-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
The Food Stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is a target for Republicans who voted to cut $40 billion from the program. The reasons that Republicans have given are so divorced from reality that one can reasonably suspect their true motivations lie elsewhere. The primacy of fantasy in the GOP has been recently evidenced by Michele Bachmann who sees signs of the End Times, a wished-for global apocalypse.
First up on the list of fantasies is by Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) who said “the food stamp program [grew] exponentially because the government continues to turn a blind eye to a system fraught with abuse.” In reality, SNAP participation closely tracks the long term unemployment rate, prolonged by Republicans. The sale of SNAP benefits for cash, called “trafficking,” has been cut to $1 in every $100 of SNAP benefits. The reality is a one percent abuse rate, the fantasy is SNAP is “fraught” with abuse.
The next fantasy is that able-bodied people are getting food stamps instead of working. The reality is that 83% of all SNAP benefits go to households that include a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person. The average individual gets $133 a month in SNAP benefits. It is ridiculous to imagine that a person is going to quit their job for $133 a month that can only be spent on food, but Republicans bear ridicule well.
The next fantasy is that SNAP recipients use their benefits to buy cigarettes and alcohol. The SNAP program uses Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, similar to debit cards, that can be used in the supermarket checkout line only to purchase food. The Right likes to point to Jackie Whiton, a Peterborough, New Hampshire, store cashier who declined to accept an EBT card as payment for a pack of cigarettes. In reality, the EBT card contained state assistance money, not SNAP benefits, which can be used to purchase tobacco products. The store she worked for has a policy of accepting EBT cash benefits. In reality, Whiton was fired for violating the company’s policies.
The Republican war on programs that benefit Americans in need isn’t based on a philosophical commitment to small government. If it were, the $20 billion in farm subsidies, a welfare program for agribusiness, would be near the top of their hit list. According to a Greenberg report, the Republicans “are very conscious of being white in a country that is increasingly minority.” The report goes on to say that the “race issue [is] very much alive.” There you have it. Obama is taking their money and giving it to “Those People.”
H/T: Dave Johnson, Paul Krugman, Dottie Rosenbaum, Amanda Marcotte, Brian Tashman, WMUR.
That worked. Now I’m staying logged in. JavaScript needs to be enabled, on Chrome, to remain logged in.
Well yes you can (kinda’ sorta’)… Computers are wonderous things. They can watch your shopping trends and tell when your trend shifts dramatically when a corrupt retailer trafficker is illegally using your card.
Let’s say you buy $200 worth of groceries at Kroger’s every month for 3-4 months. All of a sudden your now shopping at al-Ahibib’s Convenience store who USDA knows also sells cigarettes and liquor (as Mohammed al-Habib told them in his SNAP retailer agreement). Also al-Habib seems to see you around 9AM to Noon. When you were at Krogers it was always after 6PM. Also al-Habib i selling you 12 loaves of bread and 20 cans of tuna? Something smells fishy here… So Yes I think I cold tell YOU were not using the SNAP EBT card. I could easily send a UC (Under Cover) agent to see who is using it (and video it).
Re-enabling JavaScript.
I’m not staying logged in.
Another test.
Test.
@Tina,
Apparently a few people here can only use red herring attacks on people, instead of debating the actual topic.
I wonder who has better insight on this situation, those who spend their whole lives witnessing the situations first hand or those who rely on data they find on the web that is very misleading.
Then you have the ones who seem to have no problem putting words in other peoples mouths, just to have something to argue about.
This blog has my attention fully, I am very curious on how some people think they know more than the actual people who live in the welfare system and see the abuse done daily.
And they have the nerve to indirectly call us liars and to tell us to get lost, apparently because the truth scares them and they rather stick to their “data” so they can sleep at night, or what ever their reasons are.
nick,
I suspected the “Like This” addition, too. Couldn’t find anything about it. The “Like This” feature is also gone. That it effected both of us at the same time, then ceased at the same time doesn’t seen to imply a JavaScript problem.
Tina, Way to stand up for yourself. I love tough women.
You’re correct, the jumping has stopped. Never mind.
I think the jumping problem relates to the new “Like This” addition. Any guest bloggers know what’s up w/ this Facebookish icon.
For the new folks giving a different perspective, THANK YOU! It looks like some folks are disabled, lower income, etc. You will find most folks here are pretty decent. There are some off the walls, some elitists, but most are just here to discuss a wide variety of topics. Mr. Turley is a libertarian in every sense, including not micromanaging the discussion. Feel free to ask questions, a many folks will be happy to answer them.
Michael Arm – If you turn off JavaScript they can’t control anything re: you. However, you have to keep authenticating yourself with every posting. The Spam Filter is still my nemesis. I can’t beat it at all.
Yes Walmart will. I think they planned that that way in lieu of the US Govt shutdown. They were probably just testing te waters for a larger roll out of this egalitarian idea.
No a SNAP users balance is WYSIWYG no more no less. You can not go into negative balance. They even zero your balance out if you don’t use it by end of month. If a retailer is stupid enuf’ to give out their merchandise without EBT verification on their POS system then they are liable for the loss (it’s in the terms of use agreement they sign). Walmart is hardly stupid and never has IT problems like this. I think it was deliberate. SNAP people are rudely TURNED away (or asked for alternative funding) when the EBT link is down. Why not in this case?
