Food stamps

[havasu]

I do know in most cities, such as my own, they have food banks on specific days sponsored by both local, volunteer, state and federal funds. There is one just down the street from my house. You simply drive up (in your newest Mercedes, it seems) go to the front of the line, and they toss 3-4 boxes of food items into your car. You never even get out, no ID is needed, not proof of residency needed. Last year, there use to be 5-6 cars in line, but with the economy as it is, cars begin lining up at 0700 in the morning, and now that line is over a mile long. I'm guessing the 3-4 boxes have been cut back to maybe one bag per car?

 

[Magus]

It's the Bidenomics...you know, the thing he did. the thing!

 

[Magus]

I do not have an issueg with food stamps or any other help that we as a society can afford to give to those that are need
What I personally have issues with is the system that is running those programs

Food stamps was imitated as a temporary program to help those that are in need a helping hand uNTIll they get on their own 2 feet

The system that runs this program does not cull the abusers it just keeps cranking out stamps.
Allow me to tell you a TRUE exchange of words between me and a backhoe operator back in 1979

I was an apprentice plumber that was allowed to do work unsupervised this day I was installing sewer lines. On new houses
I had a crew of 3, Booker T was my hoe operator. His son Jr was the shovel handi
I later the pipe
Lunch time we found a shade tree and opened our lunch buckets, I offered a lbologna Sammich to my coworkers and was told “ No, we’d don eats no bologna”
“We’s eats steak sammiches”
I said Steak? How the hell do you afford steak sammiches every day?

This is what was told to me
Wait, let me explain what the word “stays” means when it is used to replace the word “ lives”
As in. I stays in that house as opposed to I live in that house
Stays means you are not legally bound to that address you are temporary, no afdress

Booker T told me he stays at his wife’s house
She receives welfare and all forms of assistance because she is a non working mother of 3 kids . Dad has left them
Here in Mississippi, welfare has to give you a minimum of 24 hour notice it is coming to inspect
Booker T tosses his clothes and the big screen, dvd , Nintendo, microwave etc in the truck and goes to work
Welfare inspects, poor woman has nothing, benefits continue
Welfare workers hours are 9-5
Booker T does not go back till after 5
This happens every dayall across the State

Let me tell you about my good buddy "Pedro" He was a legal with card and papers. He got 125$ a week more than me even though I made 2$ more an hour PLUS he had two jobs, free housing, food stamps and he got a nice check for the thirteen kids he had at home that didn't exist. that was 30 years ago. I saw him one time after I had to leave that dump, he was in a 3 piece wool suit and owned a horse ranch in Mexico. he was a good Mexican, he went home after he got rich.

I figure any natural American deserves the same chance, but guys, it is NOT living the dream! My self-respect bugs me to death and my semi-responsive legs won't let me do a damned thing! Nobody loves a crippled loser, even another loser, even a crooked leech.
MEH. I paid Single White Male tax for 25 years, it's not like I'm stealing it at least.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I may have some sympathy for people who are truly experiencing hard times through no fault of their own. But my sympathy ends when it comes to taking money away from MY family. Why should someone else's family come before my family? That's just one of the problems that I have with welfare. Yes, food stamps are welfare.

 

[Supervisor42]

I may have some sympathy for people who are truly experiencing hard times through no fault of their own. But my sympathy ends when it comes to taking money away from MY family. Why should someone else's family come before my family? That's just one of the problems that I have with welfare. Yes, food stamps are welfare.

The only thing that makes my blood boil is watching someone buy a ton of groceries, whip out their EBT card to pay, and follow them out to the parking lot only to watch them toss the stuff into a car much nicer than I could afford.
A Lexus! It happens.

 

[Neb]

The only thing that makes my blood boil is watching someone buy a ton of groceries, whip out their EBT card to pay, and follow them out to the parking lot only to watch them toss the stuff into a car much nicer than I could afford.
A Lexus! It happens.

Playing devil's advocate....

