Why Work? Free Food.

[Kern Dog]

The average person on assistance today has far more than the last generation did. Cell phones, cable TV, a car, internet access....These things cost money. A person can get by with less money if they choose to live without things that aren't absolutely necessary. Taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for anything over and above food and housing UNTIL the recipient becomes self sufficient.
Tilar had a great concept: A structured benefit schedule that weens a person from the system. Once the people start to feel the pinch of less and less in their monthly check, they will have to make up the difference somehow. Poverty is a great motivator.

[RallyeMike]

We are always going to need systems to act as a safety net for people that need it. Unfortunately, a lot of people use the safety net as a safety hammock! That's what gets people's ire up.

I know the cost of living in CA is high, but when the food stamp program in CA pays out even when you make $100k/year, something is terribly wrong. Public assistance should be at the survival level, not the comfort level.

[Brock Lee]

There is way more going on with all this that goes far deeper than the majority see. Think about this a minute. 25+ years ago, what did a person on welfare receive? They received Government surplus food and some vouchers (stamps) to buy the few things not available in surplus. Whatever food the soldiers were eating, is what was available in surplus. Usually there was a box or two of cereal, bag of pasta, powdered eggs, a big block of cheese that you had to cut yourself, a fruit that was in season, baking supplies, canned vegetables. etc.

Now they just handover a debit card and most anything goes. How much of that is spent in convenience stores paying 2-3 times the grocery store price? Even then, how much of it is real food? It is no coincidence there is more "fast food" being sold in grocery stores, the kind you just toss in the microwave, today than ever before.

I believe welfare should exist, but it could be a hell of a lot more efficient and cost a lot less. People on assistance should be provided with the basic ingredients to make their own meals. Raw meat, fresh vegetables,  fresh fruit, etc. If the items are bought in bulk direct and rationed, each meal would cost a fraction of what it does now and be way more healthy. But it will never happen because lobbyists for the food industry will make damn sure the pockets of every politician regardless of party is lined with enough cash to keep things just the way they are.

[Silver R/T]

Then there's welfare recipients who trade food stamps for drugs/alcohol, etc

[Brock Lee]

Then there's welfare recipients who trade food stamps for drugs/alcohol, etc

These days they don't. They may be able to go get food and trade it, but the actual paper vouchers that used to get traded like currency are gone. They now have a EBT card that has their name on it.

[Mike DC]

The average person on assistance today has far more than the last generation did. Cell phones, cable TV, a car, internet access....These things cost money. A person can get by with less money if they choose to live without things that aren't absolutely necessary. Taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for anything over and above food and housing UNTIL the recipient becomes self sufficient.

The line between "necessity" and "luxury" is blurrier than it used to be.  In a lot of the USA, a car is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity if you want to hold a job.

Cell phones . . . have you looked at a lot of the land-line prices lately?  

Cable TV, DVD players . . . I wont defend them as necessities.  However, none of these things really cost as much as we pretend they do.  A Blu-Ray player (not DVD, but BLU-RAY) can be had brand new for the price of a tank of gas or a decent truck tire.   That's not much money in the big picture.  People point a lot of fingers at poor people's luxury just because they've got a couple hundred dollars worth of 10yo consumer electronics.  Even at a bottom-grade wage that's only 2-4 days worth of work for them.   It's not what is putting them in the poor house.

[mauve66]

Then there's welfare recipients who trade food stamps for drugs/alcohol, etc

These days they don't. They may be able to go get food and trade it, but the actual paper vouchers that used to get traded like currency are gone. They now have a EBT card that has their name on it.

and they sell the ebt card, then go get another one, my wife works at the NV welfare office, can't stop them from just getting another one when theirs got "stolen or lost", by the time they put a stop on the card its a zero balance and the "victim" has a new card

oh yeah, in before the lock

[myk]

The average person on assistance today has far more than the last generation did. Cell phones, cable TV, a car, internet access....These things cost money. A person can get by with less money if they choose to live without things that aren't absolutely necessary.

This here is KEY.  When people cry poverty nowadays, we're talking about people with big screen televisions, high speed cable, high speed internet, the latest Apple gadget, eating out at restaurants every other night, 25" rims on their cars, multiple cars, the latest Nike shoe, and they want MORE, such as what the next guy has and they don't.  For comparison's sake, a "middle class" person in Europe has the same standard of living as a "poor, lower class" person does here in the States.  There are a lot of Americans that feel they are entitled to perks and whatnot without working for it or otherwise earning it.  People here just need to wake the frak up, or at least be reminded that they have to work for their luxuries; it's a privelage, not a right or an entitlement, and you can't always get what you want...

