Your tax dollars at work!

[Thor]

Not too long ago I was standing in line at the supermarket checkout. There was a young woman in front of me and all she had was a package of dinner rolls. The clerk scanned the package of rolls (total cost: $2) and the woman pulls out some type of public assistance benefit card for payment. The woman then asks the clerk if she can get cash back. The clerk says, "Sure, how much do you want?" The woman then says that she'll take the balance in cash. The clerk then opened the drawer, counted out $198 and handed it to the woman!

Here are your tax dollars at work! This woman receives public assistance money in the form of a card that can be used at the grocery store and she just cashes it in so she can use the money for.... drugs? Alcohol? A spa treatment? Her scumbag boyfriend? Obviously, she only bought the bag of rolls so she could get her assistance card turned into cash.

This is what happens when the government takes money from you so they can give it to someone "less fortunate". What an outrage!

[Dregun]

I'm pretty sure the clerk broke the law by cashing out the card, I thought the government issued cards to reduce the amount of people "cashing" in checks in order to use them for other means.

However, that doesn't mean we should scrap the program; just refine it. Lets just hope that you never become unfortunate enough to need goverment assistance (like if you lost your job to outsourcing) because you would definately sing a different tune.

[LouC]

Not too long ago I was standing in line at the supermarket checkout. There was a young woman in front of me and all she had was a package of dinner rolls. The clerk scanned the package of rolls (total cost: $2) and the woman pulls out some type of public assistance benefit card for payment. The woman then asks the clerk if she can get cash back. The clerk says, "Sure, how much do you want?" The woman then says that she'll take the balance in cash. The clerk then opened the drawer, counted out $198 and handed it to the woman!

Here are your tax dollars at work! This woman receives public assistance money in the form of a card that can be used at the grocery store and she just cashes it in so she can use the money for.... drugs? Alcohol? A spa treatment? Her scumbag boyfriend? Obviously, she only bought the bag of rolls so she could get her assistance card turned into cash.

This is what happens when the government takes money from you so they can give it to someone "less fortunate". What an outrage!

How on earth could one know / recognize it was "some type of public assistance benefit card" without knowing which one?:think:

If she "only bought the bag of rolls so she could get her assistance card turned into cash" she wouldn't be asking "if" she can get cash back she would already know.

Could have been a store gift card?

Just sounds like a bogus story, with all due respect.

[JudasGoat]

could have been for something legit, buuuuuut I doubt it! :dance:

[Thor]

How on earth could one know / recognize it was "some type of public assistance benefit card" without knowing which one?:think:

If she "only bought the bag of rolls so she could get her assistance card turned into cash" she wouldn't be asking "if" she can get cash back she would already know.

Could have been a store gift card?

Just sounds like a bogus story, with all due respect.

It was absolutely a public assistance benefit card. I could see the thing as she handed it to the clerk. It had the state seal and "Department of Social Services" printed on it.

I just thought this is a perfect example of waste and fraud in the system.

[Buffalo]

How on earth could one know / recognize it was "some type of public assistance benefit card" without knowing which one?:think:

If she "only bought the bag of rolls so she could get her assistance card turned into cash" she wouldn't be asking "if" she can get cash back she would already know.

Could have been a store gift card?

Just sounds like a bogus story, with all due respect.
Some of the cards actually have other programs associated with them too. The only way one could get "cash back" is if the card carried her welfare benefits on it as well as food stamps.

[LouC]

It was absolutely a public assistance benefit card. I could see the thing as she handed it to the clerk. It had the state seal and "Department of Social Services" printed on it.

I just thought this is a perfect example of waste and fraud in the system.

Which State Seal?

[Thor]

Which State Seal?

New York. You know, the liberal Mecca.

[LouC]

New York. You know, the liberal Mecca.

Mecca for now.

Thanks

[LouC]

Images of the New York EBT Card at the LINK (http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/publications/4596.pdf)


FOOD STAMP PURCHASE
• Use your food stamp benefit account to purchase food. You
cannot get cash back from your food stamp account.
• Remember, you can only buy allowable food items with
your food benefits.
• All food stamp benefit transactions are free. There is no
limit to the number of times you can use your card for food
stamp benefit transactions.

CASH PURCHASE
• Any item may be purchased using your cash benefit
account where EBT cards are accepted.

CASH WITHDRAWAL
• Some stores will allow you to receive cash back above the
cost of your purchase.
• Some stores will allow cash withdrawal without a purchase.
• You must follow the store’s policy regarding the allowable
amount for cash back or withdrawals.
• If you use both a food stamp benefit account and a cash
benefit account at the same time your card will be swiped
through the machine twice and you must enter your PIN
twice.

[Thor]

Images of the New York EBT Card at the LINK (http://www.otda.state.ny.us/main/publications/4596.pdf)

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Interesting!

[LouC]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Interesting!

You are welcome.

They also have fraud report info at the .pdf link.

[Residential Bob]

You are welcome.

They also have fraud report info at the .pdf link."It is a crime to defraud the system or to misuse your card."

Maybe I'm missing something, but misusing the cards must be rather difficult when users have so much flexibility with them.

