USA becomes Food Stamp Nation but is it sustainable?

The food stamp program has been wildly abused...this has happened as long as i can remember...people having
a cadillac in their driveway, a deed to a house, and six children to boot...and the food stamps were traded
for cash at half value on the streets for cash, or drugs...hence the snap program.

If you really think about it...it is rations, does anyone remember history, i believe it was world war 2, when
you were only allowed a certain amount of sugar, as it was saved for the soldiers? Or was that world war 1?

Lol, okay let me get it straight, didn't the soviets have to give out toilet paper as rations...and our government
sent wheat to them? We want our wheat back...lol, at least i do, diabetic and am tired of the prices of whole
wheat! Food stamps can't even dent what is a need for some...but i will not get them as long as i have money
in my pocket. Don't get me wrong, i was on welfare once when i had my first baby...not married, but it was only for
7 wks. Nothing wrong with helping out someone in need...trust me you pay it back later in taxes...i just refuse
to help people who won't try to help themselves...lol! So much for my "indirect" vote...

Smiles...i went a lil' off topic there...politics! Hehheh!
Carrolin

WWII rationed everything from sugar to silk, to iron to cigarettes. Everything went to the war effort. I doubt it would fly today as we seem to be a nation of givemees and iwants. I too am on disability and hubby hasn't been able to find work in so many years that he has given up. I tried for food stamps a few years back after hubbys unemployment ended but was told $700 a month was enough for us and we did not qualify. But I know people who get more cash with no dependants and yet they also get food stamps, and the medical card. I dont know how they figure it. But if I needed it now I would rather collect cans and bottles before I tried again.

Me

I think the general population "forgets" that we are at war. It's like a BTW thing, "oh yeah...we're fighting over there with....?"....."did you see the new iphone?!" They know more about the features of an "i"-something that is not yet released than they do about our military personnel. Obviously if you have a family member or friend, it's a bit different, a lot different, but for most......it's a fleeting thought. :(

These are examples of what is wrong with the system ... people use the loopholes to abuse the largesse of the taxpayers; while those in desperate need can not get assistance.

Couple claimed welfare, lived in $1.2M home
By GENE JOHNSON | AP – 3 hrs ago

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle chiropractor and his wife live in a $1.2 million waterfront home and have spent the past eight years flying to Moscow, Paris, Israel, Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. All the while, federal authorities say, the couple was collecting more than $100,000 in welfare.

Now, the U.S. attorney's office is suing David Silverstein and Lyudmila Shimonova, accusing them of filing false claims and demanding that the couple pay back more than $135,000 in federal housing assistance since 2003. Prosecutors are also seeking tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

In gaining Section 8 housing assistance, Shimonova represented that she lived alone with her two children and that her household assets were less than $5,000. Silverstein received the monthly benefits of $1,272 as Shimonova's purported landlord, the government said. Shimonova also received benefits under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as Social Security cash reserved for people who can't work due to age or disability and whose assets fall below a certain threshold — $3,000 for a married couple or $2,000 for a single person, the complaint said. "Defendants have separately and, it appears, in conjunction with one another made false representations to various state and federal agencies in order to obtain federally funded benefits," assistant U.S. attorneys Harold Malkin and Kayla Stahman wrote.

Meanwhile, they were traveling the world, according to Department of Homeland Security records.

Michael Radyshewsky, a federal welfare fraud investigator, wrote in an application to search the couple's home that they took weeklong trips to Moscow in 2003, Dominican Republic in 2005, and Mexico and France in 2009. In 2007, they went for 12 days to Israel, and this past June they took a two-week trip to Turkey.

Silverstein said Tuesday his lawyer asked him not to comment, and his lawyer, David Allen, did not immediately return a message. The home did not appear to have a listed phone number, and Shimonova's lawyer, Michele Shaw, did not return an email seeking comment.

The investigation included surveillance of the three-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot home on Lake Washington, during which agents observed his black Jaguar parked there frequently. Though Shimonova had claimed she was single and lived there alone, Silverstein listed it as his residence on his driver's license and passport application, the prosecutors said. But in documents filed so that he could receive the housing assistance, he listed his office as his residence to conceal that he was living with Shimonova — not her landlord, they said.

Furthermore, it appeared clear that the pair was actually married. Silverstein wrote on the website of his chiropractic business: "On a personal note, I am happily married with two children, whose careers are in medicine and Middle Eastern studies. As a family, we all enjoy snow-shoeing, mountain climbing and ocean sports."

