regardless of her circumstance.)
I also am the primary care-giver for individuals with disabilities who receive food stamp benefits. Often, I do the grocery run for these folks (as is allowed under the regulations). I will admit, I have gone through the check-out line on my iPhone. It’s painful to think that has caused you to believe I am committing some sort of welfare fraud. Granted, I have never purchased a pre-made cake with their cards, but I do know they enjoy having ice cream now and then, and if it’s on-sale or I have a coupon, I will certainly try to bring home that extravagance.
I will assume you aren’t targeting people like me. I do my best to not be rude to cashiers, but I will certainly point out if something rings up incorrectly or do my price-matching because that is the smarter way to spend money. How I vote and how you vote are not issues here… it’s all in perception. I hope this broadens your perspective, or maybe touches on a few things you just left out for space or impact reasons. And I pray you take your experience and move forward making the changes you see fit to our system. Being educated and brave are wonderful attributes. Again… kudos!
Coraline, really? What am awesome rebuttal. Oh, wait, you didn’t make one. You attacked the messenger. It is you who needs to get a clue. You and the others posting attacks on the author that are part of the problem. Why do you defend dishonest people? More than likely it is because you are dishonest as well. Birds of a feather and so forth.
As for the political parties, it was the Democrats who put all the entitlement programs in place. It is the Democrats who fight tooth and nail to keep them and expand them. Why? Because the sheep, yes you Coraline, buy into their crap and vote for them. They know it, so they pander. And what happens? Those of us who are honest, hard-working Americans get screwed. So what happens Coraline when we, the actual workers, decide that enough is enough and stop working? I’ll tell you what, the system collapses. So Coraline, when that happens what are you going to do?
The national debt is in the Trillions of dollars and growing every single day. The entitlement programs are a large part of why the debt keeps growing. One day the USA will be unable to support that debt. So Coraline, what do we do then?
Oh, and how much money has the federal government thrown at poverty over the last 50 years? Look up the answer and then ask yourself why there are still poor people. Maybe you’ll have an epiphany.
Excellent piece. The welfare system needs to be fixed as well as this general attitude that everyone is entitled to everything. The Occupy Wall Street Protesters should also be protesting some of those on welfare that are defrauding the taxpayers. It’s not just the rich stealing…..
Thank you for sharing! I used to work for wal-mart and see this too. Something needs to be done, no woder why every state and local government is in debt. They are helping these people fraud the government.
Excellent article. I am also pretty tired of seeing people bring in food stamps and then using their own money to buy booze and other items that food stamps won’t cover. At a local grocery store, I was in line behind this couple who purchased, with a combination of food stamps and their own money, at least $400 worth of groceries and filled three large shopping carts (I kid you not). Then the woman turned to me and said that she was so tired from shopping that she would go home and take a nap after unloading the groceries!! This is commonplace. It is outrageous that a person who is earning an honest living cannot afford half the items this couple purchased. I am sure there are people who legitimately need a helping hand, but this seems to be a way of life for many people who live in my community.
No one likes people abusing the system. It should be cleaned up. Maine is doing a poor job of Welfare enforcement and management. Before you boast about why you vote Republican however, you should know that the State’s Governor is Republican, and both the State House and Senate have solid Republican majorities.
Might want to reconsider party affiliation.
Good article: written well + actual experience with subject. You’re spot on with the premise that welfare only fosters more welfare; a never-ending cycle.
In Africa, there has finally begun a movement (by Africans) to stop the United Nation welfare into African nations b/c even they have begun to realize welfare is really only a “nice” form of slavery compared to the ball and chain style.
Keep on writing, you certainly have the talent and right now the U.S. seems to crave conservative & libertarian wisdom (and why shouldn’t it, after all we’ve been frolicking in liberal quagmires for 100 years now). If you ever want me to publish some of your works on my websites, just email me: erick@patriot-fire.org http://www.patriot-fire.org
Peace
Wealthy conservatives NEVER abuse the system.
They hire expensive attorneys and/or elected representatives to do it for them.
How about the FRAUD of Walmart or the corporate welfare that cost tax payer billions? Walmart profits exceeded 15 billion last year. They employ 1.4 million people in America alone. In return for buying their products and making the Walton rich, we get wages below the standard for a retailer, and a hefty (some mangers report as much as 80%) of clerks who must then collect Food stamps and medicaid to survive. So WE THE PEOPLE think we are getting cheap prices? Think again. the cheap comes out expensive resulting American taxpayer subsiding the Waltons. While I would agree there should be checks and balances when it comes to government benefits and those who collect them, what many people fail to see, is the very corporate welfare system in place, keeps many people from being able to become independent. Fix the cause and stop treating the symptoms.
this young woman is not judgemental. i don’t know what’s worse..abusing the system or buying a steak and thinking it is justified because of some personal circumstance. i am sorry some kid has a birthday and no storecake.. my wife and i have are probably
1%ers . AND we always bake our cakes at home. it’s way cheaper and fun for the kids.
i will tell you why you can’t justify buying a steak with foodstamps..
BECAUSE I AM PAYING FOR IT. AND I DON’T EAT STEAK WHEN I CAN’T AFFORD IT. AND GUESS WHAT..WHEN YOU ARE FOOD STAMPS, YOU CAN’T AFFORD ANY LUXURIES.
For a reality check on the behavior of “the poor”:
1) ask any cop.
2) ask any Cable / Satellite installer.
3) ask any city bus driver.
4) ask any Delivery room nurse / doc in a Medicaid-friendly hospital.
If F. Scott Fitzgerald thought that the rich are different from you and me… well, the ‘poor’ are generally as grasping, freakish, ugly and ignorant as all of us on our worst days. They just are not ashamed. And they should be. Turn off the TV. Put down the sandwich. GO CLEAN SOMETHING. Your kids ARE embarrased.
” well, the ‘poor’ are generally as grasping, freakish, ugly and ignorant as all of us on our worst days.”
You can say that, and then say that the poor should be ashamed????
YOU should be ashamed!
I certainly hope you don’t call yourself a Christian.
I think article is very well written. I think this young lady has hit the nail on the head and if only there was something that was done about it. Growing up I used to see people just popping out another child to be able to get a bigger check or more food stamps. I used to see people on government assistance being able to drive nice expensive new vehicles. Nothing was ever done about this either.
As far as Melissa E. post, on December 13, 2011 at 4:35 pm, I would like to point out to you that even though you are only collecting Food Stamps and not EBT cash that you are still on the welfare system. Food Stamps are a part of the welfare system. No one is attacking you for being on that system if it is used properly. I also collect Food Stamp benefit and am in the same boat as you looking for a job in a very tough market. But I use my benefits for the necessities for the month and will usually have a few dollars at the end of the month to carry to the next month. Hopefully this job market will turn around soon for people such as you and husband and myself.
Well written article but unfortunately there wasn’t much research done before it was written.
Number 1: Food Stamps are a federal program not a state program. States receive funding to process the individuals information and manage their cases. The problem here is that the federal government hasn’t enacted policies to clearly state what “basic food” needs are and this leads to abuse of the system.
Number 2: In many cases with TNAF cards these funds are actually coming from a deadbeat mom or dad that won’t pay their child support any other way. So in effect what these men or woman are spending may not be state money at all, but instead their child support that they can’t get out of the responsible party. So in the case were you see a dad driving a 2011 Chevy truck and paying for his sons bicycle for his birthday with a TANF card, it may just mean that the deadbeat mom wasn’t going to buy the child a gift any other way.
Some states already have time limits on TNAF (state funded) and some states have had to eliminate these payments completely due to serious state deficits. I believe that Washington state just recently abandoned their subsistance to the poor for this very reason.
When all is said and done and states have been forced due to budgets to eliminate TANF payments to everyone but the individuals that are receiving their child support through the state there may be mass migrations by “lifers” to states that they will still be able to get money from. Unfortunately, many of the “lifers” know where to live to best serve their financial needs.
During my divorce last year I had to get help, I was completely embarrassed and cried walking into the welfare office. I spent 6 months on the program, I was not making tons of money when I got off, but I could afford beans and cornbread. During that time, I got lessons from tons, I mean tons of people who told me exactly how to beat the system. One lady actually hides her boyfriends clothes in a back closet under stuff in case they check. There needs to be serious reform. And I am sorry, but I cant afford lobster and steak, so while my tax dollars are paying for it you shouldn’t either.
He helps those who help themselves. (the judging comes MUCH later— I’m ready, ARE YOU?)
Shame is a great motivator.
“Mommy, how come we don’t have a car ?” “Oh, that. —you see honey, there’s this thing called CRACK, which is delicious… & on Monday’s mommy gets WAY too tired to go to an actual job, where I might have to clean something. THAT’S beneath me. I would be ashamed if someone saw me in a job that’s beneath me” “Oh, OK, mommy.”
I can’t believe the comments some of you are making! Though you are completely entitled to your own opinion. I’ve seen comments from this writer needs to live life before writing a story about her life? Really reader? Just because she is a young writer doesn’t mean she isn’t entitled and surely doesn’t mean she doesn’t know what she experienced. And the comment on Social Security from the “OLD GUY”, yes you are completely entitled to what you put in! You worked and put into Social Security but your comment on the Writer will be able to do the same some day isn’t probably going to happen. Why? Cause today the tax payers are paying into Social Security for what you are taking out now. Unless we have some serious changes in this world, there will be no Social Security for us tax payers still working today. There was one comment from a lady named Marge that really just made me have to speak out. She wrote, “This young lady needs to understand life from a few more views than that of her own privilige and narrowminded view ( republican) in this case. This country was founded on some very basic and humane principles, i.e. All men are created equal,not to be confused with what or whom we are born into!!!”. How does Marge have any idea the writer was “privileged”? First, Marge needs to learn to spell. Should I say Marge is “uneducated” cause she didn’t check spell check? How does Marge know that the writer was privileged growing up? Maybe the writer went to school and got an education so she would have better chance of not relying on the Government Systems to support her? And maybe the writer put herself through school or her parents worked hard to save money so the writer could have an education? Today, a kid from welfare parents have many opportunities to go to college and get an education over someone like my son. I put myself through college working to pay for it and my husband, our kids can’t get grants to go to college or student funding, we make too much money according to the Government so we pay out of our pockets for our son’s college. Anyway sorry for the detour, back to Marge’s statement “This country was founded on some very basic and humane principles, i.e. All men are created equal,not to be confused with what or whom we are born into!!!”. Well Marge, I have a response back to you! Our founding fathers didn’t write “All men are created equal” and mean it for you to turn it around that all men, working or NOT working, should be equal! I work hard everyday 8 to 10 hours so my family can eat, have a good home, and get a good education to be able to support their coming families some day. I don’t appreciate working for the mom or dad sitting on the couch right now without a job nor looking for a job. I would suggest to you Marge that you do a little homework and learn the true meaning from our founding fathers. I believe all men are created equal, but some men (and women) chose a path expecting the other man or woman should work for them while they chose not to work! Our economy right now is difficult for all, but there is work out there and it may not be what we want to do but it will put food in your mouth and a shelter over your head so you can WORK towards the life you have chosen. Education is FREE by the way! For everyone!
Thanks for letting me comment.
what a stupid naive little young entitled fool, tool this little girl is
“My Time at Wal-Mart: Why We Need Serious Welfare Reform,” I’m amazed that so few of the commenters realized this article is a made-up fraud.
Thank you for bringing this issue to light. As a married working female with one child at home I frequent the grocery store and walmart. If I didn’t work we might could get by on one salary but having a roof over our heads and the bills included in owning a house it would be tough. As it isn’t just wine and roses with both of us working we do get by. I don’t buy everything we always want or need. I cut back in lots of ways to save money. Just because my son cries for cheeto puffs doesn’t mean I allow him to eat such junk. The things i’ve seen so much of with the welfare program are the foods a lot of people buy. JUNK FOOD. My pantry stays stocked with rice. Its farily cheap considering how many meals you can use it for a side item. Anyway, its sad what this system has turned into with so many people living off of it for long periods of time or their entire life. Where is the motivation to get a job? Lots of places are hiring more than people realize. But just as one school teacher told me a few months ago even teenagers are trying to get disability. Teenagers have been taught to “ride the system” and they have no desire to get a job or have goals.
We are in trouble USA. I think there should be a time limit on all assistance programs.
classic case of blaming the victim. are these welfare queens doing the right thing? no way! however, if they get a job….they will be above the poverty rate thus no longer eligible for welfare or health care. this job will not be enough to provide essentials for themselves, never mind children. yes the welfare system is a system of corruption but why is that? its because once you start a minimum wage job there no help and you do not make enough to provide both food and shelter.
sorry about my lack of syntax, my caps button is disabled.
Good article but some research definately should have been done first.
#1 Food Stamps are a federal program with no state money involved.
#2 Not all TANF payments come from funding from state. Many dads and moms actually receive their child support through the state TANF program. The deadbeat parent that won’t pay his/her child support often has their wages garnished by state and the state provide the funds that are collected to the recipient on a TANF card.
Lets assume that all food stamps were eliminated by the federal government. Would it only affect the deadbeats or would it affect each and every state as well? In the year 2010, 64.7 billion dollars came into the US economy in the form of food stamps. If these funds were eliminated, jobs at Walmart would be also.
I am completely for welfare reform, but I think we had better start at the top of the chain.
In 2010 the US farm subsistance was $15,245,000,00, with the top recipient being Lesueur County Abstract Co at $5,566,069. Now why on earth would us good tax paying citizens pay one company $5.5 million? I don’t know the answer, I guess so they wouldn’t grow something? Anyone know what a Conservation Subsidy is?
@Gina, Yes the System is clearly not working and makes it difficult but not impossible to get off once you get on. Education is free and if others have been unfortunate to have lost their job and are on Welfare, go back to school or start reading, to better themselves so they can get that job that prevents them from ever having to go back into the Welfare System. Make a change and work to changing the System! Don’t just do nothing. The System is broken and we must do something, all of us must do something, to fix it!
Wow! You all are so appalled at the fraud going on over someone buying a steak? But banks can accept billion dollar bailouts so their executives can continue to get their million dollar bonuses. Millionaires can write off taxes to the point of not owing anything. But you want to pick on the little guy and treat him like he should be eating dog food because he’s accepted the assistance. Why is it ok for millionaires to take advantage of the system but because someone wants to buy a $20 birthday cake you want to judge them and make them feel ashamed?
I do agree with some of the points made in this post. But honestly, has the author ever had to struggle? Has she had to provide for “her” children? My guess is no. She probably still lives at home and doesn’t have children and hasn’t had to support herself. I myself am on WIC. No I do not have an I-phone (I have a standard flip phone with very minimum minutes that I share with my family), no I do not have cable in home or satellite television. I do how ever have internet (obviously), but I have a deal of 19.99 a month for this service. I do not have fancy brand new cars and my husband does all our maintenance to save money from outrages auto mechanics. No I do not smoke or drink. I do however scour the internet for coupons and I clip from our free weekly newspaper we get. I do look for deals on amazonmom.com to get my youngest son’s diapers. We do not make extra trips anywhere. Mainly the reason we do not see family-we can’t afford to waste gas. I do not buy candy and junk food. I am excited when we do get to purchase meat. That is a luxury to us. My husband works a full time job. We own our house. We are not late on any bills and never have been. We do not live on credit cards. We make it work because we budget. I budget every paycheck of ours months in advance to know where the money is going. And what is left over is for food. WIC helps us out with our formula and some extras like, fruits and veggies, cereal and peanut butter. We CANNOT buy slip and slides and meat and alcohol. There isn’t any possible way to buy that stuff with our benefits. Maybe in other states you can, but in the state of Nevada. Now if I could find a job that would pay more then $9 an hour I would, but I am not going to work just to pay for daycare when I can raise them on my own. Now I don’t agree with people who are illegal or not trying to get a job to reaping benefits. Or people who keep popping out kids to get the benefits. I have two boys and only been using WIC for 3 months. Now I will say I can bet that most people think they NEED I-phones and cable and fancy cars and clothes, but I know we don’t, so we don’t. Most people aren’t frugal like myself. Also, I have found companies online that I do surveys for and I get gift-cards after completing so many. Which the gift cards go into getting us more groceries. So I feel that you shouldn’t come down on everyone that is one WIC or Food Stamps (which I am not on food stamps), because there are a few of us out there who budget and took a state benefit as a last priority.
I’m appalled that some people have commented that it’s ok if they buy steak and lobster with welfare dollars. It absolutely is not! Eating steak and lobster is not a right, but a priviledge. Why should welfare recipients eat better than many who are working and paying taxes to support them. It’s absolutely unfair, and absurd that people would think that is ok. If you want to eat Steak and Lobster then get a job and pay for it!!
One of my favorite phrases is “when you’re a hammer everything looks like a nail.” We’re all biased by our backgrounds and tend to put forward solutions that our backgrounds suggest to us. This young lady is a hammer and the people who passed by her register were all nails. Until she’s walked a mile or two in their shoes, and had to wonder where HER next meal was coming from, she cannot appreciate true need. I have a sibling who was born with a developmental disability (autism) who managed to get through school and got work at various fast food places and even as a housekeeper for a dozen years. But as the years passed, the jobs paid less, the hours fewer, and she was stuck in an abusive relationship because she couldn’t afford to live on her own. At 44 she lost her job as a dishwasher and never found another. It was at that point she applied for and was granted Social Security Disability, though our parents could have done this for her when she was diagnosed as a child. For her, this is a safety net. She can live on $916 a month plus $151 in SNAP benefits. We have peace of mind that when we are long gone she will have enough to put a roof over her head, medicine for her behavioral issues, and food. As for the young lady who aspires to be like Ann Coulter, I say aim higher.
Nigerian people mostly I am guessing……crackers abuse it too though
“I would love to do this full-time. My dream job is to be Ann Coulter.” – Christine Rouselle
That explains so much. Here are a few quotes from Christine Rouselle’s role model-
“Political debate with liberals is basically impossible in America today because liberals are calling names while conservatives are trying to make arguments.”
Before reading any further, take a look at some of the conservative “arguments” here. See any name calling? You bet your ass you do.
“Women like Pamela Harriman and Patricia Duff are basically Anna Nicole Smith from the waist down. Let’s just call it for what it is. They’re whores.”
“I think [women] should be armed but should not [be allowed to] vote.”
“Frankly, I’m not a big fan of the First Amendment.”
“We should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity.”
“Not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.”
“My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building.”
“God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ‘Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.’”
“I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo.”
“My libertarian friends are probably getting a little upset now but I think that’s because they never appreciate the benefits of local fascism.”
“I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning.”
To a disabled Vietnam vet: “People like you caused us to lose that war.”
Keep it up dear, you are well on your way to becoming a cold and hateful individual.
What an outstanding expose! My father-in-law retired to Maine after working hard running a business and he has described the same culture of handouts and government subsidies everywhere in that State.
Meanwhile many of these people live off unreported cash for fish, lobster,blueberries, you name it! I could tell you more that would make your head spin, but you get the general idea. And unfortunately this corrupt culture is spreading throughout the Country like down here near Miami, where Medicare and Medicade fraud is breaking the bank! God help us before this Country goes under from the mooches who have no desire or intent to work for a living!
I work full time at Walmart and have for almost ten years.And although I have seen many of the same things you have, I also know that the woman buying a birthday cake on fs shouldn’t be vilified for wanting to give her child a happy birthday just because she can’t make ends meet. Many people do abuse the system but many more genuinely need the help. I wish I could receive fs because, even though I work full time, I can barely afford neccesities. Unfortunately I make just a tiny bit too much. And before you get all high and mighty proud to be a Republican, remember who it is that has vowed to not put through any jobs legislation until after the election so that it doesn’t reflect well the President. With the unemployment rate so high, do you think it is because all those people voluntarily quit working to reap the benefits of the system? Many people out there are still humbled and humiliated by the stigma. Honest people. The trash out there that feels entitled to it, they should have their benefits cut, no doubt. But don’t assume that person buying a cart full of groceries isn’t shopping for the month and that food has to feed four kids because her factory shut down. It happens everyday. Pray it never happens to you.
Well here it is again, Federal Government really stands for U.S. Taxpayer, in order to pay taxes you must have a job. apparently in cases such as stated in this article, nothing is too good for the taxpayer, and God forbid they should be a Republican. Once again “the laws are made for those who break them” in this case fraud is above the law and the taxpayer gets the burden of debt dumped on them. Thank you for being a working class, young articulate lady with moral values and character and for taking a stand against wrong. Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong.
Excellent artlicle and gives me hope for the future generations. I see this all the time. With the rising cost of health care perhaps the state could put a limit on what can be purchased? No junk food, i.e. premade cookies, candy, soda and chips etc. If you want your kids to have cookies make them from scratch – much healthier and cheaper in the long run. With the rising obesity problem our kids face today perhaps by forcing healthier eating habits would cut health care costs as well?
What the author neglects to tell her audience is that TANF was a 1997 REPUBLICAN sponsored program under PRWOA. And that it was re-authorized in 2005 under complete REPUBLICAN control. So if she has a problem with any supposed fraud, she should look to her own party. Leaving out these facts makes people skeptical of her scenarios. You would think, a heavy REPUBLICAN donor like Walmart’s Walton family would scorn
such abuses. Maybe they value profiting from government over values…
Your elitist and divisive attitude screams out in your first paragraph. Perhaps in order to avoid contact with “questionable clientele” you should seek employment at Talbot’s.
Or how about this? Try displaying compassion for those whose lot in life is unlike yours:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2011/12/16/kmart-secret-santas-pay-strangers-layaway_n_1153210.html
Another who can not give an intelligent rebuttal so they attack the messenger. There are so many who have rebutted and made good points. Attack the messenger just juvenile.
Sorry to the nay-sayers. This article is a very fair representation of how the system is abused. We need to demand more transparency. For all the unemployed out there….I walked into a national high end retailer looking for a part time job for the holidays….and was interviewed on the spot. I was hired within a week. I’m not getting rich working there, but it’s extra $$ for our family and I have a sense of pride and accomplishment everyday I work there.Many of the folks I work with have 2+ jobs and are a pleasure to work with, why? They work hard and are productive members of society. Ask and you shall recieve. Have some self-worth. Being on welfare for an extended period of time is SHAMEFUL.
My wife works at a health clinic and she constantly complains about the welfare and Medicaid people. To her, they are the most demanding, rude and least grateful of anyone of the patients they treat. They expect treatment for anything and everything, including inflamed pimples and hang nails. (I kid you not). The regulars also come in every month for pregnancy tests. Most of these people are just plain lazy and need to be cut off from all welfare benefits. What a waste of money.
Having seen a card from someone who has been on welfare for that long is nothing new with Massachusetts laws. They are even worse now Gov. Patrick gives welfare ot illegal immigrants and has an aunt and uncle living in Sect 8 hosing.
I’m kind of shocked at how many FS/EBT/Welfare recipients think that they “deserve” to be treated to steak & lobster. What is your criteria that makes you so deserving? Because your husband left you? Because you lost your job, through no fault of your own? Because the economy is bad? Guess what – sh*t happens. We all have had our share of personal tragedies. I’ve been on FMLA and short-term disability in the past (through disability insurance that I paid for through my job- not a government handout), I’ve had to sacrifice luxuries like internet and cable so that I can keep the lights on, but I’ve done it all knowing that this is life and that I can’t expect someone else to swoop in and pay the bills simply because I don’t want to change my lifestyle. I never took any handouts from the government, even though I qualified for many of them. Why, you ask? I think the difference here is, some of us choose not to be a victim and stand idly by, wallowing in self-pity. My disability insurance paid at 60% of my regular wage and I realized very quickly that some of the things I thought were necessities were, in fact, luxuries. So I trimmed the fat. No more cable, no more internet, no more Coach purses & Ugg boots, no more eating out, no more Sirius/XM or OnStar in my car, no more beer in the fridge, no more impulse buys at the checkout stand… So no, I don’t think you are entitled to surf & turf on my dime when I’m struggling to make my own ends meet. That $200 cell phone you’re paying for with “your own paycheck” isn’t coming out of your pocket; it’s coming out of mine. Now that the government is paying for your food, rent, electricity, healthcare and God knows what else, all you did was reallocate “your hard-earned money” from buying things you need to buying things you want (HUGE difference).
I get that sometimes all of us need help, and I’m glad that there are programs out there for those who truly NEED it while they work to get back on their feet. But if the rest of us are going to sacrifice for you during your time of need, you should really think about what sacrifices you could be making to help your own situation. Nobody in this world “deserves” anything except basic civil rights. The rest of it, you have to earn.
The writer of this article has restored my faith in the future of our country. Thank you for having the guts to write the truth and also for working a very difficult job that many would not do.
“Thank you for having the guts to write the truth and also for working a very difficult job that many would not do.”
Difficult??? A cashier at Wal-Mart??? Are you kidding me????
Maybe for you, but not for those of us with opposable thumbs!
There is a difference between “aid” and blatant abuse. I agree people should be able to get a hand when they need one, but to abuse they system is wrong. Eat a steak if you can afford it, but leave the lobster in the tank. I cant afford a lobster on my salary I work very hard for, I shouldn’t have to buy you one with the taxes out of my check.
The point is, the abuse needs to stop so people who really need the assistance can continue to get it. People taking advantage will eventually ruin the system for everyone else. It is there to help in a time of need, not to support everyone that doesnt want to work….and believe me…I see it ALL THE TIME,! I dont work at the store, it is just a regular event when I go do my shopping.
Also, you can tell when a person needs it and when they dont. If I see you unloading your “loot” into a nice car, while you wear diamonds, carry an expensive handbag, dress well, and seem to be quite comfortable…and then you pull out your welfare card for your purchases….Houston, we have a problem.
And lets not forget the hundreds of people scavengering businesses for “job applications” to prove they are looking for employment in order to keep the money coming in…yet those applications never get returned. And you see them coming a couple months later for another one…
And if another wellfare queen runs into me with their basket, cuts in line, snatches something out of my hands, or mouths off to me for being in their way in an isle….I might just have to remind them who is actually paying for their purchases. At the very least have an attitude of grattitude.
I wish you were 35 years old so you could run against our resident Dempublican Olympia Snowe next year!
Poor baby has to deal with rude customers at Wal-Mart, imagine that. Rich people can be rude to, ya know. In fact, as a waiter (years ago), I noticed that those paying with $100 bills were usually the worst tippers, and they were often the biggest jerks.
Well consider yourself lucky to HAVE a job. (Even if it is at Wal-Mart) Consider yourself lucky that you never even have to deal with people who are REALLY abusing the system. You see, they sold their food stamps for half-price to get some crack. Pretty messed up, eh? Too bad they can’t get some sort of help without the fear of being imprisoned.
Such compassion. Such understanding.
I guess Jesus should have stuck with carpentry. He was obviously wasting his time trying to teach you folks anything about caring for people who need it the most.
This little Ann Coulter wannabe probably doesn’t even realize what a hateful person her role model is. She probably just likes her because that’s what mommy and daddy like.
I agree that there are many people that abuse the system. My husband and I were once on TANIF ( temporary aid for needy famliy’s) We received this for one year becasue my husbands place of work had burned to the ground. While he was looking for work we needed the tanif to take care of our daughter and food stamps so we could feed her and ourselves. Once my husbands place of work was rebuilt, we stoped our tanif and he now works full time to provided for our family, and I am a full time college student trying to better my education so i can get a good paying job. I see nothing wrong w/ ppl getting benifits as long as they are not abusing it. Thats why it is called TEMPORARY Aid. Not sit on ur A$$ and be lazy so you dont have to work and think everything will be handed to you on a silver plater. The state of Maine is becoming very strict w/ there benifits now and many are in for a rude awakening. I know sumone who was just cut off all there food stamp benifits becasue now u have to work at least 20 hrs a week up were i live in maine to even get any sort of benefit!!
If you witnessed fraud did you report it? Instead of acting high and mighty you should have reported it to the government agency. Probably not…you just chose to sound off on it in here. If you see fraud or abuse they do have a hotline. Call it… Report what you think was abuse. You didn’t give the state a chance to fix the problem.
I have to say, right on! These saps on the economy need to be dealt with. I suggest, like in other states, a mandatory drug test. This should knock about 60 to 70% off. They also could make them work cleaning the streets or other things the states needs done. After all if they state is paying them, they should happily work for it.
@Shannon Morris So far I’ve read four of your comments on this column. None of them addressed or refuted any of the assertions the author made. Three were personal attacks against the author. One was a general comment that’s was off topic.
Here’s what I suggest you do. 1) Remember that the majority of the population left behind name calling upon finishing the 4th grade. 2) Remember that comments implying that the author is genetically or evolutionarily deficient merely advertises to the world that the genetic throwback in the room is you. 3) Get a job. The number and frequency of your comments imply that you have far too much free time to sit at home and hate the world.
I found the column to be generally well written. The author obviously thought about this issue a lot before writing about it. I don’t agree with everything she says. For example, she cited specific examples of abuse of the system. However, I’d like to know what percentage of people using FS cards she actually observed abusing it.
Why didn’t the Republicans get rid of Welfare when the controlled both legislative houses and the presidency? Voting Republican sure did a lot of good then.
KARMA IS A BITCH LADY
You should know
I find it hard to believe that a college undergrad has experienced enough of life to make judgements like these; it must be nice to be so gifted with your entire life ahead of you.
Next time, we should all follow her example and choose our parents more carefully.
Great article. At a time when people are criticizing Governor LePage for cutting back, I think your experience proves WHY these cutbacks need to take place. People in Maine have been accustomed to a handout for FAR too long, and have abused the handouts to feed their own addictions or wishes, instead of making the changes necessary in their lives to enjoy better opportunities. The only people who can change their situations are they themselves. Kudos to you for bringing the abuse to the forefront.
( This is NOT to the to author but to many who have had extreme comments about those on the system) -I guess that even though I have worked and paid into the system most of my life I need to be ashamed and wearing sack clothes and dirt on my body and hair dirty and messy and holes in my clothes and buying beans and rice or ramen noodles and then get on my hands and knees after I use my EBT card and kiss the ground at the cashiers feet for working and paying into the system so I can eat. That what I paid into the system for years doesnt matter, its that now that I am not I should be thankful to those who do. My taxes no longer count and what I have paid into the system for 30 years does not count either. We receive over $700 for a family of 6, 2 which are babies. My son and his wife lost there jobs as they were laid off due to their company moving the business overseas, they tried for 6 months to find another job and used up all their savings during that time just so they wouldnt have to get on the system and deal with people treating them like they are guilty of not working or such. When the jobs did not happen they moved in with us so that with combined monies from employment by everyone we could all survive a little easier in this economy. But we have all worked and paided into the system. So yes, it is MY money I am spending whether you look at it or not and YES I am entitled to it as I DID pay into it for 30 years as did my husband and my children have been paying into for 10 years before they lost their jobs, so YES I consider it MY fair share of assistance. The government is responsible for allowing businesses to take their companies else where when they so willingly have people who WANT TO WORK right here in the states. I dont purchase extravegantly but I also DO NOT and WILL not starve my family just to make those who have never been on assistance feel better. All 4 of us still work, albeit making less money than we would like. And we HAVE moved to help ensure we can find employment but GUESS WHAT? Others where we moved to are looking for work to, this is the case in EVERY STATE!! Work is not available, really, no matter where you move. Okay so North Dakota has jobs.. well if everyone decided to move to ND how long would those jobs last? Most employers are only hiring part time so they dont have to pay out benefits. Most people who have worked and are close to retirement get let go first because companies dont want to have to pay out those pensions they have in place.
So since i am my family HAVE paid out to the system I will PROUDLY stand at the check out stand with my hamburger, roasts, potates, milk, veggies, ice cream, bread, cereal, and yes even a case of soda that will last a month and deal with the ugly stares and comments as I run my 3 cart fulls of groceries through so that I dont have to shop again for the rest of the month to save fuel to get back and forth to MY JOB, and pay the rest of my bills. I will not be sorry and apologize for speculation made by those around me because they see me driving a nice car that I have owned for 5 years mind you, or wearing nice clothes, that I have also owned for said 5 years, or talking on my cell phone which I have had for 3 years, ALL before I lost my job and my hours got cut bad enough to have me apply for assistance. And yes Occassionally i WILL PAY FOR A CANDY BAR for my grandkids with my EBT. I refuse to bow down and thank others who are working for paying their taxes so that I can eat when I KNOW i have paid into the system myself! And I REFUSE to eat like I am not worthy of good regular food because others deem it inappropriate for me to buy roasts and so forth. EVERYTHING is expensive any more and NOBODY is getting off cheap on ANYTHING! And if I WANT a lobster, tho I dont buy them, then since I HAVE paid into the system, then I WILL GET A STUPID LOBSTER IF I WANT TO!
I agree there are those who abuse the system badly, but many of you seem to combine EVERYONE who is on the system into ONE GIANT group!!!!!!!! For those who pay willingly into the system without any beef.. I salute you and I thank you for your contribution regardless of whether it is taken out no matter what. For those of you who claim I am STEALING FROM YOU! I would like to know how you figure when MY OWN MONEY has gone into the system as well. And seeing as how there will probably not be ANY social security for my retirement when I do retire, and yet I HAVE BEEN PAYING INTO THAT FOR OVER 30 YEARS as well and will never most likely see a dime of it, I AM NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE for being on assistance!
It is such a disappointment to see the system be so taken advantage of by individuals that care only about themselves. And unfortunately these people raise their children in the same fashion and the cycle just continues. Because of so many that abuse the system there is no help for those that actually NEED it at times. My husband and I work hard to raise our 5 beautiful children to become smart productive and contributing members of society. We also struggle at times when overtime is cut or when bills are higher in the winter. The couple times I have tried to reach out for help it is not available to us. It’s frustrating because we are the hardworking Americans paying for these lazy self entitled people. And I’m not looking to be on Welfare for a year, I’m just looking for help for a couple months to get us by with the heating bill or a couple weeks of groceries.
Great Article sadly this won’t open many eyes to those that can do something about it.
In 1975 and 1976 I worked in what would today be considered a Walmart type store. I remember some obvious welfare queens who were weekly customers. I carried groceries out to large expensive news cars that were not long out of the dealer’s showroom. One of these ladies was stunningly beautiful in part because she was always dressed in new and very fashionable clothes. She was married, her husband came occasionally he wore a company uniform from one the local oil refineries.
But those types were the exception not the rule. Mostly I remember single moms paying with food stamps and trying to hide them during check-out. They didn’t want anyone to know.
What I remember most is the children who were old enough to know they were on welfare. Their shame and embarrassment was clear and it hurt to see it.
Having just started my own blog, and trying to work up the courage to address this exact topic, I now sit stunned by the effect of having waded through each and every comment on this post. It encapsulates a microcosm of our current, increasingly vicious social debate.
Our country is at a crossroads…..unless a 90-degree turn is taken, we are doomed to the fate of the Roman empire. A turn to the right may take us to a route ending in government representation which has rediscovered the core American values of Faith; Family; and Responsibility (Hard Work). A turn to the left will take us to the ultimate liberal vision of Big Brother tending to the needs of the many being paid for by the labor of the enslaved (taxed) few. Either way, a turn has to be made. Riots you see in Greece, England or Italy are not that far away if we continue on our current route of half the citizenry being surcharged for the irresponsible, self-centered , OTHER half. We must encourage opportunity of employment for all, or mandate equal consumption by all. No government can have it both ways.
I’ve recently become employed at a large supermarket…….after only a month, I could list a long litany here of intimidation by ETB card users who KNOW that their fuss over their right to have hot foods on the card in violation of the law will be given substance by the employer’s overriding interest not to have a ‘scene’ in their pristine aisles……..but I won’t.
The vice of capitalism is that riches may be shared unequally…..the virtue of socialism is that misery is equally shared by all. Until we elect politicians with the backbone to take the turn from our present course instead of kicking the can down the road two years to the poll results surrounding the next election, we can only just pray that we can all get along while we dive off the looming precipice.
Sad, though, to realize that prayer is seldom invoked by those sustenance is subsidized through the labor of others…….
I am a college student studying psychology. I am a first year student and im sorry to say there are some people like myself who are 32 years old and still in college. that does not make me any smarter than anyone else but i can say that from what i have read on here there are some people commenting on this, that are quite rude if i do say so myself. I know children that act more mature than some of the people on here. not everyone that gets benifit’s from the state abuses it. there are probably 50% that do. but these programs are there for a reason and that is to help the needy. and in Maine when u get benifit’s up NORTH were i am YOU HAVE TOO do some sort of charity work or community service if you want the help and on top of that if your not working 20 hrs a week they cut all benifits…people are so judge-mental towards others, and in my book let he who has never fucked up in life say something. Only God can judge, not man. those who are abusing the system will get whats coming to them one day. Oh and @skeletonman724@yahoo.com there are plenty of college undergrads that have there life in order. Im an undergraduate and I own my home, I have 3 veichels, I have a husband and a beatiful little girl, and i couldnt ask for more. there are some ppl that have thier life figured out at a young age. Just cause you didnt dosent give you the right to judge others.
Ok people that are slamming this young girl stop. I worked at a Walmart for a year and most stores are small enough that on the 15th & 30th of every month you get to know your regular fs people. Not all people abuse the system but hate to say that many do. I saw it happen TOO MANY times to count. I heard one fs woman say “yes picking up my neice’s bday cake” at the bakery and guess what she used to pay for it with in my line! Had a family of three generations go through my line as cashier that had three overflowing carts of food with all junk food not one healthy item. Not one member under 300 pounds and they had over $800 of groceries. Oldest member swiped her fs card followed by her daughter then granddaughter all with their fs card. One woman came through my line with $60 worth of lobster and used her fs card she said” we do this every year for my whole family at xmas time” I worked two ft jobs at the time and made great money between the two and never would have bought out of season lobster! I used to ring up many people on fs and WIC then ring them up another order with non fs/wic items and they would pull out a huge pile of $100 bills over an inch thick to pay. The same couple came the next week and they bought a 40″ Flat Screen tv with their bundle of $100 bills. Week after week would see blatant abuse from some fs users. There were many who were frugal shoppers and very healthy food that need the extra help and put there fs card to good practical use! I agree that these special items should be restricted. Steak is fine but Angus or Filet Mingons or lobster. Birthday cakes are $20 at the bakery when you can make your own for $5. They could make 4 cakes for the price of one Bakery cake that is a waste of fs money. Anyone who wants to disagree with me work at a grocery store for a few months and witness the abuse firsthand!!!!
You people need to realize that not everyone on food stamps is like what is described in this article. Does it go on…. yes. Did she do anything about? From the sounds of it no. She’d rather sick back with her nose in the air and think how wonderful she is and how pathetic her customers are.
You complain about the food they buy. What should they be allowed to buy? Day old bread, ham hock, and macaroni and cheese? Is that more suitable for these ungrateful food stamp people?
Those people are customers. Customers that help pay her wages. If she doesn’t like her job find another one. Perhaps a little compassion wouldn’t hurt. As I said, not everyone on food stamps is like what she has described.
Great article! Keep up the great work – but please set your sights higher than Ann Coulter. Ann is entertaining, but she sacrifices so much credibility with her baiting tactics. Ann’s recent claim that Romney was more conservative than Newt exposed her bias and lack of objectivity.
I work in a public library, and it sounds sooo much like the Walmart scene! I would love to write a daily blog about it, but I would prob lose my job. Every single day that I work, I have to deal with the same entitlement minded, lazy, addicts who sit there all day on the computer watching youtube and/or playing online games. They never look for jobs, in fact most of them can’t even read or spell beyond a 5th grade level. I have to ask for ID to make library cards or to give them their numbers in case they forgot their card, and I am telling you, at least 75% of all the ID’s I am handed have public housing addresses, and they have many many relatives living at the same addresses. We have about 5 major Public housing projects in my city & I know all the addresses. I have immigrants who can’t speak a word of English handing me EBT cards as ID and giving me public housing addresses! When we had the recent hurricane, all the freeloaders came in complaining about how they lost power & had just used all their food stamps, so they lost the food, and were going to demand more foodstamps from the state, which they did & which they got! If I was stupid enough to buy $200 worth of food when I knew a hurricane was coming & then my power went out & I lost it, do you think the state would give me my money back? HELL NO! I once saw a man, who I know is an alcoholic, and who has been arrested for abusing his wife (I can’t even think what he might be doing to his children) that lives in a nearby housing project, come in to check out his weekly 60 dvd’s, telling me how he sits home & watches movies “aaaaaalllllll day long” & gloating about it, and talking about the nice tv he just bought at Walmart, etc….I see 500LB women who come in with their kids who look like starving concentration camp victims – now who do you think is eating all the food bought with their food stamps? Hint…NOT THE KIDS! They come in with their 6ft tall, 300 lb boyfriends, all GQ, with their gang tattoos & doo rags on their heads – who are abviously just using these women to live off their welfare benefits & eat all the food that is supposed to go to their children. Then they just fill up their bags of free dvds & head back to the $30/month subsidized apartment to watch them. Yes, I have seen it all & I see it every day. Fat, lazy, sneaky slobs, all trying to beat the system – and I am helping to pay for it with the tax dollars that are extorted from me every paycheck. and don’t give me a sob story about how some people need it, I know they do -and you know what? It’s THOSE people who keep getting denied because of all the scammers & freeloaders overcrowding & using up the resources of the system! Also, as far as politics is concerned, there will never – I repeat NEVER – be truly good economic conditions in this country until the entitlement system is severely reformed, if not ended entirely.
I also work at Walmart down in Florida about 20 minutes north of Orlando. I’m in the pharmacy but see the same type of thing everyday. I have people come up to me wearing nice name brand clothing, the nicest cell phones, pursues and jewelry yet they’re on medicaid and freak out when their medicaid won’t pay for the prescription. Yet I work 40+ hours a week, go to school full time taking 5 classes and take care of my 2 year old son alone with no child support. Yet I do not qualify for any type of government assitance. It makes me sick when I see these people using food stamps and other government assitances to live the high life while the people who actually work are just barely scraping by every day.
I understand what this article is saying. BUT who are you to judge what people buy and how their abusing the system? Be grateful that you have never needed assistance. I have a job and am on fs. They take money out of my checks to help people so if I need help, I’m going to go get some of the money they took out back. Everybody’s story is different. You don’t know if they lost their job or not. In the northern states, even though you have a job, hours aren’t always guaranteed. And don’t tell me that your not judging or you wouldn’t be throwing around names such as welfare queen.
There are people that abuse it, absolutely. But think before you judge someone cause it makes you an ass.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, but the political comment wasn’t really necessary. I am a liberal and I’m just as outraged by the abuse as you are. This is not why we fight for these programs. We want to help people who truly need it, but keeping people dependent is not helping them in any way, shape or form. We should all, left and right, work together to put a better system in place. It seems we share the same objective.
I am a nurse in a pediatric office in which the majority of people are on Medicaid. 99% of the people walk into the clinic talking on their cell phones, and continue to talk. Part of my job is to see if the child is around second hand smoke. Again, about 99% say, “no , we smoke outside!” How much is a pack of cigarettes these days? How much does it cost to keep a cell phone going? And when I ask if the child with the fever has had Tylenol, I am told that they ran out and need more called in (for free). Many do not even purchase their own thermometers. I agree with the writer….it was a rude awakening for me. When I see the bell ringers now I say to myself..”I already give.” Sadly it is not always for the children.
