I love the IRS

[Raoul]

I'm standing in line this morning watching the fat girl with 3 kids scan the buggy full of meat, red bull, and soda pop when I get a call from my accountant. I always wind up extending because the banks I work for typically do not get their 1099's to me early.

So my accountant asks what I'm doing and I tell her grocery shopping, She says to pick up some petroleum jelly because my taxes are ready.

Then the fat girl swipes her EBT card to pay for her groceries. $629.66.

I'm happy.

 

[E4 No More]

I don't understand the relevance of her perceived weight in your story. Is it because she's not skinny and therefore doesn't need food? Is it just being derogatory towards her weight and perceived laziness? Is it that you believe that she got fat on food stamps? Don't get mw wrong, I don't like forced charity to support someone too damned lazy to support theirselves, but many poor people are fat because of what they eat, (cheap processed foods), rather than how much they eat. And I too pay more in taxes than many people make in a year, so I feel the pain too.

[TMF]

I don't understand the relevance of her perceived weight in your story. Is it because she's not skinny and therefore doesn't need food? Is it just being derogatory towards her weight and perceived laziness? Is it that you believe that she got fat on food stamps? Don't get mw wrong, I don't like forced charity to support someone too damned lazy to support theirselves, but many poor people are fat because of what they eat, (cheap processed foods), rather than how much they eat. And I too pay more in taxes than many people make in a year, so I feel the pain too.

I don't believe the myth that poor folks are fat because they can't afford non-fattening foods. I believe this for two reasons:

1. I come from the Honey Boo Boo culture. My parents didn't have much money when I was growing up, but we were all skinny. We didn't keep sodas or fattening snacks in the house. Those things cost more money. When I see the poverty level folks filling their carts, they're filling it with crap I can't even afford. I buy the cheapest stuff I can find, yet somehow everyone in my household is thin. We don't have personal trainers, nutritionists or a gym membership. We've both got a bunch of overweight people in our families, so I deny that we are thin due to some magic metabolism ability that 1/3 of Americans don't have. Most of the people I grew up with are tipping their trailer over when they walk around. They don't have a pot to piss in, yet they can mainline Mountain Dew like it's cool. Not that I care about someone's life choices, I like jolly people; what bugs me are folks who are doing it on my dime, or look at me like I have some magical secret to not being obese that they aren't capable of tapping into. My wife an I put effort into it, and I'm sick of hearing whiny ass Americans complain that they can't achieve the same due to circumstances beyond their control.

2. I've been around the world; to countries without a gluttonous culture and countries where people are so damn poor they can't afford food. There aren't a bunch of fat people there. So unless Americans are genetically different than everyone outside our borders (they aren't), a whole bunch of people are full of crap.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited October 7, 2014 by TMF

[Raoul]

The problem with food assistance is there are few stipulations on what they can purchase. Red Bull? Really?

All food assistance should be modeled on the WIC program.

Red Bull and soda are not a valid use of my tax dollars.

[NoBanStan]

2. I've been around the world; to countries without a gluttonous culture and countries where people are so damn poor they can't afford food. There aren't a bunch of fat people there. So unless Americans are genetically different than everyone outside our borders (they aren't), a whole bunch of people are full of crap.

 

Well, part of it is the American diet. Cheap food here is death... everything's fried. So even eating off the dollar menu, you can balloon up. Plus they are likely idle. McFatwich and the couch make for lots of lardos.

 

I've never researched it but I would like to see the EBT/food stamp restrictions. I know when I went to get finger printed for HCP, there was a woman sitting in the waiting area talking on her cell phone. She told the other person that her food stamps had come in, that she didn't need all of it and offered to give part of them to whomever she was talking too. That's mind blowing.....

[Links2k]

I don't understand the relevance of her perceived weight in your story. Is it because she's not skinny and therefore doesn't need food? Is it just being derogatory towards her weight and perceived laziness? Is it that you believe that she got fat on food stamps? Don't get mw wrong, I don't like forced charity to support someone too damned lazy to support theirselves, but many poor people are fat because of what they eat, (cheap processed foods), rather than how much they eat. And I too pay more in taxes than many people make in a year, so I feel the pain too.

I'd like to know how these eagle eyed gentleman always know when someone is swiping an EBT card. I can never tell what kind of card a person is using. I'm always too busy eyeballing other people to make sure they aren't looking at my pin. Maybe my behavior and extra weight make me look like a thieving welfare cheat, who knows? Besides, one never knows what circumstances my have caused the fat lady to require public assistance. It's none of my business.

I recently learned a valuable lesson about assuming something about a person that I knew absolutely nothing about. Regardless what some of us may think, everyone is not out trying to f*ck the system. Edited October 7, 2014 by LINKS2K

[shaftbass]

I believe the relevance of the weight of the person in question is that our tax money is paying for more of the processed junk that is contributing to her being overweight.  With being overweight comes health problems.  It's reasonable to assume that if she's leeching off the government to buy junk food for herself and her family, she's leeching off the government for everything else, including health care as well.  Because she's overweight, the health care costs increase.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, Raoul.

