EBT (Welfare/Food/etc "benefit") abuse

The story I tell is only from my perspective. One that I witnessed and can only be taken from a grain of salt. The only factor that backs it, is the the countless stories we hear that are similar in nature.

While heading down to the local mini-mart to get a drink and other items, two motorcycles go roaring by. Decent ones that were gut wrenching loud and obnoxious at the same time (given the time of night). As I stroll into the establishment and grab my items the gentleman ahead of me paying was having trouble.

The man ahead of me was one of the riders. Well groomed, nicely dressed (for a biker), smartphone, several cards (in which I could discern were credit cards) in his wallet -- he was fumbling and that is the only reason I noticed. He was paying for gas. He originally swiped his card on the normal terminal; the one used for credit/debit. The problem was, he was using his EBT card and there is a separate terminal at this particular place. The attendant figured the issue out and business continued.

Now, I understand peoples needs for gas, food, etc that are in need. That have fallen on hard times or lost a job. But here was this gentleman obviously not hurting for money (or so his perception stated) using an EBT card to get gas.

Mind you -- a decent bike, new clothes, well kept grooming and a smartphone. You might be asking or even inquiring -- so what? The issue is, with so many "wants", why is he deserving of a "need"? It comes down to the general perception that many of us see as abuse of the welfare system that is designed to help those in dire need.

It was quite obvious that this gentleman, with his extras, wasn't hurting for money (or maybe he is, but the priority is misplaced?) and is abusing the system that is designed to help struggling families and persons.

Take it for what you want. But I think we need to stop putting our heads in the sand and deny that there is much more abuse than what we think. That people are taking advantage of a system that is lax, lazy and incompetent in its administration of handing out tax-dollars.

Just food for thought....

My friend who is unemployed, tried to get financial aid to get retrained to find work.

He couldn't get it unless he was on food stamps...

So he waits trying to get the money together to go to school, time passes and he decides he needs the schooling so he goes and applies for food stamps.

Well hes got his ebt card which he doesn't need or use, just to get aid money for school... Yea something needs to change.

The extreme abuse of food stamps is perpetuated from JP Morgan since they run the program for the US gov. They profit from everyone elses misery. It's a direct conflict of interest since the Fed controls the economy to such extent as both entities are so intertwined. JP also outsourced American jobs to India to process the stamps..

JPMorgan Chase, one of the big banks bailed out in the financial crisis of 2008, is a private contractor retained by over half of US state governments to issue EBT cards and manage recipient accounts amounting to billions of taxpayer dollars every month.

www.examiner.com...

This week’s credit check: A record 43.6 million Americans are using food stamps. JPMorgan’s segment that makes food stamp debit cards made $5.47 billion in net revenue in 2010.

www.rooseveltinstitute.org...

"Why is the state of Florida sending these jobs away?" Brown asked. "The thing that really iced it for me, I knew that JP Morgan had gotten bailout funds." [

Those services include 24-hour customer-service call centers. Some of those calls were answered in Bangalore and Gurgaon, India. Others were taken at two U.S. call centers.

abcnews.go.com...

reply to post by RealSpoke


That's some kind of irony I can't even comprehend right there.

Even our welfare checks are outsourced to India...

A friend of my wife's (I use the term 'friend' loosely) gets EBT, yet spends untold amounts on tattoos constantly. When she moved to California she had maybe one or two, and within a years time, a significant amount of her is now covered in ink. It pisses me off

So if he were not well groomed and wearing shabby clothes you would have no issue? Who are you to determine whether he is eligible or has a right to them or not? Did you consider that maybe this man was once fairly well off and found himself underemployed or worse yet unemployed and now qualifies for the program. How do you know that he didn't have the bike paid off before his financial situation changed? How do you know he didn't get those credit cards before the either. Would you rather him not be on assistance until he completely tapped his credit out? Don't judge a book by it's cover.