Great article, and as a retail associate agree 100%. Go Democrats.
Everybody always like to discredit others opinions by saying they have not yet lived in the “real” world. Everything I have ever received, I received as a result of hard work. The “real” world that you all are referring to, is the world that you have created for yourself because of a lack of motivation. I wasn’t born into money, or had money thrown at me when I was a child. I have paid for everything on my own since I was 16 years old and throughout that time I was working at Kroger, for a hefty 7 dollars an hour, with a 5 cent raise a year. I worked 40 hours a week while attending nursing school on a loan that I had to take out. I never collected food stamps regardless of the many days I was forced to sleep in my car because I couldn’t afford to drive home and drive back to school the next day. I have always lived off of the thought that there are people less fortunate than I am that really need that money. While working at Kroger I witnessed over 50 percent of the Foodcard recipients pull out their EBT card from their Coach purse, and then while sliding it I realize their meticulously manicured nails. These people are buying steaks, seafood, all organic items, and they are getting outrageous amounts of money off of their cards. I am all for people that need assistance, hence while I would have never cashed in on it myself, but don’t any of you have a soul? How can you use the government to the point where they are going to have to cut back and eventually have to take money away from people who SERIOUSLY need it. People in America are so selfish and that’s what I got out of watching the array of people using their bridge cards to buy food so they can use their actual cash to buy material goods. It’s absolutely pathetic, and that is the REAL world.
All the blogger did was explain to everyone the way the system not only works but has been designed to work. They want us on welfare and they are forcing the situation to become just that. This blogger got the chance to stand behind a register and watch her country on its way to becoming a 3rd world country right before her eyes. And there is nothing that she can do about it by herself aside from what she did by writing this blog. But most people will bitch about it but go on about their business because even though they complain they don’t want to be troubled to do what it takes to make things right.
So everybody, get comfortable, make sure all your reality TV shows are cued up and you have all your junk food handy and sit back and enjoy the downhill ride to the bottom.
As a person who receives food stamp benefits I feel the need to speak up for people like me who use the system CORRECTLY! I am the stay at home mom of 2 kids. My husband works full time at a good job but we still need help to make ends meet. Daycare is to expensive to make me working worth wild after daycare and gas there would be nothing left anyway. We don’t receive a lot of food stamp money, just enough to help. To make that work we use coupons, I used nearly $50 worth of coupons the other day! I save coupons, friends give them to me and I print them from the internet. I do have a cell phone, a basic plain cellphone that I make look cool with a case/cover and some fun stickers (pilfered from my kids art box, but hey, I like Hello Kitty!)… it is NOT an Iphone, does not have a data plan, and I use it as a calculator at the register to make sure things are adding up right, not playing a game or texting. I watch every item as it rings up and will call out if it is wrong. I am always calm and polite to the cashiers and I always know my balance before I get to the register. I try to make everything as easy as I can for the cashier, I put my items in groups (frozens, dairy, breads, etc) so that bagging is easier, I always have my coupons ready, all facing the same way for faster scanning and for the ones where things are buy one get one free I always write the price on the coupon to help the cashier out. Sure we buy steaks, just your basic variety but I usually have coupons that discount the basic staples (bread, cheese, butter, milk, cereals etc) to cover the cost of the steak. My children like steak and will eat it with out argument, if anyone out there is feeding a picky eater you know that if they will eat it you will serve it LOL! And there is a difference between buying your run of the mill cheap cut of steak and buying a T-Bone or a Porterhouse! We buy the least expensive steaks we can find because it is important that my children eat a good amount of meat in their diet and this is the source they eat the best. Should I make my children go hungry because we are on food stamps and I shouldn’t be allowed to buy the one meat my picky 3 yr old will eat a this time? No! I am working with her to get her to eat a better variety, but again anyone with a picky eater knows it is a process to get new foods in there! Sure I buy cake mix and cookie mixes on sale with coupons and keep them on hand for special occasions, I always buy them at the lowest price I can get. My kids deserve a reward for a job well done or a birthday just like anyone else. But again I use COUPONS and SALES to bring in the best price, for example between a sale and a coupon I got cake mix for 75cents a box and cookie mix for 99cents a package so I got 2 of each (for a grand total of $3.48) I would not call that going overboard or being extravagant. And the steaks, well lets see I got a great price this week and paid around $2.50 per steak (not per lb) and we bought 5 so that means I spent $12.50 on a total of 5 meals that I can make for my family. I bet some of you spend more than that on a trip to McDonald’s and my kids get way better nutrition from a home cooked steak than from some crappy nuggets or burgers. I feed my family of 4 on barely $200 a mth for food, if you do that math out it is $50 per person/month, or $1.67 per person/day… or even further that is 55cents per person/meal. With creative meal planning and lots of coupons and tracking sale flyers I pull that off every month with REAL food, not with processed boxed/canned crap. We buy steak yes, but also fresh fruits and veggies, pasta, rice, chicken and pork. I should not have to live on high sodium processed foods just because we receive assistance. By working as hard as I do as a stay at home mother, I am able to put home cooked meals on the table for my family!
Not everyone who receives help is a looser, or milking the system. Some of us are using it to make ends meet and feed our families. But because of people like those described in the article, those of use doing it right are being punished just like those abusers. The dirty looks some cashiers dole out when you pull out your EBT card combined with the huff when I pull out coupons is enough to make a calm patient woman like me want to smack the look of their faces! Consider it a responsible financial decision that I want to use coupons with my EBT, and keep your attitude in check when I check out!
I know people who have been on food stamps and hated it and used it as a motivation to get off them as quickly as possible. Their motivation helped them learn how to scale back their own life in order to be able to stay INDEPENDENT. If you can’t afford the way you live, you scale back your operation. You get a less expensive place to live, drive a cheaper car, use public transportation (where available), get a land line and lose the cell phone. How did people manage for 2000 years without a cell phone? Buy clothes at goodwill instead of retail, learn how to eat more cheaply (lose the junk food and sugar based foods, sodas, etc). Learn what is NEEDED as opposed to what is WANTED.
I really get pissed at these tearjerkers out here who cry about how they NEED assistance because they just can’t make it without it. That is the whole PROBLEM. Jeez. Wise up lazy people and try to remember how to use your brains PLEASE, your killing the intelligent people out here (those few of us left).
I know the sound of a woman who likes being home as opposed to pulling her weight out there in the world. If you don’t want to work, scale back your operation so that you can stay home and learn how to live on what your husband makes. Oh, that would be forcing you to do something that you don’t want to do. Now we are back to “entitlement” again. I weep for this country, I just hope I can remember in 2 years what it was like when things weren’t like this, but I fear I won’t be able to BECAUSE I WILL BE LIVING IN IDIOCRACY!!!!!
Well written I will forward this to everyone I know
Is there welfare fraud? Interesting question. I’ve been on welfare, because my ex refused to pay child support. As an adult with 4 children, I received barely 900$/mth to pay everything. For every dollar he gave me in child support, they removed an equal amount from my welfare check. It would have been easy to not declare the money. It would have been easy to lie. Thing is, if I was caught in the lie, then I would lose everything. I would lose the subsidized housing (because at 900$/mth, rent of 600$ or more doesn’t leave much for necessities like food, diapers, and clothes…), I would lose the money (which was stable income, coming in at the end of the month, rather than the 100$ here and 50$ there that I would get from my ex…), and I would lose the medical benefits I was receiving (and when you need prescription you can’t really do without…)
Even so, you come up with a budget for 5 (1 adult, 2 grade school age children and 2 in diapers) on 900$/mth. Rent was 300$/mth. Power bill averaged 175$/mth. Diapers would last me about a week, but the kids weren’t the same size so we’re talking another 25$/wk (if memory serves me right… and we’re not talking the premium or name brand stuff. Store brand if you please!)
After these “basic necessities”, I was left with 325$/mth to buy food, clothes (usually underwear and socks because we would have clothes donated to us), school supplies and basic household items (because my ex would not let me take anything from home when I left. I was lucky to get out with the kids and the shirts on our backs…) Oh, and then we’re talking about the phone bill and TV and those little things that hide the fact that we are destitute to the kids…
Considering that our weekly food bill had previously been about 150$/wk (and we’re not talking for junk food. We’re talking dry goods like beans, rice, flour, and healthy proteins, vegetables and fruit, eggs and milk, and juice… 150$/wk on this kind of food…) You can quickly see that 325$/mth left over after rent, power and diapers does not go very far.
At the time, my government listened to people like you who were complaining about welfare fraud and abuse of the system. They put in a “Welfare Fraud Tip Line”, where people like yourself could call in and report welfare fraud. After a few years they shut the line down. Why? Because it was a boondoggle. Instead of stopping welfare fraud, they were confirming that the people who had been reported as being welfare abusers were in fact in desperate need of the meagre funds they were receiving. Instead of saving the government millions of dollars in fraudulent welfare payments, it cost the government millions of dollars in salaries and equipment…
My recommendation to you (and all those of you who’ve been shouting “Hear Here!”) is as follows: Be thankful that you are not on welfare. Do your darnedest to never need assistance. Maybe, just maybe, you will be spared the humiliation of dependency on the goodwill of others. Maybe, just maybe, you won’t have to let the cashier sit in judgement of you when you show up to pay for your meagre purchases with kids in tow. Maybe, just maybe, you won’t have to skip your meal so that your kids can eat. Maybe, just maybe, you won’t have to consider buying birthday gifts at the dollar store. Maybe, just maybe, you won’t have to consider half the things a mother will consider when she finds herself with only 20$ in her name and half a month left to go.
You want welfare reform? Make it so that it is not a humiliation. Make it so that it is not a degradation. Make it so that kids won’t have to ask “do we have enough money to buy milk mommy?”. Make it so that mother’s don’t have to raid the kids birthday cash for food… That will be true welfare reform!
PS: Minimum wage job would have cancelled my welfare check, cost me childcare (even if subsidized) and travel expenses, and only have brought in about 850$/mth after taxes… So yeah, go to work for less money, and have more expenses to pay, and never see my kids except at breakfast and supper? When I struggle to stretch every penny of that 900$/mth to last me to the end of the month? Doesn’t make much sense does it?
Also for the person who made the Coach bag comment (seeing people pull their EBT cards out of a Coach bag) I do carry a Coach purse, BUT it was a hand me down gift from someone who knew I could never afford such a luxury and she gave it to me because she knew that such a simple thing would give me joy. I use that purse every day and every time I touch it I am reminded of the love and friendship of that someone. So not everyone who carries a nice bag/wears a nice coat/has good shoes, bought those things themselves, sometimes people get gifts from those better off then them. Also I have nice manicured nails, want to know who does them? ME! I cut my tails, file and paint them, takes all of 15 min and cost just a dollar or 2 of a bottle of nail polish. It is possible to have nice manicures and do it yourself, not everyone pays for them. I also cut my own hair to save money, and I have a cute hairstyle that suits me well, and has been seen by professional beauticians who have stated that it looks as good as anything I would get a salon, but again although it looks nice, it didnt cost a dime. Be careful how you judge people you see, you have NO IDEA who they are or what kind of life they have, those nice things you see just might be gifts and hand-me-downs or they might have taken 5 minutes on themselves to look nice.
All of you stop whining, if you were really hard workers you would not be concerned with how hard those around you work for what they have. In my opinion, you criticize those who take advantage of what they are given because you ENVY them. You put the idea of these people living off the system in your head because you hate working hard for what you have and wish you could have it handed to you because you’re actually LAZY. You expect to be revered for working hard only to sustain yourselves and try to bring down those who can’t… pathetic. The world needs less people like you, just do your job.
I know a elderly cambodian woman who runs a food market in providence, she has a safe with gold coins, diamond jewlery and cash worth aprox. 500k and she is on welfare and makes a trip to foxwoods several times a week to play slots. I’ve seen the safe and she is related to my wife, the best part about it is the old woman is miserable despite all her money.
WOW for the person who said we should scale back on everything, we DO have a less expensive place to live (we moved to save money, and saved over $300 a mth by moving) I drive the cheapest car around, a paid off 10yr old vehicle. And I only drive anywhere once a week to save money on gas. Get a land line and lose the cell phone, we have a land line and we have a cell phone because we live in a very rural area with a heavy moose population, we keep cell phones (on very basic cheap plans) because being able to call 911 when someone hits a moose can be the difference between life and death for that person, whether it is me or a complete stranger.
Learn how to eat more cheaply, I use coupons and sales, buy whole foods (meats, fresh fruits and veggies, and staples like rice, bread and cheese) and make home cooked meals for my family, very little junk food here, other than the occasional cake or cookie (homemade always)
As to thinking I (or stay at home moms like me) are LAZY don’t want to pull our weight in the working world?? I suffered major trauma in a car accident 7yrs ago (crushed my pelvis) making very painful to sit or stand for long periods of time so the best I could manage would be a part time job, the best paying part time job in my area would pay $7.50 an hour, if you figure 25 hours that is $187.50 a week. Take out taxes and that would be around $165 or so a week. Daycare for my 2 children would cost at least $3 an hour x 25 hours a week x 2 kids would make it cost $150 a week for daycare. That would mean that for a weeks work I would have $15 and when you figure in gas at more than $3.50 a gal there is no way to make that work.
To all of the people in the comments saying that it’s OK to get steak/nice food “every once in a while,” NO. Some of the money that people are using to get these fancy foods comes from people who are don’t get those things! Why do you think you’re entitled to use other people’s money for anything like that when some of that money comes from people who perhaps make even less than you do, but are responsible enough to live in a way that allows them to contribute to society instead of draining it? These programs are intended to be a safety net. If you’re spending *any* money on non-necessities, you shouldn’t be receiving anything from tax payers (think about it–that money you spent on an iPhone could have instead gone to pay for your food. Basic logic says that tax payers paid for your iPhone).
You people have a reading comprehension problem. The article specifically refers to people who have iPhones and buy steaks and **** like that, not people who are using the system as a leg up.
If you liberal idiots had ever actually lived in the ghetto you would know EXACTLY what this woman is talking about. It’s very common and it’s not just people who “need a leg up.”
Self righteous idiots.
But it’s already obvious that many people on welfare have terrible money management skills. If they didn’t, perhaps they wouldn’t need welfare. Even people with jobs make bad choices with their money; the idea that people on welfare should have BETTER money management skills than those who hold jobs is kind of ridiculous. It is a myth that welfare is full of lazy people with plenty of opportunities to work but who would rather collect welfare checks than work an honest living. While surely there are some that abuse the system and fit that profile, there are people who do not have the opportunity or faculties to work, and they need help, sometimes permanent help. I’m happy to give some of my tax dollars to help them (and especially their children). If some of that money gets misappropriated to someone buying a lobster, so be it. People will abuse any system, but if this lady cares about our economy she needs to look at big money abuse (ie corporate/big business welfare). This is small-fry abuse, and can be tolerated in the name of creating a safety net for those who are not as fortunate as we are.
Jesus says take care of those who need help. Do you hate Jesus? JESUS HATER!
“All of you stop whining, if you were really hard workers you would not be concerned with how hard those around you work for what they have. In my opinion, you criticize those who take advantage of what they are given because you ENVY them. You put the idea of these people living off the system in your head because you hate working hard for what you have and wish you could have it handed to you because you’re actually LAZY. You expect to be revered for working hard only to sustain yourselves and try to bring down those who can’t… pathetic. The world needs less people like you, just do your job.”
This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life. If they were “lazy” they would be on welfare you idiot. Obviously they’re not, because they choose to work a job. They have enough self respect to work as a cashier serving entitled pieces of garbage who are robbing their tax dollars at this exact same time. It’s called self respect.
Those who can’t. HA. I bet you’re some rich white liberal and you live way the hell up north somewhere around a bunch of other rich white liberal idiots. You’re naive, and you’re a hypocrite.
“Thank you for sharing your experiences, but the political comment wasn’t really necessary. I am a liberal and I’m just as outraged by the abuse as you are. This is not why we fight for these programs. We want to help people who truly need it, but keeping people dependent is not helping them in any way, shape or form. We should all, left and right, work together to put a better system in place. It seems we share the same objective.”
I’d love to work with you buddy but most of your fellow lefties don’t see it that way. They either just don’t care or they’re too naive and stupid to see what’s going on. I suspect the latter in most cases.
We’ve created a monster with this crap. We need to cut back. NOW.
Great work and so so so true, every bit of it. Liberal ghetto-itis gone mad. Just be careful because these leftists can be dangerous and they come after bloggers and people they don’t like or reveal their scams to the public with all they got.
I know, I blogged for 6 years at Chicagoray.blogspot and quit because I got tired of fighting with these lowlives day in and day out for not much reward in my spare time as a degreed 20 year Graphic designer and Pressman formerly for the Chicago Tribune and a freelance Web programmer.
So just watch your back and be careful, and don’t be cowed but don’t underestimate these scumbags either.
They’re the lowest denominators America and it’s hard working, law abiding citizenry have had to contend with in our 240 year history, and they’re dragging this nation straight into social and fiscal third world status taking the nation and the rest of us right down with em.
You wanna really set em off, take pics of these Welfare beasts and post them, that’ll really get em tanked up!! lol….
“I understand what this article is saying. BUT who are you to judge what people buy and how their abusing the system? Be grateful that you have never needed assistance. I have a job and am on fs. They take money out of my checks to help people so if I need help, I’m going to go get some of the money they took out back. Everybody’s story is different. You don’t know if they lost their job or not. In the northern states, even though you have a job, hours aren’t always guaranteed. And don’t tell me that your not judging or you wouldn’t be throwing around names such as welfare queen.
There are people that abuse it, absolutely. But think before you judge someone cause it makes you an ass.”
What are you talking about? Who are we to judge that people are defrauding the system that we pay for? And then you do the SAME THING that every other lefty does when confronted with this crap, talk about “what if it happened to you”
IF YOU HAVE AN IPHONE, YOU ARE NOT NEEDY. Period. These people are scamming the god damn system. Any idiot can see it, and you, just like all your lefty friends, must never have seen it. You’re naive and clueless, not to mention self righteous.
Come live where I live, you’ll be a conservative in 6 months.
“Poor baby has to deal with rude customers at Wal-Mart, imagine that. Rich people can be rude to, ya know. In fact, as a waiter (years ago), I noticed that those paying with $100 bills were usually the worst tippers, and they were often the biggest jerks.
Well consider yourself lucky to HAVE a job. (Even if it is at Wal-Mart) Consider yourself lucky that you never even have to deal with people who are REALLY abusing the system. You see, they sold their food stamps for half-price to get some crack. Pretty messed up, eh? Too bad they can’t get some sort of help without the fear of being imprisoned.
Such compassion. Such understanding.
I guess Jesus should have stuck with carpentry. He was obviously wasting his time trying to teach you folks anything about caring for people who need it the most.
This little Ann Coulter wannabe probably doesn’t even realize what a hateful person her role model is. She probably just likes her because that’s what mommy and daddy like.”
3 paragraphs and you haven’t said a god damn thing. THIS IS NOT ABOUT NEEDY PEOPLE. THIS IS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ABUSE THE SYSTEM.
How many times do we have to explain this to you leftist idiots???
If you are going to buy food, buy good food. People are saying you shouldn’t have steak, do most of you realize that there are very cheap steaks out there? There are. Should I feed my family on boxed foods, processed junk and sugar just because they are the cheapest and that is all we should be allowed? Or should I feed my family healthy nutritious meals that are well proportioned to include meat, veggie and fruits? We buy the healthiest options for our family that are the most filling. Sure I could load my wagon with cheap junk food rather than good healthy options but than the complaints would be that all we bought was junk food so either way….
Food assistance should be just that, assistance, a way to help feed your family nutritious meals to keep them healthy. Yes that includes cheap steaks, chicken, pork, and fresh fruits and veggies. We do not pay more than $2-$3 a steak and only buy 4 or 5 for the whole month, as a family of 4 we split each steak in half to feed 2 people from one steak, and we mix them in with chicken and pork meals to give our family a well balanced diet. We also supplement our meat intake with deer and moose given to us by local hunters. By varying meat, veggies and fruits in our meals we are able to eat healthy foods and make what assistance we receive stretch as far as it can. Whether you receive assistance or not, if you plan and budget well and use coupons to the best advantage you can feed your family healthy balanced meals
As a former cashier at walmart, i must say these things happen EVERY DAY and there is actualy alot more im sure she saw and didnt say. Our state does need help. As someone that recieves state aid myself, i see how easy it is to cheat the system or to use the aid for things not intended but as a someone who cares about my family, our state and the people in it i feel no need to cheat and take more than i need or spend the help on things like lobsters and steaks… Our state does need help! We need more restrictions and more importantly we need people to be honest. We need a way to stop the dependancy as well. I’m glad this woman voiced the things she said and the need for change in our state.
When us cashiers see people with foodstamps & welfare, we often have repeat customers. We start to tell the people who are really trying to survive as apposed to those abusing the system. Sure there are times we get it wrong but honestly we can tell them because of how they treat us as people as well as how they speak with friends. & it’s not that I’m just some dumb kid passing judgement. I am on MaineCare & have been on foodstamps. Me & my husband made those last through the month then some. It can be done but some people don’t care too. The reason why we needed this help because a second chronic illness began to set in for me(I already have one) & I was unable to work. Now I do & survive just fine without foodstamps. It is tough & we aren’t always sure how we can get by week to week but we do. We’d do anything to have that resource back but we know we cannot because we make too much-despite me being out of work again very soon. Yet people get these resources when they don’t need it. I’ve seen people with foodstamps after pull out a stack of hundred dollar bills to buy other things. If you have nine or ten hundred dollar bills, why do you need $600 in foodstamps? I’ve also noticed they buy at least $70 worth of soda, $20 worth of alcohol-which some can be put on foodstamps in Maine now btw-& more on junk. Yes, one should be able to enjoy the foods they wish but also be mindful of what you have.
Different scenarios laid out that I have seen personally….
There is one woman with six sons & pregnant with her seventh one. Her & her husband are going to keep trying until they have a girl. They have no problem living off the state because they believe they “deserve” a daughter & that they don’t care what it does because they have the state to help them. They bought two carts overflowing with food as they have over $1500 in foodstamps & $700 in EBT cash. When the boys asked about opening a bag of chips for a snack, their mother said no because it was hers. This happened with several snacks until she finally gave in, saying they shouldn’t be snacking. This family has been on the news because they are constantly homeless because the mother doesn’t think she should have to work with all her children. Her husband works just what he has to so they can keep their aid. I know this because I know her as well as a coworker of mine does.
On the flip side my best friend has three boys. She works to take care of her boys working a part time job, grabbing the hours where she can. Her exhusband is court ordered to pay child support to her for the two boys they had together. DHHS is supposed to take the money out of his check but he works under the table jobs & moves constantly so he can avoid that. DHHS thinks she knows where he lives when really the only way she can contact him is through facebook & he never responds. DHHS took all her benefits until she provides him with his whereabouts, despite her telling them month after month she has no idea. Her only benefit was Mainecare & she was once on TANF but paid all of it back as soon as she was able to work. One of her boys was born with lungs that was too small & she cannot afford his medication. She herself needs major surgery or else she could slowly become sicker & sicker. There are some months she does only end up with $20 left but she does it.
So you see, we don’t just pass judgment based just on what we see. We base in on interactions & observing people more then once along with actually talking to them. Welfare reform is needed. I know of three other people who really do scam the state-by working well below what they are capable of to keep their aid, lying to the state about not being with the father for TANF aid, living off their spouses income & manipulating the courts because they know 90% of the time the state of Maine favors the mother. People say this is a lie, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Just because someone is in their twenties doesn’t mean they don’t do research & actually talk to people.
Christine – I don’t know you but – you nailed this – great summary article. The assistance programs were designed as a short time help for folks that needed a boost to get on their feet. This needs to go all the way to Washington. With all the cash floating within the programs it would more than enough to get jobs going and put the gas to the economy.
First of all you CAN NOT take a welfare ID card as an ID !!! Has to be a state issued card like a lience,Miltary,passport…NOT a welafe card/Id !!!!!!!
When I was growing up my parents were poor. My mother would shop at garage sales for gently used toys for Christmas. My Parents both worked hard and neither made much money but we had what we needed. When I moved out of my parents house …I was poor but I worked hard. I ate lots of lipton noodles and meat rarely as I couldnt afford it. I went to college and worked full time , and later met my husband. He worked full time and went to college 3/4 time. He still likes smack raman .. though I cannot see how as he ate it so often. He finished college in 6 years with no debt. We both then worked very hard and many times choose to do with out rather than get all that we wanted at the time. I understand that people need a helping hand once in a while, but it does sicken me when I see and hear about those that abuse food stamps , welfare, etc. No one would like my ideas as I believe that we should use food pantrys for food instead of food stamps. You would go in and pick out items for the week and thats it. No gorcery stores needed…. If you didnt like what was offered well then they will tell you what my parents told me .. then dont eat it go hungry. As for welfare, well we all make mistakes and I do believe that those who are in need should get it … but the welfare one baby after another stuff needs to stop. One kid, yes ..two kids yes ..kid number three you are on your own no more benefit … bet that would drop the birthrate for mothers on welfare.. I do believe that if you come into the system with 3 kids after being a productive member of society that there should be exception.. for all that cry how terrible it is that some are poor here ..I want you to know that we are the top 33% of the world or better in terms of income level. The average world income is about 7000$ per year….. No one starves here… Our poor are some of the richest people in the world… look up poverty and a how many have a car, tv, mulitple sets of clothing, gaming systems, etc …. you will be shocked at just how rich our poor are…
This is a tough issue, and one that reveals human nature. The question is how much abuse of welfare/food stamps can be tolerated? Is it 1%? 5%? 50% or higher?
I don’t know the answer, but this data point might figure heavily into the debate.
http://www.questorganic.com
Tough issue. How much abuse can we tolerate in the system before revolt occurs?
http://www.questorganic.com
Methinks if you are one of the ones being all defensive about what was written, you are exactly the type of person Christine is writing about. If you simply feel shame for being caught in a bad time of your life, you are NOT who she is speaking of.
Like my old grandma used to say about strays “if you feed them…then they will never go away” once the belly is full…they get all comfy and won’t leave. Once they are all comfy and getting fed all the time ..then they start to breed. THE END! Hence there goes our hard earned tax dollars! If you can’t feed em’ don’t breed em’.
Jay said: “The assistance programs were designed as a short time help for folks that needed a boost to get on their feet. This needs to go all the way to Washington. With all the cash floating within the programs it would more than enough to get jobs going and put the gas to the economy.”
But therein lies the problem — the government CREATED this. They don’t want to FIX it. They WANT people reliant on the government. I mean, just look around! How many people are owned in some way, shape, or form by the government? Between those who receive welfare, medicare, medicaid, WIC, AFDC, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who work for the government, they are funneling everybody in some fashion towards reliance on the government. Add to that the redistribution of wealth that’s going on, and they will own nearly everybody at some point.
I grew up with a single mother who at one time accepted food stamps and a monthly check to survive. The difference then was that assets were a strike against you and so was seeking gainful employment to get yourself off of “state”. They penalized you for trying to get ahead. Eventually, my mother caught on and told them to eff off and she worked two shifts as a waitress to make ends meet rather than be degraded. I am college educated, my spouse has a Masters. He was unemployed three times in a two year period. In the end, i sought help to feed our family of 6. What I saw was pretty blatant abuse and no shame at all. I was middle class, drove a van, had a smart phone. The difference between the abusers and I was that they felt entitled to their smart phones, manicures and designer clothes for themselves and their kids. I owned my car, my phone, didn’t drink Starbucks, don’t smoke and I still managed to pay a mortgage and health insurance. Bad things happen to good people, but nothing will happen to those who abuse the system. And people wonder why our Country is in such a state? A government big enough to give you everything also takes your hopes, dreams and aspirations. What you get in return is merely existence.
I find it interesting that she does not allege any wrong doing on her or Walmarts part. Her allegations of TANF is a state issue as TANF is administered by the beloved conservative method of block grants This was done in 1996 under the leadership of NEWT. This allows the state and territories wide scope to apply how they see fit. The TANF block grant is administered by state, territorial and tribal agencies. The federal government does not provide TANF assistance directly to individuals or families. She is also misleading when she states ‘there is no time limit or motivation to get back to work.’ TANF which seems to be the biggest component of her fraud story – is actually a time-limited program and is part of NEWTS biggest legislative achievement in 1996 – the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act – It took away the federal restrictions and funding and bundled it into a block grant that allows states to determine how funds are spent. TANF became effective July 1, 1997, and was reauthorized in February 2006 under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Both were with conservative majorities.
She certainly is correct when she says there needs to be reform because the conservatives reform has led to widespread abuses and less Federal oversight.
I was in the inner city projects in NYC serving as a missionary for my church for a short period of time and this was my experience as well. I saw people with nicer t.v.s and stereo systems than I would ever have and unmarried young girls who told me flat out that they were having babies so they could get bigger welfare checks. That’s when my eyes were opened that the system needs to be changed. In my church there is a welfare system to help those in temporary need but they are required to go through their budget with the ecclesiastical leader and they are required to do some type of work whether it’s cleaning the building, etc. for their own benefit of self worth, not the church’s. But sadly I’ve even seen that abused by some people who were used to being on the receiving end whose families should have stepped forward to be the ones to help and require some effort on their part. One guy who wouldn’t work b/c he couldn’t have his dream job while another friend who was using some of the food offered had an MBA and after exhausting his resources was applying to work at Target, as a low level employee. What a total difference in attitude. Entitlement, ughh.
Wow. It amazes me how many people skip the part where she said that she understood why gov’t assistance exists and that it truly helps people in need. Why would anyone have a problem with saying that abuse of the system is wrong?
Having been a public school teacher and worked for the YMCA, I’ve seen both sides. But seeing and knowing families that turned to food stamps and/or welfare after divorce or a layoff because they needed to feed their children makes witnessing the abuse even worse. Just don’t understand why the abuse wouldn’t anger those in true need, as well.
It’s also a rub to be one of two teaching incomes in a married family standing in line at Walmart not being able to afford lobster, steaks, $50 cake, fitness water or special snacks for my children (because, God knows they’ve been cutting teachers’ days and steps), but the mom on food stamps in front of me can. Right or wrong, it’s a rub.
I’ve lived in the real world for quite some time now with a public education, two jobs, no trust fund, no real debt (other than the house we saved for 6 years for), meager savings…..but I’m sure someone will feel the need to patronize me.
While I agree wholeheartedly about the need for welfare reform, this article fails to highlight the fact that welfare fraud only accounts for approximately 1% of welfare cases; the anecdotal nature of this piece makes the problem seem drastically worse than it really is. Second, the author’s point would have been much better made without the use of the condescending tone and insulting names (Welfare Queen). While that wit makes for entertaining reading, it lends no credence whatsoever to her political argument and, if anything, reinforces the stereotype of conservatives as judgmental and unsympathetic to the plight of the poor. It’s an entertaining piece that highlights a very real social problem, but the author’s age is clearly seen in her sophomoric analysis.
Ignoring the poor financial choices (i.e. buying products that are the opposite of essential and not saving) of those who have sought our help to get back on their feet would be irresponsible and wholly lacking compassion.
Too often in our generation (I’m 23) liberalism is seen as more “compassionate” than conservatism (and just in general, for some reason, more chic and cool and hipster). When in reality, conservatism (while not perfect) is at least closer to the truth and true compassion in the long term! As a teacher in a city school system, I have seen firsthand the dangers of doing nothing to guide the financial choices of individuals on welfare. I have seen mothers drop their children off at school with their nails done, hair done, iphone in hand, and then turn around and NOT pay 5 or 10 dollars for their child to go on a field trip with the class!!!! And then their child is forced to stay behind–and they know why. Getting a smart phone and having the luxury of going to the salon (even if it’s once in a while) should be an incentive to get OFF the system, not a perk of staying on the system. Misguided spending like this, especially when there are children involved, is wrong. It is very sad, and our government and our flawed welfare system breeds this type of behavior far too often. This growing sense of entitlement is slowly eroding the values that America was built on — hard work, relentlessness, selflessness, and family values in general. Many of our ancestors were at one time poor, what if they had an attitude of entitlement rather than hard work and hope of something better for their children??
If an individual wants to buy lobster or steak, that should be his or her incentive/drive to get off welfare. The problem with our welfare system, as has been pointed out, is that the government makes it a better option to STAY on welfare rather than use it to try to get back on your feet. This should be seen as a huge problem to everyone – liberal and conservative alike – shouldn’t it?? This is not what America should stand for… while every welfare case is no doubt different, the bottom line is this type of system fuels a mindset that is so detrimental in the long run – to the recipient and the taxpayer alike. Welfare needs to be reformed, and luckily for the honest people in the system, reform would likely not affect them!
Christine, I’m a graduate of PC too (read: received full tuition scholarship, daughter of hardworking firefigther.. not every middle class college educated girl is a little princess!!) Awesome article, keep up the good work! One small suggestion…while calling someone a Welfare Queen may give you sass points from Anne Coulter, I feel it’s little side comments like that that give liberals fuel for the fire. Your entire logical and truthful argument can be seemingly overturned by the liberal media with one snarky comment. Just present the truth, the truth is strong enough. Keep that in mind in the future, as I’m sure you will keep writing thought-provoking articles
Tom, you’re an idiot. Welfare is a LIBERAL scheme. Always has been, always will be. TRUE conservatives realize that a SMALL segment of the population need help, but other than those folks, we believe in people’s ability to eke out a life for themselves. Libtards convince everybody that they’re a victim who can’t do shit without the government “taking care of you” from cradle to grave. Who screams like howler monkeys louder than the demonrats on the Hill? NOBODY.
I too have worked at walmart and hannafords i also have been on foodstamps and i am a republican i have seen absolute horror shows at checkouts this article was nicely done altho my daughter is on foodstamps and tanf she as much as she tries can not find a job and is a single mom i like to think i am a extreme couponer i have taught my daughter everything about it fyi she has no internet or a computer so she comes to my house and uses mine some people do use the system as a stepping stone it does sound like your generalizing that everyone on state help should get attitude cause they are loosersnot all are some are using the system as a stepping stone you have to admit the economy is tough right now lobsters i disagree with birthday cake not so bad of course making it would be cheeper but when your child insits on lightning mcqueen and you have no artistic ability i say welfare or not give the child what he wants he had no choice in this economy we may need to weed out some of the abusers but not alinate those trying to do whats right….
Lots of people on welfare abuse it. Lots of people on welfare use it to get by until their situations improve. Lobster, steaks, and birthday cakes are a choice with food stamps. So are soda, chips, and Little Debbies. It’s a value choice. The lobster and steak may be cheaper, local, or healthier options at times, especially in Maine where lobster is often cheaper by the pound than other meats. Part of why Maine has such a high level of aid is because we take care of each other in this state. We have high rates of people receiving mental health services, kids and adults, which is better than putting the mentally ill in jails or on the street. A someone not much older (33) than the writer of this article I can see the lack of wisdom and experience in her writing and perspective.
I grew up in Maine too. Great coverage, Great story. However, if you want to see the welfare at its finest then you need to move to the worst parts of Washington D.C. I lived in the N.E. for about a year…think metal bars on the apt windows (not jail)…
folks down there.. the store managers, the cashiers, everyone.. openly abused the system. I witnessed folks that clearly dealt drugs, buy and sell their food stamps (in front of everyone) for cold hard cash…. It got so bad, that i had to go miles out of my way to an “upper class” neighborhood, in order to avoid getting stuck into behind folks using food stamps as it would take 30-45 minutes to check out sometimes…
Gross..
@ Melissa E IT’S PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT DO ABUSE THE SYSTEM. You think it’s ok to take the money from hard working people that pay into the welfare system so you and your boyfriend can go to the store and buy prime cuts of meat and birthday cakes . My husband and me have worked all our lives and thank god we never had to use the system. But we dont eat lobster or the best cuts of meat only because we pay a morg and pay our bills so our lights stay on, and buy our children shoes,clothes etc. We food shop yes its called food shop not welfare shop. And its not alright to use my hard earned money to buy fancy anything. Remember everytime you use them food stamps with a tude like yurs remember America pays for you to eat that lobster and prime cuts of meat. Yes it is hard times and some people have to go on public system thats what is was for. But not to stay on for yrs it was for a time till a person got on thier feet. And dont tell me, I know way to much about people that always abuse welfare . I so do hope you and your boyfriend find a job soon, and see you will no longer be able to spend your hard earned money on fancy food. Get the hell off welfare America and let the people that really need it use it. Melissa think you should use some of your food stamps and but a lobster and feed the poor. See how dumb that sounds.Don’t mean to be so hard but sick of all the bullshit anymore. Where did everyones pride go so you have food stamps everyone can get them may not be much for some but whatevea it is will help. Just stop abusing the system. Well Merry Christmas to all and use them welfare and food stamps right. We are watching.
Cheers to you for writing this. This is what everybody knows and does nothing about.
christine, you are a smart and attractive young lady with a future in the conservative movement, as well as having a common sense, no personal attacks style of relating things you see. keep up with the good work! and thank you for relating the stories i have seen. we will be watching you in the future, and i am sure your work wil continue to be thought provoking, judging from the responses here and elsewhere, both pro and con. bravo! but do watch your back, as enemies of conservative thought are everywhere and will attack you without mercy. you go girl!!!!
Keep fighting the good fight. We need the youth of this country to see how their heritage is being coopted by freeloaders who then expect you to foot the bill and put up with their ingratitude.
I was a foster parent for 2 infants. I was paid by the state, a whopping 232.00 per child per month. (And you thought people were in it for the money!) One bonus of being a foster parent of children under 3 was automatic WIC acceptance. Now, let me just say this. I had a 9 year old white son of my own, I had a black baby girl and a Hispanic baby boy courtesy of the state. I was married and pregnant with my daughter. Each and every time I would go to Wal-Mart, carefully find the WIC items that were allowed, only using that trip for WIC, formula, juice etc, I would get to the register and guess what would happen??? A mean check out lady would size me up with my WIC vouchers, my multicultural children, my large pregnant belly and would say to me, very loud, “FOOD STAMPS”?
I would politely say, “No, WIC”. EAch and every time they went through my items as if I was too stupid to get the correct items. If one of my children cried or acted up, I got an eye roll. I had one point to my wedding ring and ask me how I could afford that? Obviously she had a misconception of the kind of person that I was. It got so bad, each and every time, that I would finally say to the check out lady, “Yes they do all have different fathers” I cant tell you the names of two of them. I would wink and laugh. My items would get thrown into a bag and I would get glared at.
I am now a retail merchandiser, working for Procter and Gamble in the very same Wal-Mart. I am treated by the same people with respect when I walk in with a P and G shirt and my work duties. Oh, you ask why I chose to be a foster parent in the first place?? Because I had a stillborn child with my husband. I wanted to work with babies and maybe some day ,I would put enough good energy into the world to get the chance to have another baby, I had PCOS and pregnancy was difficult. . I did have a daughter a few years later. So next time you feel compelled to judge a person who has multicultural children in her cart, and is using WIC, maybe you better think that they are contributing to your wages and they probably vote Democrat because they have a heart!!!
Very well written! Bravo. And to all the complaining welfare queens, there is always work if you really want it, it may not be what you desire but you can find work. Try Wal-Mart…I was without a job for 2 years, but I cleaned houses, baby sat and sold items on line to collected cans, anything to make a few bucks. I found a full time job, out of my field of expertise, took pride my job and did the best I could, got promoted and worked until I found something in my field. Didn’t eat lobster of steak but I got by. If you are not willing to help yourself don’t expect my tax dollars to help you.
Just another fact.. those people that are on FS and buy the expensive foods or a birthday for $20 are chosing to buy them for whatever reasons they do, BUT when they do and they dont have enough food to last a month THEY are the ones who suffer. They will receive the fS regardless of how they spend it so we should keep in mind that whether they spend it properly or not, They are the ones who are affected by it. Not those who pay into the system… Tax payers are going to lose the money anyways regard of whether it goes to low income families or whether it goes to government officials.If its misused, those who receive it suffer. Not everyone is going to see this issue the same way, obviously, and yes there is a problem, but just because people get upset about others voice their opinions in favor of FS and assistance does NOT make them lazy, useless, uneducated, ect. As for the people coming in who weigh such and such amounts ( which is derogatory in itself to point out), many may have health conditions, not all, BUT many may. And yes I am overweight a bit myself. I have a disease that makes it hard to lose weight even though I eat healthy and exercise regularly. But these people on here who make radical statments such as lazy, fat, getto, baby machines, bitch, whore, ect are needing to stop because its these people who are taking this WAY out of hand more so then those that are just vocing their opinions based on their feelings. there is no need for name calling and speaking like trash. Everywhere here is a human and bad mouthing them because you dont like what they have to say is wrong in a whole new way that is seperate from this whole blog.
Applause to ANGRY IN RI!
I am a card-carrying member of the RNC. Our circumstances drastically changed in the past year. My husband was working AND going to med school. A year ago, he lost his job. I am taking care of our 22 month old son. I could work, but I’d be working to let someone else raise him. What’s the point in that? We lived off of savings (til it ran out) and student loans. We clip coupons, I planted a huge garden last Spring and was blessed with a great abundance of beans, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, squash and watermelon. But the money ran out. The pantry was bare and we needed help. We qualified for EBT benefits recently.
We’re stuck in a contract with AT&T for our iPhones and it’s killing us. Yes, I have an iPhone, but the bill hasn’t been paid for 2 months while we wait for our next student loan disbursement check in the next few weeks. If I could have known we wouldn’t have income, we never would have gotten those phones.
Are you all mad that I bought a steak that was on sale and split it between the 3 of us? Would you like to regulate that? Want to take away our EBT benefit too?
Sure there is abuse. I know-you know- we’re on temporary assistance….yada yada…I don’t think any of you have the right to pass judgement on someone that may have a 1/2 gallon of ice cream or a package of steak in their cart. I could say a lot more, but it’s late. Yeah, we have internet because my husband needs it for school. Also behind on paying them.
It is unfortunate that such well intentioned assistance programs at state and federal levels, in the time of desperate need for a few, are rife with fraudulent activity by so many.
These vote buying schemes foremost were of course not necessary in a time when hard work and self reliance was the norm. Churches and charitable organizations will never again be able to provide assistance to the countless leaches that are attached to the teat of government and too far from being engaged as productive tax paying citizens.
Food stamp benefit cards (EBT) are regularly observed to be fraudulently used as was the case again yesterday.
$25 worth of Sushi is purchased with the card and attempted to be returned 10 minutes later (without a receipt) with anticipation of a store gift card that would be used to acquire the stuff wanted, but not permitted by the food stamp program. Video proved the “story” of dissatisfaction and the purchase conditions according to the perpetrator (cash used, the time of the transaction, and the wife got it) to be completely false.
Too bad the perishable items had to be discarded thus in part driving up the cost of the honest consumer’s groceries while the EBT card was ultimately used to refund the product.
These food stamp programs need to at minimum be modified to make it extremely easy to report abuse and eliminate the criminal activity. Better yet, end the programs and most will get to work entering what is hopefully a recoverable mainstream.
