My recent excursion into the welfare system has left me scratching my head. Prior to writing and researching this project, my only impression of food stamps and similar welfare programs was that the credit only worked for certain items at certain stores and that an individual had to be in a particularly dire financial situation to receive such aid. I was wrong.
An EBT card works and looks like a debit card, but instead of the user withdrawing money from a checking account, the government prepays an amount of money it deems necessary for the user’s food expenditures. Several of my classmates recently implemented the use of an EBT card for their groceries, and their involvement in the program immediately piqued my interest. To be honest, my first thought was: “I wonder if I qualify for free grocery money.” My immediate second thought was: “How do they qualify for free grocery money?” These students come from similar financial backgrounds to mine, live in similar accomodations, and take the same amount of college credit hours that I do. Thus, my investigation began with a food stamp application, an interview request, and a trip to a place no one really wants to visit: the Department of Human Services.
I was informed by a very kind woman from the DHS that I would have to complete an interview to be considered for the program. The next morning, I was surprised to see the long line of people that trailed outside. When I reached the front of the line, I was informed that all of the interview spots were filled for the morning and that I’d have to call back later and complete my interview over the phone, which I did later that day. To be considered, I needed to submit my last four paychecks, one rent receipt, one utility bill from the previous month, and verification that I was a student worker on campus.
I received a notice in the mail that the Department of Human Services had not received my employment verification and therefore could not review my case until I produced another pay receipt (which I could not produce, due to the fact that I’d only worked three weeks at my new job). I had essentially given up at this point. I didn’t need an EBT card; my investigation was merely an exercise in civic welfare accountability and efficiency.
Approximately one month after I had received the first letter, another letter found its way to my mailbox from the Department of Human Services. I opened it up to find an EBT card with my name on it, instructions on how to activate and use the card, and the amount I could access on it per month — 200 dollars. Nothing followed-up my interview, other than the evidently pointless letter I received during the previous month. No one ever asked for a copy of my birth certificate or Social Security card, nor for my student identification card. I answered all of their questions truthfully, but how were they to know that I was who I said I was? Is it really this simple to obtain welfare benefits here in the United States?
It’s not hard to qualify for the program as a student and some universities even publicize food stamps to their students. For example, in Oregon, if you fall into any of the following categories, you automatically qualify for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) program: full-time student who works at least 20 hours per week, full-time single student who is caring for children younger than the age of 12, full-time married student who is caring for children younger than the age of 6, or at least a half-time student who is actively working any hours in a work-study program (institutional or federal) can receive a certain amount of money per month from the government. While some of these requirements are certainly understandable, the last one leaves the door open for massive amounts of unnecessary welfare spending and fraud.
Welfare in America was intended to provide a temporary means of survival for those at rock bottom. However, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people using food stamps over the past 40 years, and it would be hard to argue that they are all that destitute. Over that same time period, an estimated $753 million per year has been spent fraudulently by welfare recipients. Moreover, the government’s own accounting has cost taxpayers billions of dollars per year as food stamp programs routinely overpay their recipients; last year, that figure alone totaled $2.5 billion.
That being said, the students I know who use food stamps are hard-working, productive individuals whose parents won’t compensate them for the costs of college. Mine generally don’t either, so I get that. By using the program, students are able to save hundreds of dollars on food so they can pay for school instead of taking out an extra loan. I’m not discrediting that logic; I totally sympathize.
But when government starts to act as the hand that feeds its people and makes personal decisions for them, citizens lose their identities and freedoms. Not only is the innovative, hardworking, passionate American lost because the government promotes the idea that individuals can’t do it themselves, but the individuals come to expect the handouts and riot when they are revoked.
Given my own personal experience, it is clear that food stamps are too easy to obtain, student or not. I realize that the food stamp program is different in all states, and some are more thorough with background checks than others, but much greater reform is needed. It concerns me that 15% of the population, or 46 million people, rely on others’ tax dollars to pay for their food. That doesn’t sound like freedom to me.
Yes, I apparently qualify for and possess an EBT card in the state of Tennessee, but I will not activate it. Participating in a government welfare program simply because I can would amount to an endorsement of the growing entitlement society in America. We should always advocate smaller government. The decision to use food stamps for my food supply would directly contradict that principle, and our government’s purpose as it was described in the Federalist Papers and U.S. Constitution would be further distorted.
Sydney Phillips | Lee University | @sydphillips
Why aren’t you replying to any of your comments, Sydney? Because you know you stuck both your feet in your mouth?
She must be. Easy to get? Pffft. We barely scrape by and I haven’t had them since 2010. Even then it was only 80 bucks a month for myself and two kids. She’s off her rocker..
Anyone who receives a benefit from the “people” who earn it should first pass a drug test, including working a government job.
If you don’t want to work you must not like to eat. Part time jobs, entry level and the like are just that and since anyone willing can do these simple requirements it is not meant to be a career or a head of household breadwinner.
To any of the mothers of children out of wedlock complaining how bad you got it, well you played a stupid game and won a stupid prize. When people get dealt a bad hand it’s usually from gambling.
Take responsibility for your self have some dignity and couth if not see how long you can hold your breath and get out of the way life is tough but not impossible. Live within your means an IPhone, PlayStation, Nike’s, cigarettes and alcohol are not requirements.
Getting a card doesn’t guarantee a balance. The card had your name on it, but no money to your name until you jump through the rest of the hoops.
I help process government aid & Sydney’s “research” is incomplete. Everyone gets an EBT card when you apply it doesn’t mean you qualify. She never mentioned how much SNAP she received because she never turned in required proof & documents. Again, getting an EBT card doesn’t mean you will receive aid- you simply got too excited too quickly. If have activated the EBT card, you would have realized you need to “research” some more.
You have no idea what it means to run a household and feed a family on minimum wage. You are clueless! I am a college student earning a bachelor degree in nursing and I cannot afford to work full time because I am in school full time. I make barely enough to pay my utility bills and my mortgage, I tried to apply for food stamps to get me through college but I did not qualify because I earn 50 dollars over what is allowed. I am a divorced woman with one child, trying to advance myself in life but it seems impossible when you hardly have any food in the refrigerator. after I make my mortgage payment (I am also a responsible homeowner) and my utility bills, I have about 100.00 dollars left to buy food which is barely enough for a week. Please think about the different kind of people who are on food stamps, not everyone is a leach eating off of you because of laziness, you should not judge! I also have learned that many Americans are quick at stereotyping when it comes to food stamps. There are many white people who point the finger at black people for being on food stamps, they forget that there are many whites that use them as well. I am not black, but I could not help but notice how many people I know point the finger at minorities on this issue. I have many friends of different ethnic background who are not on food stamps and are in school trying to better themselves, and some who do qualify for it but who are trying to get some kind of degree or certificate. Remember that if the wages big corporate America pays, were higher, less food stamps would be given. Most people who receive food stamps, are working people who do not make enough to feed their family. This is from the SNAP web site “more than half of SNAP recipients are children or the elderly. For the remaining working-age individuals, many of them are currently employed. At least forty percent of all SNAP beneficiaries live in a household with earnings. In fact, the majority of SNAP households do not receive cash welfare benefits (around 10% receive cash welfare), with increasing numbers of SNAP beneficiaries obtaining their primary source of income from employment.”
Got my bsn, ran a company while going to school growing it to $1.5 mil in sales by the time I graduated as a member of the nursing honor society. I passed my nclex in 75 questions. I did this while living in my own and the business did so well I ended up not even using my degree… Everyone has excuses.
good for you. do you want a cookie? thats YOUR story. as long as your trying to better yourself , not planning on being dependent on the system forever and not being lazy there is nothing wrong with getting a little help
Providing vital necessities like water, vegetables, and lean proteins would eliminate the need for food stamps. All other food could be bought with your own money. It would eliminate people buying lavish steaks and sugary items with their tax funded grocery money. Also providing the basic nutrients to survive will give everyone the best chance they can have to become a healthy member of society. Pair that with workforce training being either college or a trade job and America might become the prosperous land for the many and not just the few.
Ignorance abounds…
They offer job services and training but you know what it amounts to? It amounts to free computer time to look for jobs after you get out of a 5 day a week four-hour class that teaches you absolutely nothing. You have to complete the class, or you’ll lose your benefits. Then you are responsible for hitting a quota of 10 physical applications each day with a signed booklet and a signed business card. Have kids? You have to bring them with you if you have no sitter. Don’t plan on making it to any of their extracurricular activities or picking them up after school! If you can’t make those apps then you have to sit there till they close. Want to go to school? Sure! Take another class on how to take another class! Then jump through some more hoops to get the funds to go for the associate’s degree or certification–Oh wait, you say there’s no more money the day before they told you that your classes would be paid for? Awesome! Oh, I have to do this every month that I’m on benefits? GREAT!
Yeah, I’d venture to say you don’t know what you’re talking about. No, it’s not the benefits that are the problem, it’s the way they propose to get you off of them. It’s nothing but useless jobs for the people with qualifications, that don’t really need them, to have an excuse to charge the state.
I think you should post proof of all of this. I don’t believe that they gave you food stamps without some kind of proof of identity. I’ve been working with welfare system for years, and there’s a Checklist of stuff they need, starting with identification.
I call BS.
Almost all of us have some misguided, short-sided and uneducated ideals when we’re young. The analysis is fine enough, but the conclusion and judgement is off. Look at the cost for a single fighter jet (which is not unnecessary) and that will put into perspective some of the spending our government does.
The food assistance program done by the US is one of the best egalitarian programs in our society. Do you believe in helping your fellow man, or only yourself? That is the basis on how to judge a people.
I have a daughter “Sydney” and was kind of disappointed when I came across this after searching for her name.
I applaud you!!!You are an awesome parent!!
If you’re that concerned about taxes going to offset low income families, why don’t you advocate for a higher minimum wage? Instead of companies paying people enough to survive, they pay them a pittance, avoid taxes, and rely on citizens to pay enough taxes to actually supply food, shelter, and utilities for all of the underpaid workforce in america. Maybe you haven’t considered it, but is it possible these multi- million and billion dollar companies should bump pay up to a living wage so these “entitlements” (like being entitled to not starve to death or become homeless, I suppose) could drop dramatically.
Work full time at walmart. Two questions:
How is it that my paycheck is not enough to pay rent plus utilities for a shit shack and some groceries?
Why is the gov subsidizing low wages while big corporations rake in huge profits, mostly tax free?
Anyone working full time should be paid an honest wage.
Someone earning an honest wage should not need assistance from the government to buy groceries. Just my 2 cents worth
Activate the card and donate the food to the food pantry. And don’t pretend there’s some kind of “nobility” in struggling when help is alvailable. People not worried about putting food on the table can focus on solving larger problems and taking more innovative risks.
Wow look at all the people on welfare pissed off. Shit up. Damn she has a good point with it all . EBT IS WAY TOO EASY TO OBTAIN. I wouldnt have a major problem with it if I didn’t already pay my 15% of my damn check to welfare . Fuck you freeloaders.
oi vey ..women trying to understand the world
First….you are nothing more than a spoiled child, barely out of high school….who has been supported by your parents your entire life. You haven’t lived long enough, or worked long enough, to judge anyone, or anything!! And you haven’t paid in to society at all, so your not entitled to your spoiled brat, snotty opinion!!
Second…..the whole problem with the “system”…. is people like you and your “Conservative” outlook on it. Your all so busy judging people and complaining….that you don’t see, or just don’t care, about the obvious positive!! Low income and single parent children, are actually trying to go to college and better themselves to become productive members of society!! So why the hell would you be so ignorant as to begrudge them getting the food stamps, that they legally qualify for, to help with food for the next 2-4 years while they’re getting a degree?
It’s an investment in a better future for this country!! The longer they go to college, the better degree they’ll get and the higher their income will be. Then….they will pay back the small amt of $ that they got for food stamps, 10 fold in THEIR income taxes. Which will hopefully help other kids be able to eat and stay healthy, while they become productive members of society!!
Here’s the alternative: You deny them the food stamps. Now they can’t do well in school, because they’re hungry and unhealthy….so they fail out, or drop out. They then get a minimum wage job and end up marrying a minimum wage earning partner….because a more well off partner wouldn’t want to be with someone “beneath” them right…..Now they have kids and the whole family ends up on food stamps….because “Conservatives” like yourself, don’t want to raise minimum wage to a “livable” wage!! Sooooo, all the people earning minimum wage, qualify for food stamps etc….because they don’t make enough to even pay for the basic needs of shelter, clothing and food!!
You can most definitely tell by your ignorance at such a young age….that you were raised by ignorant “Conservative” parents, who like you…. complain about everything, but don’t ever want to do what’s right to fix the problem…..because then…..they’d have nothing to complain about!!! I truly hope that being amongst other people, from other walks of life at college….that are all heading in the same direction you are and may far surpass you….Will make you a better, more accepting and compassionate human being!!!
Excellent comment Sy. It’s amazing how they villify the food stamp recipients. Those food stamps not only help families, they actually help small businesses as well. She doesn’t realize that though.
A local market in my neighborhood started taking EBT cards about 3 years ago. They did it because when the recession hit, they lost revenue from cash paying customers who were becoming a lot more frugal in their purchases.
By accepting EBT cards, they were able to increase their revenue stream via lower income families buying their groceries with them, instead of traveling miles away to a large grocery store that accepted food stamps.
The fact that 46 million are still on food stamps, is a disheartening number. But it’s also enabling those very people to spend money on other goods and services, besides food, that help bring back the economy.
Conservatives need to simply “follow the money”.
are u implying that all welfare recipients show proof of going to college and “bettering” themselves then? because many welfare recipients are on for life! i think it would be a great idea. they should only qualify when proving they will eventually pay it forward and be productive. and they should also be drug tested every month and pay for the testing without welfare money to prove another source of income. also its not minimum wage or honest living wage that needs to be looked at…everything is grossly overpriced and over taxed. if everywhere starts paying thier employees more the cost of goods would go up the same amount… we need to put limits on prices for necessities, start making our products in the u.s again and it will eventually get as cheap as when people grew up in the 50’s. also 0% taxes on those who make under a certain amount of money annually. lets say combined household of $75,000 or less pay no taxes ….right now those people pay 10% as do those making $249,000 per year.
I’m a college student and have been denied 3 times. Once because I worked to any hours one week during summer break and once because I was only able to work 15 hours a week during weeks when I attend class. I honestly don’t even know why I was denied the third time. They never requested proof of rent or utility payments, just flat out told me it didn’t matter how much it was because only child support, daycare fees, and a alimony payment were taken into consideration. I pay my own tuition and house, and have amassed a nice amount of debt doing so. I wish SNAP was as easy for me and other students in need to get as it was for you.
so…. you basically got foodstamps because you’re white…
My wife and I are college students and are thinking about using the snap program to supplement our groceries. Explain to me why that if I were to use the EBT to buy groceries throughout college and medical school and why it would be frown upon? I look at it like this… I will literally pay back 4x’s the amount of benefits I received in taxes in my first pay check as a physician. If anything college students should be more entitled to government benefits!! We’re all going to school to become contributing members of society. Can someone please explain to me why that’s not a logical way of thinking.
The only illogical thinking is feeling more entitled to benefits than others. I’m certain you’re a very hard worker. You do, however, have the benefit of sharing costs with your partner. You’re also privileged enough to have made it to med school. Not to discount your hard work at all, (because I know it wasn’t an easy journey) but not everyone has the opportunity to even try. Sometimes poverty limits potential regardless of hard work.
The requirements for SNAP are different in every state, but you should have been able to get a card that easy. I almost question whether you’re telling the full truth. If you are, then you got lucky and slipped through the cracks. It is a pain trying to get a hold of anyone in DHS for them to just send you a card out of the blue is unheard of. I know for enrolled students in Illinois, you HAVE TO provide a letter from financial aid (the letter has to be sent by the university so you can’t really fake it or use an old one), you have to be working 10-15 hours a week I think, and you can’t be living in the dorms even if you don’t have a meal plan. If you’re not a student there are income requirements. I applied for snap for a 1 person household. I was making $1200/month, the requirement is $1269 or less. They denied me because they add in the fact that 2 or 3 months in the year I would get paid 3x in one month, there would be 5 fridays in those months. They did some calculation which brought my income to $1290. BS
Ms. Phillips,
Since you’re a taxpayer, why would you be uncomfortable using a tax-funded benefit that you are eligible for? I don’t see or understand the issue with taxpayers that are in a brief rough spot using EBT cards until they get back on their feet. (I don’t mean be argumentative, but really feel clueless about this) I believe eligibility for food assistance is income-based (in Florida), so the recipients do pay into those benefits.
It’s not surprising that those who apparently cannot spell or form complete sentences have difficulty securing employment…regardless of race or personal circumstances.
Ever heard of dyslexia?
These comments are ridiculously distasteful. Its sad that took the time to apply for food stamps thay you clearly didn’t want.There are so many people who needs assistance, and sad part about it is they have to lie to get it.For example, food stamps you can tell them how much you pay for every bill in your home and how much you make basically leaving you will only leaving you with $1
5 to buy food they won’t even give you $50 I was given $16 a month and I was working paying bills. I remember when I was pregnant and not able to work due to the fact of me being on bed rest I was declined food stamps as well as cash assistance. Funny how the government charges all these taxes and such that money we will never see again but when we need assistance it can’t be given.
As a 23 year old mother who is also a full time student with a full time job, who can barely afford housing, school, and healthcare with no other government form aid, applied for food stamps to help out… and was denied, but she was not. WTF.
I was reading this thinking the same thing. I am a single mother , I’ve applied more than once and have got denied each time.
Thats because ever since conservatives have taken office during the Reagan administration the majority of income has floated to the top .05% whom
make above 230k per year or som shit. that leaves us 99% in a situation where holding a simple 40hr per week job is no longer enough, unlike it is in
europe were they spend money on people.. democracy, progress .. socialism.. call it what ever you want, imagine being able to go to college for free and
rasing a healthier family from the get go YA BIG MOUF FUCKKA, LOOK ATCHYA SCARED OF ME NOW so scarey is a word highlighting social-improvment….
Do you remember that.. the biggest protest in human history, it occured late 2011 New York USA, Occupy Wallstreet was a backlash at the short hand dealt to fellow Millenials such as you and I. OWS did not work but it was a SYMBOL OF A SOCIAL MOVEMENT, us hard workers whom make up the majority of the US populace deserves more and better opportunities.
Where do you get off talking like that about people like your all high and mighty uppity b**** you have no idea how hard people have it! So you should keep your mouth shut, not everyone has it easy some people don’t have rich mommy’s and daddy’s who gave them everything ok? Some people had to work hard and even though they try really hard things happen out of their control… people need to be more humble because NOW a days everyone thinks their better than everyone else and have no sympathy for what others are going through It sucks that certain people who are hard working are looked down upon because no one will hire them or their in a bad situation simply because employers don’t want a hard worker anymore they want someone who looks good, this world is going to the good looking and that’s just a shame.
30 years ago working a middle class job was enough, fucking people are working harder and longer than any western industralized country… for less money than they did…………… Bernie sanders doesnt take any money from big corporations, he asks for it from people like you and I .. 5 10 dolars at time… he supports regular people, and wont be influened by the excessivley rich
Lillith and I are like Yin yang.. God litterally has enlightened me with this info, and i want to share, what happens when you shine a flash light in a dark tunnle, it illuminates…. every time
I’m glad it was way too easy for you to get them. But it’s not like that for everyone (which I’m sure you already know). Sometimes, it makes absolutely no sense to me the people that qualify v. the people that don’t. I grew up not qualifying for food stamps but making just enough money not to starve and die(joking but serious). I’d go over cousins and aunts house who received food stamps and their cabinets and refrigerator would be stocked to the top. Ridiculous. And it hardly makes any sense. I believe they do dish out way too much money, and some people who really need it (and deserve it a little bit more) don’t get what they need. There’s a gap. If that makes sense.
Sydney, Just read your article about food stamps and their easy accessibility . Wow are you one spoiled little know it all!!
Let me tell you something about the real world sweet pea. I too went to college and have worked since I was 15 yrs old. I have had
wonderful jobs in my life and still do work. Unfortunatley when I had my first and only child her father and I seperated when she was an infant. I am so grateful to the State of Pennsylvania, for without their help I would not have been able to continue to work. I applied for subsidized daycare, food money and health insurance for my baby girl. Was I happy that I had to apply for WELFARE BENEFITS. Not at all, I thought it was beneath me like you do.
May you graduate from college find a great job, have kids get married and live happily ever after in your “I am better than everybody” world.
From Diana D
A very grateful and hardworking single mother from Pennsylvania
Great rant Diana D and wonderful sarcasm. I now know you had a hard life and a failed relationship and a child you struggle to take care of, WAY TO GO !
You’re really ignorant it has nothing to do with a failed relationship.It’s about a woman needing help to raise her child.Maybe if we didn’t live in a world that wants to hire everyone part time making minimum wage there wouldn’t be so many people who need government assistance. I bet you have applied for assistance before as well.Sad how people like you have so much to say about people needing help how about you help the needy you cunt. Hope one day you realize how dumb and arrogant you sound as well as need the same help but aren’t able to get it.
A pretty girl with no disabilities, that goes to college and has a job, is a conservative? Oh, wait that make sense, never mind, she hasn’t had to deal with any hardships yet.
During the recession, I spent everyday looking for work. I was laughed at as I turned in applications as they said there was no point in turning one in because they were not hiring. I had to eat in a shelter, and receive benefits. I moved to Alaska so I could work in the fishing industry so that I could save enough money to go to school. I am a Nurse now. If it weren’t for those benefits, I wouldn’t have been able to eat.
I know that there are some people that abuse the system, just as there are some rich folks that do their banking in other countries so that they don’t have to pay tax’s in the US. But most of the people on welfare have children, a disability, or are elderly. At what point in your life will you be one of those. If you never needed assistance from welfare, I am willing to bet you got it from someone(your parents) or something else. If that is not true, than count yourself lucky, thank the lord for your blessings, and be humble and grateful for it. This not an idealistic world were everyone comes from a nice family and has no disabilities and doesn’t need any help.
One more point to make is that large corporations are owning most of the worlds wealth. Lets use ‘Wally world’ as an example. Wally world pays people minimum wage; you can work full time and not be able to provide for your family with minimum wage. The gap of income between the 99% and the 1% is getting worse. Not every person in the US is able to go to college and get a degree, some people are laborers. Where have all the labor jobs gone? Machines have taken them away. Look at Detroit. This was an automobile city. When the industry crashed( no pun intended) it left many people without a job. These were tax paying family folk. Now Detroit has a city full of people that cannot find work, and no work is available. You want to tell them “get a job” “go to school” Please remember that not everyone is college material. When you take labor jobs away and then cry about the fact that there are more people that don’t have a job, try to think of a solution for those people. What are laborers supposed to do when there are no labor jobs left? Unfortunately we need to figure out what to do. Large corporations are making more money because they replace people with machines and pay their workers minimum wage, all while not paying any tax’s. Just the other year General Electric made 5.1 billion dollars and didn’t pay any tax’s. In fact they had a tax profit of 3.2 billion dollars! Apple has even been caught cheating the system out of tax’s. This is creating poverty and will only destroy the US unless we figure out how to balance it and help everyone have the same opportunities. Just imagine a world without welfare, you know, a world like Nepal where everyone that is poor begs for money and spreads disease, dentists will pull your teeth on the side of the road for a small fee. Is that the world you want to live in? Idealism is not reality so lets plan for the future.
I agree with most of what you guys are saying. One trivial, though in my opinion doubly important note, is that poverty can’t be created. Poverty is the natural state of existence. Only wealth can be created. We do have a sense of entitlement permeating our generation especially, and if you were to ask older generations, their take on welfare tends to be pretty different. Please don’t interpret this as an anti-welfare vignette, that so annoying when people put words in your mouth ha. I’m just saying it’s easy to polarize your view without first putting things into perspective. I am definitely for welfare and believe that if a country has the right to use you at whim (with things such as drafts) than you damn well have the right to use your country in times of need.
