# 46,496,145: Food Stamp Recipients



## Davey Jones (Sep 15, 2014)

Thats enough to Fill Yankee Stadium 925 Times.


Think Ill try to apply for it and see what happens,what the hell Im 77 years old and paid into the system for 40+ years. 
My only income is S.S.
The kid and I here could use a steak or 2 so what the heck is one more in the system?
Government dont really seem to give a damn anymore.


----------



## hollydolly (Sep 15, 2014)

We don't have food stamps here but if we did those figures would be around 2/3rds of the entire population of the UK 

I read that 46 million US citizens on food stamps equate to 22 million households which is approx 15%


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 15, 2014)

That's those actual receiving food stamps but I wonder what the actual need/use number if you take the fraud and abuse.


----------



## Susie (Sep 15, 2014)

This is one of the most depressing statements I've read on this forum: 46,496,145 persons in the U.S. needing food stamps!!!
Why?
No work, no plots to grow vegies, illness, or?


----------



## SeaBreeze (Sep 15, 2014)

Here's some charts that show more of a breakdown, and reasons for the rise in food stamp usage at particular times...http://www.trivisonno.com/food-stamps-charts


----------



## Meanderer (Sep 15, 2014)

It is oh so easy to criticize people, from afar.  If you have ever had to work a low wage job or two, and struggle to not only survive day to day...but have to look at your kids and see hunger in their eyes, you wouldn't be so quick.   Even for a short period due to a temporary situation, hunger in a family can leave a deep mark.  I think we have to err on the side of being generous.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Sep 15, 2014)

I'm happy that food stamps are available for those in need.


----------



## Warrigal (Sep 15, 2014)

Susie said:


> This is one of the most depressing statements I've read on this forum: 46,496,145 persons in the U.S. needing food stamps!!!
> Why?
> No work, no plots to grow vegies, illness, or?



Plus a disgracefully low minimum wage for workers. Perhaps if workers were adequately compensated for their labour the number of people requiring food stamps would be a lot less.


----------



## Coleman (Sep 15, 2014)

All is not well in the American camp all the time.


----------



## Ralphy1 (Sep 16, 2014)

No question that some are scamming but the evidence is there that this safety net is necessary for many...


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 16, 2014)

Ralphy1 said:


> No question that some are scamming but the evidence is there that this safety net is necessary for many...



I agree that I'd rather see a starving person in need get the assistance they applied for. Just like with civil rights I'd rather see guilty people go free rather than innocent people sent to jail. But the volume and type of fraud actually perpetuates and increases the volume of people applying for food stamps with the intent of misusing or selling-fraud.

This was a big story last year but in New York they found out that immigrant communities from the Caribbean were using food stamps to buy food to send to the Caribbean black market. I doubt NYC is the only city where the local immigrant community is abusing their food stamps for scams like these.

http://nypost.com/2013/07/28/nyc-we...nican-republic-then-sold-on-the-black-market/

If these 'shippers' think their home countrymen need food assistance then legally lobby for it.

One of the big problems is the selling of food stamps ie black market food stamps/ebt cards. They say it isn't that bad but where there is smoke there IS fire.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/u...-underground-economy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

You can read stories from all over the country about food stamp fraud and/or the selling of food stamps/cards.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2014/07/massive_oregon_food_stamp_frau.html

This scam went on for two years, this is a perfect example of un or under reported food stamp fraud.

You also see stories like the surfer guy from California who seems to be abusing his food stamp privilege.

http://humanevents.com/2013/08/12/surfing-on-the-food-stamp-wave/

Yes the economy sucks along with many of the wages companies pay like Walmart which turns their pay into corporate welfare when the tax payers have to fund/feed their employees.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-13/how-mcdonald-s-and-wal-mart-became-welfare-queens.html

As I said before I'd rather see those(US citizens) who actually need and applied for food stamps get them but the fraud and abuse must be eliminated & criminally prosecuted if for no other reason to keep costs under control.


----------



## Twixie (Sep 16, 2014)

We don't have food stamps..everyone gets a basic jobseeker's allowance of £70 per week...plus free rent..

