Food Stamp Fraud - The New Crime Wave

[Clementine]

Obama said he made sure more people applied for food stamps and claimed that not enough people knew about them. Yea, right. He will go down in history as the food stamp president. Of course, with all government freebie programs, the scammers make up a large percentage of recipients. Looks like a lot of people decided to take advantage of something meant to feed the children. Hey, if the givernment is giving it away, of course they'll line up.

And this is another great example of how government cannot handle things and doesn't know the first thing about oversight when it comes to these programs. I'm beginning to think that ripping off tax payers is the easiest crime there is. How stupid is the government? For years, they've known that people don't use these for buying food, but just recently some decided maybe they should limit the amount of money they can get with these cards at ATMs. And some brainiac finally figured out that maybe the debit cards should be banned in nail salons and tattoo parlors. What the hell have we tax payers been paying for? I think if someone used a food stamp debit card for a tattoo or strip club, they should be kicked off welfare and have their children put in foster homes. Can you imagine a child going hungry because mommy and daddy spent the food money at the casino?

There is an actual crime wave with food stamps, which isn't shocking considering that Obama has encouraged enrollment. I am sure these folks will vote for him since he's made sure they have fun money. People openly buy and sell food stamps on twitter.

Instead of trying to ban food stamps in a thousand different places, wouldn't be easier to say food only or you lose the card? They should restrict them to grocery stores.


Massachusetts welfare fraud: Mini-mart owner skimmed $30k per month
http://news.yahoo.com/massachusetts-...223625057.html

“The word was on the street, so to speak, [was] that you could come to this store and cash in an EBT card,” Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley told the Patriot-Ledger.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030 reported that the Legislature voted in 2011 to prohibit the use of welfare debit cards to buy alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets. And in March a state commission recommended also banning their use in nail salons, tattoo parlors, strip clubs and casinos.

Food stamp fraud all the rage on Twitter
http://twitchy.com/2012/04/19/twitte...g-food-stamps/

The Food-Stamp Crime Wave
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...033504294.html

 

[nitroz]

 

[Clementine]

At one time I would have thought that was a joke, but now know better. I'm waiting for some raging liberal to tell me I'm heartless and against feeding children because I am disgusted at the way too many people are taking tax payers for a ride. It's a big problem when millions are accepting freebies from government when they obviously don't need them. When giverment is willing to pass out cards for entertainment, of course people will take them. We've all heard the excuse from people who really don't need help- "If I don't take it, someone else will."

And why has government knowingly allowed this sort of fraud to get worse? I think I know the answer. It's all about votes.

 

[JoeB131]

Food stamp fraud is nothing new. When I was in the service back in the 1990's, there was a Sergeant in my unit who routinely had big wads of food stamps on him. He would trade cash for the stamps at a half-face value rate. The people who he bought the stamps off of would go on to buy drugs with the money.

Not surprisingly, this guy came up hot on a piss test and got thrown out.

 

[LoneLaugher]

At one time I would have thought that was a joke, but now know better. I'm waiting for some raging liberal to tell me I'm heartless and against feeding children because I am disgusted at the way too many people are taking tax payers for a ride. It's a big problem when millions are accepting freebies from government when they obviously don't need them. When giverment is willing to pass out cards for entertainment, of course people will take them. We've all heard the excuse from people who really don't need help- "If I don't take it, someone else will."

And why has government knowingly allowed this sort of fraud to get worse? I think I know the answer. It's all about votes.

Really? Millions accepting freebies that they don't need. Millions?

 

[Sunshine]

At one time I would have thought that was a joke, but now know better. I'm waiting for some raging liberal to tell me I'm heartless and against feeding children because I am disgusted at the way too many people are taking tax payers for a ride. It's a big problem when millions are accepting freebies from government when they obviously don't need them. When giverment is willing to pass out cards for entertainment, of course people will take them. We've all heard the excuse from people who really don't need help- "If I don't take it, someone else will."

And why has government knowingly allowed this sort of fraud to get worse? I think I know the answer. It's all about votes.

I saw a spot on TV a couple years ago that the new thing is to feed children 3 meals a day in school because the government knows they are not getting the benefit of the food stamps. So pay twice, feed them once.


http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dc/dc-students-receive-dinner-at-school-101910

WASHINGTON - Getting kids to eat three healthy meals a day can be a challenge, especially if money is tight. But D.C. Public Schools have found a way to take some of that burden off parents. They are now serving dinner at school.

 

[LoneLaugher]

How about putting up working links in the OP?

 

[JoeB131]

At one time I would have thought that was a joke, but now know better. I'm waiting for some raging liberal to tell me I'm heartless and against feeding children because I am disgusted at the way too many people are taking tax payers for a ride. It's a big problem when millions are accepting freebies from government when they obviously don't need them. When giverment is willing to pass out cards for entertainment, of course people will take them. We've all heard the excuse from people who really don't need help- "If I don't take it, someone else will."

And why has government knowingly allowed this sort of fraud to get worse? I think I know the answer. It's all about votes.

The problem is that 40% of those on food stamps already have jobs. Not because they are "ripping off the system" but because the jobs they hold don't pay enough to put food on the table.

And this is where you free market types have really messed it up. When you decide to increase your profit by firing one guy and make another guy work twice as hard for less money, you create EXACTLY the kind of government dependency you whine about.

