GOP war on the poor: Georgia

Take my neighbor. Widower, 2 cars, sweet entertainment set, and a lot of money on hand at all times. He also has no job (he's retired)... and because of that, he's on SNAP. How is that fair?
Fair? From most people on assistance, you will hear a tale about fairness; the husband who deserved the wife and left her with 4 kids to support, the 55 year old who was fired because he made too much money, the sixty year old with no job, no insurance, and a wife with cancer, etc... Life is not fair.
 
I didn't know it was the President's - any president's - job to fix the economy single handed.

Look, I don't agree with the whole "such and such President started the recession" either. Both Bush and Obama became presidents at a shitty time. Sucks to be them.

However, Bush did institute the first bailout. When that didn't work, Obama tried again. And lo and behold, both of them were wrong.

Now back to the OP, it's sad that everyone has to suffer for the corruption of others who abuse the system.

Take my neighbor. Widower, 2 cars, sweet entertainment set, and a lot of money on hand at all times. He also has no job (he's retired)... and because of that, he's on SNAP. How is that fair?

Likewise, how is it fair that people on welfare and SNAP live better than me?
I guess I could quit my job, but I still have a sense of pride.

Dude,

One must demonstrate need in order to qualify for benefits. If your neighbor has more income than you and you do not qualify, then he is defrauding the system. You should report him immediately.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

I wouldn't disagree...

But our taxes are so confusing, so byzantine in code that no one really understands them, not even the IRS itself.
 
Take my neighbor. Widower, 2 cars, sweet entertainment set, and a lot of money on hand at all times. He also has no job (he's retired)... and because of that, he's on SNAP. How is that fair?
Fair? From most people on assistance, you will hear a tale about fairness; the husband who deserved the wife and left her with 4 kids to support, the 55 year old who was fired because he made too much money, the sixty year old with no job, no insurance, and a wife with cancer, etc... Life is not fair.

Having once worked in the public assistance field, we’d often hear about the ‘well-to-do’ being eligible for benefits. It would turn out that the person relating the tale had the ‘facts’ wrong, knew nothing about eligibility requirements, and in general had no idea what he was talking about.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

can't deadbeats be tax evaders too?

at least the tax cheats pay some taxes.

I dunno if I ever saw anyone support tax fraud, have you?
 
What this has created is a land that welfare forgot, where a collection of private charities struggle to fill the resulting holes. For the Atlanta Community Food Bank, that means sending out more than 3 million pounds of canned goods, bread, and other groceries each month to churches in and around Atlanta to help feed the state's growing number of poor and near-poor.

Clear evidence that the Social Darwinism of the right is a fallacy. ‘Cutting off’ public assistance benefits does nothing to compel the poor to work.

t's a state of affairs that's left an increasing number of Georgians with nowhere to turn. Teresa, a single mom of a 2-year-old living in a domestic violence shelter, tells of how she broke down and applied for cash benefits after fleeing an abusive relationship—only to be chastised by state welfare officers who asked, "Wouldn't you rather work?" Eventually, Teresa says, "I was sitting there crying—I just didn't know what else to do. I said, you've gone from letting people sit on their butt and collect money to the very opposite of that."

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. In the end, she was rejected for failing to fill out her paperwork correctly.

Nonsense.

How is this person expected the find and keep work with a 2-year-old. Those eligible for Cash are also eligible for daycare assistance. Once the Cash recipient finds work and gets off Cash, she remains eligible for daycare for an additional two years.

Georgia’s punitive and draconian policy is making matters worse, and succeeding only in keeping people from finding work.

The destructive ignorance and stupidity of conservatives and republicans is indeed the bane of this Nation.
 
What this has created is a land that welfare forgot, where a collection of private charities struggle to fill the resulting holes. For the Atlanta Community Food Bank, that means sending out more than 3 million pounds of canned goods, bread, and other groceries each month to churches in and around Atlanta to help feed the state's growing number of poor and near-poor.

Clear evidence that the Social Darwinism of the right is a fallacy. ‘Cutting off’ public assistance benefits does nothing to compel the poor to work.

t's a state of affairs that's left an increasing number of Georgians with nowhere to turn. Teresa, a single mom of a 2-year-old living in a domestic violence shelter, tells of how she broke down and applied for cash benefits after fleeing an abusive relationship—only to be chastised by state welfare officers who asked, "Wouldn't you rather work?" Eventually, Teresa says, "I was sitting there crying—I just didn't know what else to do. I said, you've gone from letting people sit on their butt and collect money to the very opposite of that."

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. In the end, she was rejected for failing to fill out her paperwork correctly.

Nonsense.

How is this person expected the find and keep work with a 2-year-old. Those eligible for Cash are also eligible for daycare assistance. Once the Cash recipient finds work and gets off Cash, she remains eligible for daycare for an additional two years.

