Food Stamp Ripoff

[Jerry James]

Do you realize that in some states almost 1 in for people are receiving food stamps?  That's an astounding number and the cost to the tax payers is in the Billions.

I'm not trying to say that there are not any people who need food stamps to help them survive.  I think food stamps are a great humanitarian way to help our fellow man in need.  However, I also think that the Biblical adage of "Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".  Food stamps should be a temporary measure for most people who are receiving them.  Instead of giving more and more people food stamps, we should address the root cause.  

We should address the problems in our economy causing high unemployment.  Encourage businesses to expand.  Encourage new businesses and make our tax code "business friendly".  Businesses put people to work, not government.  Getting more people to work would solve many problems.  Among those problems are high unemployment and the high cost of providing food stamps to those who need them.

Then there is another problem with food stamps, as there is with many Federal government programs, abuse.  How many of you have seen people at the grocery stores pay with their food stamps then go out to the parking lot and load their government paid groceries into their luxury car or suv?  I know you've seen it.  Oh, and maybe you have been approached by some of these people with food stamps who want to sell them to you.  They even offer a discount, $100 worth of food stamps for $75.  Now why on earth would they be selling their food stamps if they are in such desperate need of the food stamps to help their families survive?  Of course that answer is, they don't need the food stamps.

Wouldn't it be great if there was an easy way for the average person to report a thief of food stamps?  That's right, I said thief.  If they don't need the food stamps then they are stealing right out of the tax payers’ pockets.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not inhumane.  Of course I want to help those who are in need of help.  And besides, most of them would only need it temporarily.  But those who are stealing need to be cut off and possibly prosecuted.  That would save our economy Billions every year.

Maybe one of you can set up a system to report thieves.  Let me know if you do.  Or maybe report the thieves here in this forum.  We might be able to shame them into giving up their food stamps that they don't need.

This is my opinion, I welcome yours.

Jerry James

Checkout what Dan Weil has to say about the food stamp program in his article, USDA: Number of Food Stamp Recipients Reached Record High in 2012.