Pennsylvania to impose asset test for food stamps

reply to post by ldyserenity


I'm in Florida and I agree with you 100%!!!!

It is ridiculous. Half the people I know don't belong on food stamps. They work the system, to me it's wrong. Florida needs to do a rehaul to the assistance program.

reply to post by fnpmitchreturns


Personally I think that they should overhaul the whole system or do away with it...it's beyond obvious that people are quite adept at getting around the stipulations they impose anyway, it's blatantly clear with that whole thing Clinton passed but never gets enforced, the welfare to work and the law they r supposed to go to job training, because some leeches I personally know are on it 20+ years and never been to one job or career training center even though after 6 months you're supposed to be attending or be sanctioned, there are always people that work the system, and it stinks to no end.

reply to post by exile1981


You obviously have no clue what you are talking about. I have a job in social services. In MOST places in this country, cars are a necessity. Why don't you go tell a man that has worked his whole life, and now is in need of help, that he needs to sell his car for food and to get to the store to buy the food, that he needs to walk 10 miles in the pouring rain. How heartless can you be?

I live in rural Arkansas and if you do not have a car, then you are in real trouble. I work with seniors that for the most part have worked all their lives or their husbands have and now due to their health problems, they are broke. Would you really begrudge a 71 year old woman with arthritis a car to drive to the store to gets meds and food? We do not have buses here, we do not have cabs here. There is no public transportation. Most people live out on farms that have been in their families for years. And most of those farms are at least 10-20 miles from the nearest store. We live in town and are 35 miles from the nearest hospital.

As for the asset test, we have that in Arkansas. It is really not a big deal. They just want to know if you have other cars, boats, motorcycles, RVs, land other than the land your house sits on, or other property. I know a lot of seniors that live on acreages and they qualify for assistance because the land doesn't count against them when their home is on it. They do not come in and check to see what antiques you have or how nice your furniture is or what kind of jewelry you have. They are not cold and heartless. They do not force an elderly woman to sell her wedding ring to buy food.

Sometimes I read the posts on this site and it scares me. I can't imagine being so cold hearted that you would want people to give up everything they own to buy food. I doubt you would feel it was fair if you were ever in that position.

I see people that need help everyday and are too embarassed to take a "handout". So instead they go hungry or they do without needed medication.

I am not sure if you are aware of this or not, but that actually is a bigger drain on "your money". Because the cost of nursing home care far outweighs the cost of $50 in food stamps per month. Medicaid in Arkansas pushes in home care to seniors. Because someone can come to your home EVERYDAY, stay with you for 8 hours, cook for you, clean your house, bathe you, help with any personal care needs you may have, read to you, visit with you, and it still costs up to 10 TIMES LESS than the cost of nursing home care.

So, maybe I should start a thread where I bash all of the people that put their parents in nursing homes because they are spending MY TAX DOLLARS! I wonder how many Republicans would agree with that?

reply to post by ldyserenity


actually, I agree for a different reason ... I think they should open up the soup kitchens like they did in the 20s so millions of invisible impovershed people can be seen and the corporate money changers would not get more government subsidies.

the fact that about 50% of Americans don't earn more than 30K a year tax adjusted of course is a shame ... and they don't pay taxes while corporate and individual tax liability has fallen since the 1960s. If these million dollar earners paid at the 1960 tax rates they would pay an additional $700 billion dollars a year ...

reply to post by mblahnikluver


typical ... take away someone elses rights because some one defrauded the system...... yet John Corzine remains free and alive!

reply to post by moonleaf

Sometimes I read the posts on this site and it scares me. I can't imagine being so cold hearted that you would want people to give up everything they own to buy food. I doubt you would feel it was fair if you were ever in that position.

I WAS and I DID!!! Because apparently I wasn't scrubby enough or dark enough to recieve help!!! Or we would have starved. I walked everywhere and in NJ there aren't places very close by, I walked everywhere including work but I rode a bike there too sometimes depending. Wahhh wahhh most of those people don't even know what the heck REAL STRUGGLING is because they never held a JOB!
Most of them are NOT senior citizens, most of them are illegals with anchor babies and lifelong white trash/ghetto trash. I don't see how it is any different in Arkansas but I tell you I lived in three states and all three these are the cases, not seniors, but lifelong loser leeches.

Originally posted by fnpmitchreturns
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

actually, I agree for a different reason ... I think they should open up the soup kitchens like they did in the 20s so millions of invisible impovershed people can be seen and the corporate money changers would not get more government subsidies.

the fact that about 50% of Americans don't earn more than 30K a year tax adjusted of course is a shame ... and they don't pay taxes while corporate and individual tax liability has fallen since the 1960s. If these million dollar earners paid at the 1960 tax rates they would pay an additional $700 billion dollars a year ...