If anyone finds themselves in difficulty here..they can go to a food bank..which is run by charities..and get 2 or 3 days food..for free..


----------



## Davey Jones (Sep 16, 2014)

Susie said:


> This is one of the most depressing statements I've read on this forum: 46,496,145 persons in the U.S. needing food stamps!!!
> Why?
> No work, no plots to grow vegies, illness, or?



WHY?? Thats easy to answer ,the system is very easy to enroll on,no ands or buts just sign on the dotted line.


----------



## Davey Jones (Sep 16, 2014)

SeaBreeze said:


> I'm happy that food stamps are available for those in need.




yea but 46 million of them are in need? If thats so then there is something really wrong with our system.


----------



## Twixie (Sep 16, 2014)

Davey Jones said:


> yea but 46 million of them are in need? If thats so then there is something really wrong with our system.



I agree..there are always the hustlers..the BBC made a program about food banks here..one of the guys had a 4 bed house and his own business..

What is wrong with people??


----------



## Davey Jones (Sep 16, 2014)

Food Stamps (Apply Now)
foodstamps.findfamilyresources.com

Find Food Stamp Application Fast. Get Application. Apply Online Today
*
ROFL!! Did ya all see this at the bottom of our posts ????*


----------



## ClassicRockr (Sep 16, 2014)

I remember, years ago, when a major earthquake hit part of Los Angeles, a Food Stamp sign-up area was set up in a parking lot for folks. Well, I read somewhere where two big limo's drove up, people got out and signed-up. All I could think was, "whatever".


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 16, 2014)

Twixie said:


> We don't have food stamps..everyone gets a basic jobseeker's allowance of £70 per week...plus free rent..
> 
> If anyone finds themselves in difficulty here..they can go to a food bank..which is run by charities..and get 2 or 3 days food..for free..



Problem is many food banks around here are or have become tougher to use than the government because of heavy use, fewer resources AND scammers. I know people uneligible for food stamps in more need than many of the scammers because of technicalities who can get only limited use of the local food bank. 

When I see the things buy with the food stamps/EBT card and they are eating better than I am and more often(frequently see bulk buying) there is something wrong. I've seen people buy multiple packs of things like ribs and alot of other food in bulk(the kind of bulk that requires a second freezer-money) . Besides sending it or selling it and I think many scammers wind up using food stamps to fund their unofficial or official food business.


----------



## Twixie (Sep 16, 2014)

WhatInThe said:


> Problem is many food banks around here are or have become tougher to use than the government because of heavy use, fewer resources AND scammers. I know people uneligible for food stamps in more need than many of the scammers because of technicalities who can get only limited use of the local food bank.
> 
> When I see the things buy with the food stamps/EBT card and they are eating better than I am and more often(frequently see bulk buying) there is something wrong. I've seen people buy multiple packs of things like ribs and alot of other food in bulk(the kind of bulk that requires a second freezer-money) . Besides sending it or selling it and I think many scammers wind up using food stamps to fund their unofficial or official food business.


So..if they sell the food..what do they live on?


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 16, 2014)

Twixie said:


> So..if they sell the food..what do they live on?



If they are scamming they would have the money to buy food. A lot of criminals getting food stamps wind up selling those cards/stamp at partial value, a junkies are notorious for it. They've caught small store owners buying food stamps which would enable them to buy and even over pay for some of their inventory or buy their own food else where.


----------



## Grumpy Ol' Man (Sep 16, 2014)

http://online.wsj.com/articles/food-stamps-starting-to-fall-1409606700

1.)  Food stamp use is actually falling.  The slight decrease can be attributed to more jobs and lower unemployment as the economy gains ground, post recession.
2.)  As more states raise their minimum wage... since the "Party of family values" won't allow it to happen nationally... we should continue to see a decrease.  As people can afford to feed families, they can fend for themselves and no longer depend on social programs.
3.)  Fraud and corruption does rape the system.  There are thousands using the SNAP system for ill-gotten gain.  Likewise, there are thousands scamming the Social Security system through faked disability.  Until Congress decides to get tough, the corruption and abuse will continue.  Ferreting out the corruption will take funding for additional staff and training for that staff.  Currently, the power in the House wants to continue stripping dollars out of social systems.  As more abuse the sytem, less dollars are left for staffing.  Congress needs to use the "surge" tactic they used in the Iraqi conflict.  Spend significant dollars to hire a legion of enforcement personnel to clean up the system.  As thousands are caught, stopped, and consequences meted... the abuse will lessen and the costs will decrease.


