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Soda-buying with food stamps

phattonez said:
What teenager is so stupid that they don't know that unprotected sex = possible baby?
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More than you would think actually. Goes to show that our sex "education" is really pathetic.
 
Your Star said:
Actually no, you can't do that sort of thing. Our food stamps come in a debit card, and can be only used on food, no cigarettes or alcohol.
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I understand that it comes on the EBT card.
You just have to find the stores that will allow you to buy that stuff with it.

There are a few well known stores around here that do that.
Mostly convenience stores.
 
Gipper said:
The explanation has already been given. Someone who wants food goes with the person and buys what that person wants. Then they give fair value to the cardholder, in cash, to go buy smokes or booze.

As HG said, it's not hard. Hell, I've seen it done...multiple times. I used to live in MICHIGAN. You can't walk 10 feet down the street without bumping into some lazy piece of crap milking the system.
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The majority of people on food stamps don't do that. Because you know, you need to buy food to live, so if they were doing this they wouldn't live long enough to keep doing it.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
I understand that it comes on the EBT card.
You just have to find the stores that will allow you to buy that stuff with it.

There are a few well known stores around here that do that.
Mostly convenience stores.
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Those stores shouldn't be allowed to do that. Food stamps are for food, not alcohol, or cigarettes.
 
Your Star said:
Those stores shouldn't be allowed to do that. Food stamps are for food, not alcohol, or cigarettes.
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I agree but there is no way for the authorities to check it.
The only way they can, is through undercover purchases and I don't think DFACS has an anti fraud enforcement arm.
 
Your Star said:
Actually no, you can't do that sort of thing. Our food stamps come in a debit card, and can be only used on food, no cigarettes or alcohol.
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Yeah, in my state we have Lone Star Cards, not actual food "stamps", ie vouchers or coupons (although I understand that's the way food stamps worked in the distant past).
When I was on WIC over 15 years ago, recipients were given booklets of paper vouchers for various types of food. I don't know if that's still what they do for WIC.
 
I don't think the paper stamps exist anymore.... Its all a card now.... They are abused.
 
Your Star said:
The majority of people on food stamps don't do that. Because you know, you need to buy food to live, so if they were doing this they wouldn't live long enough to keep doing it.
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The majority of people don't do this, but still some do. And some people receive a good bit of food stamps, so "exchanging" some of them for cash (in the method I described earlier) is not really going to get them to a place where they are going to starve. Especially if they are very good at budgeting the rest of their food stamps.
 
roguenuke said:
The majority of people don't do this, but still some do. And some people receive a good bit of food stamps, so "exchanging" some of them for cash (in the method I described earlier) is not really going to get them to a place where they are going to starve. Especially if they are very good at budgeting the rest of their food stamps.
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don't many states have debit cards now?
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
I agree but there is no way for the authorities to check it.
The only way they can, is through undercover purchases and I don't think DFACS has an anti fraud enforcement arm.
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Not true...they can limit where the cards work and what they are allowed to be processed for. Computers are a wonderful thing. Barcodes limit purchases. Its a fairly common practice.
 
VanceMack said:
Not true...they can limit where the cards work and what they are allowed to be processed for. Computers are a wonderful thing. Barcodes limit purchases. Its a fairly common practice.
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Yea but the owner programs the machine.;)

It's more common than you think, getting around it is not difficult because enforcement is left to the business owners.
 
1069 said:
Yeah, in my state we have Lone Star Cards, not actual food "stamps", ie vouchers or coupons (although I understand that's the way food stamps worked in the distant past).
When I was on WIC over 15 years ago, recipients were given booklets of paper vouchers for various types of food. I don't know if that's still what they do for WIC.
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For the record...food stamps where also widely abused. People would sell them on the streets for 30-40 cents on the dollar for the coupons. I dont know if WIC had the same problems.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Yea but the owner programs the machine.;)

It's more common than you think, getting around it is not difficult because enforcement is left to the business owners.
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Not in most states and getting around it comes with fines. I know of several store owners (I almost said 'most' beut realized i really dont have THAT much experience...but I do know several) dont LIKE the food debit card programs because they are a pain in the ass.
 