And yes sorry Sydney, but your story does sound a bit exaggerated. I realize you are not saying to get rid of the welfare, and small government can be a very good/liberating thing, but to start talking about federalists as if you knew them is absurd. The founding fathers were just as divided about these things as we are today, hence the vague rhetoric in which many of our laws are written. They said “hey we’re only human, and the children of this nation will know more about their country than we do now (after all it’s just an infant) and they will be able to decipher in a democratic way.” At least I THINK that’s what they wanted, after all can’t say I was there. But discussion is always healthy, and I don’t think either side is doing our nation any justice by completely bashing an opposing opinion. If you are going to do so, at least acknowledge what you did agree with, or find interesting. Without that sort of ‘respect’ I guess I’d call it (for lack of a better word), then NEITHER SIDE has any common ground. Politics never seems to be very productive without at least some common ground. No?
Well said!!
CANCEL YOUR EBT Sydney, please 😀 😀 😀
right. agreed.
She never activated it…or didn’t you read that?
please cancel your ebt, unfortunately that $2.5 billion of overpaying includes you until you cancel. Many states are still unable to get money “left over” back off the cards and then it is just in a JP Morgan debit account indefinitely. CANCEL 😀 nice article, had no idea I could get food stamps and go to school, thanks
If you qualify for SNAP and are approved for SNAP through the application process, you as an individual are in the same economic class as everyone else on SNAP, lower class. You are not obtaining them illegally. The government wants to give aid to as many people as possible. The U.S. government has never downsized and has never shutdown. I’m not talking about the vacations politicians take when they can’t seem to “agree” on issues. I agree with you on the issue that, “when government starts to act as the hand that feeds its people and makes personal decisions for them, citizens lose their identities and freedoms.”
I find it very apparent that the ruling elite are deconstructing the middle class and putting the majority into the lower class so that there will be but 3 classes in the United States; Lower, Upper, and Ruling Elite. I believe this is done through taxes, your ball and chain to the government, which like the government never downsizes. How can your taxes go down when the government is growing? I am talking about government growing faster in proportion with the US population. DHS? Is it so different from the National Guard? Why do we need separate branches? Two of everything! Instead increase the size of the National Guard and alter their mission.
The majority of starvation deaths are children, not adults. Irresponsible adults that cannot take care of children. Children who are dependent on adults for food. There is no one in the United States that is in a situation where they cannot purchase food. Illinois has a SNAP program designed to deal with issuing benefits to the homeless. Homeless people, unless by choice, do not starve in the United States. Illinois, my current residence, is one of the worse economic states to currently live in, high homeless rate, and yet if you talk to the fools living here they believe, “Arbeit macht frei” or work shall set you free. Where else have I read that phrase? And I don’t think it was true then. Have you ever had to pay income tax? Guess what, you paid into SNAP. Use it. The problem is not the 3.7% of your taxes going to SNAP, it’s where the other 96.3% is going. Don’t cut military, seriously. But do they have to waste so much? Well, we are the most powerful country to ever exist on this planet. And we are the good guys.
You qualify for SNAP, use it. Think of it as a scholarship. Use the benefits to put yourself in a better position financially and when you graduate you will be in a better position to fix the problem. Nice guys finish last and everybody can use a hand. You don’t think people that look down on food stamps haven’t gotten help financially someway or another. Life is a battlefield and the ones that condemn food stamps through ignorance are the ones that will walk right by you in your time of need. Look at videos of disasters and who is running to help and who is running away. The majority is running away.
You know more people than you think that are receiving SNAP. The majority of people will not be vocal about receiving benefits. That is directly related to words such as “handouts” which you used in your article. That word has been conditioned into your vocabulary as a negative. It is a neutral word. Embarrassed to use these benefits? You are above them? Your application speaks differently.
Why do you look down upon people on the program, no matter how they obtained it. Your article certainly has that tone, which feels like it was your intent, though it is definitely informative rather than persuasive. I see the sarcasm in the article title. We are all equal and we live in a country that has never now tyrants, kings, or queens. The politicians are to blame, they are offering something for free. The SNAP program is a small drop of water in a bucket. The United States has much more waste in sectors other than SNAP. Use your SNAP benefits, don’t be submissive to the ones that criticize, they are idiotic in ways they will never understand. Use your benefits and though I don’t agree with much of what you wrote, I enjoyed reading it. You are moral. Moral people finish first in life and will show their righteousness in forms inconceivable to the immoral.
This was written as a train of thought, has holes in logic, and is not backed up with cited facts. But I hate to see someone who could benefit from the generosity of the US government legally, yet ashamed to use them because the people in society who are sheep, decide to open their mouths and allow the conscious to see their ignorance on display. But I cannot stress this enough, use it!
Hi Sydney, congratulations, you’ve apparently touched a nerve with your readers. I liked your article. I thought it was well written and I learned something. Now back to that nerve, it seems that the greatest divide in our country is no longer race, religion, or sexual orientation. It appears that our countries most inflammatory divide is between the haves and the have-nots. Of course as a “have” I must be a bigot for pointing this out. In reality, I want everyone to be okay. I just don’t think our current solutions are the best—and those pesky statistics seem to agree.
I’m hoping someday to learn the answer to these questions:
Can a country spend beyond its means indefinitely?
Does anyone care that perhaps we’re chasing the symptoms and not the cause?
How much of another person’s efforts—their life—is it fair to take?
Was Lenin correct when he said, “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.”
Keep up the great work. –Jeff
Sydney,
Doing this research for what it sounds like was “fun” to you and not knowing the facts is discrceful! Yes the system isnt perfect but unless you plan on doing something positive to aid in fixing it please keep your extra time to do something less destructive…now we will have more people applying for something they can go work for (people without children!) I do not believe a college student should apply no matter how poor unless they have somene whom is dependant on them. I work hard with two children,pay taxes,volunteer services to vunerable adults,have a degree, own a home,garden for extra nutrition, and yes I am a SNAP recipient. That being said
IT IS DISRESPECTFUL TO ALL OUT THERE HUNGRY WONDERING HOW THEY WILL EAT BECAUSE THEY WERE DENIED ……Go somewhere else with your inspirations and dont come back your approach was pitiful!!!
I am sorry to all the other angry commenters I hear you keep your head up !! -Beth
Id rather a poor college student apply for snap then some good for nothing mother who isnt furthering her education and is just spitting out children for free govt money
I totally agree with that. I am all for getting help as long as you are doing something with your life but if you are just one of those people, which America is full of, that has 3 kids from 3 different people, no job and getting aid I don’t see the point. Plus, most of those people are usually on drugs and buy their kids junk food. That is why most of America is fat!!! I feel if people do have aid ,student or anyone else, they should be randomly drug tested but that is a whole different story.
In my area, being black is qualification alone for getting the handouts. They are generally not required to prove anything at all, and often have multiple EBT cards under different names. They trade them for drugs, sex, and as payment for criminal activity. Other races are usually required to apply and qualify, but like most other areas of American life, blacks are not expected to do anything at all and are given a free pass because they are recognized as incapable of anything productive or good at all.
I am a 72 year old woman d who lived in the USA for almost 30 years I worked and save as best I could but my son was involved in an accident his fault and i have been taking care of him on whatever I receive from SS and my family. I receive snap for myself my son does not live in this country .Yes I receive snap because ever since my son was injured I have had a rough time physically and mentally. I am a black woman not African American I was screened severely produced everything that was required of me turned down and reapplied and was accepted .I am disappointed that a seemingly intelligent person would claim that the color of your skin makes you eligible for public assistance. In the early 1990s my wallet was stolen about six months later I received a letter from social services asking me to come on for my interview I had no idea what they were talking about I called the number and was asked to come to the office My SS card was being used to take care of a family of 4 Caucasians. I was working at a nursing home caring fro incontinent people (u know what that means) and someone else was using me. so please do your research before you speak like that it is very hurtful to BLACK non Americans
Okay so I agree with you that the abuse of food stamps is wrong… and I also mostly agree with your concluding thought ,
” Participating in a government welfare program simply because I can would amount to an endorsement of the growing entitlement society in America. We should always advocate smaller government. The decision to use food stamps for my food supply would directly contradict that principle, and our government’s purpose as it was described in the Federalist Papers and U.S. Constitution would be further distorted.”
Keep in mind, my mother is an immigrant from the slums of India, she moved here and worked VERY hard to get an education and better her life, indirectly changing the course of my life as well. With that said, she went to a private college and through HARD WORK and motivation and the help of the government she did not pay for her education, please remember their are some people who do not have it as good as you do, Sydney. When used correctly such programs are not a bad thing. I am not here to hate on you I just thought id leave you with that thought 🙂
You know what need stop happen is people need to vote to fund more public service workers who can go verify that these programs are being used for what they need to be used for and who they were designed to be used for. The amount of food stamps these poor families and people who deserve disability but have been denied, the amount is not enough to live on anyways. A really funny paper and I like that you think your a model, which are you a writer or a model?
edited,
You are full of it, you needed it and wanted it. If you don’t know why welfare is available it’s for people who are trying to succeed and make something of their self. I know I have worked in any and every job in the world. The longer and more time you put into a fast food job or a low wage income job. The more they take advantage of you, treat you like garbage, and the more you fall behind in bill’s. Why even work, that is whats wrong with America you don’t respect people working fast food, which is the largest business in the world. People deserve to make and earn a living wage. I understand you are embarrassed about needing food stamps, and wrote this paper because you think better of yourself, and used it as an excuse plus a paper you find cool to down other people to make yourself feel better. I am in Computer Science, I’m no English major so pardon my writing. I seen my dad raise us on foods stamps and he made something of himself and he pays a lot more tax’s and payed all of his outrageous student loans back. If you have mommy or daddy paving your way you will never understand what you are talking about, I reject your hypocritical opinion with no apology. The stereo type of stories like this is why people feel embarrassed and kids get ridiculed by your sons and daughters at their elementary schools and high school’s. In closing fuck you all.
I applied and qualified and the county qualified in Denied me due to Discrimination ADA Title VII – Illegally – I hope you rot in hel
What a bunch of crybaby Americans…both sides of argument.
I think it’s very hypocritical of you to even apply for food stamps while contesting their virtue; I do not believe for a second that you went through the process of applying for SNAP, got an EBT card, and did not use it. Let me repeat myself: I do not believe your story for a second. Furthermore, I think America’s real problem these days is not one of entitled attitudes, but one where people with wealth and the ability to help those in need, are too greedy to give a d@mn. What makes a society good and even godly, if you are religious, is how it treats its most vulnerable people. Whether you believe that there are families and individuals who cannot adequately feed themselves without this program is irrelevant, because the fact is that there are. To use myself as an example, I have not been able to find steady work in the area I live for quite some time, and although I have not always been enrolled in the SNAP program since moving here, I have not been shy to take advantage of it when I’ve truly needed it. I think it’s a shame to base the notion of good governance on this selfish, anti-compassion attitude that “those without are probably just scammers.” Which is what I got from your article. Receiving foodstamps does not amount to government making decisions for you. It amounts to being so blessed as to live in a wealthy country where such welfare programs are even possible. It does not surprise me when people like you slam welfare programs, because it’s clear to me that you have not endured true financial struggle. Those who have, don’t need to question the virtue of such programs, because they already know that in 2015, in one of the most wealthy nations in the world, to not have such programs while there are millions who genuinely need it, is the true shame and farce. You wear a star of David around your neck, so I’m assuming you’re Jewish? If you are, why don’t you take the following instruction from God as found in the Ten Commandments and learn to “love your neighbor as yourself”. Because I already know for a fact that if you were faced with starvation and your only options were to receive food stamps or die, you would choose the former. How do I know? Because self-preservation is simply human nature, and it’s not something to be ashamed of.
Drew has repeatedly admitted to being a drug addict elsewhere in comments. It matters little what he “believes.”
Here’s the thing: YOUR experience as a student ‘investigating’ how easy it was to get them and who might not really be in NEED for them, does NOT reflect how difficult it can be for someone who IS in need and how difficult some food stamp workers can make it for someone in need. From my experience as a someone with MULTIPLE disabilities and for whom does NOT collect either SSI or SSDI for them and who CAN’T work due to the disabilities, food stamp workers have put me through EMOTIONAL TORTURE in the process of re certifying for them each year and to the extent where they VIOLATE THE LAW governing what the agency should do.
Here are some examples:
1: It is LAW that if a person on medicaid is deemed by medicaid as having a disability, then the DTA (food stamp people) need to ACCEPT that. I’ve had case workers who refused to accept my disability status ‘because’ I did not get SSI or SSDI. It is in reckless DISREGARD as to what the LAW states. Why some refuse to acknowledge the disability could be due to their being either IGNORANT of what there job is to do or in RECKLESS DISREGARD of the law. It is also law that someone with a disability need not have a photo ID on the EBT card. I have had the same recklessly ignorant DTA workers threaten to close my benefits ‘because’ of no photo ID. Yet when I went to get the photo ID anyway, other DTA workers told me NONE was needed. Yet the same reckless ones CONTINUED TO DEMAND IT. The stress from all that landed me in a hospital.
2: It is LAW that a self declaration as to where one lives needs to be accepted by the DTA. It is also LAW that utility bills sent to address are PROOF as are CANCELLED RENT CHECKS. I have had DTA workers (same ones refusing to accept my disability status) also REFUSE to accept cancelled rent checks and utility bills to said address as proof of my living there and instead DEMANDED to see a LEASE. As tenant at will who had not a copy of my lease at the time it was demanded (I had just moved and could not find my papers in time), my rights were VIOLATED by some recklessly ignorant DTA workers who refused to accept other documents and self declarations as proof of address where it was really THEIR JOB to accept those and not demand me to provide a document I did not have at the time.
3: I send all requested documents, including bank statements and 1099 forms in addition to going to the bank to have the manager write a letter to explain what those are (for stupid DTA workers who can’t read a bank statement properly), only to find the DTA worker THROWS THEM AWAY or does not acknowledge receipt.
4: To help PREVENT a stupid DTA worker or vicious one from claiming they did not get my documents, I send them via $10 priority mail with tracking where I have PROOF they got them. Yet I STILL get letters saying they lack the documents (which I sent them).
5: I get a letter from ‘out of the blue’ from a DTA worker claiming I ‘missed a telephone interview’ YET no message on my phone is left by the worker regarding it NOR any interview ever planned for me. Worker (and get this–the name is ‘Phuc Duc’ pronounced Fuck Duck’) does the ‘interview’ and then demands I go in there IN PERSON THE SAME DAY to get a photo on my card after I tell her I’m DISABLED with no transportation and can’t get there easily and ‘if not, my benefits will be cancelled’. I hire a CAB for $60 to get there ONLY TO FIND that the worker REFUSES TO MEET ME. So, you think it’s ‘easy’ do you? Well how easy does that sound: Getting some BOGUS notice of some ‘missed telephone interview’ NEVER PLANNED to be and with NO PHONE MESSAGE of that when she called and to have to drop what I ‘m doing to hire a cab to get there in person only to find the DTA worker REFUSES to meet with me and to also find from the SUPERVISOR that there WAS NO NEED for her to ever have any interview with me and NO NEED for me to have a photo ID BECAUSE I had a disability.
That’s only the TIP of the iceburg as to the STRESS some DTA workers put me through; ALL of them recklessly disregarding the LAW to do so, people who are supposed to HELP someone such as myself and not go out of their way to HINDER and make someone with arthritis (who can’t walk) and who has a STRESS DISORDER WORSE.
So, here you are, an able bodied college gal with no disabilities who is really NOT in need for help, yet it is EASY for you to get benefits with not much trouble at all and you pontificate and speculate for OTHERS as to how ‘easy’ it must be for ALL. It is NOT that way at all. PERHAPS it ‘s only easy for people committing fraud or for those really NOT in need. But from MY perspective of someone who IS in need (via disabilities that make me unemployable!) and NOT collecting for them and using my savings to support myself, it’s a NIGHT MARE of STRESS invoking problems with these workers who DISREGARD THE LAW they are supposed to be following. They disregard it to the extent that they demand documents that have already been sent to them or claim they did not get them or they don’t accept other documents that substitute as those they are requesting when it is law they do so. So that sort of situation is FRAUD on the part of those DTA workers even being EMPLOYED THERE. THey use their employment at DTA to engage in FRAUD as it is FRAUDULENT on their part to say such things as: ‘Only SSI or SSDI’ is considered for disability when the LAW says a doctor’s statement will suffice. It is FRAUD to refuse utility bills and cancelled checks for rent proof and demand a lease document instead and also FRAUD on their part to not accept a self declaration of address. It is FRAUD to insist a disabled person go to office for photo ID where the LAW says disabled persons don’t need to. So, I’m a victim of FRAUD by reckless DTA workers trying to jeopardize my benefits.
So, why don’t you use your ‘investigative skills’ to explore the NIGHTMARE workers at DTA who DON’T do their job and/or who don’t follow the LAW stating what their job is and instead act like ‘mavericks’ trying to jeopardize benefits to the poor and disabled honest people. Your little article ditty was an AFFRONT to me to hear you SPECULATE on ‘how easy’ getting food stamps is where these workers have given me MULTIPLE NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS from the emotional torture they have inflicted. Again, it is NOT ‘easy’ for people who really need them. Just easy for little snots like you writing such blog articles.
I agree with JB 100 percent. I have experienced this also. Instead of looking for ways to approve you for help. It seems they look for ways of how not to approve you.
This quote in your article gives me pause: “But when government starts to act as the hand that feeds its people and makes personal decisions for them, citizens lose their identities and freedoms. Not only is the innovative, hardworking, passionate American lost because the government promotes the idea that individuals can’t do it themselves, but the individuals come to expect the handouts…”
How does Supplemental Nutritional Assistance equate to making personal decisions? How does help feeding yourself when you’re down on your luck make you lose your identity or your freedom? Help from tax dollars you pay into the system when you are working (or just purchasing things) causes an otherwise innovative, hardworking, passionate American to become “lost” in what way?
You have a lot of fluff in your piece that seems to be regurgitation of Ayn Rand pablum with no basis in fact. I wonder if you’ve developed your own opinions and can back them up since you wrote this article. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that you’ve matured a little, learned a few things about life it’s hard to learn in college (unless you, as I did, work full time all the way through and receive not a nickel of assistance from your family because they don’t have any money–on grows up quickly then, but I don’t get the impression from your glib tone that’s really your experience.), and that you might now see your article was more like an impromptu speech for the anti-welfare side of a debate rather than anything researched.
It’s interesting to me, in fact, that the most research you did (given that you really didn’t support any of the grand arguments quoted above) was to further burden the welfare system long enough to prove someone who didn’t need the help could get it. I suppose that frivolous game with taxpayer money is okay, though? Because hating on people who need a hand from The Welfare State is honorable while admitting you’re having trouble making ends meet is a one-way ticket to losing your passion and individuality and identity and freedom?
Pardon my first impression, but this article seems to have wasted a lot of time, yours and the government’s–and money, such as that used to process the fraudulent (or at best insincere) application and put you in the system and print the little card and send it to you. I pray you don’t find yourself truly in need at some point in your life, shuddering to think how dismissive you were of something that helps a lot of people to survive long enough to become productive citizens again. (Ayn Rand, for example, spent her last years living off Social Security. I wonder if she felt shrugged off ol’ Atlas’s shoulders when that day came–oh right, she saw herself as Atlas, so I guess her shoulders gave out and her legs as well, at which point she must have been grateful for the entitlement programs upon which she came to rely. And I suspect she must have felt so lonely, having scoffed at others for so long, high on the pipe dream that being exceptional or intelligent or just plain passionately greedy entitles one to a life of extravagant and luxurious just desserts.)
Like I say, though, I’m sure you’ve grown up a bit since writing this article. I adored Ayn Rand and her “philosophy” of greed and misanthropy in high school. And I grew out of it as soon as I started thinking for myself, which hopefully college has helped you to begin doing as well since this exercise in repeating red herrings about the loss of the passionate individual once she needs assistance and doesn’t have rich parents to turn to. No achievement is diminished by having had help along the way.
So to start, I’m a non traditional student, I’ve been on my own since I was 18 and I’ve been married and divorced. Because I’m 23 I couldn’t qualify for fafsa without providing my parents income, which I refused to do seeing as I’ve not been provided for since then and they contribute absolutely nothing to my wellbeing. (Love them to pieces), but I’m very very very close to being homeless in a state that I’m not originally from, with no family help here or there, and like one or two friends. This being the case, I couldn’t attend school again until I turn 24 to be considered an independent student to receive all of the benefits towards my tuition that I am more than qualified to receive….I originally looked into food stamps my first semester at the university (full time student who had been working full time and then lost my job). Waiting for my unemployment I looked into food stamps and realized that the state of Tennessee requires the max of 20 hours of work a week while being a full time student in order to qualify. ( they wouldn’t take into consideration the fact that I had been a full time employee for 3 years who now couldn’t eat, pay rent, or pay bills). My question now is, that because I’m enrolled in the university but I’m not registered for classes because I couldn’t afford to attend, do I qualify!? I can’t find answers anywhere, and like the wonderful people they are, they can’t provide any answers. I’d love to hear what you have to say, I’d very much appreciate it.
-Kadie
Lucky you….i have twin college students, but because my children are over 18, even if they are full-time students I qualified for a big $15 a month.
They weren’t considered as part of my household, apparently the part-time McDonald’s job at 7.48 my daughter has is well over the limit. HA !
My opinion you slipped through the cracks hun ! I got next to nothing and am living on Disability ! Which I worked for, paid into, to recieve if
anything had happened to me, but is listed under an un-earned income. Oh well, I guess working for 17 years and paying for Medicare if it was
ever necessary is considered un-earned.
I have found zero programs to assist parents with full time college students. And I’m sure I know what most are thinking, your kid is 18, tell them
to get a job. Both my kids have jobs and attend college full time. But regardless, they are not considered as part of my household, even though they
live with me at home. I think I’m supposed to tell them to get out, find an apartment and fend for yourself making $510 a month….hmmmm yeah that should work.
I’m sick of people thinking because your children are over 18, they are supposed to be able to pay rent, get jobs, work full time, school full time….WHERE ? There are barely enough jobs in Michigan for 30 year olds to find work , with DEGREES ! I’m all for my kids working and going to school, I had to do it, but damn, the amount of money they make doesn’t cover car insurance, food, rent, cell phone, daily needs…so it’s left on
the parents, but we are not allowed to claim them, we can’t get assistance for them, what are we supposed to do ? Anyone got a clue on that ?
nys is much harder to get help than mass. or any where else. I agree as a parent with 2 kids and one ft in college her job and my unemployment and child support put me over. Nice job nys!
You definitely shed a little bit of light on to a very tricky topic. Tricky or not, I feel as though you definitely have a fairly open-eyed understanding of how the program works, as well as how easily it can be–and IS–abused. Statistically, throughout the nation, most FAP recipients are in destitute situations, relying on the Food Assistance Program for their SURVIVAL. There are definitely individuals, such as yourself (although I commend you for recognizing an unethical prospect in activating and using the benefits you received), who find that they can easily obtain these monies. The tragedy in the simplicity of acquiring Food Assistance, is that those who are not truly in need are selfishly utilizing this program 1) because they CAN, 2) to save their cash for more luxurious consumer transactions (perhaps a vacation, new vehicle, furniture, etc.), and 3) because they have no clue that even though THEY may qualify for the FAP, there are literally hundreds (possibly thousands) of individuals and families–in that state ALONE–who are devastatingly, and repetitively, cornered with the decision between paying for needed medication (or perhaps toilet paper, shampoo, a load of laundry, etc.) or the little bit of life-sustaining food that they are able to afford. From my perspective, the numerous individuals falling between the cracks–sinking further into the merciless hell they know–portray the true disgraces, faults, and problematic policy loop-holes that form the Food Assistance Program’s failure in providing adequate public assistance–not the ease of collecting food benefits or the misuse of government monies.
Concerned that 15% of the population relies on the tax dollars of others for food? Raise the minimum wage. Then they’ll pay for their food out of their livable wages. Something tells me you wouldn’t like this idea either.
I find it very hard to believe that she received a letter saying she would not receive food stamps because her work hours could not be verified, and then later received an EBT card in the mail.
By FEDERAL law, college students CANNOT get food stamps UNLESS they are working in a federal work study program or are working elsewhere for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Any student who applies for food stamps and doesn’t meet that criteria simply will not receive food stamps – unless a worker doesn’t follow up.
