Food stamp fraud rampant: GAO report

[loyek590]

What? So your answer is just increase tax to cover food, when the majority of Americans buy their own food already?

Why not just tax everyone 100% of their income and provide them housing, food and utilities so they can live a worry free life? A kind of "work for room and board" program for the entire population. Isn't that socialism? Pretty soon people figure out that they shouldn't be working so hard - because they get the same benefits everyone else gets for not working, and you have a disaster.

well, 100% would be the slippery slope towards total government control. But a small food allowance and a small shelter allowance and a small utility allowance would encourage frugality.

That's why you will never see food stamps for everyone. The USDA wants to see poor people buying porterhouse, not every housewife carefully trying to get by on her $80/mo government food allowance.

 

[Tsing Tao]

well, 100% would be the slippery slope towards total government control. But a small food allowance and a small shelter allowance and a small utility allowance would encourage frugality.

I think what you're proposing goes way beyond the "slippery slope" already. I don't want to pay more taxes

That's why you will never see food stamps for everyone. The USDA wants to see poor people buying porterhouse, not every housewife carefully trying to get by on her $80/mo government food allowance.

So correct the SNAP program by limiting what people can buy with their food - stop them from using their EBT card at 7/11 or some quickiee mart where they can buy all sorts of crap. Make them buy produce. Make them eat healthy. Prevent them from selling their cards for half price to other people. Work to eliminate the fraud and when you have, redirect the money saved to the individuals who truly need it.

 

[loyek590]

I think what you're proposing goes way beyond the "slippery slope" already. I don't want to pay more taxes



So correct the SNAP program by limiting what people can buy with their food - stop them from using their EBT card at 7/11 or some quickiee mart where they can buy all sorts of crap. Make them buy produce. Make them eat healthy. Prevent them from selling their cards for half price to other people. Work to eliminate the fraud and when you have, redirect the money saved to the individuals who truly need it.

so you agree with Michelle? People should eat what the government says is "Healthy"? Even though there is no evidence eating "Produce" is in any way healthier than eating meat, fish and eggs.

So it's not food stamps you are bitching about, it's what people buy with them that pises you off.

 

[Scataphagos]

I think what you're proposing goes way beyond the "slippery slope" already. I don't want to pay more taxes



So correct the SNAP program by limiting what people can buy with their food - stop them from using their EBT card at 7/11 or some quickiee mart where they can buy all sorts of crap. Make them buy produce. Make them eat healthy. Prevent them from selling their cards for half price to other people. Work to eliminate the fraud and when you have, redirect the money saved to the individuals who truly need it.

Personally, I'd like to see all this "EBT" crap abolished!

Should be replace by soup kitchens. If you're in need and hungry, you could go to a soup kitchen 3x/day and get fed. And when you get tired of that and want better in your life, YOU GET A FARKIN' JOB AND PAY FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE YOURSELF.

Would save the taxpayers/makers $BILLIONS/year while being supportive of those in need.... (as opposed to the current system of supporting ABUSERS... with no accountability of how "benefit" money is spent!)

 

[Lucrum]

...Prevent them from selling their cards for half price to other people....

Reminds me a bit of the straw gun purchases, liberals love to hate.

 

[Tsing Tao]

so you agree with Michelle? People should eat what the government says is "Healthy"? Even though there is no evidence eating "Produce" is in any way healthier than eating meat, fish and eggs.

So it's not food stamps you are bitching about, it's what people buy with them that pises you off.

No, what I agree with is that if people are part of the program that allows them to get welfare in any form, them they are subject to the rules of the program. So if someone is getting free food, then they lose the right to eat how they want ultimately. It's called the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program". The key word in there in Nutrition. It shouldn't be used to buy candy and soda, it should be used to provide nutritional meals to children and families that are in need of it. It should not be used to get cash to be used on other things (liquor or cigarettes) and all loopholes that allow it to be used as such should be closed and prosecuted.

Additionally, people should be tested for drugs when on welfare. It's tax dollars from people like myself that pay for it. I will gladly pay my tax dollars to hungry people who are trying to get buy. Gladly. What annoys me is to pay for freeloaders who abuse the program.

 

[Tsing Tao]

Personally, I'd like to see all this "EBT" crap abolished!

Should be replace by soup kitchens. If you're in need and hungry, you could go to a soup kitchen 3x/day and get fed. And when you get tired of that and want better in your life, YOU GET A FARKIN' JOB AND PAY FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE YOURSELF.

Would save the taxpayers/makers $BILLIONS/year while being supportive of those in need.... (as opposed to the current system of supporting ABUSERS... with no accountability of how "benefit" money is spent!)

I'm not that extreme. I wouldn't mind, however, if we went back to the old "food stamp" system where people had actual stamps to use. Of course, that would make fraud easier as you could sell the stamps, but the stigma of having to tear off those stamps would get people motivated to get off them.

 

[loyek590]

No, what I agree with is that if people are part of the program that allows them to get welfare in any form, them they are subject to the rules of the program. So if someone is getting free food, then they lose the right to eat how they want ultimately. It's called the "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program". The key word in there in Nutrition. It shouldn't be used to buy candy and soda, it should be used to provide nutritional meals to children and families that are in need of it. It should not be used to get cash to be used on other things (liquor or cigarettes) and all loopholes that allow it to be used as such should be closed and prosecuted.

Additionally, people should be tested for drugs when on welfare. It's tax dollars from people like myself that pay for it. I will gladly pay my tax dollars to hungry people who are trying to get buy. Gladly. What annoys me is to pay for freeloaders who abuse the program.

there's no evidence that eating the way Michelle wants you to is healthy, or smoking pot is in any way unhealthy. Maybe you trust the government to decide what is healthy, but I don't.

 

[Scataphagos]

I'm not that extreme.

I don't think of my proposal as "extreme". The parasitic social support network should be MINIMAL... BASIC SUPPORT, NO MORE THAN THAT. If you need such support to make it to the next day, well... it would be available.... but not "supporting a lifestyle"... even if meager. The makers don't "deserve" to be forced to support the ne'er-do-wells in any degree of satisfaction and/or comfort.

Some dickweed ET parasite posted/boasted, "the only meat he buys with this EBT car is filet mignon". Hell... I'm paying for mine + paying for HIS... and I don't buy filet mignon. (Perhaps I could enjoy filet IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY TO BUY HIS!) In addition, he claimed to have a $1,200 balance on his card.

What? I bought his filet AND he's got another $1,200 to spend the way he wishes at my expense? FUCK THAT!!

 

[dbphoenix]

well, lets think about it. We already pay a social security and medicare tax. Everybody bitches about it, but everybody gets the benefit. What would be wrong with a food stamp tax?

Pick a number, any number. If I was king of U.S.A. it would be today $80/mo benefit for every man woman and child, and adjusted every year for food inflation. So a family of 4 would get $320/mo.

What would the tax be? I don't know. But on a percentage basis, Warren Buffet would be paying a lot more than the drug addict.

You mean simplifying the protocols, reducing bureaucracy, cutting costs, reducing the size of government, benefiting more of the needy without increasing the overall outlay? That sort of thing?