There is a cultural aspect of the type of car sneakers etc people choose to adorn themselves.

I worked with an engineer from India ...

Who's life goal was to earn enough in the US to buy his hometown

that was expecting a son. He hired a consulting firm to choose a name for the boy. After a month and about $50k they decided " Jim". He was happy. I was confused.

Point is that there is a variety of standards of social norms that govern people's life choices.

For me the critical aspect of a vehicle is "does it run?". Others not so much.

Ben

 

[AMC]

Alone I sit on my hill, I look down and declare that other people don't deserve that still. The stamps weren't mine, on the plastic card that shines, but those people don't deserve food still. I look in their carts and see to my dismay, a steak, and not a horses hay. They don't deserve that still.

I see those hearts bleed to feed, but if only they knew, if only I let them know, they don't deserve that still.

I buy my groceries, I head up my hill, I look down upon the downtrodden, they don't deserve that still.

 

[AMC]

I pay taxes. I don't receive food stamps, but I am sick and tired of hearing how people think other people are abusing the system. I have as much of a right to say people do deserve help as anyone else saying that they don't.

IT'S KNOWLEDGE. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

I don't see anyone complaining about people who invest, or live off of trust funds, it's just bitterness that I hate.

I am putting all my spare money into stocks to pay a dividend in my later years, and when I die, I hope my family is rich..

But that couldn't be bad, right? After all, I paid into it, right? But history shows us that businesses can be even more unfair. child labor, for example, monopolies, all that was ok at one point, but it's not a little unfair to get a windfall and put it all in good hands and never work a day again?

I'm buying a share of lockheed martin for my nephew, Every birthday, it pays him a dividend enough to enjoy himself or grab a starbucks, and that will last as long as war and america's military does. It's not fair either, but it's an example of how you just need to play the game smarter, You can just buy a piece of paper and get money for the rest of your life. I'm rambling, sorry.

 

[Wingnut]

Just remember, playing the stock market can be a lot like gambling...

And yes, please speak freely, I for one appreciate it, even if you did open a can of worms with this thread, lol.

Fraud does exist, one look at the scumbags in office right now is clear proof of that...

 

[AMC]

It can be like gambling, but it's a hell of a lot easier to A) Get good enough at to profit and B) you get respect, or sympathy, if you win or lose instead of scorn and derision. "I put $50 on XEL, and now I get a hefty return" is better than "I put all my money on black and doubled it/lost it."

Alternatively, "I put $50 on XEL and lost 20! is met with "Awe that sucks," compared to "Well you're an idiot, why did you bet all the money?"

 

[winds-of-change]

I am totally opposed to food stamps for any reason. But if they are going to be doled out, they should only be for a very limited basic food items only, and only for a very limited time. There are plenty of private charity's around for the truly needy. No need for for the tax payer to support anyone but our own families.

My sister gets almost all her food from food pantries. She does not get food stamps. It helps her stretch the SS she gets a little further if she doesn’t have to buy food. She also shops at thrift stores for clothes.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I started investing my money even before I became a teen. Bought my first pickup at 16, first house at 19, married and had 2 kids by 21. I invested in stocks, bonds and precious metals my whole life. On 9/11 I traded most of my stocks for defense company stocks and used every bit of cash I had to buy gold and silver. Over the years I've bought a lot of homes, farm/ranch land, mining and timber properties. I always planned for the future and for hard times. Because of my planning I made sure that I'd never have to beg for assistance or become a burden to the tax payer. I retired at 57 with a very good investment return, SS at 64. The wife retired 2 years ago with a very nice return and will start SS when she hits 62. Like everyone else, we had our share of hard times. I just prefer to dwell on the good times.

 

[Supervisor42]

I am putting all my spare money into stocks to pay a dividend in my later years, and when I die, I hope my family is rich..

But that couldn't be bad, right? After all, I paid into it, right? But history shows us that businesses can be even more unfair. child labor, for example, monopolies, all that was ok at one point, but it's not a little unfair to get a windfall and put it all in good hands and never work a day again?

