Food Stamps

[asmom]

I do not think that long time recipients of public aid have priority over new applicants, regardless of whether new applicants have come from a middle class background. The only program where I can think of prior recipients getting continued aid when new potential recipients do not would be subsidized housing.

You think that social workers are jealous of the middle class? Don't you think most of them are part of the middle class? At least lower middle class? And you don't think they handle applications for aid according to the rules? Whoa. What has led you to these impressions? Are you a social worker who has seen this going on?

I have noticed that we have some social workers on this forum. (I mentioned the same elsewhere today where you seemed to be insulting teachers. I think I also mentioned it once when you were insulting food stamp recipients.) I really think it is bad for these forums when insults like this are thrown around.

Isn't that the truth? I am not a social worker but I supervise them and I can assure you they are part of the middle class; they are master's prepared at a minimum and the ones who work for me make in the 60s annually. That's quite a bit over the median income. The jealousy theory is ridiculous.

[cicy33]

Isn't that the truth? I am not a social worker but I supervise them and I can assure you they are part of the middle class; they are master's prepared at a minimum and the ones who work for me make in the 60s annually. That's quite a bit over the median income. The jealousy theory is ridiculous.

Honestly this is the majority of the problem. People who have no idea what it is like to be on food stamps or any form of welfare have no clue. they assume this makes people who are on it to be bad people and those that help them must be jealous. accepting that everyone is different and no one is better than anyone else would be so much better. and worrying less about what everyone else is doing and just focus on their own lives would be so much more productive.

[Snodog]

And worrying less about what everyone else is doing and just focus on their own lives would be so much more productive.

Boy isn't that the truth.

[maat55]

Honestly this is the majority of the problem. People who have no idea what it is like to be on food stamps or any form of welfare have no clue. they assume this makes people who are on it to be bad people and those that help them must be jealous. accepting that everyone is different and no one is better than anyone else would be so much better. and worrying less about what everyone else is doing and just focus on their own lives would be so much more productive.

Seeing someone using food stamps to buy luxuries I would not buy is my business. It is no wonder this country has 13 trillion of debt, when people just close their eyes.

[disneysteve]

worrying less about what everyone else is doing and just focus on their own lives would be so much more productive.

Seeing someone using food stamps to buy luxuries I would not buy is my business. It is no wonder this country has 13 trillion of debt, when people just close their eyes.

Exactly. It is our money that is being misused and wasted when people abuse the system.

[Snodog]

Seeing someone using food stamps to buy luxuries I would not buy is my business. It is no wonder this country has 13 trillion of debt, when people just close their eyes.

I've tried very hard to see it from your point of view (really I did), but I just can't get outraged about poor people buying the wrong stuff with food stamps. Its just not in me. I guess I realize with I few bad breaks I (or anybody) could be on food stamps, even though I've never had to use them. I guess I would at least have to get rid of my nice cell phone so others wouldn't judge me.

Now there are plenty of other areas -one in particular I'm thinking of that the government spends way too much on that does upset me. The amount we spend on food stamps is chicken scratch in comparison.

[Snodog]

I just left Wal-Mart and was in line behind a women who paid with an food stamps card. The whole time I was behind her I was thinking how well off she must be to be buying so many luxury items. I did not see one generic item and she was carrying a nice cell phone, as well.

The card she had allowed her to buy 200.00 dollars worth of food, tax free. As she was nearing the end of her purchases, her and the attendant where beginning to head figure how much less the tax would lower her bill.

What really bothers me is what she was buying and that she was not subject to the taxes like I am. IMO, this is absurd. I would expect to see those given food for free only allowed to be buying very basic necessities. This is just another reason I am so against federal government cookie-cutter social programs.

I just re-read the OP and I'm still not quite sure what the fuss is about to be honest. She was allowed to buy $200 worth of food. What do you care what the quality of food she bought is? Maybe she wanted to eat less and buy more "luxury" items. Or maybe I'm not understanding something and someone can correct me?

And do you really expect people to get by without a phone these days? So what if it was fancy? Maybe it was a gift? You don't know all the details and you shouldn't always assume the worst.

I just think these people deserve the benefit of the doubt. I know I would want it if I was to find myself in that situation.

[maat55]

[QUOTE]

I just re-read the OP and I'm still not quite sure what the fuss is about to be honest. She was allowed to buy $200 worth of food. What do you care what the quality of food she bought is? Maybe she wanted to eat less and buy more "luxury" items. Or maybe I'm not understanding something and someone can correct me?

IMO, when people feel free buy luxuries they are not in need of government assistance. They can buy all the luxuries they want on their own dime, but I take affense to them doing so on my dime. It is no different than you loaning a friend money to pay his mortgage or rent, and he then goes out for a stake dinner.

And do you really expect people to get by without a phone these days?

