40 million people now receiving food stamps at a cost of $73B/year

  • Thread starter Thread starter AlkyHauler
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Yeah I was just down there visiting friends in Lincoln Park that live on Orchard...my fiance and I walked to Old Town or whatever and just wandered around the neighborhood. I had no idea we were so close to it.
 
Meanwhile I have to work my fucking ass off and get up at 5:45AM every day and I don't get a fucking dime from anyone.
 
I coach a youth soccer team in Chicago's Cabrini Green projects. The kids on my team are all between 9-11 years old. The school is 100% black, and 100% of the students receive a reduced lunch, i.e. they are on welfare.

I don't even notice it anymore, but I was initially blown away by the clothing some of the kids wore. Sean John, Roca Wear, expensive shit. $80 Nikes, some kids even had Jordans. It was nuts. The same kids were always talking about playing xbox and ps3 after school, it was commonplace for me to confiscate psps and nintendo ds, even fucking cell phones. It really blew my mind.

But those kids were in the minority, most of the team showed up to practice in what were essentially rags. I noticed a huge correlation between the kids in rags and their attitudes. They worked harder, were friendlier, etc. than the kids in the Jordans. Their parents also showed up to games. This is huge.

I have to hope that some of those kids, the hard workers, will go on to make something of themselves. The question is wether it is worth paying the way for the welfare abusers so that the people that really need it can have a shot. In my eyes it is, though I certainly don't argue that there should be more stringent restrictions in place to curb the abuse.
 
After working and living Katrina, I will never, ever remotely consider riding out a hurricane. Those motherfuckers are crazy.

Its funny, when I was in college EVERY instructor emphasized that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth that violence and looting are a myth! It was nice to speak to them again in a different capacity.
 
Being in debt isn't as shameful everywhere as it was for our upper-midwestern German ancestors.
 
too bad this is from independently run shelters.

the example i gave was one example.

many of you seem to have outdated knowledge on this topic.

people buy milk from the liquor store because there are food desserts in the poor area of a city and there aren't any grocery stores within walking distance.

you rather spend money on dealing with people who tip toe on the edges of homelessness, because keeping them afloat is much cheaper than letting them become homeless and than subsidize housing, pay for health care, pay for case manger to deal with them, social worker, etc.

the list continues.
 
The problem is that it's SO ripe for abuse.

Anybody with an illegal cash-only operation (drugs, prostitution, black market dealings, etc) can report an artificially depressed income that qualifies them when it shouldn't.

People will buy their groceries with food stamps because they "can't afford food," but then pull out cash for their whiskey, cigarettes and lotto tickets.

It seems too easy and painless to be on the dole now. I'm not saying we should call out their names on a loudspeaker, but just handing someone a debit card and sending them on their way takes so little effort on their part. Having a network of food pantries or something that would offer GOOD HEALTHY food seems like a better idea. Cheap food too. Expensive pre-packaged and processed foods aren't necessary.
 
and honestly, if people looked at how much money the government took from them, they would figure out ways to try and get around it too. with how much they take from me (and i'm not in that high of a bracket), i would find ways to make money under the table
 
people need to understand simply because they exist doesn't entitle them to others income via government taxes

government uses it's monopoly of power to steal income from the earners, government will use extortion and threats to take your property if you don't pay. this doesn't make government intimidation right, just legal
 
to be fair there were many people who lived in houses that were falling apart and had NOTHING, no big tvs, no internet, nothing, and got completely FUCKED by the government and STILL can't live where their house once was
 
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