She says she has a food stamp card but hasn’t activated it. Just because she has the card does NOT mean there’s any money in the account. Plus, she would have to be recertified every 3-6 months, depending on where she lives.
Personally, I think she’s blowing conservative smoke up our collective arses.
Ditto! I feel She is lying…….
This story rimgs of untruths!
According to DHS, SNAP fraud and processing errors (sounds like what you experienced) amount to a whopping 1.3% of the entire budget of the program.
To many people can support themselves just as you did until you “RECEIVED YOUR FREE MEAL TICKET” in the mail. I would love to support your article but I strongly disagree with thieves, and in this case, as you said, ” I had given up” it is thieves like you that take from the mouths of children, adults, and seniors who have fallen on hard times. I hope you read this post because unless you donating the groceries to charity, your a thief.
Did you read the article? She said she wasn’t using it. Dear god. Please read before commenting. She’s not a thief. And neither are the people who take the benefit if they qualify. If the system is broken, then it can be fixed without villainizing those who aren’t doing anything illegal. Taking advantage of loopholes and standing systems is how everyone gets ahead – if you think the system isn’t working, lobby, vote and change it. But business is business and if you support the “work” of people whose sole job it was to figure out how to manipulate numbers to hide what was about to happen in the housing crisis a few years ago that tanked the world’s economy to line their pockets, how the heck can you justify being angry at average people who take advantage of the rare loophole that works in their favor to do the same?
Actually the food Stamps are Still acumulating monthly activated or not
To add, I would love to see a future piece here with some statistical information about the percentage of college students like yourself relying on tax payer dollars to foot the bill for their education. You state that you are noble and would not want to contribute to government debt by taking that food money, but us tax payers can foot the bill for your tuition, books, transportation and housing expenses so you can sit on your ass and study all day. What about all of these property taxes going to your campus? Have any statistical info on that? What about a piece comparing the amount of tax dollars spent on those expensive books you have -vs- the $30 a week food stamps recipients are eating off of? I would imagine 6 months worth of food stamps would cover 2 books you are going to use for 4 months, return and pocket whatever you get back on buyback day. So who is the fraud here? Your welcome for the perspective. And your welcome for the free education.
Good point. So many long-term students are often just a tad ignorant of life. Many love to hear the sound of their own voice, but sometimes fail to completely think through whether or not there is truthfulness in their eloquent sounding words. Using an EBT card does not contribute to government debt. Monies are allocated in advance for the fiscal year; not handed out little by little like allowance. I have used the food stamp program a few months at a time as needed, and then removed myself from the program when things got better. I am a working, tax-paying, American citizen, and I don’t feel bad at all about having used food stamps in the past. And you’re right, students do receive WAY too many advantages. She qualified for $200 in food stamps, and by her own admission didn’t need it??? I was never awarded that much, and I definitely could have used it.
Misinformed and uneducated. I have a feeling the tax the contribute from being paid better because they’re educated more than makes up for the money they used for going to school. I feel you’re not that intelligent. Besides, paying interest rates on the student loans that they use MORE than covers the grants. The only fraud here is the United States government.
Very true Jake. As a student at a private university the financial aid I receive is composed of alumni contributions and a small amount of federal grant money which I will more than repay to the government over a lifetime with the educational background I am earning now. The taxes collected from my minimum potential starting salary will do more to contribute to the economy than if I denied my grant money and the education it is helping me to gain.
What you aren’t taking into consideration is the cost of living and the poverty level. The government isn’t just handing out “people’s tax dollars” all willy nilly with no regulations as you assume. Take you for instance, you said you only worked for three weeks, you probably make well under $12 and hour and that is being generous, you have no other source of income…well, who is buying your food then? Is just appearing in your little dorm fridge? Probably not, but I am sure your parents are still supporting you which you didn’t report and if you took out loans it’s a debt. Is it too easy to get benefits? Apparently if you’re a single college kid living off your parents and working a few hours at the school book store for extra beer cash on the weekends or work experience on your resume. There are actual families who struggle due to extenuating circumstances like the modern cost of living, families who work and pay taxes….some of those taxes pay for the school YOU GO TO. Maybe these families need a crackdown on your college experience, maybe their tax dollars don’t need to be spent on the building and staff giving you an education.
In the state of CALIFORNIA you ca not get foodstamps (CalFresh) benefits if you are a college student, they will make you non eligible, if you want to qualify in the state of California DO NOT TELL THEM YOU ARE IN COLLEGE (in CALIFORNIA)
Interesting, I didn’t know what. So meaning I would have to lie about being a college student if I want to apply for food stamps??
Actually the SNAP website (formerly known as food stamps) provides exceptions for college students in California. A Full-time college student who works part time, at least 20-hours a week, actually qualifies for food stamps. A part-time college student who is in their college or university’s work-study program also automatically qualifies.
Wow is really all I can say after reading thru this blog and it’s somewhat assinine if not bigoted follow up comments. I came across thia honestly looking for some kind of tips or tricks to speed up obtaining food stamps. I am a single mother of a 8yr old autistic child. Not to knock any other single moms out there because the comments regarding not having kids you can’t afford, and subsequently flooding our already taxed system. I can agree to that to some point. My mistake was my ex husbund, who at 36 decides to squander our life savings, commit bank fraud and now sits in federal prison camp. Believe it or not, he’s actually eating and living better than his poor child and his caretaker. I am a college graduate who has worked my entire life, paying my own way thru it all. My parents both died of cancer at a young age and I have no siblings
Anyhow, I recently broke my ankle and tore a ligament in my knee and lost my waitress job….yes being out of the job market for 5 years taking care of my son, waitressing was all I could find to pay for our 1 bedroom apt that is now in eviction. With all this I qas turned down for food stamps to feed my poor child all because I had 400 in the bank which I was saving for eviction court hoping to save our home. If anyone has any ideas on anything, please e-mail me asap at sstellenberg at gmail. I’m honestly at the end of my rope. I see these women at the grocery store with 300 dollar shoes buying lobster tails with their ebt cards and I get turned down for saving my lousy home….thanks for the tips and I apologize for the grammatical errors. I recently had to sell my labtop and currently only get internet by using the library’s wifi onmy old cracked galaxy phone…
Sounds fishy, $400 in the bank isn’t enough to disqualify you by any states standards. If this is in fact true, all you had to do was take the money out and close the account. Problem solved. I’m a single parent of three earning a second degree, I get food assistance even making $1200 a month full time. This article is just a young, inexperienced opinion, the poverty level is the poverty level is the poverty level, you can’t change that. What isn’t mentioned here IS the poverty level, if you make under a certain figure, and don’t have any outside income or luxury assests, you qualify, period.
I would like to add, as a unemployed, single mother and a full time college student that I was just denied TWICE for food assistance. I am not looking for a “free ride” from the government so don’t misunderstand what I am saying, but do feel like everyone who falls within the specified guidelines should be allowed the same benefits. That is not the case. My daughters father is behind in child support due to his recent change in jobs. When reviewing the application I turned in they said I was “supposed to be” receiving 500$ a month in child support. (KEY WORD: supposed to be) I have not received that in many months. It is a random amount and not consistent. They can see that. They pull up the page while I am on the phone with them and tell me how much and when I received it. I have no idea what is wrong with this whole system but even after speaking with a employee and supervisor and having them both tell me that I do fall in the guidelines to be eligible to receive assistance while I am in school with a kid under 12 and no one to watch her I am STILL denied. This whole system is jacked up and just because it allowed one person to receive assistance definitely does not mean that the other is treated with any equality at all. It all depends on the case worker you get assigned to. They can say yes or no depending on their feelings and that’s crap. So frustrating.
Im a full time student at ASU not working in the present time struggling fainancialy need support ,,, getting food stamps make a big different in my life .
There are several questionable things in this blog that are very different from the brief experience I had with food stamps and the experiences of people I know. I don’t want to call someone a liar, but I do wonder…
Lots of states don’t allow students to get food stamps unless they are working at least 20 hours a week or do federal work study… and even then, they have to meet all the other requirements, which almost none of them do.
Also, I have never seen nor heard of an office that takes “walk in” interviews. Where the hell is this place that does that? Most would walk you right out the door and say someone will call within a week… then they won’t… then you have to call them over and over and maybe a week after THAT you’ll get a call. Also, EVERY STATE requires proof of identity and citizenship.
I definitely think there are likely some half truths in this blog… and some glaring omissions…
Holly, I agree with you that there are some half truths in this blog. And embellishments. Though it is easy to get an appointment, and you can actually do your appointment over the phone in the state of Tennessee, a social security card is absolutely required. Along with proof of residency, proof of income, proof of rent and utilities. If this person wasn’t asked for these items it was the negligence of the agent at DHS. The way this case was handled is definitely not standard procedure. In addition, the fact that students must be working at least 20 hours a week makes it quite difficult to get food stamps. I am self employed, and when my income dropped dramatically I applied for food stamps to help me through a rough period, but my son was not covered. He is 19 years old, a full time student living at home and driving an hour each way to school, and working less than 20 hours a week. I know no college students who regularly work more than 20 hours a week around here. With my son going to school five days a week and with two hours of drive time each day, there isn’t 20 hours a week free for him to work and still have time to do homework and study.
I think what most people commenting aren’t realizing is that each state is responsible for the procedures and practices associated with providing benefits. Each state has it’s own guidelines for what must be verified and provided when applying for benefits. Our state uses the standard of up to 200% of the federal poverty line, which even at a decent living wage I don’t surpass that. Here in Washington I actually just completed my telephonic interview to get my food stamps. I work full time and provide for my two children and my injured husband, who is too young to collect any sort of disability anything. Instead he watches our children while I work. I had to provide only the id number they assigned me, and paystubs. Our programs allow for you to receive benefits so long as you are working and under the poverty line, period. If you are a student then you must be full-time, and if you have a child then you must use the school child care system while you look for work. You may walk into an office anytime for anything, so long as you are prepared to wait your turn in line.
Even if it is that “easy” to get food stamps… there is one very crucial detail that she completely ignored. Maybe this was intentional, or maybe it never occurred to her because she has never actually been in dire straights financially. That factor is how LONG it took her to receive benefits. According to her account, it took her over a month to receive any help. I can’t say how long over a month because she did not disclose how long it took for her to receive the first letter, but if what I know about it holds true at all, it probably took AT LEAST a week or two.
It may be the perspective of someone who doesn’t need food stamps that they are easy to receive. But that is because that person is not actually going without and eating ramen noodles and bananas for 6 weeks while waiting for the food stamp office to finally process their application. That’s not to mention the way it affects people with KIDS. Ramen and bananas won’t suffice.
Most people who apply for food stamps do actually need them pretty desperately. I would say that if there were somewhere to reallocate welfare money or reform spending, it would be to take away benefits from those who are not in financial ruin (like the author and her classmates), and instead put that money toward actually hiring enough workers to process cases more quickly. There are too many cases and too many people who go for a month or more without any money for food because of it.
I also found it amazing that she was able to go to an office and stand in line for an interview. In my state, you can’t even do that. Also, if you call for an interview, you will have to wait a week to be called back. You always get a machine. You CANNOT just call up and get an interview out of nowhere.
I couldn’t read the entire mountain of criticism directed toward your article Sydney because it started becoming evident that it was at most thoughtless dribble. You hit the nail directly on the head with this article and I’m glad you had the courage to say so. Heed not the word of dissenters for their word is weak in the face of the truth. People are deluded into thinking that because we’ve had Medicare and Medicaid and all of these federal welfare programs since FDR that they have helped keep us from people starving in the streets. IF FEDERAL WELFARE WAS CUT BACK IT WOULD IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER LEAD TO MASS QUANTITIES OF PEOPLE GOING HUNGRY OUT IN THE STREETS. Wake up America. We are flushing 753 million dollars a year toward an outdated and disproven system that was a reaction to a torrential negative downturn of the economy which was actually caused by the government in the first place (little known fact). Democrats seem so open-minded when they open their lips about teaming up with Republicans to reduce the deficit yet when talks come to topics such as cutting back on entitlement programs suddenly republicans have violated one of the most sanctimonious ideas in the history of the modern world and it drives democrats angry. All the hate is a good sign. You’re pushing the right buttons.
I don’t know where to start with your comments about how you feel about public assistance. I’m not so sure about your assessment in deeming it “hate”. In fact, your ignorance speaks volumes about what you DON’T KNOW and how you were raised and brainwashed , most likely somewhere in the midwest, by a Republican household, got your first new car at 16 by your parents and so far, have never fallen on hard times. Calling out those of you in this society that lack compassion, kindness and consider any social services as a failing system full of economy bleeding Democrats is not hate. In fact, i pity you. What you put out in this universe is what you deserve and one day you will regret the fact that you sir, are the hater. What incenses me the most is that this country can tear down a stadium and rebuild another one and spend $1 BILLION and no one blinks an eye. And lets go and invade and then rebuild over and over another country aka Afghanistan and Iraq thanks to your beloved republicans and spend billions once again and thats perfectly acceptable. But God forbid our own people fall on hard times, have a terminal or catastrophic illness, and need help? maybe you SHOULD read the comments instead of being the smug and pretentious guy that you are. You might learn something. the Government isn’t here just for you to mock or to spend tax money that you seem to think belongs to only you but news flash, Democrats pay MORE. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2012/10/22/are-democrats-or-republicans-better-for-your-money-or-your-life/) So until you have some answers to issues that affect every country in this world, why don’t you volunteer your time in a soup kitchen or Salvation Army and then give us your opinion. Thats free, and might make a difference in this world.
How many millions in tax dollars are going to college students? Students perfectly capable of getting a job and paying their own way? These students are NOT GOING TO GO BROKE OR STARVE without MY TAX DOLLARS PAYING THEIR LAZY WAY.
I think this experience can in no way demonstrate all the factors that go into obtaining Foodstamps. It is not that easy or maybe just not in my state which is CA which everyones seems to believe is the easiest. I had a child as a teenager so started working when I was 16 and still went to school. As a SINGLE mom I applied for foodstamps and they said no because I lived with a parentand was underage that should provide for me or apply themselves. Yes that’s true my parent was responsible for me NOT my child. And certainly wasn’t going to give me food money or apply for it. So I continued working and going to school and raising my daughter this is no easy task. Im not saying take away americans desire to work but damn try getting up every two hours to a screaming kid then waking up and getting her ready for daycare before you head off for school picking her up working and then homework just to do it again. Point being I didn’t want anybody to take away my responsibility I wanted some help not cash just some money for food and daycare expenses. Well fastfoward to when I turned 18 tried to apply again they said no because I lived with a parent and apparently the law states the age requirement is now 22. How many of you live with parents and have a free rise? I pay bills, food, and rent. its just slightly cheaper than being on my own which I CANT afford to do. so here I am going to college and working part time job so I can have a career so eventually I wont even have to remember what the hell EBT programs are for. Well as you know college takes a while especially with a kid now im doing alright scraping by sometimes we eat a lot of pb&j or spaghetti all week but heck were alive no thanks to the program that helps families in need. Well I had given up on the govt when my brother gets released from a stint in jail low and behold apparently that AUTOMATICALLY qualifies him for EBT!!!! so every month I buy them from him he gives me $2 for $1 it helps. Now we can add some meat to our spaghetti and maybe buy those daily fruits we are suppose to consume instead of so much bread trying to fill up on empty carbs. Well enough is enough its my senior year og college im working 40 hours a week!!! yes that’s right full time AND taking my regular full time load 15 units and being a FULLTIME mom!! yes the stress level is high but damn if ima be broke for the rest of my life. To top it off my school sais I have to intern wtf!!?? how can I do that especially with all the kids with no jobs having open availabilities for the internships and taking them all up! so here I go trying to apply again my daughter is 8 ive made it 8 years on my own and really don’t want to but I swallow my pride and try again since im now 22… well guess what I make too fucken much!!! After four years at my job ive slowly worked my way up to a whopping 9.25 an hour!!! (not a lot in cali where min is 8.00) well I make 1200 a month now you tell me if that’s enough for a single mom or TOO much?? fuck the system fuck the government.. ITS NOT EASY!
personally, i’d like to see all of the conservatives, just get fed up quit their jobs and work the system, and let all the still working liberals take care of our ‘rich’ a**es. maybe then they might wake up.
I think you guys should do that. That way I can take your job. Then I will be rich one while you will be just scrapping by with whatever little welfare money the state decides to give you. Now to find a way to convince people with good paying jobs to want to quit to be on welfare.
I always kind of chuckle to myself at articles that claim America is being ruined by poor people who have no political or economic enfranchisement. We’re in trillions of dollars of debt, and you’re worried about giving out a couple hundred bucks so that people don’t starve?
One of the few things that separates America from the developing world is we don’t let our people starve. Yes SNAP is abused, however we cannot seemingly cut off the bottom 15% of our society.
The author sees it as a loss of “her freedom” which is not only illogical but self-centered.
Instead of studying history and the causes of poverty and increase in food insecure Americans, she provides questionable evidence to make her conclusion.
When one person’s wealth is taken, and subsequently given to someone else, that is indeed a loss of the author’s freedom. I would make attempt at further explanation, but believe it would fall on naive eyes/ears.
Freedom or colloquially known as liberty, takes the form of “liberty to” and “liberty from”, and then aggregate liberty in the form of X is free / not free from Y to be / not be Z.
The game theory of maximin, minimizing the maximum loss, or maximizing the minimum gain, increases the aggregate levels. Believe it or not, if you don’t have a productive workforce, the rich can’t benefit.
Having poor people spending lines at soup kitchens, or out collecting bottles and cans, is not the optimal use of labor time. Its better to get those people into school, to raise their labor productivity
#science_bitches
I’m sure there are college students or other people in general who abuse welfare benefits, but I don’t believe it is that easy to obtain SNAP. For the past couple years, I’ve received food stamps until recently. I was cut off because they said full-time college students don’t qualify for welfare unless participating in a work study program or working at least 20 hours a week. People could say I’m lazy and should get a job, but it’s not that easy. I have 93 cents in my bank account- I would love to have a job. Jobs are heard to find these days and even for most simple jobs now, you need at least a BA. I think it’s really unfair to deny benefits to poor college students who can’t find work. They should be able to participate in job programs like anyone else- and when did educational pursuits become devalued? The government and the people should want a more educated populace. Maybe education isn’t considered work anymore because of all the kids who go to college just to party or because their parents want them to or because employers want college graduates for jobs where it really is unnecessary. Apparently volunteer work isn’t real work either, because I teach GED students. I can’t get a job, but I thought the teaching experience would help me find a job. How is this any different then people who engage in career training as a welfare benefit requirement? Further more, aren’t I preparing for a job by going to college? I have a 3.94 GPA, and I actually want to learn. I don’t have parents to help me out- not even a little bit. And when people call people like me lazy, it really irks me. The values of this country are really off. I’m sorry that I don’t want to spend my life in a factory and be alienated from the product of my labor and work for the oppressive capitalist class. And for those big capitalists, I’d like to see them work in their factories. I did it but I doubt they could stand it for even a day.
jobs are HARD to find these days when you cannot spell
Don’t be a D***! It’s a simple typo. You obviously can’t capitalize or punctuate.
“Simple jobs” do not require any college: i.e., restaurant waitstaff, maid services, elderly care, etc… there are plenty of jobs out there that you could work if you really wanted to. Every college kid I personally know is full-time and still works a job. They work on campus in the mail rooms, or at the local frozen yogurt shop, etc… it’s just a job to help pay expenses, but they WORK!
Actually, there aren’t even that many of the “simple jobs”- even restaurant waitstaff and maid service job, etc. want experienced people. They want people with experience in that job field. I’ve stooped so low as to apply to McDonald’s and Wendy’s, and I haven’t even gotten an interview. So if you’re implying that I don’t want to WORK you’re very mistaken.
Miss Anonymous,
I can feel your frustration; but think the problem you may be having is your negative attitude is hurting you.
First of all, no one owes anybody anything.
Second, as difficult as it seems, a college degree, for all you paid for it, does not guarentee you a easy path. Everyone who has been self-made starts out at some kind of menial job. It teaches some humility, work ethic and, oddly enough, leadership. You can’t be served, until you have served.
If you’re in debt, and all you have is some degree that has a poor employment or income generating capability; then you made a poor financial and career decision. Get angry at the University that sold you a “Bill of Goods”. They charge you an arm and a leg for a degree in Women Studies, the professors are all on tenor earning 90% over the locals; but what their teaching pays – maybe – if you find a job – $32K a year; but you owe $70K. Aren’t you all a little upset that your Professor gets a secure job; and the University has increased tuition by triple the inflation rate, why providing a crap product? In any other business, they’d be sued for fraud. You’ll soon learn you would have made more money as a Utility Lineman ($80K in Florida after four years plus overtime) or Master Plumber.
Third, that Capitalist you mock may have started out at McDonald’s or Wendy”s. I started out sweeping floors for my father’s company at thirteen, moved up to unloading and manufactuing steel products in a tool shop through high school and college; and even worked cleaning up after people at McDonalds for extra money. Actually, McDonald’s is about the best training a young person can get; and if you look at the careers and pay of their managers who started early, went to “Hamburger U”, you’d be surprised at the income they make – without a huge college debt.
Third, please be more circumspect in your remarks about Capitalists. My family were certainly not wealthy, oppressive Capitalists when our family business was started. My mother and father hocked everything to start the company. They took the risk of failure. Our employees were paid well. We created 40 jobs in our community, supporting over 100 people. Uncle Sam wasn’t going to bail us out as he regularly does all those Wall Street idiots if we hit the wall. So please make the distinction between the local guy with a business; and the big corporation guys who buy influence of both party politicans.
Finally,understand that greed is not just a Captialist thing. Read some more about the corruption about everywhere else,including if you slight someone, you might end up in a Gulag – or dead.
If you all are frustrated with the government, why do you vote for people who want to give it more control? You will learn that the SNAP is just one of thousands of messed up government programs! You’ll soon be tax payers. Did you ever see a government program actually solve a problem; and put itself out of business? And you never will.
I’ll gladly pay my taxes to help people who can’t help themselves; but helping people who feel they are entitled, really angers me.
I got through college eating in the cafeteria like everyone else. I don’t get why college students would do that. Now as a single mom having been abandoned by the man who is supposed to put 50% in, I’m telling my kids “sorry” as they cry themselves to sleep at night. It has been two long months since I provided everything requested to Florida and no card has come for me even though I qualify on my meager teacher’s salary. I’m being sued for my student loans from my MA and I’m scared my kids aren’t growing from hunger. I’ve even risked stealing from dumpsters to stop the constant “I’m hungry” from ringing in my ears. Believe me, food stamps aren’t easy to get even with hungry children to feed.
Um, the blogger is lying, plain and simple. It is difficult and almost impossible for Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) to get food stamps and they are limited to getting them for 3 months out of a 3 year period by federal law. In addition, you have to supply full documentation of citizenship. http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/Memo/PRWORA/abawds/ABAWDsPage.htm
Personally, my family and I were kicked off unemployment and SNAP when I made the mistake of going back to college because my field was obsolete. There were literally no jobs for me in my state, and I would not even be able to cover childcare with minimum wage earnings. So I did what I thought was the right thing: enroll in a training program for a new career. Silly me, trying to work. I was kicked off that month.
Agree.
Tell me where it is I need to be to find such “easy” to get food stamps? I am a survivor of a tragedy which left me with nothing but a house payment and bills. I applied for food stamps to help until I could sell my home. I get the run around every time I speak to someone. The problem is, abuse in the system yes… the ones who actually need it can’t get it and the ones who do get it abuse the hell out of it, they know how to screw the system making it HARD for the ones who truly need help…
I am like Sawyer’s Mom, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I am a multiple amputee. My husband and I have gone through so many reviews and denials, then approvals only to get CUT again.
I have to prove myself at every turn.
I am currently being treated for malnutrition and Vitamin D deficiency from only eating one meal a day.
I am in WA state and it sure isn’t easy here for the disabled!