 

I wish the government bought my food.  Costs me twice as much if not more since I gave all that processed garbage up years ago.

[teecro]

I'd like to know how these eagle eyed gentleman always know when someone is swiping an EBT card. I can never tell what kind of card a person is using. I'm always too busy eyeballing other people to make sure they aren't looking at my pin. Maybe my behavior and extra weight make me look like a thieving welfare cheat, who knows? Besides, one never knows what circumstances my have caused the fat lady to require public assistance. It's none of my business.

 

I don't think my fat tax paying azz would know an EBT card from a debit cart.....

[Links2k]

 
I've never researched it but I would like to see the EBT/food stamp restrictions.

I agree.

[E4 No More]

 

The problem with food assistance is there are few stipulations on what they can purchase. Red Bull? Really?

All food assistance should be modeled on the WIC program.

Red Bull and soda are not a valid use of my tax dollars.

I certainly agree there! The problem is regulating it with all of the myriad of other things that they can buy at any given store.

Edited October 7, 2014 by SWJewellTN

[Raoul]

I'd like to know how these eagle eyed gentleman always know when someone is swiping an EBT card. I can never tell what kind of card a person is using. I'm always too busy eyeballing other people to make sure they aren't looking at my pin. Maybe my behavior and extra weight make me look like a thieving welfare cheat, who knows? Besides, one never knows what circumstances my have caused the fat lady to require public assistance. It's none of my business.

I recently learned a valuable lesson about assuming something about a person that I knew absolutely nothing about. Regardless what some of us may think, everyone is not out trying to f*ck the system.

In this case she was bragging about it.

[E4 No More]

I'd like to know how these eagle eyed gentleman always know when someone is swiping an EBT card. I can never tell what kind of card a person is using. I'm always too busy eyeballing other people to make sure they aren't looking at my pin. Maybe my behavior and extra weight make me look like a thieving welfare cheat, who knows? Besides, one never knows what circumstances my have caused the fat lady to require public assistance. It's none of my business.

I recently learned a valuable lesson about assuming something about a person that I knew absolutely nothing about. Regardless what some of us may think, everyone is not out trying to f*ck the system.

I can tell the difference, and I'm certainly not eagle-eyed.

[E4 No More]

I think that the only restrictions on Food Stamps is that you have to buy food stuff and cannot use them for alcohol or tobacco products. It very much pisses me off to see someone use Food Stamps to buy food and then whip-out cash to by beer and cigarettes.

[teecro]

In this case she was bragging about it.

 

That would bother me to no end; the give me mentality of the entitled masses.... I'm 51 as of a couple days ago and the two times in my youth that I felt that I had no other option but to apply for unemployment assistance I ended up taking whatever job was offered to me long before I could collect a check. I'm still working in the same field as the 2nd round to which I long ago broke the 100K mark....

[LagerHead]

The IRS isn't to blame in this case. It's our elected "representatives" who buy votes by promising the fruits of our labor to others with no strings attached. Yea, there are people out there that legitimately need help. Hell, I've been broke as a joke before and I know full well how bad it sucks. If you've never been there, trust me, it blows. BUT, I have also seen tons of people leeching off the system with absolutely no intention on ever changing. In my opinion, we should end ALL government handouts  - that means to big corporations, farmers, pretend farmers, etc. - and let charity take care of the folks who legitimately need the help. As we all have seen on this board, Americans can be some damn generous folks when someone needs a hand, but most of just don't like having our money taken to ensure that Billy Bob Republicrat gets re-elected in the next mid-terms. 

[felinesNfreedom]

If I am not mistaken the card has the good ole red, white and blue flappin across it. I love seeing people pay with it then walking out to a brand new/newish car. I worked with a younger kid years ago that bragged about food stamps/Gubment assistance and drove a brand new charger...... Wonder how he paid for that.

[gun sane]

The last time I waddled into my doctor's office, he explained why it's easy to put on weight and hard to get off.  In the golden days of America, people used to have to exert exercise to get their food--farming, manual labor, and other jobs with lots of moving around.  Now we mostly sit on our butts, typing on computers and get our food from a drive-thru window.  If we went back to making a living with more physical effort, we could be drinking our beer while showing off six pack abs.

[JayC]

Quick way to fix the EBT issues in this country...  Create military style mess halls, if you're on welfare and need a free meal, you go to the 'mess hall' and they feed you.  No TV's, just like it was in boot camp.

 

Lots of people will get sick of that quick and find themselves a job to feed themselves.

