Thread: 4 more years of welfare and food stamps

Pols: Welfare abuse runs deep

By John Zaremba and Chris Cassidy
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - Updated 7 months ago



A convicted drug dealer ? who cops said wanted to use cash from his taxpayer-funded EBT card to post bail ? is the new face of welfare abuse, according to tough-minded lawmakers who are pushing the reform-resistant Patrick administration for a crackdown.
Kimball Clark, 45, was locked up Friday on drug-dealing charges ? again ? when he was overheard using his one phone call to ask the person on the other end of the line to ?get my EBT card and go to the ATM and get the money to bail me out, get me outa here tonight,? according to a Boston police report.
?It?s another outrage,? said state Rep. Shaunna O?Connell (R-Taunton), a member of the EBT Task Force who criticized the group for failing to push tough restrictions on the use of the controversial cards. ?When we were on the EBT Card Commission, I fought to get bail bondsmen on that list of places where people could not use their EBT cards. They fought me on it and told me people can?t use their EBT cards in that way.?

Beacon Hill was forced to mull reforms after the Herald reported people were spending welfare cash on booze, cigarettes and scratch cards.
?Obviously the Department of Transitional Assistance has no idea how people use these cards and how the cards work,? O?Connell said.


State Rep. Russell E. Holmes (D-Boston), another advocate for tough reforms, said he was hardly surprised that a drug suspect would try to bail himself out with money from a taxpayer-funded EBT card.
?It?s exactly the type of activity that can occur when folks are allowed to get money off their EBT card,? Holmes said.
Clark, who gave police a South End address, is charged with distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school. He posted bail and was released, but it is unclear where he got the money. Police said he had $758 in cash on him when he was busted Friday in what cops say was a deal in progress in Dorchester, but that cash was seized. Efforts to reach Clark for comment yesterday were unsuccessful. It is unclear whether he has an EBT card assigned to him. His prior convictions include assault and battery in 2007 and cocaine possession with intent to distribute in 2006, according to the Suffolk District Attorney?s Office.
Because cash is hard to trace, EBT-funded bail payments could be widespread, Holmes said. ?One of the arguments I?ve heard is we don?t know how much fraud and abuse there is. But that?s the problem ? we don?t know because there?s no way to track it. When it comes to how much of this has happened in jail, there?s no way for us to know that.?
O?Connell and other lawmakers filed a bill last week pushing for tougher regulations than those recommended by the EBT commission, which advised banning the cards at nail salons, tattoo parlors, strip clubs and casinos ? but not at ATMs, jewelry stores, health clubs, rent-a-centers and cruise liners.
O?Connell?s bill specifically prohibits bail bondsmen from accepting EBT cards and bars cash access through ATMs. O?Connell said her bill also would have allowed the Boston police officer overhearing the suspect?s call to inform him he couldn?t use the card toward his bail.






-? john.zaremba@bostonherald.com

Originally Posted by DOBE

Americans just voted for four more years of food stamps, welfare and crushing debt instead of jobs. Makes ya proud to be a citizen of the greatest mediocre country in the world after all aspiring to become or being a millionaire is "baaaad". dems want a level the playing field spread the wealth around everyone should suffer equally!Thats gooood! Now I know how guys like mussolini and hitler came to power. Never underestimate the ignorance of the general public. Obummer

Actually Hitler came to power by Germany being in a severely depressed economic state with a weak government. Hitler, being a fantastic speaker, led the Deutsche arbeiterpartei and got himself appointed chancellor by von Hindenburg. The rest is history. It had nothing to do with the GOP version of socialism.

Wow whats worse, ignorant rednecks or the people their trying to talk about.

Hello socialism. The federal government has far too much power, they'll be wiping our ass too, soon..

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- More than one in seven Americans are on food stamps, but the federal government wants even more people to sign up for the safety net program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been running radio ads for the past four months encouraging those eligible to enroll. The campaign is targeted at the elderly, working poor, the unemployed and Hispanics.