A few prisons can be constructed and staffed with part of the money saved.
Wow…. I love this girl. Christine you rock!!!
This kind of entitlement mentality some people have is exactly why I thank God every day that I live in Texas. You don’t get any of that here, you actually have to work to succeed.
A few days ago I met a guy who had 6 cell phones from the government including a smaller blackberry model. The govt put a couple hours of minutes on each, which kicked in at different times of the month, allowing him to always have a cell. He had a full time job.
I met another guy who took disability and yet had a full time construction labor job.
I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting this. I’m a cashier at a walmart in Rockford, Illinois and the things i see through the welfare program are appalling on a daily basis. I have customers come through and buy hundreds of dollars worth of junk food with their EBT cards. i had a woman come through my line today at work and pay for christmas presents with her EBT cash benfits. when i first started working, i had a man come through and buy about 900 dollars worth of food, all on EBT. and it was all steaks and expensive food.there are horror stories i could talk about on a daily basis but there isn’t enough time. i agree with you 1 that there needs to be reform and to me it would be refreshing to see the program have extensive background checks before letting people have the cards. It was so nice to read this article and know that i’m not alone at in my walmart cashiering experience.
The very sad thing here now is that because of the controversy and publicity this whole blog is getting, those who are on benefits for good reasons and do NOT abuse the system who have not had people look down at them when they have shopped will NOW be looked at in a different light. Not seperated from those who abuse the system and everything they buy will come under fire and be judged. Even those who work and receive minimal assistance will still feel even more shame that they have to accept help and be regarded as worthless by those in their community. And if they live in a community like mine where there is not very many places to shop for food, they will be recognized every time now… Its sad that we have to place judgment on other people. I shouldnt have to feel shame because I work and cant get by due to the economic sitation. But what do I know, obviously not much of anything according to those who have never had to be on welfare .
First of all this article is not well written. Do some research an iPhone plan requires a voice plan and data $75+/mon. Next time go see that guy at his hot dog stand. It sounds like the rant of an over-privileged brat who had to get a job so her dad would continue make payments on her car. Who’s footing the bill for your $40k/education and if it’s you, then how do you plan to pay it off? I’ll wait until your follow-on piece where you go on welfare and actually live that ‘lifestyle’ for a few months. Give Steve Levitt a call.
My very sick mother in law- who was an engineer until she was 60- who has a retirement amount of all of $200.00, receives “Welfare”…. my husband and I take care of our two young children and make ends meet to say the least, but cannot afford to clothe and feed and house my mother in law. SO she gets $1000.00/month for all living expenses (From the social security she paid into for YEARS), which covers her $550/month rent, her oil heat bill, her trash removal, and her electric, and she gets a whopping $86 a MONTH in food stamp money…. There are always going to be those who abuse a system, but those systems are necessary for the betterment of society- what good would it so any of you to have her housed in a homeless shelter/hospital or nursing home?? It would cost at least 5 times more of tax payer dollars to do so… THIS IS WHY I AM GLAD THAT I DON’T VOTE REPUBLICAN. EVER. Because most republican ideals and ideologies are extremely judgmental and misinformed.
The arrogance of the writer says to me she is positive she will never be on disability, she is positive she won’t be stuck in a marriage that is abusive and have no financial means to leave it. She is positive she won’t have a child with special needs(did you know they can qualify for certain government programs?), she is positive she will never break a hip and be old and in a nursing home. She is positive she wont get a divorce and not be able to get child support, she is positive that an uninsured driver wont hit her while she is driving, making it impossible for her to work, making it impossible to pay bills(especially with no work and no health insurance and the idiot who hit her was on bond and now back in jail) making it impossible to bitch about people on welfare or state aid! Good luck with that, most of the time Karma likes to come back and give you the exact lesson that you deserve!
And when you are in the store buying your Poise Pads instead of the store brand,(that car accident really did some damage) some snotty check out girl can make assumptions about you.
Next time you feel compelled to bitch about circumstances that people may or may not have any control over, you might want to say a little prayer of protection. Lessons lie waiting in those who need them most.
Judge not, lest you are a conservative, then judge all you want!
Oh and for the idiots using terms like ghetto, welfare queens, I certainly hope you are perfect in each and every way! They should have special training for Wal-Mart checkers to be kind and compassionate to your fellow man…………. oh wait, parents should teach that to their children, or maybe we should learn that in school, or maybe college?
Not when you are in Narcissistic University.Org
There are cheaters everywhere. Welfare to Wall Street. Every class I have ever been in or club, sports team or job, there are those who cheat, or steal, or lie. At least with welfare you do help some of the people some of the time unlike those who created mortgage backed securities and derivatives and stole in a different way. Interesting that we don’t hold our retailers or ourselves responsible – somebody else should solve the problem while we wait in line with our basket full of foreign made goods and imported food. Should be easy enough to pick up the phone and report abusers (try it, it works sometimes). If a retailer doesn’t support policies that deter abuse then why continue to support them with your dollar? Same goes for stocking their shelves with foreign goods that create jobs in communist countries. Your vote is no where near as powerful as the dollar you spend and how you choose to spend it, unless you standby and watch Queen #1 & 2, and Hotdog man abuse the system.
Furthermore- how many of your coveted corporations actually pay US taxes???? And what they should pay if they pay any at all???? READ people- READ- the corporations are the ones cheating you- you pay more- WAY more because they REFUSE to pay taxes- and let me ask you this- how many jobs have they really created??? They are so GREEDY and entitled that they OUTSOURCED our paying US jobs to countries who will accept a lower wage and poorer working conditions…. WHY DON’T YOU WRITE ABOUT THAT??????
Welfare abuse is rampant and something I see every time my husband and I get our $129.00 fs benefits and go to shop for groceries. When we shop, we buy beans, rice, 6 dollar bags of chicken, hamburger, potatoes, water, ramen, cereal, milk, butter, bread, bacon ends and pieces, etc. However, one of the things we have learned is that junk food is usually cheaper. Needless to say, along with foods I mentioned, we often buy inexpensive frozen pizzas, tv dinners, etc. We try to buy as much as we can with our food stamps, but we, also, end up paying at least $60 of our own money as well. However, we do see the people who load up on soda, expensive cuts of meat, etc and these people usually have more than 1 kid, nice cars, designer clothes, the latest smartphone, etc. It’s easy to feel anger that while you are stocking up on necessities they are buying junk and luxuries. However, we do buy steaks from time to time if the price is right and we use those steaks to make more than just one meal from, so I can see the buying of steaks. Lobster can’t be so easily defended.
I’ve always thought there was an easy fix to the problem, which would also be a solution to the issues of abortion and overpopulation as well. License people to procreate, limit the number of kids a family can have and if a person qualifies for TANF to help pay for rent or utilities, pay that money straight to the utility companies and landlords. Give vouchers for personal hygiene products, clothes, etc. Don’t give cash.
It’s hard depending on food stamps and it’s a humbling experience. Those that feel entitled to it or make a living off the system need to be held accountable and weened off the system. We can’t wait til the day when no longer have the need for food stamps because it will mean that things for us have started to get better.
I have been on food stamps once in my lifetime for only 3 months. I was out of work and struggling to make ends meat. I saved my money while I was working and was able to pay rent and insurance but I canceled many things like my direct tv and gym membership. While on food stamps I bought real food. Fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, chicken and low grade cuts of red meat (trust me you can make a lot of meals out of one roast if you cut the meat right). The only extravagant item I bought was a box Ho-Hos or something of that nature to treat myself once in a while. I felt shame when I went to the register to pay with my food stamps card, but the cashiers where always amazed that I was using it for real food. I got many complements on my responsibility in using government assistance the right way from the people ringing me up to the managers who where sometimes present at my purchases. I work hard and am damn proud of it. I do get assistance for school since I don’t make much money in this horrendous economy, but I have to pay a good portion of it back when I do graduate. When you are a white male in your late 20s or early 30s, you barely get any assistance to pay for college even with a 3.8 GPA. Tell me how that is fair. I get denied every time I apply for scholarships and grants because I “don’t meet the requirements” for anything. When I probe further for the requirements I am always given the run around and told half truths or straight out lies. I know kids and people my age or older who get the grants and scholarships with barely or not even meeting the academic requirements because they fit into the appropriate groups that Universities love to promote. So in closing when someone tells that if you work hard good things will come to you it’s a bold faced lie because if you don’t fill a quota then you are just S.O.L
When you see one individual person going through the checkout, you often can’t tell whether they are abusing the system or not. A guy wearing a business suit? It’s not just poor schleps with no education that get down on their luck for a while. A friend of mine lost his job as vice president of a company, started a business as a result, and had to be on food stamps for a while. If he’s visiting clients, would it be more profitable for him to wear a business suit, or sell all of his business suits to buy food and not be able to make any money? BTW, I think that he employs three people right now, and I’m sure that he’s off of food stamps. Along a similar line, I know a lot of people at my church that wear suits to church (even the poorer ones). The poor people get their suits at garage sales or donations.
Similarly, you can’t tell by what one person has whether they are struggling incomewise at home. Ten years ago, my family made six figures; today, we make about $25k a year, and there’s four of us instead of two. In the early years after my income dropped, we still had a lot of the nice things that we once had when our income was higher. We also have family members that buy us things for Christmas and birthdays.
That being said, I do realize that there are a lot of people who abuse the system and probably never were productive members of society. While you can generalize trends by seeing a slew of people using food stamps (perhaps a certain percentage are abusing), if you pick out one individual by some outward characteristic, you may be surprised that there is more beneath the surface than you’re imagining. Perhaps not on many cases, but in some, I’m sure.
Great Article! My family was on welfare for a time when I was growing up and I grew up with very few things. I watched the area I grew up in, full of people in the same situation; deteriorate due to a lack of incentive and a lack of motivation. I believe the welfare system creates both of these things. I notice people giving the writer a hard time. Well I experienced welfare, I am a school teacher now who still makes little money, but I work, and I VOTE REPUBLICAN because the liberal way is that of laziness and human doubt. Doubting that people can make their own decisions, take care of themselves, and refusing to let individuals prosper; including the rich. I have no animosity towards the rich….God Bless Them! Most employ people like my mother and father who are middle class and appreciate a good hard day’s work. I VOTE REPUBLICAN because it’s the liberal way that creates an “I am entitled” to whatever I want agenda. I VOTE REPUBLICAN because I have watched the welfare system destroy so many of my closest friends growing up and their families. Thanks liberals for serving my neighborhood nothing but sadness, increase dependency, drug use, and an inability to believe in yourself enough to want to better your life more than a fixed income of other people’s money.
What do I know, I am just a poor kid from the ghetto……Don’t mind my take on things….
Keep up the good fight!
i think this girl is right a lot of people abuse it ,2 of my family members where on it and now one still is and they both are capable of working .I’ve seen people in worse conditions needing help but the State won’t help out or when they do they only get enough to buy food for a week if that.
But a bigger problem is “foreigners” ,I was standing in line with my wife when a foreigner lady pulled out food stamp card and paid for her stuff with her remaining balance on EBT and then paid more of it with her TANF,then a credit card and cash.what is up with that ?So that’s where my money goes to .
But i do have to agree with some of the people who think its wrong for people to judge,I was on the Food stamp thing for a couple months but thats before i got a good paying job and was living from couch to couch and sometimes in my car that was off the road cuz i had no job and couldn’t find one .But food stamps are only temporary income to buy food and nothing to keep going so u don’t have to work
This is a national epidemic. Whether one lives in Maine, or in Louisiana as I do, it is a normal occurence to see welfare fraud and abuse at the grocery store on a regular basis. I’ve seen food stamp recipients check out with hundreds of dollars worth of groceries and walk briskly out to their late model Mercedes that was parked in a handicapped space. I’ve seen welfare moms talking on their i-phones, wearing designer clothes, with several kids milling about, buying hundreds of dollars worth of groceries while I had a loaf of bread and some lunch meat and peanut butter for my kids, in my cart. I’ve seen folks whip out their EBT card and get their food transaction done, and then open a fat billfold and sift through several $100 dollar bills to find a $20 bill to get some cigarettes and alchohol. Life isn’t fair, its a struggle and when those who work, struggle to provide for their own while paying taxes so that others who don’t work can eat better than they can, we have a serious problem here. There should be a stigma attached to the use of a food stamp card. Maybe they need their own line at the store or something to make them realize that someone else is paying for their food. This entitlement culture needs to stop. If it did we would be so much better as a nation, and things would drastically improve.
Whew, no division in our country eh?
Miss Rousselle,
You have given me hope that there is still hope to reclaim the true America. It’s a relief to see that not ALL college students are brainwashed by their liberal professors. I attended college in my late 30′s and I know how professors push their own liberal agenda. I have also worked in Law Enforcement. If you think what you saw was bad well let me tell you, it gets WORSE!!! They sell their food stamps & prescriptions to their friends and then they hit the bars. Once they get into trouble they think that by telling you they are on welfare it means the law doesn’t apply to them. Or one of the best lines I ever heard was “You can’t arrest me!!! I’m on welfare and I only have a babysitter for my KIDS until 1:30″!!!!! First of all IF your on welfare and a single parent WTF are you doing out at a bar!?!?!?!?!?
Keep up the good work young lady. YOU ARE AMERICA’S FUTURE!
I think a safety net for the truly hard-pressed is needed. But this woman’s experience as a cashier mirrors my own. There were many who were truly grateful for the hand up, but many who were simply working the system.
This week, I talked to a man who has in his possession at least three free cell phones. They were supposed to be limited to one per household, but somehow he has accrued more. Therefore, he has not 250 minutes per month, but 750 minutes (more than I can afford.) He received Thanksgiving groceries from two or three different agencies. He routinely sells his EBT food supplement card to buy other things he wants. I asked, jokingly, how I could get off the treadmill and get everything free, and he said,”Tell them you suffer from anxiety, what can they say? It qualifies you as disabled”
Some days I feel like a sucker by working for a living.
Every system has “cheats”. Like Gingrich taking 1.6 million for “historical consulting” or Rick Perry drawing 90K/ year from the Texas pension system while still governor, or corporate boards voting the CEO a hundred million dollar retirement package when 57% of shareholders voted “no” to increased exec pay, like Gingrich getting overpaid by a few million by a Newscorp subsidiary while it’s CEO, R. Murdoch was trying to get a waiver for a foreign national (married to a Chinese party member) to own a US News outlet- Fox.
So, cheats aside, in your beautiful state of Maine, are you saying that eliminating welfare will cause all those poor to take up jobs? I thought there were 4 applicants for ever job out there? Do you think the result of even more workers entering the job force would be downward pressure on wages of the people who are currently working? Or maybe there would magically be more jobs.
How about this? Lets tax Walmart, the company who accelerated offshoring of US jobs more than any other and made huge profits doing it, to death. You could use the proceeds to create government jobs cleaning parks, etc. Yeah, Walmart the great US company whose health insurance plan (until exposed and cajoled ) was to hand out medicaid applications in the employee break room. Hows that for cheating the system?
Way to go Christine! This article is the absolute truth. My wife and I live in Scarborough, ME, and have been to that Walmart a few times. We do not go there anymore. The entitlement mentality is on full display. Getting through the check out lines is a challenge because of the Multi cart welfare mom’s that frequent the place. The parking lot is always full mid-week, during the day, when most people are working. Somebody needs to push that hotdog cart off the end of the Maine State pier!
Good for you young lady !! You are so right in posting this !! More people need to open their eyes to this problem !! Our government should be keeping a better watch on how this money is being spent . Our government should also be drug testing anyone that applies for government aid !! I once had a neighbor who was getting gov help and she tried to tell me that she could show me what i need to do to get this assistance !! at the time i was unemployed but instead of following her lead i kept on looking and found a job !! It really stinks when you see these freeloaders living large on our tax dollars while guys like me ride a bike to work because i cant afford a car because i have mouths to feed !! WAKE UP AMERICA !!
This essay is puer conjecture, there is no fact or research to support this spoiled little girl’s opinion. Its actually quite offensive, the gov’t goes to great lenght to remove the stima of assistance, and this child has chosen to perpetuate it. How dare you question someone who buys steak? what should they buy, Ramen noodles? I guess because they are poor, they should not have access to healthy and nutritious foods? I guess children on food stamps arent allowed to have cake on their birthday’s either? Aslo, i dont know if you are aware, but that cash that is received, in most cases, is from the state putting that money in your account and then going after dead-beat fathers for it…. so many you should check your facts before you go judging? ii’m done. i stopped reading halfway through, because its so offensive and misleading! YOU KNOW EVERYONE HAS TO DEAL WITH RUDE PEOPLE OR NEGATIVETYAT THEIR JOBS~! all that this person has done is lump all of them into one stereo-type! i’ll bet that in your big important job as a casheir, you never came across something YOU thought were entitled to help? because you didnt mention any of those people.. bias!
What a judgmental bitch you are! You think you have the right to call other people self entitled with the judgement you are casting onto others? Yes there are some ppl who abuse the system, but someone being rude to you has nothing to do with them being on welfare you IDIOT. Maybe they were rude to you just because they could tell what a judgmental cunt you are.
It’s likely that you gave them some “kind” looks or made some “kind” noises while dealing with their situations. What makes your pathetic minimum wage job any more eligible for a steak than someone who is on food stamps? Steak is food, it’s up to them to manage their budget, and if they want a steak, THEY CAN GET A FUCKING STEAK!
By the way, I’m a 27 yo married man who works 65 hours a week, has a master’s degree, my wife is college educated and works 55 hours a week, we own a beautiful home, and have a lovely family. I am not on welfare. What I do have is a perspective on life that I developed myself.
You on the other hand have been brainwashed. YOu clearly are learning NOTHING from college. College is supposed to teach you how to think for yourself and be critical. Instead you are listening to what other republicans tell you, and you are thinking how they tell you to think.
The human brain works to summarize the massive amount of information we take in by lumping information into groups and schemas. The simple minded idiot (think of yourself) let’s these schemas control how they see everything. The intelligent person can think outside of the box and see individual cases and variables as they were meant to be seen.
You are a simple minded loser who will just continue to contribute to the problems that have developed in this country. These problems developed because the “problem solvers” who think they have all of the answers think like you, and they greatly outnumber the people who think outside of the box like myself.
It’s your choice – be an idiot your whole life, or grow up and try to think for yourself. I won’t be surprised at all if you choose to stay an idiot, just like you’ve chosen to stay slightly over weight judging by your picture.
There, how’s it feel to be judged fatty? Not to good eh?
Excellent Article! How true that our system is abused by those who do not need it! I get so frustrated going to the grocery store and getting stuck in line behind someone who is using Food Stamps or WIC. I know that when I leave the store their husband is usually waiting for them out in the car, a very expensive sports car with all the perks! Yet, my husband works two jobs. And times are still tough but we do not abuse the government. My husbands philosophy is he would rather get a 3rd job than take from the government. We want to teach our kids that in order to have something such as food, house (rental at that), the mini-van, etc. you have to work for it. I know someone whose combine income was $50,000 and they could still register for WIC. Disgusting!
What does voting Republican have to do with the issue?? I haven’t seen them fixing the problem when they are in office? I definitely agree that there should be more investigation of the abuse and punishment for those that abuse the system. There needs to be more education for all and definitely an end to the cycle of generations living on welfare. I bet the writer of this blog probably qualified for food stamps/welfare if she was working at WalMart and if she would’ve had a few kids. We need jobs that will support families!
oh yah, i thought all life was precious to you conservatives?
I think everyone can acknowledge that there are cases of abuse… However, “generations” of people are on welfare because poverty is very hard to escape. You need to educate yourself before you rant— Poverty is NOT just lack of money. I recommend reading Ruby Payne http://www.lecturemanagement.com/speakers/ruby-payne.htm … And, I think by working at Wal-Mart your perception is a bit skewed. I would encourage you to see welfare recipients as human beings (and not as criminals) by volunteering in a program designed to help them or working with children in extreme poverty. Until you understand the problems, the issues, and the life experience some of these recipients have you WILL NOT be able to help them, and you will continue to be angry. And, I’m sorry, I’m not going to fault someone for buying a Slip n Slide for their kids– no matter how they pay for it… “Judge not…”
I read these posts every few days or so and YET im still amazed there ARE SOME IDIOTS WHO JUST DONT GET THE POINTS BEING MADE. IF YOU ARE USING THE SYSTEM CORRECTLY- WE ARE NOT TALKING TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to be mad at someone, aim your anger at the abusers of the system. THEY ARE the ones giving you a bad name. Not those of us who have EARNED, yes earned, the right to say what happens to our tax dollars. If you are abusing the system- then yes you are a bum, a welfare queen, a welfarian, a moocher, a porch sitter, a lazy shithead- let’s call a spade a spade. YES I HAVE compassion, YES I am a good person, YES I give to people. I give to people WHO genuinely NEED it. I refuse to ever be OK with giving up my hard earned money to people who have no desire to work. And who have never earned a dime in their life. Stop doing drugs, and feed your kids.
You go, girl!!!!! I am from ME. Awesome article, but sadly, true. I personally know a 20 yo young healthy guy who was in jail for 4-5 months and his EBT card just kept accumulating so when he was released he threw a big party on US. And another quick experience, I was at a small country store in Minot ME behind a proverbial welfare queen—-a very well-fed one, I might add—–she bought sodas and chips with (at the time, Food Stamps, now renamed and reconfigured so it’s not so humiliating to use) her coupons and THEN had the balls to pull out her credit card—American Express, I think——to buy 4 cartons of ciggies for a total of WAY over 100 bucks. I contacted the state telling them where and exactly what time it occurred and asked for follow-up report, but, u guessed it NOTHING was done.
Everyone knows that this is going on, but it’s become like a “taboo” to not speak of it. However, this young woman has decided to do so. Good for her! I’ve been in situations, between jobs, that would have qualified me for government support however I went out and found a job. I once even went to the unemployment office and decided to apply for support. After about an hour of waiting for someone to start the process, I walked out. A few days later my friend and I were mowing lawns trying to make money. The people who live on government support for generations are down right disgusting people and have the mentality of a spoiled brat. The problem with government support is not the lack of support but the support is too much and lacks control. Cut the support in half, then maybe…just maybe the recipient will see that they cannot live off of the support and they will try to find work.
Melissa E. Your comment is offensive to me as a former welfare recipient. I knew I could buy cake, steaks, lobster w/ food stamps but I knew it was ethically wrong and in good conscience would not buy such things. You and others like you spin it by saying it’s “food” so that makes it right. This young lady wrote an article based on her experience and what she knew to be happening. It’s not rocket science so for you to make a broad comment based on a narrow experience that you currently find yourself in and obviously feel quite guilty about b/c you buy a cakefor your boyfriend is exactly what her article is saying – generations of ppl doing the wrong thing w/ a program that’s sole purpose is to aid for a short time NOT to create a windfall. You need to reevaluate your morals and ethics b/c at no time should someone on food stamps find themselves in a situation where they use them to buy steaks or cake.
You want to see big dollar WELFARE RAT action? Work in a pharmacy.
When a human tapeworm just off the boat from some third world s**t hole can get questionable prescriptions filled for thousands of dollars and walk out the door paying nothing, that’s WELFARE ABUSE!
I would like to add that this actually runs much deeper. I worked at a daycare for 9 years and couldn’t believe the amount of abuse of state aid I witnessed. Countless families who had free day care because the “single” mothers could “not afford to work and pay for day care.” 95 percent of these “single” mothers were still with the children’s fathers and were also getting the added benefit of free housing. They spent their money on expensive cars, trips, clothes, and expensive electronic gadgets for their children, i.e., a Nintendo DS.
There are people like myself that can benefit from the generosity of Maine and have. When I became pregnant I was just layed off and found two part time jobs. I did not have insurance and was scared out of my mind. I did some research and found that I qualified for Maine Care. I received Maine Care for my entire pregnancy and 1 year after my son’s birth. In that time I managed to find one
full time job with benefits and immediately ended Maine Care. During my pregnancy, and after, I was constantly told by numbers of people that I should go on WIC. I was floored because while I could not afford healthcare at the time, I could surely afford to buy milk and formula. It was just assumed that since I would qualify that I would take advantage of it. My response was always that someone else will need it far more than I do.
The deep rooted problem with the system is it is too easy for people to get these services and then there is no incentive for them get off. The majority of these people really do believe they are entitled!
Great article I agree 100 percent
Watch this all the way to the end to see the connection to Crousselle and Wal Mart. Amazing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a_aikNBiAE
wait a minute.. you cant buy a cake on food stamps, that would be a prepared food item…i’m calling Bullshit! oh yah, yall who think this writer as an interesting point of view- take a look at who also shares your opinion^
This is not a response to Mrs. Cook, but to the entire community. What a bunch of racists, no goods, and I do not care what your status is. It is no wander we are in the crime situation, debt situation, not forgetting our dire political situation, etc. I know I am going to get flack for this, because the trueth always hurts.
Get a hand up not a hand out! Limits and training is the key to get people off welfare.
This write up is example of a very small portion of individuals. 45,753,078 Americans and 21,581,234 households are on food stamps out of roughly 311,000,000 Americans. This article really does not say why we need reform or how. It just bashes a few individuals who ruin it for millions of other people. I am all for helping people out. I donate and help others out regularly. Just because a few bad apples ruin it doesn’t mean everyone, which this article makes it sound like, is bad.
What a simplistically anecdotal writer! She won’t go very far in her career with her underdeveloped ability to convey the human condition. I hope she likes being a “blogger”, she’ll be little else in her lifetime.
First, stop reading this garbage that is only meant to get you angry. There is no thinking involved with a piece like this.
Second, I can understand the desire (and nearly agree) to skewer people who can’t seem to understand that a vacuum cleaner, even under the best circumstances, is not #3.48, but for buying a cake?
If you want welfare reform, you are not going to get it by treating people like animals whose food stamps are reserved to your limited realm of acceptability. If you want to rally for reform, rally for education. Educate our politicians on why we need stricter welfare guidelines, then educate the recipients so it doesn’t get passed on from generation to generation.
I don’t know anyone who enjoys the feeling of being “ripped off” through taxes or any other means but the constant degradation of people who are on welfare serves only to make some think they are superior to others. The desire to belittle someone else so we feel better about ourselves is an ugly stain on the human existence.
It’s selfish conservatives that make me extremely wary about any efforts to curb benefits. Next time you call for “welfare reform,” try not to make generalizing statements about those of us who use it.
You are lying. Clinton signed welfare reform into law in 1998, and recipients can only receive benefits for 5 years. So there is NO ONE in the entire country who has been on welfare since 1991.
I guess you are not yet mature enough to understand you can make a point without manufacturing evidence. I also hope you aren’t planning on working in any WalMart ever again. They won’t appreciate an associate who is this disrespectful to customers.
Very well written. All I have to say is that anyone that lives off welfare should be judge and held responsible for getting a free hand out. Anyone who defends welfare is a total loser and need to look at them selves in the mirror. GET A JOB IS NOT THAT HARD!
I live in Lewiston, Maine…so your preaching to the choir here.
Heck, check out the banks, wall street and big corporations who abuse the system.
Great article Christine.
This country was founded on freedom, the opposite of dependency. The system should only be helping those who are truly poor.
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/09/understanding-poverty-in-the-united-states-surprising-facts-about-americas-poor
(it’s extremely long, but scroll to the very bottom at least)
I understand what you are trying to say about FS. I am currently receiving FS for my family and I also work. I recently started making more money at work because my hours increased and I got a 30 cent increase in pay rate and the government cut my FS in half because my pay increased by 100 dollars. It really is hard to try to get ahead in this world when there is always someone or something holding you back. Times are hard and things are only getting worse. I am a mother of 2 boys one is 7 and the other one is 4. There have been times that I have bought their cakes with FS stamps so that I can actually have enough money to at least buy them a gift. I feel if I am paying taxes and I am working everyday that I should be entitled to recieve some type of benifits ffom the government. I am not saying people abuse the system because some people do. I feel they should do drug test for people who recieve welfare and they should also help families on welfare to get jobs so they don’t stay on welfare. I can say I am currently getting ready to graduate in May 2012 and then maybe I can find a better job where I can get paid better and have no need to depend on welfare.
Ha! Ever occur to you that you may be working fewer hours if not for these people? And the waste in food stamps is negligible compared to Medicare and Defense fraud. If minimum wage kept pace with inflation, it would be $10/hr. But since jobs are being outsourced, pay can and is depressed. But I know conservatives just lap up this stuff to have a whipping boy for “government waste”. Bet you get a job where it’s by cronyism and abusing the system as well, which will make welfare queen’s payments look like chump change.
Gotta love the ones that come in to get their cash off of their EBT cards and then proceed to buy lottery tickets! Like seriously, I working my butt off for you to sit home and do nothing but scratch lottery tickets. That shows you how lazy people are, not to metion scumbags.
I hope the author realizes many Walmarts around the country receive breaks and subsidies from towns and counties their “servicing.” I think it’s time to take Walmart off of welfare…
The government should eliminate food stamps and many other benefits. They should open government run stores in each state. If you qualified for assistance you’d go to these stores and recieve unbranded American made products. No porterhouse steaks and lobster but chicken, inexpensive cuts of beef and some seafood. My tax dollars shouldn’t allow you to eat better than I do. Eliminating junkfood in these locations would lower public healthcare costs and benefit the recipients of this aid. All recipients of any aid from the government should be drug tested and put back into the programs by working. Whether they work part time in these government run stores or work to clean and do minor maintenance to the subsidized housing they live in or pick up trash and do minor jobs in their communities. The days of doing nothing and getting everything need to come to an end. It is driving this countries economic problems. If you want nice things work for them. If you don’t feel like working then deal with what you get. And saying there are no jobs is a weak excuse, swollow your pride and pump gas or flip burgers. Stop leeching off society and become a productive member of it
To those smart arse lazy people who make ignorant comments about this article: how about you get off your duff and stand at that register and watch YOUR tax dollars go down the drain? How about you stand there 9 hours a day and take their abuse and hateful. comments for actually having a job? How about you stand there and work your duff off to pay for THEIR lobster and shrimp and steak while you yourself can not afford it.
Let me tell you something. I am 41 years old and have worked all my damn life. To hear you people scream about us “judgmental’ people is insulting. It is NOT judgmental to speak the truth. If you get welfare abuse it, then the truth hurts doesn’t it? There should be a time limit. When I lived in TN a woman was complaining about the system, and she had been on it for 49 years. Come on. GET A JOB. If my teenagers can get a damn job, so can you.
1. When you are on welfare, you are essentially spending your neighbors’ money. Thus, your “neighbors” do have a right to judge what you spend that money on. 2. I think we can all agree that charity is a good thing, but charity or welfare (government forced contributions) should be only for the truly unfortunate. If you run out of money because you lived on the edge with no savings, that is simply the predictable result of a lack of planning. Too many people fall into this category. How would you live life if there was no such thing as unemployment or welfare? You woud spend conservatively and keep a reserve fund. Perhaps not have children until you have achieved some level of financial & marital security. Be more careful about leaving an existing job. 3. Public assistance is a legal right, but one that should be cherished and only used when absolutely necessary. No one would begrudge or adversely stereotype recipients if this were adhered to. Instead they would have sympathy. 4. I know of multiple incidents where students at professional schools were collecting food stamps and other forms of assistance. These future “professionals” were college graduates who had graduated in the top 10% of their class and elected to go on for a doctorate degree to substantially increase their earning potential. One owned a home but had transfered title to a relative to reduce apparent assets.
I have been accused of collecting welfare. After enlisting and serving two combat tours in the military, I used the GI bill to help pay for college. Some said that it is simply a form of welfare. But, of course, this form of welfare is open to all; just see your local recruiter.
There are posts on here saying walk a mile in their shoes, and we can’t say that people with assistance can’t buy steak and lobster.
I’ve a few miles in those shoes, Food Stamps, AFDC, WIC. Being a single father working at wal mart, I needed help. I also took classes at the tech college. I’ve been off the assistance programs for years now, but can say steak and lobster shouldn’t be bought with food stamps.
My reasoning is simple, Steak or Lobster is one dinner that costs how much? Multiple meals can be purchased for the price of a good steak or lobster.
During my time on assistance I also lived in housing funded by HUD. When I first moved in there, it was full of residence having a difficult time and working to move forward. Before I knew it, there were people there saying “Why should I work when I get a check every month?” Exact quote.
I moved myself and my daughter out of there the following month.
This article hit on a lot of truth. There are many abusers of this system. I just feel bad for the few honest people on they system that will probably get the short end of the deal.
It’s a shame that people act as though this is something new and now worth looking at because a 20-year old said it. It’s been around a long time, folks, and it ain’t going away any time soon.
Wow, great article.
It isn’t any better here in Massachusetts, if not maybe worse.
Not just at Wal Mart, but also working for a bank you see a lot of this as well.
I’d like to see a little recognition for the people who don’t lay around doing nothing alll day having one child after another expecting to get assistance because they don’t know what birth control means.
What about the young people who are responsible with jobs, an education, and the common sense of not procreating when financially times are tough.
Until then, off to work to make my donation in taxes to people abusing the system.
I worked until a couple of years ago when an accident left me unable to work. I am now receiving social security disability. I had worked long enough to be able to get disability based on my years paying into the system (as opposed to SSI, which you can get even if you’ve never worked). I’m not that old so I still get a small enough amount that I also qualify for food stamps. I do need to buy packaged items rather than a lot of whole foods because I am rarely physically able to cook. I think my case is an exception rather than the rule but I wanted to mention that because I saw several posts suggesting people be limited to those types of foods. I am not talking about pre-made cakes. I am talking about not being able to cook meats and veggies from scratch. I also do buy soda sometimes for a caffeine boost because the medications I have to take make me so tired.
Having said those things though I do want to say I agree with the premise of the article. I want nothing more than to get back to work. The irony is that I need extensive physical therapy that I cannot get to due to a lack of transportation. I am unable to walk to the closest bus stop so I need medical rides that come to my building. There are so many people using the system that they have made cuts. The people who have spent their lives on the system can get those rides. I get SSDI rather than SSI because I worked enough years to pay into the system. Because my monthly check is just a little bit higher I have to meet an impossible deductible of $1200+ every SIX MONTHS before the rides would be covered. There is a very good chance with extensive rehab I can work again but I am still trying to figure out how I’d get there multiple times a week. Everyone I know works. It seems to me it would make more sense to help someone like me get off the system than to give the rides to people who can walk to the bus.
The frustrating thing is that if there weren’t so many people using the system who don’t really need it they wouldn’t have to cut out services like these that might help me to get off the system entirely. I live in a building for disabled people so I see how these people live. There are many who are truly deserving and would be unable to live without these services. I see many who get services they don’t really need though because they are encouraged to apply for every program available whether they actually need them or not. There are some who had injuries or conditions they could recover from but once on disability they never want to work again so they do what they can to stay on. I see the people who say they have physical issues then walk all over town or have mental health issues then continue to collect even when they are functioning just fine.
Even for those on disability there is plenty of abuse. The other big issue is that the system is set up better for people who want to stay on it than for people who want to get better and move on with their lives. Those are two big areas that need a lot of work and I can say this from being “on that side” of things and “walking in those shoes.”
Once more- NONE of this is aimed at anyone who is using or used the system correctly. But heres another thought for all the do-gooders. If you are OK with the blatant abuse of the system, an idea I have which may cure your case of stupid… On your paydays- stand outside your local Walmart or Hannaford- and each welfare queen that strolls in- hand them some cash out of your pocket. Continue to do so until your paycheck is gone.
We are already doing this, and most of us can see that. And MOST of us are NOT ok with. So for those of you who are OK with it, I invite you to try this strategy. It wont be long before you would see the light. Why should they be living the high life off of my dollar? when I cant afford lobster, steak, iPhones, iPads, etc Id like these things for my family after working all week but I can’t afford it. IVE EARNED IT BUT IT DOESNT MEAN I CAN AFFORD IT. I dont need to hear the sob stories, I KNOW what I see with my own eyes.
Someone close to Larry Byrd spoke of his generosity. They said “Larry Byrd is the kind of guy who will buy the beer all day long. Until someone expects it.” Now I know he isnt some great historical figure but the point that makes is HUGE. You give more, they expect more. You cant help someone who won’t help themselves. You can’t fix stupid.
Let it also be said about Christine that she doesn’t have the moral courage to respond to the flaws in her ‘article’. Of course, in her world, Tx didnt have a 27 billion dollar state deficit under complete Republican control (not to mention other GOP held states like Az, Ga, Fl, Sc, etc… That are billions in debt). The red state of Idaho didn’t have the highest jump in welfare recipients. And I’m sure she will defend the failed Bush stimulus tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 that had the poorest job creation since my grandparents were children. Where WERE the jobs Christine? Why did the median wage go down under GOP control? Why are we still rewarding job eliminators with tax cuts?
And for her Republican supporters if you want GOD in government, then you know HE wants to support the least among us. If you don’t like that- then maybe God doesn’t belong in government. You’re either for Ayn Rand’s view of the world or the Lord’s. You CAN’T have both.
Let’s see if she will actually respond! I’ll be waiting.
I have a friend right up the street that is on welfare. He had to get on it because they shut his power off. He is a real nice guy. He owns a $35,000 tractor and goes around to all the neighbors houses in the winter and plows their driveways. I suspect he must own this tractor because he has 3 rental homes and has to keep the driveways clear. After he is done, he goes back for hot chocolate in his 10,000 square foot home. Over the summer, we were invited to a BBQ at his house. The kids were swimming in his tremendous pools and just having a grand old time (It might have been better without the 6 100 pound dogs running around). They only cost 4 to $500 a month to feed. After all the activities, we sat down to a BBQ meal that couldn’t be beat. I have never actually seen 100 pounds of grade A beef, 40 pounds of shrimp, and all the other things that were on the BBQ. I guess feeding 30 or so people is difficult. After dinner, the drinks started flowing from a bar he had that would make a dance club jealous. We were responsible though. We sent the kids in to the home theater that had a 101 inch TV screen, huge sound system, and theater style chairs.
For those of you that do not think there is abuse happening every second and the system is not broken, you are insane and idiotic. By the way, a conversation was started about the programs that are meant to help people. As it turns out, there were 3 other people at the party doing the same thing. The end comment was this: Its there, why WOULDN’T we take advantage of it?
I work for a grocery store in Maine, not too far from the Walmart mentioned in this article. In my 5 years of employment there, I have witness countless examples of system abuse. One particular example- I had a woman come to my register to check out her items. She had a small cart full of things that would be for a birthday party- complete with decorated bakery cake, candles, balloons- the whole nine yards. She put these things on the belt, and as I started scanning them through, she produced a Salvation Army voucher for $30. The voucher stated that she could purchase “food, household, and personal products (no alcohol or tobacco) up to $30, and would be processed as a store charge. These vouchers are intended to be used for emergency situations- for items to be purchased by the individual in need to get them through a rough patch while they have no other means of providing their needed items. I continued with the transaction, and towards the end, I asked the customer if she would like me to continue though her total would be over $30. She told me to do so, and after processing the voucher charge, it left her with a remaining balance of around $5. (This is not uncommon for the customer to pay the remainder.) She then whipped out her EBT card and paid for the remainder with it- and it showed an available balance of over $400 afterwards.
THIS is what is wrong with this system.
For you idiots posting replies trying to defend the 250lb, 30 year old retards that roam the walmart isles… shame on you.. If this was the 1700s.. those people would not be alive. Survival of the fit. You cant work? You cant support yourself? You dont eat! You dont live. This government is horrible but is VERY easy.. What she was saying wasnt just candy.. or a simple cake.. it was an extravagent cake.. Things you DONT NEED TO SURVIVE!! You people dont seem to understand that you get this money TO SURVIVE.. not to live off of and just sit in a lawn chair all day eating cake.. I wish I could buy a cake meant for 40 people and sit around all day doing nothing.. But I work part-time and go to college full-time.. For those of you who in anyway bash this girl’s post.. you are another typical blind america who is only out to get whatever they want even if it means mooching off the younger more successful generations.. All the power to you crousselle!! It’s a hard world.. not because of you and me.. but because the generations before us dont have an education and don’t want to work to fix what they did wrong. If you read this, and think that we are not talking about YOU.. then you need to know…You are considered part of that generation if you are roughly 30-50 years old.. jobless, no education.. and you leech of your children/grandchildren’s income.. SHAME ON YOU. This is about YOU, and you need to do something about it!
@ Walmartcustomer- YOU are actually the mis-informed one here. Not the young lady writing the article. These shitheads KNOW their way around the system, and then even more ways to mooch longer than 5 years. Some of them could write a “how to” book. I personally have family members, and acquaintances that have been living off of welfare for MANY years- far more than 5 years. Oh wise Walmartcustomer- I invite you to please explain that away. Excuses not necessary.
Then turn them in. If you really do know people abusing the system, it’s your duty to report them. Or perhaps you’d rather they continue to cheat the system so you can point at them and pretend you’re shocked. You conservatives do tend to always need to feel superior to others and to always have something to be appalled over, even if that entails making it up as you go along.
Personally I’m far more appalled that someone this insensitive and judgmental would be employed by WalMart and I have forwarded her blog to the store in Scarborough as well as corporate offices in Arkansas. Here’s to this little snotty cashier being unemployed this summer and not receiving good recommendations from WalMart. You see, some of us believe in reporting people instead of just whining about them.
Very well written. Yes some people need Welfare and Food Stamps and really deserve the assistance but the point to all of this is that there is so much abuse. I remember 25 years ago driving past the Welfare office in my junky car and the lines of Cadillacs outside and fur coats and lots of jewelry this has been going on for years. I did receive WIC for a couple of months when my twins were little then I got a job.. Go figure.
The rest of the world is laughing at you.
So insecure and pathetic.
Is YOUR LIFE any worse because poor people aren’t spending their foodstamps the way you want them to?
No.
YOU just want poor people to be miserable. Why? You hateful waste of life.
The rest of the planet is DISGUSTED by how we treat our poor. You think we should let them starve to death? When the revolution comes, you’ll be the first against the wall, motherfucker.
I was on welfare at one point in time. I was also working. I was also going to school. I was on for about 5 years (long enough to get my full degree) and I have not been back on since. I miss the medical, but the amount of money was not enough to live on. I also knew a girl who abused the system. She went to school with me for about a year. SHe had two kids. She got money, stamps, medical, dental and section 8. However, her boys did not live with her. Every time she got her check, she would go out and buy about $100 worth of make up. I just could not understand why and how she could do this. There are those that abuse and those that need a helping hand when in trouble. I knew another girl who was on the system and started school. THe worker she had immediately cut off all her benefits. She had no choice but to quit school and go back on welfare to take care of her kids.(Her husband had left her with nothing). There are those that get help, those that abuse and those that no matter what they do the system screws them.
@Jen Unemployment is paid by my employer, yes. But the employer takes out a certain amount of my check for it.
Christine, though I may be long gone by that time, I hope you will run for, and win, the U.S. Presidency some day. We need people like you! This was an excellent “first-person witness” article. Your state, and our country, will collapse from within if things like this continue. It’s shameful.
