Apparently there was more than one situation going with these stamps. The first that I heard was that there was some kind of a glitch and people were eventually have to pay back those extra stamps. The second that I read was that there was an $80M settlement that was reached in a class action lawsuit against NYS back in July of this year in regards to illegal termination of benefits. (follow the link at the end of this blog for the story). I've also heard some conspiracy theories but I hate getting into those so I wont even mention them.
Now I don't care at all about how they got the stamps because it does not apply to me. Here's my issue. There are tons of idiots on Facebook, Twitter or whatever other way that you broadcast your business, BRAGGING about their food stamps. First of all, if any of them had any sense you should know that you should never share with the world you status or your income. Second of all why is being on welfare something to BRAG about?? You're BRAGGING about the fact that you don't work, that you're going to buy food to sit your lazy behind on the couch all day, that you have tons of kids so that you can keep feeding your kids, that you are going to sell you stamps to buy a new PS4.
Is being on welfare the new rich? It's a combination of laziness and greed. I thought food stamps were a temporary helping hand, not a permanent way of life. I remember growing up I used to HATE being sent to the store with that multi-colored money. I aint want NOBODY to know that we had food stamps. You were a joke if anybody saw you with that paper money. Now EBT cards are the new American Express. I see people with their carts in the store full of all the stuff i wouldn't dare buy because it might take me over my budget. Shrimp, thick cut T bone steaks, cases and cases of Pepsi. Why is this the new thing?
I saw a few comments from people saying that people do work and get food stamps. One specific comment jumped out at me that said "Damn my girl works 2 jobs and she still gets stamps. Food is expensive." Yeah I know food is expensive dummy, I PAY FOR MINE AND YOURS! I know about Welfare to Work programs. But if you have 2 jobs, lets say that they're both minimum wage, so that would be $14.50 per hour assuming that both jobs are part time totaling 8 hours a days/40 hours a week. A person can survive off of that without food stamps. Add a couple of kids in the mix and maybe not even report that other income to your case worker you could probably qualify for benefits. On top of that, you'd probably get HEAP benefits which I haven't been able to get in YEARS. AND Im sure someone has a nice iPhone on top of that.
But why is it ok for me and my husband to bust our asses working 40+ hours a week, still have to pay gas, lights, internet, insurance, 2 car notes, two kids and we aint' even bought groceries yet. But the next man is coming into the store with his shiny new sneakers paying for his turkey sub with an EBT card?? Granted, I don't know his situation but really??!!
I heard a little girl say that when she grew up that she wanted to sit at home and get tattoos and food stamps like her mama. Is that what we are teaching the kids now? You don't have to pay for anything, just sit back and let the state do it. Let the working people pay for it. The disabled, the elderly and people needing the assistance TEMPORARILY are the people that deserve it. Able bodied men and women getting TEMPORARY assistance is an embarrassment to this country. Buffalo has one of the lowest poverty rates in the country. Not because that's the way it is. It's because people are lazy and know how to milk the system and the system falls for the okie doke every time. Sure you lose your job and may have some trouble finding job. Not everyone has a savings account or family to fall back on. We've all fallen on hard times at some point in our lives. But its always temporary. Pick yourself up and make something happen for yourself. But that would be too easy.
1/6 of the country is on welfare*. 1/6??? $131.9 billion is spent on welfare benefits, and that is NOT including food stamps or unemployment.** Cutting welfare doesn't sound so bad after reading that statistic but cutting it only concerns me if it involves old people, disabled people and families that are actually struggling.
Bragging about needing assistance is not cool. Bragging about getting off of assistance and getting a job to support yourself should sound like something that you should be more proud of. Buying your children gifts with money you've earned is rewarding. Buying a car with your own money is rewarding. How is getting government assistance rewarding? A question that will hang in purgatory forever.
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| What I used to hate going to the store with |
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Check out this link to the welfare class action suit:
http://www.legal-aid.org/en/mediaandpublicinformation/inthenews/classactionsettlementendsillegalfoodstampterminations.aspx
* http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/23/why-are-47-million-americans-on-food-stamps-its-the-recession-mostly/
** http://www.statisticbrain.com/welfare-statistics/
I think there are always going to be these types of people in the lower economic class: glamourizing the wrong things, priorities in the wrong place. It's such an old issue, I feel any statement I make regaurding the situation would run the risk of sounding cliche. I feel public assistance has its place, but of course there are abusers among the beneficiaries of the service. Overall...I think it's annoying to hear, as well as to see. At the end of the day, I go back to my middle class enviornment, and continue to live my life.
ReplyDeleteTell us how you really feel lol but as someone who helps administers a federal welfare program I can defly say the welfare system needs reform badly!! There are ppl milking the system who would rather get the BARE minimum in public assistance than work and live decent. TANF and all those programs are supposedly temporary. Them shits are not temporary!!! So ppl can literally not work their whole life and have food and shelter provided for them. Then their childrem do the same and poverty is perpetuated. But the majority of ppl receiving govt assistance are actually old and disabled. Also many poor rural families. That whole "Welfare Queen" thing is blown out of proportion and actually only represents a small portion of ppl on welfare. also, NYS is the EASIEST state to receive welfare in hence our high ass taxes. These are things Ive learned in the past couple yrs. I really have a lot of beef with the welfare sys bc it holds ppl back in some cases but in some cases its needed. I do think the sys needs reform bc getting rid of it would hurt a lot of ppl....And the sys of capitalism would crumble but Im not even gonna go there
ReplyDeleteAgree with both of you. I was told that I had no right to judge because I don't understand the situation. I don't need to understand anything because I know what the deal is. Welfare fraud is at an all time high. And you're right NYS makes it super easy for ANYONE to get food stamps. If I go in there with the right paperwork I can probably get it. The percentage of people that have receivd assistance from 2-5 years is at 19%! That's one fifth! Why?? It just aggravates me.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say... i hated that we got food stamps when i was a kid. Not realizing that we only got them because my mother had a hard time finding a job fresh out the military. BUT, it was just temporary like you said. The craziest part about it is that the hardest times in our lives didn't even require food stamps. These buster better learn how to do something. My Daddy wouldn't dare accept getting stamps...he'd plaster some walls, fix a washing machine, put up some drywall or shingle a roof for money before he went and sat in them long azz interigation lines to tell all his business for some food stamps...i don't even feel comfortable getting unemployment, let alone food stamps. Why, because I feel like i should be working, and when I'm not I don't feel like I deserve money unless I earned it. Call it foolish pride if you want but, I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees!!! TheReal____
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