I applied for food stamps after losing my job. I was approved, and recieved $200/month. After a few months, I still couldn’t find a job, so I decided to go back to school. I figured that higher education would make me more marketable to employers, and it was a good way to make use of the idle time. 6 months later, I had to re-certify my benefits, now as a full time student. Next, I recieved notification that there was a mistake, and I never should have gotten approved because I was a full time student. I was told that I had to pay back the $1200. So, if I sat on my A**, and did nothing to find a job, I wouldn’t have been asked to pay anything back! Convicted felons, and registered sex offenders can get food stamps, but full time students can’t. I told them that I will pay back the $1200, when a judge tells me that I have to. I gave them all of my contact info, and let me know when I have to appear in court. That was 3 years ago. I haven’t heard a peep.
Brandie, we experienced this today. My wife and I are both full time students, and were looking at getting food stamps to ease some of the financial burden. We got the same thing, because we are students, we don’t qualify. The lady on the phone said she didn’t understand why it was like that either. So essentially if I was a lazy-ass convict I could live off of tax dollars, but since I’m a full time student working to better myself and my situation, I can’t get benefits because to hell with students. Ya, okay, nice one America.
Wow! I was actually looking into utilizing the food stamps as a way to get some of my tax money back. However, Sydney Phillips makes a very good point toward the end of her article. Essentially, “it would only perpetuate the process”. I think that is the end of me looking into acquiring food stamps.
Trust me, I’m doing fine now (better than I ever thought I would ever be doing) so I don’t need them. It turns out, however, that back when I was in school (and even shortly thereafter), I was in debt up to my teeth. Student loans, living expenses, etc. were a beast. Little by little I came out of it all (not unscathed)… But it takes sacrifice, discipline, and all of those other things that everyone is afraid of mentioning. No sex, because, let’s face it, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the kid (or the “protection” beforehand).
Anyway, thank you Sydney Phillips for putting that out there. It’s actually quite scary…
It’s so frustrating to me that seemingly everyone but me can get food stamps. I just don’t understand it. I got my denial info today. I am a disabled mom of a 5 year old son who receives less than $1400 a month in SSDI and child support. I live in Central Florida, pay $900 a month rent plus bills for heating/cooling and water. I pay $99.90 a month for my medicare premiums, plus $21.50 for my son’s insurance. All of this leaves me about $100 a month for food, clothing, toilet paper, laundry detergent, gas/travel expenses, etc. WTF? How is it that people are qualifying with no children and with the ability to work? I’m stuck with no way to make extra money to buy food, I have to limit how much my child can eat in order to make what little food we do scrounge up last as long as possible. It breaks my heart to hear him say he’s still hungry and have to deny him. If you don’t want to use your food stamp card, please send it to me.
well I worked 3 jobs to pay my own way – drove cheap cars and lived in a trailor
happiest time of my life. Above I saw the comments of some leftists being hypercritical of this artical and sounding very marxist. The reason everything is falling apart (if you cant feed yourself your life has fallen apart)- for the last 40 years our society has been undermined by a group of like minded communists. You only need to listen to Rush, Levin or Beck
for 1 week and your eyes will be opened. These marxists have slipped into government and public schools and have actually turned everything upside down.
They have destroyed the family with socially easy divorce on demand abortion
undermining true parenting. A man used to take the responsibility of providing for his family and his failure to do so would result in direct suffering for his family, so they used to stick together and find a way. The marxists (commies, progressives,liberals) VASTLY expanded the social saftey net and took the responsibility away from the MAN, making it socially acceptable to walk out and let someone else deal with it. That is why we have 40+% single mothers.
And the 10th most asked for thing from Santa is a DAD.
I could go on and on about how the economy has been undermined by corruption
and how corrupt Govt has let it continue and profit from unequal justice.
But here’s this to wake you up- if youre able to??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlpODYhnPEo
Shut up Dave
I’m left speechless by that amazing display of your intellectual prowess, Noel. Well-played. However, you missed an opportunity to call Dave a small-minded, right-wing-extremist-racist-capitalist-pig. 😉
This argument of assistance, it’s bizarre. No one mentions – in whole – the real problem, and that is the Unconstitutional Federal Reserve. In effect, people offer an asset, and the bank gives them money made out of thin air. And they charge interest, but that’s the only bank you can use. (They all work the same.) You have to get another loan to pay the interest, or work for someone else who did. It’s called debt based money and it’s an evil that has spread throughout the world, making a few rich and the rest of us poor.
The interest on our (personal/National) debt is killing us. But if we stop the borrowing (for programs like this), the money will run out overnight. No more money is being made, so where does the interest payments come from? We must borrow and spend like crazy to sustain this system.
Now, you may be thinking – who is this libtard? Well I’m not. I don’t like the system, it’s designed for failure. But as long as we have the system, we must live under it. That’s why little changes even though we might have a Red president or a Blue one. They are all fighting the same thing.
If you really want to break free of the junk they tell you on T.V. and in school, read the book “Creature from Jekyll Island”. It’s an expose on Politics and US History. Good read.
But for now, I say this to the author, “Please use your EBT to the max, even if you can scrape by without it.”
That $200 will go to local business. $200 more dollars into the local economy. Yeah it causes inflation, the whole system does, but that’s what we live in. In 1964 a silver quarter could buy a gallon of gas, it still can today. Prices aren’t going up, the value of the USD is going down fast – it has for the past 100 years, and will continue till it’s demise.
Arguing about this social program or another is pointless. Not a single one needs to exist in a real system. (Medical care, yeah – but dismiss that for now.) But without these programs, boom – it’s over – Bye Bye USA. The banks own everything and no one has a penny except the banks.
Take your handout, spend it local (maybe some ma/pa shop or smaller chain), and sleep well at night. Don’t get used to it though.
There will come a time when this system will be fixed (fractional reserve banking and lender of last resort, debt based fiat currency). By fixed I mean that part in () will be eradicated. Once it is, say bye to all these programs, and you better be ready to help the real poor.
For the record, I pay my taxes. I don’t receive handouts because I’m not eligible. Even when I was dirt poor, they said I wasn’t [eligible] because I had 2 properties, even though one I bought for $800 (sold for $500). I help an elderly person by giving them a place to live, making sure they got food, and occasionally cooking for them. No relation to me. Doesn’t cost me much, maybe $50 a month to feed another person.
That is the world we need. People helping people, not government helping people by forcing others at gun point to pay for it. (Try not paying your taxes, get caught, and resist arrest.)
I can’t argue or debate anyone here regarding this, because the system itself doesn’t work. It won’t work. Anyone playing under these rules setup in the USA/World can never make a decision that will work, because the system doesn’t work.
You need to understand the bigger picture. The origins of Money. Read some biblical texts (they all cover it). Read some American history. Learn about the banking system, how it works.
If you still think it’s [existing banking system] a good system, you’re just a greedy self centered power tripper.
The reason why so many more people qualify for food stamps is because the wages earned at minimum wage are below the income limit for food stamps, raise the minimum wage to a living wage and pull the burden off the taxpayer’s and onto the employers, who should be paying their employees enough to feed themselves.
Ms. Phillips,
While I am impressed that you can write a grammatically correct and well-constructed article about your experience in getting food stamps, what I feel is most lacking in your essay is historical perspective and facts.
When I entered the workforce in the late 1970’s, the wages for entry level (and later on, more middle class) jobs was stagnant, and in relation to inflation and the cost of living of what the average American makes, the compensation for most wage earners has actually gone backward since then.
For example, in 1983 I was employed in facilities maintenance for a major telephone company. After working there for three years the company restructured, prompting a job change. I then worked in the same field for the next 20 years with modest raises some years; but with declining health care and retirement contributions from my employers during this time, my earning power has actually steadily declined.
I have since become unemployed (along with millions of others, thanks to the under regulated banking and mortgage industry fiscal crisis) and have been pursuing my AA degree in an attempt to continue contributing to the best of my abilities.
Upon attempting to re-enter the workforce after Bush left office, I was utterly stunned to find out that wages and compensation packages across the nation for entry level and middle class jobs have taken a huge hit due to this latest recession.
Not only that, but upon entering the workforce, even with an AA degree, I found that I would actually be earning less over-all than I had been for comparable work almost 30 years ago.
So the answer as to why there is an increase in food stamp recipients over the past 40 years is actually an easy one: The actual compensation for most wage earners in America has gone down during this time, even after factoring in increased worker productivity, the addition of both spouses income in order to make ends meet, and the unrealized promise that ongoing tax decreases for the wealthy (which were supposed to create more and better jobs) unfortunately never materialized.
So food stamps is not the real problem here, but is actually a symptom of a chronically anemic economy that has remained either stagnant or has, in most cases, actually degraded the average American’s earning power over the past 40 years.
The facts supporting my assertions above are easy to determine if you choose to look for them.
If, on the other hand, you choose not to recognize these as historical facts, well, then you have chosen to be nothing more than a misinformed pundit for a specific ideology, rather than a helpful member of our society.
Sydney, in your future writings, please become someone interested in contributing in the dialog on how to raise the standard of living of all American’s more equitably – for the common benefit of the most of us – and not just for the financial self-indulgence of the very few of us.
Dear Moderator,
Trying to figure out why several of my previous posts have been rejected by the moderator. They have my name (rather than pseudonyms as many here) and my email address. Nothing else is required that I can see, other than a modicum of common courtesy. If the thread is closed then just say so. Otherwise, please allow this comment to remain, as well as the following post:
Ms. Phillips,
While I am impressed that you can write a grammatically correct and well-constructed article about your experience in getting food stamps, what I feel is most lacking in your essay is historical perspective and facts.
When I entered the workforce in the late 1970’s, the wages for entry level (and later on, more middle class) jobs was stagnant, and in relation to inflation and the cost of living of what the average American makes, the compensation for most wage earners has actually gone backward since then.
For example, in 1983 I was employed in facilities maintenance for a major telephone company. After working there for three years the company restructured, prompting a job change. I then worked in the same field for the next 20 years with modest raises some years; but with declining health care and retirement contributions from my employers during this time, my earning power has actually steadily declined.
I have since become unemployed (along with millions of others, thanks to the under regulated banking and mortgage industry fiscal crisis) and have been pursuing my AA degree in an attempt to continue contributing to the best of my abilities.
Upon attempting to re-enter the workforce after Bush left office, I was utterly stunned to find out that wages and compensation packages across the nation for entry level and middle class jobs have taken a huge hit due to this latest recession.
Not only that, but upon entering the workforce, even with an AA degree, I found that I would actually be earning less over-all than I had been for comparable work almost 30 years ago.
So the answer as to why there is an increase in food stamp recipients over the past 40 years is actually an easy one: The actual compensation for most wage earners in America has gone down during this time, even after factoring in increased worker productivity, the addition of both spouses income in order to make ends meet, and the unrealized promise that ongoing tax decreases for the wealthy (which were supposed to create more and better jobs) unfortunately never materialized.
So food stamps is not the real problem here, but is actually a symptom of a chronically anemic economy that has remained either stagnant or has, in most cases, actually degraded the average American’s earning power over the past 40 years.
The facts supporting my assertions above are easy to determine if you choose to look for them.
If, on the other hand, you choose not to recognize these as historical facts, well, then you have chosen to be nothing more than a misinformed pundit for a specific ideology, rather than a helpful member of our society.
Sydney, in your future writings, please become someone interested in contributing in the dialog on how to raise the standard of living of all American’s more equitably – for the common benefit of the most of us – and not just for the financial self-indulgence of the very few of us.
So much stigma with using food stamps. If you ever feel people judging you for using food stamps, you should buy a food stamps covers skins to protect your food stamps use privacy… lolz… I bought one and nobody knows I am using a food stamps card anymore, http://www.foodstampscovers.com … hope it help! Don’t get stereotype, get food stamps covers! hehehhehe
Seriously? It’s $200/month. I spend that on gas for my car in a month! We are one of the richest nations on the planet, but people want to complain about helping our poorer citizens eat. A measly 6% of our tax money goes towards ALL welfare programs (see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/91971372@N00/4719687379/ ). If you want to complain about misappropriation of tax funds, there are a lot of other areas (such as defense) that you can attack.
Why would anyone have more than 2 kids this day and age? If you spawn 5 kids then you better make sure your marriage is rock solid or your husband has a great insurance policy. I have NO children because it is hard enough taking care of myself–I can’t imagine being a single mother and having 5 mouths to feed. Those kids were your choice so now buck up.
you’re great. Thank you
Food stamps feed more than hungry students. They feed
local economies.
The research was good, not scientific but it exosed just how easy it is to receive government handouts. Many of you have assumed that the writer would not return the card; I believe she will.
Welfare was designed to be a safety net, not a way of life. Allowing people to receive benefits from 2-4 years is more than a safety net in my opinion.
I was recently laid off and my unemployment ended after 1 year. I didn’t ask not to work but that is the situation many of us have ended up with. Welfare recipients, many of whom are able bodied, could work but chose not to but they get to receive benefits much longer (twice as long) that the person laid off and newly unemployment. Let’s balance out the safety net here folks. Unemployment and welfare should last the same amount of time. And, so what if she is receiving grants. One has to qualify and many non citizens are able to have access to grants galore.
Bullshit. 🙂 I can’t even get food stamps, an ima jobless/homeless/student person. All the $ I do get goes away to buy college books n supplies n pay for my car/Sleeping area n gas.. I’m hungry man.
Thank you for the post, it made me feel a tad better knowing other College Kids are in the same boat I am. I work 2 jobs and have to take out loans just to make ends meet in my Studio Apartment. Having some help paying my basic groceries will definitely help me out. I’ve wanted to do this whole college thing all on my own, with my parents being unwilling to help out with my costs. But, I need help. Did my best, but I need the government to buy my bread for a while.
I happen to be one of those that need the extra assistance. Being a single mother of five children is difficult. I’m divorced and don’t have any family close by that can help me when times get hard. I only use the system when I need to which happens to be now. It always disturbs me when I find people making comments about the ‘lazy’ people on welfare. I’ve always been a hard worker and have even served my country in the United States Air Force. I understand that some people take advantage of the system and that is beyond unfortunate but not everyone does this. Do any of you that have made disparaging remarks have any idea how to feed five kids on a single low-income and make it in this world? I have in the past but have lost my job. Yes–I am getting food stamps as soon as my loss of employment letter gets to DHS. Yes–I am looking for employment so that I can stop using food stamps so another unfortunate soul will have food to eat for themselves and their children. I am also going to school to be a psychologist. For those who made negative comments that lumped everyone using food stamps into the classification of a loser or lazy, I hope that you will rethink your comment and have compassion on those less fortunate than yourselves.
Listening to everyones banter makes you wonder why they even argue in the first place. Listen we are all entitled to our opinions, and one’s opinion is hard to shift. That being said the article is about a FUNDAMENTAL GAP IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING. As humans we all ought to have empathy toward our brethren, I don’t see why a small portion of our taxes can’t go to americas future? If we ever hope to turn around a country where 15% of it’s citizens are on food stamps why shouldn’t we have the kindness and generosity to pay it forward? On that note their should also be stipulations on food stamps, such as time durations, enrollment in state vocational programs, and etc. I find it wrong for people to mooch off the system, so maybe states can provide a more thorough screening process to differentiate the one’s in need and the lazy one’s. Kudos to the author because I feel she deserves it, well written articles that exploits loopholes and stirs emotions.
In this economy it seems to be more and more difficult to find a job (or to keep it if you can’t afford childcare) so it may be difficult to determine who the ‘lazy’ ones are that are ‘mooching’ off the system. Don’t get me wrong. There are some that are ‘mooching’. I happen to not be one of them. Sometimes their checks-and-balance system does screen out the bad apples but not all of the time. I was denied once when my ex-husband was serving in Afghanistan and I couldn’t get a letter confirming child support. I understand the need for the letter but for people who are on bad terms with their ex’s may have a hard time getting assistance. Since I have almost completed my degree I suppose doors may be opening for me that will allow me to find a job that will pay me enough to pay for food and daycare but until that time I will have to occasionally seek assistance. (And I wish my experience past experiences with DHS had been as easy as the authors). 😀
Good job Syndey. You went and got some real data. Ignore those who say you should have done more. What you found out was valuable information that even the department who administers the program doesn’t seem to have a clue about. They crow about how little fraud and mistakes are made. But those like you, who are intellectually honest and care to get actual data, have easily shown the USDA to be an incompetent steward of our money, just like most of the rest of the behemouth government. If the system is lax in TN, then it is undoubtedly lax in many other states.
Very well written!!! I agree with a lot of what you said; however there are families out there who do need it. It just depends on who takes advantage of it. When both parents are working full time and barely making over 2000 dollars a month with four kids, and bills eat that all up, then there is a need for help, especially with food. Were it the days of old when a milk cost less than 50 cents and you could get candy for half a penny…then we’d be golden. But alas! it seems America has become too materialistic and big for itself.
Meant even not revenue
So many grammar mistakes cause of auto correct. Sorry!
I am currently a cashier at a super center. I am also starting my second year of college in August. But um not gonna talk about me. It angers me that the people who have these EBT cards and use them are using money for fast food for soda candy and ecetra. Then u see these pwiplw with the latest phones and brand names clothes and act like they are all that. Some people can’t even speak English and some can’t even use the damn card. They swipe and stare at me. And like okay I paid give now what. Noooo!!! Can’t u read u r not done. These pple need to learn English and learn how to use the card.these women have their hair down and nails and have a coach bag and yet they on this damn ebt card.
don’t go saying that food stamps are your right and your own money cause u pay taxes cause others pay taxes too and they don’t get now double mobwu back every single month. Heck u get like what ten times more then what u even payed maybe. God what is gonna happen to his country. And at least these people cab try to learn damnenglish. Yesterday this girl came with.wick check and she had to pay 86 cents of her own money and I am telling her n she goes no anglis.. had to wait for for another Spanish speaking customer to translate.. then another customer comes speaking to me in Spanish.at least learn numbers in English if not a single word
I think u have to be able tu know a few words if English to. Revenue eligible for ebt. I am not being racist here.
Some people get over a thousand dollars for food a month. Seriously??? My house we spend around less than 500 on food and all that is vegetables and healthy food not no damn fast food what all the ebt pple buy
Why does what they buy anger you? Perhaps they brought all of their healthy food on another shopping trip. As a cashier, you should be familiar with WIC and how it determines what you can and can’t buy…and what a huge pain it is to process. Do you really want all food stamps to turn into that?
It’s not easy to get food stamps. I have three children, their father is nowehre to be found, and im trying to support them on a waitresses salary. I make about 80 a week in tips, and 30 every two weeks on my check. I’ve applied twice for food stamps. The first time they lost all my information, so I had to reapply. That was four months ago. I cannot get anyone to return my calls, and don’t have the gas money to drive to the dfcs office which is 30 minutes away. Today our electricity was shut off because I’ve been using every cent I have to feed my kids. I applied for energy assistance as well, three months ago. I’ve heard nothing back. Trying to get assistance for me and my children is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. Frankly, it disgusts me that single students are getting food stamps when the government won’t even give it to my kids.
I guess it’s because they’d have to shell out a lot more money for my family than one college student, so they simply ignore our pleas. I’m looking into shelters now, and have been informed that even then, we can only stay for two months. I make 350 dollars every two weeks on my check and am left with 30 dollars. This food stamp money is MINE, but they won’t give it to me. they take 110 every two weeks out for SS, which I may never see. I am disgusted and ashamed of our government. They give benefits to the wrong people, like the girl who wrote this article.
Veronica: If I were wealthy I would help you out alot. Can you list an e-mail so we can send some money to help? I don’t have much but I would be willing to help you.
You can’t pick and choose who should starve and who shouldn’t. You should be ashamed for thinking your starving kids are more qualified than a starving college student or vice versa. NO ONE deserves to be starving!!! For you to be disgusted if a college student gets to eat, is despicable. You should be happy for them as they would be happy for you and your family for getting the necessary assistance.
I as a taxpaper since I was 16- and now 52, have been unable to find work . I applied for food stamps out of desperation. I did this after debting for months because I didnt want to tax the system…However I pay into that system- I deserve to eat, as it is i am in danger of losing my home now.
I am a student at a community college with no parents and no support system. I have never asked for help in my life (I’m 27) and have no car and no hands up from family. I was just laid off from my job and now, when I need food stamps the most, I cannot get them because I’m not employed 20 hours a week. I think it’s very strange that an unemployed student who is trying to better themselves, but has hit hard economic times and can’t find work, can’t get the assistance they need to stay in school and try to make a life. I’m to the point where I’m about to write “Please help, need food and textbook money” on a cardboard box and stand on the corner like an idiot. I really can’t think of anything else… I’ve applied for everything within walking distance, I can’t take the bus because I am literally flat broke. It’s not easy to get food stamps for everyone – like me, even though I’m down to my last bag of potatoes and onions.
Just because you don’t activate your card dosent mean that, that 200 dollars just goes away or stays the same! Every month they will add 200 dollars on the card regardless if you use it or not so keep that in mind when your running low on money and starving
yes and she said she wont activate it so all that money continues to go on her card she wont use, yet it could be going on other peoples card that need and will use it but instead puts us further in debt. also i did see a previous comment about what people buy on ebt i agree! being a cashier at a turkey hill i have developed anger issues ntowards some people using their ebt there. this one lady abuses the shit out of it. she makes everyone in our store remember her pin and throws her card at us everytime like look if ur gonna use this card to buy slushies everyday atleast type in your own pin number! then shell whip out a 20 for ciggerettes… or another lady that wont stop reproducing she has six kids now and alotta food stamps. but what does she buy? ill tell ya. every week her and her pack of brats come in and load up the counter with junk food walking away and coming back a few times till theres a mountain of junk and whips out her precious card to pay for it all. i understand she could buy her normal food elsewhere but if she does she should not be recieving all that money to have enough left over to buy her brats mountians of junk every week! i know her name her kids names and memoried her pin and her kids fav snacks…tell me thats not a messed up system. abuse!!
I do not concur with spurning some entitlement to which we are, after all, entitled. If sheep weren’t meant to be fleeced, God would not have made them with all that wool. “Baaa-a-a-a-a, Baaa-a-a-a-a Fleece me!” http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2011603516_nwwnextbets15.html?prmid=obnetwork
“Entitlements” are not charity. They are legal rights. The government takes some people’s wealth and gives it out to others. Don’t you dare say the sheep don’t consent to the fleecing. That’s what all these elections are about.
Now, if you think this system is illegitimate, that it is unjust, that it should be done away with, why, that is something we should be talking about. Just making voluntary contributions to the system by not picking up your share of the manna from Heaven is not going to end it. The Beast dies when the Beast starves. Tea overboard!
What puzzling, argumentative comments.
It’s like somebody wants to take away your free money or something, which you so richly deserve, since it’s, uh, free and all. And besides, it’s not like it costs anybody anything. It’s government money, not real money or something.
You sound so threatened. When you get a little older, you’ll come to understand that “free government money” isn’t really free at all. It costs you a piece of your soul.
If the program was discontinued tomorrow, would you just die or something? Stop whining and get a real job that lets you get through school. If you can’t imagine life without government assistance, you can’t imagine much.
Sydney, great job of investigative journalism. The only people here who have a complaint are liberals because they love to play the victim game. They are under-achievers. Obama and the left are promoting this welfare lifestyle. It weakens people. Sure everyone needs help once in a while. Toughest guy in the workd hurts his leg, and you give him a cane and therapy he may come back even stronger. Put him in a wheelchair for no reason push him around for a year and he’ll never recover. Foodstamps = democrat votes. The more they give out the more votes they hope to get. Keep up the muckraking!!!
You’re wrong. I’m very conservative, voted against Obama. My family was secure until he got in office. We never needed for anything until now. I am a white republican, three kids, all have the same father. He left us, and cannot be found. I work as a waitress, and was left with our 1200 dollar mortgage, vehicle and insurance payment, utilities, gas, food, and kids necessities, all with making less than 500 dollars a month, and I cannot get approved for assistance. I’ve not paid the mortgage in months, so it’s being foreclosed on now. The electricity was turned off today for two reasons, one, I spend pretty much every cent I have trying to keep food in their bellies, and I applied for energy assistance months ago and have not heard anything about that either. People that say they see EBT users buy candy and junk, that wouldn’t be me. We need bread, milk, frozen veggies, meat. I honestly don’t know what to do now. I have nothing of any value to sell other than my car, and I need that. I thank God for my friends internet and phone, otherwise I’d have no way to contact anyone. It’s not just liberals anymore. Conservative families that were once secure are in poverty, but no one hears our please for help. I’m utterly lost.