Actually I totally agree with you.
That's what I think should be done...I would definately volunteer, but also probably be eating there too.

reply to post by ldyserenity


I don't see how an illegal could get assistance when you have to have a social security card to get help.

I cannot account for other states and counties, but in my county I would bet that the majority of the benefit recipients here are seniors and honest hard working people that cannot make enough money to feed their children. I often have to make trips to our local DHS office to drop off and pick up paperwork for both clients and employees. The waiting room is almost always empty. Occasionally, one person will be waiting. Unfortunately, one of the reasons for that is that people in our county are too proud to ask for help. I live in one of the poorest counties in Arkansas and for some weird reason, I am surrounded by Republicans...Republicans that can't pay their bills, buy food, buy meds, but they vote Republican every damn time anyway and they wonder why the country is going to straight to hell. The few that reach out for help get talked about by their neighbors and friends as if they are doing something wrong.

One of the hardest parts of my job is getting seniors to take help. They will tell you, I don't qualify for Food Stamps or Medicaid, but when you go over the limits with them, they are surprised to learn that they qualify and qualify by a wide margin. Some of them do not have running water and still use outhouses. These aren't people that try to pull one over on the government.

We also have a little something called State Recovery here. You get help, you die, the state takes all your assets.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Thank you very much!
For a moment I feared I would need to make a cartoon and schematics to explain it.
But it seems you have done that quite simply.

To the folks who still don't understand...
If the car you drive costs 70K on up, (could feed you for a decade easily) you have no business collecting food stamps!
Sell it and get a subaru and eat for the next decade!!!

reply to post by moonleaf


Then get out of kansas or kentucky wherever (oops Arkansas), and do some sightseeing at the offices here in florida, over in NJ, and over in PA...and probably Ca, Ohio, and Detroit. You'll see a very different story,,, I think I will move to your county!

reply to post by moonleaf


I see what you are saying and I agree to a point.
A car is a large help for some however, there is no need for a big dollar luxury car.
If you need luxury and are on food stamps, you have obviously made some real bad decisions.
If you keep your luxury car please do not apply for aid, why make me pay for your bad decisions?
Plus food stamps are a contract with the state, You are basically saying, "I cannot manage my life, please do so for me."
In this case I think the state has all the right to completely run your life, as you cannot!

reply to post by moonleaf


Do you live in PA? Do you know what it is like seeing three illegals in front of you at the grocery store(all in the same group), buying hundreds of dollars of food, and each paying for part of the bill with their own access card.

Then they proceed to fill their groceries into a new SUV or $30k-50,000 car? There are so many on Access that shouldn't be on Access(food stamps) it is pathetic.

Heck illegals number 1 destination is PA now because of how easy the Democrats under ex-Gov. Rendell made it for illegals to get benefits. It is sickening. It drives the cost of food up and the value of labor down.

Originally posted by fnpmitchreturns
reply to post by exile1981

 

So, if I outside of Chester County or Philly I don't need a car to live or work? I believe this is statewide not just for Philly!

If you are driving to work then you have a job and shouldn't need food stamps.

reply to post by exile1981


actually that is quite wrong ... millions work and still qualify for food stamp... even many workers at WalMart ... heck many also qualify for Madicaid too..

Here is an inflation sdjusted chart about the real buynig power of the min wage .. in fact I'll start a thread ...

inflation adjusted min wage

this is the real buying power of the dollar

and I agree... no Esclades ....

Originally posted by ldyserenity
reply to post by fnpmitchreturns

 

Actually Personally no, but most of those people have $65,000 dollar cars, they can sell them get a piece of junk clunker to get from point A to point b and use that money for food...also houses and any other "Asset" you own should be included, the only part I agree with is the retirement for 60+ people NOT being included, other than that you own a house cars and boats sell the damn stuff and pay for food. Most people with 2,000 in the bank has at least two out of three and they live off my money!!! When I needed the help...denied with nothing to my name not even a car I had to sell off everything little that I did own (which wasn't much) to live!!!! So I agree with this. Most people in Philly that have that amount in a bank account I can say with 100% accuracy are NOT hurting, I lived in that city! I saw what they are living in (Owned homes) and driving escalades. So it is an accurate determination.

edit on 10-1-2012 by ldyserenity because: spelling

Fine, sell the $65,000 dollar car for another new car for $35,000. In no way shape or form would I ever wish anyone to have to sell a new car for a junk car. That is just nuts. Keeping up a junk car will cost about as much as a new car, unless you can do the labor yourself. How many people really know how to change the breaks, ball bearings, and etc when they go bad. Otherwise, they will not have reliable transportation to get to work, school, doctors, and etc. It's not pretty when you are broken down in an intersection with no place to go, no way to get help, and no way to afford a tow.

