IDs are for getting on planes or buying beer or driving cars, not for voting or showing proof of citizenship or taking government aid. CNSNews:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture-administered food stamp program does not check the Social Security Number (SSNs) of some of its 46.3 million recipients, many of whom are using the numbers of dead people and invalid SSNs to get benefits potentially totaling $1.1 million a month, according to a government audit.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the USDA “also has been looking at recipients who misrepresent themselves to receive benefits,” testified USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today. “Recently, OIG has conducted a series of audits of 10 States to assess how they used participant databases to identify potentially fraudulent recipients, and we have completed work in 5 States.”
“Our analysis of the databases that States check as part of their role in ensuring recipient eligibility revealed that a total of 8,594 recipients in the 5 States were receiving potential improper payments,” said Fong. “Some of these recipients were using the Social Security numbers of deceased individuals, or otherwise invalid Social Security numbers, while others were receiving benefits in more than one State. In total, we estimate that these recipients could be receiving about $1.1 million a month.”
Wait, you mean people who’ve found they can get stuff for free from a disorganized, incompetent government doling out “benefits” hand over fist might actually try to bite the hand that feeds them?
Wow. This is like learning that bears sometimes shit in the woods, or that Sandra Fluke was a Democrat plant meant to drive a ludicrous attack on Republicans as “anti-women.”
My solution? If you’re an aid recipient caught engaging in fraud, all your “benefits” will be permanently rescinded. Which of course would never work, because that would only mean that the progressive bureaucracies would make sure fraud was never investigated — and that states who tried to investigate such fraud might find themselves being sued by the federal government over some kind of dubious jurisdictional matter.
If illegal immigration policy is any guide, that is.
“This is like learning that bears sometimes shit in the woods…”
The glory of the internet is you can’t stop me if you’ve heard this one already.
A lazy bear and a hard working rabbit are shitting next to each other in the woods.
Lazy bear asks the hard working rabbit, “Does shit ever stick to your fur?”
Rabbit says, “Nope”.
Lazy bear wipes his ass with the rabbit.
Mark Steyn is right.
We’re all worker bees in a friggin’ ponzi scheme.
I’ve mentioned before, the highway through California’s central valley features billboards advertizing for people to sign up for food stamps. In Spanish.
Rush has said conservatives measure success by the number of people getting off government programs. Liberals measure success by the number of people “helped” by government programs.
Seems to me kinda hard to reach across the isle, meet in the middle, and find a bipartisan compromise to the difference, but then I’m not a politician.
My mind locked up on the 46.3 million recipients number.
Did someone say something about fraud?
My solution? If you’re an aid recipient caught engaging in fraud, all your “benefits” will be permanently rescinded.
If the fraud is large enough, the perp is likely to be offered a position in the bureaucracy. Someone so well able to steer the shoals of the administrative state and come out with a profit is not a man to be wasted.
46.3 million B Moe…and this is one of the recipients.
Try not to kick the dog across the room when reviewing your tax return.
I thought food stamp programs were administered at the state level? I live at the crossroads of four abutting states and all have different looking EBT cards.
It’s a crying shame that so many are on assistance and certainly nothing for the Won to crow about.
Lamont, there seem to be an inordinant number of fraudsters in Michigan. It’s probably bleed-over from the UAW.
1/4 of Michigan is on food assistance programs? Good Lord!
A few months ago, my state of Oregon got a $5 million bonus from the feds for being so darned good at enrolling more and more new “clients” in the food stamp problem.
Talk about perverse incentives…
But Leigh…Jesse Jackson told me…personally…on TV… that it was an “honor”, and I should be “proud” of my “food stamp President”.
If I disagree, I’m one of you racists.
I get called enough shit some days. I don’t wanna fuss and get “racist” added on that frickin pile. ;)
If they’re not calling you a racist, you aren’t saying enough.
Maybe.
Amazing how the FBI can have a very well staffed, retentively diligent, and timely staff that performs background checks on private firearms purchases.
But the same government can even check if someone matches up with the very ID number the government provides.
