Agreed. If you can fog a mirror, you show up for work every day, even if it's to clean toilets in public buildings, sweep the streets, whatever. In addition, I would implement mandatory drug testing. Finally, if you are on public assistance and pay no income taxes, you don't get to vote in local or federal elections. Yeah, I know that in this politically correct society that will never happen, but it's the way I feel about it, especially when I see food stamps (or the electronic equivalent) being spent on booze and cigarettes...and it does happen.
That is moving back toward the Founders' idea of only permitting property owners to vote. It makes a lot of sense and tends to avoid what de Tocqueville saw - the ability of the people to vote "themselves largess out of the public treasury."
Food stamp fraud is rampant!
I am a triage interviewer for a local food/clothing/etc bank. Virtually everybody I interview is on food stamps. A majority of the ones not on food stamps have been denied because of a criminal record.
About 80% of the people I interview are also on “disability” or SSI which is the new unemployment. As their 99 (or what ever) weeks of unemployment is about to expire, they suddenly develop back problems, etc. Of course it can take up to two years to get on disability and you need a good lawyer.
Here in SC you can’t buy cigs or booze with food stamps but there are plenty of ways to turn food stamps into money. The scam I’m told about most (yes, these folks are not shy about scamming the system, I guess because it’s so simple) involves going to the grocery store and stocking up on the most expensive cuts of meat, paying for the meat with food stamps and then hawking the meat in the local neighborhood for $.50 on the dollar.