Random Politics & Religion #01

I think the issue is that more people take advantage of the free benefits these days rather than rely on them when they really need help.

I also found myself without a job after college. The company I had an internship with during college let me go and didn't give me an offer once I graduated. I was forced to pick up some assistance while taking odd jobs and looking for a new one.

I will say that the unemployment I did receive was super easy to extend if I really wanted to. You are forced to answer a questionnaire every week about how many interviews/jobs you pursued. While I was searching for positions nearly every day I could see how someone could just ride out on the money and not actually be putting in any effort.

The free benefits available in the US should seriously be overhauled to reduce the amount of people taking advantage of these programs.

In Canada, I think we have a slightly more responsible system, because we do need pretty much everything Alyora listed when applying for it.

We don't use food stamps, because we use food banks, and in order to receive something from the food bank, you need 2 forms of government issued ID: Your Provincial Registration/Driver's ID, and often a bill with your name on it, that shows you are who you claim to be, and a current residence. You can also only apply for assistance at a food bank 3 times in a 7 month period, unless you get a recommendation from another agency or support center.

For those still capable of working, they request the names and numbers of place you've applied for between deposits, and they do check if so and so's name appeared in a resume pile.

There are still some cases of fraud, but if you're caught (and the fraudsters do get caught), they have to repay every single cent, and can not default on it by claiming bankruptcy.

stopped reading there.

You stop reading anytime there is something printed that isn't a picture.

See I'm not exactly sure of all the checks in place to try to prevent fraudulent use of entitlements in the US, but that stuff all sounds like a good place to start.

You can get a food stamp "credit card" now and there have already been several cases of people using it for things that they should never be able to use it for... ie. alcohol


and lol

Here the food stamp card, you can't buy any hot food or alcohol with it...

How can you deprive poor people of alcohol it is inhuman !

They stand on the corner begging for change instead!

I see it everyday.

take food stamp card to gas station > load up on as much soda and junk food as possible (usually a kid or two in tow) > swipe food stamp card > gain 10 more pounds and diabetes.

Is that how our tax dollars should be spent? eh, *** no, but no one's going to do anything about it, so why should I get all worked up? I've got other things to be angry about, like why you *** idiots get into the left lane then do the same speed as the guy in the right lane. I hope everyone dies.

Mosin :p

In NY you pay them .50 or so on the dollar and they take you grocery shopping. I know people who have done it like this.

This is exactly what I am saying when I talk about government waste and inefficiencies.

Laws state what can or cannot be bought with food stamps, but yet, there you go, people going around the law because some idiot programmer in the government and/or manager at the convenient store and/or *** lawmaker decided to include "convenient stores" as part of the list of places to accept food stamp cards (everything in those stores are overpriced anyway, why are they allowed to accept food stamps? Each additional dollar paid over grocery stores is a waste of resources!).

All in all, nobody wants to lose possible votes, so they won't change the system. It's *** and a complete waste of a good program for society.

It's probably everywhere. Not limited to big cities or certain states.

Can't do that in the US, that would be considered discrimination.

I mean, getting a free voter's card is considered poll taxes by certain people, how do you think they would act if you are required to show ID to receive food?

Won't somebody think of the homeless.jpg.

Also, can't have that, too many feels involved.

Hell, IRS doesn't go after EIC tax fraud, and it happens a lot. The government won't go after possible welfare fraud, may lose voters that way.

It wouldn't be discrimination to force the id... For one it can be issued when they get their other cards in the first place when they initially apply negating the issues faced with voter id laws...

Also with voter id laws the issue remains that republicans falsely misrepresent the issue of voter fraud and only seem to bring up changes to the law shortly before elections... Short term requirements like that are unjust and have been found to affect minorities disproportionately. If you give them a great deal of time before hand to get it accomplished and make sure everyone is made aware of the new process and what is required then it's not as big a deal... I mean you even had a prominent republican come out and say it was to keep people from voting... That should never be the goal of an elected official or one running for office..

Isn't the idea that you can't limit access because some people abuse the system the very basis of opposition to gun legislation?

