Once again Gomer puts foot firmly in mouth...

[Archae]

Doesn't this bonehead realize that using food stamps to buy luxury food like crab legs results in running out at the end of the month?

I guess he doesn't.

They just can't stop themselves. When they're not doing their best to use that evil "big gubmit" to regulate women's vaginas, one of Republicans' favorite ways to spend their time is beating up on the poor -- as old "terror babies" Louie Gohmert decided to do on the floor of the House this Thursday afternoon.

Gohmert: Cutting food stamps not evil because poor people buy king crab legs:

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/gohmert-cutting-food-stamps-not-evil-becau

[Lasher]

1. There is widespread abuse just as Gohmert describes.

Cutting food stamp program funding is just plain sinister. But food stamps are being used to buy luxury food items.

[Archae]

2. And they put that food into the trunks of their Cadillacs, right?

[Lasher]

3. No, I'll just stick to the way I said it.

Do you think food stamps are not being used to buy crab legs?

[Archae]

4. ANY government program can be misused like this.

Someone who buys crab legs is going to run out before the month is over.

Some people will need to learn how to shop for better food that is less expensive, obviously.

[Lasher]

6. It gets more complicated.

For example:

Person A sells food stamps to Person B for 50 cents on the dollar. Person A uses the cash to pay utility bill. Person B uses food stamps to buy crab legs.

Person A splurges on crab legs, runs out of food stamps, and sponges off relatives for the rest of the month. Person A has children, so relatives will not let them go hungry.

Person C buys a carton of cigarettes for Person A. The next day Person A uses food stamps to buy crab legs for Person C, just because they are such good friends.

This sort of abuse does occur, but indiscriminate reduction of program funding is not the answer.

[jmowreader]

9. Example A can't happen anymore

One of the reasons for getting away from printed food coupons is they'd become an underground currency. Now person A would buy crab legs and sell them for 50 cents on the dollar to raise money for the light bill.

[Lasher]

15. The switch to the EBT debit card hasn’t stopped this sort of fraud.

Desperate Times: Selling Food Stamps To Get By

Many are selling food stamps for cash. Over 6 million people today report food stamps as their only source of income according to an analysis of government data collected by the New York Times.

Here’s how the illegal transactions work: People sell food stamp funds in front of stores, and offer to go into the store and buy groceries for an incoming customer.

Once purchased, the Electronic Benefits Transaction (EBT) beneficiaries sell the groceries to the customer for cash. Food stamp benefits can only be redeemed for food or seeds.

http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/44519-desperate-times-selling-food-stamps-to-get-by.html

I believe we're on the same side here. I just think it's a mistake to imply that this sort of abuse does not occur.

[jmowreader]

18. You described what I described

In the old days, people used the stamps as an actual currency...my troops from the cities would tell of tradesmen who'd fix your faucet for $25 in greenbacks or $20 in food stamps - food stamps were better because they were tax free. And unlike other barter-based currencies, food stamps were backed by the full faith and credit of the US government, so a $20 food stamp would always buy $20 worth of food. Now you have to work at it, and take a financial hit in the process.

Things would be better if Gomert and his ilk would spend less time worrying about the things poor people are buying with food stamps and more time creating jobs so these notional people who are buying notional crab legs will be able to get off the dole the old fashioned way.

[n2doc]

5. so?

Are 'luxury food items' now only reserved for the middle class and above? It isn't like they are getting 'lobster stamps' that can only be used on such food items. Come out and really say what your bias is telling you: that these food stamp users are getting too much. Isn't that what all this boils down to? Envy that some 'freeloader' is getting something better than you?

It's how they divide us. And it keeps working.

[Lasher]

7. I think I'll just stick to the argument I am actually making.

But I'll give you credit for your creative writing.

[n2doc]

8. You said there is 'abuse'

Define Abuse, please.

[Lasher]

16. OK, fair enough.

Last edited Fri Jun 21, 2013, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

There's more than one form of abuse, but trading or selling food stamp benefits is probably the most relevant for this discussion. I furnished a couple of examples of that upthread. In the second example there, it is relatives and not the system that's being abused.

[n2doc]

20. Fair enough

You do realize that repubs like Gohmert are only using this to try and cut benefits. That doesn't change the opportunity for this kind of abuse. One could in theory still buy crab legs (and trade them for beers/cigs) even if one's benefits were cut to $5/month. One could go big government and further limit what people can buy to a small list of approved items (something that I think is done already in many states). But people will still find a way.

Or one could worry about the really big fraud and abuse of government funds taking place in other, much more well-funded departments. Because there is the place where true savings lie.