VanceMack said:
Not in most states and getting around it comes with fines. I know of several store owners (I almost said 'most' beut realized i really dont have THAT much experience...but I do know several) dont LIKE the food debit card programs because they are a pain in the ass.
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Definitely a pain in the ass in you aren't a majority food store.
A sly convenience store owner will stock some token items to qualify but won't largely sell that and instead take it for other, unqualified, things.
 
I always see those EBT accepted here signs at the El Pollo Loco in front of the gym I go to and the Jack in the Box I eat at sometimes. Are you going to tell me that food stamps should be used for fast food?
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Definitely a pain in the ass in you aren't a majority food store.
A sly convenience store owner will stock some token items to qualify but won't largely sell that and instead take it for other, unqualified, things.
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Most (OK...there I go again) convenience store owners (qualifier-that I know) are hard working taxpayers that get pissed when people drive in in their nice cars, come in with their food cards and buy fast food type items, then pay cash for cigarettes and beer.

Most of us arent opposed to a support program...we just think they ought to change how they are facilitated so peoples tax dollars arent going into Ginny's G-string.
 
I'm opposed to a support program because you will never eliminate the abuse and it breeds dependence.
 
VanceMack said:
Most (OK...there I go again) convenience store owners (qualifier-that I know) are hard working taxpayers that get pissed when people drive in in their nice cars, come in with their food cards and buy fast food type items, then pay cash for cigarettes and beer.

Most of us arent opposed to a support program...we just think they ought to change how they are facilitated so peoples tax dollars arent going into Ginny's G-string.
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I'd be fine with it if they limited it to actual grocery stores, limited the choices to healthy food and required people to cancel luxury services, like cable/sat tv, etc.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
California is always doing stupid ****.
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I think one city in the area (might have been LA or Compton, something around South LA) actually had a ban on new fast food places. Because the fact that the fast food places are there apparently force you to eat fast food. Stupid politicians, I hate the elitism. The reason they eat so much fast food in poor areas is because those poor areas (at least in LA) are typically not very dense and mobility is limited, so a supermarket wouldn't make much sense. This is because of stupid zoning laws that don't allow density where there is a ton of demand for it. South LA would be much more dense which would entice supermarkets to open up which would make it more convenient to eat healthy if the zoning laws permitted it. Another example of government creating a problem to fix another problem that they created.
 
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Don't get me started. I'm pretty much a hard nose on this subject. I think many items should be excluded from food stamps. I think people on food stamps should have to attend nutrition/cooking classes and learn how to make a lasagna for a whole lot less than they can buy a frozen one.

I think they shouldn't be allowed to smoke or drink. I can feed my family for a day with the money from two packs of cigarettes.

*snip* *snip* *snip* <----- Yes, I just cut the corners on my own lefty card. I don't care.
 
The best way to eliminate or reduce abuse of the system would be to lower the amount given. Some of these people on assistance get FAR more money than they need. They shouldn't be getting anywhere close to what someone would make if they worked full-time for minimum wage, after taxes. They're able to "swap" with people not on the dole for other things because they get so much. You don't need almost 200 dollars a week in groceries. That's overkill. If you really paid attention and looked at recipes/prices, you could feed a family of 3-4 on half that. Sorry if I'd rather see you starve on the street than eat steak and lobster on my dime.
 
phattonez said:
I always see those EBT accepted here signs at the El Pollo Loco in front of the gym I go to and the Jack in the Box I eat at sometimes. Are you going to tell me that food stamps should be used for fast food?
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I didn't realize the restaurants accepted food stamps, but here, Pizza Patron and many other restaurants and convenience stores that cater to immigrants accept pesos.

Pesos pay off for Pizza Patrón | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Dallas Business News
 
ludahai said:
Sorry, nope. No right to snacks, soda, ice cream. Everyone has a right to basic food so for that I support the food stamp program. However, there is no right to chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. No right to Coca Cola. Heck, no right to Tropicana Orange Juice ... store/generic brand only... Get the basic foodstuffs with the foodstamps. If you want the extras, get it with your own dime...
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Where is your heart? Where is your compassion for othert people? In other words you want people on food stamps to be treated like 2nd class citizens:(

A little of each of those things never hurt anybody and can make someone feel good. Children like snacks and all kids -even kids with parents on foodstamps-deserve treats every now and again. Esp on they birthday.
 
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