Are we are creating a major dependency class?

[Spider-Dan]

No, it's not a myth. I see it on an ongoing regular basis and have seen it for years.

No, you have not.

How many people can you personally verify the income of?
Of those people, how many have you followed to the supermarket to inspect their method of payment?

It is a conservative myth.  Hell, your own statement undoes you:

You don't have to own the car or be on the title to use and drive the vehicle.

So, in other words, if I'm too poor to own a car, and I borrow my uncle's vehicle so I can transport groceries from the supermarket to my home, I am abusing the system?  Am I really only truly poor if none of my family or friends have a car?  Or is it only if they don't have a nice car?

Hell, go to a colorful area of town and see the expensive vehicles that cost more the house they are parked in front of.

I just finished explaining that I personally bought an expensive vehicle when I lived in a poor part of town.  Your premise is false.

It is not anecdotal, it is actually what I have personally seen and witnessed for myself. And again it is not illegal to buy steak and lobster on food stamps. It should be, that is the problem.

The irony is that you loudly protest people buying excessively expensive food... at the same time you attack the obesity of food stamp recipients.  You know that healthy food isn't cheap, right?  Do you propose to eliminate all unhealthy food from food stamp eligibility... then double the benefits that recipients are given?

[badger6]

No, you have not.

Yes, I have. You have no idea what I've seen silly little boy. You just keep arguing with people in threads until they get frustrated, tired, or bored and give up. Then you think you are the winner. Ha, ha, your low self esteem is so amusing.....
 

How many people can you personally verify the income of?

You can't verify income of people that purposefully have little to no income in order to receive their benefits.  "baby daddy" isn't known when it comes to child support enforcement, but somehow he is living in the same house and has income and a vehicle or two.

Of those people, how many have you followed to the supermarket to inspect their method of payment?

 I don't have to when I see them swipe their card at the terminal. Ain't that hard to figure out.

It is a conservative myth.  Hell, your own statement undoes you:
So, in other words, if I'm too poor to own a car, and I borrow my uncle's vehicle so I can transport groceries from the supermarket to my home, I am abusing the system?  Am I really only truly poor if none of my family or friends have a car?  Or is it only if they don't have a nice car?

Undone me ? Nothing about me is undone. You are under the false assumption that I give half a rats fuck what you think you know. You are clearly wrong about that, among other things !!!

So in other words, "baby momma" drives a car everyday but is not listed on the title. She is still getting benefit of the car. Benefit of a car is not your name on a piece of paper, it is the actually use of the car. Where I work there are 2 guys that don't go anywhere unless their "baby factory" takes them. The guys work and bring home the money and own the car and the "baby factory" brings home the Govt. assistance. Of course the guys don't pay child support but do get benefit of the assistance. Quite a widespread scam.

I just finished explaining that I personally bought an expensive vehicle when I lived in a poor part of town.  Your premise is false.

You explaining your own poor financial decisions has nothing to do with this discussion unless you are on food stamps.

The irony is that you loudly protest people buying excessively expensive food... at the same time you attack the obesity of food stamp recipients.  You know that healthy food isn't cheap, right?  Do you propose to eliminate all unhealthy food from food stamp eligibility... then double the benefits that recipients are given?

Healthy food is less expensive than steak and lobster isn't it ? People are obese because they eat more calories than they expend, that is a fact. I would suggest that instead of the whole buggy full of cheap bull shit these people are cramming down throats by the shovel full. That they could buy a moderate amount of healthy food for around the same price.  Are you people actually trying to argue that people that don't financially contribute to society or themselves should eat the same food and luxury type foods that me and others who actually go to work everyday eat ?

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

  Make it uncomfortable and not fun to be on food stamps.

Actually that would make the problem worse. 

That fastest way to create a person with obesity/eating issues is a period of hunger/food uncertainty.  Once food becomes availble they gorge themselves for the rest of their lives. 

[badger6]

Actually that would make the problem worse. 

That fastest way to create a person with obesity/eating issues is a period of hunger/food uncertainty.  Once food becomes availble they gorge themselves for the rest of their lives. 

No it wouldn't. If the type and amount of food to get obese isn't available on government fraud stamps then how would they get obese ? I guess if they got off of government assistance then they could gorge themselves. But at least they are off of the food stamps. I would rather have obese people feeding themselves than obese people on food stamps.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

No it wouldn't. If the type and amount of food to get obese isn't available on government fraud stamps then how would they get obese ? I guess if they got off of government assistance then they could gorge themselves. But at least they are off of the food stamps. I would rather have obese people feeding themselves than obese people on food stamps.

Note the chart didn't track people who are obese and on foodstamps, it tracked states in which both occured.  Or basically poverty is a correlated with obesity.

Solve the poverty problem and the obesity problem declines. 

[badger6]

Note the chart didn't track people who are obese and on foodstamps, it tracked states in which both occured. Or basically poverty is a correlated with obesity.

Solve the poverty problem and the obesity problem declines. 

So is your assumption that being on food stamps has nothing to do with obesity in those states ?