RE: Food stamps california… im a single mother who has worked hard everyday to support my 14 year old daughter without ever having to ask for state assistance. in August i was in a car accident whick placed me on dissability and because i make $130 “to much(??????)” i dont qualify? the response i get from the state is…..”discontinue your dissability.” WTF???????? Regardless that i am bringing in almost $500 less being on “Temperary” disability. I do believe you MUST have LEAGAL papers and have SOME form of work history. Im SICK AND TIRED OF PAYING FOR THE PEOPLE YOU SPEAK OF!!!!!!! When there are soooooooo many people who work hard strugling daily and pay monthly and cant even recieve whats rightfully theirs! its sickins me to the core. I believe that IF you work and or pay taxes in some form you should ATOMATICALLY be approved for some kind of aid! This is Just my oppinion!
welfare definitely needs an overhall. me as a taxpayer cant afford the food luxuries these ebt people do. ebt and food stamps should be for necessities only! as long as we hand these things out people have no incentive to help themselves. generations of the same family seem to work the system to its fullest.its time for a change!
Nice article!
I agree with your assessment of the abuse – I disagree with your labeling the abuse the fault of Democrats. Instead of spewing political rhetoric to pit each party against each other, let’s solve the problem. I can’t imagine any Democrat feels abuse of the system is correct or acceptable. To prove my point – I can’t imagine any Republican feeling the abuse of the banking system, or high ranking CEO’s salaries, or the Bernie Madoff scam, for that matter, is acceptable. And, I am sure no Republican would accept the blame for those frauds and abuses. Is your purpose to point out the abuses or to further drive a wedge between the parties? Assess blame on the real criminals – the people who have no morals and values; the selfish, greedy ones; the ones who feel entitled….. and I bet many of them are Republicans!
well I have to say that I was a cashier at walmart for 2 and a half years before I moved onto the deli. When I got pregnant I found I was on foodstamps for a short amount of time but then I got off the program. I have to say I do understand what you are saying. Here my husband and I were having a hrad time and people comming through my line were buying ramen noodles or numerous cans of soda. Now I understand that its okay to buy junk food once in a while…maybe jsut for a treat for once in a while…but really? I had a few people come through my line with atleast four 30 packs of soda.
I have taken many cake orders that require 40 dollar prices paid with foodstamps. and I also have seen them returned back for the cash. It is annoying and ignorant. I see mayne people out there who need the help and can’t get it because of other peoples actions.
I had a woman yell at me because her foodstamps wouldn’t pay for her popcorn tin at one point. And I think if they are going to yell at you for something stupid like that than they should come and spend a day in my shoes and see what it feels like. I am not against food stamps but what I have to say I am against the people who but beer,tobacco,and other nonsense items frustrates me. I have always said don’t abuse it and use it for when you need it.
You think this is bad, take a look at SSI to children with learning disabilities. ADD, dyslexia, and other minor learning challenges earn the parents a $663.00 check for each child every month. If the child improves and over comes the learning challenge the checks stop. There is not a problem with intercity schools there is a problem with paying parents to keep their kids dumb. Not one politician I have mentioned this to has cared.
I struggle working for the county. I bring home only $800 every two weeks. Just for me and my wife, our Walmart bill comes to $120.00 a week. That is food, meds, paper goods. No frills, magazine or clothes. Our mortgage P&I + Insurance is over $900 a month. Yes we are behind now. Add in the power bill, phone bill, gas for my vehicle to get to work and back, water bill, garbage bill etc. I have no Cable. I use an antennae for TV, No X-box accounts, Ps2 or 3 or whatever. We have cut to the core and cut out all frills, vacations, everything. We went in to apply for help ( food assistance ) and was turned down. Reason! I make too much money. Never mind what I make is not enough to survive on, but I make too much money. January my Insurance premiums will go up over $300 more a month. Deductible from $4500 to 12,000. Garbage and water is going up 16 percent, Power is going up 21 percent, My gas bill just got a raise of over 40 percent in November. Thank you all very much for the rate hikes. And by the way since I live in Florida, and work for county government, Governor Scott so graciously tacked on a 3% income tax on us to pay for the State retirement plan. Not the citizens of Florida, just workers. So what I can gather from most of my neighbors is, I should quit working and just go on the system. Isn’t that socialism? I know it can’t be too bad to be on the system, because I see all those buggy full of food leaving Walmart, be loaded into a Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator all the time.
I’m American but I retired to Mexico. In Mexico you only receive the necessities on welfare. Items such as Tortilla’s, beans, rice , eggs , bread and milk etc. are covered. In other words , necessities. At many times in my life I lived on Ramon Noodles and Cheese sandwiches to get by but I never took aid because I’d have been ashamed. Welfare was for people who were truly destitute. Maybe we need to go back to the days when Govt. cheese was distributed, only staples to stop this fraud which is forcing honest folks to live in poverty.
Christine,
I thank God for young people like you. It’s up to your generation to save our republic, my generation certainly will not do it.
Um, excuse me, there is no such thing as a “right to eat whatever you want”. You have a right to work and then you have a right to use the money you earn and buy the food you can afford with it. The rest of us who work and live on a budget have the right to give to charity to help the poor of our own free will. What would happen to the welfare and WIC roles if those funds could only purchase specific staples, maybe from a separate store. I bet many would get sick of living on only the basics and find work. By the way, if you’re on welfare of any kind, you should not be allowed to vote – conflict of interest.
It is tough for these folks. How does one make ends meet when there is a cell phone (or phones) bill, the two cars, cable TV and two or three big screens, cigarettes, alcohol, Nike shoes, Hilfiger clothes, fancy jewelry, and the home computers to pay for?
How do you people expect them to make ends meet when they have all this going on?
/sarc
Big Dog
http://www.onebigdog.net
This article is uninformed drivel. You base everything around 20 second interactions with people. Your main complaint is that people acted entitled and rude to you. The person acting the most entitled here, from what I can tell, is you. You want to know what? I’ve met a lot of rude, entitled people who feel fine about belittling others and a majority of them were middle to upper-middle class.
Are you this outraged when the rich defraud the government, or corporations rip people off? Or when a for profit healthcare company commits Medicare/Medicaid fraud? Those offenses cost people a lot more than someone buying a steak with SNAP.
Additionally, the idea that every welfare recipient or SNAP recipient is unemployed is total baloney. A good portion of people who are recipients of those programs are employed but are paid so poorly that they qualify for welfare or food stamps. An example of where this happens is, well, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has the highest rate of employees who qualify and receive welfare, SNAP, Medicare/Medicaid.
Yes, the welfare system needs reform but for reasons very different from what you’re bringing forward (though abuse does happen but abuse happens in every single program and law that exists and not even by individuals. You can never eliminate it 100%).
Part of the problem is with the program. Where i live the program penalizes you if you begin to better yourself. We need reforms but our government is run by these same types of people but with grander schemes. If you could begin to make some income without loosing the whole aid package it might be easier for those that do want to better themselves ( and many do) to get off the system. Then we can concentrate on the fraud.
One thing not mentioned in the story that i have personally witnessed is the people in charge of the system advising clients how to defraud the system. They have to show an ever increasing need to receive their budget increase.
Well, Since Bill Cinton changed the Welfare Laws and no one can recieve “Welfare” benefits for more than 5 years anymore, then you must be “MISTAKEN” about the man on Welfare since 1991. And since you must be “MISTAKEN” about that I wonder how many other “MISTAKES” there are in this story. Also, your state had one of the easiest “Welfare” systems to abuse and is now working on tightening that system.
Word is you want to be like Ann Coulter. Well with your “mistake” you are well on your way.. LMAO.
There are some people that need welfare. Some people can’t find a job. When I was growing up my mother raised me and my sister by herself on 30 hrs a week at minimum wage. My sister and I never got toys or junk food or anything like that. On birthdays we were lucky to even get a birthday cake. Welfare would have been great but, my mother always said some one else could use the assistance more than us. And this is a shocking revelation. All of these people using the gov’t like this makes me sick.
Welcome to the socialist system of America. Everyone praise the dictator Obama, as it it will only get worse once these incentives start to default when the dollar crashes after the Europe fall. God Bless America and those that stand for the Republic!
“Fred Flintstone,” you’re SO convinced that the welfare system runs the way it should that there’s no way that anybody’s been on it since 1993? REALLY? There is fraud and abuse running RAMPANT throughout welfare, yet you’re CERTAIN that NOBODY has been on it longer than five years. Wow, are YOU a trusting soul! I have this bridge for sale…
Judge not, least ye be judged.
Walmart customer said: “Personally I’m far more appalled that someone this insensitive and judgmental would be employed by WalMart and I have forwarded her blog to the store in Scarborough as well as corporate offices in Arkansas. Here’s to this little snotty cashier being unemployed this summer and not receiving good recommendations from WalMart. You see, some of us believe in reporting people instead of just whining about them.”
Wow, Christine, one of your flea-bag, whorish, crack-addicted, multiple-baby-daddy Welfare Queens turned you in for dissin’ on her and her scabby-assed self. What a fucking Walcreature.
You see, Welfare — I mean WalMart Customer, Christine at least has something going for her. She’s educated, articulate, intelligent, and amazingly resourceful. For YOU, WalMart would be a career. For HER, it was just a little summer job. So the good news is, you won’t even be a speed bump in her life, you trollopping whore of a bitch.
“Wow, Christine, one of your flea-bag, whorish, crack-addicted, multiple-baby-daddy Welfare Queens turned you in for dissin’ on her and her scabby-assed self. What a fucking Walcreature. You see, Welfare — I mean WalMart Customer, Christine at least has something going for her. She’s educated, articulate, intelligent, and amazingly resourceful. For YOU, WalMart would be a career.”
I have a PhD and have been gainfully employed since I was 16 years old. I have my own business and I employ 25 workers. And I have NEVER worked at WalMart. Never had to. I’m articulate enough that I don’t need to resort to cuss words and insults to make my point. And I’m secure enough that I don’t need to blog about unworthy poor people. If this little girl who wrote this ridiculous piece came to me for a job I’d send her right back out the door. I don’t employ people who are likely to disrespect our clientele. Here’s a clue – even the poor ones spend green money and that keeps our doors open. I can’t imagine her employers at WalMart feeling any differently. Yes, I did contact WalMart because she needs to experience unemployment to develop a little empathy.
Youra bitch said: “The rest of the planet is DISGUSTED by how we treat our poor. You think we should let them starve to death? When the revolution comes, you’ll be the first against the wall, motherfucker.”
First off, you mental midget, it’s YOU’RE, not your. Asshole.
Secondly, you know why the planet is disgusted with us? Because even our POOR have more than most countries’ entire populations, THAT’S why. They’re disgusted with us because of what we CALL poor. Show me ANYWHERE in America where people are dying from hunger. ANYWHERE where they’re lying in the streets with distended bellies from MALNUTRITION, not McDonalds burgers. Shit, at least 85 percent of our poor have TELEVISION SETS. How fucking poor is THAT??
I’ll tell you what, you twat. I AWAIT this so-called revolution of which you speak. I’ve been storing up food AND ammo for it for years now. The welfare assholes such as yourself never think to the future. If you did, you wouldn’t be on welfare. So, when it comes, bring it on. And I hope to GOD you live somewhere near me so that I can put you out of your misery, you cocksucking son of a whore.
Jerline Thomas said: “It’s selfish conservatives that make me extremely wary about any efforts to curb benefits. Next time you call for “welfare reform,” try not to make generalizing statements about those of us who use it.”
Yes, you scabby Shanaynay, I bet you’re wary — somebody gwon’ take yo’ ben’fits from you, now, isn’t dey? Dey damnn WORKER folks gwon’ take yo’ coin from you an’ mebbe even make you WORK fo’ you stuffs. Can you IMAGINE?? Actually EARNING this stuff?
lovetocook says:
December 17, 2011 at 9:08 am
Excellent Article! How true that our system is abused by those who do not need it! I get so frustrated going to the grocery store and getting stuck in line behind someone who is using Food Stamps or WIC. I know that when I leave the store their husband is usually waiting for them out in the car, a very expensive sports car with all the perks! Yet, my husband works two jobs. And times are still tough but we do not abuse the government. My husbands philosophy is he would rather get a 3rd job than take from the government. We want to teach our kids that in order to have something such as food, house (rental at that), the mini-van, etc. you have to work for it. I know someone whose combine income was $50,000 and they could still register for WIC. Disgusting!
WIC and Foodstamps are not even the same thing, and how is it disgusting for a family earning $50,000 to qualify for WIC? The income cap was raised so middle class working families can qualify for it
not very bright
This is the exact problem with this country. Did you ever once take the time to find out the situations of the people you saw “abusing” the system? Anyone who has not been in this situation does not know what it is like, myself included. And this is America’s downfall: we make assumptions and we all assume the worst. Republicans hate democrats and democrats hate republicans because they don’t take the time to actually get to know one another and work from there. Newsflash: nothing is going to get done if we don’t work together (we’ve seen that numerous times). So please stop finding the worst in everyone you see. Yes, I agree that some people abuse the system for no reason and that there should be restrictions on welfare. However, did ever think about this?
Many corporations that employ low-income people have been largely de-regulated and been able to become so huge that we can’t stop them anymore. Take the food industry for example. In the book “Fast Food Nation” Eric Schlosser states” a local meatpacking industry that once employed 40,000 people now employs about 2,000. Ninety-five percent of its jobs have moved elsewhere.” Not only were industries given the freedom to do this but it was easy. Many people at the top have connections with the government that allow them to enact laws that limit inspections on factories and allow jobs to be cut, the conditions of the jobs to get worse, and the people at the top to become richer and richer. And then you wonder why people abuse food stamps? They have been the victims of abuse themselves. You would see this if you had read Michael Pollan or even looked into some of the situations of the people you ridiculed.
Oh and did I mention that our country also subsidizes unhealthy food such as soda and anything made with corn (which is present in almost any processed food). Why do you think people with food stamps buy unhealthy food? IT IS CHEAP. Even organic food in this country isn’t always organic because of the lax regulations of our government (a lot of which originated in the Nixon administration and continued in the Reagan and Bush administrations, just an fyi). (oh and again see Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.)
So before you start criticizing the people on food stamps and assuming that they all have horrible intentions for buying a steak or a birthday cake you should look at these issues. How do you think things got this bad? It is because the people at the top kept wanting to earn more and more money while sacrificing the people at the bottom. The main problem we should be focusing on is not the abuse that goes on with food stamps. It is how we got to this point. We should be focusing on the greed that exists in this country and the leveling of the playing field. There is a clear problem when Kobe Bryant rakes in 24.8 million dollars in one year and the starting salary for a teacher (according to the New York Times) is 39,000 and the average ending salary is 67,000 dollars. This means Kobe Bryant’s salary alone for one year could pay for up to 635 teachers. This is clearly a problem with our society’s values.
Long story short: We should be focusing on redistributing the wealth and cutting out the greed in this country rather than attacking people who are just trying to lead a normal life.
If this article offends you, YOU ARE/WERE A MOOCHER. The comments that sicken me the most are the ones that say we shouldn’t be able to limit what types of food people buy with assistance. Steak and lobster? Are you kidding me?! THIS IS THE ENTITLEMENT MINDSET THAT HAS CRIPPLED THIS NATION. ‘We deserve to eat the foods we enjoy regardless of income.’ WHAT?! If I’m on gov. assistance but enjoy Beluga caviar and lobster rolls, should the taxpayers foot that bill for me?
The other mindset that kills me comes from these comments regarding birthday cake and presents. I have a 6-year-old, and if times get tough, he’s going to have to learn that lesson. I will go without meals myself to provide for him, but I refuse to use somebody else’s hard-earned money to buy toys and cake. America needs to wake the hell up because this is the mentality that will drag us down until we have no choice left but a communistic government that ‘cares’ for us all.
Great comment:
“As for the people buying lobster and steak…that is ridiculous. I have heard several people, some on this comment section, say they deserve to have a nice meal. I say “really?” Did they work for that meal? I don’t have food stamps. I work every day and I have had some rough times where I have had to go for 2 weeks with $10 in my pocket and barely had enough gas.. I don’t get lobster or steak, because I cannot afford it. If you are food stamps, then you can’t afford the lobster or steak either.
You are using someone else’s money to buy extravagent items and that is NOT right. To me, this attitude that they “deserve” this is getting out of hand. Why does one deserve something expensive when they haven’t worked for it?”
Franksnbeans, you’re awesome.
i live in a small community, everyone knows us and knows we have 6 children, I find it amusing when we grocery shop, I go to the line and load up my 2 carts of groceries and take an hour making others wait to get served, the glares we get from others makes me laugh, but what is most funny after the cashier who knows us well and treats us with nothing but respect, slides through all of my coupons and then gives us our total, is the looks we get when we go to pay, they all look as though they are waiting for a food stamp card to come out, which we don’t possess one, and when i pull out my husband’s stack of hundred dollar bills to pay the look of their faces change, people should learn to mind their fucking business, all the assumptions that get made when you have a large family and this has happened at Wal-mart as well, the cashier who doesn’t know us had the nerve to ask me for my ID I asked her why would you need my ID? She said “anyone using foodstamp cards has to show us ID” I informed her that I wouldn’t be paying with a foodstamp card as I do not have one nor do I get foodstamps and she said “oh everyone pays with Stamps My bad” YEAH YOUR BAD BITCH
who the fuck is some Wal-mart cashier to make assumptions? My husband earns quite a bit of money and easily supports our large family, the nerve of some people to assume because he has tattoos and we have alot of kids, we didn’t even bring all the kids, but i guess based on the amount of groceries we were buying it was assumed that we do, assumptions make an ass out of YOU not ME
WalMart customer said: “I have a PhD and have been gainfully employed since I was 16 years old. I have my own business and I employ 25 workers.”
Sure you are, honey. Sure you are. Hey, I’m Bill Gates and I own the moon. Oh, and my unicorn shits out gold nuggets, which keeps me rich and happy day in and day out. But tha’s beside the point. If you’re so well off, why are you shopping at WalMart? Loser…
WalMart customer said: “Here’s a clue – even the poor ones spend green money and that keeps our doors open.”
Here’s a BIGGER clue. People who EARNED that money (which has now been redistributed to losers and lowlifes and Welfare Queens with numerous babydaddies and Serta permanently tattooed on their backs) spend that green money too. If they had more OF it, they’d SPEND more of it. But instead, Welfare Queens are feeding cake and other junk to their brood of illegitimate crotch fruit, getting their nails and hair “did,” and demanding special treatment as if they DESERVE what others worked so hard for.
Apparently if you support such abuses, you are as much a greedmonger and POS part of the problem as they are. If you KNOWINGLY take money from folks that are abusing the system, you are even worse than they are. You’ve said a mouth full, and I now have your number. You are a welfare cheat as well — you just work the other end from your high-and-mighty loft. So you can take your imaginary Ph.D. and shove it up your ass.
“WalMart customer said: “I have a PhD and have been gainfully employed since I was 16 years old. I have my own business and I employ 25 workers.” Sure you are, honey. Sure you are. Hey, I’m Bill Gates and I own the moon. Oh, and my unicorn shits out gold nuggets, which keeps me rich and happy day in and day out. But tha’s beside the point. If you’re so well off, why are you shopping at WalMart? Loser… WalMart customer said: “Here’s a clue – even the poor ones spend green money and that keeps our doors open.” Here’s a BIGGER clue. People who EARNED that money (which has now been redistributed to losers and lowlifes and Welfare Queens with numerous babydaddies and Serta permanently tattooed on their backs) spend that green money too. If they had more OF it, they’d SPEND more of it. But instead, Welfare Queens are feeding cake and other junk to their brood of illegitimate crotch fruit, getting their nails and hair “did,” and demanding special treatment as if they DESERVE what others worked so hard for. Apparently if you support such abuses, you are as much a greedmonger and POS part of the problem as they are. If you KNOWINGLY take money from folks that are abusing the system, you are even worse than they are. You’ve said a mouth full, and I now have your number. You are a welfare cheat as well — you just work the other end from your high-and-mighty loft. So you can take your imaginary Ph.D. and shove it up your ass.”
Oh such nasty language! Can’t you make a point without cussing? And yes, I am a very successful and well educated man who shops at WalMart. Did you know that Sam Walton was driving a 20 year old car when he died? People who have money know the best way to keep it is to not spend it foolishly. So I shop at WalMart and I clip coupons and buy everything I possibly can on sale. I also donate to charity. One of the activities I am involved in this Christmas season is providing transportation and Christmas cash to the poor so they can go to WalMart and shop. I will be driving one of the vans tomorrow and I’ll do some of my own shopping while I am there. So yes, my uninformed potty mouth friend, wealthy people also shop at WalMart. If you had saved your money and educated yourself and acquired wealth like I have, you would know that.
Momof6, she wasn’t assuming anything. These whores pulled out their EBT cards after placing non-essential items on the belt. Get off your fucking high horse already.
Beth she was assuming, she was assuming that we were going to pay for our food with foodstamps, why would she ask and give that answer when I asked why if she wasn’t assuming? No high horse here, I am not the one looking down my nose at those less fortunate and ranting racial epithets at others here
This problem has been going on for generations, ever since the welfare and foodstamp programs were designed. I worked my way through college as a pharmacy technician at a retail pharmacy during the mid 70s. I saw many things that disgusted me like patients coming up to pick up their prescription with carts full of hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise(The pharmacy was in an equivalent to target). They would end up paying for their prescriptions with a medicaid card. The one instance that made me absolutely furious was this middle aged woman who drove up in front of the store in a cadillac, walked in wearing an expensive dress and a fur coat. She paid for over $200 in prescription drugs for herself with a medicaid card.
Talking to our government officials won’t help. The Progressives, ie the democtrats and some republicans want that kind of dependency on the federal government. That gives them power and helps them maintain it. Their goal is to overtax the system until it can’t be sustained any longer and it collapses. That will allow them to come in and take over with their own form of government, ie a socialist dictatorship. That is the underlying cause of the financial collapse that happened in 2008 which was directly caused by government dictated policies signed into law during the Clinton Administration forcing banks to make mortgages to people they would normally turn down because they weren’t credit worthy. These were packaged by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and sold to investment banks, even though the mortgages were worthless. They built up over the interim time until it finally collapsed like a deck of cards. Conditions haven’t changed much since then and more and more companies are being squeezed by even more burdensome federal regulations that are causing them to lay off workers. These of course are given unemployment checks, now for 20 months and currently being debated in congress to be extended. That’s just another form of welfare. Destroy good paying jobs and force more dependency on the government until the system collapses like it is collapsing in Greece and Itally. It isn’t sustainable and it will eventually collapse. If we don’t wake up soon, we will lose our Democratic Republic to a socialist dictatorship which it darn near is anyway.
Do you really think it makes a difference which party the president represents? Do you really think the USA is a democratic republic? The people that run the government are the same bloodlines that have been running things for the more than a century. There’s a lot more to the 99% we are all hearing about right now than most people can even begin to fathom.
Wait until you own a business. People who are on “disability” are allowed to work a certain number of hours, so they turn down more even though they are perfectly healthy. People don’t show up for work so you fire them, but they say “I called” and get unemployment for years. Funny how smart people are about beating the system but probably flunked out of school. The health insurance is awesome too if you do not work. Imagine no deductibles, and prescriptions that cost a dollar or two. If you are lucky and get section 8 housing (like the woman in Washington who gets 1,100 a month to live in a mansion with her husband), why oh why would you ever take a job? Free food, housing, and insurance. Plus discounted electric bills. Seriously, why go to work and have to do something? You quality of life will actually be less.
I remember being at a checkout lane at a grocery store when I was a college student in the 1990s. The woman in front of me bought several hundred dollars worth of groceries and also had a couple of cartons of cigarettes and some alcohol. She paid for the grocery items with food stamps. However, alcohol and tobacco could not be purchased with welfare stamps, so she took out a wad of cash to pay for those items. The stack of cash she had in her purse contained at least twenty-five $100 bills (she made sure to hold the wad of money up so everyone could see her search throught it for the three twenties she needed). My transaction took only a minute or so, and she was loading up her car in the fire lane outside the store. Her brand new Cadillac sedan.
Mr. “Ph.D.,” you have no idea HOW wealthy I am. Just because I’m not a braggart does not mean that I don’t do well. But you are sure full of the stories, that’s for sure. See? I can speak to you without using the word “shit” or “asshole.”
As a citizen of Maine…..thank you so much. I really mean it.
Seriously? You obviously know NOTHING about TANF, time limits, and work requirements. You might want to try reading what’s in the law about just these basics, let alone what you can use those cards to buy (NOT ALCOHOL!). This is exactly what I can’t stand about conservative, Fox news-type, just make it up as you go/no facts needed venting. Reality check, please. Start here: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/sep_state/reports/time_limits/time_limits_ch1.html
i want to thank you for writing this. i think the same way as you. if people are buying steaks lobster etc. with their food stamps they will never want to get off them. if they have it so easy with state help why would they ever want to get their butts up and go find a job. yeah some people cant find a job but they should be looking anyway. i knew a person that was on food stamps and got 700 dollars a month and would spend it all with in the first week buying junk food and noddles for her children. then buying other people food so they could have cash to go out to bar and buy cigs and other things that they should be buying or doing with children to take care of. it really upset me they were more than capable of getting a job but choose not to because they were handed everything they needed. im not saying everyone that is on food stamps lives this way but those who able to get a job should. or they state should help them find a job so that us people that work hard and pay taxes can see our money going to help someone in need(that is unable to work because of disability). sorry if i hurt anyones feelings but its hard to see people that actually need help do not recieve it. but those that are young and have good health should be out working to support their familes.
Yes, welfare abuse exists, and it has existed longer than you have been alive. But, if you were a cashier at Walmart trying to support your family because that was the only job you could find, you’d be on Food Stamps as well. Walmart is infamous for underpaying, keeping people on part-time hours, and considering full-time to be 35 hours… all contributing to the number of people collecting Food Stamps, passing the buck onto the government (as they enjoy their corporate tax cuts that tax payers pay for). Not to mention that their medical benefits are unaffordable, yet they could very easily make them affordable like many other large corporations do, keeping people off of Medicaid. If you’d like to write another blog, think about that. And keep it in mind when you proudly toot that Republican horn.
To the woman who bought her children’s birthday cakes with her Food Stamps: ever think of buying a cake mix and baking a cake instead? Much cheaper that way.
Momof6, you have a chip on your shoulder a mile wide. The AUTHOR made an assessment of THOSE Welfare Queens based on what they said, did, and how they acted. Don’t put your issues at her feet. Get some therapy or something before you mess up all those kids of yours. Nobody should give a shit HOW many kids one has so long as they can take care of them and I’m not forced to. But methinks there’s more to your story than meets the eye simply due to your insane comparison of YOUR situation to the Welfare Whores’.
Beth says:
December 17, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Momof6, you have a chip on your shoulder a mile wide. The AUTHOR made an assessment of THOSE Welfare Queens based on what they said, did, and how they acted. Don’t put your issues at her feet. Get some therapy or something before you mess up all those kids of yours. Nobody should give a shit HOW many kids one has so long as they can take care of them and I’m not forced to. But methinks there’s more to your story than meets the eye simply due to your insane comparison of YOUR situation to the Welfare Whores’.
You obviously didn’t read my post as i wasn’t referring to the author, i was talking about my own experience with a different Wal-mart cashier, and Bitchface YOU DON’T support MY KIDS Me and my husband do, we don’t get assistance, try again bitch try again and my kids are just fine, no matter what “chip” i may have, republican cunts like yourself like to attack a person whether they collect or not, and in my case NOT
Of all the things I have read, I wondered why merchants continue to enable these cheats to get away with it? If stores/merchants refused to accept illicit payment for ineligible items from people cheating the system, pretty soon the word gets around that the “jig is up”.
You just proved my point. Therapy is your friend. Maybe valium, too. Wowza. O,O
Oh, and momof6, demonrat spawn such as yourself get all violent and stuff. You must be born with a li’l Shanaynay in you.
Beth your bigotry knows no bounds…………….you are a classless right-wing tard, glad this nation is not dependent on decistions of people like you, glad this country is democratic and will stay that way
a lil shananay? I think not, I am white so is my husband ans so is my children, and my ‘spawn” is none of your fucking business, you aren’t paying for them doucherag, currently more red states are collecting welfare then blue, and that comes as no surprise, white trash is collecting more then anyone here, and mostly work as cashiers at Wal-mart, birds of a feather……………
While I hesitate to question the wisdom of someone 20ish and a Walmart checker…(insert tons of sarcasm here) I would give the writer more credence if she had also provided examples of people on assistance that use the system correctly. Instead, this is just a one-sided article of hatred, greed and bigotry.
Did she bother to do any research for this politically self-serving article? She’s a college student, so I’m sure she’s familiar with the term. If not look it up. Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour which equates to $15,000 per year. I challenge the writer, and all those in agreement with her, to live on $15,000 per year, a little over $1,200 per month (without assistance from mommy and daddy). My point is many on public assistance have jobs, minimum wage jobs, which do not provide sufficient income to survive. If the writer had performed even a simple Google search on public assistance statistics, she would have the same information I found. However, that would not have adhered to her bigotry.
The writer is outraged that “steak, lobster and a decorated cake” were bought with assistance money. She clearly believes that anyone who is poor, as do many who responded positively to her the-poor-are-evil point of view, never deserves to celebrate, or provide a birthday cake for child. They must live dismally and wretchedly to atone for their sin of poverty.
I’m an American Indian, and therefore know poverty first hand. In Indian philosophy, we judge the success of a tribe by how they treat the least fortunate. Base on this yardstick the writer, and those in agreement, fail miserable. And, to post this article in December?!?! I find it very interesting that those who claim to be Christians completely forget or ignore Christ’s call for kindness, mercy and charity. Or as Ghandi stated: “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.”
Well, there are many people here who would win a gold medal Scrooge award. To quote Charles Dickens…‘The boy is ignorance the girl is want – beware them both but most of all beware the boy’
This article, and those in rabid agreement, remind me of another saying I read, once: “Liberals see the glass as half full, conservatives see the glass as THEIRS.
I hear stories of Teachers where I live that see every day women drop their children off at school,and they come in the cafeteria with their child and in their nite gowns eating the free breakfast that is provided by tax payer dollars for the kids, then come back at lunch still in nite gowns and slippers to scarf down lunch with the children. Our high schools in certain areas have day cares now for the students with babies. We have created this mess that it’s ok to have unprotected sex because the government will send you a check for it. The system just needs reformed period.Laziness begets laziness.
I bet you’re such a calm, sweet mom when properly medded. I bet you’re almost never insanely violent with them. Good thing nobody knows who YOU are, huh? You should be turned in to CPS and investigated, just to be sure all those kids are not being abused due to your violent tendencies. HEY, maybe when Christine gets that call from Wal-Mart, she can let us all know who you are and we can do your kids a favor. You know, just to be sure. Because kids deserve to have GOOD parents who won’t be abusive and mentally unstable around them. I think that’s a peachy idea. How about you?
Beth just because I think you are a vile low-life cunt doesn’t mean I am violent with my children, I hope you don’t have any though, I hope you are as barren as a desert, someone with your bigotted ideals doesn’t deserve children cuntrag
Cora, Jesus never called for us to be doormats. ANOTHER passage also found in the Bible that too many choose to overlook is that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. Able-bodied people should be doing something — ANYTHING — to earn money. But too many turn their noses up at jobs they consider “beneath” them but won’t think twice about collecting some of that “Obama munny.”
Unfortunately, people like those you encountered at Walmart give people like me a bad rap. I am on EBT right now, trying to sort out multiple health issues so I can return to work. It will probably take me more than a year for me to get them all taken care of. Instead of finding and kicking out those who are abusing the system, states tend to cut benefits across the board for all recipients. The abusers still receive benefits, those in true need get less. It is very difficult for me to get all my food for the month under $190 because I have food allergies. I cannot have wheat, dairy, sugar, oats, or anything artificial. I wish the abusers would be found and kicked off.
And just because you’re a breeder doesn’t mean you should be. Maybe the reason people at WAL-MART of all places (where Walcreatures abound) give you nasty looks is due to your disgusting demeanor and shitty mouth. Just sayin’. I keep saying there’s more to your story than JUST the fact that you have so many kids. That’s just the excuse you use to cover up the fact that your obvious verbal diarrhea is likely heard across the store on a regular basis.
And we get it. You know the word cunt. Very impressive. No, really. Classy. I’m sure it’s because you’ve been called one often, but still. Or it’s your white trashiness. Either way, way to represent, MOM.
My daughter works at a local department store. Recently they place a “Help Wanted” ad in the window of the store and with the local Employment Office. She’s had approximately 10 people come in with Employment Offices papers. They asked her to sign a statement saying they asked about the job, all of them said they DID NOT want the job, just wanted her to sign that they asked. She asked a couple of them why they didn’t want the job. They said they wouldn’t get welfare, FS, and WIC if the took the job. They could have received FS and WIC with the job. She refused and called the Employment Office, so far nothing has been done.
Beth maybe your vocab is limited to words like “nigger” I thought I would educate you on more appropriate words that describe you
You must get your vocab lessons in your trailer park, talk about classy
this article is a fraud and republican propoganda nothing more
Christine, you did an excellent job sharing your first hand experience about the welfare cheats in our society. As a manager in retail for 20 years, I have witnessed the type of behavior you describe, countless times.
Just know this truth, when you set the liberals to wailing, like they are here in this forum, you have hit the proverbial nail on the head. You knocked it out of the park, honey. Good job!! You have a bright future ahead of you. Keep your head up and keep your eye on your goals.
@Walmart customer- I HAVE reported these people I speak of. And surprise!! Nothing was done. Nothing was investigated and nothing stopped. What else would you like me to do since your the wise one here? I can’t personally PUT an end to the welfare abuse, no more than Christine or you for that matter. AGAIN IM GOING TO SAY IT- if these assholes were actually feeding the little babies in their home and not their own fat faces- you wouldnt hear a peep from me. I work for the District Attorneys office, my husband is a police officer- we see these things every single day. The babies are going without while the moms and boyfriends live high off the hog and snort drugs. Dont preach to me you asshole- I see this everyday on a personal level SO SHUT up until you walk a mile in my shoes. I love and take care of my 2yo son. I dont need to hear how uncompassionate I am from fools like you.
And it does not end with food. At the local utility company the welfare lady cannot pay her bill because she has to make her truck payment? You guessed it a new tripped out fifth wheel $50,000 truck. Then there is the one with the same story then drives off in a brand new $60,000 hummer.
Welfare breeds welfare as does long term unemployment checks. These people that bitch because they cannot find a job need to realize that the only reason is themselves. Too picky, bad attitude, don’t really want to work, etc. excuses excuses excuses and blame someone else. Everyone is in control of their own lives and though obstacles get in their path, as it does for everyone sometimes, those that do just do it, and those that don’t just bitch.
Got a perceived problem? BLAME YOURSELF – AFTER ALL IT IS YOUR FAULT!
Devoid of nutritional value is right. You know why? It’s CHEAP. oh, but wait–buying a nutritional steak is looked down on by you, too?
Mind your own business. You have NO idea about the situations of others, or why they’re buying what they buy.
Be grateful you have a job and havent had to experience anything like this.
And another important point: welfare recipients aren’t necessarily unemployed. Some bust their asses day in and day out, and it’s not enough. God forbid they buy a fucking birthday cake.
Christine: what you saw is but the tip of a big iceberg. I investigate public assistance fraud for a southern state (no name at this time), and while it is bad enough that just a small number of the recipients (called “clients”) are responsible for so much fraud, the bigger problems that create the opportunities for such fraud are the policies of the programs themselves, and the indifference of the administrators of the programs. 36 states have waivers from the USDA that eliminate asset limits for the Food Stamp program (so someone with non-homestead property, ten cars, and $100K in the bank are still potentially eligible). Verification is lax, often the client’s statement is used as verification of one’s circumstances, even when the story is unbelievable (like a newborn’s mother who says that she doesn’t know the name of the father of her child, yet the child is named (blank) (blank) JUNIOR). Indifference is when there are too few employees to do too much work, and the obvious signs of fraud are missed by processors looking to clear applications off their desks, and supervisors that care more about completion rates than correctness of cases, and fear of having to go to a hearing if a client objects to a denial.
And who is to blame, ultimately? The electorate, as long as the sole measure of politically-sourced compassion is dollars and cents, and re-election depends on the amount of money that can be transferred from one person to another.
So, keep up your writing, and keep trying to change the world. Good to see that there is young people with smarts, amidst the vast wasteland of free-range children.
I could have written this article myself!!! It is so unbelieveable that a birthday cake can be bought at taxpayers expense!!! One solution to this problem is simple… privatize the welfare system. An example of this would be Health savings account or Flexible spending accounts. Label all of the system approved food (ie. flour, milk, eggs and sugar) VOILA, a birthday cake can be made instead of bought at a fraction of the cost! All of this approved food would be raw materials to actually “COOK” the food instead of nuking frozen foods.
I have to be very careful about what I spend using my Flexible spending account and it is MY OWN money, so why can’t these recipients of public assistance, who have the extra time, do the same???? Also, they should be required to educate themselves on the art of extreme couponing!!! After all most welfare recipients I know have cable or satellite tv service and can watch those types of shows.
Good article & a gazillion comments (mostly sane).
Beth, clearly your bible studies are sorely lacking. Try: Mark 10:14 Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.
Outstanding article, Christine! Very well done!
I was once like the author of this article. I thought I knew it all and was quick to pass judgement.
It is so easy to judge and so easy to fall into thinking others are below you… but there are always two sides to every story, and you fail to tell the other side. I get it and I have witnessed fraud, but you have to take action and report that which is actual fraud.
More often than not I hear these great tales and ask the story teller what they did about the situation, and usually the give me a blank stare. If it is fraud – report it!
As far as the steaks and ‘extravagant’ groceries? as a cashier you may be able to see that everything was paid with food stamps, but others should keep in mind that they can’t always tell.
I got a whopping $203 in food stamps a month. I work full time starting my own business, I was an independent contractor making about $17k a year and was in a bad car accident in 2007 and lost everything (no insurance). Single parent, no child support and no disability. Worked odd jobs and have been in the upstart of my own company, and between my own business and outside part time employment I am pulling in about $13,500 a year.
I don’t have a TV, cell phone, or kitchen appliances, haven’t bought anything other than a new tire for my car which is pretty much a hunk of junk, I cut my own hair, i do have internet and a computer from the late 90′s that I am still using. I own my home- still paying it off, but i live bare bones, and hit a rough spot last winter and had my heat turned off.
once i got back on track – I decided to buy myself a few nice things to eat. I splurged on some cheese and crackers and some pre-made cupcakes (because I don’t have an oven to cook in). you know what? I work my ass off. I pay taxes every year and I pay in to social security and i give back to my community. I volunteer. I have been living off 6 hours of sleep a night for 2 years solid without one day off.
So guess what? someone decided to snicker behind my back when I was checking out my pre-made cupcakes and whipped out my EBT card.
Thanks for understanding what it is like to be disabled and NOT go after disability, to have your significant other disappear when the going got tough, to have a car break down and no way to get to the bus stop because you can’t physically get that far on your own.
I could go on and on about how sometimes things just snowball and before you know it you are nearly living on the streets.
so if you see me splurging and buying pre-made cupcakes and walking out to a big fancy car- just know the car was loaned to me so that i could take my dog to the vet to have him put to sleep.
so be nice. sometimes life kicks you when you are down.
Little girl, one day the sky is going to open and rain shit down on your head, just like it does to everyone else, and then you are going to come right down off your high horse and understand a whole lot of things that you don’t understand now. Until then, be glad for what you have and stop whining and complaining about your job and stop making assumptions about people that you don’t even know. It might just be one of those Walmart people who some day helps you up out of a hard place. If you’re lucky.
I;d like to ask all who have entered comments. What do you prefer? to pay taxes for those undeserving individuals who beat the system and get food stamps or big money and corporations who beat the system don’t pay their full taxes make more profit than ever in our history and pay thru pimp lobbyist to keep the middle class burning the candle on both ends. Don’t forget what our military is coming back to, LETS SEE HOW THEY WILL BE TREATED. I wonder how congress would like them to have said no,no,no to any decisions they had to make.
To all who said that’s why I vote Republican, Look at what their new State Governors are doing to middle class Americans. I’m 83 yr old middle class,only income Social Security, a Korean war vet, an independent voter and I sure as hell will not vote Republican again and help them run me further in the hole. They can change districts and voting regs but they can’t take away my vote or hide all their unbelievable behavior. November 2012 will be the turning point for middle class Americans!!! Republican, Democrats,& Independents.
If you have any soldiers returning in your area make sure you give them a personal thank you.
Nick
I used to see the same sorts of things and felt the same way when I worked at Chappell’s Cee Bee Food Store in Dickson, TN as a teenager. -Jason
I was on food stamps for a winter (my job doesn’t pay well in the winter). In our state they give you 6 months worth at a time. My wife and I made that 6 months last for more than a year, and we felt like we were eating very well. I couldn’t believe how much they gave us per month… I don’t know how you would spend all of that without buying way above what is necessary. I have a family of 6, and without foodstamps we spend about $250 a month on all groceries (not just food). They were giving us almost $600 per month! I felt guilty using them… we don’t use them anymore.
sentiment echoed here. well written. i think you absolutely understood what you were seeing (those purchasing steaks and lobsters with foodstamps). those who say you should walk a mile in welfare recipients shoes, suggesting you don’t get what they’re going through. good grief. it doesn’t change that WHAT they’re buying with taxpayer assistance is grossly inappropriate. my mom said she had to rely on assistance once many years ago because of a hospital bill. and SHE PAID IT BACK. thanks for the article.
It’s sad that obesity and alcoholism are considered disabilities nowadays.
If you think Walmart is bad, try goin to an Aldi store. 1 family will cart food out for hours. All on food stamps
I completely agree with everything you have stated here. Before I continue I just want to say that I am appalled at the amount of ad hominems and non sequiturs posted by intolerant, uneducated fools. All of you who have complained and have labeled the author, and some, if not most, of the good folk posting comments as “bigots” and “tards” ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Do you really think that you are better than anyone else? You are acting just as intolerant as you say conservatives and republicans are acting. But then again, as I learned in my psychology class, projection is a common psychological issue stemming from egotism. So, please come off your pedestal. That being said.
Having worked for Walmart 6 years ago, and again as I decided to go to school (finally…) I have been witness to hundreds of welfare frauds exactly as you have described. One of my favorite situations was while cashiering 6 years ago a woman tried to convince me that it was okay for her to purchase liquor with her WIC checks. She demanded to speak to my supervisor, and then to the store manager, and all three of us (and Walmart too) were called racist for not allowing her to make her purchase.
Today I see hundreds of transactions where fraudulent customers load up their food stamps and welfare checks on candy, donuts, soft drinks (soda, “pop”, or whatever you prefer to call it), and the list could go on. It sickens me to think that my hard earned money is paying for these customers to live as they wish, while at the same time I’m working to put myself through school.
