Food Stamps and EBT

Original post:

Over 80% of recipients DO work, and most in full time jobs. The problem is these jobs pay nothing. $10 an hour? Think you could pay your bills on $1200 a month take home. Let"s break that down.
$500 for rent isn't going to get you the Taj Mahal, but you could probably find something for this amount. $50 for power. $ 40 water and garbage. $200 a month for transportation, half that if you take a bus and walk. A phone for $40 a month. So you are going to need clothes. Even if you buy used clothes $50 month seems cheap. Now I don't even know if this could posibly be done at these figures, they are no where close my expenditures. But you are among the lucky one because this leaves you $220 for every other expenditure in your life that month. And that was at $10 an hour. That is 30% more than minimum wage.

My response:
 @AmandaChoate In what world do people spend $50.00 a month on clothing?  Have they never heard of a thrift store or coupons?  What stores and how many people are they trying to clothe?  I spend $50.00 a YEAR on clothes for my three children, husband and I.  (We have never even gotten hand-me-downs or any HELP from ANYONE)

My husband has served our country for well over 15 years (and continues to).  We barely do not qualify for food stamps and WIC, etc, even now after so long.  Being active duty military for this long has taught us MANY tricks to save money, especially when he was a private.  Why are these others not attempting to better their lives too?  I had kids because I could AFFORD them.  I scrimped, saved, and googled my butt off to figure out how to afford certain things (don't get me started on my coupon collection).  Guess what, with even a little effort into it, and it worked.

I even worked parttime at fast food restaurants (because apparently as a military spouse, it's really hard to get HIRED...let alone interviewed), WITH a college degree.  This is what *I* did for MY family.  I bit the bullet and PAID for MY life.  My husband and I have both worked since our teens (that's well over 24 years of working), and even when *I* wasn't working...he was to support us.  You CAN support yourself working FT at McDonald's and 3 kids.  I know.  We've done it.  It's called cutting back on the non-necessities and trying to save money wherever you can.  (Depending on which state we have lived - and there has been over a dozen we've lived in- you can get a 3 bedroom apartment for $450.00 a month.  Not in the best part of town, but it's enough room for you, your kids, AND your wallet.  FT at McDonald's nets you $1336 before taxes, at min. wage and leaves you with roughly $886 for groceries and others.  If you own a cheap car, gas would would about $180 per month.  Which then leaves: $706.  That's a LOT left over for other things like electricity, gas, water, car payment, and groceries.)

My current grocery bill for a family of 5 (and my brother living with us, who was recently laid off) for the ENTIRE month is $325.00.  If I can do it, and have done it for YEARS, then others can do it too.  Explain to me WHY I shouldn't be upset when I am telling my child at the checkout line:  "no sorry, baby, no candy bar today"...all the while some jerk in front of me is buying BULK candy bars, hostess cakes, ice cream, and other "goodies" that my family has gone without...all with their EBT card?  This woman was in a brand new Acura on a brand new cellphone in front of me in line...using an EBT card.  Don't even get me started on how she was chatting up the cashier about how she CAN'T work because her OBESITY is too far out of control.  Yup, she is also on financial assistance because she is TOO fat to work.  Awesome.  All the while I don't have a cellphone, no cable tv, and a car from the 90s.   So much for FAIR.

Use whatever excuses and justifications you want.  We pay our taxes AND serve our country.  We don't use the system, and I am ALWAYS disgusted when someone says that "well, they deserve a treat sometimes.."  No.  WE deserve a fucking treat.  We worked hard for our life.  THEY deserve to get a job, learn how to save, and support themselves.  If you want ice cream that badly, buy it yourself with your own money!

As per my family supposedly not having "contributed enough taxes" to even be angry about one person abusing the system, you are wrong.  To quote a previous posted: "The person on EBT gets $1.50/day for a meal".  Seems like we have put in more then enough to pay for that one person's meal, thus I have a SAY where OUR money goes and it definitely shouldn't go into some entitled, baby breeder's mouth.

I have seen SO much abuse of the EBT/SNAP/WIC system, it'd make your blood boil.  Out of the hundreds I have seen, I have only heard of maybe a handful of people who DESERVE or NEED to be on government assistance.  The rest were abusing the system, and doing it quite blantantly.

In my opinion, for SNAP/EBT, we should be handing out physical food items...not cash.  We give people a set amount of time to get a job (if they still qualify for SNAP after getting a job, let them stay on it), and if they don't have one by the end of the year (or can prove they have at least attempted to get a job)...they should be REMOVED.  (Think of it as how unemployment currently works)  If someone can PROVE they had even an interview for a job, they should remain on it.  But, if they aren't even attempted to better themselves...they need to be removed.

If you physically cannot work, or have hit rough times, I understand.  If you are abusing the system and haven't even attempted to GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM, you should have ALL your gov. benefits CUT OFF.