What techniques do people on welfare to get expensive cars, booze, cigarettes an

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   LAURENS WRIGHTposted 11 years ago

   What techniques do people on welfare to get expensive cars, booze, cigarettes and drugs?
   
   The more I work and pay taxes, the more that I see the people on welfare driving very expensive cars, drinking booze, buying hundreds of dollars of groceries and always smoking.  It seems that if these people were so bad off to ask for help, there needs to be some control of what these people can buy.  How do these people get these things if there income is so low?  Is this the time for reform ?  Please show everyone how this happens.

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2. 68

   BuffaloGal1960posted 11 years ago

   I think I addressed this somehow in a different question.
   
   Now, don't get me wrong. There IS abuse.  There needs to be CHANGE and thank God my state was one that passed drug requirements (sort of) for welfare recipients. 
   
   But let me just share with you. Just before I took my last hospital job, I briefly worked home health as a temp - though that was not my typical occupation. 
   
   I shopped for food stamp recipients but wore rings, a bracelet and some other jewelry, pack of cigarettes sticking out my purse pocket and yes, I drove an Eddie Bauer SUV. 
   
   Let me tell you, I got a lot of stares.  But they weren't my food stamps.  They were theirs.
   
   A doctor commented on a person expensive sneakers one time and I later learned, because it was a small town, that person bought them at a thrift store.
   
   So while I AM FOR waste prevention and not enabling drug abusers in any way, I also know we should be careful about passing judgment without full knowledge.
   
   Very good question though and one that needs addressed further by our IIO's (Idiots in office).  Not all of our politicians are enablers but many are.
   
   And hey, someone could have just lost their job last week we see dishing out food stamps and still be dressed like they just got off work.  And maybe they just left a job interview. Maybe the car is borrowed and they don't even have a car. You just never know.

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      dianetrotterposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      When I first came to California I heard people talk about getting on "The County" and saw people buying lobster and shrimp with food stamps while I purchased a pound of ground beef with 17% fat.  I don't see that anymore.  Many kids are in foster car

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      BuffaloGal1960posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have to say Diane. You are right. I've heard it too. They have a radar for each other and know when to apply where for what.  I feel bad for the people that really need it because of the people that abuse it.

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3. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 11 years ago

   They are engaging in illegal activities that are not reported.  They may be into numbers, selling drugs, hustling, and other nefariously illegal activities.  That is how they have their expensive cars and other luxuries.  Many people in the underclass are into one or many of such activities. Some are actually scamming and defrauding the system in order to receive more monies.

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      BuffaloGal1960posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I hope people who are CERTAIN of fraud taking place, like selling food stamps, report it.

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      LandmarkWealthposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Reporting it is a waste.  Nothing happens.  They close a store down for fraud an the next week it reopens under another name.  They ban them from taking in Food stamps and they do it anyway.  You might as well call the police and report a UFO.

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   3. 69

      LAURENS WRIGHTposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Actually I work for a low income housing complex of over 200 apartments.  As a matter of fact. most of the day, the majority sit around boozing, smoking and taking drugs, acquired by stealing, then exchanging for cigarettes and booze.

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   Thief12posted 11 years ago

   This is a very loaded question. Drugs, booze, cigarettes, and overall bad spending isn't exclusive to people on welfare. It's a general socio-economic issue in all ranks of society that deserves more attention and discussion than this question implies. As a matter of fact, lashing away only at lower-class "drug users", "alcoholics", etc. just because they're using your tax money puts the focus of the problem in the wrong place and not on the real issue which should be to focus on what leads people to do those things. Plus, it implies that you have no problem with higher-class people using drugs, drinking booze, etc.

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5. 67

   LandmarkWealthposted 11 years ago

   There are countless ways that people can abuse the system.  They often use multiple id's to collect entitlements.  They simply lie about their income, since most of the people who are self employed never have their income checked.  Some are making a legit income well in excess of what they report and qualify for numerous entitlements.  Once they obtain benefits, they can do things like selling food stamps at a discount for cash to other shoppers to buy drugs or whatever else they want.  The methods are too many and too diverse to elaborate on.
   
   Ultimately, I would not hold my breath waiting for any serious crackdown on this type of fraud. You'll get a some token gesture from State and Federal agencies from time to time.  They make sure these small crackdowns get plenty of publicity, and quiet the masses for awhile.  But in the end, the political leaders don't want this to get fixed.  They prefer to ignore it, and simply not prosecute these type of events.  The last thing in the world career politicians want is a self sufficient society.  That destroys their voting base.  They need people dependent on the gov't, otherwise who needs them.  My best advice is rather than get upset...use the system yourself to the best of your ability without getting in trouble.  Because as much as I don't like the system, it is what it is, and you're not likely to change it anytime soon.  When it comes to the relationship between you and your gov't in connection with taxes and social programs...you're either a victim or a perpetrator.

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