The department is spending between $2.5 million and $3 million on paid spots, and free public service announcements are also airing. The campaign can be heard in California, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and the New York metro area.

"Research has shown that many people -- particularly underserved seniors, working poor, and legal immigrants -- do not understand the requirements of the program," said Kevin Concannon, a USDA under secretary.

The radio ads, which run through June 30, come amid a bitter partisan fight over the safety net program. Republican lawmakers want to reduce funding for the benefit or turn it into a block grant program, which would also minimize the cost. Democrats, however, are not willing to make major cuts.

The issue has become so heated that Newt Gingrich called President Obama the "food stamp president" to show how he's

President Bush launched a recruitment campaign, which pushed average participation up by 63% during his eight years in office. The USDA began airing paid radio spots in 2004.

President Obama's stimulus act made it easier for childless, jobless adults to qualify for the program and increased the monthly benefit by about 15% through 2013.
Getting off government assistance

Some 46.4 million people are in the food stamps program, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. That's just a touch below the record high hit in January.

Still, more than one in four Americans eligible for food stamps do not participate, according to USDA records.

And the rate is much lower among the the elderly and people just above the poverty line. Nearly two-thirds of folks in these categories aren't enrolled.

In one ad, an elderly woman is surprised to learn that her friend is on food stamps. The friend explains that now that she's retired and on a fixed income, the program "helps me eat right when money's tight."

"Millions of low-income seniors struggle to afford life's necessities like food and medicine," said Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "Enrolling in SNAP can help ease that struggle."

Investigation Uncovers People Selling Taxpayer-Funded Food Stamps ? CBS Los Angeles

Originally Posted by fsdsob

Investigation Uncovers People Selling Taxpayer-Funded Food Stamps ? CBS Los Angeles

What?!? That's a new phenomenon? Holy crap! What will those assholes come up with next to scam the system?

is it true that besides rent, food, energy assistance, cell phones, etc that now they are gonna give out tv's too?

Originally Posted by Big Pimpin

But keep in mind that's it's not Obama's fault. Ever. Just ask the Obama pole-smokers.

I don't know why you guys are bitching now. This election went down the shitter the moment the GOP decided they were going to nominate Romney. Next time get more involved in the primaries so you don't end up with a special ed. nominee.

One for the he man Obamahater's club:

[QUOTE=Zaphod;2964668]Actually Hitler came to power by Germany being in a severely depressed economic state with a weak government. Hitler, being a fantastic speaker, led the Deutsche arbeiterpartei and got himself appointed chancellor by von Hindenburg. The rest is history. It had nothing to do with the GOP version of socialism.[/QU
A severely depressed economic state, weak government, and fantastic speaker? sounds familiar. just sayin.

"Gimmedat money sucka"

Can I pay for my Sizzurp with my EBT?

Or do I need Medicaid for that?

Wtf. Taking an ebt card to the ATM? How the fuck

Originally Posted by DOBE

A severely depressed economic state, weak government, and fantastic speaker? sounds familiar. just sayin.

The German economy was in the shitter. Compared to Germany then we are in a golden age right now. That's how bad Germany was doing.

Originally Posted by Zaphod

The German economy was in the shitter. Compared to Germany then we are in a golden age right now. That's how bad Germany was doing.

5 billion marks for a loaf of bread at that time. Imagine what a vial of test cost.

Originally Posted by longworthb

Wtf. Taking an ebt card to the ATM? How the fuck

Their "cash assistance" is loaded onto the card along with their food stamps.

Now that's just fucking retarded

vote for Free shit....

Gimme my Goddam Food Stamps........