[Lasher]

21. Yes, I realize Gohmert is trying to do exactly that.

But if we are going to pretend that this sort of abuse does not exist, we'll not set forth a winning argument. We need to admit that the program, while one of the most worthwhile government endeavors ever, is not perfect. If we just blindly hack away at overall program funding, children will go hungry as a result. We need to focus instead on abuses as they occur.

This is my point.

[rrneck]

10. I don't worry about people buying luxury food on food stamps.

I worry about shit like this:

http://money.cnn.com/2002/09/23/pf/saving/q_tyco/

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - You might wonder how former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski could have spent thousands of dollars on stuff most of us could get at Bed, Bath & Beyond for, at most, a few hundred. Interior designers to the rich and famous say it's easy. But really, it's in awfully bad taste.

An SEC filing last week from Tyco alleges that Kozlowski spent company funds on unauthorized purchases including $15,000 for a dog-shaped umbrella stand, $6,300 for a sewing basket, $17,000 for a traveling toilette box, $2,200 for a gold-plated wastebasket, $2,900 on coat hangers, $1,650 for an appointment book, $5,900 for sheets, $445 for a pincushion, and $6,000 on a shower curtain.

I'd like to see people crawl up some zillionaires ass for how he spends his money for a while before I worry about some crab legs. Fuckers.

[haele]

11. Depends on where you buy King Crab legs and how often.

Chances are, you can get crab legs - even King Crab - cheap (half to 3/4 off) at a sea food special sale at a large grocery store if you are willing to take chances on items just over their "sell by" date - and many stores (especially at military bases, where a large number of junior enlisted families qualify for food stamps) often have a "Sea Food road show" where crab legs and other seafood, like bay scallops, are easily affordable.
I've seen King Crab selling for the same price as Chicken Breasts, depending on the season.
And if you've been lucky enough with sales to stock up your pantry to last the rest of the month so there might be a bit and you're buying it for a special occasion or treat, as long as your kids aren't starving that last week, whose business is it anyway?

I guess the poor and people who can't find work that pays enough to feed their families are supposed to be punished with only gruel and water to survive on to "make them try harder" - even if there aren't any paying jobs within commuting distance and they can't afford to move.

"Sorry Granny - you may be 85, but since you didn't save enough at your 30 years as a administrative assistant to pay for health care, keep a leaky roof over your head, and eat, so now you've got to arm-wrestle the equally elderly old Mr. Brown, the Widow Martin, and at least 20 other 80+ year olds for that last 4 hour a day slot as a greeter at Walmart.

Who cares if you lost the pension from the only job you were vested at in the Crash.

Who cares if businesses stopped valuing employee loyalty after the late 1980's when vulture capitalism and trickle-down economics became popular and large amounts of the population started losing long-term employment and living wage-paying general and skilled labor jobs.

Who cares if the last three jobs you had laid you off before you could be vested in their 401K program and screwed you out of full return and retirement.

Who cares if one of your seriously under-employed adult grandchildren and his family have moved in with you for free rent and babysitting in exchange for taking care of you and your house

Oh, and those crab cakes or apple torte you might want as occasional comfort food - well, that's too good for lowly social parasites like you to eat. You and your household only have enough social net worth for PB&J, tuna fish casserole made with saltines and frozen veggies, or beans and rice for one afternoon/evening meal, and unflavored oatmeal or toast for breakfast. No treats for you. You didn't try hard enough - to just die of a stroke or heart attack from stress or overwork while you were still working and bringing profits to your betters."

Hunger Games for the elderly, the disabled, the children, and the unlucky, just because of the .25% of people on government assistance are mentally unstable or addicted enough to be satisfied with milking the system and living in chaos.
Next, idiots like Gohmert will suggest that if they've got anything left over on the EBT after they purchase what's on the pre-approved list for the month, it goes back to the government.

Haele

[hobbit709]

12. Louie only opens his mouth to swap feet.

[Rex]

13. But but but SNOPES says it is true!

Even though they don't...but don't tell that to certain DUers. They LOVE to bash them some poor people! Just like Gomer Piles (R - Son of Satin)

[ck4829]

14. The poor and long-term unemployed would move towards eternal marginalization in their world

They must live in a gray and drab world, where luxuries are evil and basic securities of housing or food are alien, but they have no reason to be sad or angry, because if they work really hard, then maybe the children of their children can rise up to the level to serve the Job Creators (tm) in some way.

[duuser5822]

17. Gohmert is a prick of the highest order

I suppose the poor should just starve to death, huh Louie? You ass...

[FSogol]

19. Let us know when Gohmert takes foot OUT of his mouth.