[J-440]

 Going back to the part where certain people should'nt have kids.  How bout a little population control?  Every male that is born, give him a temporary vasectomy with a vasi-clip.  Leave the newborn girls alone.  Let them screw each other all they want without an accidental pregnancy with unprotected sex (VD's might spike but that's what condoms are for).  Then when a couple wants to actually have a child they take a series of tests and if they prove that they are mentally and financially capable of providing for that child, remove the vasi-clip and make that baby.  Would save the country tons of money and would keep stupid people from breeding.

[Budnicks]

That's California - where a mobile home can cost $400k and the government loves to spend other people's money. Not to mention the tax breaks, health care benefits, and everything else that comes from popping out kids. In many paces - not just California - it makes more financial sense for a woman with a couple kids to stay at home and live off the state.

Troy

Amen to that brother, it not just here in Calif., but we get singled out allot, because of the idiots that allow this kind of stuff to happen... You can't fix stupid

[Mike DC]

This here is KEY.  When people cry poverty nowadays, we're talking about people with big screen televisions, high speed cable, high speed internet, the latest Apple gadget, eating out at restaurants every other night, 25" rims on their cars, multiple cars, the latest Nike shoe, and they want MORE, such as what the next guy has and they don't.  For comparison's sake, a "middle class" person in Europe has the same standard of living as a "poor, lower class" person does here in the States.  There are a lot of Americans that feel they are entitled to perks and whatnot without working for it or otherwise earning it.  People here just need to wake the frak up, or at least be reminded that they have to work for their luxuries; it's a privelage, not a right or an entitlement, and you can't always get what you want...

Yeah, but have you actually met people who fit this whole description?  Real individuals?  

It sounds to me like just a grouping of every negative lower-class stereotype that comes to mind.  Worst case scenarios do exist but the majority is not like the worst cases.  IMHO there are lots of poor people with more realistic senses of what the world owes them and what it doesn't.  Even those who take free stuff from the govt dont always think they deserve it. 

[Patronus]

I would love to see the faces of Washington, Franklin, Adams, or Lincoln today. Im sure they would hang their heads and weep.

[Kern Dog]

This may seem cruel and feel free to post your opinions, but...........
MAYBE some of us taxpayers would feel better if we would see actual humility in the faces of the people on assistance. If they looked sad or embarrassed, If they appeared apologetic or even thankful it would make some feel better about the program. I am totally supportive of helping those that are unable to fend for themselves. The injured and handicapped, mentally ill, the elderly and yes, mothers with children. I think that periodic reviews to assess their eligibility should be required if they aren't already.
Its not the USE of the taxpayers money that bothers me. Its the abUSE.

[Cooter]

Going back to the part where certain people should'nt have kids.  How bout a little population control?  Every male that is born, give him a temporary vasectomy with a vasi-clip.  Leave the newborn girls alone.  Let them screw each other all they want without an accidental pregnancy with unprotected sex (VD's might spike but that's what condoms are for).  Then when a couple wants to actually have a child they take a series of tests and if they prove that they are mentally and financially capable of providing for that child, remove the vasi-clip and make that baby.  Would save the country tons of money and would keep stupid people from breeding.

Watch out.....This is getting Dangerously close to someone screaming about "Big Brother" and such. Afterall, people have a "Right" to procreate even if it means YOU and I will be supporting that "love child". You know what pisses me off the most? When a relatively attractive woman gets pregnant and ends up on the system, I along with the rest of the taxpayers will be forced to pay for it and [we] didn't even get the pleasure side of things out of it.

[chargerboy69]

Going back to the part where certain people should'nt have kids.  How bout a little population control?  Every male that is born, give him a temporary vasectomy with a vasi-clip.  Leave the newborn girls alone.  Let them screw each other all they want without an accidental pregnancy with unprotected sex (VD's might spike but that's what condoms are for).  Then when a couple wants to actually have a child they take a series of tests and if they prove that they are mentally and financially capable of providing for that child, remove the vasi-clip and make that baby.  Would save the country tons of money and would keep stupid people from breeding.

Watch out.....This is getting Dangerously close to someone screaming about "Big Brother" and such. Afterall, people have a "Right" to procreate even if it means YOU and I will be supporting that "love child". You know what pisses me off the most? When a relatively attractive woman gets pregnant and ends up on the system, I along with the rest of the taxpayers will be forced to pay for it and [we] didn't even get the pleasure side of things out of it.

I agree.