Houses, I have to disagree with you on that one also. I rather have the people living in a house that they can eventually pay off, as long as they are living in a modest house. Heck a mortgage payment is lower than rent.depending on where you live. When a house is paid off, all they have to do is worry about property tax, which is a lot lower than rent or a mortgage payment. Yes, there are people out there who own their home outright. They are the lucky ones. What, would you rather people pay rent for the rest of their lives? When they can no longer afford rent payments, because the rent goes up each year?

Boats, stocks, bonds, and etc I can agree with. Just because you were denied does not man you have to hate on the rest of the people that need help. I imagine you were denied because you were not in the minority or had any children. If you want benefits, have a child. Unfortunately, that is how it is. As long as a family has children under 18 they qualify. As soon as they are adults, you will be lucky if you can get $50 in food stamps.

$2000 isn't that much either. You can't save up for a decent car, try to get into a house, or pull yourself up out of poverty. A family hits that magic threshold that throws them off of benefits, they are back to square one or worse. They may make a $1 over, but that $1 doesn't offset enough what they were getting in food stamps.

Cell phones can not be included in the assets or what to get rid of if the person has a job that requires a cell phone. Yes there are jobs out that that require one, which my husband has one of them. What about households that need two cars? Either two people working part time jobs where their schedules are weird. One person works, but the other needs a vehicle to drive the kids to the doctors, go for job interviews, and what ever else needs to be done. Not everyone owns a home an and escalade.

It is not an accurate determination. This will actually hurt a lot more people than it will help.

It will even create more fraud down the line. People will hide their money. How much cash do you have on hand? $5.00 when you actually have $5,000 hidden somewhere. What are they going to do, go raid the house looking for cash? It is fairly easy to get off the grid and not have a bank account. I'm sure many already do this. They are not going to be able to track any jobs being paid under the counter. This is probablly where much of the fraud comes in anyhow. This is not going to stop that.

Our legislatures are idiots.

Originally posted by fnpmitchreturns
reply to post by exile1981

 

actually that is quite wrong ... millions work and still qualify for food stamp... even many workers at WalMart ... heck many also qualify for Madicaid too..

Here is an inflation sdjusted chart about the real buynig power of the min wage .. in fact I'll start a thread ...

inflation adjusted min wage

this is the real buying power of the dollar

and I agree... no Esclades ....

I thought Walmart's bonus and healthcare policies were to point people to welfare. They make so little, they can't afford to live. Yet they can't get a second job, because they don't know when they will have to work the next week. Hours at those types of jobs tend to be very weird. It is almost like they purposely set the hours up like that so you can't get a decent second job. If you want to push yourself and are lucky enough, you may be able to get a night job that won't clash with their hours.

Originally posted by fnpmitchreturns
reply to post by exile1981

 

So, if I outside of Chester County or Philly I don't need a car to live or work? I believe this is statewide not just for Philly!

Nope, you have to be in the city, and good luck finding a job near you. My husband drives an hour to get to his job each day. I guarantee, people on the road do not want him tired from having to walk or bike that distance, since he is a car hauler. I think they want him fully awake while driving.

Originally posted by korathin
reply to post by moonleaf

 

Do you live in PA? Do you know what it is like seeing three illegals in front of you at the grocery store(all in the same group), buying hundreds of dollars of food, and each paying for part of the bill with their own access card.

Then they proceed to fill their groceries into a new SUV or $30k-50,000 car? There are so many on Access that shouldn't be on Access(food stamps) it is pathetic.

Heck illegals number 1 destination is PA now because of how easy the Democrats under ex-Gov. Rendell made it for illegals to get benefits. It is sickening. It drives the cost of food up and the value of labor down.

edit on 11-1-2012 by korathin because: (no reason given)

And you know they are illegal how? And you know they have luxury cars because... you stalk the brown people after they buy their food to see what kind of car they have? Are you really that depraved? And you have met all of the OTHER people who are on food stamps and assessed that "so many" of them don't deserve to be on food stamps? Or, are you simply making stuff up because you are angry - which, honestly, seems like the more likely option.