I'm not saying the regulations for assistance programs don't need massive rework, but people are always going to find loopholes. There's even legitimate reasons to include convenience stores like 24 hour access and proximity for people with limited transportation.

I think the problem here is more complicated. For a person on a very limited budget (EBT benefits are not a lot), cheap food is the way to go in order to stretch that money. Unfortunately, this tends to favor cheap, overly processed junk over fresh food as ingredients like corn and sugar are made artificially cheap through government subsidies. It's not ideal, but it's more practical in a lot of ways.

Also, not everyone lives close to a grocery store and not everyone has convenient transportation to one. Corner stores then become the go-to for shopping despite their limited selection and high price markups. Again, far from ideal, but poor people don't really deal with the "ideal".

Back in the days poor people would live on spelt soup!!
But let's not kid ourselves, they would have gone to a fastfood place too if they had it.

When you're wealthy you can just go to the restaurant or make yourself nice meals in a similar fashion. When you're poor you still want to eat something tasty, but that means junk food cause healthy things for poor people are not tasty at all lol.

It's almost like being poor is a gravity well that eliminates good decisions and prioritizes making immediate benefit choices that perpetuates the very poverty you're trying to escape.

But hey, who am I to stop the wanking.

I agree wholeheartedly, I support 5 people on not a ton of money. I wasn't talking about mac'n'cheese, ramen noodles, and sugar mouth *** (cereal) all of which I'm guilty of providing my children in the name of saving a nickle, at the cost of our health, almost assuredly. I just feel stupid when I'm doing that to scrape by and some numb nut *** is shelling out 40 bones to the corner store guy for obvious trash, candy, cokes, and the like. I'd buy some more fruit with that 40 bucks. maybe I'm just pissy that I have to wait in line, and picking apart someone else's life is easier than looking at my own. who knows?

I shouldn't have thrown a metaphorical bone to the people that see welfare as a horrible burden in the first place, maybe.

I'll be quiet for a while.

I see people do dumb ***all the time. All you can really do is your best and hope people follow by your example.

Picking on poor people is pretty easy since they don't have the finances to defend themselves but rather than being snobbishly critical, we should be productive in trying to get knowledge out there on eating healthy, using money more effectively and other means of trying to claw tooth 'n nail out of poverty. That kinda means accepting that some people won't listen but that's life, right?

But who needs that, some politician will outlaw buying lobster and gourmet food on stamps to continue duping the working/middle class that being poor is some kinda pleasure cruise.

Meanwhile, the rich get richer and we all circle the toilet bowl. #murica

I think everyone is guilty of snap judgements and making assumptions. Letting those go and seeing beyond the sphere of our own personal experiences is where there's a divide.

I COULD NEVER BE MAD AT YOU QT PIE /butterflykisses

Community cooking classes are actually a great way to bolster home finances, by learning to cook and stretch your groceries a little further. You don't just learn to make tasty food, you learn to make it for less.
But those programs get cut because it's seen as a waste, despite all the social interaction it builds and creates, as well as smart shopping choices, etc.

Community gardens are also a great way to give people in poor urban areas access to fruits and veggies and build community.

It also makes them more aesthetically pleasing to be in, by showing off more vibrant colors, and people working on something they are passionate about.

What is all this community outreach stuff. You guys get a misdemeanor and now you care about the community !

I wanted to throw a garden tomato at fone, but I'm pretty sure he'd make salsa with it.

The original community organizer:

As an urbanite:

General greenspaces are more useful to communities. Play areas. Parks. Trees. Gardens take alot of work to keep viable and from personal experience many end up being feasting grounds for rodents when they're left idle, the real MVPs quit putting effort in or funds dry cut.

This makes them ripe for some developer to roll up and dump another apartment building right on top of them. *ahem*

In NY, the encouragement for farms upstate to come down to the city and sell fresh produce in the heart of the inner city has been quite successful and being able to use EBT/SNAP has been integral in making people feel like they're getting premium goods. You even get recipes and samples of soup/green salads etc. It's hard work but it's more productive than throwing your hands up and bashing poor people.