As to those that question what food stamps are for. One of the things considered and planned on was that people would spend money they would have normally spent on food would spend on other things. The reason being is it has a stimulative effect on the economy. Whether or not you like how they spend that extra money has nothing to do with it.

I always find these threads very ironic. Of course welfare abuse is indeed a serious issue as it costs taxpayers to give money to those that really don't need it, that's not the ironic part. The irony comes in where people are so quick to judge and then condemn those they see using the benefits, there's always a question of do they really need it or they shouldn't spend my tax dollars that way. Yet, these same people don't seem to create threads or blink an eye when corporations or banks use our tax dollars to give their precious CEO's multi-million dollar bonuses, or a business that received TARP funds turns around and ships more jobs out of the US or lays of thousands of people.

Why do people think that the poor have to dress like hobos?

Talk about stereotyping.

Sorry to break it to you, but having a bike doesnt not mean the man didn't just lose his job. And bikes are cheaper to ride than cars.

You don't know what this person's status is. He may have been doing just fine till this point and lost a job a few months ago.

And it is none of your business.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Why do people think that the poor have to dress like hobos?

Talk about stereotyping.

Sorry to break it to you, but having a bike doesnt not mean the man didn't just lose his job. And bikes are cheaper to ride than cars.

You don't know what this person's status is. He may have been doing just fine till this point and lost a job a few months ago.

And it is none of your business.

You are right, it isn't any of my business and I didn't make it mine. It was an observation for conversation. I didn't approach the gentleman, I didn't question him or berate him. I gave you my impression and perception of the situation for a discussion point.

You have brought a good point to the table; judging a book by the cover. It goes hand in hand with perception.

I don't understand how you can abuse an EBT card. I have one myself, but I've never done anything like this at all.

Ive always gotten the feeling, by people who complain about foodstamp abuse, that the person as to look and act real poor in order to really deserve it. I never understood it.They normally complain about how they look too well dressed or that they have a decent car or using the foodstamps on pricy cuts of meats and food. It seem like ppl on foodstamps and such cant have nice things or look nice. Besides already being looked down upon for being on foodstamps and such the ppl are expected to look and act poor.

I just never understood this hidden expectation.

Also I never heard of a place letting someone use foodstamps to pay for gas. I dont think they do it where I live

Look I know there is corruption regarding food stamps and other aid, but how do you know the guy wasn't in need. Maybe the bike was his brothers and just because he was dressed in new clothes/groomed doesn't mean he is not in need.
What do you think everyone on food stamps has to look like a bum and smell bad.

Welfare, as it is generally called, is extremely questionable, as many feel that people are not entitled to any money that are capable of working but will not do so. The cause of welfare supports is not helped by sordid welfare card distributions, which are arriving at casinos, strip clubs and so forth nationwide. Legislation is attempting to curb it, but the practice is still happening. Other people rather take advantage of payday loans rather than going on welfare as not everyone is a fan of it. Or of public assistance of some sort.

would it have made you feel better if his butt was hanging out his pants, he had one shoe and was pushing a shopping cart full of empty beer tins.....

Maybe the embarrassment of having to pay for stuff with this card is not enough for some people...

Well, there's more than one way to abuse welfare.

I know people who work and make good money who BUY foodstamps from poor people for 1/2 price. That is the going rate now here. 1/2 price. Folks that buy them are typically working folks who are struggling too, but above the limit for aid.

The people I know that GET the food stamps - don't have drug or alcohol problems - but they usually need the money to pay probation fines of sons or daughters who are unemployed. (not lazy kids, just laid off...probation fines typically come from stuff like underage drinking when they were 18 or 19.)

Anyway, in a strange way, some of the 'abuse' is people just trying to help other people while helping themselves. It's all crazy.

Everything is really just BS. Is there any American that really doesn't commit some crime in the course of a normal day?