The EBT link is store POS to USDA Washington DC (via state office) not to Bentonville Ark (Walmart HQ). So why was this link in the article going to Arkansas? The USDA requires no pre-processing on EBT transactions. It’s just pin #, go/no-go, and balance. The POS (cash register) does the rest.
You should stop your complaining about the guberment’… what would you do if things were like in that movie THE PURGE where they disappear for 12 hours periodically and you are all on your own. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purge
Bob Kauten: My final words…all for you Mr Bob:
One more thing, this blog is about “food stamps”… to put it as simple as it gets.. food stamps and the abuse of them. I commented because I love my “neighbor”… you know, the people that are hard hit by the economy.. loss of jobs, small businesses, families to feed, and so on. Perhaps, not the best educated in regards to the politics of the issue.. but and a huge BUT, am I not part of the “community” that you are speaking of? No, I have not gotten the food stamps… although I definitely qualify for them as do many of my “neighbors”… you know them, single mothers, disabled loved ones, forgotten children, … you get it.. don’t you? So, when I posted on this blog .. I was speaking from personal experience to give some insight to the “grey area”… an area within the government which has made decisions and laws and the like but their feet never touch the ground in these communites.. understand… yet? There are always “many” sides to a story… as I said before, yours… mine… media… and so on… and then, there is the bitter truth if it is ever known. I know I am off subject… I apologize for this…but I was/am trying to make a point …. The initial purpose of my web search was to find out why my “ebt” card was not working..that brought me here… NO, I have a child support card from an absentee father in which I use for groceries and other expenses… Mine, Along with the food stamp cards.. are Issued by the state, my Ohio-equickpay was also issued by the state and I was unable to use it. So, here I am…. defending my neighbor and commenting on the fraud… and that makes me a target for “your” ignorant remarks. oh… good day..
@Tony C.
where do you get those figures from?
You actually believe that they can track every person and know exactly who is using the cards?
And I really hate to repeat myself but I never once said that they need to shut down, overhaul, or can even stop the abuse done, why do you keep insisting that I am saying something I am not?
I have said over and over that I don’t care that they abuse their cards, and that there really is nothing that can be done to stop it.
I do care about the kids who end up suffering in the end, and wish there was something that could be done about it, but know there really isn’t.
Its child services that end up involved and the kids are taken.
Apparently, you can’t read or you just choose to “hear” what you want to hear and make up the rest, just to have something to argue about.
Disturbing.
LOL, but didn’t I just say this???
@sonofthunderboanerges
Are you sure that walmart will be flipping the bill?
I assume that the cards will just go into the negative, even though walmart can afford it, I can’t see them purposely setting themselves up to lose thousands of dollars, the whole entire store was emptied out.
Plus, lets not kid ourselves, I could care less if the high ups that run walmart have millions of dollars, its theirs and they earned it and they don’t owe us anything, plus their prices are very competitive.
If anything, they should pay their workers better and give them better benefits.
Apparently some people here have a different definition of what abuse and fraud is though.
As I said before and must say again, I could care less who abuses our governments benefits and applaud them for it.
Two wrongs surely don’t make a right, but if the government wastes and abuses our tax dollars and shows no concerns for its people, then I don’t blame the people for returning the favor.
PS, no clue what is wrong with this blog, I am having a hella time establishing a connection to post, which is why I keep showing up as various profiles.
Screen jumping? Turn off your JavaScript when visiting JT forum. I also use NoScript. Stops all kind of shenanigans… (i.e. clever use of window.(scrollTo x,y) I think)
@nick spinelli – Come on Nick you and I know what “fraud” really is and how it works. SNAP fraud is only to the extent that I posted at Oct 17th 4:45pm. It’s called “trafficking”. But it will be nipped in the bud with people like us (wink wink):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35quNI5ed_k
“What’s a Dickfer?” I hope you liked that movie. It was a real hoot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKM8T94GC2c).
The photo-ID for voters puts an unusual burden on poor people who don’t have transportation luxuries like us (you have to travel locally to DMV or City Hall for the ID – and wait in long lines). Some are too ill to do it too but still want to vote. It’s just a slick Right-Wing ploy to weed out a certain demographic that wont vote for them anyway.
nick,
The screen was jumping for me too. Looks like it’s stopped. I think it was a WP problem.
@michaelmca66 – BTW I’m sure Otteray and Mike S will attest to this, but when a retailer like Walmart, that accepts EBT cards, they are responsible for any and all charges that exceed the SNAP balance for that particular user. IOW the USDA state agency that they are linked to could care less WHY the POS (point of sale) system failed to link properly with USDA. It’s your problem not theirs.
So Walmart will be footing that bill in Louisiana Saturday. They can afford it. Sam gives each of his siblings an annual stipend EXCEEDING a billion dollars each. They are an international retail company and ostensibly the most richest one in the world!
But I agree with you that the SNAPers had a lapse in godly behavior and committed some alleged minor transgressions – NOT ABUSE. But no one at Walmart stopped them. And trust me their Dept 50 (Loss Prevention) stops little kids stealing Yugio cards and little teeny-bopper girls boosting make-up in the cosmetic aisles. You know they would have gone medieval on them for $700 worth of grocery shoplifting!