Oh please, spare me. Syndney has a sense of entitlement as much as anyone mooching off the taxpayers. Sydney says “Most of the students I know who use food stamps are hard-working, productive individuals whose parents won’t compensate them for the costs of college.” First of all Sydney, it’s your responsibility to pay for your education. Your parents aren’t obligated to “compensate” you for this you liberal brat. Second, your friends have the option to take out a student loan. People who are destitute can’t get a student loan for food.
Great Article! I understand every government system can’t be perfect but with welfare it seems that they don’t even try to make it fair. I work at a convenience store and nothing is more frustrating than seeing people come in and buy candy, chips, soda, etc. With their EBT cards. What really angers me is when they buy “snacks” with their EBT and turn around and pay for alcohol and tobacco in cash. There is proof right in front of me that there is absolutely no way that they are in dire need of the government help. There is an obvious difference in the people who need it and who do not. It is so frustrating that me at age 16 has a job and money taken out of every check goes to people like that. I have never understood why I have to be drug tested to work but people who use the welfare system do not? I know many of the people who use welfare truly need it. On the other hand there are many people using the system who are drug addicts and the fact that they don’t have to pay for food only feeds there addiction. The whole system is just frustrating and I can only hope that the government goes back and fixes the huge holes in this system.
So aren’t you just wasting the money since you aren’t going to activate it and use it? The state will continue to put the money on the card until you close your SNAP case. Yeah, eventually the money will go back to the state, but not until your account is dormant for a while. If you don’t want the benefits, CLOSE YOUR CASE. I work for the Human Services Division in one of our great 50 states, and while I don’t agree with all of the policies, I do know that a lot of people who need the help, get it. College students are debatable in my opinion as to whether or not they really need the help. When I was in college my husband and I applied for Food Stamps, and only when I started working for HSD did I find out that I was denied incorrectly. Yes, my husband and I did just fine in college, but it sure would have helped, and maybe we wouldn’t have ended up with thousands in student loans and a decent amount of credit card debt.
@Single Mom- She did not commit any crime. She legally met the requirements for the food stamps. Her personal FEELING of not needing them doesn’t make it a crime for her to apply. Get a clue.
A real experiment:
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from the perspective of the undercover journalist, it sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the “working poor” in the United States.
So many people commenting here are a bit too “trigger-happy” and failed to do even a single bit of research before posting argumentative statements. Firstly: Most people here , even the self proclaimed ‘social workers’ seem to think that all states and county’s operate the same – in the way that benefits are awarded and people are screened. There is a federal ‘guideline’, but technically the states are not legally bound to follow this guideline to every ‘t’. This allows different areas to operate differently and thus, your knowledge in a different region ‘may be’ or is ‘completely’ irrelevant to this girls experiences. So you should refrain from jumping to accusations such as ‘lair’ and ‘fraudulent fiend’ … Secondly: Even though this girl claims herself to be a college student, that doesn’t mean that she is also claiming to be an ‘expert’ in the matter, and her statements (especially those which have no reverences) should be treated as broad estimations or loose facts. If not, just opinions or suspicions. An Individual of any education level that decides to research a pressing issue and comment on it should be met with encouragement and suggestion to continue research with emphasis on obtaining credible facts, figures and references to support their statements.
Every American that pays taxes should also get Food Stamps because, if it wasn’t for us no one would be getting them and therefore they would all die of hunger. That wouldn’t bother me one bit either.
It doesn’t prove anything that you didn’t physically produce a birth certificate or social security card. DHS workers have and routinely access birth certificates and social security records from the information provided on the application. When you sign the application you give them permission to do it. That might bring up a different issue, but your case is easily verifiable.
In the first place, who wouldn’t want federally subsidized college students to be well-nourished in order to do a better job at what they’re there to do? Most colleges and universities in the U.S., including Lee University, fully participate in federal financial aid programs, which include pell grants and subsidized low-interest loans, as well as work study programs–which means that many student workers are paid from federal funds. Most of this aid is based on financial need. None of this money counts against food stamps, but the last I knew, college students had to be eligible for work study, or working to qualify for food stamps.
And please recognize that even if a student’s entire tuition is paid privately, if the university is receiving tuition money from federal coffers, every student benefits from these funds. The facilities and services of even private universities are being subsidized by federal and state monies.
Just because you didn’t turn in one work stub, you think you should have your case denied? What if you didn’t have parents, or your parents wouldn’t help you? Don’t you think they can (and will) verify any or all of your information by computer? If your campus job is work study, it’s a routine matter for the worker to verify your hours by computer using your SSN. In any case, even though you were sent out a routine notice about needing to turn in work verification, sometimes federal workers are smart enough to realize that it was too soon for you to be able to produce it, and at your six month review, they will have opportunity to make sure everything is in order.
This article is not proof of anything. The writer didn’t cite many facts, nor was she particularly interested in her own experiment. She was surprised to find that she was in dire enough financial straights to receive EBT, period.
She never says how much money she has, or what her friends with “similar financial backgrounds” have. She doesn’t state what information she did have to provide, and she doesn’t say whether the EBT office asked for information regarding whether her parents helped her with expenses, or not.
It’s shoddy reporting, at best and shouldn’t be taken very seriously.
Cheryl is proud of going to work while she was throwing up with the flu, but she had to do it because she had kids and bills.
The flu can be deadly, but she exposed children and elderly to the flu because she didn’t want to take a handout. To her, this is something to boast about.
…It’s too bad the government can’t allow people to decide where they want there tax dollars to go. Many people don’t mind helping needy, and others don’t mind paying for defense.
Everyone has to pay taxes. It’s acceptable, to most of us, because there are benefits to living in a lawful and governed society so why can’t people just allocate where their particular dollars go?
I am glad people can get help and I hope the help reaches everyone that needs it. I don’t feel it takes anything from me. If some people get something they don’t need, I hope they share it with those who do need it.
and Caroline…living on noodles isn’t healthy for students, so good for you if you did it but it’s a scientific fact that just like lack of vitamn C causes scurvey, lack of B causes brain damage.
I hope “Gregory of Yardsale” doesn’t think i have a guilty conscience, because I don’t. This conversation has gone way off base.
To Fed up, I agree – shit happens. Different people have different circumstances and some people need help sometimes. There are a lot of people that abuse the system and live off welfare all their lives, but there are also people that are struggling and use the assistance to get back on their feet. To all of you that were able to make it through rough times without assistance, that’s great, but it doesn’t mean you should look down upon those of us that do ask for some help.
I went to college & got my degree, married my high school sweetheart, had 2 children, and got a decent job that allowed me to take care of my family. A year after having my youngest child, my husband started abusing me. I’m not talking about calling names or pushing me. When he would get upset, he would punch & choke me and threaten to take take the kids. One day, after a particularly bad fight, I took the kids and left – with nothing but the clothes we had on & my baby’s diaper bag. I had to relocate which means I left my job and everything else. I looked for work in the area I moved to and found nothing. I filled out applications & went to interview after interview. I wasn’t hired at fast food places or convenience stores b/c I was “overqualified” due to my degree. I wasn’t hired at some other places b/c I didn’t have the “right experience” or “enough experience.” I went to local churches & shelters for help with food & clothing, but was told they had a limited supply and had run out, but I could try again next month. I had spent all the money I had to rent us a house and get utilities turned on. So, yes, I did turn to DHS and apply for food stamps. And, yes, I did qualify. After 3 months of actively searching for work, I finally got a job. And I continued to get food stamps b/c I still qualified and I needed any money I earned to help rebuild my life.
My point is, sometimes people just need some help. I don’t feel like I am “owed” anything from anyone, but I am grateful that there was somewhere I could turn when I needed it the most. Could my children and I have survived without food stamps? Yes, I am positive, that one way or another I could have made it work, but at what cost? Sometimes people just need to realize that things are not always black and white. I would have been willing to work anywhere. 2 jobs even. Sometimes it’s not possible, though. I have 2 small children and no one in the area to watch them while I work. Daycares in this town are only open Monday through Friday from 6 until 5:30. This means I can’t work nights and weekends.
In order for me to get food stamps, I did have to fill out a lot of paperwork, show id and social security cards for me & my kids, provide birth certificates, and report to the DHS office every 3 months. However, I do believe that there are people that get assistance that don’t need it. I agree with some earlier comments that you should have to prove you are looking for work (like when you get unemployment) and even be drug tested. It doesn’t make sense that you have to be screened for drugs before you work, but not before you receive “free” benefits. So, I think that the author here does have a point about benefits coming too easily for some, but my response is to those of you that made comments that make it sound like all people on food stamps are lazy, unmotivated, uneducated, or unwilling to help themselves. That is not always the case.
Interesting. I ran across this drivel searching for information about re-certifying for my food benefits. Yep, I’m on “the dole” according to some of you. It never occurred to me to apply for food stamps; I presumed that “someone like me” wouldn’t qualify. In order to get into a low cost clinic I was required to apply for assistance; finding myself approved for food benefits shocked me. I’m well-educated, I have a BBA in finance and my JD. I used to earn a very respectable salary; then I became disabled. I lost my home, nearly everything I owned. I had no family to assist me. People “like me” don’t become homeless; we did everything right. I excelled academically, got into law school, landed in the top 25% of my class. I worked and paid for everything without incurring student debt. Guess what, shit happens. During the under two years I’ve been receiving food stamps I’ve had to re-certify every five months. It’s supposed to be six but the letter always arrives two months early. It’s damn rigorous. They contact my landlord, friends, neighbors for all I know; I’m surprised they haven’t subjected me to a body cavity search. I finally gave up on the hope that I’d “get well” and applied for SSDI. Once it’s approved, and there’s little doubt that it will be, it’s highly likely I’ll lose my food benefits. SSDI doesn’t pay a fraction of what I used to earn but I’ll be able to get by. BTW, food stamps cannot be used to order a pizza or buy fast food around here. They can’t be used to purchase a roasted chicken at Walmart; however, if I was inclined, I could buy all the chips and soft drinks my benefits would cover. I don’t like chips or soft drinks. But don’t despair, “haves”, my assistance isn’t coming out of your pockets; I’ve paid more into the system than I could possibly live long enough to get back. I hope what’s left over goes to another person in need. Ayn Rand and her t-bagger cult epitomize evil. Jesus was NOT a conservative.
“T-bagger” nice language counselor. Considering you hold an advanced degree in law, and can both sit and type on your computer maybe you could aply to work from home online before lowering your standard of living an getting “on the doll”. Or perhaps you could work from home providing legal advice. Maybe evan set up a website, I hear legal zoom does quite well. If all else fails perhaps you can run for office. longwinded foul mouthed layabouts who love bloated government often do well in the blue states. give it shot!
Dear “fed up”, sounds to me like you are quite threatened and angry by the fact that a college student, who isn’t in such dire straights as you claim to be in, got approved for food stamps and then states it is too easy to get them. Not sure why that bothers you so.
Maybe your hostility and anger is the real reason you can’t get a job.
Apparently you are not too disabled to vent on some meaningless blog. What’s your disability, allergic to work?
Perhaps because you are an INSENSATE conservative who does not know what it’s like to be disabled and poor and put through the ringer by these government agencies.
For every rich or well off person, 10 people are poor. No such thing as wealth without poverty in this country. The government gives you the right to be rich or well off and with the right for others to be rich or well off comes POVERTY with that for some. The only solution I can think of to end poverty is to remove the right for people to be rich or well off as to redistribute wealth equally; communism. So in Xchange for NOT having communism, the government subsidies for the poor and disabled are a more than fair tradeoff.
I think any of you who think food stamps for ANY student is okay should get a JOB! Stop putting your hand out and start realizing that no one owes you ANYTHING! We all were poor where I came from, saved what we could, went to school with loans which WE PAID BACK ON TIME, and did eat alot of Ramen noodles. Oh well, life is tough and the sooner you learn that, the sooner you will succeed.
What I hear in these comments is that leftists and moderates believe in the socialist premise that government should be everything to “the people”. Conservatives believe in families pulling together, self sufficiency, that government has limited duties and needs to get out of the way of the individual. Conservatives know that adversity builds character and either makes or breaks the individual. It is NOT the governments business to assist each individual it is OUR reponsibility. When I was down and out I chose not to enter Uncle Sam’s plantation. Family, friends and churches got me through.
Welcome to the new slavery! Willingly entered into by the stupid.
I’m glad that there were entitlement/welfare programs to aid the pilgrims when they landed. I’m glad there were entitlement/welfare programs to help the founding fathers establish this great nation. I’m glad there were entitlement/welfare programs to help the settlers when they moved west from the colonies. I’m glad there were entitlement/welfare programs to aid in the settling of the midwest, America’s bread basket. I’m glad there were entitlement/welfare programs to aid the people in the expansion to the west coast. I guess this great nation would have never come to be in existence without a socialist program.
If Hanna wants to be generous with her own money, good for her. But what right does she have to demand that other people’s money be spent (fraudulently, as it turns out) so that she can assuage her guilty conscience?
food stamps are for losers. if you can’t feed yourself you are no good for society. food stamp people are thieves with a permission slip. instead of asking other people to support you please develop some personal integrity. food stamp people give credence to the overpopulation nutcases who would rather abort you than same you.
This is so refreshing! I am absolutely sick and tired of our government teaching children that they deserve some sort of free handout. The government should not be a charity– they should offer no assistance. If people are starving then there are food pantries at local churches that will gladly hand out food. I would rather donate food/money to a church than have the govt require me to pay them to feed others.
Julie u apparently are a welfare sucker typical lazy loser
Voyager wrote:
“…..I do find it interesting how willing other people are to reach out my hand to others in need, and claim it as their own charity.”
Brilliant! Nailed it!
The State of Oregon offered me $16.00 worth of aid based on $863.00 SS minus $130.00 Fed back taxes or $733.00 total to live on. How are these people scamming the government when I could only get such a measly amount? I didn’t bother with their generosity. I know people that get $150.00. I’m now %100 disabled service connected and don’t need their insulting treatment. At least the VA didn’t let me down.
I think she must have hit a nerve.Most of these people must be on the system and they think that they will loose a couple of dollars because of her experiment.I think she is right on.Maybe if some of you deadbeats would get a job maybe you would feel better.Just because you can get money for nothing isn’t an excuse.Seems to me you have no pride in yourself.[PITIFULL]
great article!! I worked in a grocery store for so long and saw countless people abusing the system. They would hand it around like its a toy, or use multiple EBT cards, and whine if they could not buy an energy drink that costs two dollars. That hater on these comments right at the top is a clown…
But really, isn’t Bush to blame?
Under the Bush administration there was a huge loosing and encouragement of the food stamp program. Everyone who is screaming socialist should really check your facts.
NO, but thanks for asking.
Wendy, yes, the states ARE different in their eligibility requirements. VERY different.
Hannah et al, I do not have a problem with YOUR tax money being used to help people who are can get by just fine without food stamps to get food stamps anyway. I don’t have a problem with the government inefficiently using your tax dollars to keep the poor dependent and reinforce the idea that working for a living is stupid (something I have been told by more than one person who is dependent on the government and refuses to get a job)
I DO have a problem with you thinking you have the right to demand that MY money go to fund YOUR pet charities, charities that are demonstrably inefficient, need serious reform, and that reward poor behavior and punish good. I have a serious problem with the belief you seem to have that your selfish demand for MY money to go to YOUR pet charities which keep people enslaved in the system is somehow proof of your compassion. IT’s not. It’s proof of your feel good selfishness. You want other people’s money to go to these things because it makes YOU feel better. You don’t care about how efficient or effective those programs are, you care about feeling nice and superior to people who care more about help that IS help and not enslavement.
Am I hard hearted? You don’t know me. We already had three children when we adopted a sibling group of two, one with serious handicaps that will require our care 24 and 7 all of her life. We have had homeless families living with us to help them get back on their feet. We have eaten beans and rice for months on end in order to help families where the husband was out of work. We’ve let a recent college grad live here rent free so she could save her money for her first apartment. We have been deeply involved in the lives of a single mom and her two sons for five years, to the point that the little boys some months live at my house more than at their mom’s. She gets food stamps for them, but we buy all the food the boys eat when they are my house. We’ve bought them clothes. When the second boy was born we had her and the boys stay with us when she came home from the hospital. We made a conscious decision not to take a job offer in England, where I have always wanted to go, so that we could be here for those boys.
I have watched their mom make foolish choices over and over. They eat out at McDonalds several times a week, she buys herself expensive clothes, chooses to redecorate with rent-to-own furniture even when there is nothing wrong with the furniture she has, and then complains that she has no money for her son’s three dollar prescription (that’s her copay for medications). She tells me all the expensive things she’s bought this month and in the same conversation asks to borrow money because she has no money for gas. Her sons keep asking my husband why he goes to work every day instead of staying home to play with them. He says he works to pay for our food, medical care, and house, and they keep telling us, “You don’t have to work for those things. They are free,” because that’s what their mother tells them.
My husband runs a grocery store, and he’s had customers answer his ‘did you find everything you need’ question with “I didn’t find somebody to pay for this, LOL,’ while they are checking out with their food stamps cards. The grocery store carries crab legs, which are nearly all purchased by people using their food stamps cards. Once a man buying crab legs with his card asked my husband how to fix them. Husband replied, “I don’t know. We have seven kids and can’t afford crab legs.” The guy agreed, and said, “I know. I couldn’t afford them either, until I got on food stamps.”
The system needs serious reform, and if you can’t see that, you have no compassion at all. You have a selfish need to pat yourself on your back for your imagined charity at the expense of those like the little boys we take care of- this system is harming them, not helping them (their mother is perfectly capable of working, she just does not want to). It’s not compassion that makes you refuse to accept the system needs reform, it’s a pathology of enabling- mostly with other people’s money. I see selfishness and smugness here, not compassion.
The one and only nice thing about all these unsustainable spending programs is that they are ultimately self-rectifying. The federal government is BROKE and going deeper into debt by the day. The old line: “Socialism is great until they run out of other people’s money.” has already happened long ago. Now we are impoverishing our future generations (children and grandchildren etc.) with our out of control spending and we are not even slowing down. Most states are in way over their heads with seriously UNFUNDED liabilities (such as pensions) that are about to come crashing down on their heads, along with most of the deeply financially screwed cities all across the country. Wow are the public unions in for a bad day when the government ultimately defaults on them – see Greece for details.
Basically, what happens with socialism is you eventually get to the point where so many powerful special interests and public unions and such get so solidly entrenched and intractable, THAT IT NO LONGER MATTERS WHO GETS ELECTED INTO OFFICE. This is the stage of the planned failure we are approaching now. Whomever gets into office quickly finds that while politicians may come and politicians may go, its the unelected bureaucrats that run everything who are in for life, and so wield a lot of very real power. In short, there will be no meaningful spending restraint, not until the dollar itself crashes and burns.
When the world markets move off of the failing U.S. Dollar, our currency will proceed to collapse in less time than it takes to talk about it, and then EVERYBODY with be equally hungry and desperate under the iron fist of whatever oligarchy assumes control. People will be predictably fast to trade freedom for perceived security – and maybe a hot meal – as history repeats itself once again. Our grand experiment in freedom is an ongoing thing, but the people have forgotten what this means.
We’ve lost the ability to communicate, to the point it takes using something basic like this 10 minute and 35 second video:
http://wimp.com/thegovernment
so we can at least agree on what terms like “left wing” and “right wing” actually mean. We have to start there so we can at least begin to have a conversation from the same perspective. The media constantly attempts to control the language precisely because it is such a powerful weapon. Take the 10.5 minutes and watch the video and it may change the way you think a little bit. Very simple stuff that will doubtless surprise some folks, seeing as things like American History are no longer taught in our public indoctrination centers / schools.
Cheers.
mispelled e-mail;it is daywolf_1@yahoo.com
One question; What is the origin of debt? If I am responsible for your welfare,you will be responsible for me in my old age,fair enough? If your child,assuming you have one, breaks my window with a rock, you are in debt to me for the window. So,where is the origin of debt? There has to be ALL responsibility of the person that recieves welfare to be responsible for thier own debt,not the individual taxpayer, a taxpayer defined as “one who pays into the government and does not recieve a return”.
PS. I am a Conservative who believes we need to reform welfare, but don’t believe that this is an accurate account of how the system works. Unless all states are different.
Well, TN must have different guidelines than California. One of my best friends is a social worker and what this girl wrote is complete BS. I am not pro welfare but do know how it works as I helped a friend get it AND discuss it with my friend often. They WILL not send a card in the mail PERIOD. You go in wait in a line, fill out paperwork, YOU HAVE TO SHOW YOUR valid ID and Social Security card. You also need proof of income or lack of and can’t remember if you need rent info. If you qualify you wait in another line for a photo and thumbprint. Then you go to another line and they provide you the card after you show ID again and sign some papers. LOTS OF PAPERS GET SIGNED. As for students in the state of California they have to either go to school FT to receive benefits or can go part time to school but need to work 20 hrs per week min. If they are living with the parents a dorm paid by parents they don’t qualify. It is my understanding that all Social Service branches in all cities and states work the same way.
I raised my son from birth until he was almost 12 years old, as a single mom. I did not get child support (his biological father was a dead beat and they could not locate him) and I did not get or even attempt to get welfare, footstamps, Medicaid, etc. I used what the good Lord gave me…brains and the ability to work and work I did…for two years I worked two full-time jobs. I built my own home, drove a new car and paid all my own bills..I did not ask or get assistance from my parents either. Oh, and I was barely 21 when I had my son. I’m sick of our government rewarding people who do nothing but lay around on their lazy asses and continue to pop out kid after kid and expect the American taxpayers to foot the bill. I did it on my own and I’m proud of it..I raised an awesome son who is now a SGT in the Army with a family of his own. He learned a good work ethic from the time he was little and never grew up in the welfare mentality that everyone owed him somthing. I’m not against helping those who are down on their luck for reasons beyond their control; however, there needs to be limits as to how long one can get this assistance. For generation after generation to be on welfare is ludicrous. I was in my doctor’s office a few weeks ago, and a very young girl with a small child was in there and she was about 7 months pregnant with the next kid. On Medicaid…was dressed in designer clothes, had a cell phone and was driving a very nice new vehicle. I heard the receptionist ask her if she was employed and she told her no. I worked for 34 years…worked with cancer, went in to work throwing up when I had the flu, but I had a son to raise and bills to pay. We didnt have cable TV and cell phones, but we survived. We ate good meals, not Porterhouse steaks and the most expensive fare, but it was nurtricious meals. We did not dress in designer clothes, but we were dressed nicely. After working my ass off for all those years, several years ago I was involved in a very serious car accident (someone rear ended me and slammed me into the car in front of me sending me into the windshield head first…compression fracturing all the vertebra in my neck…I’ve had several major surgeries and can no longer work…which was devasting. I get SS disability, but that was no easy feat…wish they made welfare recipients out to be criminals and made them have to show a million different times the actual need for it My check has my Medicare monthly premium deducted from it. I went from a high paying managerial job to $889 per month. I am married, but that still took a toll on our household budget..but you know what? We survived. Because we know how to handle money, we aren’t in debt…our home is paid for as are our vehicles and everything else we own. I was severely injured thru no fault of my own and am expected to survive on basically nothing…no one handed me a food stamp card or free medical care…my monthly prescriptions take a huge chunk of my monthly check. My husband works but is not in a really high paying job, but we are thankful that he has a job. We’ve learned to live off and make adjustments according to our present income. So many today think that the government and hard-working taxpayers owe them government subsidized housing, groceries to their hearts content and every other amenity. It makes me want to throw up. People need to get off their asses and WORK…there is a pride that comes with taking care of oneself that is quickly falling by the wayside by the “entitlement crowd”, and it’s not getting any better…oh, BTW, I also got a college degree while working full time with no type of government or family assistance…it’s all in what you make of your life.
Do you actully think Wal-Mart’s of the USA will compalin? .. how much do you think their bottom line is EBT? Hell now you get cell phones for FREE .. Do you think verizon is going to complain? In my Kroger you can buy Birthday cakes and flower baskets because they put a bag of chips with it !!! Yea that’s starving !!!