A report of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle for the 2010 fiscal year listed "Mila and Dr. David Silverstein" as donors. In addition to failing to disclose the marriage or living situation, Shimonova also failed to disclose bank accounts in her name containing tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.

The lawsuit seeks to have the couple pay $11,000 in fines for each false claim the couple made. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on whether criminal charges are forthcoming

http://news.yahoo.com/feds-couple-cl...175925304.html


Mom who shot kids, self denied food stamps
By PAUL J. WEBER | AP – 2 hrs 41 mins ago

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday. The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, remained in critical condition Tuesday. The shooting took place at a Texas Department of Health and Human Services building in Laredo, where police said about 25 people were inside at the time.

Authorities identified the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.

Grimmer first applied for food stamps in July but was denied because she didn't turn in enough information, Texas Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said. Goodman didn't know what Grimmer specifically failed to provide. In addition to completing an 18-page application, families seeking state benefits also must provide documents proving their information, such as proof of employment and residency. "We were still waiting, and if we had that, I don't know if she would still qualify or not," Goodman said.

Goodman said Grimmer's last contact with the agency appeared to be a phone call in mid-November. When the family entered the Laredo office on Monday shortly before 5 p.m., Goodman said Grimmer asked to speak to a new caseworker, and not the one whom she worked with previously. Shortly thereafter, Goodman said, Grimmer was taken to a private room to discuss her case. She said it was there the mother revealed a gun and the standoff began.

Police negotiators stayed on the phone with Grimmer throughout the evening, but she kept hanging up, Baeza said. She allegedly told negotiators about a litany of complaints against state and federal government agencies. Despite those complaints, Baeza said it wasn't clear what specifically triggered the standoff. "This wasn't like a knee-jerk reaction," said Baeza, adding that Grimmer felt she was owed restitution of some sort.

Grimmer let a supervisor go unharmed around 7:45, but stayed inside the office with her children. After hanging up the phone around 11:45, police heard three shots, and police entered the building. Inside, they found Grimmer's body and her two wounded children.

The children were "very critical" and unconscious when taken from the scene, Baeza said.

Goodman credited an office supervisor, a 24-year veteran of the agency, for ensuring the release of the other employees. "He had told her he would try to help her, and that if she would let everyone else leave, he would talk to her," Goodman said.

Goodman didn't know whether Grimmer had a job, or whether her children were covered under Medicaid welfare services or the state children's health insurance program. The family had no history with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services.

Grimmer also appeared to fall out of touch during her pursuit of food stamps. The mother originally applied July 7, but Goodman said Grimmer missed her first interview and didn't call back and reschedule for a few weeks. Her case was closed Aug. 8 for lack of a full application, Goodman said.

How much food stamp money a family receives depends on their income level. The average family on food stamps in Texas receives $294 a month.

Three months later, Grimmer called the agency's ombudsman Nov. 16 and requested a review of how her rejected case was handled. Goodman said the agency found that caseworkers acted appropriately after looking over Grimmer's file, and a supervisor called Grimmer's cell phone last Thursday to tell her the outcome. No one answered and the phone's voicemail box was full, Goodman said. "The indications she had she was dealing with a lot of issues," Goodman said.

State welfare offices have come under scrutiny in the past for being overburdened, but Goodman said the agency has made significant strides in the past three years. She said wait times are shorter, and that Grimmer was scheduled for her initial interview just one day after applying. Grimmer didn't make the appointment, she said.

Goodman said it's not unusual for caseworkers to confront angry or confused benefit-seekers, but that it's very rare for a situation to escalate to violence.

http://news.yahoo.com/state-mom-shot...204249288.html

These are examples of what is wrong with the system ... people use the loopholes to abuse the largesse of the taxpayers; while those in desperate need can not get assistance.

Couple claimed welfare, lived in $1.2M home
By GENE JOHNSON | AP – 3 hrs ago

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle chiropractor and his wife live in a $1.2 million waterfront home and have spent the past eight years flying to Moscow, Paris, Israel, Turkey, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. All the while, federal authorities say, the couple was collecting more than $100,000 in welfare.

Now, the U.S. attorney's office is suing David Silverstein and Lyudmila Shimonova, accusing them of filing false claims and demanding that the couple pay back more than $135,000 in federal housing assistance since 2003. Prosecutors are also seeking tens of thousands of dollars in fines.

