Government Handouts?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I was reading another message board where people were complaining about government handouts and being on the dole.

Yet it was ironic that many people received WIC, food stamps, state subsidized low income health insurance. Here they are receiving government assistance yet bashing it.

Then they continued about how higher taxes are bad. Yet most people pay ZERO taxes. They are getting more than they paid in with EIC and child tax credits! What is up with that?

They don't seem to get they are on the receiving end of government handouts yet complain about all the people on government handouts. WTF?

It pisses me off more than people on handouts. FWIW, I pay lots of taxes. I will never qualify for the child tax credit and I definitely am in the set of people paying out. But that's fine. I just am pissed over the people bitching who DON'T pay any taxes.

[Goldy1]

Don't ask me. I have always been stuck here in the middle class.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I'm trying to figure out what the focus of that message board must be. Something about low income parents of preschoolers? (Have to be pregnant or 5 and under to get WIC.) Weird.

All I can figure is that they must feel sure that some day they, too, will be federal tax payers and they don't want to pay high taxes when they get to that point.

Oh yeah, if these people are wage earners, they most likely are paying FICA and could also be paying local income taxes (My city, for example, has a flat rate earned income tax with no exceptions.), not to mention sales taxes. So they probably do consider themselves taxpayers.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

No just people in general griping about high taxes and personal finance. Most think they are paying high taxes, until later it comes out they get back huge tax refunds. Which is from child tax credits, which means they pay ZERO.

While people who paying through their eye teeth have to suck it up. I have no kids so I don't get the credit. But boy does it suck to know I won't ever get it.

[Angio333]

I feel your pain. My wife and I don't have kids. Taxes still took a HUGE bite out of our paychecks, even after a refund. Not to mention sales tax, and all of the other taxes.


About two months ago I was behind someone in line who was buying food with an Ohio Direction card (food stamps) and then used cash to but $30 worth of alcohol. It made me angry since her food was less than what she spent on alcohol....so she could have paid for it.

[Pitman]

Originally Posted by Goldy1

Don't ask me. I have always been stuck here in the middle class.

Not to mention, I get taxed double since I work in another county but live in NYC. When I saw how much taxes they took out of my bonus check, I damn near cried.

[Goldy1]

I remember my old boyfreind used to complain that he hated it when people in front of him in line would use food stamps to buy food he would forgo b/c of the price(like snacky foods etc)
I am sure the cost of kids esp daycare outweighs any potential tax benefit.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Ouch on the taxes. No I'm okay with food stamps. It's more people who complain about the food stamps people but aren't paying for the food stamps people. Shouldn't the tax payers who pay taxes complain?

[asmom]

I have found that people who have been exposed to that lifestyle are often the harshest. My husband was a welfare kid and he has never forgiven his mother for it. It has shaped the way he views money and his self-worth to this very day and he's over 40. Isn't there some saying about nobody being more self-righteous than the reformed alchoholic/gambler/sinner etc? I think it's the same with folks on welfare.

[swanson719]

I don't think you should be allowed to purchase alcohol and use food stamps period. I wish there was a way to enforce personal responsibility w.o playing big brother. If you get gov't subsidies, you should use them responsibly. If we're paying taxes to pay for someones food stamps, unemployment, welfare, health care, etc. then the people on the receiving end of that should be grateful for it instead of squander it and force us further into debt because we have to up the subsidies, which they just squander then.

[m3racer]

These people will never learn. Our system is set up to reward the lazy and irresponsible. Thank you Obama and Congress.

[m3racer]

All the presidential election of 2008 proved is that it’s really easy to make idiot voters out of ignorant people by promising them free stuff.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

m3racer, are you referring to bankers and insurance company employees?

[Goldy1]

I don't think you should be allowed to buy soda with food stamps. It has no nutritional value. I don't think it's very possible to police what people buy nor should we, but how hard it be to exclude soda? I actually read some people use food stamps to buy a ton of cheap canned storebrand soda, dump it out, and use the return money for alcohol. How bottom barrel can you get?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

probably it's the bankers now working the system!

[cptacek]

I've said this on another thread before...I think the same rules for WIC should be applied to food stamps. The same foods, etc. The WIC food is nutritional, if somewhat repetitive, but hey, it's free, so be happy about getting it if you qualify.

Perhaps add a bit more...I just looked, and it is tuna, carrots, eggs, milk, cheese, dried peas, beans and lentils, peanut butter, cereal and juice. Add some bread, pasta, some other meat and some other vegetables (canned or frozen) and that is quite the pantry.

[Angio333]

I don't have a problem with people who need a helping hand getting foodd stamps. I have a problem when it is abused. for example, using them to buy your food, then buying a ton of alcohol and junk food in cash.

[m3racer]

Originally Posted by Angio333

I have a problem when it is abused.

There in lies the problem with our society. There are too many people that abuse the system. This fact will never change unless there are fundamental changes made to the system. There are some excellent points made by the above posters. We need more regulation/rules when it comes to these hand outs. If Obama and Congress want to do this to the corrupt big corporations than they should also do it for the corrupt lazy leaches of our society. There are too many rotten apples that ruin the barrel. It's a noble idea to help all those in need but it's not practical.