Another fraud worth considering, is that my university has what is called the “chance program.” Essentially its a program designed to allow students from the inner city to enroll in classes and receive a full ride. This program has a 99.5% failure rate. I have witnessed students on the chance program sit in their dorm room playing video games all day, playing their music at the highest volume possible (at all hours of the day and night, no less) and wasting away a full year which they could otherwise spend going to class and studying. Furthermore, after receiving their financial aid refunds they spend it on illegal drugs and buying flat screen TVs and video game systems (at Walmart of course). It is a frustration among many of my colleagues who spend copious amounts of time studying and preparing for class every day. Again, another example of fraud.
Great article, by the way! I fully intend on promoting your articles on my blog.
I have been a welfare recepient before. I can thankfully say that, by the grace of God, I am not still receiving aid. First of all I want to say, what people buy is none of your business. Real talk. If they are buying food, with food stamps, it should not make a difference to you if it porterhouse steak, or birthday cake. Why should you care? Because you cannot afford such luxeries? Go get foodstamps then. I did buy big birthday cakes, for each of my 4 children, WITH FOODSTAMPS. Yes I did. Why? Because I didn’t have an oven that worked to bake a cake in, and because I knew the cake was the biggest present I could afford. Other than some cheapo toys, which I also purchased with my TANF benefits. I had to budget and plan. I knew what the benefits were covering, and each month, if there was something left over, I would go ahead and save it for Christmas or birthdays. So you are mad that I went through your walmart line (not yours in particular, as I am not from Maine) but speaking to all walmart employees, in general. As I was saying, so you are angry that I went through your check out line with a giant birthday cake, and a dollie, and paid for it all with welfare benefits? Well, how else did you think I was going to buy my child their birthday presents? I didn’t have a job………..not that I wasn’t looking for one, but I didn’t have one at the time. Should I have just told my child that I could not get them a present for their birthday? Fortunately, TANF benefits can be removed at the local ATM, so I rarely paid for such purchases, using my card, because not every place takes EBT, like the movie theatre. But, rest assure, I did buy our candy and soda at the store, using EBT, before going to the theatre, so I didn’t have to waste that cash money, that was not much to begin with. If I took my kids out, or bought them a toy, or even bought myself a pair of fake earrings, why should you care? I am trying to keep the kids happy, not go crazy myself, and still look decent incase I do have a job interview. I remember those days, it was a true struggle. And when I did find a job, all my cash benefits were cut off, which was fine…….but I lost most of my foodstamps too. So, here I was, supporting my kids alone, and having to pay $80 a week for my portion of daycare expenses (and welfare paid the rest) and I made a measly $9 hr, full time. I had to pay rent (no section 8 here), utilities (no cable either), buy toiletries, food, diapers, wash clothes, pay for my bus pass (no car either) and then buy food, if there was money left over. I got a meager $180 a month for foodstamps, to feed me and 2 children. I struggled. But thanks be to God, I made it. Now I have 4 children, and we do not get benefits. But, I remember those days. All I gotta say is walk a mile in my shoes before you judge. I KNOW there are people running game on the system out there. But, it isn’t necessarily the single mother buying a birthday cake and some toys using EBT. Maybe that is her only option……….ever think of that? I know I didn’t want to look into my kids’ face and say, “sorry, no cake or toys this year, mommy doesn’t have a job.” I gave them what I could, and pinched pennies, and made it. Glory to God. And there is no shame in my game. I did what I had to.
agreed cept the nutrition value i mean even people not on welfare eat unhealthy thats just america plan and simple lol. kids grow up not eating healthy there for the parents buy the food because they pamper the crap out of their kids you think this is bad just weight about 10 more years when all these losers are all we have left to run this country O.o start whoopin your kids asses again and report the people you see doing these thigns might not help but might not hurt either. I reported a chick (worked at hess) she would come in and grab tons of chips and soda with ebt then deal out 80$ for beer. and people wonder why economy is so bad…
As someone who has been on food stamps before, I take exception to your demonization in this post. I am certainly not about to defend the awful behavior you have described here, but I cannot in good conscience commend you for using language which groups honest people who need assistance with those you categorize as ‘welfare queens’. I am an honest, hard working man. It was already humiliating for my wife and I to go apply for food stamps. But I’ll never forget the looks we got when we used them to buy our small child a simple birthday cake. Yes, I realize people out there sell their food stamps for drugs. I know that there are people who buy food with poor nutritional value and/or extravagances. But to look down on others due to their falling on hard times is terrible. Maybe you could have been a bit more thoughtful and merciful when writing.
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not even in favor of such government programs. But they do exist, and it is the government that encourages people to use and stay on such assistance. I am proud to say that our family no longer has the need for food stamps, as I continued my education and secured employment that pays about double what I used to make. You can refer to people like myself in a derogatory manner if you wish, but we know in our hearts that we did what we had to for the health and well-being of our family. I sincerely hope you never have to go through bad times financially. I hope you never have to apply for public assistance. But then again, if you actually had the chance to experience this economy out from under the shadow of your college umbrella, maybe you would show some grace to those who have been through the same. By the way, and this is in no way rhetorical… have you taken Pell Grants, Student Loans, or other assistance to pay for your college education? Oh, and one more question. Do you think that future employers will ‘owe’ you a job only because you spent four years (or more, depending) earning a Bachelor’s Degree in your field? Trust me, that is not how it works. At least, not anymore. You ought to be doing more than sitting in a classroom working toward a degree. You should be using your summers and your ‘free time’ (whatever that is) earning (pardon my chosen slang) ‘street cred’ in your field of interest. Thanks for reading.
COME TO SOUTH FLORIDA!!!! I was in line at publix over a yr ago and a black man and his baby momma and their four kids were in line in front of me. They paid for food with their food stamps….They were wearing expensive clothes and brand new ghetto jewelry…THEN he had the cashier ring up his beer separately. He pulled out a roll of hundred dollar bills to pay for it!!!!!!! I see them outside and they are getting into a friggin escalade!!! Because in south Florida they dont claim their baby daddy drug money!!
SAME thing at walmart the other day at walmart. I was like WOW HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!! ITS SICKENING!!!
@ Emmalou… you seem to be such a drama queen. My 11 year old is disabled. I also have 3 other children younger than him. I work 2 jobs. I live in Wells. This town alone has a ton of positions available for hire. Don’t tell me there aren’t jobs. There are. People just aren’t willing to look for them.
As far as my son starving… There have been times when food was scarce in my hosuehold. In extreme situations, I have gone down to my church pantry and gotten dinner for my family. I have called up my mother and borrow $ to food shop. I have pulled vegetables from our garden and we’ve had a veggie dinner void of meat. I have NOT, however, imposed upon strangers and insisted they give me $ out of their hard earned paychecks. When the situation demanded it a couple years ago, I went out and got a SECOND job to help my husband better support this family. Would I love to stay home with my children and enjoy watching them grow up? Yes. But in this economy, that is not a reality.
And before you feed me your incessant rants about how working could cost you your life… if you truly had such a condition that inhibited you from supporting yourself, you would be approved for disability benefits every month… I work over 112 hours a week. I am under no threat of seizures, but I could easily fall asleep beind the wheel of my car and die as I am exhausted daily. That threat is very real and possible, but it doesnt stop me from working and supporting my family. Next excuse, my dear?
Some of the comments I’ve read on this site show the absolute decline in our society. Ever since Lyndon Johnson and the great society in the 60′s put as many people as possible on the government dole, all personal responsibility has been lost. Our corrupt government is destroying this country and has been for decades. Some of the comments I’ve read are disgraceful, people think someone else owes them a living, food, shelter, spending money, where did these attitudes come from ? Our corrupt government. Would any of these people demand that their neighbor take money out of their pocket to buy them groceries? But they demand the government take from their neighbor and pay for food, housing , etc. Our current president has almost doubled our national debt in just three short years, this was all by design, so the governement could change attitudes and take control of everyones lives. Good luck America, your going to need it.
for everyone who is saying that we should not limit what they get we should. My husband and i Work full time jobs and we can’t afford the luxuries that they can. how is that fair that a hard working family does not get the benefits of people who do not want to get a job. granted the job market is tough . I don’t think everyone takes advantage but unfortunately those who do give others a bad rep. I don’t think people without children should be on food stamps. food stamps was originally made for families struggling and help them get back on their feet. people should have a time limit to find work. Why should my tax dollars pay for people to get better quality of food then my family?
…and how about those folks lined up at soup kitchens, the majority of whom puff away on their $4 packs of cigarettes…?
I love reading how people are abusing the welfare system “for the sake of their children.” My 4 kids don’t get anything without earning it. No allowance. They have chores that are madatory. They have chores that are an option. Those who go over and above the mandatory chores and complete some of the optional chores MIGHT receive an incentive at the end of the week… most of the time, it will be a later bedtime.
My husband and I are teaching them self worth, personal responsibility, decent work ethics, and nothing is for free. There have been years when a child’s birthday has come and we were struggling just to meet the bills. We have had to tell that child that the money wasn’t there for store bought cake and a party. We made their cake, and their siblings made the presents because we couldn’t afford to purchase any toys. Guess what? Our child was disappointed. Absolutely. But survived. And it made them stronger as an individual. There is no expectation in our household that things are automatically given. We have raised our children to know that bills come first. Obligations and responsibility are not always fun, but that is life. Sometimes you can’t celebrate your birthday with toys, but as long as family is there with you, it can still be fun and a joyous occassion.
My husband and I practice what we preach to our children. We live my example. We don’t have toys we can’t afford. We never take from our children to benefit ourselves. Our children see us go without dinner sometimes, so they can eat. Our children see us neglect our own birthdays to save money. This Christmas will be the first Christmas EVER that my husband and I were able to buy each other one gift. Typically, all of our expendable income goes to our children. But this year has been easier than the years past.
Ever drive through the town of Sanford, Maine? It’s literally plague with Baby Mommas all still in high school walking their babies in strollers down Route 109. It’s a safe bet that taxpayers are supporting those girls and their babies…
My second job entitles me to work very closely with Chief Judges in the Judicial system. One of those chief judges said this to me, “DHHS is nothing more than a mafia family. Until they are brought back under control, this system will never work as it was meant to.”
“The average monthly food benefit is $125…” Maybe down south. Maybe for a small family. My husband’s exwife receives $420/month for her and their 3 children. And that’s will her working a part-time job at an ice cream shop making $7,000/year earned income. My husband and I both work more than full time. We can only afford $380/month in groceries to feed our family of 6. Why should she have a higher food allowance when she didn’t earn it?
Nothing is owed to anyone. Your problems are not my problems, and justly so, my problems are not your problems. When I need help, I turn to friends and family, or my church. I do not ask for charity. Everything that is accepted is earned by working for it. If I need to borrow money from a friend, I earn it someone. Maybe I babysat their kids for a while, or cleaned their house. I do not accept free handouts because I have a shred of dignity.
The problem here is simple: people actually believe that society as a whole is obligated to help them through a difficult time. NO ONE is obligated to help anyone! Earn your own way. If you can’t support yourself, how is that my problem? If you can’t adequately support yourself, I’m sorry, but no, you should not have children… and no, others should not be forced to help you support YOUR children.
What has happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Food is expensive, and only getting more so… My husband, his father and mother, and uncles started a garden in our neighborhood. It’s huge! We have everything there. Corn, squash, watermelons, green beans, turnips, onions, green peppers, carrots, etc. Everyone spends some sweat in the garden, and everyone gets to pick from it at harvest time. Last summer was difficult for us. That garden filled our children’s bellies more evenings than not. And it taught our kids the “fruits of their labor.” They too spent time working in the garden. And I think they enjoyed their dinners more because they had grown those veggies.
We also have 2 apple trees, 1 pear tree, a walnut tree, and grapes in our backyard. Our children will not starve because we, as a family, will always work hard to provide. We will never lean on the government because in the longrun, it is not beneficial. Self reliance is the only way to make it in this world. And when the economy falls again, and the government takes even more from us, as least we have the comfort in knowing our children will not starve.
We did not take out a loan to buy our house… guess what? We SAVED. We worked HARD, and we SAVED. A novice idea nowadays. I am 33 years old. My husband is 37. We live in a 3 bedroom farmhouse on 3.5 acres of land 2 miles from the ocean. We are adding 2 more bedrooms upstairs so each of our 4 children can have their own bedrooms. And in the meantime, my husband and I are sleeping in the living room, on couches, so that our children can have the existing 3 bedrooms. And every month, we WORK HARD and SAVE to expand our home without asking the government for assistance or taking out a loan. And because of this mindset, WE OWN OUR HOME. That’s right. Not yet in our 40s and we do not have a mortgage. We are not rich, not even close. Matter of fact, per the government guidelines, we are living below the poverty level. How do we do it?
How do we feed our children every month without food stamps? How do we live in a house we own, void of mortgage? How do we expand our home without bank loans? How do we heat our home with fuel assistance? How do we afford to see a doctor without healthcare insurance? WE WORK HARD. WE SAVE OUR MONEY. WE DO MORE FOR OURSELVES.
We garden and grow our own food. We cut our own wood and heat our home through alternate heating methods. We take our combined $35,000/annual earned income and do not spend it on things that we don’t need. My husband is a smoker. Not something I like or agree with or support. But he does not buy cigarettes, he makes his own. His pack of cigarettes costs us $1.10 a pack. (Hopefully I am successful in getting him to quit sometime soon. I hate it.)
We did not fall into the credit card game like so many others. We have hardly any debt. When we food shop, we shop per meal. This cuts down on wasting food and needless shopping. “Candy” for our children only happens on specific holidays. “Junk food” or “dessert” for them is a naval orange after dinner, or popcorn while watching a rented movie. We do not have cable, except for internet purposes because one of my jobs demands I work from home. The other reason we have cell phones is because our companies pay for them. We have one vehicle. A minivan which is 11 years old, we own it, and we take care of it. It’s very reliable.
We never go to the movies. We wait until they are released on dvd. Our children are not fat, lazy children who sit at home playing video games. They prefer to play outside and invent their own games… because we raised them that way. We do not own any of the video game consols all the kids these days HAVE to have. Christmas for our children is 6 presents each. 3 of necessaity, and 3 for fun. For example: my husband is a welder and works outside all year long. He will receive a pair of wool socks, a new winter work jacket, and a new pair of work boots for his 3 necessity gifts. He will also receive 3 for fun gifts such as a gift card to Sears so he can splurge on some new tools he wants. Our children expect the same. Our oldest is receiving new jeans, new sneakers, as necessity gifts. (During the year our children are accustomed to hand-me-down clothing, so new jeans is a big deal.) He is also receiving (for his fun gifts) new books, a paperjam guitar I got on sale at Walmart for $9.00, marked down from $18.00, and a new cd for his old cd player. Our other 3 children will receive similar gifts. And their stockings are half-filled with chocolates (a real treat for them) and personal hygeine products such a deodorant, new brushes and individual body wash, lip gloss for the girls, and slinkies for the boys, etc. Our Christmas Tree is a prelight 7 foot tree we bought years ago at Walmart for $79. Its beginning to look dingy, and our friends and family tease us about the state of our tree. We gave our children to choice of purchasing a new tree this year, and SURPRISE of all surprises, our children were upset that we would dare to throw away our family tree simpy because it got old. My husband and I were so proud of our children. And our old ugly tree still stands in our living room. =)
No one is entitled anything. Iphones, designer purses, fancy cars do not bring happiness, nor are they necessary in living a full life. Due to these standards, my family is dirt poor. However, we do not consider ourselves poor at all, even though the government and society does. Our children are not considered popular in their schools, probably because of the hand-me-down clothes, but the few friends they do have are wonderful and loyal children. We have an open door policy for all of their friends, and because of that, there is always more than just our children in our home. My husband and I are respected in our community and among our neighbors and friends BECAUSE we are so self-reliant and dependable. When our friends fall upon hard times, we have them over for dinners alot. We open up our garden to them. We babysit for them.
As a society, we should not be FORCED to help each other. If we weren’t FORCED to help each other, we would be more willing to do it ourselves. We should not be FORCED to help strangers who we have deemed lazy. If we all help our friends, be more self reliant, our society will change for the better. There is nothing wrong with helping each other out when needed. But the expectation is that we HAVE to help each other whether we like it or not, whether THEY deserve it or not.
As has been proven by this thread and the many comments therein, it seems none of us have a problem helping those were are trying to help themselves. Those that work full-time and still can’t seem to keep their heads above water. Those with disabled children. Those who have been contributing members of society and got laid off from a job, etc. THOSE hardworkers who have fallen upon hard times. We all seem willing to help because we know they are hard workers, because we know that THEY know the value of hard work and will truly appreciate the charity.
If everyone had that work ethic, no one would have a problem helping them out when needed. But giving handouts to those who aren’t even trying is not working.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day…teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime…”
I have no problem with reforming welfare etc. to whatever extent it really needs, probably something – mend it not end it – as long as they also reform banking, mortgages, interlocking directorships, the financial markets, derivatives, lobbying, funding of elections, military appropriations, the way Congress works (like filibusters, holds, …) and so on and so on.
It gives me hope for the future to see young adults taking the time to not only observe the world around them, but to also see them taking a stand against the sense of entitlement so many people have today. As a nation we must be ready and willing to help those in need…but at the same time we have got to get back to some serious Character building as future generations can not continue to be raised believing it is acceptable to count on your fellow citizens to feed, clothe, and house you in any but the worst of times. We have a epidemic of lazy and entitled people who count on this assitance not because of terrible events in their lives, or job loss due to no fault of their own, but due to the simple fact that they believe they are above working the jobs available to them, and above budgeting in a strict manner to make it on said salary. These people are not only stealing from the tax payer, but also from those who are truly “down on their luck” due to a temporary occurance and desperately need the help..Keep up the good work Christine!
Two things: 1) Maybe Maine Brain Drain happens because young, kind, smart people who know how to do research don’t want to live next to small-minded bigots. 2) Here’s a suggestion for some actual research our budding journalist might try: check out how much state and federal tax money goes to the poor versus how much state and federal tax money goes to bank bailouts/CEO salaries, war, and big insurance companies. I think your definition of a crook, while historically and culturally familiar, is off-the-mark. Think bigger, Rhode Island, if you can.
I am absolutely appalled not only by this blogger’s betrayal of the customers who pay her salary (does she not see that connection?) but even more so by the comments encouraging her. As a small business owner myself, I would immediately fire this young girl if she worked for me. We don’t question our customers and how they spend their money. We also don’t question where they get the money they spend in our store. That is suicidal. This young lady’s concerns belong in her elected officials’ hands, not on the internet. She even identified the store where she worked! I am assuming she does not intend on returning there to work because she has certainly ruined her chances of any future employment, and not only in this particular WalMart, but in any WalMart, as well as any potential employer who reads this blog. She even uses her name! Does she not understand that employers now routinely search the internet for blogs, etc written by those seeking employment? Her stupidity is absolutely appalling.
Christine –
Heard about your Walmart story … it’s good that you can recognize corruption in the natural order … but corruption in the supernatural order is infinitely worse.
I have all the proof on my website > > Immaculata-one.com — on how virtually all person’s eternal damnation is being engineered in these times.
On the website …
Sections 1, 2, 5, 5.1, and 9 > Whatever is no not Catholic is heresy and sends you into Hell forever.
Sections 12 and 13 and their subsections > The Catholic Church lost all of it’s properties around the world to the Vatican-2 heretic cult which was founded on 8 December 1965 at the Vatican (the close date of the heretical “vatican-2 council”). Proof that the Office of the Papacy is currently vacant by heresy.
Sections 20, 20.1, 20.2, and 20.2 > Proof that the Papacy fell vacant in 1917 which led to the setting up of the vatican-2 apostasy
Section 13.2 > The Catholic Dogma on Automatic Excommunication from Christianity for heresy or physical participation in a heretical society … this Dogma is operative on your immortal soul at this time.
Section 19.1 > Has a Formal Abjuration of heresy for re-entering the Catholic Church (which has no buildings at this time) so that you can become a Christian.
Section 7 > Instructions for conditional re-baptism for all those who were perhaps baptized in their heretical cults (including the vatican-2 cult).
Mike
Hey, you are 100% correct. I love that the Liberals instantly accuse you of being a racist and/or a person of privilege. That is all they have. Liberal arguments don’t stand up to logic and facts. Great Job! You have a terrific future in store.
“Liberal arguments don’t stand up to logic and facts”
Ironically, this statement is void of both.
I doubt very much that you would make such a generalization about all conservatives.
Mrs. Brown from Dec. 13 – You homeschool your kids? Lady, you cannot spell! Please send them to public school. I was homeschooled, but my mother had a decent education, which you obviously do not. My parents scrimped every penny my whole life, and never took any form of welfare. If you must take handouts in order to homeschool, pursue a different avenue to educate your kids.
To smallbusinessowner: First and foremost, those Welfare Queens aren’t spending THEIR money, they’re spending MY money. Secondly, WalMart is big enough to handle the “suicide” you mention. Lastly, not ALL business owners are corrupt like you and many will actually flock to hire her because she’s intelligent, articulate, and understands what’s going on.
Why does it seems the “attackers” of the author’s blog keep trying to derail the threat to the “bigger issues” like corporations and their involvement in the “problem?”
The author wrote of her observations as a college student working part-time in her local Walmart. Just because some deem this a smaller issue, does not mean it should be ignored. No problem is too big or too small to warrant someone’s attention. Jeez, people, grow up.
If you can’t fix the “small” problems, how do you expect to fix the “big” problems, like corporate greed?
Yes, the author is a college student, but just because she is in college, does not automatically imply that she is “priviledged.” The same goes for the welfare dependents. Just because they are on welfare, does not mean they aren’t trying their best to succeed. You are accusing the author is discriminating against welfare recipients by implying (although she did not if you can read beyond 2nd grade reading level) that ALL welfare recipients are abusing the system. Yet, here you are, discriminating towards the author by implying that all college students are “snot-nosed priviledged kids who have yet to experience life.”
I went to college. I was far from priviledged as I worked full-time and went to school full-time to put MYSELF through college. It was a choice I made. Just like it’s a choice some folk make when they decide to get into selling drugs in lieu of attending college.
This little article is not going to hurt or even affect Walmart’s overhead. People who shop at Walmart do so by choice or necessity. They certainly won’t stop shopping there simply because a previous Walmart employee posted her observations and opinion on a college forum. Furthermore… she is protected under the freedom of speech and press. She is not slandering Walmart’s name, therefore, she has not performed unethically.
Kristina Gonzalez, your last name speaks volumes to what it is you wrote. Talk about the cream of the crop of moochers in this world.
Racist much, Beth?
People like Melissa has the same problem as the rest of the moochers. This help is to get you by until you can find another J O B!!!. They don’t have to have cakes, steaks and lobsters, I can’t even afford all that and I W O R K!!!. They should be buying what they NEED not their WANTS. I want a new Corvette but I have a 1996 88 olds. I work a regular JOB and then I also officiate in the evening to supplement my income. We need more Officials so maybe Melissa and her boyfriend should look into that. The feds have cracked down on school breakfast and lunches and making the schools provide healthier items. So should they do the same for Welfare/food-stamps/wic people.
Cora Tanner says: “Beth, clearly your bible studies are sorely lacking. Try: Mark 10:14 Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.”
Lacking? Gee, I don’t see where the Bible says, “Suffer the little children and their welfare mothers who refuse to work to come unto me and forbid them not steaks and lobsters and cake and candy, for such is the kingdom of God.” I must not have that version of the Bible that has all those extra things in there. There are MANY references to if one is able-bodied, s/he MUST work.
Try this one on for size:
2Thess 3:10
For even when we were with you , we used to give you this order : if anyone is not willing to work , then he is not to eat, either.
See, therein lies the difference. I am ALL FOR taking care of those with disabilities and other LEGITIMATE problems which PRECLUDES them from working. What I will rail against until this travesty is fixed is paying breeders and drug addicts and social ingrates who CHOOSE to be sub-human drains on society getting a DIME of my hard-earned money. That’s not what welfare was ever meant for, nor was that something that God instructs us to encourage and pay for.
Me and my husband were on assistance for food and always used it very frugally when we had it, (meal planning, coupons etc.) We have since worked our way off, but it was a terrible process. The system is misused by state and county workers as well as people on assistance. I got pregnant young and we were not married when our first was born, but both had good jobs. My husband started college when I found out I was pregnant and we got married when the baby was 8 months old, 2 weeks later my husband lost his job so we had to apply for benefits. The social worker literally said to me “You have worked yourself into a mess. If you got a separation/divorce and had your baby daddy quit school, I could do a lot more with your file, you could qualify for more benefits.” I was in shock, and at first thought she was kidding but she was extremely serious. I then said to her, “I don’t want to get a divorce, and he is not my baby daddy, he is my husband…I married him because we love each other. Him going to school is the only way for us to ensure we are not in this situation again, he can get a better paying job.” She laughed and said, “Ok well y’all gon starve and be on the street…but I guess you’ll still have an education and love!” She then proceeded to laugh at me…knee slap and all. I reported her and the response I got from her supervisor was, “She is just trying to give you all your options, don’t be so sensitive.” In my opinion she was not only trying to give me my options, but showing me how to manipulate the system. We were on assistance for a year and a half and in my experience with multiple different case workers this is the norm. If you qualify for benefits honestly that is fine, but the case workers shouldn’t give you an outline on how to manipulate your way in. We were penalized for my husband being a student (his financial aid was counted as income, money that was paid directly toward tuition and we never saw), although while on assistance you can have any kind of vehicle you choose and not have that count as an asset. Many times while going to appointments at the welfare building we saw multiple 30k+ vehicles in the lot. The people driving them were standing next to me in line waiting for a handout. I once had a little girl in line say to me “My mommy doesn’t have to work anymore, she is having another baby. If you have 5 kids, the state doesn’t make you work to get EBT!” That little girls mom smiled and rubbed her belly and said “cash crop!” We were penalized for being married (they said the only thing holding us back from receiving cash benefits was that we were married…we were encouraged by at least 4 different case workers to “at least say he is staying somewhere else”), and we were also punished for being frugal (we were told multiple times that if we rented an apt that cost more we could get more benefits.) I’m glad it was there when we needed it, but ultimately we said screw the system, lived in a cheap ass apt, volunteered at church in exchange for food, diapers, and toiletries, and worked our butts off. My husband now has his bachelors degree and a great paying job, we have two more kids, own a house and I have my own business. The system is a trap for most, that only encourages laziness.
(11/28/11 Personal Responsibility and Self Reliance. Kevin Reagan. Check it out.)
It went largely unnoticed, but one month ago President Obama unwittingly delivered a golden sound bite for conservatives. While speaking at a million-dollar fundraiser in the People’s Republic of San Francisco, the president told the crowd of donors that if he didn’t win re-election in 2012, “then we’re going to have a government that tells the American people ‘you are on your own.’” The president went on: “If you get sick, you’re on your own. If you can’t afford college, you’re on your own. If you don’t like that some corporation is polluting your air or the air that your child breathes, then you’re on your own. That’s not the America I believe in. It’s not the America you believe in…”
Thank God. I want to be on my own…. Of course, those lazy good for little folk who depend on welfare to sustain their bills while they take vacations and spend “their” money in “luxuries,” might not be so thrilled. I, however, am excited at the prospect of the government leaving me alone.
If it were not already obvious that the president is out of touch with the American spirit, this quote should eliminate any doubt. Clearly, the president is a true believer in the nanny state. He believes in an America where the government is there to care for every sick individual and pay for every student’s college tuition. In Barack Obama’s America, if the government isn’t either heavily regulating or actually providing a service, then there is something wrong. Look no further than healthcare or his record on welfare. The number of individuals receiving food stamps increased 33 percent between November 2008 and 2010 and his proposed budget for 2011 projected doubling the amount of money spent on food stamps.
Every American even remotely familiar with the principles of the Founding Fathers should have heard the president’s speech and thought, ‘Good. I don’t want the federal government intruding in my life anyway.’ Contrary to what the Left argues, the government is not the solution to every problem; the government is an encumbrance on individuals seeking upward mobility. The American people live in the Land of Opportunity where individuals can make their dream a reality with determination and by capitalizing on their natural abilities—the American Dream.
It is time to restore the virtues of personal responsibility and self-reliance in our society. The most direct way to do this will be to tackle two major sources of irresponsibility and dependence: entitlements and welfare. Due to the expansion and explosion of spending on welfare and entitlement programs over the years and complete unwillingness to change that trend, the federal government has nurtured a culture of dependency. Countless individuals are becoming more dependent on the federal government to take care of their basic needs.
“The drift of society [has been] away from personal responsibility toward letting “someone else” do it. That someone is the “government,” but what seems to fall through the cracks is the fact that the “government” is us. It’s just folks, and by ceding authority over key aspects of our lives like retirement security, health care coverage, and education to others, we lose freedom and control over our lives…” – Bill Wagner
Government will never be the solution to our problems. To quote Dr. Terry Paulson, “As Ronald Reagan reminded us, the effectiveness of government should not measured by how many citizens government helps, but by how many citizens don’t need government help.”
A return to individual responsibility and caring communities would foster economic growth, create new jobs, increase personal charity, and revitalize community involvement.” The American Dream is by no means dead (80 percent of Americans worth $5 million or more grew up in middle-class or lesser households). Instead of more government, let’s remove the barriers to job creation and watch those who are personally responsible and self-reliant soar.
“As Ronald Reagan reminded us, the effectiveness of government should not measured by how many citizens government helps, but by how many citizens don’t need government help.”
Sure, and if our government wasn’t so corrupted by lobbying etc then the financial crisis wouldn’t have happened, fewer jobs outsourced (less lucrative), and more Americans would have work. We must reform the system.
For once of my jobs, I work for a healthcare/medical firm. We employee LNAs, CNAs, and Nurses. One of my staff, who work Monday-Friday 7am-3pm, and is a single mom of 1 child, called me up and told me that starting next week, she can only work Mondays and Tuesdays. I inquired as to why. She told me that when she started working 40 hours, her “state benefits” were decreased so much so that she is better off not working. She was earning $14/hour. More than I earn.
We recently discovered that she has applied for unemployment against our company.
I am 52 years old. Until I was 10 years old my mother (since my father had abandoned us) received help from welfare for my 2 sisters and myself – a different type of welfare. We received assistance in the form on going to the Armory in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York to get on a line that sometimes went out the gates and down the street. We waited on that line to go in and receive good, healthy, nutritional food. We would go through a “buffet line” and pick up staple foods like, raisins, butter, cheese, rice, peanut butter, etc. People now say that would be degrading to have to do. I don’t see it that way, it was a “necessary evil”. If you were really in need of assistance, you went to get your food, which helped you through to the next time you went to pick up food. There was no “check” to be able to pick up junk food. Yes it was a treat when we were able to get special things, but the help we received was the help that was really NEEDED. When my mother died at 10 years old my aunt took in all three of us and she already had 4 children of her own. Even though she was entitled to welfare benefits to help us, she refused and made sure that her and my uncled provided for us. I’m sorry, but this new system has always been a thorn in my side. I, too have worked in retail and see the abuse and the attitude of, not all, but a lot of the people receiving help. While there may be a few that are genuinely “embarassed” to need this help because it is not in their “makeup” to take help (and those are the ones who will work the butts off to get a job and help support themselves and not be a burden to the system for any longer than necessary) most of those I dealt with were abusing the system and just mooching off the government. My husband works, and I have three – yes I said THREE part time jobs to help put my kids through college – I’m not expecting a hand out. I’m hoping to teach my children that they need to work for what they have. My kids have also worked to save for their own vehicle, I did not hand it to them. People don’t learn responsibility by having things handed to them. A “Helping Hand” is different than a “Hand Out”. The government needs to take a closer look at everything.
To all of those women who complain that the kids daddy left them I say you should have made a better choice in men. At one time women had as a requirement that the men they chose to be with be a good husband, father and provider. They looked for the signs – the man started working at an early age. They worked for what they had and were considerate and respectful of others.
Now all they look for is a man “who makes their knees weak”. Pick the right man and he will not run out on you. Pick the right man and you will not be poor, at least not for long. Do not have children by 4-5 different men.
You must choose wisely…
Just make better choices…
There you have it folks, it’s just that simple. Never screw up.
What universe are you from, workerbee?
I know a woman who had 5 children with a man she had been married to for 20 years. He was wonderful, caring man who provided for his family. At least that’s the way it appeared to his family, friends, coworkers, church, and anyone who ever met the guy. Turns out, he had spent the last half of the “perfect” marriage molesting the children.
I guess that’s HER fault for marrying the wrong guy.
I just don’t understand the mindset. I really don’t. I live in Wells. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, it is a huge tourist town in the summer. Some would consider it a snobbish or ritzy town. I consider it home. I was not raised here, but I’ve always loved it, and when I was able, I moved here. Have never regretted that decision.
Wells is close to Sanford on one side, and Biddeford on the other side. Both towns are highly populated with welfare recipients. Both towns are (in my opinion) not where I would want to raise my 4 children. A person I know who lives in Sanford once told me that I was a snob, thought I was better than her, etc. She went off on a rant comparing our lives, our incomes, our children, the towns we lived in, just to name a few of her gripes. I let her vent, then I said, “And the biggest difference between you and I is that I choose to work and support myself. You choose to let others support you. Don’t blame me for how I live or what I have. I have earned everything I have. Don’t blame me for how you live or what you don’t have. You haven’t earned a damn thing!”
Do I feel “better” as a resident of Wells, as opposed to Sanford or Biddeford? I guess in a way, I do. My children receive a great education that, yes, is superior to Sanford and Biddeford. I feel good about that, about their potential futures with those great educations. I like not having to deal with subsidized housing on every corner, and the unfortunate stereotypes that cohabit there. I like that Wells doesn’t have a lot of rentals, very high rent in the few rentals the town has, and expensive cost of living. It keeps certain types of people out of our town.
If that makes me a snob, then so be it. I’m a snob. I am not, however, priviledged. I have worked my butt off for everything I have, everything my children have. And although we are considered “poor” in our town, we still have more than some. My good decisions have led me here, and I will not apologize for it. I am allowed to enjoy what I have EARNED in my life, because I EARNED IT. Those of you who are on welfare by choice, and refuse to work, your decisions led you where you are. I will not feel bad for what I have and what you don’t have. Nor will I ever be happy or willing to give you a portion of what I have simply because you think you are entitled to it.
you can thank Mr. Kennedy for all that going on in his state! he was so liberal it was crazy! I’m so glad he isn’t here any more, he was doing way too much damage to everything.
I can remember my mother railing about similar behavior during the 70′s when I was a kid. We lived below the poverty line but refused to take government assistance. Meanwhile, others were dining off steak and lobster while paying for it via food stamps. Sure, we ate dog meat, but it was at least dog meat that WE paid for.
Because you mentioned Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), take a look at this chart that shows the percentage of TANF recipients compared to the state’s share of the U.S. population. Sure, Maine is up there, but there is no comparison with my home state, California. California has 12% of the nation’s population and 33% of the nation’s TANF recipients.
CHART: http://www.twitpic.com/7emp1f/full
How dare a child have some cake for their birthday!
You might as well let a family enjoy some Turkey on Christmas!
You people need to start an Ebenezer Scrooge fan club.
(That is, if you even know who he is.)
Shannon, STFU. Nobody said a kid can’t have cake for his birthday — but where a store-bought cake costs no LESS than $20 (often closer to $30 or $40), a HOMEMADE cake costs just a couple bucks. Seriously, if your reading comprehension is so lacking, you should move along to a much more age-appropriate page.
Beth, surely you missed the post where the person talked of having to buy cakes since they had no oven. I know I lived for a couple years in a rental with no oven. At least WalMart has less expensive cakes than many other bakeries.
Will there be mess ups? Sure. But the case you (Shannon Morris) cite is not the vast majority of the cases seen.
And for those who think that I do not know what it is like to be poor, I spent over 7 years working at or below the minimum wage. Over 2 of those years I was homeless and from time to time I was living on the street. I have eaten out of dumpsters (dumpster diving we called it) and I still think it is a “crime” to pour something like bleach on the food before it is thrown out. Like you are going to lose sales because of the dumpster divers. Trust me, if we would have had the money we would not be in the dumpster in the first place.
I still identify most with those at the bottom of the social economic scales. Since my first above minimum wage paycheck (in 1980) I have been trying to help those around me. I see the same things no matter what part of the country I have lived in.
For women it is they got involved with that “dreamy” guy when everyone around them knew he was a bum. Slime might be a better word. But they were “in love” and would not listen to anybody.
That is what I have seen time and time again. That case you mentioned is not at all common.
The word “deserve” should be considered. I don’t deserve anything for which I have not honestly worked. I don’t deserve many of the things I enjoy. I know that. My parents, grandparents, etc. worked hard so that I could have those things. I currently work three part time jobs (two of which being in the field that my diploma covers). I’m grateful for the opportunities I have because of the family I was born into, but I understand that not everyone has those opportunities. I know that I don’t see the whole picture, but I am trying. This is what I can see though.
Charity or giving someone a hand up (not out) doesn’t mean that the person receiving it deserves it. Not deserving something but still receiving it is what charity and mercy is all about.
A more thorough understanding of where that money comes from might go a long way to helping people who are dependent on the system for their daily bread get out of that system.
There is nothing “kind” about continually giving people money who will abuse that charity. It creates a dependence on it. Kindness is teaching people how to find a job and keep it in order to support themselves so that they can get off of government-funded systems.
Yes, there are people who truly need and understandable depend on these systems for reasons of disability, illness, real hard times, etc., and their future well-being is being jeopardized by those who use the system inappropriately. I want people people to be able to use welfare, food stamps, WIC, etc. so that they can get themselves to a place where they can support themselves.
So, to those people who are or have been on an assistance program, as a tax payer who can barely make her student loan payments sometimes, I say buy your daughter the birthday cake because it’s a special day, but think for a few minutes before you buy that “Twilight” box set. It’s okay to go without some of the luxury items. Yes, DVDs are luxury items. You ARE morally accountable to the people or entities who give you (maybe not happily give you) that resource. Make your decisions wisely with those people in mind. If you’re reading this article, I’m sure you already do. Share a little bit of your story with the well-meaning woman behind you who tells you that using a government card is wrong. Justify yourself if you feel the need. Let people know that there are conscientious and hardworking people out there on government assistance programs. Work on softening their hearts and minds.
Rules–no matter how strict–only show people how far they can take something before they get caught in fraud. This matter requires more than just rules. In addition to rules, we need to help some people understand what it means to do an honest day’s work, have to pay taxes, and see that tax money spent poorly.
Should we throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater on this one?
walmart and food stamps are for lazy niggers and white trash!!!!
Everyone takes everything to the extreme… regarding the woman whose husband molested their children. Of course it’s not her fault. What does that have anything to do with welfare and the lack of a work ethic in this country? Having her husband molest their children was not her choice. However what she did afterwards WAS her choice. Did you have trouble comprehending my post?
Yes, Lee, she chose to feed her children.
Let’s hang her.
Lee – I was responding to workerbee:
“To all of those women who complain that the kids daddy left them I say you should have made a better choice in men.”
“Pick the right man and you will not be poor, at least not for long..”
(A rather sexist comment to begin with.)
Rich or poor, nobody can predict the future.
What the heck, I’ll make a prediction anyway. In the next year, about half of the people blaming the poor are going to be singing a different tune when the bottom falls out of our economy. Guess who we’ll have to blame for that? It won’t be the poor. It won’t be women who made bad choices in their relationships. It won’t be someone buying a cake, a steak, or a slip-n-slide. It will be the rich… again. You can put your money on that.
Great article by a person who has experienced what we all know is going on. I hope this gets the system abuse out into the open so people will start to sway the political process that foments this type of thing. The poor need the help. The moochers need to be dropped from the dole! Let’s fix this system!!!
“I literally witnessed small children asking their mothers if they could borrow their EBT cards.”
Yeah, and my niece wanted a credit card for her 5th birthday. (She didn’t get one.)
So your point is…?
“I once had a man show me his welfare card for an ID to buy alcohol.”
Assumption: The man was buying the alcohol for himself.
For all you know, the money for the alcohol came from the under-age kids out front.
“People ignoring me on their iPhones while the state paid for their food.”
Assumption # 1 – They paid for the iPhone and the service themselves.
Assumption # 2 – They bought the phone AFTER they started receiving benefits.
ANY phone service costs about $25/month, even land lines. Phones are useful for things like getting jobs, but I guess poor people should never be allowed the “luxury” of a phone.
Assumptions make for sloppy journalism.
“People using TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) money to buy such necessities such as earrings, kitkat bars, beer, WWE figurines, and, my personal favorite, a slip n’ slide.”
Assumption: They were buying those things for themselves. I guess poor people shouldn’t be allowed to attend birthday parties.
Not to mention – “to buy SUCH necessities SUCH as”
You will never live up to your dream of being the next Ann Coulter with this kind of writing.
“The woman immediately began yelling at me, saying that, “It’s food! You eat it!”
There’s no excuse, and there’s no reason to yell at the cashier for it.”
Right, because people with money are never rude. Dealing with rude customers has NOTHING to do with welfare.
“The majority of her food was void of any nutritional value.”
You mean like cheap hamburger, which is full of fat, rather than the pricier lean ground?
As a general rule, cheaper is less healthy.
http://www.kplu.org/post/healthy-food-costs-barrier-better-diet-among-poor
“This woman literally failed at image comprehension.”
Again, NOTHING to do with the subject. Rich people can be stupid too.
“..spending on welfare has increased dramatically, but there has been no reduction of the poverty rate.”
Maybe that’s because welfare is not the cure to poverty. Welfare is a symptom of poverty.
“Something is going terribly wrong, and the things I saw at work were indicators of a much larger problem.”
Maybe next time, you should try writing an article about those problems.
Perhaps Christine Rousselle, Ann Coulter (Christine’s racist, hateful, and soulless idol), and all the readers who think this is “dead on” should consider this:
Per http://www.politicususa.com/en/u-s-ranks-dead-last-in-overall-social-spending
“The US is dead last in social spending in a survey of 34 countries conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In addition most countries have seen a rise in social spending between 1982 and 2011. The US has -2.2% growth.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon spends more on war than all 50 states combined spend on health, education, welfare, and safety. What we’ve spent on war in the last 10 years equals over $4200 for every American, or $185 for every human being on the planet.
Some can argue that I am among the “priviledged” now. Although my family is still living below the federal poverty line, we live in a beautiful and wealthy town, own our home, and our children receive excellent education. But I did not come from a priviledged family.
My family was very poor. My parents were not on food stamps as my father was a very proud man. But my mom would take us to basement thrift shops to buy our school clothes. We only had one car, so we took the train around Boston all the time. Lugging groceries on and off a train with 5 kids in tow could not have been easy for my mom. We had spaghetti more often than not because it was cheap. Drank water, not milk or juice.
I swore I would never be dependent on anyone for my basic needs. And I never have been. That was a CHOICE. *I* put myself through college. *I* have worked and supported myself solely since I was 16. *I* chose to have 4 children and relocate to Maine. *I* choose to work 2 jobs in lieu of accepting welfare and state aide of any kind. An before you say I don’t know what its like to have bad luck… my husband and I, and our 4 children and 2 dogs were homeless for 6 months, living out of our minivan. My husband and i both had full-time jobs. We lost our home and could not find another one within our affordability. So we remained homeless for 6 months and saved nearly every penny we had and finally acquired a home. It was NOT an easy thing to be homeless with 4 children, especially around the holidays. Our children had to choose between celebrating Christmas with presents, or purchasing a new home. A difficult choice for young children to make, but they chose a home. It was not a fun Christmas. It was filled with tears and sadness. But we made it through.