Georgia’s punitive and draconian policy is making matters worse, and succeeding only in keeping people from finding work.

The destructive ignorance and stupidity of conservatives and republicans is indeed the bane of this Nation.

Conservatives give far more in time, energy, and money to charity organizations than liberals do. Sell that ignorant hate to some naive college kid.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

I have a hard time getting mad at some schmuck paying a 30%+ tax doing his best to make his tax rate the same rate as the schmuck paying 10%.

Now then, if everybody paid the exact same tax rate, I might see things differently.

I still have a problem with anybody taking money, be he a thug committing robbery or a welfare recipient using the government as his means to rob others.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

I wouldn't disagree...

But our taxes are so confusing, so byzantine in code that no one really understands them, not even the IRS itself.
Yep and that's because tax laws are always compromises. Each side must get in their exceptions and exclusions. Then the IRS writes the regs and instructions to tax payers often having to meet with legislators to clarify the law. Finally, the courts have their say and the rules change again.

Every time Congress says they are going to simply taxes and reduce paperwork, they do the opposite.
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

can't deadbeats be tax evaders too?

at least the tax cheats pay some taxes.

I dunno if I ever saw anyone support tax fraud, have you?

People support tax fraud by not demanding that the government crack down on it.

With tax fraud, the government is likely to get some of the money back. With welfare fraud the government is not likely to get anything back. In fact, it can be very expensive. Putting a single parent with three kids in jail, means paying about $20,000/yr for incarceration plus the cost of foster care for the kids, cost of prosecution and a public defender. It's usually not worth the cost.

Most fraud investigations stop fraud before checks are issue. However, in LA county there are about 110 fraud investigators.

On average, Field investigators:
a. investigate from 30,000 to 40,000 investigations annually;
b. find fraud on 5,000 to 8,000 cases annually;
c. send about 1,000 cases to the DA for potential prosecution each year, with most accepted for prosecution; and
d. convictions are obtained on 95% of these cases, with court-ordered restitution on most.

Fraud Prevention and Investigation
 
What this has created is a land that welfare forgot, where a collection of private charities struggle to fill the resulting holes. For the Atlanta Community Food Bank, that means sending out more than 3 million pounds of canned goods, bread, and other groceries each month to churches in and around Atlanta to help feed the state's growing number of poor and near-poor.

Clear evidence that the Social Darwinism of the right is a fallacy. ‘Cutting off’ public assistance benefits does nothing to compel the poor to work.

t's a state of affairs that's left an increasing number of Georgians with nowhere to turn. Teresa, a single mom of a 2-year-old living in a domestic violence shelter, tells of how she broke down and applied for cash benefits after fleeing an abusive relationship—only to be chastised by state welfare officers who asked, "Wouldn't you rather work?" Eventually, Teresa says, "I was sitting there crying—I just didn't know what else to do. I said, you've gone from letting people sit on their butt and collect money to the very opposite of that."

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. In the end, she was rejected for failing to fill out her paperwork correctly.

Nonsense.

How is this person expected the find and keep work with a 2-year-old. Those eligible for Cash are also eligible for daycare assistance. Once the Cash recipient finds work and gets off Cash, she remains eligible for daycare for an additional two years.

Georgia’s punitive and draconian policy is making matters worse, and succeeding only in keeping people from finding work.

The destructive ignorance and stupidity of conservatives and republicans is indeed the bane of this Nation.

Conservatives give far more in time, energy, and money to charity organizations than liberals do. Sell that ignorant hate to some naive college kid.
I don't think you will find any good statistics that support your claim. There is plenty of B.S. on both sides of the issue.


Study: Conservatives and liberals are equally charitable, but they give to different charities
 
I find it strange that people would be so concerned about welfare fraud while seeming to have no interest in tax fraud and evasion. Yet tax evasion cost the government over twice the total amount we spend on all welfare programs.

I have a hard time getting mad at some schmuck paying a 30%+ tax doing his best to make his tax rate the same rate as the schmuck paying 10%.

Now then, if everybody paid the exact same tax rate, I might see things differently.

I still have a problem with anybody taking money, be he a thug committing robbery or a welfare recipient using the government as his means to rob others.
I think what you don't seem to grasp is that social welfare is cheaper than the alternative. Ghettos filled with destitute, elderly, and the physically and mentally ill, who have no means of support other than crime is a far worst situation than what we have today.

The East End and other areas of London in the 1700's and 1800's became synonymous with poverty, overcrowding, disease and criminality. It was the fear of the spread of disease and crime and falling property values that spurred action, not the milk of human kindness.

Dismantling welfare systems does not make the destitute productive members of society. However, it does creates social and economic problems for the entire community.
 

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