Does This Bother You?

What gets me is how people that don't try to do anything seem to get everything they want (way more than they need too). Like when I was growing up, my mother worked full time and had to support herself and her two children. But she made hardly any money, so we couldn't afford to do anything like get new clothes or go on vacations or even buy enough food to keep us from being hungry. There were times that we all huddled into the same room because we couldn't afford to fill the oil tank in the basement to heat our house (and this was before all the high oil prices). We were lucky to be on a program that cost $20 a month, and every two weeks, a person would stop by with two boxes of food, but none of it was anything really fancy... it was like vegetables, and pasta and that sort. But when you are hungry, it's so great that you don't care. So, we didn't really have much, but we made do with what we had while trying to work to get more. Even my sister and I started working when I was 15 and she was 17 and paid "rent" to my mom to help with the bills. But it was so hard to see people like my cousins and people around town that didn't try to work, and just accepted welfare checks. They had so much stuff that we didn't. They always had lots of clothes, lots of presents at christmas, went on vacations paid for by 'poor kids' type charities. They got a brand new computer with the internet and all that (when it took us many more years to afford a used computer that didn't even have the internet). They even smoked and drank all the time, which we all know isn't cheap. It just seemed like the honest people that tried to earn a living couldn't get ahead, when the people that didn't work (and had no intention of it either) were always busy bragging about all the stuff they had, that we didn't. Life isn't fair sometimes, but I guess that's just the way it is.

Well first of all the food stamps you can buy cigerattes or alchol or even paper products such as toliet paper to must pay cash for that. You can only use the food stamps for food. So you shouldnt be so hard on these people.

This has always agrivated the heck out of me! I worked in retail grocery for about 69 years and I would just get so angry. The few that made me the maddest is when you check someone out and they pay for $300 worth of food with their FS then you carry out their groceries to their brand new mustang setting in the parking lot! Another thing....in Texas the can get AFDC which is money for needy families and this is pulled off of their FS card similar to a debit card. They pull the money off and turn around and buy smokes and lottery tickets just like you said. I even tried reporting this because it made me so mad but was told that the money belongs to them to spend as they see fit. UGH! I feel your pain.

Yes this really does bother me because if they were that needy to be getting the food stamps then every other money that they have saved they should also put back into the home in some positive way. People do this all the time and get around the system and dont care how it looks. These people are also usually the people that go outt he store and get in their new cadillacs or lincolns, there are ways to get around the system and people do it everyday.

I often watch what people are putting up on the conveyer.Not that I think its any of my buisness but when I see that they are able to buy name brand products, t-bones, or even ribeyes I wonder what is wrong with this picture? I mean if you are in need of assitance to be able to purchase groceries for your family shouldn't you have to make a better choices on what the money is spent on? I think that they shoud be required to make better choices.

It bothers me, that's for sure. For the amount of work a lot of cities and states need done, it will never cease to amaze me that welfare is simply given out without requiring any work. In my opinion, if you want welfare, you should have to pitch in for it. Imagine what would happen if that was a requirement. Just think of how much a dilapidated city could turn itself around with a labor force that it's already been paying to do nothing if they actually had to work. Oh well. Wishful thinking. It's a shame so many people out there abuse the system.

Yes it does bother me, but if I spent all of my time dwelling on it, it would drive me crazy!!! It's not my business. I agree with you, they should spend their money on better things, but there is really nothing *I* can do about their spending habits. Would it be my place to tell them off right there in the store? I don't think so. I would like to, but what would it accomplish? Maybe though, those people are wasting their oney on the internet, and will read this discussion. Hopefully if they do, it will be a wakeup call.

Thats really terrible that it happens. I wonder if there is any way that you can report these people so they get their food stamps taken off them.

Unfortunately there are peope in this world who will take, take, take, and give no thought to those of us who stuggle without assistance. It bugs me no end when I have to struggle to pay the bills, with no government assistance, and then I see people getting all the handouts and spending my tax money on luxuries.

You are perfectly justified in your anguish, though there seems to be precious little that you or I can do about it. This is a perfect example of the short-sightedness of our politicians. All these schemes are intended just to win votes and not really benefit people. We have to take a stance against this, but the moment we do so, we are going to go against a lot of people who are benefitting from this system, unfair or not, and it's a frightening prospect. In our country, we don't have government sponsored food coupons and the like, but we have an obsolete reservation system according to which people hailing from so called 'backward classes' can secure employment and seats in educational institutions in spite of performing below par, compared to the non-reserved categories. I have secured 88% in a competitive examination but was declared as inelegible for a position that I had applied for, but another person who only scored 74% in the same test made the cut, as he hailed from on of these so called 'backward classes'. I mean, there is nothing backward about them. They hail from economically sound families, flaunt more money than anyone else, put in half as much work as the rest and still get jobs and priveleges. It really sucks. Will the government do anything about it? No way, they don't want to lose the votes of all these people. It's terribly frustrating, you know.

yeah i dont like that either and it sucks because people like that then create a bad image for all people on welfare. Theres always going to be greedy people in the world who will take advantage of anything they can and it makes life suckier for those who are better than that

Very well said soulsetfire! You have pointed out one of the biggest abuses of the food stamp program. I too am discouraged when I see this happen and I am standing behind them with just a few things in my cart because it is all I can afford. I am working hard everyday and paying my taxes to support their abuse of the system. Thanks for a well written post on this disturbing trend!

I haven't work in groceries, but I have been behind plenty of people who have done what you describe, and yes it bugs me. I've gotten so mad about it that I pay someone else to do my taxes so I don't have to figure out how many months out of the year I work to pay someone else's way.

nope not at all

My opinion it's not bother anyone

I actually know someone like that. 80% of her foodstamp funds go towards junk food, soda and pies. The rest goes toward pre-packaged food that her kids can microwave so she doesn't have to cook.