One thing people are missing here is that this is a recent development: one of the first things the Obama administration did when it took office was to ‘encourage’ the states to give food stamps to college students. Before that, it wasnt nearly as prevalent. Many states, like Michigan, have since worked to close this gaping hole in the system. A true conservative knows that a college education is NOT a right-and if you forgo a job to attend college, you can expect things to be very, very tight. If you dont want to take out loans, then you have to drop out long enough to earn the money to return. A great many parents do not have the money to support a college education for their children: that’s just a sad fact of life.Most of these kids weren’t eligible under the old rules-and arent again in many places.
As for the ‘ease’ of getting food stamps, that’s not exactly true either. It all depends on your classification-where you fit within the system. If you are homeless, you can qualify. If you have NO income, you can qualify. If you work, however, no matter how little you earn or how many mouths you have to feed, you will jump thru unbelievably redundant hoops and be given some silly amount like $14/mo.A for instance’-which I have personal knowledge of: a 45-yr-old woman has a disabled (doesnt qualify for disability) husband, two young teens at home and a ‘returned’ 23-yr-old daughter with two young toddlers, one of which has congenital medical issues that require diligent attention to diet, feeding times, etc. She makes $11/hr-and works 6 days to get the hours. The 23-yr old has mental health issues and is incapable of caring for her own children and not functional at this point to do much of anything except find a man and get pregnant . .two worthless baby-daddies have been left behind. The grandparents have had the major care of the toddlers since birth, yet they do not have custody because to attempt to do so would open the door for the baby-daddies to counter-sue for custody . .and at least one of them would do so.Their claim to the child would be weighed against the mother’s abilities only-NOT the care and stable home the grandparents have provided. Because the 23-yr-old has been cut off assistance due to failure to comply (ie: get a job, make baby-daddies pay support), the responsibility of feeding, housing and clothing seven people falls to the $11/hr grandmother. If Grandpa could find a job-and they only have one car and no available public transportation- child care costs would be more than he could be expected to make as he has only retail skills-and the young teen girls would be left alone after school with a 23-yr -old who doesnt show much evidence of having good judgement as their only supervision So he cares for children and attempts to keep a rather chaotic and vastly over-crowded home together. The adults have no health insurance despite both having chronic health problems.
Here’s the really stupid-and self-defeating part: although the 23-yr-old is now compliant with welfare rules, she cannot receive food stamps for the toddlers because she is under the age of 25 and lives with her parents. The grandparents cannot receive food stamps because they dont have legal custody of the toddlers and their income is considered sufficient for the four people welfare counts as being in the household. They struggle to pay their electricity and heating bills and the small land contract payment on their very small old house (cheaper than rent). Car expenses to drive back and forth to work 20 miles away are not allowable at a realistic rate so those expenses are not reflected in welfare paperwork. The repeatedly apply, wait the full 45 days the law allows -and are turned down (once they were granted $8/mo). They subsist on whatever they can get from food banks and some small help fro their church. If they were to give up their home and could manage to get into subsidized housing, they would be instantly eligible. If grandma were to quit her job, they also would be eligible.
So, lets get the whole picture on the food stamp issue: not everyone is created equal in the eyes of the welfare system: some are far more equal than others-and the working poor get the short end of the stick every time. For Gods sake, DONT ‘do the right thing’ and try to actually take care of your family and provide for the vast majority of your own needs: you will be punished by the system every time! Just enroll in college you cant pay for and all the taxpayers will support you!
Also, I’m reporting you because what you did was a federal offense.
You’re a joke. Go take care of your kids and stop being a nut job who opposes anyone’s opinion that is different then your own. The author did a study… just because you don’t like the results doesn’t mean you need to get your panties in a bunch.
Ooooh, Single mom is apparently a district attorney in her side hobby. Report her to whom? For what specific crime? It is not illegal to apply for a government service, as long as you don’t falsify your application.
Your village called. They want you back.
You’re lying. I had to have 2 forms of ID.
It’s good to see the prevailing attitude is not that of the hard-hearted who think all issues can be solved with “hard work.”
http://youtu.be/dvCFlUg9Rss
Tim Orris says:
January 17, 2012 at 11:12 am
“Could somebody make these folks learn a little common sense with their foodstamps, teach them aboutusing coupons and shoping at supermarkets instead of convience stores. I just watcheda girl shopping at 7-11. I could havebought 10 times the food with couponsat a supermarket as she carried out of the store for $80.00 and loaded intothe taxithat sat with meter running while she shopped.”
What you are describing is sadly all too typical of the losing class.
While in college, I once worked part time at a 7-11 on the edge of a bad section of town. There was a grocery store not even a quarter mile up the street, and yet the food stamp people would shamble in from the nearby slum to purchase things like chips and doughnuts instead of spending that money wisely on nutritious food. They also had a scam routine which allowed them to use their food stamps to buy cigarrettes and beer. This was back in the days when food stamps were actually printed on paper. Back in those days food stamps were used as actual currency, but only for food. If they gave me a ten dollar food stamp for a 6 dollar item, I would give them back 4 one-dollar food stamps. But what about change for items where the cost was not exact dollars? This is where things got interesting. Actual coin money would be given back in such cases. This became the basis for the scam. The welfare people would send in their kids during the day to purchase bazooka bubble gum at 5 cents a piece. Then at the end of the day the parents would show up with a pocket full of change to buy cigarrettes or beer. Every. Single. Day.
If they put that much thought and creativity into improving their circumstances, they wouldn’t be on welfare.
They were also huge consumers of lottery tickets, “scratchers,” and other such instruments of regressive taxation on the unintelligent. I would try to talk to them, to reason with them, to explain that they were giving away their money for nothing, and that any payout they ever recieved would pale in comparison with the sums spent to obtain it. But of course they were unable to understand what I was talking about and often cited a friend, a relative, or a distant acquaintance who supposedly won a large sum. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in economics to realize that a state sponsored lottery is not a charity. Like all forms of gambling, over the long run the player always sacrifices far more than he ever receives.
So why do such people exist in the first place? Because intelligence, and one might even argue sentience in the case of some people, are not universal attributes of the human condition. Some people are dramatically impaired intellectually. They tend to congregate together in places where more normal people do not want to live, creating a synergy of stupidity in which they are far dumber in aggregate than any of them would be individually.
If there were some magical way of preventing individuals in the lowest quartile for intelligence and achievement from reproducing, then such individuals might cease to exist within two or three generations. At the very least they would be exceedingly rare.
But there is no way to do this, at least not within a free society. We cannot pick and choose which individuals have the right to liberty, which includes the liberty to have children. The burden of liberty is that it belongs to all, or it belongs to none. There is no in-between.
That does not however mean that we have a moral obligation to support them financially. Paying idiots and losers to breed in lieu of finding gainful employment only guarantees that there will be more idiots and losers in the future.
Amazing how many people are upset with what this young lady did.
She showed how cavalier the government is with your tax dollars. She showed that the standards to get a welfare benefit are entirely too low. And yet, some folks are very upset about that.
I wonder why?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrsYcKjiSEE
Could somebody make these folks learn a little common sense with their foodstamps, teach them aboutusing coupons and shoping at supermarkets instead of convience stores. I just watcheda girl shopping at 7-11. I could havebought 10 times the food with couponsat a supermarket as she carried out of the store for $80.00 and loaded intothe taxithat sat with meter running while she shopped.
Hannah says:
January 16, 2012 at 6:55 pm
“It didn’t make me stronger or smarter or tougher.”
In this we do find something on which we can agree.
Hannah,
Several times you wrote things like this, “That’s WHY I don’t mind reaching out a hand to help others in need.”
Fine. Reach out your own hand however much you want.
But when you advocate spending tax dollars on your favored handouts, you are advocating forcing other people to reach out their hands to help others in “need”.
Taxes aren’t charity. They are confiscation. At least begging for charity recognizes that the fault lies with you, and that the donor has the final say in whether to give. Anyone who demands charity as their just due is a thief, and deserves the contempt they get.
How many of the people receiving this “free money” are illegal aliens?
Once upon a time I assumed, naively as it turns out, that government agencies verified the citizenship of people coming to them as a matter of course, if not law. Then I saw the way that the left responded to our (Arizona’s) efforts to ensure the integrity of our elections by requiring state issued ID when registering to vote and when requesting a ballot on election day. Apparently expecting someone to be a normal citizen with valid ID is now “racism” according to them. Since when was valid ID only given to crackers?
The truth of course is that such efforts prevent leftist operatives from perpetrating voter fraud. Some zombies, that is to say dead people recently buried in nearby cemeteries, are apparently so civic minded that they leave their graves on election day and shamble into a polling place to vote. Or at least that is one explanation for the casting of ballots, sometimes hundreds of them, by the deceased in virtually every election. Another explanation, and the one I think more likely, is that leftist operatives scour the obituaries and other public sources for information on the recently deceased, compare that to the publicly available rolls for registered voters, and then send people in to vote in that person’s name.
I know this is somewhat off topic to the matter of food stamps, but it demonstrates just how vulnerable our public institutions are to fraud of this sort.
This is enlightening:
http://youtu.be/aqOV-hK0sP4
As an experiment, you should organize as many like minded individuals as possible, apply for benefits, and donate all the proceeds to charity. Document your receipts, expenditures, and findings and write a research paper or film a documentary.
I was surprised to see the long line of people that trailed outside.
If you weren’t a college student I’d say I was surprised by you naivete. There is a substantial segment of the US population that considers the use of other people’s money (OPM) an entitlement and they ar e100% Obama supporters/
Fantastic article. Extremely well reasoned. Please fkorward your future work to me.
Local talk show host likes to point out how easy it is to get benefits (voting bribe basically) versus getting a building permit and getting people employed. I personally don’t understand why the welfare and IRS are separate, they are both concerned with income. Unless you think I am totally heartless, I feel that each adult should not have the first $10k of their car not counted. Rural poverty sucks and so do buses. Also I feel that welfare should only penalize one dollar for each dollar earned, no matter how many programs they participate in.
Chapter – It’s Free Swipe Yo EBT (NSFW)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzspsovNvII
Do you have any idea how much in taxes you will pay over your life time? Do you have any idea how much you will pay in social security taxes, not for your benefit but for the benefit of people who are already retired?
If the government was run effectively and efficiently your attitude would be commendable. But in reality the government will take plenty from you in the future and waste it on politicians, their cronies, political favors, pork, favors to corporations in return for campaign support, etc, etc. You should accept what you are legally entitled to.
I am a single mother of 3 with an ex husband who is a deadbeat dad (yep my mistake I own it) who of course pays nothing in child support, at least willingly. I have an EBT card and it makes ends meet for us, not sure what we’d do without it.
I am not in Tennessee so it may be different in my state. Here child support enforcement garnishes my ex husbands tax returns (when they can find him) to pay back our social service benefits. They take his money (and all deadbeats we are talking about millions) they hold it in a high yield interest savings account for 6 months while it builds then they pay back the state DHS with more. I had to pay $100 (that’s also in the account ) to enroll in this service at child support services but it helps pay back they money we use and helps collect court ordered child support he wont pay me but they have the means to collect. Every single mother needed to pay the $100 and get this going.
Next I do think they could reform the system to save or provide other much needed services. When I first got the EBT I got $300 and that was enough Obummer made some deal and now I get $387 a month this is 4 people eating. I never asked for more and when I called they said it’s based on income. Even if you don’t need it they cant just give you less its all automated. $200 for one student seems like a lot $100 should be enough for a student. I am a coupon freak I could probably do it on $250 a month eating cup o noodles and mac n cheese. I think they should make people use coupons!!! In stead of buying lobster and steak I have managed to stock pile some extra stuff just in case… after all it is 2012. It does bother me when other people are buying pop, candy, lobster and fancy over the top stuff on food stamps… I pay taxes too. I’d also like to see drug test I’d be glad to take one. That would cut off a huge number of people.
I blame our grandmothers, the bra burners, they ruined the family structure in our country. They decided girls should get jobs (as if being a mother is not a job) now we don’t have enough jobs to go around. Thus leading to us girls not needing men, and men thinking we don’t need them. However 9.9 million single mothers not receiving help from fathers are ALL on gov aid. 48% of children are born to unmarried mothers that’s almost 1/2 . This is up 60% from the 70’s. Guess what we don’t need men we just need uncle Sam! So the real problem is…. We live in a family-less reality, people used to take care of each other and work hard to feed a family together. It takes 2 people to make a child and God did that for a reason!!
I am laughing at all the women on here who say “I am a single mother” with 3, 5 kids. Sorry you picked a loser to seed with.
It’s not productive at all to make comments like that. Sometimes you can be with someone for years, marry them and their character totally changes. You never truly know someone.
yeah, and then you pick another who turns out to be a loser, and then another, and then another, and next thing you know you got 5 babies with 5 different “baby daddy”.
I consider myself a liberal and think Sidney wrote a heartfelt, excellent, and cogent article. Her focus was on government efficiency and human initiative. She is concerned about bureaucracy, efficiency, and waste. Notice that not once did she condemn her fellow students who used food stamps and she praised them for their perseverance. And she did not activate a card which she was technically not suppose to get in the first place (due to lack of paperwork). Sidney also highlights her work with evidence, so why are her detractors so venal?
Those who condemn Ms. Phillips rather than just to disagree have internal issues where everyone must walk and talk in lockstep or they are evil. That’s been a growing issue over the years with both liberal and conservative ideologies.
Hanna, you are very compassionate when it is other’s tax dollars that will be spent. To me that is very cheap compassion. You should not feel so superior to others just because you are willing to take from those with more and give to those who might or might not have less. You are still taking from others, not using your own money, so you are not really giving up anything. Shame on you for calling others hard-hearted. At least they aren’t a selfish fool.
I do find it interesting how willing other people are to reach out my hand to others in need, and claim it as their own charity.
The means create the ends.
Let me see if I understand the point of the people complaining about this article. Since there are some people who need assistance with buying food, the fact that ANYONE who can figure out how to fill out a form can get them no matter if they need them or not isn’t relevant.. And to even suggest that one can get food stamps without any documentation of need is bad. Cause some people need food stamps. Ok then.
What about corporate welfare?
You can use that EBT card to buy Coke, Pepsi, Doritos, Haagen-Dazs—food stamps ARE corporate welfare.
I think before not using the SNAP money you should ask your parents if it would help them out financially to not have to pay for your food. As a student, I doubt you know the details of THEIR finances.
I’m a centrist, but as that goes describe myself as a welfare hawk. This does not bother me that much actually. I think anyone whose a student getting any government aid ought to meet a GPA requirement of, what’s good enough, say 2.5, i.e., C+/B-, but otherwise, I don’t gnash my teeth in rage over student-workers getting $200/month for food so they can be less stressed when studying and working. Note, worse than a 2.5 GPA means you are not scholarship material for now (my taxes as your aid I mean). Time to quit, work in the rat race for a year or two to establish or restore your motivation, then go back to school, at first anyway, on your own earnings and re-apply for my taxes as assistance.
I cannot believe how many people here are blaming you, the author, instead of recognizing the larger problem here. Unbelievable…and yet it happens all the time. Did you know you could use that card to buy pizza? Chips? Good stuff for Friday night. Absolutely ridiculous waste of our tax dollars.
Hanna, you seem totally sincere, however, your comment cracks me up.
You just illustrated how, while many people that have little or no need for food stamps, your friend that did need it went without. Your solution? A quick jaunt around the elephant in the room and the answer is…More of it… LOL. It’s exactly how it always works. Really, this is one of the reasons that government programs can never, and have never been efficient means to ‘help’ the societies they serve no matter what government, no matter how well intentioned. It is inherent that all government programs ultimately end up fraught with massive fraud. And the solution is always more, because it never solves the problem, but creates new ones. As it misallocates the hard earned resources of its citizens, it builds a bureaucracy of paper pushers that become ‘indispensable’ and find all kinds of creative ways to offer more and more ‘help’, creating more and more waste and fraud. It’s a never ending cycle. Well, until it collapses on itself like is happening in Europe and is about to happen here.
Private charity does these kinds of things much better and when they don’t, private individuals like me put my hard earned money to better use with another charity.
Hanna, there would be no ‘conservatives’ if anyone really believed that gov was even capable of performing the simplest task without screwing it up. Just a brief history lesson, before I go. Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, once vetoed a bill, pass by both house and senate, for $10,000 to help Texas farmers ravaged by whether conditions, because he did not see it as constitutional. He instead, encouraged everyone to give of their own money. And give they did, Texas ended up receiving around $100,000 from Americans that were HAPPY to help. I wonder how many of those people would have decided not to give if they had assumed that big gov was going to do it for them, if Cleveland had signed that bill. Anyway, I bet the people that gave that money felt GREAT about giving it, because they did it with their hearts, not but force of gov. I also bet it was administered with considerably less fraud, because the people that were involved knew the people they were helping and the people they gave their hard earned money. It makes all the difference.
imapirate502: you may not, in real life, be a pirate. You are, however, a real-life idiot.
“…The government should try hiring more (a lot more) staff to keep up with the demand instead of just encouraging the QUICK process of applications without regard to accuracy…”
I can’t believe a gov’t employee posted this — UNDOUBTEDLY AN OBAMA LOVER AND DRINKER OF THE KOOL-AID. Just trying to keep your job, gov’t employee???? The socialist/communists FORGET WHO YOU ARE when all is said and done. You think it’s bad now?? Pfffftt……yeah GROW THAT GOV’T FURTHER, see where that’s gotten us already??!!!
Get your head out of the sand!!!
btw: if the girl and her friends GOT THE EBT CARDS …. they didn’t commit fraud (not in the manner she’s described)…… THE GOVT COMMITTED FRAUD.
“Apply for ANY gov’t funded program without ‘need’ is fraudulent…”
OUR WHOLE GOVT IS A FRAUD —- why don’t you turn to them and get your $$ while you can, before it’s doled out to yet another loser who chooses to sit on his butt & play vid games & make babies instead of WORKING FOR A LIVING and paying into A FRAUDULENT SYSTEM that I’ve had the gov’t steal from MY PAYCHECK to support for 25+ yrs…….
This has been going on since FDR – those Libs and goody goods crying foul — DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
why dont you tell big oil to give back the billions the gov gave them /lol just cry about food stamps and welfair
Yes, if NOT for FDR advocating for government programs to help the poor, we could have had COMMUNISM instead as MANY workers WOULD HAVE VOTED in FAVOR of communism. You seem to be clueless that the reason for the government programs to HELP the poor and the working class was to PREVENT them from voting for a communist government instead. With communism, you would not have the ‘right’ to get the BIG pay check you are getting. So think about that and thank your lucky stars for liberals and democrats like FDR who saved your ass from a communist vote from the general population who WOULD HAVE VOTED one in if not for FDR.
Great post!
Not only do taxpayers have to subsidize the universally overpriced college eduation system we have to feed people that are perfectly able to work and feed themselves.
New college motto: ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you.
I wonder if Sydney’s college experience helped her understand this or if this insight is in spite of her college education.
Thank you Sydney Phillips for writing this column. It is so sad to see how many people are looking for a “free handout” on the backs of their fellow American citizens. We have 47% of the citizens pay no income tax at all while the other 53% have to carry the burden. Our country has turned into a giant “I want what everyone else has” attitude. I want a house, car, tv, clothes, shoes like that and I am going to get it from the government and I don’t care what the government takes it from you just as long as I get mine! Where in the world is this this coming from? Is it from their peers, the schools, the elected officials? This kind of class warfare has got to stop or it will destroy our country.
God help us.
Imapirate,
You’re right. I meant my overpriced books comment towards Tearoy. Sorry.
Here’s a curious situation that makes it seem to me that the EBT benefit is too difficult (rather than too easy) to get:
A friend of mine recently had to have emergency surgery.
Afterwards, he applied for benefits, unsure how he would survive during recovery. He was turned down for EBT and for help with utilities due to making too much money (but he would not be making money during his recovery from surgery, three-four months during which he absolutely could not work. Not an option.)
The surgery was a bypass, and was nothing he brought on himself by bad diet or lack of exercise. This person is athletic, has just completed the PS90 training series, and eats a largely vegetarian diet. Yet because of a fluke of his (young) body, he needed emergency open heart surgery.
He had no savings left due to his deductibles on his insurance having had to be met. He didn’t have family as a safety net. His temporary disability has not yet been approved and it’s been four months.
Working hard (or at all) in this case was not an option. Why weren’t the foodstamps approved for him?
The surgery was not elective. He would have died without it. I would gladly allow my tax dollars help him, and I wish fervently that they would have. Why am I paying into these programs if not to help catch people who fall on hard times through no fault of their own?
I’m left wondering why it was so easy for this student who didn’t need it and why it wasn’t possible for a sick man with a clear case of need to get EBT benefits.
I’m wondering what PhillipClay would suggest a person do in that debilitating situation, and I also wonder what he did when his four kids went to school…did they also get the hundred dollars and the handshake and not another penny? Did all of his kids leave home the day they turned eighteen, never to return? Or did he help them out on occasion?
Also, PhillipClay, I had a job in college, and I still couldn’t afford more than noodles ninety-nine percent of the time. I repeat, if you have no back-up or support system, it’s difficult to eat, pay rent, work, and get your course work done, too, and to do it all well. I didn’t take a hand-out when I was in school but if I were to talk to somebody who was in the same situation I was in back then, I would encourage them to do so. If it is possible to ease somebody’s burdon, I don’t have a problem with that.
Just because I suffered I should want everyone to suffer? It makes no sense to have that attitude. It didn’t make me stronger or smarter or tougher. It just made me hungry and distracted and malnourished.
Hannah,
If you want to ease other’s burdens and help your fellow man, then you have a right to donate money directly to whoever you choose. It is not the government’s role in a Democracy to step in and save us. Their single role is supposed to be to protect us from tyranny and the persecution of our freedoms given to us by the bill of rights. Outside of that, we are supposed to be on our own. Life is hard, wear a helmet.
imapirate502: you twist my words beyond all recognition. I never once uttered a word that even imaginatively came close to saying “I’ve got mine and you can go to Hell.” Obviuosly you are an angry person, using a privately paid for venue to spew your venom on whomever is standing close by.
My whole point was simply this: we live in a country where opportunities abound, where an individual through personal industriousness can raise themselves up to whatever level they aspire. The only barriers to that are those that we create in our own minds. Yet our government has willfully dibilitated a large segment of our population for the simple benefit of expanding their person political power. However you paint that, it is still an ugly mess that leaves us in an untenable fiscal position for generations. Apparently you dislike me and want to call me names simply because I choose not to sit on the sofa and wait for help. But I’m sure you see that as somehow all my fault too.
Foodstamps..For kids in COLLEGE…smh.
Kudos to you and the rest of your fine publication! It’s indeed refreshing to see that young people are getting involved in the conservative movement! It shows that not all conservatives are stodgy, old, cigar smoking, hard drinking politicos sitting in smoke filled rooms spewing out old beat-up cliches!
And from a personal point of view, my retired uncle and aunt, living on a fixed income, can’t get assistance because they are $4.00 over the income guidelines… Thanks to the efforts of the children they raised, they are not destitute, but it burns me up that the DHHS can “help” illegal aliens, who have never paid a cent in taxes, but refuse these people, who worked hard all of their lives and in doing so, paid for so many of these people who don’t deserve it at all, any help!
And don’t get me started on the Social Security Administration!
But I digress… once again, it’s heartening to see people such as yourselves involved in this struggle to get back to the Constitutional basics!
Hannah
Good comment. Government effects how ALL universities function, because they regulate most of them through their requirements to receive gov funding and their students receive gov backed loans and grants etc. Because those requirements inflate the cost of nearly all colleges, the ones that do not fall under those requirements have to compete for professors and faculty to hire. Also, the private universities, no longer have to compete as hard in order to be priced competitively. Ask yourself, why did college costs begin to soar at nearly parallel levels, as gov added more and more grants, backed more and more student loans and funded more and more state colleges. What explanation do you have? I read a study on this just recently. I will try to find it and post it, later.
Thank you
imapirate502:
1) You do NOT have a constitutional right to post on this blog, you have the right given to you by the conservative that wrote it. You DO have a RIGHT to write your own, but after listening to your rant, I doubt you have anything worth saying. You DO have a right, as Phillipclay does, to be offended and to offend others. Cheers!