Come stand by me Lamont. We’ll look them in the eye and say “Yeah? So’s your old man!”
I ask them to explain to me how I am a racist. If I get told it is because I am a Conservative, I accuse them of bigotry. When they get done spluttering about how progressives can’t be racists because of ________, I tell them I a Catholic and then the fun begins with the religious bigotry.
Granted, you have to be in the mood for this type of crap (I sold cars for a long time, so I am impervious to most insults) and have the time for it.
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
It’s almost as if they wanted to ensure as many people participate as possible. Cloward-Piven? Naahhhh. I’m sure it’s just a matter of allocating more money to the agency to implement new policies, implement new software, and to hire more staff to facilitate the program. That’ll fix it!
“Laissez les bon temps rouler”
I had to Google that…
An ex-car salesman that spouts Cajun.
Don’t see that everyday.
And I’m already standing by you (the stuff you said). I ain’t Catholic, but as anybody around here can tell you, unfortunately everybody is entitled to my opinion.
Yay internet!
Completely unrelated: Greece is in default.
Completely unrelated: Greece is in default.
The EMEA DC resolved that a Restructuring Credit Event has occurred under Section 4.7 of the ISDA 2003 Credit Derivatives Definitions (as amended by the July 2009 Supplement) (the 2003 Definitions) following the exercise by The Hellenic Republic of collective action clauses to amend the terms of Greek law governed bonds issued by The Hellenic Republic (the Affected Bonds) such that the right of all holders of the Affected Bonds to receive payments has been reduced. The EMEA DC has resolved to hold an auction with respect to the settlement of standard credit default swaps for which The Hellenic Republic is the reference entity.
Well, who knows if this actually means anything real. The entire Greek debacle has been a can kicked down the road for so long, it’s hard to imagine it finally stopping. Interesting times.
Do I detect sarcasm, Obe Wan Orwell?
Er, Obe Wan Seth?
Greece is in default? The hell you say.
Greece is in default? The Hellenic you say.
FIFY
Excellent, Mr. Orwell.
The entire Greek debacle has been a can kicked down the road for so long, it’s hard to imagine it finally stopping. Interesting times.
Interesting, indeed. Especially if you’re another of the PIIGS.
“As you are worthless, it’s not about the can, Grasshopper…but how far the tax-payers will extend the road that you kick it down.”
It has taken about one hundred years for the Republic to get to this state, albeit fifty years since Johnson’s “Great Society”. In a neutral universe it would take fifty to a hundred years to reverse course. Obviously, given $16 Trillion in debt, we don’t have that luxury. There is no time for half-measures, but the required cuts will cut the legs out from about three generations of entitlement society.
So a paroxysm of rage can be expected. What are 40 frickin’ million people gonna do when their food stamps aren’t there?
Hey, no worries! You’ve got Barak Obama is between you and the mob.
Make sure you know which way he’s facing.
I suspect he will be leading from behind, when the time comes.
That’s right! He’s kind of like Jubilation T. Cornpone, the general from “Li’l Abner”.
“Who was there to lead the charge
That took us straight to the rear?”
Leading from behind actually seems to translate to “leading from in hiding”, but not in hiding in the sense of “in cowardice” so much as in the sense of as in “dissembling” or in “dishonesty”. Obama isn’t who he pretends to be in public, in other words. Who is he really? He won’t say. So, for instance, he says he’s Israel’s greatest friend, while we understand he’s nothing of the sort. Yet we don’t know with any precision or certainty why or how exactly he’s nothing of the sort, or to say another way, exactly what sort of non-friend to Israel he actually is. We don’t know — and I think, can’t know, under the circumstances — what are his objects, what his aims. These he keeps under very careful wraps.
When I was in college working minimum wage (3.35/hr) and not eligible for food stamps because I was still a dependant. Every friday I’d cash my meager paycheck and head to the State Store, where I could buy food stamps from the guys under the awning for pennies. It’s how I kept myself in beans and rice and mac and cheese and ramen.
LMC
There were bars in the neighborhood where I worked in Chicago that would redeem food stamps for drinks. The price was double, but there was no end of takers.