In gaining Section 8 housing assistance, Shimonova represented that she lived alone with her two children and that her household assets were less than $5,000. Silverstein received the monthly benefits of $1,272 as Shimonova's purported landlord, the government said. Shimonova also received benefits under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, as well as Social Security cash reserved for people who can't work due to age or disability and whose assets fall below a certain threshold — $3,000 for a married couple or $2,000 for a single person, the complaint said. "Defendants have separately and, it appears, in conjunction with one another made false representations to various state and federal agencies in order to obtain federally funded benefits," assistant U.S. attorneys Harold Malkin and Kayla Stahman wrote.

Meanwhile, they were traveling the world, according to Department of Homeland Security records.

Michael Radyshewsky, a federal welfare fraud investigator, wrote in an application to search the couple's home that they took weeklong trips to Moscow in 2003, Dominican Republic in 2005, and Mexico and France in 2009. In 2007, they went for 12 days to Israel, and this past June they took a two-week trip to Turkey.

Silverstein said Tuesday his lawyer asked him not to comment, and his lawyer, David Allen, did not immediately return a message. The home did not appear to have a listed phone number, and Shimonova's lawyer, Michele Shaw, did not return an email seeking comment.

The investigation included surveillance of the three-bedroom, 2,300-square-foot home on Lake Washington, during which agents observed his black Jaguar parked there frequently. Though Shimonova had claimed she was single and lived there alone, Silverstein listed it as his residence on his driver's license and passport application, the prosecutors said. But in documents filed so that he could receive the housing assistance, he listed his office as his residence to conceal that he was living with Shimonova — not her landlord, they said.

Furthermore, it appeared clear that the pair was actually married. Silverstein wrote on the website of his chiropractic business: "On a personal note, I am happily married with two children, whose careers are in medicine and Middle Eastern studies. As a family, we all enjoy snow-shoeing, mountain climbing and ocean sports."

A report of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle for the 2010 fiscal year listed "Mila and Dr. David Silverstein" as donors. In addition to failing to disclose the marriage or living situation, Shimonova also failed to disclose bank accounts in her name containing tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.

The lawsuit seeks to have the couple pay $11,000 in fines for each false claim the couple made. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on whether criminal charges are forthcoming

http://news.yahoo.com/feds-couple-cl...175925304.html


Mom who shot kids, self denied food stamps
By PAUL J. WEBER | AP – 2 hrs 41 mins ago

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday. The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, remained in critical condition Tuesday. The shooting took place at a Texas Department of Health and Human Services building in Laredo, where police said about 25 people were inside at the time.

Authorities identified the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.

Grimmer first applied for food stamps in July but was denied because she didn't turn in enough information, Texas Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said. Goodman didn't know what Grimmer specifically failed to provide. In addition to completing an 18-page application, families seeking state benefits also must provide documents proving their information, such as proof of employment and residency. "We were still waiting, and if we had that, I don't know if she would still qualify or not," Goodman said.

Goodman said Grimmer's last contact with the agency appeared to be a phone call in mid-November. When the family entered the Laredo office on Monday shortly before 5 p.m., Goodman said Grimmer asked to speak to a new caseworker, and not the one whom she worked with previously. Shortly thereafter, Goodman said, Grimmer was taken to a private room to discuss her case. She said it was there the mother revealed a gun and the standoff began.

Police negotiators stayed on the phone with Grimmer throughout the evening, but she kept hanging up, Baeza said. She allegedly told negotiators about a litany of complaints against state and federal government agencies. Despite those complaints, Baeza said it wasn't clear what specifically triggered the standoff. "This wasn't like a knee-jerk reaction," said Baeza, adding that Grimmer felt she was owed restitution of some sort.

Grimmer let a supervisor go unharmed around 7:45, but stayed inside the office with her children. After hanging up the phone around 11:45, police heard three shots, and police entered the building. Inside, they found Grimmer's body and her two wounded children.

The children were "very critical" and unconscious when taken from the scene, Baeza said.

Goodman credited an office supervisor, a 24-year veteran of the agency, for ensuring the release of the other employees. "He had told her he would try to help her, and that if she would let everyone else leave, he would talk to her," Goodman said.

Goodman didn't know whether Grimmer had a job, or whether her children were covered under Medicaid welfare services or the state children's health insurance program. The family had no history with the Texas Department of Child Protective Services.

