I still can’t get over the fact that some people scrutinize other people’s shopping basket looking for food stamp fraud. Do they pick a minority in front of them before peeking or do they check everyone as a routine habit? I’m not a regular shopper, so I wouldn’t know what fancy frozen vegetables are. I don’t like to shop,so if I’m in a grocery line,I don’t want small talk from the cashier nor do I look to see what some people are purchasing and how they are paying.
First, I wouldn’t particularly mind if the government changed their rules to force a healthier choice for food stamp recipients because it would help the overall problem of nutrition and health care. I can remember Michelle Obama getting vilified by the right, when she tried to make people aware of the benefits of eating healthy. I get it ,it's not government intrusion if it's imposed on poor people.
A Victoria online forum poster, Denise Scott has the right to get angry when she sees a violation of the food stamp laws, but she doesn't get to make stuff up. Cashiers at grocery stores who take food stamps go through a school to learn what can or cannot be purchased with food stamps. The grocery stores do not want to lose their food stamp license. Every cashier knows that food stamp recipients cannot buy cigarettes, beer and household items, and they make sure that the camera that’s watching them doesn't see an illegal transaction taking place. If a violation takes place outside the camera's view, then it's up to people like Denise to tell someone, if she wants to stop fraud. I think companies take a lot of steps to make sure they are in compliance because one citizen’s complaint will alert the authorities;not to mention the bad PR.
The poster pointed out an illegal food stamp profiteering scenario by Wal-Mart and H-E-B without offering any proof. In 2012, the government spent $103 billion for food stamps, and CBO predicts that the $110 billion will be spent this year. The money from food stamps goes to pay the grocer and stimulates the economy because the money will be spent to pay employees, truck drivers and farmers, so they can pay their taxes. When employment is at normal levels, food stamp recipients decrease and those people start paying income taxes. Again, I don't think those companies will jeopardize their license or their reputation for a few bucks.
If we're trying to make a case that some human beings will take advantage of a worthwhile program; point taken but that's throughout society, not just government assistance recipients. We'll always have that slave mentality when it comes to government assistance. It's like when we criticize our brother –in- law for buying a six- pack after we just lent him $500 because he was laid off. We tell ourselves that we're helping our sister and the children, so we have to criticize their lifestyles. I’ll say it again; for the most part, people would rather work and fend for themselves than have people look down at them. They can also avoid those who are always trying to control all aspects of their lives because they are the ward of someone's ear marked tax money. That's how some people are.
Some people would like to see all welfare recipients be drug tested. I could use the pro gun slippery slope logic and say what's next;all those who receive government contracts need to be drug tested? That’s been tried and only 2% of those tested were found to be drug users.
Now I got that out the way and I feel a lot better.