US becoming a food stamp nation.

Ah. So you saw one person in another state buy junk food. They got into a car whose ownership you are unaware of and you use ghis highly circumstantial ONE case to decide that everyone using food stamps is a lying cheat? Wow. Just wow.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2639145/posts
By KATY GRIMES

We’ve known for some time that there are abuses of electronic welfare benefit (EBT) cards in California. The EBTs are accepted nearly anywhere that sells food — grocery markets, convenience stores and even restaurants. Costco does not accept food stamps or EBT cards, but Trader Joe’s does. The cards also have a cash component; they come loaded with cash allowances in addition to the electronic benefits.

What most people don’t know is that the government doesn’t keep a record of what is purchased with the cards. In the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the Office of Systems Integration, the state agency that oversees the EBT welfare card system, one question asks, “Does the government know what I bought with my EBT card?” The answer may surprise many, especially after the recent exposure of the rampant fraud using the benefit cards:

There are still some food stamps in use, but the majority of welfare recipients are issued EBT cards.

Concerned with the dignity of the “client,” In 1996, the federal government passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which mandated the replacement of coupon style food stamps with the electronic fund transfer program debit cards. In 1997, the California Electronic Benefits Transfer Act was passed as part of the CalWORKs welfare reform legislative package. But it wasn’t until 2005 that the EBT program was fully implemented in California.

California touts the EBT program as a success, and claims that fraud has been greatly reduced. “There is a certain ethos in government where we don’t dwell on our successes; there are so many mandates from politicians and citizens that by the time we catch up to standards on one program, it is time to jump to the next,” reads a report from the California Department of Social Services.

There are 15 pages of participating restaurants in L.A. County. And even though fast food outlets are supposed to be disallowed in the food stamp program, numerous locations for Jack in the Box, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Popeye’s are included in the listing of participating EBT restaurants.

http://www.newson6.com/story/8733250/fo ... ected=true

a case of food stamp fraud to the extreme. Three men have already been indicted. Now dozens more face charges of selling their food stamps for cash. The News On 6's crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports on how the crime was committed.

Investigators say people would take their food stamp card to a convenience store. The store would swipe it for an amount, for example $100, to make it look like food had been purchased. But, there was no purchase. The person got $50 cash and the store pocketed the other $50.

Documents show the store did more than $800,000 in the fake transactions in three years taking taxpayer money.

The A and Zee Quik Stop was the target of the food stamp trafficking investigation and Zobair Baig was the owner. He's pleaded guilty to two counts in federal court and has not been sentenced yet.

Two of his employees also pleaded guilty to the scheme and both received one year probation.

Even though a sign now says no food stamps accepted, agents say it was well-known the store would swipe food stamp cards for a given amount, give half that amount to the customer in cash and keep half for the store.

The cards are only supposed to be used for food purchases. The point of the program is to help feed struggling families.

Once investigators became suspicious of the sheer volume of food stamp transactions at the store, they sent undercover agents inside and they, too, were able to trade the government benefit for cash. Investigators say hundreds, even thousands of customers participated in the scheme.

Dozens of them now face charges.

Charlotte Brown is one of them. Records show she admitted cheating the system at least 12 times, which put more than $1,000 cash in her pocket.

Rhonda Pearson is another. Records show she also confessed to trading her food stamps for cash at least 27 times at A and Zee Quik Stop. Her take was nearly $1,100. The store's take was nearly $2,200.

You might think the people guilty of this crime would lose their food stamps forever, but sources tell The News On 6 most will only get their food stamp privileges taken away for a year or two. Meanwhile, they'll still be getting food stamps for their children, so what's really happening, is their food stamp check will drop by about $100 a month.

And I was right gov. does give free cell phones to food stamp recipients.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=468_1234482544

Martin Ent Inc wrote: And I was right gov. does give free cell phones to food stamp recipients.

Good.. .There's one less reason for you to be outraged... You bitch because they don't find jobs, and then you bitch because they might have cellphones so they can...

:bash

We've explained why cellphones are a necessity for many and ypu still insist on being outraged by it. I presume by that that you are invested in being outraged and enjoy it. So have fun with your anger.

It's all BS. socialism at it's finest.
No body ever gave us sh%t when we were down and out.

The only anger seems to come from you lefties trying to defend the gubment. As usual

Not so much anger as disgust with such a sociopath in our midst.

The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so

And they're used for so much more than food. Just recently I overheard a guy downtown, on his cell phone, calling people trying to "move about $140 in food stamps". I wonder what he exchanged for those much needed food stamps.