Grimmer also appeared to fall out of touch during her pursuit of food stamps. The mother originally applied July 7, but Goodman said Grimmer missed her first interview and didn't call back and reschedule for a few weeks. Her case was closed Aug. 8 for lack of a full application, Goodman said.

How much food stamp money a family receives depends on their income level. The average family on food stamps in Texas receives $294 a month.

Three months later, Grimmer called the agency's ombudsman Nov. 16 and requested a review of how her rejected case was handled. Goodman said the agency found that caseworkers acted appropriately after looking over Grimmer's file, and a supervisor called Grimmer's cell phone last Thursday to tell her the outcome. No one answered and the phone's voicemail box was full, Goodman said. "The indications she had she was dealing with a lot of issues," Goodman said.

State welfare offices have come under scrutiny in the past for being overburdened, but Goodman said the agency has made significant strides in the past three years. She said wait times are shorter, and that Grimmer was scheduled for her initial interview just one day after applying. Grimmer didn't make the appointment, she said.

Goodman said it's not unusual for caseworkers to confront angry or confused benefit-seekers, but that it's very rare for a situation to escalate to violence.

http://news.yahoo.com/state-mom-shot...204249288.html

I saw the story about the 1.2 million dollar home. That was a really big home. I don't see how the welfare department didn't check the address she gave and find out about it.

Seattle welfare recipient lives in million-dollar home
By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – Mon, Dec 5, 2011

Seattle woman who is receiving welfare assistance from Washington state also happens to live in a waterfront house on Lake Washington worth more than a million dollars. Federal agents raided the home this weekend but have not released the woman or her husband's name because they have not officially been charged with a crime.

However, federal documents obtained by KING 5 News show the couple currently receives more than $1,200 a month in public housing vouchers, plus state and government disability checks and food stamps. They have been receiving the benefits since 2003. The 2,500 square-foot home, which includes gardens and a boat dock, is valued at $1.2 million. And even though the couple has been receiving the benefits for nearly 10 years, records show that they accurately listed the address of their current home when applying for the state and federal benefits.

http://media.king5.com/images/welfare-fraud-1.jpg

A federal official told KING 5 that the couple likely took advantage of a loophole, which allows low-income individuals to receive financial assistance to help them pay their rent and move away from housing projects. However, the law does not require officials to verify what type of home the benefits recipient is living in. As if the million dollar home weren't enough, the supposedly low-income couple also gave money to various charities and traveled around the world to locales in Turkey, Tel Aviv and resort towns in Mexico, according to court records.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow...161252749.html

This report includes a video with footage of the house....

comments

Since Housing authority always inspects yearly but schedules that inspection a month in advance it is pretty easy obviously to buffalo inspectors and this is pobably one of many examples of those inspections failing the people who truely are in need who get nothing because of the abuse of the system by others

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The Federal Government provides tax dollars for the housing program being discussed here. The program is called Section 8. The governement provides BARELY enough money to sustain the program, let alone pay the people who are trying to administer it. Let alone pay for people to provide the amount of oversight necessary to prevent misuse by people recieving it. And, since no one wants to fund social programs, or fund them sifficiently, then Id say its everyones fault. You cant cut a housing program that houses thousands of low income working families just because of a few bad apples.

...

The question I have is why has she been recieving aid since 2003. Thats 8 yrs, more than enough time to get your act together. Govt assistance is supposed to be a temporary helping hand, not a way of life. To even accept welfare that long is pathetic. I grew up poor, my parents worked multiple jobs and we barely got by, but we never got a govt check. There should be the same limit on welfare that there used to be on unemployment. If you cant support yourself within a year, Darwin says you just werent strong enough to keep going.

...

Honestly, I'm more concerned about the exotic travel than living in a 2,500 sq ft house on a lake. That's not a big house, nor does it appear to be "lush." And just because it's worth $1.2 million doesn't mean that they can actually sell it, let alone for it's full value. Maybe they were better off when they purchased the house and then fell on hard times and couldn't make the payments. It doesn't mean they shouldn't get assistance until they get back on their feet again. I definitely need more info before I can pass judgment on this. But way to sensationalize it with the title of the story!

... ( WTH ?!? That house looks rather posh to me ... as does the boat docked at their pier ) ...

