Free Republic

Sydney Phillips of www.thecollegeconservative.com shows you how to get food stamps without really trying. She's a college student who was conducting a social experiment on how difficult or as it turns out easy it is to get food stamps, now known as an EBT Card. She goes through the motions, not really complying with the necessary steps, failing to provide require earnings data and winds up getting her card in the mail a month later. And best of all, she can get $200 per month, to feed a hungry family of one. For many students, but not Sydney, this is...

Madison - In just two months, private investigators found nearly a half-million dollars in overpayments and cost savings in two state aid programs for the needy in Milwaukee County, with much more expected to be added up in the coming weeks. The findings of fraud in public food assistance and health care programs come after budget cuts left such investigations painfully neglected in many parts of the state, including Milwaukee County - the state's largest urban area. For the past year, the Journal Sentinel has been reporting about fraud and other problems in the FoodShare program. The contractor looked at...

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 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...

I went to the local CVS pharmacy and after having to negotiate around someone parking in the fire zone (make-up emergency?) While I was waiting in line some scruffy guy was buying one candy bar with an EBT card and wanted the change after using twenty dollars in benefits from the card. The girl checked if this was OK from another cashier and they said it was. After I made my purchase I was in time to see the scruffy guy jump into the illegally parked car and head to the supermarket with I guess eighteen dollars to buy beer...

Growing numbers of New Yorkers seeking food stamps have created an unwelcome spillover effect at some of New York City's job centers: overcrowding that in some cases has grown so severe, benefits were jeopardized. The crush of people grew so large at one Brooklyn center in November that the Fire Department intervened and prevented anyone from entering the building.

The idea is to eliminate these types of plastic bags and certain types of paper bags from our landfills. To do that, the city is considering charging customers for these types of bags for three years, then eventually banning them from many stores across the city... The city's draft ordinance includes an education campaign for the public throughout all of next year, For three years after, the proposal includes retailers charge customers without a Lone Star Card, a 25 cent surcharge for each plastic or paper bag.

During the 2010 and 2011 summers, I was a cashier at Wal-Mart #1788 in Scarborough, Maine. I spent hours upon hours toiling away at a register, scanning, bagging, and dealing with questionable clientele. These were all expected parts of the job, and I was okay with it. What I didn’t expect to be part of my job at Wal-Mart was to witness massive amounts of welfare fraud and abuse.

SAN ANTONIO — A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday. The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, remained ...

A woman in the border city of Laredo, Texas who was angry because she had been denied food stamps killed herself and shot and critically wounded her two children late on Monday. The woman, whom he declined to identify, pulled out a handgun and started walking through the office, threatening several employees, he said. She took an office supervisor hostage in a room in the office. After two hours of negotiations, the woman allowed the male supervisor to go free, but she remained in the office with her two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. "About 11:45 last...

While the capital markets may be cheering that in the past month 120,000 people supposedly found jobs, even if these were largely temporary or part-time just in time for the year end shopping sprees, we wonder how they will react when learning that according to the latest update from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), some 423,000 Americans found their way to minimum way subsistence, courtesy of Food Stamp handouts from Uncle Sam. Since the start of the Second Great Depression, food stamp participation has increased by 18.7 million, and is now at an all time higher 46.3 million. All...

'Luxury' sugar-filled goods such as $5 Starbucks coffees and cakes are being purchased using food stamps, an investigation has revealed. The tokens which are given to those living in poverty can be used to buy premium drinks and expensive snacks from the premium coffee chain, it has emerged. The revelation has caused outrage across the U.S. from those who said the scheme has become a 'waste of taxpayers' money' as the food stamps system can be abused by those receiving handouts.

SALEM, OR (KPTV) - Food stamps for Frappuccinos? It may sound shocking, but the FOX 12 Investigators discovered you can use an Oregon Trail Card, which is part of the food stamp program, to purchase the luxury drink at certain Starbucks counters inside grocery stores. With the help of Jackie Fowler, who has an Oregon Trail Card, FOX 12 went to an in-store Starbucks within a Safeway in Salem. Fowler purchased a tall Frappaccino and slice of pumpkin bread and paid for both using her Oregon Trail card. POLL: Should food stamps be allowed at Starbucks counters? "It's crazy," said...

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., joined last week with three other conservative GOP senators to propose caps on means-tested federal social welfare programs. It would require that funding for food stamps and 76 other federal welfare programs be capped at pre-2007 levels by 2015 or when unemployment falls below 7.5 percent, whichever comes sooner. It would require that food stamps be limited to essential foods such as milk and bread, as the senators said the program was originally envisioned, not, as it is in four states -- California, Florida, Arizona and Michigan -- for purchases at fast-food restaurants. "One of the...

Food stamp purchases at military commissaries have nearly tripled during the last four years, according to Defense Commissary Agency figures. The agency reports that nearly $88 million worth of food stamps were used at commissaries nationwide in 2011, up from $31 million in 2008.

Congress May Tighten Food Stamp Eligibility As Participation Reaches Record Levels Andrew Shen Nov. 2, 2011, 9:28 AM Anti-food stamp Republican Jeff Sessions. Image: AP Congress is debating ways to tighten food stamp eligibility requirements to cut rising costs, according to Politico. Costs have been rising due to food price inflation and participation in the program by a record 46 million Americans. Unfortunately this means that Americans need food stamps more than ever. The Agricultural Department forecasts food prices to go up 3.5 to 4.5 percent, compared to 0.8 percent increases last year. Meanwhile, the Budget Super Committee has to...

How in the world does the average American family survive in this economy? The median household income is a little bit less than $50,000 a year right now. So let's call that about $4000 a month. But before any of that money gets spent, you have to take out at least $1000 in taxes. That leaves about $3000 a month to pay all the bills with. With that $3000 you have to pay the mortgage (or rent), make the car payments, make the student loan payments, pay for power and water, pay for health insurance, pay for home insurance, pay...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: From Judicial Watch: "In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls. It’s part of the administration’s campaign to eradicate 'food insecure households' by improving access and increasing participation in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)," or food stamps. "This week Oregon officials bragged that the USDA has given the state $5 million in 'performance bonuses' for ensuring that people eligible for food benefits receive them and for its 'swift processing of applications.'...

Judicial Watch: Obama paying states to encourage food stamp usage. USSObama 4 hours ago In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls. It’s part of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “food insecure households” by improving access and increasing participation in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Incidentally, the program was recently changed to SNAP to eliminate the stigma that comes with a name like food stamps. Just a few months ago the federal agency that...

State Gets $5 Mil Bonus For Food Stamp Sign Up 09/29/2011 In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls. It’s part of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “food insecure households” by improving access and increasing participation in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Incidentally, the program was recently changed to SNAP to eliminate the stigma that comes with a name like food stamps. Just a few months ago the federal agency that administers the program,...