*Warning! Soapbox alert!
I am so happy you are doing the right thing at a young age.
When I was very young we visited a lot of older people that lived in huge beautiful houses. Neither of them worked. I asked my mom: "how can they afford to live here?"
Her repy: oh, she owns a bunch of XYZ company.
I learned.
I don't know how old you are but I'm sure I was investing at your age.
Sure, I only started with a few hundred bux, but I got to watch the magic of compounding happen with 'dividend-reinvestment'.
Every 3 months the dividends bought more shares... that paid dividends 3 months later, that bought more shares... repeat, repeat.
Every payday I would buy a few more shares to toss into the pot .
The bigger it got, the faster it got bigger.
In just 10 years, I was looking at thousands of dollars of stock.

On the second part, ask your dad how important it would be to have a big cushion to fall back on when you find out one day that you can't work.
Most people spend every dime they have when they are young and wait until it is too late to start rolling up their 'snowball'.

 

[Patchouli]

@AMC be sure you know what the laws are regarding inheritance of stocks, bonds, and other investments. It might not make it as easy for your inheritors as you hope.
It would be more informative if the thread could lean towards what can I do, what should I do, how can I help my friend, instead of discussing the abusers of the system and the system we call government. We all know that stuff is everywhere, arguing about it doesn't help any of us.
Never have signed up for welfare, food stamps, etc., coulda used it.

 

[sonya123]

I have something more to say here also
Some of you complain about people driving up in nicer cars than theirs and get EBT. Well nowadays a used smaller Mercedes costs LESS than a 10 year old 2 door pick up truck with 4wd and a large engine. Trust me, it's true.
It's no wonder some people need EBT , they probably spent all their money on transportation. It's what we have to spend probably 80% of our money on now just to keep them running. If the US had a better public transportation system maybe these people would have more money to buy food. Our son's friend in Orlando takes a bus to college sometimes, and it takes him 3 hours to get there. It's a half hour trip with the car , in traffic. That's ridiculous.
The health insurance mess is another things I hate the way things are done here.
Plus there is this, since most welfare type stuff is based on income alone , some people have to limit how much money they earn to not lose their benefits. Would YOU really work, if you ended up with LESS money than not working? The system is absolutely broken

 

[sonya123]

I don't know how old you are but I'm sure I was investing at your age.
Sure, I only started with a few hundred bux, but I got to watch the magic of compounding happen with 'dividend-reinvestment'.
Every 3 months the dividends bought more shares... that paid dividends 3 months later, that bought more shares... repeat, repeat.

You got lucky. If you had invested with the wrong company, all your money could have been gone also. It's just another type of gambling. We have 401ks ( that we can't spend yet without paying a fine since we are not old enough) , they could drastically get lower in value if the market crashes, or we get a government that decides the US will no longer invest in it's defense contractors, or if the government decides to confiscate those 401ks.....

 

[Magus]

ask your dad how important it would be to have a big cushion to fall back on when you find out one day that you can't work.

It's VITAL! Even though It was several years before I could get my disability, I had two pieces of land in Northern Tennessee, a huge gun collection, silver and gold and some pretty nice antiques, and a muscle car. I would have had more, but I trusted a whore. Not to mention a year's padding+ of leftover Y2K crap. even having to sell A LOT of it at desperation prices, it did me eight years. In that time I made and sharpened knives and a weekend gig at the flea market. Still, even in good times, just under a hundred grand does not go far, but it beats the hell out of being a bridge monkey!

I got bit by the 401K scam ONCE. I'd rather invest in a credit union!

