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Welfare/Food Stamp Fraud

This is more of a rant than a question, but I would like to hear about your experiences. Below are just 2 of the examples I see or hear about on the regular.

1. I stood in line at the gas station watching the lady in front of me buy overpriced, chips, fountain drinks and candy bars with her food stamp card. Then she proceeded to pull out a wad of cash to pay for her 4 packs of Marlboro's and her $20 dollar scratch off.

2. Overhearing my wife's conversation with a cousin and I hear about the cousin's afternoon out with the her 6 kids. The went to Defy (a trampoline amusement park), had slushies and snacks, bought the required socks, and finished up with lunch at KFC. For dinner they dined on lobster tail and steak. You know, Surf and Turf on food stamps. This family lies to the government. They were never married and claim on paper to have separate residences so they qualify for over $1200 dollars a month in food stamps.

I work 2 jobs to pay the mortgage. Something has to be done to fix this system.

Do I report my cousin in laws for welfare fraud?
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DamnFeelz · 36-40, F
Your ‘cousin’s story’ sounds highly unlikely numbers wise. I call bs 🤷🏻‍♀️

That said, there are several things to consider statistically here:
1.) The poor are less educated health, nutrition, and finances
2.) Healthy food is more expensive than junk
3.) It costs money not not have surplus. Ex: Not having the money to buy _food/household item_ when it’s on sale or enough money to save by buying bulk.
4.) There are an abundance of full time, entry level, minimum wage positions and a shortage of intermediate positions with room for advancement/pay increase, especially without already having a degree or certifications.
5.) Making things from scratch is very time consuming, which is not practical if you are trying to make the most of your time to climb out of the government program rut, especially if you can’t afford a car etc..


That said, the cases you described are not the norm. What I just described is the general state of things. So... if you actually want to ‘fix the system’ advocate for education outreach, more blue collar job opportunities that pay a living wage (I’m not talking about raising the minimum wage), training options, and help with childcare during training/work force entry. Reporting your ‘cousin’ is just petty. 🤷🏻‍♀️