[bersaguy]

The last time I waddled into my doctor's office, he explained why it's easy to put on weight and hard to get off.  In the golden days of America, people used to have to exert exercise to get their food--farming, manual labor, and other jobs with lots of moving around.  Now we mostly sit on our butts, typing on computers and get our food from a drive-thru window.  If we went back to making a living with more physical effort, we could be drinking our beer while showing off six pack abs.

 

In all honesty if we went back to the days when most people had to physically work to make a living you would see a lot of people dropping over from heart attacks because a hard days work would kill many people because of their physical conditions. I made my living for many years with hands on hard work and I loved it. I looked forward to waking up and going to work. It almost killed me when I learned from my doctors I could not do it any more. Not being able to perform my job was a lot harder on me both mentally and physically than it was working...........jmho

[bersaguy]

When food stamps were still in paper form and not on EBT card they had much tougher rules as to what you could purchase on them. You could not purchase any prepared food, no alcohol, tobacco, laundry soap, dish soap, bar soap, Toilet paper or paper towels. It had to be just strictly food products that you took home and prepared. But do you folks honestly think that is how it worked? People were out there buying food stamps from FS recipients for a 1/4 on the dollar with cash. That went on more and more so they decided they could fix that by putting your funds on  the EBT cards but that didn't help anything because people would go shopping for the money people and buy everything on a list given to them and when they delivered the groceries they would receive 1/4 of the amount of the receipt in cash. I know this to be fact because I had a dead beat step son and his wife  that were sellers and I knew the buyers. Anonymous phone call got all that stopped and everyone did some jail time. I think my step son blamed me for it but he never called me out on it. But we have not spoke since his mother passed away either back in 1997. I do know that it was stupid to make it possible to buy just about anything except Alcohol and tobacco on the cards. I think you can even use them in places like McDonald's but don't know that for sure because I don't got to those places very often. Can't afford them. Once a month I splurge and have KFC and live like a king for a day........ :up: ........................jmho      

[Dolomite_supafly]

It is easy to tell the EBT card, it is the one with the American flag on it. Nothing more American that having someone you don't know pay for your food.

 

I intentionally watch those around me and, yes, I notice people using their EBT card. And it does upset me seeing people buy stuff using their EBT card that most people who are not on assistance cannot afford. And with the EBT money they buy crap rather than buy decent food. If I were spending someone else's money I would buy the best food I can rather than junk food. It is also about education, a lot of people on assistance have no clue that the donuts, cup cakes and sodas are not bad for them. But the best way to prevent people from buying stuff that is bad for them is remove it from the list of authorized foods.

 

It is illegal for a retailer to ask for ID to verify the name on the card is the person using the card. It is a privacy issue and if they do the retailer will be barred from accepting EBT.

 

Better than a chow hall is pack up a weeks worth of food and mail it to the recipients. Saves the post office at the same time. And as far as what you get rice, beans and a few other nutritionally necessary items is all they need. If a person was truly in need of food they would beg for the rice, beans and anything else. American's are spoiled, especially those who get assistance. Those on welfare demand more and the government gives in to their demands.

[bersaguy]

It is easy to tell the EBT card, it is the one with the American flag on it. Nothing more American that having someone you don't know pay for your food.

 

I intentionally watch those around me and, yes, I notice people using their EBT card. And it does upset me seeing people buy stuff using their EBT card that most people who are not on assistance cannot afford. And with the EBT money they buy crap rather than buy decent food. If I were spending someone else's money I would buy the best food I can rather than junk food. It is also about education, a lot of people on assistance have no clue that the donuts, cup cakes and sodas are not bad for them. But the best way to prevent people from buying stuff that is bad for them is remove it from the list of authorized foods.

 

It is illegal for a retailer to ask for ID to verify the name on the card is the person using the card. It is a privacy issue and if they do the retailer will be barred from accepting EBT.

 

Better than a chow hall is pack up a weeks worth of food and mail it to the recipients. Saves the post office at the same time. And as far as what you get rice, beans and a few other nutritionally necessary items is all they need. If a person was truly in need of food they would beg for the rice, beans and anything else. American's are spoiled, especially those who get assistance. Those on welfare demand more and the government gives in to their demands.

The Government buys votes with EBT cards..........................JMHO

[Raoul]

I feel there's no shame in taking assistance if you need it. We all have bad luck occasionally. But when collecting benefits becomes a job we've done something wrong.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that there's no longer any pride in making your own way in the world.

[E4 No More]

I feel there's no shame in taking assistance if you need it. We all have bad luck occasionally. But when collecting benefits becomes a job we've done something wrong.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that there's no longer any pride in making your own way in the world.

Well, part of that is teaching youngster to have a victim mentality. "It's not your fault you're poor; it's the fault of your opressors. You deserve to be compensated."

[Raoul]

Well, part of that is teaching youngster to have a victim mentality. "It's not your fault you're poor; it's the fault of your opressors. You deserve to be compensated."

And we're about 5 or 6 generations into that. I'm not sure there's any going back.

Hey, but we've got our Iphones....