Posted on 03/01/2010 11:19:34 AM PST by Zakeet
*broad brush
Thank you for the link and recipe offers. I wasn’t looking for sympathy either, more appalled at the attitudes of some of our freepers that have zero understanding for those of us that have been hosed by this economy.
This family has paid way more than their fair share of taxes, given to charity, etc, ... I had tears rolling down my face as I stood in the “food stamp” line to apply along side those with tattoos, rings in their noses and eyebrows, etc. Frankly, I stood out like a sore thumb and and felt worse. I can’t remember being so humiliated in my life.
We have managed to hang on by the skin of our teeth, but would not have been able to do so without the food stamps (which we just recently got due to depleting out savings and having nothing left to sell that anyone was willing to purchase off craigslist.) After a year of being unemployed and not being able to find employment, but continuing to pay the bills that have gone up, we are pretty much wiped out. I don’t want sympathy, but would like some of you that are so hateful to those of us in this situation to remember, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
Just so you know, I didn’t think I would EVER find myself standing in a line to get a free handout. I always considered this family to have more pride than to do such a thing, but I found that when it comes to feeding one’s children, one will do whatever needs to be done, and that does NOT including putting up my children for adoption as the callous moron suggested previously.
(((HUG)) we will get through this. Feel free to PM if you just want to chat. :)
Back in 72 we moved to a job for my new husband. Within 3 months the job was gone and we were unable to find employment. We shoveled snow, cleaned chickenhouses, tried to find housework, tried for any kind of job and made many up. We used food stamps for six months. It saved us and taugth me to budget food.
My goodness! Its worse than I thought. I knew it was a high number, though.
Same story with the school lunch program. The kids have accounts rather than carry cash. It's sold as a more secure method so kids don't lose their lunch money. It's also a way to hide who is getting free meals. I think I can guess which issue drove the change away from cash transactions.
Thanks Zakeet. Glad this type of fraud is limited to Detroit. ;’)
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
Don’t know if you have seen this?
This isn’t anything new, food stamp fraud has been going on forever in Detroit.......I’m just surprised that somebody finally got busted.
She's wrong in that regard because virtually every mom and pop store in Detroit, black or white or muslim, does the same thing......
And we won't even get into the unreported income from check cashing........
The IRS could haul in billions just by giving every corner store in Detroit+ suburbs a proctological exam
My 8 year old daughter asks (staring out the car window on our way to Canada) “Momma what’s wrong with Detroit?”.............I answer “something really bad”.....”what?”...........I answer “something called Democrats”.......”what’s that?” LOL! Boy she will learn right!!
I remember the food stamp coupons scams from the 80’s and 90’s. people would sell their books and individual stamps for pennies on the dollar until they changed the process.
There were people outside the local c-store offering food in exchange for beer and cigs because they could not purchase them using gubmint money.
One woman screamed racism at the grocery store because she was denied when she tried to pay with all these random stamps that came from different people. Turned out that someone called the cops and she was arrested trying to flee with a cart filled with food.
This morning, I was in McDonalds and the person in front of me used the card to purchase her morning coffee and cookies. She was not exactly starving.
I know of one couple who was receiving food benefits far in excess of what they could consume, so they purchased food items for relatives and received cash back at a rate of 50 cents on the dollar.
I was in a store a little while ago buying a gallon of milk with cash. I usually buy half gallons, but decided to buy a full gallon and try freezing half of it as a cost savings idea. While in line, a couple of customers got to talking about their “bridge cards” and bragging about buying their junk food because it expired soon.
There I was, thinking about ways to reduce my own grocery budget while living on a beans and rice budget. Now these moochers start bragging about the sodas and candy they were buying with the wealth stolen from me.
It used to be shameful to be getting government hand outs, now the moochers openly brag as if it is a point of pride. It is getting heavy carrying these folks on my back.
Who is John Galt?
“Not all poor people are that way by choice.”
Yes they are. Being poor is a state of mind. Being broke is a temporary situation. There is a big difference.
Kibble!
I’m single and quasi-employed at the moment. I could easily live on free man kibble. Sounds great! As long as it doesn’t have coconut in it, I hate coconut.
Your point is spot on 100% true.
As the owner of a small store in Cleveland that has been in my family for 30 years, I’ve seen it all. From having to stamp the old paper stamps on the front and back before my old man deposited them in the bank to the new EBT cards of which I’ve seen 10 different state’s cards since the program started....
Oh, and the temptation to pay cash in exchange for benefits is real high, but easily dealt with cause we don’t do that crap here and never will. And if anyone believes the fraud is only $100 Million out of $40 Billion, I have some good swampland to sell you real cheap. That amount only covers those who have been caught. I figure the actual amount to be in the $500 million range.
So, we sell enough food and eligible items to be an EBT store. In Ohio there are no cash benefits on the card like there is in other states and wheras in some states you can buy beer, cigs and dog food, not here. It’s strictly food only.
And I’ve read the stories on this thread from those who really need to have the assistance and how those who really need it way outnumber those who are scamming the system. My response, sorry but maybe 20% of those who get paid not to work really need it, and no more than that. The rest are lifers who have no worries about being taken off the system. This neighborhood is full of those, city leaders know it but would rather make sure I pay my sales taxes every month on the 23rd than cut the programs out which could almost get rid of sales taxes altogether.
Want more truth....the following are actual quotes from those who have sat on their asses for at least the 16 years I’ve been here or longer.....
If I work, they’re taking my benefits away....
I can’t work cause it’s on nights and weekends and I’m too busy having fun....
I’m better than you cause I’m having fun and your not....
And the coupe de grace, IT’S THE $600 IN FREE FOOD I GET EVERY MONTH!!!
So if you think I have a heart or care about those losers think again. It’s time to stop the madness, it’s time to get back what belongs to us, OUR MONEY!!
Does anyone realize how much less things would cost if we were at full employment? Does anyone realize how easy for school teachers and administrators to stand in front of their 12-17 year boys and girls and tell them not to get pregnant because the system won’t take care of them, YOU WILL!!!
If you don’t think nice cars, TV’s, furniture boats, vacations and HOUSES have been bough with our money, think again. I have a welfare office down the street from my store and you should see the cars not in the employees’ lot. And talk to any mailman who has been on the same route for like 10 years, and you’ll find out, just like I did that they deliver 7 types of benefit checks to the same address......
This can be fixed. All it takes is the right people to start pointing out the cheats in front of a TV camera. Then the local officials can look dumbfounded and say that they didn’t know the welfare problem is that much out of control......
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