Obviously this is a case of oversight or the lack of checks and balances in the system. The government (you and I) are not required to take care of anyone. There are means set forth when you work you pay into an account for social secrurity on a monthly basis. This money is the money you will recieve when you reach the leagal retirement age. Outside of that money the goverenment is not required to take care of you. The common misconception in todays society and the people is "THE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE CARE OF ME". Well maybe, but as poorly as the government does things do you want them taking care of you? I would rather take care of myself. Now for these people they should be ashamed of themselves. But I would make them work it off, make them work for the system they defruaded. FOR FREE of course. Punative action is also required in my opinion.

Quote:

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Honestly, I'm more concerned about the exotic travel than living in a 2,500 sq ft house on a lake. That's not a big house, nor does it appear to be "lush." And just because it's worth $1.2 million doesn't mean that they can actually sell it, let alone for it's full value. Maybe they were better off when they purchased the house and then fell on hard times and couldn't make the payments. It doesn't mean they shouldn't get assistance until they get back on their feet again. I definitely need more info before I can pass judgment on this. But way to sensationalize it with the title of the story!

... ( WTH ?!? That house looks rather posh to me ... as does the boat docked at their pier ) ...

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Posh/lush or not, I can somewhat hear what this poster is trying to say. Perhaps this couple temporarily fell on rough times meeting their mortgage...but....where did they get the $$$$ to travel? Why not use that money for support instead of travel???

Clearly abuse of the system.

The woman from Texas shows how desperate people are getting. How sad for her children. Here in the Chicago area if you are illegal or foreign, there is no need for proof of anything.

Me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

These are examples of what is wrong with the system ... people use the loopholes to abuse the largesse of the taxpayers; while those in desperate need can not get assistance.

Mom who shot kids, self denied food stamps
By PAUL J. WEBER | AP – 2 hrs 41 mins ago

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas woman who for months was unable to qualify for food stamps pulled a gun in a state welfare office and staged a seven-hour standoff with police that ended with her shooting her two children before killing herself, officials said Tuesday. The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, remained in critical condition Tuesday. The shooting took place at a Texas Department of Health and Human Services building in Laredo, where police said about 25 people were inside at the time.

Authorities identifiedGirl who predicted her death on Facebook, dies of wounds the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.

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Girl who predicted her death on Facebook, dies of wounds
By Jim Forsyth | Reuters – 4 hrs ago

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A 12-year-old girl who was shot by her mother during a standoff inside a Texas food stamp office died of her wounds late Wednesday night, officials said Thursday.

Ramie Grimmer had posted a Facebook message on Monday ][i"may die 2today"[/i] after her mother, Rachelle Grimmer, 38, took a supervisor hostage in the Texas Department of Human Services office in the Rio Grande city of Laredo in a dispute over her denial of food stamp benefits.

Rachelle Grimmer released the supervisor, but after a seven hour standoff, police say she shot Ramie and her ten-year-old son Timothy Grimmer, and then killed herself. Timothy remains in very critical condition in a San Antonio hospital, according to Mary Walker, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services.

State and local officials said Rachelle Grimmer was a troubled woman wandering with her children from residence to residence after moving to Texas from Zanesville Ohio in March. At one point, the three lived in a tent on the beach near Corpus Christi. Neighbors in Laredo said the children were often seen begging for food while living in a crumbling recreational vehicle which didn't have a place to cook food.

Officials said Texas Child Protective Services had been asked to look into the status of the children while they were living on the beach, but determined there were no signs of abuse or neglect and closed the case. Laredo police said the Grimmers lived in at least four different places during their brief time in the city.

Officials are trying to determine how a family with such obvious need was able to fall through the cracks of society's safety net, said Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services. "Is there anything we could have done differently?" she asked. "Maybe we need to do a better job of public awareness, of doing a better job communicating. Don't just assume that everybody knows how desperate your situation is."

She said Grimmer first applied for food stamp benefits in July, but state officials were unable to reach her, and the case was eventually closed for lack of enough information. Goodman said to her knowledge, the Grimmers never received any benefits from the state, despite their precarious situation.

Private charities in the Laredo area said the Grimmers never requested assistance, even though there are a number of religious and civic aid organizations in the border city of 236,000, which is among the poorest in the nation.