----------



## Happyflowerlady (Sep 17, 2014)

Food stamps are a life saver for me.  We get about $40 a week for two of us to eat on; so believe me, we are NOT eating steak, or buying meat in bulk. I do buy a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit; but the trade-off is that we don't have snack foods or soft drinks.  I buy bags of whole popcorn, and we sometimes pop some on the stove in a large kettle; but bags of popcorn are pretty cheap, and go a long ways. 

This does not mean that I think that everyone that gets food stamps lives this way.  Back when my children were growing up, my ex-husband worked on and off; and when he was on unemployment, we were just a few dollars over the amount required to get food assistance.  And that didn't figure in that he was also spending most of the money on drugs; so there was just not much left to feed the family with. 
My daughter helped an elderly lady down the street, and they would go and get the big bags of day-old bread for Ida to feed her chickens. She always let Robin bring home some bread; so toast was one of our main foods most of the time. 
Christmas came. 
One of Robin's friends family was also on welfare, and food stamps. They offered us a turkey because they had two freezers full of food, and had several turkeys that had been given them. 
After Christmas, they had one whole bedroom that was full of cassette players, clothes, toys, and all the other things that were popular with kids back in the 70's.
 One whole bedroom ! 
Besides the welfare, they got handouts from every church in the area, the food bank, and the husband had a huge flatbed truck and he made several thousand each month cutting and selling firewood. 

So, there are always two sides to every story. I agree with those who say that we should not have the cheating on the food stamps; and that it takes away from people who really need help. But I think with the way the system is set up, it will continue to be abused.


----------



## Coleman (Sep 17, 2014)

Every time there's a program to help someone, the first thing you hear from the well to do is fraud, or people are taking advantage of it. Fraud in a program like the food stamp program is highly over-rated.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Sep 17, 2014)

Davey Jones said:


> Food Stamps (Apply Now)
> foodstamps.findfamilyresources.com
> 
> Find Food Stamp Application Fast. Get Application. Apply Online Today
> ...



I don't see any ads, have them shut off...https://www.seniorforums.com/showthread.php/8027-How-To-Turn-Off-the-Ads


----------



## WhatInThe (Sep 18, 2014)

Happyflowerlady said:


> Food stamps are a life saver for me.  We get about $40 a week for two of us to eat on; so believe me, we are NOT eating steak, or buying meat in bulk. I do buy a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit; but the trade-off is that we don't have snack foods or soft drinks.  I buy bags of whole popcorn, and we sometimes pop some on the stove in a large kettle; but bags of popcorn are pretty cheap, and go a long ways.
> 
> This does not mean that I think that everyone that gets food stamps lives this way.  Back when my children were growing up, my ex-husband worked on and off; and when he was on unemployment, we were just a few dollars over the amount required to get food assistance.  And that didn't figure in that he was also spending most of the money on drugs; so there was just not much left to feed the family with.
> My daughter helped an elderly lady down the street, and they would go and get the big bags of day-old bread for Ida to feed her chickens. She always let Robin bring home some bread; so toast was one of our main foods most of the time.
> ...



You are the type of person I want to help as much as I can.  As with most things it only takes one to ruin it for everyone else. Again I'd rather see the people who applied for and need food stamps get that assistance rather than get nothing because it would stop abusers. It's really frustrating knowing people who actually need food stamps get put through the ringers, limited assistance or nothing. Then when I stand in the cashier line at the super market and see who and what people are buying along with stories like the Caribbean community in NYC buying & shipping food at the tax payers expense I blow gaskets.

Since food stamps are considered a safety net as with any other net I guess you'll catch a lot of other stuff ie abusers.


----------