 

[Claudette]

Food stamp fraud is nothing new. When I was in the service back in the 1990's, there was a Sergeant in my unit who routinely had big wads of food stamps on him. He would trade cash for the stamps at a half-face value rate. The people who he bought the stamps off of would go on to buy drugs with the money.

Not surprisingly, this guy came up hot on a piss test and got thrown out.

Yup. I know people who did the same thing. They bought stamps for half their value and then used the stamps themselves. The folks they bought em from needed cash for whatever.

Guess the taxdollar to buy food isn't good enough. They need money for nails, hair, drugs and you name it.

Loads of freeloaders out there.

 

[Si modo]

How about putting up working links in the OP?

Massachusetts welfare fraud: Mini-mart owner skimmed $30k per month - Yahoo! News


Food stamp fraud all the rage on Twitter | Twitchy

James Bovard: The Food-Stamp Crime Wave - WSJ.com

 

[LoneLaugher]

How many?

How many able-bodied adult Americans are choosing not to work and instead live off of government programs?

How many.............and how much is the total bill for this number?

C'mon nutters. Answer this question. I've been asking you for several months now.

 

[midcan5]

Category: another wingnut blaming the poor for the policies of conservative republican government and the outsourcing of American jobs.

Why is it the right will worship and kowtow to the rich as they get billion dollar bailouts and excessive pay for failure, but criticize the poor for actions they really know nothing about? If there is a Food Stamp presidency, it is surely is republican as Bush II proved, spending money on war while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and the corproations to outsource.

"SIEGEL: And I'll ask you about Mississippi. Why is it? Is it more people in need or more needy people knowing about what they can get?

DAVIS: Well, I think it's a combination of both. I mean, you know, the economic downturn of course is a contributing factor. And we know that from a historical standpoint anytime there is a decrease in the job availability, there's going to be an increase in our program.

SIEGEL: But it sounds like there are more people receiving food assistance in Mississippi than they are unemployed in Mississippi. Fair enough?

DAVIS: Well, that might be true but that's kind of a misnomer in the fact that we know that underemployment is just as important a contributing factor as the fact that there are unemployed." Why Is Food Stamp Usage Rising So Fast? : NPR

 

[Si modo]

How many?

How many able-bodied adult Americans are choosing not to work and instead live off of government programs?

How many.............and how much is the total bill for this number?

C'mon nutters. Answer this question. I've been asking you for several months now.

Whooooosh.

The point is not that they chose not to work, the point is that the government is, as usual, incompetent with taxpayer money.

Seriously, Mass only just prohibited food stamp funds being spent on alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, nail salons, and tattoo parlors? Really? 2011? That's just amazing.

 

[JoeB131]

Food stamp fraud is nothing new. When I was in the service back in the 1990's, there was a Sergeant in my unit who routinely had big wads of food stamps on him. He would trade cash for the stamps at a half-face value rate. The people who he bought the stamps off of would go on to buy drugs with the money.

Not surprisingly, this guy came up hot on a piss test and got thrown out.

Yup. I know people who did the same thing. They bought stamps for half their value and then used the stamps themselves. The folks they bought em from needed cash for whatever.

Guess the taxdollar to buy food isn't good enough. They need money for nails, hair, drugs and you name it.

Loads of freeloaders out there.

If we were talking about an econmy that was producing jobs for people who wanted them, that would be another matter.

I think there are people who abuse the system, from the lady who uses food stamps to buy a manicure to the billionaire who takes a tax credit and moves his factory to China, anyway.

 

[Seawytch]

We all know there is welfare fraud. And?

The solution is not to scrap the program, but to enforce the rules of the program. Of course, enforcing rules takes money. So, in order to save the money being wasted or abused, you must spend money.

Kind of hard to do when the GOP keeps gutting the public sector...

 

[Claudette]

Last I heard there are hundreds of thousand Govt employees all funded by we the taxpayer.

Seems to me some of them could be looking for the fraud and waste.

 

[Seawytch]

Last I heard there are hundreds of thousand Govt employees all funded by we the taxpayer.

Seems to me some of them could be looking for the fraud and waste.

Hundreds of thousands are being laid off. That does't lend itself to more enforcement, but less. I used to work for a welfare fraud unit.

 

[WillowTree]

We all know there is welfare fraud. And?

The solution is not to scrap the program, but to enforce the rules of the program. Of course, enforcing rules takes money. So, in order to save the money being wasted or abused, you must spend money.

Kind of hard to do when the GOP keeps gutting the public sector...

oh fuck that shit, stop the fraud and then come back screaming for some one else's money

 

[WillowTree]

Last I heard there are hundreds of thousand Govt employees all funded by we the taxpayer.

Seems to me some of them could be looking for the fraud and waste.

Hundreds of thousands are being laid off. That does't lend itself to more enforcement, but less. I used to work for a welfare fraud unit.

they aren't laid off, they're partying down in vegas.. dew keep up

 

[The T]

Last I heard there are hundreds of thousand Govt employees all funded by we the taxpayer.

Seems to me some of them could be looking for the fraud and waste.

Hundreds of thousands are being laid off. That does't lend itself to more enforcement, but less. I used to work for a welfare fraud unit.

they aren't laid off, they're partying down in vegas.. dew keep up

Hell yeah! Become a member of the GSA!