I can't believe that productive people are now forced to give cash to unproductive people. Er, maybe I can beilieve it. slippery slope and all that jazz.

[LouC]

"It is a crime to defraud the system or to misuse your card."

Maybe I'm missing something, but misusing the cards must be rather difficult when users have so much flexibility with them.

I can't believe that productive people are now forced to give cash to unproductive people. Er, maybe I can beilieve it. slippery slope and all that jazz.

The only problem I can see is how small an amount is being given to those poor people when so many other people have so much more than they really need.

Change Hope

/sarcasm

[Thor]

The only problem I can see is how small an amount is being given to those poor people when so many other people have so much more than they really need.

Change Hope

/sarcasm

You're being sarcastic, but I've seen people spout this tripe with complete sincerity.

You may recall a few years back when Bush cut tax rates. This gave everyone a few more dollars in your paycheck. Incredibly, a whiny liberal wrote a letter to our local paper moaning that "I have way more stuff than I need and this money should go to people who really need it." The increase in this person's paycheck was dismissed as being enough to "order in pizza twice a month".

Please, oh great and wise government! Please take more of my money and give it to those you deem more worthy!

Just amazing that people can think like this!

[CaptainPike]

It's weird how some people can't get a job, but I've always been able to find work and I could find work tomorrow if I had to.

It's not my fault that people are too damn sorry to work.

[Thor]

It's weird how some people can't get a job, but I've always been able to find work and I could find work tomorrow if I had to.

It's not my fault that people are too damn sorry to work.

The problem is that some people expect to make $50,000 a year out of the box (when they have no job skills). I saw a news report once where they interviewed some NYC teenagers and they asked the kids what they would accept as a starting salary. The consensus was basically that they wouldn't take a job if the starting pay was less than 40K! Excuse me, but I started out making minimum wage ($2.95 an hour!) and worked my way up. This entitlement mentality has kids thinking minimum wage work is beneath them!

[CaptainPike]

A bright teenager could mow yards and make great money right out of the box. A lot more than minimum wage. But that's actual labor.

[countmein]

Here in Illinois, they are given a LINK card. It has both their foodstamp money and welfare check on it. They have a foodstamp balance and a cash balance on it. The foodstamp balance can only be used for food products. The cash balance is theirs to spend however they like. They are allowed to withdrawal cash for it any time they want. Working in the convenience story business, it was nothing to see someone come in and purchase soda, bread, milk and eggs with their foodstamp balance and then beer, cigs and lotto from their "cash" portion.

[Thor]

Here in Illinois, they are given a LINK card. It has both their foodstamp money and welfare check on it. They have a foodstamp balance and a cash balance on it. The foodstamp balance can only be used for food products. The cash balance is theirs to spend however they like. They are allowed to withdrawal cash for it any time they want. Working in the convenience story business, it was nothing to see someone come in and purchase soda, bread, milk and eggs with their foodstamp balance and then beer, cigs and lotto from their "cash" portion.

Makes me feel good to know that the government confiscates my money so that someone else can buy beer, cigarettes and lotto tickets.

I recall reading that many years ago (prior to the welfare state) people who were destitute had to turn to private charities. If they determined that you were worthy of assistance (no drug addicts, criminals, alcohol abusers, etc.) they would provide you with food, clothing and a bed. But they expected you to work as long as they were providing you with assistance! You would have to chop wood, clean the buildings, work in the garden, etc. If you refused to work they told you to hit the road. Imagine that! They made you responsible for yourself!

[countmein]

Makes me feel good to know that the government confiscates my money so that someone else can buy beer, cigarettes and lotto tickets.

I recall reading that many years ago (prior to the welfare state) people who were destitute had to turn to private charities. If they determined that you were worthy of assistance (no drug addicts, criminals, alcohol abusers, etc.) they would provide you with food, clothing and a bed. But they expected you to work as long as they were providing you with assistance! You would have to chop wood, clean the buildings, work in the garden, etc. If you refused to work they told you to hit the road. Imagine that! They made you responsible for yourself!

There was a day when you had to prove that your were destitute to receive public assistance. Years ago, my granny had a friend on public aide. They would actually come to your house and do an inspection. If you could afford a telephone, no public assistance. If you could afford a TV, no public assistance. You had to have good for you food, not junk food, in the pantry. NO BOOZE, NO CIGS. Could you imagine that being done today?

[Thor]

There was a day when you had to prove that your were destitute to receive public assistance. Years ago, my granny had a friend on public aide. They would actually come to your house and do an inspection. If you could afford a telephone, no public assistance. If you could afford a TV, no public assistance. You had to have good for you food, not junk food, in the pantry. NO BOOZE, NO CIGS. Could you imagine that being done today?

I can remember exactly what you're talking about. Back in the 60s one of our neighbors (single mom) was forced to apply for public assistance. She was a good mother and used her welfare check to purchase nutritious food and necessities. Her one vice was that she liked to drink an occasional beer. The Social Services people dropped by for a home inspection one day and found a bottle of beer in her fridge. They gave her a real hard time about having beer in the house and they threatened to cut off her benefits.

Maybe we need to go back to that kind of oversight. Seems to me that if you are getting free money from the taxpayers we should have a right to supervise how you spend it.