[el diablo]

Considering the regions, no. In the South, we eat. Its who we are. Everything revolves around food. The Rockies region is more of an "outdoors" region. Being on food stamps isn't a gateway to obesity. Nor is being obese a gateway to being on food stamps. At the same time, the biggest offenders of "welfare" are people we work for and/or buy from. What's worse? Paying someone who doesn't work or paying someone to outsource jobs or NOT to grow food?

[Spider-Dan]

You can't verify income of people that purposefully have little to no income in order to receive their benefits.

So wait... you can't verify the income of someone who purposefully has little to no income?  Your statement is a contradiction in itself: if income cannot be verified, how can you possibly say what income a person has?

"baby daddy" isn't known when it comes to child support enforcement, but somehow he is living in the same house and has income and a vehicle or two.

Put simply: you don't have a clue WTF you are talking about.

Benefits are determined by household income, to prevent exactly the kind of abuse you are talking about.  The system is designed to catch and eliminate people like those you are claiming.  Government assistance fraud is something like 4%... I guess you must personally know all of them!

I don't have to when I see them swipe their card at the terminal. Ain't that hard to figure out.

The only people you see swiping cards are people whose incomes you cannot verify.  Q.E.D.

You explaining your own poor financial decisions has nothing to do with this discussion unless you are on food stamps.

You said, "Hell, go to a colorful area of town and see the expensive vehicles that cost more the house they are parked in front of."  So then, what does traveling to a poor area of town have to do with food stamps?  The obvious implication is that people in "colorful" areas are on government assistance and therefore should not be able to afford nice cars, but perhaps you meant something else by your statement.  So please explain.

Healthy food is less expensive than steak and lobster isn't it ?  People are obese because they eat more calories than they expend, that is a fact. I would suggest that instead of the whole buggy full of cheap bull shit these people are cramming down throats by the shovel full. That they could buy a moderate amount of healthy food for around the same price.

So let me see if I have this right:

- poor people should not buy large amounts of cheap food
- poor people should not buy small amounts of expensive food (e.g. steak, lobster)
- poor people should buy only food that is exactly expensive enough

And how is "expensive enough" determined?  Well, if you aren't hungry (but with nothing to eat) at least part of the time, then you're doing it wrong.  Did I get that all correct?

[dolphins4life]

I am working three jobs right now and I STILL don't make enough to live on my own.

If I didn't have my parents, I'd have to turn to public assistance programs, such as Mass Health (a health insurance program for low income people in my home state).

Of course, if I did that, most Republicans would call me a lazy bum.

It's hard out there.  Most Republicans don't seem to think that.

[Brian Fein]

That's because most republicans are rich and don't understand that not everyone has thousands or millions of dollars lying around. They all have money and can't comprehend what it's like to struggle.

Just from my observations.

[Dave Gray]

That's because most republicans are rich and don't understand that not everyone has thousands or millions of dollars lying around.

The republican base consists of the very wealthy yes, but a large population are the very religious and rednecks.

The poorest/least educated states vote Republican, though.

[Spider-Dan]

This is the Republican strategy for their low-income base, in a nutshell:



Republicans have convinced a sizable portion of the country that the other (minorities, immigrants, what have you) are the ones getting all those lavish government benefits.  It is the classic example of people on Medicare or receiving SS checks complaining about a handout society.

It's just like the old saying about congressional spending: every person can quickly identify wasteful spending in another man's district, but the spending in his own district is surely wise and justifiable investment in our republic.

[Buddhagirl]

One way to lower the amount of people on welfare and social assistance is free, easily accessible birth control and safe, affordable, convenient abortions.

I think the use of "THOSE" people throughout this entire thread should really be interpreted to read: "THOSE BROWN" people. I get the feeling that some in this thread think people that look a certain way should not have certain things and are making huge assumptions.

Also proves my point. The Republican party is the party of old, angry, white men.

[CF DolFan]

One way to lower the amount of people on welfare and social assistance is free, easily accessible birth control and safe, affordable, convenient abortions.

I think the use of "THOSE" people throughout this entire thread should really be interpreted to read: "THOSE BROWN" people. I get the feeling that some in this thread think people that look a certain way should not have certain things and are making huge assumptions.

Also proves my point. The Republican party is the party of old, angry, white men.

I already gave an example of my family.  Maybe I should have included the tag line this is my white relatives since I have both.

This thread personifies the biggest issue in politics.

Republicans vs Democrats is not:

black/minorities vs. white
poor vs rich
women haters vs. women advocates
gay supporters vs. gay bashers

This is what politicians break it down to scare people. I think if you buy into the propaganda, whether Republican or Democrat, then you have shut yourself off and are pretty short-sighted.  Trust me, I have just as many Republicans friends who are completely blind. It really doesn't doesn't matter what your vote is if you aren't objective it's a wasted vote IMO.


 

[SportsChick]

I have used government assistance and I'm waiting to get a frame for the outcome of it - I have student loans and I got Pell Grant for a year and have a Bachelor's Degree to show for it. Guess I'm part of the problem huh?