We survived, and so did our children. Struggling builds character and internal strength. Our children love our home, even though it is nothing anyone else would look twice at. Some might consider our home destitute. But our children love it. They appreciate it… children whose parents are among the “choice” welfare recipients, who are abusing the program, will never learn to work for something or appreciate what they have because it has always been handed to them, because they did not have to choose. I cringe to consider what this society will be like in 20 years if this mindset of entitlement is not curbed or done away with entirely.
FINALLY someone else spoke up about this! I work in the healthcare field and you would not believe the abuse that goes on! It makes me sick how people take advantage and then hard working people end up paying for it! These people need to be cut off!
Beth says: “Shannon, STFU”
Well Beth, I CERTAINLY don’t need to say any more about that. Your comments speak for themselves:
“lowlife”
“Eat f**king hamburger helper, you skank”.
“Be grateful, you sow.”
“Stupid sheeple.”
“STFU and quit your envy.”
“I’m sick to f**king death of paying for lowlifes and n**gers”
You are a hate filled racist, You are completely incapable of presenting anything that resembles a point without resorting to immature and inflammatory remarks. At some point in your life, someone must have done something to hurt you very deeply, and I’m sorry that you have the need to take that out on everyone else.
“I witnessed generations of families all relying on the state to buy food and other items. ”
Wow. You must have held that job at Wal-Mart for a very long time to know that.
@ smallbusinessowner… So she fed her children, or the taxpayers of the state fed her children? I’m just trying to understand your comment more clearly…
Beth: I find in interesting and telling that you only use the parts of the bible that justify your hatred. Try:
Luke 6:35-37
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Mine is just an opinion. I believe that we are required to offer help to those in need. But, I’m not the one you will have to answer to for your hatred. Your heart is hard and cold. I will pray for you.
Lee, my reasoning says that hungry children should be fed and I don’t mind my tax dollars being spent to do so.
But I guess your reasoning says let em starve.
My reasoning says their parent should be held accountable and responsible for feeding THEIR children.
But by your reasoning, shall I pop out a few more children, quit both of my jobs, and allow your very willing and generous tax dollars pay to support and feed my children? Will you still be so happy and willing then?
Nearly everything in the Bible can be used and manipulated to suite any topic or opinion. Baptist do it all the time. =)
My reasoning says parents are not always able to afford to feed their children. And in these days of no accountability for Wall Street bankers, I’m saving my outrage for the banks. They’re getting about a million times more money than any poor family gets for groceries.
You are maybe right except here in my country (Europe) I never saw welfare Cadillac’s. Some people came here (in recent years) from eastern Europe and mysteriously all these Western Union outlets popped up. I sometimes think they funnel some money to the place they came from.
Even if you saw some disgusting clients your writing is only a complaint and not productive as such.
Show a way how a welfare receipient can contact any known big Corporation in order to ask for a job.
Line out how jobs can created and offered to these welfare receivers. I support the opinion people who refuse a suitable job offer should experience restriction on their welfare.
Do you know most high-tech is now made in China? But it’s western businessmen who went there, invested, and asked the chinese to make these goods. Simply to have more profit.
Food items that is what they sell at your workplace, are made in factories these days, wrapped automatically. Some people still work there but I do not think there is potential for 20 million jobs.
How about everyone only working 1/2 of each year, 20 hours a day? Enough jobs for everyone except less politicans abusing money for their gambling expenditures.
Doctors should not get so much money they should do it voluntary, or get out.
If I would be on welfare I would hate it every day, and I would try to contact these big Corporations in order to help me out for instance offer me a job.
I received benefits during some time when I went to college, browsed Aldi for items including essential foods still had no money left 20th of the month.
The people you write about most likely whore off themselves so they also have cash money, credit card, in addition to their foods stamp card. Is it illegal in your country? How could it become monitored, police supervised and punished?
You are only 20 years old, I am about 30. Sometimes I made the experience, what I believe is true for me but not neccessarily for others. Not all people are like me or have the same requirements as me.
I have been travelling through England a few times and I saw worn down areas of London. I am not sure if welfare abuse really is the cause of current economic problems. You should see them too maybe. America however is so unique, people came from countries all over the world. And then gold was found in Alaska, which caused it’s economy to expand, without that anyone ever really produced that gold. It was just “harvested”. So maybe you are mostly right however it only applies to America because it’s unique history and political system.
Your blogging is more first shoot then ask questions. How about first offer a job then restrict welfare? Seriously. Contact these big transnationals, and how they could offer 20 million more jobs in America. They could, but the profit would be less.
Even your Walmart cashier job is pretty much replaceable and soon will be replaced. We have now automatic till’s here, people swipe barcodes themselves, all self-service. 60% less cashiers required. I would hate it swiping barcodes all day it is not really a good job to do for humans. But also I hate lazy people, as well people preying on others no matter the income group. If people turn down reasonable job offers without even trying for some months, they should not get benefits easily. Or there even should be legal investigation.
My blog is nice too but isn’t it that Humaity is corrupt and must be controlled? I played all 3 STALKERS, and it helped a little to understand the whereabouts of armed conflicts. Or you should see minefield in Angola and maybe laugh about these unhealthy welfare buggers. Evolution won’t maintain them forever I think exept they serve some purpose we yet do not understand.
Soda and beer come on these are low price items and they are not relevant to America’s recovery. Some of these individuals who stink of cheap beer maybe are not even attractive to employers even if they really wanted to. So once they exist it can’t be helped. Maybe think about the system, society and environment that created these buggers, and what makes them thrive.
I welcome people like you questioning the fact that some individuals cheat, play the system and apparently even commit fraud. Your blog entry has gathered so many comments and some of them are valueable pieces of opinion I think.
The suggestion by Alex that we work a 20 hour week is in many (if not most) places unworkable. After my stint in college it took me about 5 years to become really competent in my craft. Then after working in several places to get better I was finally hired at my current place of employment. It took me about another 5 years to really get a grasp into their business. Along the way I had to learn to read papers from nuclear physicists, signal processing EE’s and other scientists written at the PHD level. So if we did get a freshly minted person from college it would take at least 10 years before they would be productive – probably more if they only worked about 20 hours per week. Where I work we all put in about 50 hours per week not because we are asked to but because we need to get things done.
There are currently lots of farm jobs that go begging. If you are willing to work there are farmers that will pay for your relocation. It is hard work but it is a job. Also in North Dakota there is plenty of work on oil rigs. Someone willing to work hard can earn $70,000/year straight out of high school but again it is hard work.
There are plenty of jobs available but usually not in the location where people currently are. Since college I have always had to relocate between jobs. Usually to a different part of the country.
There are plenty of jobs to be had even for those without an education but in the case of all jobs they require two things:
1) A willingness (and ability) to do hard work.
2) A willingness (and ability) to relocate.
Take away either of those two things and you are going to have a tough time.
I have done my share of farm work, hospital laundry, unloading semis and other assorted menial work especially through the day labor system (AKA “rent a bum”) and with these you usually do not have to relocate but you still must work hard or you will not be called back the next day. These jobs are not something you can expect to live on and raise a family. But they are enough to bootstrap yourself through some kind of vocational school or (if you have the ability) through some college program that is likely to land you a job.
The college programs that are likely to land you a job are those that require a lot of higher math. If you are in college to get yourself a good job and your program of study does not require a lot of post calculus math, you are in the wrong program.
This post was rather disappointing. It only provides one side of a very sensitive issue. You can’t possibly generalize an entire section of our society based on what you saw at one WalMart in one city. Yes, I understand there are many “welfare queens” and people who abuse the system. But there are also MANY who do not. And the welfare restrictions so many comments are begging to implement are much more complicated than that. Putting a line on something so subjective as who can eat what and how much per month is ridiculous. If you lower the eligibility and benefits, then yes, some who abuse it will not be able to, but many who REALLY need it will no longer be able to feed their families. There’s a reason that poor people are much more likely to be overweight than the rich.
Also, the notion that these welfare recipients should not be allowed to eat steaks or buy birthday cakes is absolutely sickening. Why? Because first, nobody should have the power to dictate what others consume. If someone wants to buy the occasional steak or cake as a celebration or birthday or something, then they damn well should be allowed to. Just because they have less money doesn’t mean the rich can say “You don’t deserve to have steak! You’re poor!” How ridiculous! Second, the people who abuse the system to buy steak then can’t buy much else. Third, just because some people abuse the system doesn’t mean everybody should be punished. Many people do not obey the speed limit, does that mean we should take YOUR car away, Miss College Conservative? I doubt it.
I am a full time student, I work two jobs at around thirty hours a week, and I volunteer every week at a local elementary school. I’m not sure if I qualify for food stamps, but if I do I am certainly applying. They would make my life so much easier and eliminate the stress of wondering “Will I have enough this month to feed myself?” Even if I do have enough to feed myself, it’s certainly not the healthy food I should be eating. So what is next, you getting upset at me for buying fresh food? Are you going to tell me that frozen is cheaper, so that’s what I should buy?
I’m not saying you’re not entitled to your opinion. You absolutely are. But it saddens me to see this post and the large number of comments congratulating you on your opinion. I feel many members of our society have lost the ability to think things through. Our nation, our government, our people have become so obsessed with the dollars and cents of something, they have lost sight of the heart of the matter. The people in power are playing with numbers and they don’t see the people behind those numbers.
Nobody has the right to tell anyone else that because they make less, they don’t deserve a certain type of food. Nobody has the right to take away something based on mistakes another person made. Think about that next time you see someone speeding, or not using a turn signal. Do you want your right to drive, your car, taken away because of something out of your control? I didn’t think so.
“What the heck, I’ll make a prediction anyway. In the next year, about half of the people blaming the poor are going to be singing a different tune when the bottom falls out of our economy. Guess who we’ll have to blame for that? It won’t be the poor. It won’t be women who made bad choices in their relationships. It won’t be someone buying a cake, a steak, or a slip-n-slide. It will be the rich… again. You can put your money on that.”
In all of the comments here I have yet to see one that is blaming the poor for the problems of the economy. Not one. Perhaps there is one that I missed, but I have read most of them. What I did see were people complaining about those that were “on the dole” being able to purchase things that people working full time could not afford or those that were complaining about the taxpayer having to pay for an individual’s poor choices. While you are almost certain to believe that this too is sexist, I do believe that having children before you are married or having additional children when you cannot afford to raise those you already have is a poor choice.
The economy what we are seeing now is a return to normalcy. Up until relatively recently we were still living on the results of WWII. After that war we were the only country in the world that had an intact manufacturing base. If you needed anything you had to buy it from the U.S.A. The dot com boom gave us a bit of a coast on our slide as did the housing boom. These did go bust but we did have a few good years riding on the boom. Read up on what countries like England did to recover from WWII with their sales of low sulfur coal and what the burning of high sulfur coal (all they had left) did to cities like London. All of the countries involved in WWII outside of the U.S.A. have stories like that. Baring another “next big thing” we will be returning to the state of the world pre WWII. Not a pretty sight.
The rich do have lots of money compared to the rest of us but that has always been true. I believe that they held a greater percent of the total wealth in the 1920s than they do today. It would be interesting to see a chart of the wealth held by that 1% over the history of the country. I am not really sure of what we would see. I do know that all of the attempts to get the wealthy to create jobs in the 30′s (outlawing the ownership of gold, a tax on retained earnings etc.) did not do much. Countries that did little to combat the depression (like those in South America) were coming out of the depression well before WWII. Those that did a lot were mired in depression until WWII started (it started well before Pearl Harbor).
We are in for some very tough times. We may never be in the position of dominance in the world economy again. Jobs will be created, but not here. Not for a long time to come. They will be created in parts of the world that have a lower wage scale and fewer ecological restrictions. These countries will be “used up” and then the jobs will move elsewhere. China is big now. At one time it was Mexico. Predictions are that the next area will be Africa as the cost of labor in China is climbing. All so we can have our “goodies” at a low price. If we would “Buy American” things would be different. But we won’t. We will buy at the lowest price.
We cannot borrow to pay for our spending forever. I am very glad that I am no longer young and will not live too much longer. I do not want to see what our future will bring.
We could place tariffs on goods that compensates for the differential between our labor costs and our environmental restrictions in relation to the source of the imported goods. That would not only bring some jobs back it would encourage higher wages and better environmental protections throughout the world. But that will never be. We would have to leave the WTO and it would mean that we have to pay more for our IPods and other toys. Not gonna happen. We could easily see 20-25% unemployment soon and for the life expectancy of all of those reading this today. That was the pre WWII norm and baring another land based conventional war that leaves the U.S.A. untouched it could well be the foreseeable future.
There are many economic models to have a good peacetime economy. Most have been tried at one time or another. None have worked. The only thing in history that has consistently produced a good economy has been war at a large scale.
Sorry to be so depressing. But things are what they are. It is not the fault of the wealthy. We want lots of goodies and we do not want to pay much for them. As the long dead cartoon strip “Pogo” once observed “We have met the enemy and he is us”.
I understand what you are saying but I live in Maine and in the last year our population has increased only by 7%,while applications for Maine Care has risen 78%. We can’t afford to insure 363,000 people in this state,that is nearly 30% of our population.Where as in most other states it is around 20%. We are now at risk if of putting elderly people living in assisted living facilities out of there homes if the governor Lepages proposed cuts to the budget passes.We need to look at the most needy of our society first.I believe that is the elderly and children. We cannot continue to insure healthy working adults there needs to be a better way.
My husband was in the military, and we had 3 young children. We qualified for food stamps, but we were both too ashamed to apply. We ate a LOT of pasta and turkey franks, because that was all we could afford. I was in line behind this couple in the grocery store, and they were buying THICK steaks, and HUGE prawns (giant shrimp, if you may!), while I was buying powdered milk, ramen noodles, and turkey franks!! Of course they used food stamps to buy this!
My daughter is now on the EBT card, but she makes sure she buys nutritious food, and stocks her pantry and freezer with sales items. She has 2 children with disabilities stemming from abuse from their birth father (who is still legally married to my daughter), who refuses to get a job to pay required child support. She has a court hearing in January for back taxes on her home, and the city plans to evict her. The government doesn’t think the disabilities are severe enough to grant my daughter SSI for the children. The Medicaid doctors want to heavily medicate the kids, which is NOT something my daughter wants to do! It’s a “catch-22″. She has a college education, and is homeschooling the kids because the disability has them labeled as “disruptive” (which is NOT the case), and any job she applies for won’t hire her because of the restriction of hours in which she can work!
I work in a pharmacy, and I see a LOT of fraud in the system!!! I can barely make the time to visit the Doctor once a year because of my WORKING 40 plus hours a week, yet many people on Medicaid are visiting multiple doctors on multiple days with multiple “ailments”, and WE get to pay for their medications!! Some customers get 10-12 prescriptions a month for frivolous things, like dandruff, acne, itchy skin…. And then they complain about the $1.00 co-pay!! I don’t like working! Who does? But if my family needs the extra income to survive, I HAVE to work!!
Too many people lately have said, “If I get a job, the pay will be less that unemployment, so I’ll just keep receiving my unemployment benefits!!” There is NO incentive for them to get a job! As for welfare, EBT and other assistance, it’s a JOKE!! My cousin knew that if she had a baby every 3 years, Michigan would give her money every month! My kids witnessed her BEAT her kids instead of discipline them! She didn’t really want them, just the check!! She is now raising 2 of her children’s children for the money!!
Since my daughter is on a limited (extremely) income, she applied to a couple agencies for Christmas assistance this year. She only heard back from Goodfella’s. She recieved two $20. Toys-R-Us gift cards. While she appreciates ANYTHING, we saw one woman get a box of food and an OVERFLOWING box of toys from one agency, only to see her open her trunk to reveal MORE toys and food already received!! Another woman drove up in her Cadillac Escalade to pick up HER food and toys, while my daughter doesn’t even have heat in her 12 year old car, which needs oil every few days!!! There needs to be a complete over-haul of the system!!
I recently worked with a woman who was living with her mother and sister, all 3 who were receiving housing allowance, EBT cards, Medicaid, and any other program you can think of!! She said she could only work a certain number of hours to keep her benefits. She had her nails done weekly, her hair done frequently, and the whole family was gonna be going on a cruise during winter!! WHAT?????? My husband and I BOTH work 40 hours a week, and would never in a million years have enough money to bring the whole family on a cruise!!!!! Lawmakers need to get off their duffs, and change the system, AND they themselves need to have a reality check!! A 4 or 6 year term should NOT entitle them to a life time of benefits!!!!!!
Concerning the purchase of steaks: I know two families on food stamps. They both comment on how generous their allotment is. They both buy healthy foods and both run out of month before they run out of money on the account. The money just keeps racking up as unspent money is left in the account. They have plenty left over for splurging occasionally and encourage my wife and I to have a glorious dinner at the government’s expense. They have no clue why they get so much. There are hundreds more who get the same or more and run out of money half way into the month and want more!
True there is alot of waste and fraud going on within the welfare system across the country. However I am on FS. I have two college degrees. But I also live in one of the worst cities in the US. There are no jobs and the one I have is a Union job that pays less than $10 an hour. Even with the pay I am unable to afford healthcare and some months basic needs of my disabled child and his siblings. Of course you will say that I should have thought of the cost bfore having so many children. Again who could have known that he would become unemployed as his company moved out of the state and he is ordered to pay $100 a week in child support. I own my $20 cricket phone as do two of my children so we can keep in contact while I am away from home. I don’t feel like I am abusing the system if I buy a cake for one of their birthdays or if I buy a bag of hot cheetos for their lunch. I certainly pray that the shoe never falls on the other foot for you. So so article but maybe you could have talked to them and really get the story behind what you see with your eyes. Where I live full welfare benefits is a generational curse of which many find they become lost and without hope. When your city is listed as the 9th or 10th most violent and worst city to live in how do you bring them hope of anything more than waiting for their welfare to come on their SNAP card? We bunch low income housing in the worst neighborhoods and wonder why when they shop they want to buy steak and lobster. Because it is the only way they can feel slightly better about their situations. Yes they line up at midnight waiting for their fs to come on. It’s like Christmas they never had where they can feel proud and feed their children. Sorry for my rant – but I have lived on both sides of the issue. Go out and talk to some of these people and I am sure you will think differently about some of your statements.
This country has a sense of entitlement that cannot be undone now, its too late.
Reading the comments from the people who think its ok to buy steak, lobster and great big birthday cakes with foodstamps is proof enough. They think everyone deserves to eat good things…. “deserve” is a strong word. Food stamps are suppose to provide basic necessities. Meant to buy things you need because you are having difficult times. They are not meant to buy expensive wants. But tell them that, and they get ticked off at you, because you are trying to take that savory meat right out of their mouths!
I truly don’t understand that way of thinking. I never ate steak when I couldn’t afford to buy it with my own money that I worked for.
To take the other side of this… this is what the Government wants. For people to be dependent upon them. If the economy does finally crash….these are the same people that will be waiting for the trucks to unload bags of rice for the starving children… they will be beating each other to death over hand outs, because not one of them has a clue how to survive in this world without them. If the rest of us are lucky they will kill each other off sooner rather than later.
Mommadee:
First, if you are in one of the worst cities, then I see no way in today’s world how you can free yourself except by moving. If you are physically fit or have an Oil Field saleable skill I recommend North Dakota. Housing is difficult, but there is work. In a previous post I mentioned that I have always had to relocate to find work.
I never meant to disparage those who do not abuse the system nor deny them an occasional treat.
However recently I have come to learn that some of the people that I have been giving money to help pay that electric bill or help with rent or food etc are living far better than I. In one case they had several cars including a junker that they used to visit me. They owned two big screen TVs and had high end digital cable while I have a tube TV with basic cable. I learned this when I was invited over for a dinner of King Crab which they said they ate all of the time. They had a nice house that they got from section 8 while I still live in a crappy apartment. I could have all of those things but I have tried to help those around me since my first above minimum wage job in 1980. I met them when they lived in the same apartment complex as I and when they got section 8 they moved away and have apparently learned to work the system as I know that they still do not have a real job. I have come to learn that several of the people I have been “helping” now have it better than I. I cannot get out much as I have a problem with my spine and am in great pain if I am upright for any real length of time. Thankfully work allows me to work at home from bed for a part of every day. All of my doctors have offered to declare me permanently disabled but so far I have declined. So I only see these people when they came to visit me.
Before I returned to school (and while in school) I was real poor. Homeless for over two years and a street person eating out of dumpsters for a lot of that time. This in a northern city where the temperature got well below zero (I thank God for heating tunnels and poor locks). I have seen the other side and lived it for over seven years. Without what I learned as a street person I probably would not have made it through school. Nobody ever helped me. There were times when I would have praised God for the great bounty had I gotten the scrapings off of somebody’s plate. I left school at about 85 lbs. I swore that I would never be like those who drove by me every day and never once offered me a ride even though they knew where I was going and it was very cold. What it would have done for me would have been great and it would have been nothing off of their hide.
However I do not like it when somebody who is not working has it better (and sometimes much better) than those who are working. People like you who are working should have it better. From what you wrote I do not believe that you are abusing the system in any way. It is people like you that I want to pay taxes to help. The working poor (especially those in the military) are the most deserving. I do not enjoy supporting baby factories (and I know several – remember where I live) who only have children for the increase in benefits that they get. I know that some will say that the increase in benefits will not cover the added expenses. That would be true if they made any effort to properly raise their children. I try to give some kind of Christmas to many of these children but there are so many and I only make so much.
But as I said, I in no way (and I believe that most here would say the same thing) begrudge you your benefits. It is supposed to be a safety net – to catch you when you fall. However a safety net will not lift you when you are already on the bottom. If I knew what the solution was to that problem then we would not have the problem of multi-generational poverty.
What I see happening with the system the way it is currently structured is that it tends to change the problem of situational poverty to one of generational poverty. I really wish I knew of a solution.
Excellent blog. I am very thankful to find another person who agrees that people exploit the welfare system. Now I would like to comment on another part of that system that a lot of people don’t really see or think about: the health industry side of welfare.
I live in the state of Washington. We are very Democratic and very liberal here (not saying that there is anything wrong with either here). It is VERY easy to get on food stamps and TANF here. It is also easy here to get free health insurance, aka Medicaid.
I work in pharmacy so I see the costs and deal with Medicaid all the time. What I see disgusts me. People on Medicaid can get a lot of medications that other peoples’ plans will not pay for. Let me think of a popular example that everyone will recognize: Nexium or the 2nd purple pill and Lipitor, the world’s best-selling drug (that just FINALLY went generic 2 weeks ago). I bill Medicaid about $250 for a month’s worth of Nexium and $130 for a month’s worth of Lipitor. Medicaid pays the ENTIRE COST of both, resulting in a $0 copay for the patient. Most people’s insurances will shoot an error message back at me telling me they won’t pay for those drugs until they try a cheaper generic first. NOT MEDICAID!!! Instead, we’ve just spent $380 in taxpayer money on two drugs that have excellent generic alternatives…and the patient, who I usually notice has a very nice IPhone, a Coach purse, manicures, lattes, pays zero and gives me attitude. It does get worse, too. There are some drugs that cost MUCH, MUCH more per month that we foot the cost for.
If a person is genuinely disabled, fine, I don’t mind paying for their meds. But here is where I get royally ticked off: (tangent time) I just got divorced, so I essentially lost over half my income. I make less then $20,000 a year. You know what I did after he walked out the door? I went through everything that I was paying for monthly and cut out all my luxuries that I deemed unnecessary. I took my savings account and made the final payment on my car so that I wouldn’t have to worry about paying extra interest. I stopped wasting my money on cute little things I really didn’t need. What was the result? I have a little extra money here and there, and I do NOT have to depend on welfare. It won’t be this way forever, either. I applied for pharmacy school for next year, so I am trying to better my position in the workforce so that I never will have to depend on the state.
ANYWAYS…last point. My state is making horrible, massive budget cuts. Our tuition is skyrocketing because of it. I know that Medicaid is partly to blame for this. There are so many ways that our lawmakers could potentially fix the system, but they won’t. I hate billing my fellow citizens $500 for a months’ worth of a medication that could have been substituted for something cheaper.
Well, that’s my small addition to the discussion. I hope some of you will write your congressmen/women to try to fix this mess!
I agree! wholeheartedly!
I used to receive food stamps-I always tried to be frugal, and used my foodstamps sparingly. I found that by scrimping and saving and buying on sale or only necessity items, i could make my alotted amount for 1 month, last 2-3 months.
I was stunned when I forgot to seperate my soda purchase (a 1 time a month splurge for me) that it was covered by foodstamps-as that seemed ridiculous to me that something that has no nurtrional value was allowed. I told my friend that I was upset because I didn’t want to use my foodstamps on useless purchases, and didn’t think it was right. She told me that she did it all the time, and actually bought pricey steaks and treats. At her daughter’s birthday party, she presented a beautifual royal type cake-these are upwards of $45- to her daughter, she told me foodstamps covered it! My daughter received a homemade cake that I baked myself and with the can of frosting cost all of $6.
I agree with others that there should be some type of oversight on what is allowed. the bakery items that are excessive, the soda, candy, and junkfood should be limited.
Needless to say, I have a job, no longer recieve foodstamps, and am able to be a smart savvy shopper. I am proud that I learned to be frugal, and thoughtful in my purchases. I wish that a shopping class was a requirement for the foodstamp program, it might help others learn to be responsible. Oh-my friend with the $45 cake….still on assistance programs and recieves foodstamps, regularly runs out of “her money” early each month!!!
This is totally unbelieveable. I can’t believe how many of you lazy, entitlement-minded LOSERS are on here writing your sob stories. My whole life I have never taken a dime from the sorry government, and we were POOR. It NEVER OCCURRED to us to ask the government for anything. The only people who should get ANYTHING from the government are the truly disabled, elderly or insane. THAT’S IT. Your hands are chopped off, bingo, you are disabled. Your legs are gone or you are blind. Fine. All this bs about having ADHD (which didn’t even exist until recently) and ‘depression’ etc., you should be kicked out onto the street. I just weep for my country to read all this crap about your dang birthday cakes (my baby deserves it!) and how you deserve to eat steak makes me want to puke. Nobody owes you ANYTHING! Get it? NOTHING! If you want to have 5 kids, go right ahead, pay for them your own damn self. That’s what people do when they can’t afford it, THEY WAIT UNTIL THEY CAN. I have absolutely NO sympathy for all you losers. NONE. There are times when people have bad luck and are truly in need…..Fine, for like 6 months. That’s it. Period. Life does not owe you food, shelter or an IPhone. Cry me a river.
Poverty is a challenge. Poverty is a cycle. Here’s the thing. If we helped them find a job instead of saying, bring in two applications a week or a month. (So we know you’re looking). If we trained them how to find a job, what was expected to keep the job, and what to wear to the job they could be off the food stamps in maybe a year. Give them expectations they will meet them…don’t make it so time consuming to get the help, don’t make it so easy to keep the help. That is what I walked away from a year and a half of volunteering for Americorps in CA with.
And another thing……”You are so judgemental…” I read that about 149 times. Yes, and why shouldn’t she be? Why should anybody else be forced to pay for your sorry ass? Really? WHY? Why should anybody take you to raise? Go to your family, friends, whoever, I really don’t care. People should take care of their own damn selves…UNLESS THEY ARE TRULY DISABLED, INSANE OR ELDERLY. I don’t have the tiniest problem taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves. It blows my mind that you people actually think YOU ARE OWED FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER AND IPHONES. You are owed NOTHING.
By some of the replies on here, I realize that the school system has really failed most since they can not or did not comprehend what the article was about. No one is upset when people need a hand up at all. What we the taxpayers are upset about is the abuse and those that make a career out of assistance. I was taught by my parents that if you did not work, you do not eat. But I guess it is a completely different world. I had many times that I could not buy a fancy cake for my child, but I made one which made it extra special and made with love. I have worked and paid taxes all my life, at times working 3 and 4 jobs at once just to put a roof over my daughter and my head, and never took a handout. Yes, it is hard work, but if you make children, it is your responsibility to take care of them, not the taxpayer. I don’t eat steaks or lobster, I can’t afford them, why should people that I am subsidizing eat better than I do. I work and I can’t eat that stuff. So the people saying that they “the people on assistance” should not be deprived of a good meal, well, I work for a living, subsidize those who are not working and I am deprived of such good meals, namely lobster and steak, why should I not be upset. Where is my steak and lobster? I bust my butt each and every day while they sit on their butt. I could use some rest and a good meal for once.
It is about time some people out there get a wake up call. My hard earned money does not belong to you. Get a job, get 3 jobs if that is what it takes to keep up your standard of living. If I was able to keep all of my hard earned money, I might be able to live and eat just as well as those on assistance. If you can not afford to pay for it yourself, you should not have it.
You know, I had to suck up my pride and get on food stamps because I can’t find a job that pays enough for me ad my son to both eat healthily and pay for child care at the same time. I’m sorry to say but yes, there should be limitations but you know what… I buy an entire month’s worth of meat, vegetables, milk, fruits, and whole grain items on less than $300 a month worth of FS. I invested in a freezer and a vacuum sealer, it saves food for longer periods of time so I have a chance to stock up. The real problem with a lot of people on FS is this… It’s called people are gluttonous and eat entirely over sized portions of food. If everyone would learn to properly portion their food they for one, wouldn’t need as much funding from the state, and two, they wouldn’t be so heavy. My little family of my son and I are perfectly healthy eating on less than half of what most people eat, it’s called healthy portions, balanced diets, and limited snack foods. Maine and the United States needs to learn how to break the habit of living fat and instead learn to live healthy.
P.S. My comments in no way, shape or form apply to people who are facing severe health problems. (Except for the fatass 600 pound whales who have been hand fed since childhood.) Nobody can help having serious health problems and health care costs are life shattering. Although I will say, my sister-in-laws brother needed a heart transplant due to a childhood illness, but his insurance maxed out at 1 million dollars. The nurse told her that a convicted felon (a lifer) was given a FREE heart transplant the week before. What is wrong with this picture?
I’m in favor of “a hand up”, rather than (perpetual)hand-outs, and if someone with an entrepenuerial spirit can manage to use his welfare benefits to start a business and
GET OFF welfare, I’m 100% in favor of it, even if he had to mis/ab-use welfare for a time, to pull it off. On the OTHER hand, if the guy was just milking welfare to supply
his hotdog stand with no intention of becoming financially independent of taxpayer
monies, well then, that’s a whole `nother story! Good article, BTW.
Chris, who was in foster care…..God bless you girl. You stay strong, what a wonderful role model you are. You are the backbone of this country. I wish you all the best.
The evolutionary process is being impacted; after tens of thousands of years of “survival of the fittest” our society is dumping hordes of money and assistance on a population of individuals who wouldn’t have lasted five days without a hand-out or a check for knowing how get impregnated every twelve months. In another thousand years or so, our species will be a race of morons who can barely speak, walk or produce anything other than another pair of outstretched and empty hands. We’ll be a species of fat, illiterate breeding vessels until every last Twinkie is sucked down.
Time for mother nature to help out with an overdue error correction….
@ LEE
I think you need to go back to school! You said
“I make $15,000/year. I work 112 hours a week, 2 jobs. Four kids and daycare is expensive, especially in the summer. I live in a house that is falling apart. Christmas is a devastating time of year for me as a parent. My dog just chewed up my one and only bra and I don’t have $2 in my bank account to get another one. I’m flipping out here! But that is life. Sh*t happens. It’s tough. Suck it up. It’s been nearly 20 years since I went to college, and I am stilling paying off those loans. No one paid for my education but me.”
So you’re saying you make less than $3 an hour? That’s not even legal for an employer to be paying you that much. So I think this is a grossly exaggerated lie you have concocted.
You need to at least go back to school so you can add to at least create a better lie.
@HBEE you said
“Mrs. Brown from Dec. 13 – You homeschool your kids? Lady, you cannot spell! Please send them to public school. I was homeschooled, but my mother had a decent education, which you obviously do not. My parents scrimped every penny my whole life, and never took any form of welfare. If you must take handouts in order to homeschool, pursue a different avenue to educate your kids.”
Lol, I never claimed to be a good at spelling, I was a b average student in school and spelling was one of my worst subjects. So, i went to school and that helped me how? Actually I have been on and off taking college classes when I can so that I can be a teacher. Yes, a teacher. I get good grades as well. So spelling isn’t my thing. Typically I use spell check, obviously the computer missed something since it auto corrects misspelled words? Idk.
Since we use curriculum (that we buy, sometimes we are able to work and have cash, sometimes we use that darn credit card) spelling is taught in the curriculum. I can’t say how well it is helping since I am not a big speller as you so graciously pointed out. Guess I will have to try and figure out what the computer auto corrected incorrectly.
I am a cashier at Target, and I have come across this type of “entitlement” behavior so many times I’ve lost track. Something like this happens every shift. We also get a lot of customers who are welfare recipients, so I witness what happens when a foodstamp card has insufficient funds or doesn’t cover whatever it is they’re buying. It can turn ugly, and customers have yelled at me over it as well.
So I know exactly how annoying it can be. In my experience though, entitlement behavior has nothing to do with whether or not the person is on welfare, and it kind of disgusts me that you associate the two. I’m not even going to get into you slapping derogatory labels on people (Welfare Queen) and judging their purchases (Yeah, lobster and steak? Poors given the opportunity to enjoy delicious healthy food???? FOR SHAME), but just the examples you cite as “welfare fraud and abuse” are great indicators of how much of a quantum leap of logic you take in these matters.
First of all, a person with an iPhone isn’t necessarily well off. The phone is expensive, but perhaps it was a gift? Maybe they bought that phone before they needed to go on welfare? Or they bought it used? Whatever the case, many data and basic cellphone plans start at around $20-$30 per month, and these days having a cellphone is pretty much a necessity, especially as a lot of employers like to have a way of contacting employees. But maybe I’m wrong, since you somehow know that those Welfare Queens just use their phones to watch Youtube videos all day.
Getting back to entitlement behavior though, thinking bell peppers are food and therefore will be covered by food stamps is not exactly what I call entitlement behavior. Making a mistake in estimating a card balance is something that happens to everyone at some point, whether or not they are on welfare, and making an honest mistake is not entitlement behavior. Yelling at you is, but I seriously doubt it had anything to do with whether or not the person was on welfare and more to do with that person’s personality. Think of how many times people yelled at you when their credit card doesn’t go through (and if you’ve been cashiering for more than two days, this has happened). Also, I fail to see what exactly the welfare abuse is in your “worst” example. Buying food “lacking of nutritional value” (whatever that means to you)? Was it her arguing over the vacuum? Her behavior over that was pretty shameful, but again it’s no indicator of whether or not she meets the requirements to be on welfare. And your snarky comment is just as rude as what she said to you (it’s great that you assumed she didn’t have a job, btw. How did you know that again? Oh right she was “speechless.”).
As an aside, I’m not on welfare. I work my ass off at two minimum-wage jobs while going to college fulltime. I make ends meet, but I have no right to judge people who need assistance from welfare, and neither do you. Despite what you wrote at the beginning about people needing help, the rest of the post just shows how truly amazingly judgmental and clueless you are.
Melissa made a good point about not all people with foods stamps are what this article is about. My husband had been laid off work 30 days before my oldest son was born. I was on materity leave so we had only unemployments for him for several months. We swallowed our pride and got food stamps only for 1 month. The meat I got on it lasted us for 6 months. I had canned fruit and vegeatables the summer before so meat was most important. I got dirty looks as well but I figured I had earned it because I had never before (and have never since) gotten any kind of free support. Even then it was not free because we had to pay for half the cost of what we got in food stamps.
I am upset because my grandson’s mother makes more by staying home ($2000 a month in assistance) than my son does for working and he has to pay her half of his minimum wage salary for her to stay home and not take care of him.
I love the judgmental attitude of this writer. God forbid she is ever in a position to need help. Her assumptions aren’t fact, just politically-blind perspective, and should be treated as such, not as a factual or informational piece on Welfare in Maine.
Sadly, the ones who would suffer if public aid were eliminated would be the elderly and children. Yes, the parents of the children who receive aid need to be taught better skills in order to make what aid they do get for the time they get it go further, but that won’t stop the people from going hungry.
Food prices rose very quickly between June 2010 and February 2011, pushing an additional 44 million people into poverty (www.one.org – ooo, documentation!). 60-80% of those newly poor are small-hold farmers, forced out of business by the very company that the writer works/worked for: Wal-Mart.
17 million American (not Somalian, or Afghani – AMERICAN) children go to bed hungry every night (www.strength.org).
Stop proliferating the narrow-minded stereotypes of aid recipients and do something to help those in need. It IS the time of year to give help to the less fortunate. Try walking in the well- or over-worn shoes of the truly needy and stop trying to throw the baby out (truly needy families) with the bath water (welfare/public aid as a whole).
Aren’t the Republicans the main group behind un-legalizing abortion? And yet, making sure that mentally-disabled, drug-addicts, alcoholics and Narcissistic incompetents can reproduce – generally at the expense of the State – is okay?
Nip the weed before it has a chance to seed. Whenever a woman turns up pregnant, and she is on Welfare or can’t support herself, enforce abortion, or at the very least, she must use long-term birth control or be temporarily sterilized. Or, if the father is a ‘repeat offender’ (him plowing too many fields), sterilize HIM.
Solve the problem before it starts. Hell, this pro-Big Government, and all Republicans want more government, right?
Or, here’s another temporary solution: any monies paid out to families requiring aid must be paid back! Wow! Novel idea. Sort of like student loans, huh? Make people responsible for any ‘help’, sort of like a bank would work it. That means more government officials (aka: jobs) to set up and run the system of collection!
Hell, why didn’t I think of that? Oh yeah, I did. But Republicans just want to cut, not wean.
Wow, I worked my whole life never asked or got anything from no one. Earned everything I ever got or have and it makes me wonder why at 54 years old and my life has pasted by working hard for everything why I did it if it was just so easy to just get everything off the backs of others. That raises the ? what if we all just give up and let the government take care of everyone. Oh yeah but who will take care of the government with out any tax payers and who will be the cashiers at walmart (maybe china will send over workers to do all the jobs we will not do) now there is a idea we all stop working and let the Chinese take care of us. For some reason I think they would not do that. Yes we need to do away with big government and entitlement programs and learn how to live and take care of our self again. And without people working and the less people working the more indebted to china we get and then they own this once strong nation and don’t you all even be leave that they (china) will take care of you and let you keep living once they own us we are done and we will all die and be killed at our undoing the bible says the yellow race will rule the world in the end. we might very well be in our last days in this once great land. Just a thought. I for one hope I am wrong and we as a people of a once strong and great nation can get over all our entitlements and take care of our-self and do away with the walmarts and targets and ect. stop all the junk imports and put this nation back to work and become strong again. I have my doubts about that happening since we have falling pray to the modern junk we find that makes us depended upon and seem to not be able to do without. We as a once great nation are broken and we as a great people are the ones that have been our own undoing. Life use to be so much more easy and simple years ago when we had less in our life’s to depend on and confuse us with. what life has to give is simple and to enjoy we don’t need all the greed and material things we use to confuse us from the real simple things that brings real joy and fulfillment in our short time we have to live. We are so complex in life we can not control our lives or our government. we might have found we our the modern day Rome and we are seeing our falling. May our higher power have pity on us all. I see much bad things ahead for us in this country and I don’t think we can stop it. I hope my feelings and thoughts on entitlement is wrong. But I am starting to feel and think we all might be getting close to a very bad entitlement if we as a great nation fail.
Worked at Meijer and saw the exact same thing. I wanted to eat most of what these people bought but because I was broke and working 2 jobs, I had Mac and Cheese and Hamburger Helper and if I was lucky if I had enough to get a salad or something. These people sponge off of us but then I see homeless people DAILY sleeping on the porch of a business in the very downtown I work in. Sometimes they DO deserve to be homeless. Like the guy with the Golden voice. Whatever happened to him anyway?? ANYWAY…I’d like to see some of these welfare people be put to work somewhere, but this IS America and we can’t do what other governments do but we can do something. We can LIMIT welfare and grow a pair and let people suffer a bit OR make it a requirement that you get a job after X amount of time in the system. Stop making it a program of dependence and make it a program of independence.
And there were no rude people who weren’t on food stamps? How do you know the people paying with credit cards weren’t racking up huge bills that they can’t pay and then declaring bankruptcy thus sticking us with that bill? Though I don’t doubt that there are people who misuse food stamps and other programs, berating poor people for an occasional treat – perhaps a birthday cake for their child is just plain mean. It is easy to write a rant against the worst in human behavior and a lot more difficult to actually work to route out misuse without throwing out the good with the bad. We have plenty of angry commentators, what we need are people willing to work with all of the ambiguity of the real world.
I’m not quite sure how poor people abusing the system that the government gave them is any worse at all than the exorbitantly rich abusing the system that the government gives them. Perhaps you can accuse Democrats of helping the poor abuse the system, but when you do, remember that Republicans are helping the rich do the very same thing through too many tax breaks, too many loopholes, too many offshore accounts, too many bailouts, too many special interests…
I say we end it altogether. What ever happened to competition and survival of the fittest? Thats the only way to continue to grow stronger as a collective. Taking away the possibility of failure and its consequences just INVITES failure.
Don’t compare your life to others…don’t judge! You have no idea what their lifes journey is all about…or where yours will take you!
My favorite is the welfare recipients buying cases of soda with their EBT card, and going out in the parking lot and dumping them out. Later returning to the store with the empty soda cans worth 5 cents each and purchasing cigarettes.
Are we really surprised at this?
Don’t compare your life to others…do not judge. You have no idea what their lifes journey is all about… or where your lifes journey will take you!
Loved this aritcle. As a former town employee I saw plenty of fraud.
People would come into the town office to get their rent and utilities paid. Almost all of these folks had iphones, cigarettes, dunkin donuts coffees and drove better cars than I did. I made $11.00 an hour and I didn’t have a cell phone, didn’t smoke, and a $4.00 coffee from dunkin donuts was out of the question. I once witnessed a healthy man whose truck payment was over $600.00 a month receive rent and utility assistance. I think he should have slept in his fancy truck if he was stupid enough to have a payment that high. We had people come in to get food vouchers because they didn’t like the food that was at the local food bank. One morning a lady came in got her rent check and that evening I saw her at TJ Maax with an arm load of clothing that she was purchasing. After any big holiday or local fair people were lined up at the door to get assistance. They had spent their money on fun and couldn’t pay their rent and utilities. One women came in to get assistance because she spent her money on a big birthday bash for her son and didn’t have any money left over to pay her rent. The town ponied up the rent! Don’t get me wrong. I saw plenty of needy too and ,like you, I’m ok with helping out the truely needy.
The system must be reformed.
Unfortunately, based on the kind of customers that actually shop at Walmart, without the use of these cards and their “extravagant” purchases, the author of this article probably wouldn’t have a job. Welfare does not only support the people who need it (and abuse it) but it also keeps the economy moving. Not everything is as one-sided as it seems. But where would Republicans and Conservatives be without propaganda?…..