 

[Magus]

Don't be sad on me, I survived! it's what I do!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Would YOU really work, if you ended up with LESS money than not working? The system is absolutely broken

Absolutely I'd work. I have my pride. I'd work two jobs if necessary or three jobs. I'd do, and have done, whatever was necessary to support my family without begging for handouts or sucking off the government tit. I spent many years working overseas in shythole countries where most people wouldn't go. In my early career I worked all the overtime I could get. Many years I worked 7/12's. All so I could support my family and my future retirement. I started my career as a ranch hand and ended my career as a VP of an oil company. All without ever stepping foot in a college. Or complaining about the hard times.
You say the system is broke. I disagree completely. One just needs to look for opportunities and go where the work is. Even today, anyone can find success. It just takes hard work, a plan and marketable skills. I know that the "in thing" today is to dwell on doom and gloom and sit around complaining about how unfair the system is, but life is what a person chooses to make out of it. I chose to be a success.

 

[angie_nrs]

I pay taxes. I don't receive food stamps, but I am sick and tired of hearing how people think other people are abusing the system. I have as much of a right to say people do deserve help as anyone else saying that they don't.

We all pay taxes in one form or another. I think the point you might be missing is that the Government is making that choice for us. They are taking my money and giving it to someone else without my consent. Charities have a much better track record of doing that wihtout the fraud involved b/c it's done locally and on a much smaller scale. ANY time the government gets involved in anything, there will be fraud and waste.

I am a generous person and even though the .gov takes my money without my consent, I still contribute to causes that I feel are deserving. That's how it's supposed to work. IF the government quit taking my money wihtout my consent, I would be even more generous b/c I'd have more funds to be generous with. At the same time, hunger is a strong motivator. Hard times create stong men..... If someone needs a hand up every now and then, I'm all for that. But, there has to be something learned......learn a skill, how to manage time, how to interact with the public, etc. Again, charities can be more of a help in that regard. If you can work, then you should. There are meaningful jobs for handicapped and disabled workers. Where there's a will, there's a way.....most of the time. I don't believe in supporting laziness and sadly I've seen that happen with .gov programs.

Have you ever noticed how many of the most successful people started out with nothing? They had a tough childhood and that spurred them on to DO something about it. They took advantage of opportunities and made things happen. Without that motivation would they have been a success? On the other hand, I've seen people get welfare benefits and they never get off of them. Why? Becasue there's typically little motivation to do so.

 

[sonya123]

Absolutely I'd work. I have my pride.

Pride is an absolutely useless emotion imo.
I used to work to make a lot of money and did. It was ok for a while but it's frustrating to see 30% of your income disappear in the government black hole and never getting anything back. So we decided if you cannot beat them, join them. Now I like what we do, I live were I want to live and I get free stuff and pay no income tax ( still paying other taxes but not too much) and my anxiety and panic attacks are mostly gone too.
Why on earth would I go back to before and live in a large city I hate, work a job I hate and pay 30% in taxes, plus a lot of the rest of the income went for transportation ( vehicles that had to commute, gas, insurance etc)

 

[Mountain trapper]

Pride is an absolutely useless emotion imo.
I used to work to make a lot of money and did. It was ok for a while but it's frustrating to see 30% of your income disappear in the government black hole and never getting anything back. So we decided if you cannot beat them, join them. Now I like what we do, I live were I want to live and I get free stuff and pay no income tax ( still paying other taxes but not too much) and my anxiety and panic attacks are mostly gone too.
Why on earth would I go back to before and live in a large city I hate, work a job I hate and pay 30% in taxes, plus a lot of the rest of the income went for transportation ( vehicles that had to commute, gas, insurance etc)

Only 30%? I used to pay a lot more than that, and it never made me want to suck off the system. There's nothing wrong with having pride in one's self and a strong work ethic. Obviously some people don't care and will take whatever they can get for "free". I've never lived in a city before. I've always lived where I wanted and how I wanted. Maybe living in a city helps condition people that living off the backs of the taxpayer is OK. Many of us though take pride in making a good life on our own without ever taking government handouts.

 

[angie_nrs]

So we decided if you cannot beat them, join them.

So you only had 2 choices?

The more people that sign on to that mantra, the worse off America will be.