Walker said the surviving child, Timothy, will remain in the hospital for some time, and then is expected to be released into the care of relatives. She does not anticipate the state taking custody of the child.

the mother as Rachelle Grimmer, 38, and children Ramie and Timothy.[/COLOR]

http://news.yahoo.com/state-mom-shot...204249288.html[/QUOTE]

comments

Very sad situation, but like Brandy, I'm wondering how the family afforded cell phone coverage in order to make FB updates along with a gun and ammunition if they couldn't buy groceries? Priorities seem a little skewed and perhaps help beyond food was needed in this situation.

...

This could many things, frustration at a failure of the system or desperation of situation. No one commenting on here knows what the situation was, She could have made very poor decisions in life that led to this, such as drug issues, or she could have been left destitute from a divorce or split relationship. The girl could have been using a phone, or a computer located in the consultation room that the supervisor was using. To formulate conclusions about the situation with no information and then launch condemnation is complete ignorance and a fundamental societal problem seen far too often. Problems just like that fuel the bystander effect, such as when a dozen people watched Kitty Genovese being stabbed to death in Queens, New York in 3 attacks over a period of 30 minutes and not one person helped or even called the police; or The Richmond High School Incident on October 27, 2009 where a 15 year girl was gang-raped by 10 men who beat her savagely while 20 people stood by laughing and taking pictures during a homecoming dance even the assistant principal did not call the police when he saw a group of men around the crime scene who were not wearing ID badges as required. This psychological desensitization is a product of our culture, which can be toxic to the human condition. Just reading these comments is evidence of that. Regardless of what the situation was, the needless deaths of fellow Human Beings is tragic...

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Begging for food but somehow could afford a cell phone. Poor people always seem to be able to come up with money for the real priorities (smokes, cell phones etc.)

...

So many questions ...

Barack Obama Brings Us Closer to the Magic Number
By Paul Roy – 5 hrs ago

It won't be long now. We are almost at the point where more than half our population receives some kind of government handout, whether welfare, Social Security, unemployment, disability or food stamps. According to the latest census data as published on Investors.com, 49 percent of all households have at least one member who is collecting something from an entitlement.

These programs have greatly increased since Barack Obama took office all under his vision of "shared responsibility," his new campaign mantra. What he really means is taking someone else's money to give to another, more commonly known as income redistribution.

There are two reasons this is a problem. The first is that once someone begins to receive any kind of entitlement, they are reluctant to give them up. Any attempts to lower these benefits, control them or impose restrictions such as drug testing or earning them through some type of work program, will be fought by the recipients. And once they have a majority of 51 percent, they will vote any of these measures down. They will also vote for those politicians who will continue to give them entitlements and who promise to raise these benefits.

This also affects the other half of the people, as their taxes are increased to provide these others with the increased benefits, they will reach a point where they will no longer decide it is in their best interest to continue to work and will go on the public dole as well.

Which leads to the second problem: Where does the money come from? The government produces nothing. All of its money comes from the taxpayers, whether through a personal income tax, corporate taxes or sales taxes. The government does not sell anything or make anything on its own. Whenever a person decides to stop working to collect government money for not doing anything, it increases the burden on the rest. If the tax burden for businesses becomes too high, eventually the business will go out of business and will no longer contribute as well. Sooner or later the money will run out.

Then what? What will happen then? We will be at the total mercy of others. We will become a socialist or communist state where we no longer have the freedom of choice, we will be told what we can buy, where we can work and what we can do with our personal time. This is the direction Obama and the left are leading us and we are not that far away.

We can say it will never happen here and go around with our heads in the sand, but ignore it at your own peril.

http://news.yahoo.com/barack-obama-b...224600035.html

comments

And, they don't count that teacher in New York who is making over 100K per year without teaching a class since 2001 ... he has been shelved by the school district because they can't fire a union teacher ... he's a typing teacher? ... So, they keep paying his salary and he refuses to retire ... because he is also a lawyer ... go figure! This country is doomed!

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Social Security Disability is not a government hand out program and the writer of this article should get his facts straight before writing this trash. The elderly worked hard all their lives putting money into this fund only to have our government stealing the money out of the S.S. account. Yes I said stealing because that is what it amounts to. Our government needs to put every penny they took out of this account back into it and then keep their stealing fingers out of the account. S.S. would not be having the problems of running low on money if our government had kept their fingers out of the S.S. account. I personally think this Paul Roy needs to get his facts together and quit calling this S.S. a hand out. Shame on him. I most certainly would never vote for some one like him to down the elderly this way.