I can give unique insight as I’ve been on welfare, I’ve used food stamps, and to get off of welfare, I worked multiple jobs concurrently including a job at a very well respected convenience store chain in the Midwest. To those who think Christine – and other ‘self-righteous cashiers’ don’t understand… wrong, YOU don’t get it. Fraud is rampant, it is demoralizing for those who do work, even more so for those of us that used assistance properly. As cashiers, none of us had a problem with anyone using assistance for what it was intended… HOWEVER, most including me, were beyond angry when you would routinely see the same people trying to buy cigarettes, alcohol, large quantities of ‘unique’ combinations of medications (meth ingredients)… And it’s not just a few bad apples, it was a neighborhood culture. It was very sad. Even sadder, that was in 1985, so not much has changed. I worked my butt off and did very well in my life — therorectically now in the top 2% (sure doesn’t feel like it). I spend time helping those in need and getting them back on their feet. I was there, I can relate, and most just need a couple of breaks. The sad truth is for every one person I meet that is reaching to get out, there is one right behind them holding a hand out…. and asking for more.
Snap stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as Food Stamps.
Here’s what the info issued with the card says: (if vendors are not following these rules they need to be called out).
You will receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card when you are certified to receive SNAP benefits. The SNAP office will explain how to use it, and will supply you a personal identification number (PIN). Keep this number safe, so that no one else can use your SNAP benefits. (In some areas, States are still using paper coupons, but they are being phased out.) Take your EBT card to the grocery store where you want to shop, select the food items you want to buy with it, and take them to the checkout counter.
SNAP benefits can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy:
Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
Vitamins and medicines
Any food that will be eaten in the store
Hot foods
Once your eligible food items have been totaled at the cash register, you will pass your EBT card through a point-of-sale (POS) terminal in the check out line. In most cases, the POS terminal connects with a computer where your SNAP benefits are stored. In some States, the benefits are actually stored on the card. The cost of the SNAP items you purchase will be subtracted from the amount in your SNAP EBT account, up to the balance remaining in your SNAP EBT account. Once your SNAP EBT transaction is complete, you will receive a receipt that shows the amount of your SNAP purchase and the amount of SNAP benefits remaining in your EBT account. You should keep these receipts so you know how much of the SNAP benefits remain in your EBT account each time you go to the store. You should also keep these receipts as your record of SNAP purchases in case there are problems with your account.
I called my congressperson’s office to ask about the rules for use of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) formerly known as Food stamps. Here is what comes with the card. Vendors not following the rules should be called out.
You will receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card when you are certified to receive SNAP benefits. The SNAP office will explain how to use it, and will supply you a personal identification number (PIN). Keep this number safe, so that no one else can use your SNAP benefits. (In some areas, States are still using paper coupons, but they are being phased out.) Take your EBT card to the grocery store where you want to shop, select the food items you want to buy with it, and take them to the checkout counter.
SNAP benefits can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy:
Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
Vitamins and medicines
Any food that will be eaten in the store
Hot foods
Once your eligible food items have been totaled at the cash register, you will pass your EBT card through a point-of-sale (POS) terminal in the check out line. In most cases, the POS terminal connects with a computer where your SNAP benefits are stored. In some States, the benefits are actually stored on the card. The cost of the SNAP items you purchase will be subtracted from the amount in your SNAP EBT account, up to the balance remaining in your SNAP EBT account. Once your SNAP EBT transaction is complete, you will receive a receipt that shows the amount of your SNAP purchase and the amount of SNAP benefits remaining in your EBT account. You should keep these receipts so you know how much of the SNAP benefits remain in your EBT account each time you go to the store. You should also keep these receipts as your record of SNAP purchases in case there are problems with your account.
This is a very nicely documented and level headed account of welfare fraud and the horrible mindset of those dependent on government.
I have a bachelor’s degree. I have four healthy happy children. My husband is in his senior year of nursing school. We have benefitted greatly from government instituted programs: food stamps, WIC, healthcare. I am in agreement with the fact that our US government needs to take great strides to improve welfare in this country. I would caution you, however, as you execute judgment on those of us in the system. Sure, people take advantage of the system, but that is not limited to those folks on food stamps. Not all of us are moochers. Some are, true. But, sometimes moochers and others who take advantage aren’t on food stamps. Sometimes they’re millionaires. Do you judge the morbidly obese non-welfare person with a doughnut in their cart the same way that you would judge a “welfare mom” with a doughnut in her cart? Yes our country needs welfare reform, but there are irresponsible people in every arena, not only those of us on welfare. I feel the judging eyes of others as I purchase, with food stamps, my great amounts of food for our family of 6. I buy healthy food for our family’s meals that I make from scratch. (Did you know that fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive to buy than the cheaper crapfilled food that lines our grocery shelves?) My husband and I have worked hard and paid into “the system” throughout the years. So give us a break if we splurge once a year and decide to have steak for our anniversary. Believe it or not, my family is clean, hardworking, well-rounded, well-educated, well-mannered….we live in a home where we vacuum, discipline our children, and laugh a lot. We don’t live excessively, but we are certainly in a tight spot. We don’t want to be on welfare, and look forward to the day we can get off. Meanwhile, don’t pass judgment on me until you have wandered around in my shoes for a while. People’s circumstances sometimes dictate that this is the spot they are in temporarily. It would probably do everyone a little good to have this circumstance for a while. I think that the feeling of entitlement is not necessarily something that only food stamp users feel, but I think Americans, in general, feel…and that’s a problem for all of us.
My question to you is why on earth would you have four children unless you could support them?
Maybe she was in a better place when she had those 4 children….
Btw- if a cashier was snotty enough to point out “I have a job”, I would have been in shock too, then turned around and called up their manager to report them. How do you know I don’t have a job? Most of the time we have been on SNAP benefits, either my husband or I HAVE been working. You should never assume things, it’s a bad habit to keep in any situation.
Amen, Amen and Amen!
@ CRAP
My $15,000/annual earned income is take-home, not gross pay. That is after health insurance for my disabled son is deducted which is upwards near $900 per month. I work for a medical firm as my primary income. I also DONATE my time (around 20 hours a week) as a Guardian ad litem for the Augusta Judicial Branch here in Maine, for children who have been removed from their parents’ charge by DHHS. Although I do earn mileage reimbursement, I do not receive an hourly pay. I did not include THAT into my calculations. Thank you very much.
If you need help with your math, my son’s health insurance, which I pay for, the state does not… totals $10,800 a month. If I wasn’t paying that every year, my income would be $25,800. THAT is not an “illegal income,” as you so kindly pointed out. After taxes and insurance is removed from my income, I earn a meager $15,000/year.
Was it spelled out a little more clearly for you this time?
Typo
“that’s $10,800 /year” not a month. Typo.
Well written article and merely an example of what seems to have reached an epidemic proportion. I’ve noticed the same thing at my local Walmarts just during weekly shopping. I can’t help but be a little PO’ed when I see shoppers in front of me paying for top shelf food items and other “non necessities” with assistance cards. Some of the examples I’ve seen (as in more than one instance) are fumbling with iphone 4′s or driods, are wearing designer label clothes, nice jewelry, and I’ve seen them leave the store in nice new cars and suv’s. All the while my wife and I who are both employed full time and college educated with Masters degrees bargain and coupon shop and drive 10 year old cars so we can save for our own 2 kids college educations. To the people defending the assistance recipients, no one is victimizing you personally, and your comments indicate you have enough of a conscience to use (or have used) the programs as they were intended, but rest assured millions of others do not. They feel they are completely entitled and have definitely twisted the meaning to the “land of the free”
ALL you whiners, including the oh-so-wise author of this immature drivel, need to GROW UP. There are far more variations in the shapes of people’s lives than you lot can even begin to imagine. TIme to get off your moralizing high horses of igmnorance.
Did the writer get any data about the frequency of lobster purchases with regard to the number of food stamp recipients in Scarborough, or in all of Maine? Does she have any statistics to back up the highly incomplete and therefore useless set of data she collected in her highly biased memory?
How exactly did the purchasers of non-food item use food stamps to pay for them? THe only way is if the seller did not observe the rules of the Food Stamps program that they signed onto in order to obe allowed to take them in payment. So why doesn;t she call Mal-Wart to task for allowing cigarette sales etc. as “food”?
Is she in favor of denying people on TANF (now there’s a wonderful name that isn;t in the least pejorative….) a few cheap toys for their children? Is she in favor of making sure that everyone who is poor must be never allowed to forget just how poor and beholden to the Christian charity of the morally upstanding wealthy they are? Does she think that being poor is some sort of moral fault, some sort of character deficiency? Has she ever heard of bad luck, medical disability, or unemployment in a bad economy created by those whose charitable contributions to the food stamp program she so zealously wants to conserve?
Since neither the author nor the vast majority of commenters here running on at the mouth about “entitlement abuse”, “moral decline of the United States”, “Democrats buying votes”, generational welfare families”, “welfare queens (How many of you think that Reagan’s description of a “welfare queen buying lobster and steak or whatever while driving a Cadillac” wasn’t a conservative racist wet dream fantasy made up by him and his speechwriters? If you think it wasn’t you’re dead wrong.) have ever considered the point of view or the circumstances of those needing to use those so-horrible entitlement programs, have never asked any of the recipients of the benefits of said programs what their stories and circumstances are, they have NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO BLATHER ON ABOUT SOMETHING ABOUT WHICH THEY KNOW NEXT TO NOTHING.
If you ever fall on hard times, don’t turn to welfare. Either go to churches or starve, seriously. Some of us have sick kids who can’t go to daycare and we can’t just hire a babysitter. I have to be on stamps and she gets SSI. My husband works and he gets his hours cut for 2 or 3 weeks then has full hours the next. We have to live in government housing because we can’t find a single house or apartment that will rent out for under 300 a month or one that rents for 400 but doesn’t have too many utilities. We’re taking advantage right now to save, pay off debts and get ourselves on our feet. He has a student loan and so do I. I have a tech school degree and a certification but they’re worthless to me right now since I can’t work and we can’t have many people around our daughter. Sorry if we are wasting YOUR money on feeding ourselves and our daughter and sorry that we used YOUR money for her health care so she wouldn’t die. I’m young but I spent my whole adult life paying into it, so I don’t see it as using you guys’ tax dollars, I see it as using the money I paid in.
For the welfare problem we do have, I have two words: Drug Test. If the results come back positive for illegal drugs take all benefits immediately and if they have kids get CPS involved too so they can’t claim money for their drug kids. If they come back positive for pills have them tested for the amount (at persons expense) and they should have to have a doctor send in a paper saying they are prescribed that drug. When they do test, pop it randomly and if it seems the slightest bit diluted, make them retest without telling them they will have to.
@lee,
I guess you must live in one of those places that have really really low minimum wages? Because adding that up you MIGHT live in one of those states where you make around $5 an hour? And you have around 5 hours a day for sleeping, showing and commute.. Wait your also a parent, when do you see your child? So, why don’t you get a better job? Why don’t you move to where there is better job opportunities so you can work less and make more money? Just curious. I mean, even McDonald’s pays their employees a little above minimum wage so that employees are more likely to stay on (at least they do here)
Just that you are aware, if you are being paid less than minimum wage in your state, your employer is breaking the law. Unless you live in Porto Rico or virgin islands, their minimum wage is really low!! Lol.
Yes, welfare is necessary to help those in a position of need. However, the government gladly takes my money and gives it to those who might squander it in such a caviler fashion it makes my teeth ache. And, when controls are put on the money going out….like drug testing before giving welfare…the shrieking from liberals is deafening. All welfare recipients should be given MANDATORY classes on nutrition and budgeting….even those who think they know what is good for them…like the blogger who said “why not steak and lobster” good healthy food….not!!! A bridge from welfare to independence is necessary…otherwise we have long term recipients who think it is a right rather than a privileged. The article by the young college student reflects a prejudice and a lack of empathy….I hope that is due to youth and not a mind set. However, the essay did spark a lively debate.
Young lady, if you run for office someday, I will vote for you.
@lee
**showering not showing.
The use of welfare and food stamps has gotten out of reason. It is being milked to death and one day soon there will be no money to fund these programs.
Food stamps and WIC should not be used for soft drinks, candy, beer, donuts, snack foods or what some call junk food. Only for food stuffs that are needed for survival. Meats like hamburger and other lower cuts of meat. No one needs porter house or lobster or any other fine cut of meat while on welfare or using WIC.. Not to maintain a high style life or to indulge in junk food whims.
Only for the basic food stuffs.
More of these welfare cheats should be punished and prosecuted.
Tighter rules should be implemented and enforced.
Every time I go to a big box store i see welfare cheats. Just because your on welfare is no reason to say it is ok to cheat just because you have kids. Teaching them to cheat early on is the norm now for welfare cheats and most are nothing but thief’s. Stealing from you and me, the tax payers supporting this program.
Most and I mean most are second or third generation welfare cheats. No reason to be on welfare that long.
@jana
I agree, people should be required to take some classes to learn stuff. I know at least a few people who squander their money on junk food, but they also don’t have a way to cook food outside of microwaving. I know other people that can cook and budget and have a lot of FS left at the end of the month, but also completely live off the system. Now, she saves best she can, they don’t have a tv, or stereo system or anything like that, but they invest in a new computer every few years.
Drug testing everyone is a good start! Drug testing, classes and job training classes.
Here you ARE required to take job training classes, and if you don’t apply to every job that comes available, you get kicked off, if you quit a job without a reason, you can get kicked off. If you get fired, you can get kicked off.
With WIC, you are required to take nutrition classes and such to help you learn to make healthy choices for your kids.
@Gordon A
You cannot get beer on FS or WIC.
With wic you are given “vouchers” and they have a list of what items you can get.
Milk,
Eggs
Cereal,
Bread,
Cheese,
Baby food
Those kind of things.
You cannot get non food items with either.
My opinion (read attitude) towards public assistance comes from my Mother and my upbringing. Dad split when I was 2 and my brother was 4. Mom went on food stamps to feed her children. If she didn’t we would not have eaten. Back then (70′s) there was much more of a stigma towards public assistance but Mom always kept a positive attitude and my brother and myself never knew we were poor or couldn’t afford food. Mom, through MUCH hard WORK, got a job and kept it. Eventually she turned things around and got off the food stamps. WHY? Because it was only a temporary fix bridging a gap that she knew one day would not be necessary. It was the whole plan, the approach from the beginning was just temporary.
Fast forward to present. That is the main problem with the whole public assistance situation – the cases that it is relied on for legitimate temporary need with an attitude that “I will get off this someday” is the minority. In some places we have 3 generations that rely on it as the only means of income with no desire or need to get off it. I don’t blame the 20 year old that knows no other way. If they have never seen examples or been taught any other way, then they have nothing to fall back on. I don’t know the fix. It’s become a beast that is too large to tame. You make a rule or take an action to fix, there is always someone who looses. I used to think drug test was at least a good beginning. Zoom in on that to a child who will not be able to eat because their piece of sh** parents buy drugs instead of supporting them .The child looses in that example. Hardly a fix. The only way I see this whole situation being any different than it is today is when there is no money left to give.
For those without a stove…..I do most of my cooking in the microwave. I cook winter squash, broccoli, chicken, brown rice and many other very nutritious meals. You really don’t need an oven or stove top. If you get the microwave cook in bags you can steam your veggies, and the bags are re-usable. I know there are even desserts you can cook in the microwave for special events like birthdays. Sure, it is not food like our mothers’ made, but it is tasty and will keep you healthy while you are trying to get off the dole..
This “article” is ridiculous. It took all the willpower I had to not punch my computer screen while reading it. You mentioned “fraud” numerous times yet provided nothing in the drivel you wrote to support it, the only thing you could do was give your misguided opinion on the people you encountered. You’re very judgmental, young, and naive and CLEARLY have a lot to learn about this world.
Yea….agreed that we need a welfare reform, but please do not forget about the corporate welfare as another problem.
Listen, sweetiecakes. I don’t know if you noticed, but you are talking about politics, a subject about which you apparently know nothing. Please take your pretty face back into the kitchen and let the men have a real discussion.
traciem2:
If anyone is naive and has a lot to learn about this world it is you. We currently have a federal budget deficit of about 1.3 trillion dollars per year. If you were to take away the entire defense budget (690 billion but lets just call it 700 billion) we are left with a deficit of 600 billion. We are borrowing something like 43 cents out of every dollar we spend.
This cannot go on forever. Eventually people will quit buying our bonds and will want their money back. If you try to “tax the wealthy” they will just move their money to a lower tax country.
When the party ends we will have few choices but to massively inflate the currency. Read up on the Weimar Republic to get a hint of what happens then. Unless we do something very dramatic this is where we are headed. There is nothing in our constitution that states that you nor anyone else is entitled to food to eat, a place to sleep or clothes on your back. Not for you or for the children. We have been on a spending binge since shortly after WWII and the rate of spending has been climbing at an ever increasing pace. It cannot and will not last forever.
I do not believe that we will ever do anything to reduce our spending. It would be political suicide for any politician to even try. This will not end well. Probably only those who own guns (I don’t), are proficient in their use and have the will to use them will survive.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
Real cheerful, aren’t I?
I as a welfare recipent agree and disagree. Once in the system it then becomes a winding road to get off. I have made mistakes in my life but do not feel that I should be punished for trying. I like steak just like the next and do not see why I should only buy hotdog and mac n chesse see as how it is not that nutrtional. So I need to feel like a human and buy the same things you buy at the store. I relize there are people out there whom by junk on there ebt but it kind of leads you that way. I would love to buy fruits an d veggie and healthier meats and so forth but I am pushed to buy whats on sale and snack on potatoe chip its cheapier. I too have had no choice but to get a cake for my daughter on the ebt would you want to look at you child and say sorry I can not get the cake you want because mommys on welfare no I didnt think so. But I have gone with out and had many harmful thoughts because I am on assisitance. But I just finished LPN school and awaiting to take the nclex to be lisanced. I will be off asstistance but still have to do whats best for my child.
Just so you know I don’t get food stamps.My husband and I are average middle class. I always used to enjoy making salad for lunch.In the last few months I’ve decide I can no longer afford to buy fresh vegies,so now I eat canned soup most days.The only fresh fruit I buy is apples,oranges and bananas. So your excuse me if I don’t feel sorry for you!
@Karen Gilbert
I’m sorry, but how is my family’s size your business? Why would I have 4 children unless I could afford them? Seriously? That’s what you got out of my entire posting? You didn’t read the part about passing judgment until you have walked in my shoes, apparently. I hope that your family never has to suffer the hardships our family has. I hope that your path is always clear of debris and anything that might trip you up. Your condescending response indicates to me that nothing like that has ever happened to you. However, if those moments come along, I hope that you can find some way to help your family out. Unless you know me and what is going on in my life, don’t judge me.
@ Amanda Smith…
Congrats on finishing nursing school. I work in the medical field, and have for over 15 years… one you pass the state exam, you should have absolutely NO trouble finding a job. I currently work for a medical firm where we help find positions for nurses. There is a huge demand for nurses currently. You should do well and be off assistance in no time at all.
i think if you have the ability to provide for yourself and refuse to, then you should not be helped. i think if you can not afford children, then you should not have children. i think if you do not have medical coverage, then you walk off the broken leg and live with a limp. Eventually society will stop the raping
I applaud this young lady. BUT! Her dumb, teenage minded comment of how people whom are overweight, that use their EBT cards, don’t need it BECAUSE they are overweight. They make poor food choices, or have other pre-existing conditions that make them overweight. Not that they are “always eating” because they “always have food”. Wow!! What a sterotypical, stupid, and immature “observation”!
And, I also agree with others, this is very one-sided. Making judgements on what you think you see. I’m sure there’s abuse. But just because someone is on EBT, doesn’t mean they dress like slobs or don’t have cell-phones. Normal, middle class folk, are BARELY making it by. And would possibly faulter without some assistance.
Yes, I agree, be vigilant. But don’t jump to stupid, teenage, immature conclusions from what you “see”. Pull your head outta *you know where*, and ask questions. The answers may suprise you. Suprise you that things aren’t as you “think” they are, that life, and peoples own situations aren’t always perfectly *black and white*.
@jana
Don’t you love steaming bags! I love that I can steam veggies in the mic. See, now we have just come up with a good class, “Cooking with the microwave” or maybe for short (kinda cheesy) “Cooking with Mic!” lol. I admit I have been thinking about this class idea more and more. While I am not a professional chef or anything like that, I enjoy cooking very much. I am self taught so I learn as I go. I could totally teach cooking though. Here I have been thinking that I want to teach preschoolers, but maybe I just want to teach younger adults that cooking is fun. Idk. I feel that I can teach in a lot of ways. Child are and nutrition, cooking, budgeting… I could teach all that stuff! Hummm….
I’m from Pittsburgh and have seen this abuse also at my local Wal-Mart. I won’t comment on everything I’ve read but to say that lobster, steak, and other extravagant food is ok to by on welfare is outrageous. I work 60 + hours a week as a teacher and can’t afford to buy that kind of food for myself and my family so why should they?
Last month when I went to buy my weekly groceries at Wal-Mart I saw to morbid obese people (I think they were husband and wife) with two carts FILLED with steaks, snack foods, soda pop…etc in line in front of me. Welfare Rat husband had an I-Phone which he was talking very loudly into. When they loaded up the food and were ready to pay guess what came out???? The welfare card. I looked into my grocery cart and saw how meager my shopping experience was. Then later I saw them get into a huge SUV and drive off.
I’m glad I live in a nation that rewards laziness and sloth while hardworking folks fall by the wayside. If the economy is tough and the only jobs out there are low paying…get two jobs. I’ve done it. I worked two jobs and went to college full time (graduated with high honors). I’m sorry but most of these welfare rats are just lazy piles of flesh. Shame on them and shame on our government for letting this get out of control.
It is refreshing to read an article like this from a young person. It gives me hope that common sense and decency have not completely eroded in our society. Keep up the good work, Christine!
It’s easy to criticize the poor when you grew up in Scarborough, Maine, with a population of 98% white people, where only 4% of the population is below poverty levels, and the median income is 65K. When you live in a bubble you teach others how to live in said bubble, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal to live in a bubble.
I like how all the welfare rats are trying to justify why they buy steak and how they’re entitled to handouts. Cry me a river and get a job!
Wait…just thought of something. How are the people on welfare posting here? If they don’t have a job how do they afford internet access? I guess the internet is something they deserve too. Steaks, websites, free medial care,and ice cream cake…what are 4 things welfare rats crave Alex?
Hey Vince, I just thought of something too! There’s this thing called a LIBRARY… Why don’t you go there sometime? I’ll bet they have computers. They might also have some good reference material for you to read, and by some miracle, you might actually learn something!
So let’s see – People on welfare should not be able to access the internet, and they shouldn’t have phones. ….but they should get a job! Tell you what, you quit your job, throw away your phone, lose the internet, and then try getting a job in a market that has 4 job seekers for every available job. Easy, right?.
Absolutely could not agree with this article more…Watching the current debates and candidates I often tell my mother if I were a candidate for president, I would start with reform in the sense that I would first make sure people were doing their jobs,checking on the situations of people on welfare and people that actually needed help were the ones getting it. When I was a child my mom was hit by a car, lost her leg, and the lady had no insurance so we could not sue to cover our bills. After this my dad lost his job and we had literally NO money. My father took the crappiest temp jobs hanging holiday wreaths in bitter cold weather and with that money my parents budgeted out every cent. They told stories of them buying for a family of 5, budgeting everything out, and then watching people on welfare come in and buy steaks, lobsters, and many other excesses…. I strongly feel if my parents could do that with three young children, and one only working when he could find work, others can too! We need to check into people’s situations and actually do our jobs. Assistance should be temporary and to help one get on one’s feet, not a free pass to do nothing. I also believe in limitations on the amount people should get, how many children you should get money to support, and even on whether you can have pets while on support (as they are way expensive). We could correct our problems easily if people were held accountable. I also think a lot of our government debt could disappear if we got our acts straight…Thanks for your initial blog post!
I just found your post from a rebuttal to it. I commented there. I think you are right on. It is maddening to see people buy things I can’t afford while I would 40 hours a week and the government takes me money to fund these programs. I have personally used WIC for a few months when I had my last son because I was unable to work but didn’t have paid maternity leave. We used it for 3 months I believed an the second I could stop, I did.
http://www.mainewomen.org/blogs/2011/12/i-don%E2%80%99t-believe-in-%E2%80%9Cwelfare-queens%E2%80%9D/
This article should be mandatory reading for Republicans, Democrats and all ethnic groups. A broken welfare system impacts us all.
I think that this article did an excellent job of pointing out some of the flaws in our system. Many people are pulling the… “walk a mile in my shoes” line. That’s great–so true. You don’t know as much about people as you think. Assume all you want, but it’s very likely that you do not in fact know the truth. However, that’s why Food stamps, Welfare, Unemployment is in place. To help those that are truly in need get back on their feet. We all don’t need to know the stories, just that these people need help and they are getting it. There is no problem with this.
Though everyone is surely not abusing the welfare system, can every person who disagrees with this article, truly say that no one is abusing the system? That is ridiculous to think of! There are always people out there who cheat. Whether it is on the 4-square court, a test, to move ahead career wise, cutting in line etc. Not everyone is about working hard for what you need and have.
Personally, I have been working since I have been able to work.. at the age of 16. Even then, I did not prefer to work in the food business, or grocery stores. But I did. I wanted my own money. I wanted to get a car. I wanted a cell phone. I was raised that these things were privileges. Not everyone has these things, and if I wanted them I had to work. I just recently graduated from college. I am so excited to be done with my undergraduate schooling, and certainly intend to go on to complete my masters degree. All through college, I worked my ass off. Taking 6 classes, while working 30 hours a week–to pay for my luxuries. I swear, I hardly had a social life during this time. I worked hard to make good grades and gain excellent work references that I knew would be helpful in the future.
Now, here I am. With my college degree, working a job that I know I am overqualified for. My income hardly pays my bills, so I’ve had to cut a few things out. I rely on public internet now. No cable. I paint my own nails. I do a lot more baking/cooking. I do less driving in my car. Most recently, I paid a visit to Walmart to do a couple of groceries. I spent a good amount of time in the store, searching for deals. I spent $29.00 for a weeks worth of groceries for 2 people. This includes: Milk, deli meat, cheese, bread, eggs, apples, bananas, pasta, veggies, rice etc. All of these were store brand purchases. The clerk accidentally charged me .97/lb for my apples, vs. .40/lb. Normally, I wouldn’t say anything because I’d feel cheap… but the cost went from $1.66 to .60. Right now, I need every dollar I’m working hard for. My anniversary with my boyfriend is quickly approaching. Typically, we rent a hotel somewhere and have an elegant meal. This year, we will LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS and we’ll probably hole up with a $3.00 bottle of wine, a movie, and perhaps a homemade cake if he’s lucky.
The point is, I worked my ass off for the lifestyle I wanted before. Now, I have more bills, and my income is not very much. I guarantee, I would probably qualify for these programs… then maybe I could have Lobster for my special evening. I am managing my money in the effective way I was taught. Maybe right now, I don’t get my expensive hair products, or get to go out to dinner every weekend. Maybe right now I have to eat foods that perhaps I’m not crazy about, but will give me the nutrients I need. Maybe right now, I walk around in an extra sweater instead of cranking my heat. It’s all about choices… In the long run, if these people are spending more on frivolous food items, that only increases the dependency on the system for a longer period of time. This is NOT the ultimate goal. The goal is for them to become stable enough to support their own lifestyle, how they choose to live it. These programs are a safety net, not the ground floor.
I am all for helping people when they need it. I don’t have a great deal of money myself, but I donate things when I can. I give my non-used clothing to good-will. I purchase what I can for Christmas presents to give to the needy. In fact, I gave that dollar I saved on my apples to the young girls singing christmas carols, and collecting for the salvation army. I believe everyone should have a little compassion…we all need help every once and a while, right? However, what we are talking about here, is a completely different story. I’m not a Republican, but I completely agree with Christine. It has nothing to do with the rich and the poor. This is about helping people when they need it, and making sure that people who don’t “really” need help are not taking away from those that do.
Where are the values of these people that abuse the system??
This has been going on since I was in high school, which is now well over 20 years ago. I used to work in a grocery store myself in Houston and I would see women buy nothing but junk food with their WIC cards, yet somehow they managed to find the money to get their nails done (which at the time acrylic nails usually cost at least $30 per fill), carried nicer purses than I ever will in my life (Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, etc), and had more gold around their necks, fingers, and wrists than I will ever see in my life. I have been disgusted ever since I worked there, but it’s sad to see the problem just keeps getting worse. I am all for “temporary” relief if someone loses a job or helping a parent who loses his or her job get a toy for their child for Christmas, but I am fed up with this welfare system our country has. No wonder we’re in the RED and will be for so many generations to come.
It would be one thing if Christine had actual verification/documentation of her claims, but she doesn’t. Hello: DOCUMENTATION??? With NO proof furnished, her stories seem to be a bunch of made-up crap designed to draw attention to herself.
How dare those poor people make their own choices on how to spend what little money they have, especially under the gaze of a baby Coulter.
A dear friend of mine works for DHHS. She is among the many reps who take applications and thus approve or deny an applicant for welfare, food stamps, etc. She has told me that it is staggering how many people lie on their applications about things that are difficult to prove with the current application process. For example: “Does anyone else live with you that may or may not be employed?”
She said the answer is almost always no, when she knows for a fact that person’s significant other is living there as the children will slip up during the interview and say things like, “When Daddy gets home, can we go to McDonalds?”
But other than a “feeling” or the simple words from a child, she has no way to prove it. She’s knows of quite a few people local in her town who claim welfare and food stamp benefits, yet they live with their baby’s daddy or boyfriend, who is employed and pays all the bills. Other women claim to pay “rent” to a “roommate,” who my friend suspects is actually a boyfriend or family member who doesn’t charge them a dime.
In the DHHS office that I occassionally donate my time to, I see/hear applicants who should not be approved, get approved with incomplete applications. Or their information is “fishy.” DHHS does NOT investigate an applicants claims.
Another friend of mine decided to do an experiment not too long ago. She applied over the phone for a food stamp and insurance application from her local DHHS office. They mailed it to her. She used my address. Anyone who is familiar with my neighborhood knows it is a fairly wealthy one. When I got the application, I gave it to her. She filled it out with inaccurate information. She claimed an income of $10,000/annual, when in truth she makes triple that. She used her maiden name, not her married name as she is in fact married. She claimed no one was living with her or helping her with living expenses. She claimed her son and daughter as dependents and provided proof of their birth. She gave a false rent amount due. Attached her license (picture ID) and mailed it back. She received a call not to long after to schedule an appointment.
She went in for the appointment and was immediately approved for $370/month in food stamps, and full medical, dental, and vision insurance for HER, and her 2 kids. Before leaving the office, she told the rep that she had changed her mind and did not want to receive benefits.
She proved to herself, and our friends, that it is WAY too easy to receive services without actually proving ANYTHING. That is just wrong.
To my knowledge, she later wrote an anonymous letter to Governor LePage about her experiment.
No one needs a “valid” reason to buy a birthday cake or steak on food stamps. If someone is approved for food stamps it’s because they met the requirements and there is a certain limit. Regardless of how expensive steak may be the stamps are all going to get used up, no matter what food they use it on. If the person is not responsible enough to ration them out and they run out early that’s on them and they have to live with it. It’s sad that you people have nothing better to do than judge people you don’t even know and stereotype people with government benefits. I understand it “bugs” you but stop acting like it’s a reason and excuse to sit here screaming at the top of your lungs. Let the appropriate people handle it and if you really want to make a change maybe you need a change of career. I am happy to say I’ve bought cakes AND steaks on EBT and my fiance has worked since he was 15.. hard manual labor and he’s 30 now. He lost his last job months ago when the company he worked for went under and with the economy today no one wants to buy hurricane shutters or awnings. I am a stay at home mother of three and if I went to work right now I’d have to spend more money on daycare than I would get paid. So for now we’re down on our luck and are lucky enough to qualify for food stamps. Oh and another thing.. I find it very hypocritical that you complain about the high cost of welfare and then you complain of people buying junk food instead of nutritional food. FYI healthy foods are FAR more expensive than junk food. So shut up and find something new to whine about. Thanks.
“Maine has some of the highest rates in the nation for food stamp enrollment, Medicaid, and TANF”
Maine also has been ranked for the past two years as the absolute worst state for business in America by Forbes. An elementary school student can understand that bad for business = bad employment = more need for federal aid.
iPhones are actually not only available through an overpriced contract. If you go to a cute little site known as eBay.com and purchase a phone that way, all one needs then is a SIM card from a pay-as-you-go phone from an iPhone-supported provider like AT&T and VOILA! a non-contract iPhone! This also works for phones like Sidekicks from T-Mobile. So, one can have a “high-end” phone for minimal monthly cost!
Having worked in many jobs in which I dealt closely with the public (from cashiering to managing a fast food restaurant) I find it hard to believe you had no “non-Welfare Queen” horror stories to right home about. As I also live in southern Maine (the documented poorest section, in fact!) I have to say for every customer service horror dealt to me by a Welfare recipient, I had at least one if not two created by someone on no sort of federal aide. I’ve had a man, while working for a credit card company, threaten me and shout every profanity in the English language at me because I would not talk to him about his wife’s account charges because the card was in her name and her name only. He went on to call my supervisor, lie to her about my behavior on the phone, and demand that I be fired. ( Luckily, my company recorded all calls.) And, being privy to her account information, their income combined was nearly six figures. That’s a bit out of the Food Stamps, TANF, and WIC income restrictions.
So, I’m quite interested in hearing your awful customer stories involving people paying with credit cards, debit cards, and cash. Let’s hear ‘em!
I agree with her post. The only thing I want to point out that depending on what state you live in sometimes child support goes onto the money card for cash.
I’m reminded of my time as a teen working in a Supermarket. In order to get extra hours, I learned how to run the cash register (which was a female-only job save for when a male manager opened up during busy times) and my register efficiency times insured I was able to work for cashiers who wanted off at will.
Anyway, back then, there were some abuses of the food stamp program to be sure, but what used to get us (both cashiers and bag boys) were the few people who came in once a month with a government food voucher. I don’t remember what special program they were on, but in every case, the families in question were very obese. They only purchased the highest-quality meats, more expensive other items, soft drinks, boxes and boxes of snack cakes and other desserts, chips, and basically anything their heart’s desired food-wise. The catch was that they had to use the entire voucher, which they did, and in all cases, the families in question pulled out wallets filled with $20-bills.
All of us hated dealing with them, even though there weren’t but three or four such families and they only showed up once a month each. They usually had two to three carts full of stuff, were arrogant, and then for the bag boys, they wouldn’t tip despite the fact that they were causing a lot of extra work to have to be done.
So yeah, I read this story and think, “nothing has changed and if anything, it has probably gotten worse.”
Thank you for posting your observations about your personal experience. I see that we share at least two things in common. First, I am also a conservative, and second I am also a political scientist. However, I am what some would call a quantitative political science. In other words I use statistical models to understand past behavior and to predict future outcomes. After reading your write up, I was left with a few questions especially since you are studying in my field.
First you mention several times these are your observations from the cashier stand, but you make conclusions about the person’s lifestyle. So let me start off asking how do you know the each of those customers background? For example is possible the gentlemen that had a card signed by Dukakis is not lazy and there is a valid reason for receiving assistance for that long? You assume that the man is scam artist or lazy when in fact it could be that he has given up a career to be a fulltime caregiver to a loved one. Maybe his child suffered a traumatic brain injury many years ago, and instead of throwing him or her away he has sacrifice everything to provide for them. So what I am asking is what other evidence do you have that the man is lazy? Did you conduct a personal interview; maybe a home visitation? Please explain your evidence gathering procedures.
Next I want to ask how you were able to discern that all these people were frauds. I see that you are a junior in an undergraduate program so I am going to go out on a limb and guess you have not completed law school yet. So how are you so familiar with the rules and regulation of TANAF and Food Stamps? Are you even aware of the income limits for food stamps? Because from your article it seems as though you think that only non-working people can receive benefits. Where in the world would you get such a backwards belief? I am meaning to be ill tempered with my words but you have made your argument on a false assumption that you have to be extremely poor or unemployed to use food stamps. That is not the law, so before accusing someone of fraud take a second and read the law.
You make an argument about frugality throughout your post but let’s take a step back for a second and see how your brief interaction with a stranger can leave you with a misconception. As you know computers play an important role in our society today, and without internet access it becomes increasing hard to navigate the world. It’s a very common practice now to use the internet to search for jobs. So would you rather the person buy a $500 laptop and then pay $30+ for home internet service. Or would be more prudent for a low income person to buy an iPhone for $199 + data $25 and reduce their expenses. So maybe they actually were thinking about saving the $360 dollars and not squandering money.
The point is that you really don’t know what persons story is from ringing up their groceries. What may seem like a scam or a fraud may in fact be a person that is truly suffering. I am not a big fan of outrageous social spending but I am a fan of smart social spending. You really jumped the gun on a lot of your assumptions. Before you graduate please take a class in logic so that in the future you will be better equipped to notice non sequitur arguments.
Walt – The was probably the most thoughtful comment on here yet. Thank you.
After working as a pharmacist at Wally World for 2 years, I stopped working retail. One can only see morbidly obese people riding in scooters and pushing mounding carts of food, before one says ok, I will never make a difference here. Customers on welfare who drives a Lexus and vacation for weeks at a time. Amazing. Mind boggling. People who get their meds and turn around and sell it on the street. In one instance, trying to see me the drugs they obtained on welfare. The system will not be reformed. Even more disturbing it will grow. Without limiting benefits, why should people attempt to improve themselves? Of course personal responsiblity is not politcally correct and will not be until the systems collapses under it’s own weight…and oh what a mess that will be.
Shannon Morris
All the poor people are at the library…lol!!! If you believe that then you’re a bigger fool then I thought. You and I both know that they have internet access at home or on their phone. You’re little “quit your job, toss the phone” made me laugh so hard. You’re either the stupidest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to or you’re one heck of a comedian. I bet you’re one of those folks that would call a rapist an “aggressive lover” because the term rapist might hurt their feelings.
“So let’s see – People on welfare should not be able to access the internet, and they shouldn’t have phones. ….but they should get a job!”- Shannon Morris
“Yes. No internet, no phone until they go to work and earn it for themselves. They can go find a job by going to a temp agency, job fair, news paper. You don’t need the internet to find a job. Let’s face it most of these welfare rats don’t want to work”- Me
Walt – Probably the most thought out comment so far. Thanks.
Vince – You should read what Walt had to say. I never said they were all at the library, I was using one example of a possibility you have ruled out without knowing anything about the individuals you are criticizing. They might have a friend or roommate with internet access. They might have parents who are helping them flip the bill because they know that when you’re looking for a job, it is DAMN IMPORTANT to be as available as possible. And yes, if I were unemployed, I would want to have a phone. I have friends that would let me use their computers. I would go to the library if I couldn’t find a way to get online. Gas isn’t cheap. Newspapers aren’t cheap. Employment agencies charge a fee, so I would rather use the resources I can without going that route.
I am not saying that people don’t abuse the system. I am saying that neither you, our little baby Coulter, nor ANYONE can tell what is going on in someone’s life by ringing up their groceries.
Stop thinking in such a tiny box, and stop assuming that anyone who doesn’t think just like you is a fool. A fool is someone who rules out infinite possibilities to reach one conclusion, and that describes you to a tee.
Beth, If i ever come across you, I promise…
I will smother you into to my African American bosom. I think you need a hug. Maybe it will release the hate from within your heart? God didn’t call us to jugde…but you are doing so…and very well, might I add.
I bid you adiu
Welfare, WIC, food stamps, etc are here to help you when you are down. It is not a LIFE STYLE. That is what it has become. I see it too much in VA in the Kroger’s and Martin’s. I work hard at 3 jobs to make ends meet. I use my coupons and and very careful with my spending. I go to the store, make my purchases and see the welfare lifestylers get in their Lexus with their nails done and coach bags with their 3+ kids from different baby daddies. Drug test all welfare, wic, food stamps participants and make men step up and help with their kids and women stop getting pregnant by so many different men!
You’re right, poor people don’t deserve nice things like birthday cakes . . .
Some people truly need it though, like those that need life sustaining medication.
I’ve said it for a long time…If you wanna cut our country’s debt, start monitoring some of these government programs. I know of a girl who received $400 in food stamps for her and her 3 year old son. I fed my family of 4 on $400 because I HAD to – that’s all that was in our budget for food. She, however, had the luxury of using the food stamps for (and yes, this what was purchased one time that I was with her) brownie mix, marshmallows, candy bar, and Mt. Dew. We drink milk and water at home because we have to work for our food. Limit the food that can be bought to generic brand essentials and cut the amount of aid that people get. I don’t doubt that those who are in unfortunate circumstances and need gov’t help would enjoy a little luxury, such as steak or lobster, every now and then. I also know that 95% of the people abuse that aid – that MANY of the women who are tagged as single mothers have many children by more than one father, some of whom are in long-term relationships with the women but off the record so as not to cut into their benefits. Cut back, set limits, slowly reduce the aid given as circumstances change!
AND, let’s give tax breaks to companies to bring jobs back from oversees to open up job opportunities here. Its not rocket science. Too bad the politicians can’t see it that way!
I couldn’t agree more! I live in Florida and see the SAME stuff!! I worked in Publix and had a girl say it must suck to sit there and stand for minimum wage. I looked at her and said I make double minimum wage and pay her welfare checks and then said it must be nice to eat steak and seafood and always have food while I work and have to eat on a budget while people like her suck the system dry. I had no problem giving it back and she didn’t say a word to me or anyone else, never even complained. It shut her right up. I didn’t like how the majority would come through the lines thinking they were entitled to everything. One lady got mad at me because her hot prepared Boars Head sub wouldn’t go on her EBT. I was like it’s prepared and hot which means you can’t get that on EBT. She said the same thing the lady said to you, it’s food. I said yes it is but it’s prepared food! She was decked out in gold had keys to a Mercedes and was complaining she couldn’t get her hot sub on her government cheese. I use to get so pissed when people like that came through which was daily!
I remember my mom was on food stamps when I was a kid and you could ONLY get what they said you could and it was the basic food items. This is how it should still be!! You shouldn’t be allowed to load your cart up with junk food and things like steaks and seafood. It should only be what you need, and bags of potato chips and candy is not what you need!
I don’t see why they don’t have programs to help people get off assistance. It’s like they want them there or just don’t care. People who really need assistance are not getting it cause you have leeches on the system who feel they are entitled to it. I have a few friends who could really use the help but they are denied cause they make $1000 over the limit!!!! Yet there are people on welfare who have been their entire lives! Let others get the help who actually only want it for it’s true purpose, to help not live off of for life!
This is a provocative story which feeds on the “I told you so” line. There is no line for the bankers to stand in and let a colleg age student look at what they are taking out of your pockets. Much more that the welfare crowd. Take a look at the oil companies.. we are exporting more oil than we use.. yea we are.. this is a crazy world getting more so every day. Its amazes me how well they have learned to fool the american public and let us tear at each other.. WAKE UP AMERICA!! Vote them all out..