Now cell phones are a necessity, good grief. I suppose it is my obligation to provide them as well?

So what if it was fancy? Maybe it was a gift? You don't know all the details and you shouldn't always assume the worst.

Maybe, bears don't crap in the woods. Maybe, Utopia is achievable.

I just think these people deserve the benefit of the doubt. I know I would want it if I was to find myself in that situation.

Again, we wonder why we are 13T in debt. You are free to give them that benefit with your money, it is called freewill charity.

[maat55]

[QUOTE]

I've tried very hard to see it from your point of view (really I did), but I just can't get outraged about poor people buying the wrong stuff with food stamps. Its just not in me. I guess I realize with I few bad breaks I (or anybody) could be on food stamps, even though I've never had to use them. I guess I would at least have to get rid of my nice cell phone so others wouldn't judge me.

I sold my house, to avoid bankruptcy. I gave up my golf membership, stopped cable, stopped eating out, etc. etc. to payoff debt and build an emergency fund. A few bad breaks are usually self-inflicted.

Now there are plenty of other areas -one in particular I'm thinking of that the government spends way too much on that does upset me. The amount we spend on food stamps is chicken scratch in comparison.

Pardon me for thinking a few billion here and a few billion there is important, not to mention the self-reliance damage caused by cookie cutter federal programs.

[Snodog]

[QUOTE=maat55;277045]

Now cell phones are a necessity, good grief. I suppose it is my obligation to provide them as well?

Being that my cell phone is my only phone, damn straight I consider it a necessity!

As for the rest of what you wrote needless to say I disagree strongly with your rhetoric and as it appears we both feel very passionately about the subject and since neither one of us is likely to change our minds further discussion is probably a waste of both our times. So I am going to bow out as it is hard for me to remain civil but let me say one last thing. It seems to be a horrible way to go through life always assuming the worst about people (guilty until proven innocent). People ALWAYS deserve the benefit of the doubt-until proven otherwise. I know I'm living in a Utopia and it is a character flaw I'm trying to correct.

[disneysteve]

Now cell phones are a necessity, good grief. I suppose it is my obligation to provide them as well?

I don't consider a cell phone to be a necessity necessarily but I do consider a phone to be a necessity. Many people today have a cell phone as their only phone. This is particularly true among poorer people, in my experience. I think this is because a pre-paid cell can be the most economical way to get phone service when money is tight. Also, folks who have lousy credit may have difficulty getting anything else.

[maat55]

Being that my cell phone is my only phone, damn straight I consider it a necessity!

Maybe you can explain how civilization ever made it to the 20th century without them.

As for the rest of what you wrote needless to say I disagree strongly with your rhetoric and as it appears we both feel very passionately about the subject and since neither one of us is likely to change our minds further discussion is probably a waste of both our times. So I am going to bow out as it is hard for me to remain civil but let me say one last thing. It seems to be a horrible way to go through life always assuming the worst about people (guilty until proven innocent). People ALWAYS deserve the benefit of the doubt-until proven otherwise. I know I'm living in a Utopia and it is a character flaw I'm trying to correct.

What your failing to grasp is that I am not against helping the needy, I am against the federal government getting into the business of the indivdual. These issues can be dealt with by states, communities, charities, churches and individuals.

[SnoopyCool]

The government may be paying for the cell phone and minutes, as well.

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx

[disneysteve]

The government may be paying for the cell phone and minutes, as well.

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/Enr...blic/home.aspx

Interesting. I have to say, I work in a very poor, crime-ridden city. Some of my patients do not have phone service and it creates a significant hardship. They have no way to communicate with the outside world. They can't call me to schedule an appointment. I can't call them to give results of tests they have done. This sometimes creates a potentially dangerous delay in treatment. They can't call for help in an emergency. For those reasons and more, I consider phone service to be a necessity.

Did people live without phones for hundreds of years? Sure. They also lived without heating, cooling, running water, electricity, refrigeration, proper sanitation, antibiotics and a lot of other things, but millions died as a result. I'd consider every one of those things to be a necessity at this point in human evolution.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

SnoopyCool, the link you provided calls this a government supported program, but says the the telecom companies pay for the phones and minutes. Clearly it is government supported in that the government agencies must verify that the applicant qualifies by reason of being on one of those government support programs. There may be other government support as well; I don't know....I looked at details for my state and zipcode and was a bit dismayed to see that one of the places people can go to pick out the plan (three choices through Tracfone) is at the branches of a payday lender/ check casher! The other place I think is one of the government funded block grant agencies that deal with community improvement on vary small scale.

Another phone company (not Tracfone) advertises this program on TV here. I'm pretty sure they are out to get applicants to buy services and minutes in addition to what the phone companies offer free. Of course. That's how they make money.

AT&T is another company that offers this free phone service.

DS, I hope you might be able to link up your patients who need a phone with this.