2) The ‘right’ in this nation are far more adept at feeling empathy for their fellow man because they, unlike you, actually expect to use their own resources to help their fellow man. You prefer to ‘take it’ from others and then proclaim how pious you are for stealing it. A sure sign of narcissism if I ever saw one. And maybe you can look up what Christ says about theives when you have time.
3)Re: ‘I’ve got mine and you can go to Hell’. Phillipclay is helping 320 people stay out of poverty, not by stealing from someone else, like you prefer, but by providing a job, an opportunity and chance EARN their way through life, and although it doesn’t necessarily make him better than someone in poverty, I bet it does make him better than you.
4)Christ told individuals to help the poor and the widows. The Apostle Paul said 2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”. Being arrogant, you think you know better than God, who never commanded, recommended nor hinted that we should help the needy, through a wasteful government agency. Perhaps, you should take some time and READ the bible for yourself. It will help you to relieve yourself from some of that unwarranted self-righteous ego of yours.
5)Finally, ”reality is in no way reflective of this mindset”. As usual, liberals can’t make reasonable arguments, without setting up a straw man, first. Nobody on this blog wrote anything that should make anyone believe that they have that mindset. The ax you have been grinding has been ground to the stump and should be tossed in the garbage.
Hannah I think your comments were supposed to be directed at tearoy. If I’m wrong, I apologize.
Imapirate,
Lee is a private university. How is the government causing Lee to charge so much for textbooks that kids can’t afford to eat?
I personally went to a state school and textbooks that costs sixty dollars used could be sold back to the school for ten dollars. I forgot about that, and I had no idea that was our governments doing.
Isn’t that “price gauging?” If so, isn’t that illegal, according to our government?
You have a point, there, though. Regardless of WHY ten dollar textbooks are costing kids sixty…why are we letting the schools get away with that?
If I hadn’t been spending so much on books I probably could’ve afforded a vegetable here and there when I was in school.
When I was hungry in a tourist town that hadn’t seen snow enough to open the ski resorts that drove the local economy, I was able to get help from a local church. The reason I was hungry was because I made poor decisions and although it was a hard time, I am glad it was hard. It forced me to make changes in my life. If it had been easy, I would have kept making the same dumb mistakes. Being hungry made me take getting a job much more seriously. Being hungry kept me from using a broke-down car as an excuse for not looking at jobs in the next town. Being hungry made me walk in lousy shoes for miles on slushy roads and gave me the stamina to check EVERY SINGLE PLACE in the that town for a job. Which is why I got a job and little by little turned things around.
I hear how we should use tax dollars to qualify students for food stamps to make it ‘easier’ for students. Making life ‘easier’ is a misguided use of tax money. It sounds good until you realize that it is all the hard times that give most of us the life experience that makes us better people in the future. It’s always fascinating listening to Hollywood liberals talk about the hard times many of them went through, and even often sight those hard times as shaping them into the very people that could and did become enormously successful, and then, without skipping a beat, talk about how we should use government to make life easy for everyone. Making it easy for people is synonymous with TAKING the pride, ambition, perseverance and the best life lessons FROM them. As individuals, we should help people, but government is always a STUPID way to do it and this article points out some of those flaws.
Now, what would REALLY make it EASIER for the students would be for the government to get the H out of college completely. It is government ‘helping people’ that has driven college rates to an extreme cost. Before government decided that everyone should go to college, regardless of how ridiculously unmarketable a person’s major might be, college WAS affordable for nearly anyone with a part time job and some ambition. Imagine if students didn’t have to mortgage their futures and waste their money on terribly overpriced books. Maybe then they could find it ‘easier’ to eat. Instead, our government has driven the cost of college through the roof and helped create a corrupt system that will inevitably have us ‘bailing out’ all students loans, resulting in more taxes that will make it harder for business that will provide fewer opportunities for the everyone. All in the name of ‘helping’ and ‘investing’ in people. The people complaining about the author of this article appear to see government as being perfectly suited for ‘helping’ with so many things, but unfortunately, government ‘help’ ALWAYS makes things worse? And government investing is the same thing as government wasting.
Well let’s all thank God that Phillipclay pays his taxes; otherwise we might not have the freedom to post opinions on the internet. Further, good to know free speech is not only a tax-funded venture, but it’s also now a privelege rather than a Constitutionally-protected right. As far as axes to grind, I’ll admit I have one. It’s about the Right’s inability to feel any empathy at all for their fellow man, and their brazen narcissism that accompanies it – “I’ve got mine and you can go to Hell” – that sort of attitude. Phillipclay started his own business, so in his mind, he will always be better than the poor because, in his mind, everyone starts from the same beginning; everyone is afforded the exact same opportunities to succeed in life. And if they don’t take advantage of those opportunities, then they suck at life and Phillip wins again. If they become poor, or sick, it was their own fault for not planning on these things happening, and to help those people would be to teach them that personal responsibility is no longer needed, and we can’t have people thinking that. Of course, reality is in no way reflective of this mindset, but it is what it is. The author of the article goes to a Christian university. I wonder what Christ would have to say about this article.
Most of the conservatives I know are not lacking in empathy for their fellow man, they are instead lacking in empathy for lazy bums that want other people to pay for their poor decisions.
If taking a hard advocacy for self-reliance and personal responsibility is being “hard-hearted” then I’ll proudly accept that moniker.
You should write a book…. maybe that will inspire people to work their a**es off to put food on their table instead of wasting 4 hours to stand in line for their handout. I’m not saying all people on food stamps are undeserving, but lets be real, the system is corrupt. Thank you for your input. And I agree, a very great essay on exposing the problems in the ease of qualifying for food stamps.
Kreagantcc,
The author didn’t need the benefit because she has parents as back-up. That’s not the case with everyone.
Government has tremendous problems with waste. I don’t agree that the EBT program is one of them, in THIS case.
I didn’t apply as a student because I wasn’t aware that I had the option. I basically lived on noodles and flavor packets. I don’t recommend this.
PhillipClay,
I have no biased ax to grind. I’m sorry if I sounded condescending.
I agree the system is broken and needs fixing, but I think the girl who wrote this article is wrong to condemn the foodstamp program based on this particular experiment.
Having experienced hunger and poverty myself I am inclined not to begrudge others.
It can be very hard to lift oneself up from a low place, especially with no support.
If the government is able to help hungry students with my tax dollars, I am not going to complain about that.
Many times in my life I’ve worked more than one job at a time, survived on no sleep and on little food.
That’s WHY I don’t mind reaching out a hand to help others in need.
Better to offer help now than when it’s too late and they are too far gone for it to make a difference. I think we should help people before they hit rock bottom, actually.
It’s interesting how two people surviving a similar hardships turns one empathetic and another hard-hearted.
Hannah and imapirate502…my world view was developed after living 52 years on this earth, having served 7 years in the military reserves, and raising 4 awesome kids to adulthood. You obviously have biased axes to grind and care very little to see anything outside of your personal agendas.
I KNOW what poverty is, I’ve LIVED it – mostly here in Tennessee. And during that entire time it never once occurred to me to stick my hand out and wait from someone to put something in it. I HAVE gone from house to house asking for odd jobs, I HAVE washed dishes until the skin on my hands nearly fell off, and I HAVE known what it is like to survive for weeks at a time on just 3 hours sleep. Not because I was occupying some stupid park somewhere, but because I was WORKING. The point of this entire conversation is that our system is BROKEN and needs to be fixed. And just for the record, I resent your condecending attitudes. You know aboslutlely nothing about me or this author and yet you stand on your stump and scream insults. That is the height of narrow mindedness.
For my part, this conversation is ended…I have to get back to work, so I can make money, so I can pay taxes, so YOU can have the priviledge of FREE SPEECH.
Hannah, you’re missing the greater point. One of the points of the article, as you noted, was government waste. You also noted that the author didn’t need the benefit. The fact that she was approved is the problem. She was not hungry in the four weeks that her application was being reviewed, nor was she going to be. You said that you would have qualified for benefits while you were a student, but you never applied. Why is that? I would speculate that you weren’t hungry either. The point implied in this article is that the system failed to evaluate true need. The author’s application should have been denied.
That’s a pretty simplistic world view there, Phillip. Cleveland, TN isn’t too far away from Appalachia. I suggest you and the author of this overly-simplistic, poor excuse for an experiment take a drive north from Lee U’s campus, up in eastern TN and KY. See what real poverty looks like. Maybe you can ask some folks up there why they’re lazy and don’t start their own businesses?
Phillipclay,
I pay taxes, and I work, and I also have been a student.
While I was a student, I had a job. I did not receive public assistance, but I would have been eligible.
If my tax dollars can prevent students going hungry, I do not have a problem with that. Why do you?
It seems YOU didn’t read her article. This author does get help from her parents. Even YOU got a hundred dollars and a handshake.
Some people get nothing, and it’s hard to start when you are starting from a disadvantaged point. If we, the community surrounding these students, can make their lives a little easier, I am all for that.
It’s easier to concentrate on school without a growling stomach.
The author says EBT cards are too easy to get. I assert that four weeks of waiting is NOT too easy when one is hungry and in need. The author wasn’t hungry. if she were, she wouldn’t have been able to forget about it in the interim.
“Hard work” is easier to perform if one is not hungry.
It’s great that you were able to get ahead with your hundred dollars and your handshake, but everyone isn’t you and each situation needs to be assessed differently.
The fact that you say that in this country there is absolutely no reason for someone not to be able to feed their family as long as they work hard makes me think you’re very young and inexperienced. The very hardest working people are often the poorest.
That’s a different conversation, though.
To stick to the topic, this woman applied for and was eligible for foodstamps that she didn’t need and which she claims were too easy to get.
I reiterate: waiting four weeks is a long time to a hungry person. This article wasn’t about “working hard.” It was about government waste, but in this case it does not prove government waste.
In reading these responses to the post, all I can say is WOW! It continually amazes me that some folks insist on hearing PART of the communication. Especially when someone who disagrees with their views has the audacity to speak up. It’s really no wonder that most folks just stick their head in the sand and don’t address such issues forthrightly as this college writer has done. Instead of screaming at her, perhaps you should READ the entire article. The author clearly noted that she did NOT activate the card, therefore no money was allocated, and no starving children were harmed as a result of this article. If you will actually READ the article, you will glean from it the author’s advocacy for self-reliance, hard work, reenforcement for making good decisions, and her advocacy for a system that rewards these things which made our country great.
I know what I’m talking about too. When I turned 18, I received a handshake and a $100 bill – that was the last time ANYBODY (including the government) helped me…and I have never once asked for a handout from anyone. Today I own and run a large company providing 320+ jobs which directly feed over 1000 people. How did that happen? By hard work and sheer perserverance. When everybody else was home watching Homer Simpson or playing Agry Birds on their iPhones, I was WORKING – everyday, every weekend, and MOST nights too. More importantly we built this company to what it is today DESPITE the constant government interference and regulations that I choke on every day. In this country, there absolutely NO reason for someone to not be able to feed their family if they work hard enough, and there certainly is no reason for a system to exist that even allows a college student to apply for food stamps. If a college student doesn’t like their mac and cheese diet, then they can get a JOB just like this young lady has done, and PAY for it. Simply put, our system rewards people for NOT working hard and that is WRONG.
This author of this article is the type of American we can be proud of…she’s not someone walking around thinking somebody owes her something…she’s out there earning it EVERY DAY. Just like I did. Oh, and by the way, I personally pay over $50,000 in TAXES to the IRS every year so don’t you dare tell me I have no right to comment on these issues. 68% of the jobs in America are created by people just like me and our current system is choking us out. And when all the small business people in this country get choked out, who is going to pay for your benefits then??
I am one of those people that need assistance. I would love to be one that does not. Being divorced with children I find myself in a predicament. I need a job to eat and feed my children. I need a job to pay my bills. There are only a few decent places to work in my location that pay enough. Unfortunately, they do not pay enough for childcare (which is more than my mortgage). I commend you for having a business that allows so many people to be fed. In the past I have lost a job for lack of childcare since the company refused to allow me to work split shifts or extra hours on a different day, etc. I hope that if you find a single parent in your company that needs a little flexibility you will be able to help them so that they can continue to feed their families. The company that I worked for did not. So while I complete my degree and search for other employment I hope that you can understand my need to get food stamps.
“There are only a few decent places to work in my location that pay enough.”
Move so you can work and pay yoour bills. Move so you can work and contribute to society. Move so you can feed your children Simply put MOVE!
I’d much rather keep my house that is almost paid for, finish the last semester of school so I can get a higher paying job and keep my children in the safe environment that I purposely found for them. Thank you for your advise and understanding though.
I also feel that my been in the Air Force, receiving many awards and receiving an honorable discharge was a contribution to society. Things are not always black and white. You may also have to consider some shades of gray.
While qualifications differ from state to state, it does appear they make the standards way to easy to fill. Hearing about the people putting in that effort to stand in a line just to get an EBT card a month later has me wondering why they don’t stand in such lines for better paying jobs.
When the new Super-Walmart opened in my town, there were lines for applications and interviews. But the numbers were lower than expected.
Believe it or not, I know somebody who refused to go for a job there because she feared the starting pay would be too much and she’d lose her EBT qualification. This woman works at a McDonald’s and has for years. She has refused promotions and refuses overtime. She was told that Walmart would start her at $1 more an hour and she’d get benefits after 90 days. To her, it was not worth it to pursue and lose her hand-out.
I’m not sure the benefits and raise in pay would have disqualified her, either.
I agree that some people need that assistance. It should be for a limited time period for all but those who simply cannot work. A friend of mine and I agree on a great way to run the program, but disagree on the time period. I like 24 months max. with a 12 month extension in extreme circumstances. It should include mandatory vocational training. With telecommuting availability in this day and age, even single parents can work from home and avoid childcare costs for most days.
However, a certain political demographic wants people dependent upon food and housing subsidies. It keeps them enslaved to government systems. It keeps those people under government’s thumb. In doing so, it buys the votes of those under those programs, making loyal voters through fear of those subsidies going away.
The thing that should scare people is that it isn’t just those subsidies to the poor and unemployed that are used by that political demographic. They also use commercial subsidies to what should be private business.
http://pg-matuszak.blogspot.com/2012/01/laymans-view-on-government-subsidies.html
Ms. Phillips,
If your second thought was “How do they qualify for free grocery money?” Why didn’t you just ask them? How can you know what their private financial situation is and what makes you so sure it’s the same as yours?
Some students have parents helping them with food and rent, but many do not.
The fact that you couldn’t produce all of the pay stubs that the Department of Human Services required, to DHS, probably seemed like proof of a lack of funds. They could verify your job by calling. It’s likely they encounter this issue often amongst the poor.
You applied for something you didn’t need and will not use. You were eligible. Because you, with your full stomach, your job, and your education are sure you are never going to need food stamps you feel qualified to report on the government waste occurring?
Are you paying your own tuition, your own rent, and for your own groceries with no parental back-up or help from anyone? If so, how? You’ve been working only three weeks, correct?
Is it safe to assume you are using the “safety net” of family (which not everyone is lucky enough to have.) Is family your back-up despite the fact that this hand-out might infringe upon your freedoms? (ie. your mom might ask about your grades as the DHS office might ask to see proof that you are enrolled in school.)
You got your EBT card, which you applied for truthfully, in four weeks. You assert this was “too easy.”
Four weeks, to an actual hungry person, is a long time. To you, it may have seemed “easy” to get that EBT card. What if you hadn’t eaten in those four weeks? Do an experiment. Go all day today eating nothing. How long is four weeks now? Still seem easy?
If so, go the next twenty-eight days with no food.
Excellent response.
I’m a former conservative, turned centrist due to the overwhelming lack of compassion from the right. Your blog doesn’t even make sense.
“By using the program, students are able to save hundreds of dollars on food so they can pay for school instead of taking out an extra loan. I’m not discrediting that logic; I totally sympathize.
But when government starts to act as the hand that feeds its people and makes personal decisions for them, citizens lose their identities and freedoms. ”
You present a logical and socially productive justification for food stamps – temporary assistance for students so they can better themselves and someday not need them. Then you completely forget this and claim that the very existence of the program jeopardizes American values.
Food stamps fill a need in this country. I fervently wish the need wasn’t there, but as Jesus said “the poor will be with you always.” We can limit that need by improving access to jobs and affordable housing in this country. But those who should be creating jobs are closing factories here to move jobs overseas. The rich fueled the housing boom which put the cost of a house outside many people’s price ranges, then the crash decimated millions. Who can and will step in to help people in the aftermath? Churches? When I see churches stop building huge facilities and spend that money on the poor, then I may join you in saying my tax dollars should be given back.
I completely agree with you. This article is clearly unreasonably biased and does not hold basis for any of the senseless arguments against food stamps. After my father died, and I had no family members helping me pay for food/necessities (I was and still am a full-time student), I went to the local church to ask for help. I was denied help and literally shoved out the door. I learned shortly after that the church would be expanding and spending several million dollars on the expansion. I now hope to qualify for food stamps otherwise I will be spending some days starving as I did last fall and being distracted from my studies by my rumbling stomach(even with a full-time job-imagine that!) I am not knocking Christians. I am a Christian. However, I do feel that if churches in the community and Christian students would chip in to help feed the poor a little more instead of spending their time “doing experiments” about how easy it is to get money from the government that they receive and then proceed to “not use”, then I believe there wouldn’t be such a dependency on the government.
Most conservatives that I know aren’t against food stamps, per se. What pisses them off is the rampant abuse of the various social welfare programs, which not only wastes their tax dollars but incentivizes laziness.
“Melissa E. (@DreadfulPenny81) says:
January 16, 2012 at 2:18 am
Considering our current economic climate, do you wonder why 15% of Americans are receiving food stamps? The sooner our country changes its course in the leadership department, the better off we’ll all be.”
Melissa, considering how many people are receiving food stamps, do you wonder why our current economic climate is as it is?
I wonder if she considered what happens after college, when many students get good paying jobs that are taxed and the food stamp money gets paid back into the system over time and used to help needy students in the next few classes.
Well said, Hannah. Since the author’s parents apparently do not pay her nearly $17,000 annual tuition at Lee University (a Christian school, BTW), she must know how hard it is to earn a living in the real world, and what it’s like to go without day to day just so your children can eat. It’s good that she’s exposing the system. The 16.1% of the population of Cleveland, TN, who live below the poverty line have it far too easy. We should make them jump through more legal hoops to get assistance, even if that hinders precious time to search for a job. Further, did you know that some of them even have luxiries, like a TV or even refrigerators? How about we make them sell off their belongings, maybe then they can afford to feed their children. After all $200 a month is a fortune. This country needs to get its priorities straight. We have more B-12 bombers to buy.
I love you.
Good job attacking the Christian schools, an old chant by the bleeding-hearts imapirate502. The point of this story was to expose the ease of getting government aid, and that it is decades past needing to rein in the free-loaders that drink from the government teat. By the way, without all of the B-12 bombers and weapons past we would all be speaking German.
I do not begrudge the needy a refrigerater or simple furnishing , however i would apreciate it if more would cancle their $100+ a month cable subscriptions and discontinue their cell phone plans before asking for more of the money i have earned in order to feed their children. I agree the newest Iphone is great but unfortantely it is an apple that you can not eat.
If only it were so easy to get safe and affordable housing, help from Legal Aid when you need it, public transportation, and medical assistance the doesn’t send one spiraling into bankruptcy.
As a taxpayer I have no issue with helping people in need, including students who, in general, often do not make nutritionally sound choices.
As a human being I have no problem with sharing what I have. People ARE entitled. Nobody owns the planet and all of it’s resources, nor should they.
Part of our tax dollars are allotted towards helping those in need, and need is assessed in a formulaic way. This country produces more than enough food and sells it cheap, so perhaps that’s why rules are lax. If a baby doesn’t starve due to easy enrollment, well, that’s great.
I’d be more concerned about how much of our tax dollars go into the war fund, and how much tax money the local government supposedly funnels towards redevelopment and projects to help the underserved and homeless but don’t actually go towards those programs at all, especially in Cleveland.
I wish I’d known about EBT when I was a student. I went weeks where I ate nothing but boxed macaroni and cheese made without the butter or milk. If I was lucky I had some kind of oil to add, but more often than not I just used water.
I grew up inpovrished. Before the age of 18 i had over 40 addresses and was homeless 5 times. It is needless to say that my childhood was less than lavish,however I have grown up. I have worked hard. I own a thriving business and have created a small amount of personal wealth. As far as not “owning the plannet” my freind i worked ,went to school and have purchased a small peice of this plannet. A peice that I proudly own. I will not apoligize for hardwork. I cringe every April 15th when i am expected to pay taxes that support bloated government programs. Able bodied People who say they can not make it on there own in this counrty are either mentaly challenged or lying. “If a baby doesn’t starve due to easy enrollment, well, that’s great” Easy enrollment does not feed babies it provides hotdogs and sodas to drunk students and dead beat parents when the bars close. The enrolemt standards need to be high to ensure that there is enough charity left for those that truly need it.
That is awesome u have done that great for yourself. It does make me sick that people take advantage of the system. Let me tell u I have 4kids an my husband has been at the same job for over 12yrs and works about 60hrs a wk and we are about 62$ over the limit for help. We barely make it!! i think they need 2 look @ the whole pic…cause the way prices r rising. I think u should have 2 show that u r looking for work and not just sitting on ur butt & riding the sys. I also think if u r getting help u should b drug tested. Thanks 4 listenin:-)
Let me guess, Angie, you are a stay-at-home mom with 4 kids. Ooops, should have thought about that beforehand. Sounds like alot of pressure on your husband but you are the one bitching.
Great job, you whiny little brat. Now someone who actually needed that $200 a month to feed their family won’t get it. But don’t let that get in the way of exposing how good the poor people in this country have it.
I feel our Government only HELPS the LIARS of this country, so I am glad I work and not HAVE to LIE to EAT. I have seen these people getting their free food because (to me ) it doesn’t mean they are buying the food since it’s given to them by our tax money our Government steals from us to GIVE to the LAZY of this country.
Your an idiot Jose. Most people that receive food stamps actually f**king need them, and especially single patents with low income jobs, college students who receive no financial help, and low income families. By your ignorance I can tell you have a decent salary, but people that qualify for this do not! Do you know how hard it is to only make a grand a month while being a full time student and working 30 hour weeks, when rent is half your monthly income and utilities take up most of the other money? Probably not because your an ignorant a hole who has no clue what struggling means. I pay taxes as well and most people do. Paying for college by myself and living sucks and I am stuck living of 14 dollars for food a week. Do you think I should continue to starve, as I have for the past 2 months or should I get an ebt card and be able to get a little bit of food every week and be able to stay alive?
College is not a right, nor is it mandated to begin a career. If you are going to starve, drop out or get a loan. This whole “you don’t know what it’s like” is garbage. A lot of students work full time and go to school full time. The fact is, able bodied people who CAN support themselves are using education as an excuse to suck money from people who are trying to feed their families. That is appaling.
As for you individually, spend less on beer, more on food.
Getting a college degree and contributing to the success of our country is not garbage. Needing help paying for food because the system is designed in a way that expects your parents to provide for some of your need (when they don’t) is not cheating the system. And another thing: I’m a college student. I don’t drink. I still struggle to come up with money for food, but I’m going to continue getting my degree because I’d like to be a useful and high skilled member of society.
Dear John, I sure hope you aren’t getting a stupid, worthless degree such as sociology or theater while you are living off of an EBT. If you are, please quit school and find a full time job digging ditches or greeting at Walmare NOW, instead of AFTER you graduate from college, and save my tax dollars.
Jose, Some of the people on food stamps were once like you. Good job, money in the bank, snubbing those who were using ‘THEIR’ tax money. Then the unmentionable happened, they lost their job, ran out of assets, and had no choice but to become one of THOSE people. The thing is now they understand that ‘THEIR’ tax money isn’t paying for THOSE people, it’s paying for THEM if/when they get into that situation.
Moral of the story, stop getting upset about ‘your’ tax money, unless you don’t intend to claim it if/when you get in that situation.
Good Day.
Amber: EXACTLY I never thought that I would be on food stamps. But, I am and I paid into the system for many, many years and I will now drain it.
hey pirate, you fail. Where do you get the (phony) idea that these EBT cards are rationed by a strict limit of total recipients?