Shame on you for judging! The state has requirements and guidelines if people meet that then who are we to judge. If they are being dishonest then one day they will be judged by a higher power and so will you.
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12
Not everyone grows up to say, ” I want grow up to be on foodstamps”! The one’s who abuse the system to live off of it and sell their pills or food stamps while living with their parents and not trying to pursue making their lives better are the ones who bother me. Never judge someone until you know their true circumstances. This girl probably lives at home with her parents without children, rent, or any responsibilities. When someone has children, dad isn’t helping, birthdays come up and a single full time working parent doesn’t have the time to make a birthday cake. I see nothing wrong with a birthday cake for a child who is covered under the food stamps. Why shouldn’t that child have steak? It’s the bad people who abuse the system, who makes it hard for the ones who are actually needing it. No need for reform. Maybe she should have reported the names of the abusers she witnessed.
AMEN!!!!!! This is so what I have been saying for a long time!! I used to work at a grocery store and 1000% saw a lot of the same things happening. I see a lot at the doctor’s office I work at, too. More like they get so pissed when they’re not covered for the visit or end up with a balance they owe. I applaud your effort you put into this article. They also need to look into social security disability applicants. I see a lot of people my age (27) or younger who are ‘disabled’. You seem to walk just fine – get a job! I just don’t understand the mindset of sitting back and not doing a damn thing to earn a living. People are just OK with letting others pay their way & they seem to think they deserve this, too! Like you, I agree there are a lot of people who need this help, especially now in this economy. These abusers just make it worse for the people who do need it.
Shannon Morris-
You are what is known as an enabler. The sad thing is that it’s not just you, it’s the whole system. You keep saying “they might” or “maybe a friend”. Bull…you and I both know where they’re at.
You say gas isn’t cheap, newspapers are expensive, employment agencies cost money…well so is feeding a bunch of deadbeats who won’t lift a finger to help themselves (unless its into my wallet). Why don’t you man up and give away all you own to the poor and the needy. You’re so ready to spend others money yet I want to know when the last time you bought food and distributed it to the homeless on a cold winters night (I have)? When was the last time you bought Christmas presents for a needy family (I have)? When do you go that extra mile? I do and its by my choice, get it, my choice. I don’t want someone telling me that I have to and that’s what this system does. It grows people who think that it’s the job of the rest of us to feed and cloth then. I’ve seen the welfare system in action both at my old job and in public. One old patient (who was 23) said he was too nervous to go to work so a doctor signed off on him and now he plays video games all day. Another I knew had multiple kids to multiple women and lived with each one one and off. It made better economic sense for him to do that so he could live off the system.
Again I say you’re an enabler. Just face the facts. That’s what you are.
I really liked this girl — up until she said she wanted to be the next Ann Coulter.
I don’t understand why people would think this is a conservative vs liberal issue. EVERYONE hates welfare fraud and abuse.
Although people are justifiably upset about this kind of thing, what about the thousands of taxpayers struggling to pay for the pensions of government workers — while they (the taxpayers) have no pensions themselves.
Nobody should be made to contribute to the pension of somebody else when they themselves have no pension.
This is not a very well informed article, based on one summer and superficial interactions with customers. There are always going to be people who abuse ANY system out there. You can’t make a judgement on someone because you think they act entitled.
A few quick points- the man on the extended welfare may be justified. Many adults with disabilities that prevent them from working rely on welfare to help support them. Not all disabilities are physically revealing.
There is nothing wrong with people using support to buy toys for their kids. In order for children to thrive, they need the stimulation of toys. That’s what so much of early childhood education is based around the idea of learning through “play.”
Although I understand feeling frustrated over people abusing a system designed to help those in need, I don’t think the writer here is informed enough on this topic.
“I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.” This has nothing to do with the price of rice. People get away with fraud because others let them. Stores like Wally-Mart look the other way, because it’s good for their business.
For every lazy ingrate, opportunist, sleaze or moron that us using food stamps how many seemingly decent willing-to-work people use them, what percentage –especially in this recession? I imagine some healthy percentage, say a few percent. For comic and inflamatory effect are you are dubbing them all as being like this? It’s as bad a saying “I saw a {fill in the ethnic or religious group} doing something deplorable, they are all like that.” If you do then it is pretty deceitful and you will indeed make a perfect Ann Coulter. We have been listening to this cant since Fox News came on the scene and it is getting mean and unfunny.
Yes there are cheats and morons, but the more detailed rules you require to keep the parasitic baboons in check the more difficult you make it for the vast majority of decent recipients (their children too), it is a matter of diminishing returns. And for that matter should we let conniving morons (and their children) starve?
What other system would you propose, government make-work jobs to earn their food and shelter allotments, keep their work ethic and take the incentive out of sitting on their butts? I agree! But try that and you will be called a commie by Ann Coulter.
For that matter you would be surprised the number of Walmart employees that qualify for food stamps and Medicaid. You should get a cashiers’ job at Saks next time, see how adorable the trust-fund brats and trophy wives are to the help.
This is what a liber will respond to this article. Why do u racist republicans contintue to bash the less fortinate for trying to get food.
This reminds me of a visit to a Walmart outside of Augusta, ME. The parking lot was littered with carts which the esteemed patrons could not be bothered to push an extra 20 feet into the corral. Inside was a cavalcade of trash (a multicultural variety) pushing, cursing and complaining. This was two years ago and it convinced me that Maine is all but lost to the welfare dependents.
I agree with the author that there are many who fall into hard times and are in dire need of assistance. I can tell you that they are NOT the ones who complain the loudest, act like everyone should serve them and make a nuisance of themselves. My patience with the obnoxious, entitled class has run out. I no longer give to charities who do not hold the view that such contributions are short term and something to be valued – not expected. If this upsets you, you are part of the problem – please sit down and shut up.
Good essay. Thanks for speaking candidly, and please ignore those who vilify you. The intelligent readers here will recognize you are not speaking out against the law-abiding individuals, but rather those who are defrauding the system or at least the intent of the system.
And by the way, if I’m paying for your food stamps, you are not to buy luxury items like steak or lobster. PERIOD. There are cheaper ways to survive, and you deserve all the luxuries you can afford when you earn those luxuries. I’ll help you survive and get back on your feet, but if you have a few extra bucks’ worth of food stamps, it comes back to the system or you allow yourself to pay less for food out of your own pocket and put a few bucks in the bank. Or buy canned food for your next rainy day. Or something else that shows you think with your head, not your id.
The belief of conservatives — and this is what ignorant liberals misunderstand — is that we do want to help people, just not through a nameless, faceless government. In fact, conservatives donate more to charity than liberals (research it). For the early years of our country, our welfare system was face-to-face, individual-to-individual. If you had a bad point in your life, your neighbor would help you. But if you didn’t do what was necessary to turn things around, the support stopped. Pretty simple concept. Very effective.
And for those that reference the BIble and tell conservatives that Jesus would want us to support welfare, I would tell you that he absolutely would; but not at the tip of the Roman spear.
Conservatism is the most compassionate way of thinking that has ever existed on the face of this planet; too bad it’s been dismantled over the past nearly 100 years.
I have read this and I am appalled at all the folks who are slamming the writer. And yes my family is temporarily on FS until my spouse can work again in a few months(he had 4 major surgeries),but I am not the least bit offended and you know why? It’s because I am not one of the Welfare Queens the writer refers to. We own 2 vehicles that are over 10 yrs old,the most expensive piece of jewelry I own is my wedding band,which we bought for $50 at a pawnshop back when gold was cheap,and we do not plan to make it a way of life.Several years ago we used FS for the 1st time (only used them twice) after my spouse was laid off and within 3 months he was re-employed and we no longer got FS. It is not something I take lightly or am proud of,it’s just one of speed bumps of life.
I too have seen rampant abuse and it makes me mad,especially knowing how many seniors out there are denied these benefits just because they own a home they worked all their lives for.I am very responsible with the benefits afforded to me,and shop wisely.A large roasting chicken goes an amazingly long way and if you catch them on sale they are as cheap as any of the processed meats.
There is no clearcut solution, but I predict the system is going to implode within the next decade or so,simply because the of the unchecked chaotic cash hemorhage(sp?) that is currently in action.Nobody aspires to make something of themselves anymore.
I don’t want to live in a world where people have to work 3 jobs while taking classes so that they can be proud of scraping by on oatmeal and mac&cheese.
Why do you people CARE what people with LoneStar cards buy?? If it’s in the store and it’s FOOD then it’s legal. People with food stamps can go buy all organic if that’s what they want to eat. And who is this little girl to be judging people when she is a lowly cashier?? How do you ASSUME to know someone is doing something illegal by talking on an iPhone.. maybe they got that as a present from a family member, and you guys are mad because people actually buy presents for their children?? This girl and you people are not only disgusting but despicable as well… Would it make you happier if these people’s children were eating ramen noodles and black eyed peas for breakfast, lunch and dinner?? Because ultimately, it’s the CHILDREN who suffer.. not YOU because you had to pay an extra ten bucks on your taxes. Suck it up and get a LIFE… quit getting out your handy dandy notebook every time someone pays with foodstamps and buys something you don’t “Approve” of. =) Merry Christmas!!!
And hopefully little “college conservative” you won’t ever need foodstamps because your Wal-Mart job.. where you encounter questionable clientele… pays you enough for you to fall back on =)
JemKat-
Why should children who’s parents are on welfare eat better than children who’s parents are not? Your post reads like this “Shut up and give me money…I deserve it”. Maybe I don’t want to pay that extra money. Guess what, it’s my money but I don’t get to keep it because if I quit paying taxes I’ll get hauled off to jail or have to pay some astronomical amount back. You and your “gimme,gimme” crowd have no repercussions for stealing from the tax payer.
Here in PA there’s a real problem with people on welfare but working under-the-table. They get my money plus tax free cash. But lord above don’t point that out of the “noble poor” will call you a Nazi. Get real people. Try and justify your lifestyle all you want…you mooch, you brag, you drain the funds that could be going to people who REALLY need it (homeless shelters, battered women’s shelters…etc). But good gravy no…Wal-Mart family on food stamps needs “the best” along with “toys” for their child’s stimulation (when I saw that above that made me laugh…I’m sure that money is going to educational toy like World of War Craft or some shoot’em up zombie game…you know in case of a zombie Apocalypse or something).
I bet most of the welfare queens on her don’t volunteer their spare time to help the less fortunate other than themselves. I guess when your not working and the kids are occupied with your lay about husbands, working as a volunteer in a homeless shelter, or a retirement home is out of the question. I bet all the time is spent looking for work *insert eye roll
This whole article disturbs me in several ways. I think that the validity of the argument is lost when the writer uses “Welfare Queen” to describe two women in the article. I have used food stamps and it is not something that I am proud of, but it is a neccesity for my family. I see the looks that I get from cashiers and I really can’t do anything about that. I always think that it’s “damned if you don’t and damned if you do.” I can buy healthy whole foods like chicken and beef along with fruit and get looks for spending too much money on too little. I can also get looks for buying a candy bar or a bag of chips. Regardless of what people buy there will always be judgement by judgmental people. I can guarantee that there were many nameless people that came through your line and didn’t provoke your ire when purchasing items on their EBT cards. Good that you vote republican, you fit right in.
I think a law should be passed that makes welfare recipients wear a shirt with a big “W” on it so we call all point and pass judgment on them as they walk though the store. They can still buy their food on our dime but we should get a little entertainment out of it. If the Romans want to tax us at least give us the games.
True words of wisdom here
‘Are there no prisons?”
‘Plenty of prisons,’ said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
‘And the Union workhouses.’ demanded Scrooge. ‘Are they still in operation?’
‘Both very busy, sir.’
‘Oh. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,’ said Scrooge. ‘I’m very glad to hear it.’
‘Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,’ returned the gentleman, ‘a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?’
‘Nothing!’ Scrooge replied.
‘You wish to be anonymous?’
‘I wish to be left alone,’ said Scrooge. ‘Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned-they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.’
‘Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.’
‘If they would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
I completely agree with Christine. My family and I are on food stamps and my son has medicaid, but I’ve seen the abuse first hand. Why should a family who has a newborn receive an extra $200 just for having a child? The newborn isn’t eating the food! I also think that everyone who applies for food stamps should be drug tested. I also used to work at Wal-Mart and have seen the same things!! The worst was some woman digging in her Louis Vuitton purse to find her EBT card. I also don’t think that people need to be buying fancy food with it. If you have to be on food stamps, then you don’t have the money to buy that kind of stuff in the first place! I have bought my son birthday cakes with it, but that’s as fancy as I go. We are VERY frugal with ours. I make a meal plan every month and buy just what we need and nothing more. I have been unemployed for a year now, but my boyfriend works very hard to keep us afloat and we still need the help. He graduated in May with a bachelors degree and works at a local new’s station editing videos, but it just isn’t enough. He doesn’t get a lot of hours doing it. As soon as we are able to be off of food stamps, we will, but I’m not embarrassed by it. I understand that times are hard right now and until they get better, a lot of people need help. But I think that if a family is not working at all (and not trying to), or just living off of student loans (it’s debt… not income) then they shouldn’t get food stamps. My boyfriend had student loans, but he worked as well. I worked too. He is paying them back now and it’s making it harder on us, but we are managing. I hate seeing people buying food AND alcohol or/and cigarettes at the same time. Again, that’s money that could be used towards other things that are NEEDED if you are on food stamps. I saw some people talking about being on food stamps and why it was a problem that they ‘treated’ themselves to steaks or something like that, and my response to that is…. You don’t have the money in the first place to treat yourself to those things. Why use other people’s? It’s not fair to them.
I also want to add that our food stamps have been cut down significantly since my boyfriend started working and I’m not complaining. We are always fed. My son never goes hungry. On Another Note:::: Capehart says:
December 13, 2011 at 8:40 pm
I am on welfare. Screw you people. I have 4 kids and don’t want no stranger raising them. I have 4 baby daddies who don’t pay no child support to me. The thing is that the other kids in school all have nice cell phones to text each other.
I demand cell phones for my kids.
I have four kids.
Why should my kids be looked down upon by your kids?
I demand a cell phone for each of my chlldren so they can call 911. Skool should not be demanding homework but give out iPads to help my kids.
This Christmas, their Skool gave me an iPad and I said that I got three other kids what do you expect them to do share? It is not fair.
If I had a job and was a tax payer I would be so mad right now.
Mar’s response:: WHAT???? First off, nobody is telling you that stranger’s have to raise them. If you are having a problem feeding your kids, then you need to stop having them. You DEMAND cell phones for your kids?? You have money for that but not for food? I don’t think that anyone should be looking down on your kids, but seriously. You act like you are entitled to have an iPad. Why should you have that? Why do you think will benefit from having that? Why not work for something like that? If my son’s school handed me a iPad for Christmas, I’d be grateful for such a nice gift no matter how many kids I had. You sound like a spoiled person. How is an iPad going to help your children better than doing homework. I’m sorry, but this person made me SO mad!! What a snobby person… and you don’t seem to have the money to be a snob!! That’s the worst part. God, this person irritates the crap out of me! And these are the people that give those of us with food stamps a bad name!!
I just wanted to add my two cents to this debate. My father started working at McDonnell aircraftt in 1951 when he was 16. With the exception of the 2 years he spent in the Marines in Korea he worked. He built fighter jets to help America fight two wars. He helped build the Mercury and Gemini capsules that put America in space. Then at the age of 48 after working 30 years for McDonnell Douglas he had a stroke. My mom was unable to work as she had to care for my father. My family went from $50,000 a year to nothing but our savings as we fought the Social Security and McDonnell Douglas pension systems. After 6 months we had depleted our saving and with tears in their eyes my parents applied for food stamps and WIC. When my birthday rolled around my mom did some budgeting. We ate a lot of spaghetti that week but she budgeted enough to buy me a decorated birthday cake for my birthday. When we went to the grocery store to buy it the lady behind the counter made so many judgemental comments that my mom left the store without my cake. It has been 28 years since this happened. But to this day I remember the tears on my moms face as we walked out of that grocery store. What right was it of that cashiers to judge my mom? Just because you assume you know everything about a person based upon a thirty second encounter at a store doesn’t mean you know anything about them. The person you judged a welfare queen might be someone like my mother. Someone that budgeted and scrimped and saved so she could do something nice for a child. And whose day you ruined. And that child will remember you for the rest of their life.
and before you feel sorry for me, there is another part of the story… Because revenge is a great motivator…
. After I graduated high school I went in the military and used the GI Bill to go to culinary school. When I was finished I moved back to my home town and got a few loans to open my own place. Then I heard through friends and suppliers that the cashiers son decided he was going to go into the restaurant business So when the cashiers son decided to open a restaurant on my turf I made it my mission to destroy him. I did everything in my power from calling my contacts at the suppliers to actually taking loses some weeks just to under cut him. But after 6 months I got to look him and his mom in the eye as I bought his equipment for pennies on the dollar at the bankruptcy auction. I asked his mom if she remembered my mom and then reminded her of who I was. I told her that if her son tried opening another restaurant in my town I would ruin him again…
Ron Paul ’12… End the FRAUD!
I am sickened every time I stand in line at the local grocery stores and see someone pull out the welfare card. Every time I shop I see someone using these federal assistance cards. This doesn’t give me much confidence in my future in this country. Obviously our leaders don’t shop in these stores to see the abuse. I will vote for who ever is talking about change in our welfare system.
I must say that this was very interesting to read. It was even more so now that I am currently graduating having studied welfare and families for my entire college career. I can agree with you that the system is “broken” and we obviously need it to be repaired.
I did not agree with the judgement passed on people’s spending. I live in New Jersey and used to work in a supermarket and knows that healthier food options are Not affordable on food stamps. It is much easier to buy the cheap food because that is also the food that has sales without spending all of their money in a week that is supposed to last for a month (thank Molly Orshansky).
I did enjoy this article and think that you have a promising career in political aspects, but please remember if we attack the people on welfare, you attack everyone not just the people who abuse it.
What we need to think about is that those of us not using food stamps are also having a hard time affording good nutritional food. That is where the anger is coming from.
All of you people who agree with this garbage should be ashamed of yourselves. I don’t know how you call yourselves “Christians” when you have such hate in your hearts.
All of you who agree with this judgmental garbage should be ashamed of yourselves. I don’t know how you can exist with such hate in your hearts.
My mother-in-law experienced similar things when working for a groccery store. She was ringing up a lady who had an EBT card and when the lady left with her 500 dollars worth of grocceries she saw her get into her LEXIS and drive off. Hmm im pretty sure if you can afford a lexis you can pay for food. I agree with this girl, most people on assistance feel entitled to what their getting ..but there are the few and you will spot them a mile away that really do need assistance and wish they didn’t need it, by the humility that gushes out their pores when coming through your line. God Bless these people and i hope our economy pulls through this rut…
You should also witness what goes on in the school systems as I did during my teaching tenure. Students that get “free lunch” purchasing chips, candy bars, ice cream while the students that were paying for their lunch got only that. Their parents couldn’t afford to give them an extra $2.00 per day for the junk food. If the “free lunch” kids could afford the extra snacks why couldn’t they pay for their lunch? Try asking them as I did one day and you would be astounded at their answer. BECAUSE OUR LUNCH IS FREE! WHY SHOULD WE PAY FOR IT?? This is what our country has created!
You have no Idea of what I see too!
I work at an apartment complex, and people with 4 kids get over $600 in food stamps, and they file their income the lowest possible, and some of them have 2 different addresses and have 2 EBT!! so they get around $1200 a month! And then what they do is they start selling them. Is unbelievable! And makes me feel sick!
But they do all they can to get that, and the people who really needs them just gets $16 for EBT!!! I have a lot of elderly that are on SSI and their monthly SSI check is NOT more than $645.00 and their food stamps just $16?? How can this be? I wish I could do more than just watch and get upset.
Mrs. Rousselle,
Ater reading your article I am not sure how to even begin. I guess I could point out that you appear to be a very young minded, naive, white privileged individual. You probably have never been hungry or gone without the essentials a day in your life, but then again If I said all those things you might think I was prejudice. I could also suggest that you think voting Republican somehow gives you the right to speak negatively about others, but if I said that you might also think I was prejudice. However, I will say this: “I really did not get a lot out of what you said because the bias, judgmental tone of your article clouded any type of serious consideration that I could have given your article.” If that was indeed your goal..you get a gold star madame! However, let me take a moment & ask you to step down off your high horse & come back into reality while I ask you a very important question: “Did you ever stop to think that maybe those were real people that you were dealing with & not characters on your blog to ridicule?”
I read what you said & it appears that you make a lot of judgments about people who you only see for about 5 or 10 minutes at the max. That’s called prejudice. Agreed there are some issues with welfare fraud just like there are so issues with white privilege & the Republican party in this country. Welfare fraud is not as big of an issue as you paint it to be. Many folks receive aid & actually do the right thing, but I guess your were to busy trying to identify “welfare queens” to notice that little tidbit. In your article I didn’t read 1 serious solution..not 1. I am sure that you in being a perfect individual have never done anything wrong so therefore you have every right to pass judgement on people who you obviously do not have a clue about.(there was a hint of sarcasm there in case you missed that)
I would encourage you to spend some of your future time in college studying great subjects like Sociology, Psychology, the Culture of Poverty, White Privilege, & Multicultural awareness. These subjects you obvious need to be aware of if you are going to make it in this world with any shred of sensitivity. The world is not as white & black as you currently think it is. When you step outside of your perfect little bubble you may realize this.There is a lot of grey, but in about 10 or 20 years when you read this article again I hope you will have figured that all out. May God bless you & help you seek the truth on your journey towards greatness, fairness, & justice.
You realized that companies like walmart are part of the problem….right? That’s great that you’re a working college student, but could you imagine working that job full time and supporting a family on your wages? Of course there is no incentive to get off these programs, unskilled labor is paid so poorly and walmart is the company that paved the way to it getting to this point. You worked for one of the most evil companies and saw the “dregs” of society. Yes. I believe that the welfare system needs a significant overhaul, we have created a society where we greatly disable people. Who knew that someday we would be rewarding people for being incapacitated? This is what society has created, and we all have a hand in it.
These comments should be required reading for all our elected officials. And I’d like to challenge everyone on both sides of the argument to include some suggestions for reforms. I’d recommend starting with the inclusion of an asset test. In my state, you can have hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement funds and still receive food stamps. And I think the government should require recipients to work for their benefits (cleaning parks, helping food banks, tutoring, etc.), keeping in mind that many food stamp recipients do work long hours with multiple jobs or have small children. Obviously, this would also increase the cost of the program, but it might be offset by savings elsewhere. http://thenouveaupoor.wordpress.com
Ms. Rouselle :
re: “I said I was reminded why I vote Republican.”
Do you believe that the RNC has plans to rectify this situation?
Excellent article and excellent position for such a young lady to watch. God willing this will assist her future in knowledge of what kind of people are needed to run our government and why. She’s got a head start that other young people her age do not, on understanding the whole process of what the Welfare system was initially setup for. She will appreciate her working abilities probably more than that of someone else in her age group, not to mention those people who are and have been living off the system. It good to know that not all our future young adults who will be heading our country later in life, have their heads in the wrong places. Most agreed that our Welfare system needs drastic changes in order that people my age and older (close to 50 years) will not have to work till we die to pay for our living expenses because we are still paying for those who don’t or have never worked. God bless her and may she continue to pass on her knowledge to others.
@ trollys and Mar… Thank you so much for speaking up! It would seem, by your own admissions, that you are the ones on assistance that I do NOT mind helping with my tax money. THAT is what assistance is for… people like you… in a rut… doing the best they can and appreciating the help they are receiving. Thank you again for putting yourself out there and being honest. I wish more of the percentage of recipients were as open and forthcoming as the both of you! =)
Based on your perspective then we should assume every priest and football coach is a child molester, every motorcycle rider is a drug addict and alcoholic, every muslim is a terriorist. Stop giving your stupid examples of how you’ve witnessed your shallow observations of people abusing the system. It seems a lot of you love to tell your stories just to justify your unacknowledged hate and disdain for people you believe are lower than you. Until you’ve walked in someone elses shoes don’t judge! Don’t Discriminate Educate!
You’re lying. “Welfare” in MA is only for families with dependent children and only lasts for 24 months in a 5-year period.
I’m sure that there are those who abuse the welfare system. And there are many on this post that make the point that the government often cuts off benefits too soon once someone who had benefits gets a job. I agree with that. Which is indeed part of the problem and why families go into a cycle of dependence. Other reasons include a lack of real economic opportunity (sounds like many of the women you mentioned didn’t receive the education that this country constitutionally owes them, at least through 12th grade), teens having babies (which could be stopped if we meaningfully funded family planning – but oh wait you all are too busy saving those babies instead of preventing them because family planning *might* be the same as abortion – which it isn’t), and drug/alcohol dependency (which almost always needs therapy and counseling to overcome). Must be nice to just think that stopping welfare would force people to work harder, because that’s the problem – poor people must be lazy.
I do certainly think it’s ridiculous, in a vacuum, to be on welfare for twenty years. I also think that it is ridiculous to have a cut-off, on-or-off welfare system. At the same time, you do not know these persons’ circumstances. As an employee of Wal*Mart, Ms. Rousselle is clearly taking the initiative to start herself a career that will probably not stop along the welfare trail, but it may. It is important to be respectful of persons’ unique situations; you do not know why or how they procure or need these things. In a diverse world, I am glad that Ms. Rouselle wrote this piece. I hope she will remain open to others’ opinions.
A birthday cake?! Some CANDY?! The nerve of those poor people, thinking they should be allowed to have birthdays or eat a sweet once in a while. You know NOTHING about these people’s individual situations. Stop being a judgmental brat.
And if you think ANYONE with a brain is going to take you seriously when you throw around the world “Welfare “Queen,” you should probably read this:
http://womenslawproject.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/debunking-the-myth-of-the-“welfare-queen”-who-actually-receives-tanf-benefits/
Working at Walmart during the summer does not make you an expert on poverty or welfare. Tuition at Providence College is between $35,000-40,000…. Your family can obviously afford this, as you would have to work 80-hour weeks at Walmart to be able to pay this tuition on your own. You should be grateful that you have been born into fortunate circumstances with access to quality education.
What you should not do is run your mouth off about how to live a life under conditions you have no experience with. You are 20 years old, wealthy and white. I hope that you will look back at this one day and feel embarrassed at the naivety your writing so clearly reveals. However, things are probably just going to get more embarrassing if you are looking to become “the next Ann Coulter”.
I find this an amusing article. I spent eight years in the military, have a wife and three kids. I have been decorated both for valor and injuries in combat and I have fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times, resulting in more time at war than most people spend getting their undergrad degree (39 months). I am currently going to college, and I am on foodstamps. I work part time, am a drilling reservist, take a course load of 16-20 credits as my education benefits only last so long, participate in my kids lives. My wife doesn’t work because day care at a place that I would be comfortable leaving my dog costs a ton and she would actually have to pay to work. So before you condemn all people on welfare, look at their story. If I want steak, I’ll buy steak. I find it amusing that many people complain that food stamps are used to buy unhealthy food, and others complain that it is used for expensive food. Here is a tip….most healthy food such as chicken breast, turkey, lean beef, organic foods, fresh fruit and veggies, and actual cheese is more expensive.
Also, Maine has a high welfare rate due to a- very high taxes for a moderate to low level income state, b- overburdened case workers can go over everything with a fine toothed comb to root out the abysses, and c- like you said, if you work too much you lose everything, putting you in a WORSE spot than you were before so those with families do what is best for their families, not necessarily what is best for the state.
So bottom line, I understand your likely 20-22 years of experience have made you wizened beyond reproach but don’t attack users of a system who are either down on their luck or not willing to settle with a poor job now to live paycheck to paycheck instead of a better job later and they just need some help along the way.
On the other hand, I have seen lots of college students get grants and subsidized loans from the government and drink away their college years and fail out….why won’t you complain about these? Same idea, those grants aren’t free.
You are a disgrace to the human race. Oh a conservative, nevermind, you have no soul.
It’s so sad that you think this way.
Progressives – the parasites of our society.
”Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed.” Herman Melville
To presume that you personally know the situations of every person that you so openly accuse of fraud is a dangerous and close-minded approach. This is as damaging to the self-esteem of, and discussion about what it is to be poor in America. This is reminiscent of the blog post not too long ago by Gene Marks about what he would do if he were a poor black kid. The problem is that Gene Marks isn’t a poor black kid, and you, Miss Rousselle are not someone who needs public assistance. The myth of the “welfare queen” draws attention away from the real problem — income inequality and a lack of jobs that actually pay a livable wage. This article does nothing more than spout off inaccuracies and play on stereotypes about those who are socio-economically disadvantaged.
I think you’ll do great when you grow up. Conservatives and Republicans are really good at lying and convincing a bunch of dummies.
But here are the facts:
http://www.mejp.org/PDF/tanf_facts.pdf
Myth/Lie: Once on welfare, always on welfare. Lots of families go on welfare and stay on for years and years.
Fact: Less than 1/10th of 1% of all families who received TANF at the beginning of the program. in 1996 continue to receive it today. The average length of time that Maine families stay on TANF is 21 months.
As usual, a conservative judging someone they know nothing about. Tell me, do you earn enough at WalMart to support yourself? My family went on food stamps while I was growing up because my father had injured his arm and could no longer work at the factory job he had had before. Since only one of his arms was injured, he couldn’t go on disability, so he had to take an $8/hour job. My mother had a similarly low paying job. We didn’t make ourselves suffer because we were poor; occasionally my dad would enjoy a beer or he would give me money to go to the movies with my friends. We had cake on our birthdays. We had (gasp!) cellphones so my mother could keep up with me while I went out with my friends or needed a ride home from school.
Perhaps those people with iPhones had no personal computer at home?? An iPhone is cheaper to keep up with per month than a computer with wifi. And when’s the last time you applied for a job that wasn’t on the internet? I’m lucky to have found myself a job after months of unemployment, and I applied to that job on the INTERNET because I didn’t have a choice.
Funny you haven’t mentioned any problems with your better off customers. I don’t believe for one second that it was only those dirty dirty poors that gave you problems. And as a damn WalMart cashier (where pretty much all of the customers are imbeciles), you are not an authority on welfare, so shut your mouth.
I worked in 2 large supermarkets in the same area, one in the same town, as the author of this article as a cashier between 2004 and April of this year and I would just like to say that since 2008 the number of customers paying with ebt/wic/vouchers increased about double, so basically since the recession. I don’t think the people of Maine all the sudden just decided to get greedy and take advantage of a system the recession happened and they lost jobs and had to eat still. My rough guess would be that in 2004-2008 maybe like 20% (increasing slightly over the years though, probably started off less than 20%) of orders used welfare and in 2011 roughly like 50%. People don’t use these things cause they want to they use them cause they have to.
I am not on welfare, have two young children, father pays no child support and does not see his kids cause he is basically to lazy (i believe). I work full time educating the adults of tomorrow and am studying a PHD in psychology part time. Luckily I own my car and owe nothing on it and mortgage repayments are low compared to others due to the small amount required to borrow (due to working hard and saving hard since the age of 15).
My point of all this is with daycare for my boys, ridiculous medical costs, (eldest about to have an operation which must be paid for upfront ($6000.00) then possibly more depending what happens in surgery, all because I dont want him to have to wait 2 years for the operation he needs. With speech therapy for him, fortnightly paediatric visits for my youngest, the soaring cost of HEALTHY foods (fruits and vegetables), power, gas, water and so on, i cannot afford a post paid mobile (cell) plan let alone an Iphone on one, so I do wonder about the designer clothes and technology I see some people on benefits wearing/using – particularly younger people as there is not much chance many of them would have had a job between leaving school and collecting benefits to be in a position to own the things they carry 9also I see many lining up as I go about my business that are not only clearly stoned out of their mind (but also reek of pot as well).
Having said that, it is vital that society offers assistance to those who are vulnerable and at risk financially. Penalising people for falling on hard times only serves to increase crime rates, drug taking (stress relief) and various other forms of anti social behaviour.
Now this is what I have to think about it.
That old man that has had food stamps your whole life. Maybe something in his personal life is screwed and that is the only way he can get food. Now a days if you have a family and your the only income 10 bucks an hour doesn’t give you shit. Food is food. Just because I am on welfare and your not does not mean i am not going to eat as good as you do if i want a god damn steak im gunna eat it. Yes there is people who have been on it for a very long time, well do me a favor and look at the fuckin goverment and what they have done to the jobs and how they have basically bent all americans over and screwed us thats why us people on welfare are on it for so long. I have been on welfare for 2 years now, and yes i would like to be off of it but i cant work my DOCTOR said i am not allowed to work because of my back…I’m 19..yes you can say well get disability. not so easy when your only 19. Yes there is people that abuse it. BUT if i didnt have food stamps i wouldnt be able to feed my family. There is no guidelines on what non prepared food you can get anything with an F. Atleast their using food stamps for food instead of trading it for cash for drugs.So maybe before you post stupid shit like this you should see it from our eyes, instead of just one side.
Now this is what I have to think about it.
That old man that has had food stamps your whole life. Maybe something in his personal life is screwed and that is the only way he can get food. Now a days if you have a family and your the only income 10 bucks an hour doesn’t give you shit. Food is food. Just because I am on welfare and your not does not mean i am not going to eat as good as you do if i want a god damn steak im gunna eat it. Yes there is people who have been on it for a very long time, well do me a favor and look at the fuckin goverment and what they have done to the jobs and how they have basically bent all americans over and screwed us thats why us people on welfare are on it for so long. I have been on welfare for 2 years now, and yes i would like to be off of it but i cant work my DOCTOR said i am not allowed to work because of my back…I’m 19..yes you can say well get disability. not so easy when your only 19. Yes there is people that abuse it. BUT if i didnt have food stamps i wouldnt be able to feed my family. There is no guidelines on what non prepared food you can get anything with an F. Atleast their using food stamps for food instead of trading it for cash for drugs.So maybe before you post stupid shit like this you should see it from our eyes, instead of just one side. And all you ignorant fucks that think ALL of us are losers there is a fucking reason were on it so fuck off.
you’re a fat ugly disgusting little bitch. are scary, stupid poor people not allowed to have a fucking birthday cake at their party? it’s people like you that are fucking ruining the world.
You are a brat.
Oh, and you need a reality check, so read this blog post: http://betanaughty.tumblr.com/post/14444008044/my-time-being-a-judgmental-cashier-at-walmart
TL:DR: The only job I’ve ever had was at Wal-Mart, and now I think I know more about being poor than actual poor people.
Rich white girl whining, simply. Oh, idiot conservatives, how you amuse me. xD
Amen… back a few years ago, I worked as a teacher at a residential school. Many of the staff were bused in from the nearest large city. Several of my staff swapping food stamps for cash, among other things. The place I worked gave you one free meal each shift you worked. The most notorious of these people typically did not eat the food. You would think if you were struggling for money, you would appreciate this little perk of the job. Nope, not them. Why eat a free, nutritionally balanced, albeit it mass produced cafeteria meal? You can have a free meal of exactly what you want instead, and darn it, you should never have to eat anything that is not exactly what you like. These people had been on food stamps since they became adults, despite having jobs most of the time.
On the other hand, I had another person working in my room who had gone on food stamps temporarily between jobs. She was like the many people who responded here who were embarrassed (and shouldn’t have had to be, she had worked her whole life, ran into hard times, and needed help until she could get back on her feet). She told me how they gave her so much money on there that she was shocked. It was just her and a young child. She thought she would get just enough to get by. Instead, she got enough money to buy steaks for her, her mom, and her son every night if she wanted to. That’s absurd and unnecessary. It is people like the ones you described, and my first set of co-workers who make it really difficult for people who truly just need help to accept it. Most people on public assistance didn’t choose to be there. It’s the people who are clearly taking advantage (if you go to the store every week or month, the cashiers remember you and your card, and your steaks) that are the problem. The people I know who want to get off are as appalled at the behavior of those who fight to stay on as I am.
I’ve got no problem with people on welfare being able to get enough to eat decently… and that’s just it, decently. You get to spend lavishly when you work and earn it. Otherwise, figure out the average cost of fulfilling the recommended number of servings for a person, give them enough to fulfill their needs. If you choose lobster one night, that’s fine, but you’ll have to sacrifice something else (just like most of America).
Remember the guy in Michigan who won $1 million in the state lottery? He calls up the welfare office, informs them of his winnings, and asks if he will still receive the food subsidy. They say sure…this is just money you won, not earned income.
The problem facing American children in poverty is OBESITY, not starvation. What does that tell you about the rules and policies that qualify families to be losers I mean on welfare?
“The problem facing American children in poverty is OBESITY, not starvation. What does that tell you about the rules and policies that qualify families to be losers I mean on welfare?” That tells me nothing about the people that qualify to be on assistance. What it does tell me is that it is cheaper to buy crappy preproccessed food that is full of high fructose corn syrup, bleached white flour, carbs and fillers. Food that makes a person fat but provides a minimum nutritional value. Have you ever compared the nutritional labels on the cheap stuff versus the higher priced foods? To eat healthy it costs 2-3 times what it does to eat crap. But you won’t believe it because that’s not what Fox news tells you. Fox news tells you that welfare recipients are frauds and drug addicts. When statistically only 2-3% of all recipients are frauds or drug addicts.
Your rants on food stamps are just a symbol of much larger problems here in the U.S. First I must ask, what have all the people posting here, recently done to help their neighbors who are NOT receiving food stamps and are likely both hungry and depressed? They have your pride and respect but it surely is not filling their stomachs or putting a roof over their head. Do you even know (or care) who your neighbors are? Probably not- Which is why the “government” must take care of the most basic needs of so many…While shopping at Walmart were any of you able to purchase anything “made in the USA” to help our economy? (Probably not) – And worst of all, is our public education system here aims to educate children to reach the level of intelligence necessary to work at Walmart -They feel they have succeeded if they can get you to graduate high school – For those dwindling number of students able to afford college – Good Luck! You too may join the growing number of Masters Degree educated in debt and unemployed – I’ll pray you are not hungry. The government is not the answer but WHO is?
I truly hope you never have to feel the sting of poverty – the embarrassment of having to pay for something with charity, or even having to beg for help.
It’s hard to live the American dream, but thankfully middle-class white girls like you are protected from the brunt of it
My tip, though? Marry rich, sweetheart. It may seem like your “writing career” is really taking off right now, what with all these comments.
No, I’m sorry to inform you, but you have just become a meme. That’s right: You’re a silly character that the general public will now use as an example of an over-entitled, privileged American girl (not that there aren’t already enough of those).
I hope you enjoy your infamy while it lasts – you Earned it!!
Seems to me like you are pretty spot on. I am a stay at home mother with 2 small children and my husband busts his hump every day so we can live a decent life and to be quite honest, most times its not enough. My husband was out of work for 3 weeks, (he is a laborer in our local union and has 2 college degrees which have nothing what so ever to do with his line of work) I called our Social Service Dept. and was told that we didnt qualify for help because he would be back to work before they could give it to us. WTF really? While I sit back and watch people who get foodstamps, medicaid and whatever else they feel like handing out go on vacations, buy season passes to Six Flags, tote iphones and designer purses. That shit get frustrating. Here my husband works and we cant go anywhere and you sit home collect what you think your entitled to and have all the fun. Do you know how much it costs to deliver a baby? I had an emergency c-section, our insurance only covered 70% I owe somewhere in the range of $6000 in doctor bills, that will probably not get paid in the near future. I can totally relate to what you are saying. Lets break it down, I live in NY where almost everyone thinks they are entitled to welfare and all the rest of the goodies. So here in the great state of NY You can get food stamps and if you qualify for food stamps you can get HEAP (heat energy assistance program). HEAP hand out hundreds and thousands of dollars for electric and heat. Then you can also get Section 8.This program pays the majority of your rent. Say someone wants to rent a house for $1000 a month, Section 8 will pay 700-800 of that cost for you. Free health insurance, thats a biggie. My family could use free health insurance. I have a 9yr old and a 7 month old baby. Oh wait it gets better here and now you can get a cell phone too. Holy shit! So your food is free,spending money, electricity and heat payed for, rent taken care of, no health insurance costs and you can talk on the phone too! Wow wouldnt you stay home??? Noone is saying poor people cant have birthday cakes. Its the point that what some people are doing with their benefits are wrong. Of course you can eat just like everyone else. I witnessed a couple buying a patio set with their benefit card, so why is it that you can do that? I’m definitely not on a high horse because I grew up on the system. My mother is disabled and my father had a real problem with paying child support so I know exactly how it feels to be poor. My mother didnt tote handbags and whatever the latest trend was. Her main concern was feeding my brother and I and making sure we had what we needed. People have lost sight in what these programs are really meant for. They are for necessities not luxuries.
I really have an issue with the self righteous, I am so much better than the welfare leeches tone that the writer projects. It seems as if she feels that working at Wal-Mart is a hardship for her. Based on her tone, she thinks that she deserves better than to work at Wal-Mart and should be at a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods with its higher social class of customers.
Wal-Mart makes a lot of money off EBT. When I lived in Michigan, you didn’t go into any Wal-Mart around the 7th of the month, because you would get stuck standing in line while people spent their reloaded EBT cards. It’s not in Wal-Mart’s best interests to want any reform of the welfare system because it would cut into their profits. Also, you would be surprised at the number of hourly, part time Wal-Mart employees who receiving some form of welfare simply because it doesn’t want to pay a living wage or benefits.
She doesn’t know why these people are on EBT. Perhaps the person with the iPhone had a good job and lost it because of downsizing. That iPhone probably was purchased before that catastrophe. It’s more complex than how she wants it to be. There are probably many people in this country who never thought they would be needing to go on unemployment or get food stamps, but they lost their jobs and need to help provide for their families. Yes, there are the multigeneration welfare recipients, but don’t demonize the people who don’t abuse the system.
I wonder if she’s paying for any of her own very expensive college tuition. Providence College is a private school at around $40K per year in tuition. I would find it rather ironic when she graduates with her degree and there’s no job out there for her if she’s such a staunch conservative. I could see her going a complete 360 degrees and joining the Occupy Wall Street crowds and starting to demand some type of corporate reform once she realizes that she’s stuck with $100K plus in student loans.
@ willy…. Was that a typo in your post? You’re on food stamps. Your wife doesn’t work so she can stay home with your DOG because you don’t want your DOG in daycare????
@fyou… You’re 19 and on food stamps due to a disability… and its the only way your “family” can eat. Family meaning kids? Dude, you’re 19!!!!!
@ tayna… thank you. Finally, another person who grew up on the system and/or poor, and still believes in hard work and “nothing is for free.” Thank you for speaking up. =)
I have had responses come into my inbox. It would be nice if folks used real words instead of foul language to make their case, either for or against.
I never really got an answer from my question I posted in response to some folks a couple of days ago. Maybe Shannon Morris will be so kind to help me.
What is going to happen when there is no food stamps, no everything when the government can’t give it out because it is BROKE? We as a nation do need to scale back. Those that have need to start planning to help those in their family that won’t have.