Oh, SNAP! Food stamps for crack

• By Abby W. Schachter
• Posted: 10:21 AM, March 29, 2012

Massachusetts has a blue-ribbon panel looking into abuse of its state food stamp program, officially known as SNAP . And what abuse it is.
"Authorities accused several Lynn, [Ma.] convenience stores of allowing customers to withdraw money from their EBT accounts. That cash was then used to buy crack cocaine, with store employees keeping half the withdrawn money as a fee, law enforcement officials have said."

Media reports revealed that other SNAP recipients were using their EBT cards to purchase alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets and other non-essential items.

The Massachusetts commission is set to report its findings on April 1.
Meanwhile, states like Michigan and Pennsylvania are also investigating and potentially changing the eligibility rules for assistance. In Michigan there was a case of lottery winners who were still receiving public assistance benefits and in Pennsylvania SNAP recipients are going to have to pass an "asset test" before receiving their benefits because of abuse by those who seemingly have enough in savings to pay for food.

Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan have bold reform plans for "safety net" entitlements like food stamps.
"We propose welfare reform round 2," Ryan said, apparently referring to the Welfare Reform Act proposed last year by the conservative Republican Study Committee.
"Let's take those principles of welfare reform that were extremely successful in getting people out of lives of dependency and back on their feet," Ryan said.
"His plan would turn the funding for federal programs like food stamps and housing assistance into block grants -- a fixed yearly allotment granting states greater spending flexibility. States would then set work requirements and time limits for the benefits."
And bold plans by Democrats?


Read more: Oh, SNAP! Food stamps?for crack

2,000 Dead People Got Food Stamps

By Elizabeth Harrington
October 18, 2012
Subscribe to Elizabeth Harrington's posts





(AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) ? New York and Massachusetts are administering food stamps to 2,000 dead people, according to Sen. Tom Coburn?s (R-Okla.) catalog of government waste.
The 2012 Waste Book, released earlier this week, documents $4.5 billion in waste in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.
Among his findings, Coburn said that, ?The USDA Inspector General found roughly 2,000 dead people are still receiving food stamps in New York and Massachusetts combined.?
?Additionally, its investigation revealed 7,236 people in these states are receiving duplicate benefits, while 286 are on state lists that should exclude them from receiving food stamps,? the report said, amounting to $1.4 million in unnecessary payments each month, or $147.03 for each recipient, dead or alive.
But the waste in SNAP does not end there, as Coburn found that individuals who smoke marijuana can receive added benefits.
?In three states,? Coburn writes, ?some individuals received more food stamp benefits simply because they smoke marijuana.?
Under the section ?More money for the marijuana munchies,? the Oklahoma Senator detailed how some states previously offered a deduction for pot smokers.
Marijuana cigarettes and marijuana pipe. (AP)

?Marijuana has been linked to an increased appetite, known as getting the ?munchies,? so perhaps it is no surprise the states of Maine, New Mexico, and Oregon gave extra food stamp benefits to users of the illegal drug,? the report states.
It continues: ?These states allowed some marijuana users to deduct the cost of the drug from their income when determining the amount of the benefits provided for which they are eligible. In Oregon, the deduction ?[i]ncluded ? fees for obtaining a state-issued medical marijuana card, expenses incurred while cultivating marijuana and the costs of purchasing it from a third-party grower.??
It is unknown how many people took advantage of the deductions. However, the Department of Agriculture ordered all three states to discontinue their marijuana policies in July.
Coburn further detailed how food stamps are used to buy alcohol, fast food, Starbucks Frappuccinos, and junk food.
Each year, Coburn compiles a list of what he considers the most outrageous examples of government waste. ?Washington priorities are backwards,? he writes. ?This is why important programs go bankrupt while outdated and outlandish projects continue to be funded.?

Originally Posted by hagan

Wow whats worse, ignorant rednecks or the people their trying to talk about.

It's 'they're,' not 'their.'

Oh, negged.

Originally Posted by secdrl

It's 'they're,' not 'their.'

Oh, negged.

Thanks for the literature lesson. You are very intelligent, no doubt jack ass