If I'm ever down and out, I will find another way, as I did in my younger days unless I am 100% disabled. And, if that ever happened, I would pray that God would take me b/c I would not want to live like that.

I get 'paying in taxes and getting very little back for it'. It sucks. But, I won't be part of the problem.

I'm not picking on you Sonya. You do you. We just have different views on this.

 

[Supervisor42]

You got lucky. If you had invested with the wrong company, all your money could have been gone also. It's just another type of gambling. We have 401ks ( that we can't spend yet without paying a fine since we are not old enough) , they could drastically get lower in value if the market crashes, or we get a government that decides the US will no longer invest in it's defense contractors, or if the government decides to confiscate those 401ks.....

It wasn't luck.
I knew I wouldn't need my 401K money for 10 years when things crashed in 2008 so I cranked my withholding from 6% to 14%.
With the "40% off" sign flashing on everything, I could not miss.
Am I the only one that is angry that 'this recession' that they all predicted for this year, did not happen?

 

[havasu]

Am I the only one that is angry that 'this recession' that they all predicted for this year, did not happen?

From the economic forecasts I've researched, they were saying 3rd and 4th quarter 2023 will determine how bad this recession will get. I was getting ready to buy a new car, but will hold off another 6 months. I do know my savings account is earning 4 1/2% APY, which makes me happy.

 

[Mountain trapper]

It wasn't luck.
I knew I wouldn't need my 401K money for 10 years when things crashed in 2008 so I cranked my withholding from 6% to 14%.
With the "40% off" sign flashing on everything, I could not miss.
Am I the only one that is angry that the 'recession' that they all predicted for this year, did not happen?

For me, anytime the market drops, I consider it a buying opportunity. When the housing "bubble burst" many of my co-workers were buying extra houses in places like Las Vegas and Florida. I continued buying stocks, PM's and land. Had a few houses too. I only bought dividend paying stocks, and of course had the dividends reinvested. Yes, those were good times. My motto is; always look for opportunities. They are out there. Always.

 

[Magus]

Absolutely I'd work.

My pride cost me my entire inheritance plus half of what I'd saved up. If I had to do it all over I'd have been right there in the welfare line on day one, BUT I still had too much stuff to be helped, I was the wrong color it seems.

 

[sonya123]

So you only had 2 choices?

The more people that sign on to that mantra, the worse off America will be.

If I'm ever down and out, I will find another way, as I did in my younger days unless I am 100% disabled. And, if that ever happened, I would pray that God would take me b/c I would not want to live like that.

I get 'paying in taxes and getting very little back for it'. It sucks. But, I won't be part of the problem.

I'm not picking on you Sonya. You do you. We just have different views on this.

It's fine. My thoughts are that I will do whatever I can to make myself happy.
I don't think anything will change as long as there are many people that are willing to pay the bill. If you want the system to change, first you have to make it go away. Once enough people think and do like me, the system will go away. It will have no choice.
Besides, we DO work very hard actually. We just don't make any money. We produce food. If you want to eat decent food you should eat the kind of food we produce and not cheap factory farm walmart food, but that's the thing. You cannot produce good food and make money in this county.
All these things I do make perfect sense to me.
You know who benefits the most from the system as is? Large coorperations and politicians they pay off
edit: oh and don't forget China

 

[Supervisor42]

From the economic forecasts I've researched, they were saying 3rd and 4th quarter 2023 will determine how bad this recession will get. I was getting ready to buy a new car, but will hold off another 6 months. I do know my savings account is earning 4 1/2% APY, which makes me happy.

I just don't get it.
Everybody that goes to the store looks for bargains and discounts.
But when the stock market tumbles, they all run for the hills.
Just remember this devil's motto: "Every time somebody loses a fortune, someone else finds it".
I am still waiting for "this recession" with tons of ammo and both barrels loaded.

 

[Wingnut]

I got a sawbuck in my pocket, and I bet AMC wishes this thread never got started, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

In the meantime, maybe I'll learn something from all of these financial wizards...