Top secret: $80B a year for food stamps, but feds won’t reveal what’s purchased

[MR2]

By Luke Rosiak

The Washington Times

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Americans spend $80 billion each year financing food stamps for the poor, but the country has no idea where or how the money is spent.

Food stamps can be spent on goods ranging from candy to steak and are accepted at retailers from gas stations that primarily sell potato chips to fried-chicken restaurants. And as the amount spent on food stamps has more than doubled in recent years, the amount of food stamps laundered into cash has increased dramatically, government statistics show.

But the government won’t say which stores are doing the most business in food stamps, and even it doesn’t know what kinds of food those taxpayer dollars buy.

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by MR2

But the government won’t say which stores are doing the most business in food stamps, and even it doesn’t know what kinds of food those taxpayer dollars buy.

Because it is nobody's GD business that's why.
Whether, you, I, him or her, or we like it.

It is a set dollar amount, there are restrictions. There is advice on what would be best to purchase. But, that's it, whether, you, I, him or her, or we like it.

Not mentioned here is the depolrable fact that grocery chains Do NOT establish their stores in the neighborhood that are the homes of most recipients. And if you don't have the money for a food pyramid dinner you probably don't have the money for a car. And if you do have a cadillac well then go the distance and REALLY flaunt it with steak and lobster every meal.

but that's just my opinion, What do you think?

[Rhod7520]

A friend once confided in me that he received far more assistance in food stamps (card) than his family could ever possibly eat. He and his 'ole lady got away with using the surplus to buy a great deal of booze whenever they bought groceries at an unnamed major grocery chain store every month. It would be better if the program was run more like WIC. If you want to request public aid to help put food on the table then you will take a nutrition class every time you have to register/re-register and will only be able to purchase approved food items, with limited Dollar amounts in each food category.

Originally Posted by Rhod7520

A friend once confided in me that he received far more assistance in food stamps (card) than his family could ever possibly eat. He and his 'ole lady got away with using the surplus to buy a great deal of booze whenever they bought groceries at an unnamed major grocery chain store every month. It would be better if the program was run more like WIC. If you want to request public aid to help put food on the table then you will take a nutrition class every time you have to register/re-register and will only be able to purchase approved food items, with limited Dollar amounts in each food category.

Sure create more red tape, and more government jobs (teachers, administrators, and enforcement agents) with fat benefits and pensions..... which will accomplish nothing, and spend more of the taxpayer's dollars...like Florida's drug testing for welfare recipients.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...-shows/1225721

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by WCH

Sure create more red tape, and more government jobs (teachers, administrators, and enforcement agents) with fat benefits and pensions..... which will accomplish nothing, and spend more of the taxpayer's dollars...like Florida's drug testing for welfare recipients.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...-shows/1225721

Exactly! If we really want to assist the less fortunate - and let's be honest, we'll never get all people to make good economic decisions... as 'we' define 'good' - no matter what 'we' do - why not just incorporate the tax proposals of my beloved "Uncle Milty"? (No, not the one on the left, the one on the right!)

A flat tax... with the "negative income tax" rolled into it. The IRS, which we already have, could 'administer' the program (and could still be shrunk in personnel due to the simplification of the tax code)... and all the other BS could be done away with (Okay, most of the other BS.... oh, alright, a lot of the other BS... crap, I give up, SOME of the other BS!)

Perfect? No! Much better? You betcha.

Uncle Milties:

[Stargazer]

We are fast becoming a nation of grasshoppers.

[Rhod7520]

Originally Posted by WCH

Sure create more red tape, and more government jobs (teachers, administrators, and enforcement agents) with fat benefits and pensions..... which will accomplish nothing, and spend more of the taxpayer's dollars...like Florida's drug testing for welfare recipients.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...-shows/1225721

True. I'd do away with the whole thing, and many other government aid programs altogether if I could. I feel dirty even getting any help from the VA. That's why I vote for Ron Paul. <-- I'm one of those crazies.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Rhod7520

That's why I vote for Ron Paul. <-- I'm one of those crazies.

A vote for Ron Paul is a vote for Obama.

Can you "crazies" (as you call yourselves) not understand the logic behind that?

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Rhod7520

True. I'd do away with the whole thing, and many other government aid programs altogether if I could. I feel dirty even getting any help from the VA. That's why I vote for Ron Paul. <-- I'm one of those crazies.

Why are you getting help from the VA if you feel dirty about it? No one is forcing you to take that money are they?

The stamps have been or are being replaced by a reloadable card that is swiped just like a credit or debit card. There is even a choice to withdraw cash. I believe that is for other expenses such as gas, or a taxi/bus fare to the store if needed. What good is the card if one can't get to the store?

At least that is how a buddy of mine explained it when he applied. He's a single dad raising two kids, and the hoops he has to jump through, with delays and automatic appeals...all for about $90.00 a month is what I believe he might be eligible for. Every little bit helps...providing he is approved.

[Sigaba]

If we say it is okay to track one group's spending habits because they're using funds from .GOV, what is to keep that same logic from being applied to other groups and other activities?

If we say "yes, let's center access to public resources around the recipients' best interests," who should define those interests? What is to stop municipal and state governments from extending this logic? Do we want governments charging motorists for using public roads during hours of peak demand for the drivers' own good? Are we ready to pay for parking everywhere at all times?

[Rob_Frey]

How much Big Brother is too much Big Brother???

[afchic]

This is kind of like my husband paying child support to the tune of $1935 a month. On top of the same amount for alimony. We knew she wasn't using the money for the kids because we were still paying for school lunches, extra cirriculars, etc. But the court says she doesn't have to justify her expenditures to anyone. We don't like it, but there it is.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

If we say it is okay to track one group's spending habits because they're using funds from .GOV, what is to keep that same logic from being applied to other groups and other activities?

Yep. No offense to Ed Roth (RIP) but you mean like Big Daddy in Big Apple regulating the size of your beverage, or because I'm too stupid to know when I should use an incandescent vs. flourescent lightbulb, the ultimate collective "we know best" approach?
(just for starters, because I find it amazing that people still think you can legislate behavior.)

BTW, how in the hell would .GOV know exactly what was bought?

I think there are places where legislatures only meet for a short time, every couple of years. That has some goodness to it in terms of focusing on what's needed.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by Badger52

BTW, how in the hell would .GOV know exactly what was bought?

By having corporations that accept EBT payments to build and maintain databases that can generate reports sorted by method of payment (cash, credit, debit, ebt), then user, then inventory ID#.

Establishments that issue membership cards for free and offer discounts to card holders do so because those cards allow opportunities for enhanced bean-counting techniques. John Doe likes to shop at this store on this day of the week at that hour and he likes to use his Visa card to buy x,y, and z. He lives in a zip code where the median income is H, the average age is Y, and the most common ethnicity is Q. From there, one can make decisions about inventory, price points, technology, and infrastructure. (This zip code has a lot of affluent urbanite hipsters who like use debit cards to buy fancy dan kitty litter in bulk so we need to provide carts that help them load up and faster credit card processing machines so we can speed their purchases. That zip code has a lot of poor people who aren't going to buy John Whorfin Cream Soda so we'll stock generics and not worry about the level of customer service.)