Now one other thing I see a lot of is people - mom, dad- divorced, both claiming the kids on foodstamps. Not sure how, joint custody or something. I know one guy who gets over 400 a month in food stamps, because of 'his kids' but no kids are living with him. Kids are maybe there 2 days a month. IN the meantime they live with mom, who collects for a whole lotta kids herself, and she lives with a woman who has some kids and they get them too.

Then you got 2 single women, maybe 10 kids, all living in a small house but the kids come saying they never get 2nds or anything special because their moms use all the foodstamps feeding their older sons, who are out of work. (but over 18)

I mean - it is a mess. And personally, where I see all the abuse- it's coming from bad situations involving unemployment and a justice system that wants people working and paying paying paying...they get kids young 17, 18 - any crime, get them paying that probation and if they don't pay - jail.

Then they can't get jobs. It's a complex problem, sure, but unemployment seems to be a big hub they are all spinning around. Low wages too complicated by no real justice for the poor, and a predatory policing system.

Best thing we could do - IMO- is legalize drugs and I dunno, do some public works? We gotta get this 18-25 or so group back to WORK. BAD. Everyone really, but man, the young folks are hurting.

And the old folks are hating on them.
What a mess.
Thanks for letting me rant.

Well, it isn't just the OP noticing a rare occurrence. The abuse is rampant. You don't have to look hard to find misuse of the money. You would have to look EXTREMELY hard to find anyone in the govt doing anything about it.

www.nbc-2.com...

www.naturalnews.com...

finance.townhall.com...

Originally posted by benrl
My friend who is unemployed, tried to get financial aid to get retrained to find work.

He couldn't get it unless he was on food stamps...

So he waits trying to get the money together to go to school, time passes and he decides he needs the schooling so he goes and applies for food stamps.

Well hes got his ebt card which he doesn't need or use, just to get aid money for school... Yea something needs to change.

you're right...the feds need to hire people so they can monitor and stop this type of abuse...but that would cost taxpayers money...so forget about it, because we all now from the various people on ATS, that government is too big already

Originally posted by jjkenobi
Well, it isn't just the OP noticing a rare occurrence. The abuse is rampant. You don't have to look hard to find misuse of the money. You would have to look EXTREMELY hard to find anyone in the govt doing anything about it.

www.nbc-2.com...

www.naturalnews.com...

finance.townhall.com...

extremely hard??????.....i googled welfare fraud, and there are hundreds of sites that list agencies, states, and national organizations going after fraud.....it took me about 2 minutes to find out how much local, state, and the federal government are rooting out the cheaters...please, try and be alittle more accurate.

Im surprised there is no one that investigates welfare claims. In Ontario, Canada where I live the welfare program is a mixed bag. There's a work for welfare program where they assist you in getting back on your feet with monthly checks and a start up cost for a new job (like work shoes and such) and there's the run of the mill welfare where you get a check every month based on your marital status and child status (a single parent with one child may get 500+ dollars a month depending on rent). Then there's also unemployment benefits for another option (but in all honesty it would be easier going on welfare) We also have a hotline for anonymous reports to the welfare program on any suspecting fraud. And as a welfare recipient you have to report in every so often with a case worker. Yeah it sounds awful but it helps point them in the right direction to investigate fraud and keeps tabs on those on the system. Maybe some simple things like that can help curb the system frauds, if they aren't already in place in the US that is.

For every one person that abuses the system there's hundreds that don't. How do you know what that guys personal situation is?

I get food stamps, I dress nice, I'm clean cut but I drive a brand new $20K car. Just because I'm on disability doesn't mean I can buy nice things. Am I not etitled to a quality life?

I had to fight for six years to get disability. I received $40K in back pay and I bought a reliable car so what.

I was destitute for six years while trying to win my case. I had lost everything I owned. I lost my new truck and my house. I sold $1000's in fishing and hunting gear. At one point I owned nothing but the shirt on my back.

How do you know if that guy isn't a injured vet collecting disability?

You better hope you don't become injured and need these programs to fall back on.

I'd be more concerned about the rich people that rape and pillage this country more then someone on food stamps.