Yea, probably not the best idea.  Sounds a little to much like eugenics to me. Who decides who can procreate and who can not?  Maybe they will think you are unfit to have children, or your children are not qualified to have children.  Then only those with blond hair and blue eyes can have children, kind of a slippery slope that does not end well.

[Troy]

This here is KEY.  When people cry poverty nowadays, we're talking about people with big screen televisions, high speed cable, high speed internet, the latest Apple gadget, eating out at restaurants every other night, 25" rims on their cars, multiple cars, the latest Nike shoe, and they want MORE, such as what the next guy has and they don't.  For comparison's sake, a "middle class" person in Europe has the same standard of living as a "poor, lower class" person does here in the States.  There are a lot of Americans that feel they are entitled to perks and whatnot without working for it or otherwise earning it.  People here just need to wake the frak up, or at least be reminded that they have to work for their luxuries; it's a privelage, not a right or an entitlement, and you can't always get what you want...

Yeah, but have you actually met people who fit this whole description?  Real individuals? 

It sounds to me like just a grouping of every negative lower-class stereotype that comes to mind.  Worst case scenarios do exist but the majority is not like the worst cases.  IMHO there are lots of poor people with more realistic senses of what the world owes them and what it doesn't.  Even those who take free stuff from the govt dont always think they deserve it. 

Yes. Many. It's not hard to find people who believe they are owed something by society (not specifically another person or group). Some are family so I see it first-hand.

From personal experience, the few who despise having to live off the system seldom live off it for very long.

Troy

[Budnicks]

This may seem cruel and feel free to post your opinions, but...........
MAYBE some of us taxpayers would feel better if we would see actual humility in the faces of the people on assistance. If they looked sad or embarrassed, If they appeared apologetic or even thankful it would make some feel better about the program. I am totally supportive of helping those that are unable to fend for themselves. The injured and handicapped, mentally ill, the elderly and yes, mothers with children. I think that periodic reviews to assess their eligibility should be required if they aren't already.
Its not the USE of the taxpayers money that bothers me. Its the abUSE.

Amen to that brother, very well said...

[stripedelete]

There is way more going on with all this that goes far deeper than the majority see.

I agree.  The iceberg is much wider.  There are a pile of middle class, unmarried couples, with children (sharing the same DNA), co-habitating, so she can pick up government assistance.  They are living in nice homes, wearing nice clothing, and driving new cars.   

Keep your ears open, one day an acquaintance will slip, and you find out they have different last names.   

I place them right up there fake disability claims. 

[73rallye440magnum]

It should be changed. If the same address is shared on the tax return, cut 'em off the assistance.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone without a legitimate physical or mental disability or handicap should only have about two months of assistance available to them per calendar year. That's time enough to find a new JOB. I'm so tired of hearing about these unemployment extensions.

[Tilar]

That's why I said what I did about the unemployment and really even welfare should be the same with most cases... I can understand 6 months but it really takes a stretch to not find a job in 6 months. After the first round the checks drop each month until it's gone. Once it's gone that's all you get... period.

[skip68]

I'm not trying to get political but, if the state is basically giving them a paycheck why not put them to work?    Think about it.   Why can't they be required to put in like at least 20 hours a week cleaning Parks or office buildings?      
If I was going to pay to feed you, pay your rent and clothing then you're going to do something for me like clean my yard or something.    
Again, not trying to get all political but what the Hell......  

[73rallye440magnum]

I'm a big supporter of chain ganging convicts and making them do the work we pay the highway crew to do. I bet veterans would be happy to sit on a horse with a rifle and supervise the scumbags.

Instead, the convicts enjoy A/C, cable tv, and three squares a day.

Different issue, though.

People collecting UEC should just commit their energy to finding a new job 

They commited no crime.

[Tilar]

I'm not trying to get political but, if the state is basically giving them a paycheck why not put them to work?    Think about it.   Why can't they be required to put in like at least 20 hours a week cleaning Parks or office buildings?      
If I was going to pay to feed you, pay your rent and clothing then you're going to do something for me like clean my yard or something.    
Again, not trying to get all political but what the Hell......  

      I wouldn't call it political, that would just be common sense...  but i'm sure one paticular political party would scream and cry and stomp their feet if anyone suggested it. Just look at the crap that Sherriff Arpaio goes through.

[NHCharger]

Instead, the convicts enjoy A/C, cable tv, and three squares a day.

Don't forget all the free health care including dental that they are apparently entitled to.

[Mike DC]

 
If you guys think prison is a cushy ride, it's real easy to get yourself a spot in there any time you want.