“That being said, the students I know who use food stamps are hard-working, productive individuals whose parents “won’t compensate them for the costs of college”. ”
I very much liked your comments for the most part.. I think the above use of the word “won’t” as opposed to either choose not to and/or cannot afford to cover the costs of College.
One .. My Parents did what they could but it was on me to pay for my Education. They did not “owe” me that..
Beyond attempting to provide a safe home environment, three hots a cot and some form basic education/trade skills our parents do not owe us a damn thing.
Although I agree that parents don’t owe us anything, and that we should be responsible for our own well being as adults, you’re missing something.
I make over $10,000/year and pay all my own bills and tuition, but the state of MI views me as a dependent on my mother. She gets benefits for that when she files her taxes. So in a way, I’m getting jipped because I never see any of that money that she supposedly uses to support me. None of it goes towards my education.
I’m not complaining about her, but I think it should be a lot easier for students to claim independent status on their taxes. I think the system needs to realize that students receiving no financial aid from their parents need to stop being penalized by the “Expected Family Contributions” section I have to cringe at every time I look at my Financial Aid.
“jipped”[sic]? Really?
Rebecca, it’s very likely that your mother can no longer consider you a dependant for her federal taxes. Go to http://www.IRS.gov and under Forms and Publications, look up Publ 501. You probably neither qualify as her dependant child nor as a dependant relative. This may also be true for prior years. It doesn’t matter if the school or if FAFSA consider you a dependant, the IRS does not. You may have tax refunds due for prior years – check it out!
TO: Shay Mc Laughlin, YOU have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about!! It’s almost comical. There are no “roles” or waiting lists to get on Food Stamps. I work for DHS in RI, I know. The reason why she didn’t get seen that first day is because there are only so many hours in the day and not nearly enough workers to keep up with all the social service programs. The government should try hiring more (a lot more) staff to keep up with the demand instead of just encouraging the QUICK process of applications without regard to accuracy. Shay, do your research before you comment next time!!
If you only check one state, or only work in one state. HOW do you really think you can say what another state does or doesn’t do… States that have state food programs can choose to qualifiy you even if you are not qualified by federal standards. Fix your state first then see how uneven it is… and FYI deductions for FOOD HOUSING AND WORK are given in HUGE numbers to the ELITE few.. THE 1%
Think before you speek. Just because some is fraud doesn’t mean those following the rules and working their A**es off to get ahead should be punished because the banks got away with robbing the US…
Thanks for sharing your story….. It is good for us older readers.
We worry what will happen to you and our grandchildren.
Ron
I’m sorry that it has come to this Ron, I hope we can turn things around soon before I dump too much money into Social Security.
Apply for ANY gov’t funded program without ‘need’ is fraudulent…whether you USE that card or not, it goes on the rolls and some states have a ceiling as to how many can be on the program in that state at any given time…in other words, your card will be recinded for lack of use…making it harder for the one behind you perhaps having to wait till the rolls to go down before becoming eligible. THAT is why YOU had to wait so long to hear from them–it wasn’t immediate need! Rather than NOT use your cqard, you need to do the honorable thing and tell them you no longer (never) have/had a need for it so it free’s the funds up for someone who legitimately does! Did you check into TANF? OR Section 8 housing? Didn’t think so–just an experiment…
Totally agree!
agreed!!
I agree with you. The choice to take money from people who really need it and “not use it” is disgraceful.
Give me a break. Half the people using this program don’t need sh*t. It’s being abused because our socialist leader in the white house is allowing it to be abused. There are plenty of jobs out there that these low life’s can get instead of leeching of the government.
There are SOME people that need these, on a temporary basis. But they are not there to be abused by people for years when they’re not needed. This is a neat report you did here but it’s very discouraging to see just how easy it is to get this. We need some change soon.
John, So you’ve interviewed half of the people who use the program? Just because you’ve heard that Foodstamp fraud is high and you’ve witnessed some hooligans using food stamps when they didn’t look like they had a need, doesn’t mean that people don’t have needs.
Yes there are some people that abuse the system and it sucks that they do but you don’t get to judge the ones who need it.
I know exactly why you made that comment, John. You judge people that you see using it. You’ve never done real research on ACTUAL Foodstamp fraud. Like a previous poster you liken people who spend their benefits on hot dogs and sodas to food stamp fraudsters as opposed to the real fraudulent people who sign up under others identities or hide their income, or sell the food stamps to others.
So you see someone using an EBT card that gets into a nice car and you THINK that they’re abusing it. Little do you know, they don’t own a car, they had to BORROW that car from a friend to go make groceries. You see someone dressed nicely as they swipe their EBT. Little do you know those clothes are outdated brand names that they’ve had tucked away in their closet for years. They’ve lost their job a couple of months ago and have a need.
People like you sicken me. Sucks to be judged, doesn’t it?
I’m sorrrrrrrrry. APPPARENTLY some of us are inept.
The government OFFERED her the card. Do you understand. They gave it to her. Because she “NEEDED” it. Whether she felt she could survive without it, is her own choice. If she wants the card she has every right to let it sit under her big bum.
The government will recind it for not using it and rightfully so. The issue is that the Government NEVER should have declared her as NEED worthy. So lay off her ;adjf back because she apparently is in “NEED.” And all of you that are waiting for wasted tax dollars and can just sit there and wait until EVALUATION processes are Better Regulated. Once the evaluation system is taken care of then the Money becomes USEFUL and no longer wasted. Because the people that actually NEED it, not WANT it will have it.
What you’re confusing is the difference between NEED and WANT. It’s blurry, but I think you can figure it out and forget about who’s republican and who’s a democrat.
Sorry Shay, you fail. One can generally apply for any government service, it is up to the certifying authorities do decide in one meets the standards or requisites for getting government services. Assuming the application was accuretely filled out, if the applicant is approved for the service, then according to the government they “need” it.
To the Useful Idiot that crybabied “What about Corporate Welfare?”
CORPORATE WELFARE IS NOT THE TOPIC OF THIS DISCUSSION YOU MORON!
Why do you ask your Messiah Obama about his Corporate Cronies at GE, GM, Goldman Sachs, Solyndra…
You can’t question The One because you’re a Useful Idiot. Now go back to Comedy Central.
So you’re going to leave a comment like that…and accuse HIM of being off topic.
You’re a republican Tom.
What about corporate welfare?
I laugh every time I hear the phrase “corporate welfare” Politicians often cry about “corporate welfare” in election years. The cry cooperate welfare is often used to create class envy or worse class warfare. What most people describe as “corporate welfare” is a tax break given to a company or corporation as an inducement to build or stay in a community. For example, a large company wants to move from Pennsylvania to Delaware to reduce the amount of taxes that it pays. If this company moves it will take a large number of jobs and tax dollars with it to Delaware. The loss of jobs and taxes to the local economy is often devastating. In an effort to save the local economy a state such as PA will often offer a reduction in the amount of taxes it has to pay as inducements to keep the jobs instate. By doing this the local economy is saved and people keep jobs. What you call corporate welfare is more often than not good for business, good for the economy, good for the people, and good for the country. By the way more corporate wealth = more corporate jobs = more taxes= equals more social programs. It is a simple equations just do the math.
WHOSE $$ IS IN THAT EBT ACCT??? ****MINE****
Will I EVER see my Social Security benefits (after over 25 yrs of paying into it)?? NOOOOO!!!
So, why **shouldn’t** I take my OWN $$ BACK FROM THE GOV’T — the gov’t **I OWN** — WHILE I CAN?
Do your research – absolutely awful work – one sided, no “other-side” mentioned…. no STATISTICS or TRUE TAXES/POLITICS mentioned, etc.
Awful research. Seriously.
State of WA = approximately 2 weeks to receive EBT (& other benefits) with proper interviews and proper personal info checked.
HUGE FAIL FOR THE STATE OF TENN. (especially in the ed. system)
Well done! Excellent expose into how easy it is to get on the system.
It is not easy. my daughter needs it and is told she earns too much. In the meantime she can’t afford the food which is so expensive.
Considering our current economic climate, do you wonder why 15% of Americans are receiving food stamps? The sooner our country changes its course in the leadership department, the better off we’ll all be.
This isn’t a reply to above persons statement I’m just posting here because its the first comment.
Eating right is the most important thing people can do. with out the right nutrition are brains lag. when brains lag you get hit by a car. when you get hit by a car you end up in a comma, when u end up in a comma people around u cry. Don’t make people cry give the brains food.
don’t be a jerk its not like you will ever get the money you pay in taxes back if its not used. If your starving go get food stamps, don’t steal from people or sell drugs, and don’t be ashamed, you’ll get back on your feet and when you do remember those who aren’t doing well.
Keep your brains sharp. keep your motives pure. Never give up!
Ms. Phillips,
While I am impressed that you can write a grammatically correct and well-constructed article about your experience in getting food stamps, what I feel is most lacking in your essay is historical perspective and facts.
When I entered the workforce in the late 1970’s, the wages for entry level (and later on, more middle class) jobs was stagnant, and in relation to inflation and the cost of living of what the average American makes, the compensation for most wage earners has actually gone backward since then.
For example, in 1983 I was employed in facilities maintenance for a major telephone company. After working there for three years the company restructured, prompting a job change. I then worked in the same field for the next 20 years with modest raises some years; but with declining health care and retirement contributions from my employers during this time, my earning power has actually steadily declined.
I have since become unemployed (along with millions of others, thanks to the under regulated banking and mortgage industry fiscal crisis) and have been pursuing my AA degree in an attempt to continue contributing to the best of my abilities.
Upon attempting to re-enter the workforce after Bush left office, I was utterly stunned to find out that wages and compensation packages across the nation for entry level and middle class jobs have taken a huge hit due to this latest recession.
Not only that, but upon entering the workforce, even with an AA degree, I found that I would actually be earning less over-all than I had been for comparable work almost 30 years ago.
So the answer as to why there is an increase in food stamp recipients over the past 40 years is actually an easy one: The actual compensation for most wage earners in America has gone down during this time, even after factoring in increased worker productivity, the addition of both spouses income in order to make ends meet, and the unrealized promise that ongoing tax decreases for the wealthy (which were supposed to create more and better jobs) unfortunately never materialized.
So food stamps is not the real problem here, but is actually a symptom of a chronically anemic economy that has remained either stagnant or has, in most cases, actually degraded the average American’s earning power over the past 40 years.
The facts supporting my assertions above are easy to determine if you choose to look for them.
If, on the other hand, you choose not to recognize these as historical facts, well, then you have chosen to be nothing more than a misinformed pundit for a specific ideology, rather than a helpful member of our society.
Sydney, in your future writings, please become someone interested in contributing to the dialog on how to raise the standard of living of all American’s more equitably – for the common benefit of the most of us – and not just for the financial self-indulgence of the very few of us.
Ms. Phillips,
While I am impressed that you can write a grammatically correct and well-constructed article about your experience in getting food stamps, what I feel is most lacking in your essay is historical perspective and facts.
When I entered the workforce in the late 1970’s, the wages for entry level (and later on, more middle class) jobs was stagnant, and in relation to inflation and the cost of living of what the average American makes, the compensation for most wage earners has actually gone backward since then.
For example, in 1983 I was employed in facilities maintenance for a major telephone company. After working there for three years the company restructured, prompting a job change. I then worked in the same field for the next 20 years with modest raises some years; but with declining health care and retirement contributions from my employers during this time, my earning power has actually steadily declined.
I have since become unemployed (along with millions of others, thanks to the under regulated banking and mortgage industry fiscal crisis) and have been pursuing my AA degree in an attempt to continue contributing to the best of my abilities.
Upon attempting to re-enter the workforce after Bush left office, I was utterly stunned to find out that wages and compensation packages across the nation for entry level and middle class jobs have taken a huge hit due to this latest recession.
Not only that, but upon entering the workforce, even with an AA degree, I found that I would actually be earning less over-all than I had been for comparable work almost 30 years ago.
So the answer as to why there is an increase in food stamp recipients over the past 40 years is actually an easy one: The actual compensation for most wage earners in America has gone down during this time, even after factoring in increased worker productivity, the addition of both spouses income in order to make ends meet, and the unrealized promise that ongoing tax decreases for the wealthy (which were supposed to create more and better jobs) unfortunately never materialized.
So food stamps is not the real problem here, but is actually a symptom of a chronically anemic economy that has remained either stagnant or has, in most cases, actually degraded the average American’s earning power over the past 40 years.
The facts supporting my assertions above are easy to determine if you choose to look for them.
If, on the other hand, you choose not to recognize these as historical facts, well, then you have chosen to be nothing more than a misinformed pundit for a specific ideology, rather than a helpful member of our society.
Sydney, in your future writings, please become someone interested in contributing in the dialog on how to raise the standard of living of all American’s more equitably – for the common benefit of the most of us – and not just for the financial self-indulgence of the very few of us.
Dear Mark, thanks for sharing your brilliant insight. It so terrible that people end up in a “comma” when they don’t give the “brains food”. Now I was wondering, exactly how do people fit into a punctuation mark?
I understand that the writer is young, but this type of fraudulent information is the foundation for many of the misnomers circling around federal aid programs such as food stamps.
1. They did not require her social security card because they ran all of her information–in most states the systems used by the welfare offices are connected to those of the police department as well as the motor vehicle agency. This allows for a virtually seamless background check unbeknownst to the applicant unless they ask. Most states also require recipients to be fingerprinted with pictures on file. Recipients are required to submit quarterly reports and are subject to random investigations.
2.The food stamp program requirements are VASTLY more lenient than welfare aid programs. This is partly due to the corporate welfare doled out in the form of farming industry subsidies that make food so plentiful that certain commodity producers find themselves with excess(Big corporations on welfare? Who knew!? Much better to blame it all on the poor people, right?). The primary intent of Snap is to lessen the percentage of food insecure Americans by paying in a backhand way those commodity producers–basically feeding the beast two ways: through subsidies at the corporate farming level and then those same corporations at the grocery counter. Plus starving Americans is just a bad look for a supposedly developed nation. To this date, roughly 15% of Americans face a food insecurity. Many of these same Americans are full time workers. American children also make up a fair portion of those that might go hungry.
3.Due to the present economy and in light of the above, many feel that food stamps should become easier to receive. I know of several families denied for being over the income limit, sometimes by as little as $1. I would suggest that the author increase her own productivity and spend some of her free time working in a food pantry. She would have the opportunity to see some of the real Americans who face hunger–food stamps run out and many families face shortages at the end of the month, though they work full time. She could also use the $200 sitting on her card, likely multiplying every month and buy groceries for a family that needs it. If not that, she could give the card back so that the money could be spent on other families.
4. I am also a fair bit of a historian. During the time of the Federalist papers and the creation of the U.S. Constitution, children starved to death. Malnourishment and nutritional deficiencies were rife among yeoman families. Children barely lived to five years old. The average life expectancy for most adult Americans was around 40 years old. Perhaps the author harbors nostalgia for those times but I do not. I would guess that most modern Americans are in my camp.
5. Developed countries have a sufficient safety net. It’s one of the hallmarks of being a developed nation. If the author would prefer to see children selling chicle(gum) for their daily bread in honor of hard work, Mexico is just one border away.
6. Finally most importantly, it is hard to take anyone seriously who is carping about charity given to others when they themselves are receiving a helping hand: work study is normally part of a financial aid package. A package likely including grants and loans. Loans offered at reduced non-commercial rates. Grants which never have to be paid back. Given the questionable logic displayed in this article as well as the utter lack of proper research and compassion, I would say that my tax dollars ARE being wasted…but not at the welfare office.
Well Said.
From a divorced, single mother of five getting her bachelors degree but needing assistance at the moment in the form of food stamps, I want to thank you for your well-thought out comments. I was disheartened reading so many of the negative comments. All I am trying to do is find a job that pays high enough so I can afford food and childcare (which is astronomically in its pricing and should be curtailed in some cases). If it were only me I probably wouldn’t use food stamps but my children need to eat. Imagine the number of people that wouldn’t need food stamps if jobs were more flexible about working hours. Finding jobs that have hours that will prevent the need for childcare (which is more than my mortgage) is impossible where I am from so getting some assistance from the government for food stamps so I can even begin to pay for childcare instead of food (for now) will actually help me get a job. The unfortunate thing is as soon as you get a job the amount in food stamps drops drastically right away. They should at least give you a month or so to get situated with the new bills that you have now (like childcare and gas to get back and forth). Anyway, I am rambling now but I just wanted to thank you for your comments.
I don’t have any children because i cannot afford them. Obviously you cannot afford yours if you are using my tax dollars to feed them. There is no reason to have so many children….. Especially if you can’t afford them. It disgusts me.
Are you serious? What do you want her to do? Send her kids off to DHS to hopefully eventually be adopted? In the meantime, the kids are traumatized and you are still assuming the cost as a tax payer. Get a clue. Not everyone has kids when they “can’t afford them” but the situation changes. What are you supposed to do, throw the children aside at that point because “you can’t afford them?” They aren’t like cable, internet, or cell phones that you can just cut from your budget. A lot of people right now are unemployed due to the economy, health, etc. Are the kids that they had but now “cannot afford” just to be tossed to the next waiting family? If there were enough families for older kids, then why are there so many waiting in foster care for a home? I very rarely post angry but you went a little too far telling a single mom who is trying to improve her situation what you did.
Atrina, nobody made you have 5 children.
Uh, maybe they did, if she lives in a state where abortion is severely restricted and a culture in which birth control of women is both expensive and demonized. Or maybe– just maybe– she wanted her children and loves and cares for her children and finds herself currently in an economic situation that has her struggling to support them. There are two options here: not support the kids (please research the school to prison pipeline for poor kids to see how this works out), or renounce custody of them, in which case, tax payers still help to feed her children.
You’re obviously an asshole, so forgive my tone.
She’s a mother. She’s trying to do right by her kids. That means feeding them. Are you seriously arguing that the evidence of greater responsibility is in… not feeding children?
Gd save me, I’m reduced to arguing with internet trolls.
I’m actually surprised that no one read the word ‘DIVORCED’ in your post and naturally assumed that when you had those children, you were MARRIED to someone who was helping you provide for those children. Instead they assume you just popped out five kids without thinking. I’m very sorry they think that way. It must suck to have a husband and stable life and then keep struggling and struggling. My baby girl and I do. I don’t think anyone who truly needs assistance should be ridiculed. Good luck with your degree.
Thank You!
The problem with the safety net you describe is that it is for the most part unregulated. You would only need to work one shift at your local 24 hour conveinance store to see the abuse of EBT cards. See how much of the money that is supose to put nutrician in the stomachs of small children being spent on a large fountain drink amd a hot dog. At around 1:00 am on any friday night you will see a calvacade of idiots all half drunk, hungry, and hapily spending my tax dollars. I aplaud the original poster. You sir should do so also.
Wrong. Those are both ready-to-eat convenience items and, as such, are not eligible for food stamps (in most states), and the card will not work for them.
Excellent reply. I would also recommend the recipient above to help a needy family who has been denied food stamps by buying them groceries each month instead of letting the card sit there accruing money for her to complain about. I would also like to point out the author stated her parents “generally” don’t compensate her for college costs-setting her apart from her friends whose parents never compensate them for their college costs.
My comment was directed at amelie.
To Ms. Phillips:
Yes, our society needs to become more community-based. But because of people like you, it never will. Because instead of going out and spending your free time helping the hungry and needy in the community, you are doing “experiments” attempting to prove how easy is to get food stamps. So, thanks for your contribution to society. Now someone who actually needs the money may be denied because it has already been allotted to you, although you openly admit you do not need it.
Amelie, I enjoyed your comment and that is well-intentioned advice, however I respectfully disagree. I am sure that I heard that spending food stamps on anyone other than the one who applied (and dependents of) is considered fraud. That is why selling food stamps is illegal.
I think the best thing to do is to return the card, fully funded, and explain that you don’t need it but good luck getting assistance in the future, IF you ever actually have a need.
Very well put Amelie! Adding to your comments is the fact that over the past several decades the earning power of most Americans has actually gone down while food prices and other necessities have gone up.
So much for the long-standing (and now totally discredited) idea that reducing taxes on the wealthiest Americans will actually create more and better jobs for the rest of us.
Other than the largest gap in American history between the richest and the poorest of us, all that this debunked conservative fiscal policy has created is a shrinking middle class and a monstrous national deficit.
BRAVO! Well Done!!
My thoughts after reading these comments is “No wonder our country is f**ked” … Misinformation, misplaced anger, ignorance of history among others will ensure the demise of the good ol’ U.S.A … It’s a sad thing to see
Well you might believe you are right however I am a single mother I have three children at home and who just started college. I have nothing I lost my job and because my son started college they have reduced my food stamp amount from 420 to 290. per month This makes absolutely no sense. So the people who really need the assistance can not get it and those who dont can easily get food stamps.
Ms. Phillips,
While I am impressed that you can write a grammatically correct and well-constructed article about your experience in getting food stamps, what I feel is most lacking in your essay is historical perspective and facts.
When I entered the workforce in the late 1970’s, the wages for entry level (and later on, more middle class) jobs was stagnant, and in relation to inflation and the cost of living of what the average American makes, the compensation for most wage earners has actually gone backward since then.
For example, in 1983 I was employed in facilities maintenance for a major telephone company. After working there for three years the company restructured, prompting a job change. I then worked in the same field for the next 20 years with modest raises some years; but with declining health care and retirement contributions from my employers during this time, my earning power has actually steadily declined.
I have since become unemployed (along with millions of others, thanks to the under regulated banking and mortgage industry fiscal crisis) and have been pursuing my AA degree in an attempt to continue contributing to the best of my abilities.
Upon attempting to re-enter the workforce after Bush left office, I was utterly to stunned to find out that wages and compensation packages across the nation for entry level and middle class jobs taken a huge hit due to this latest recession.
Not only that, but upon entering the workforce, even with an AA degree, I found that I would actually be earning less over-all than I had been for comparable work almost 30 years ago.
So the answer as to why there is an increase in food stamp recipients over the past 40 years is actually an easy one: The actual compensation for most wage earners in America has gone down during this time, even after factoring in increased worker productivity, the addition of both spouses income in order to make ends meet, and the unrealized promise that ongoing tax decreases for the wealthy which were supposed to create more and better jobs unfortunately never materialized.
So food stamps is not the real problem here, but is actually a symptom of an chronically anemic economy that has remained either stagnant or has, in most cases, actually degraded the average American’s earning power over the past 40 years.
The facts supporting my assertions above are easy to determine if you choose to look for them.
If, on the other hand, you choose not to recognize these as historical facts, well, then you have chosen to be nothing more than a misinformed pundit for a specific ideology, rather than a helpful member of our society.
Sydney, in your future writings, please become someone interested in contributing in the dialog on how to raise the standard of living of all American’s more equitably – for the common benefit of the most of us – and not just for the financial self-indulgence of the very few of us.
“It concerns me that 15% of the population, or 46 million people, rely on others’ tax dollars to pay for their food. That doesn’t sound like freedom to me.”
Coming from a right wing teabagger, I’m not so shocked afterall! It’s the typical, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” “I got mine”, so ‘F’ everyone else crowd. Ayn Rand would have slapped you a high 5 in her younger years….but ohh wait..in her time of need in her older years she became dependent on welfare!
Sydney, I hope you aren’t too outraged though, because I would wager to guess that all those rich Republicans who harp about welfate queens never use the government to help themselves or the monopolized corporations that they are in bed with. Better yet, lets put two wars on credit cards and give our rich buddies tax cuts they don’t need.Now that doesn’t sound like freedom to me!
So everyone, guess who is destoying the country in the sick mind of some on the right…the poor person that takes a small handout of course! It’s not the corporations, or the bloated military industrial complex; it’s those darn poor people who should stop being so lazy who are wasting our tax dollars!
It’s hilarious the blogger goes to a Christian college. If you actually opened up a bible, Christ said again and again in so many words that the rich are the scum of the earth who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Just think about that, think long and hard!
“It’s hilarious the blogger goes to a Christian college”.
You will notice that the blogger sports a STAR OF DAVID around her neck. (Jew)
you know what really isn’t freedom in America is the poor in America that cant even get food stamps but are called lazy because they struggle to make money