Should welfare recipients be allowed to buy cigarettes, beer, or lottery.?

Question

I think if you are living off of other peoples income ( like welfare recipients), you should not be able to buy these things. I think if you are caught your payments should be stopped and you should be given vouchers for food at the local food bank instead. Cruel?

Actont2001: If working people didnt shop at GW they would not have as much money to do charitable deeds.




Beardog: A truly free market economy would not have welfare in the first place. And that too, would be fine with me!

Answer 1

They already receive food stamps for their food. How would store clerks be able to tell if the money is welfare money or not? We would have to spend more money to develop a special kind of welfare money. I know here in New Mexico they are issued cards that have there money on the cards, like ATM cards, but I don't know if their purchases are restricted to specific items.

Answer 2

Well, who said that cigarettes, beers, and lotteries aren't necessities?

People sometimes smoke cigarettes, since they can't get food or have time to eat food.

Beers are also sometimes the only drinkable drink available.

And lottery buying is sometimes a must if you want to do something, like enter an event and so on.

Cigarettes, beers, and lotteries also can work as tradeable items, that can be trade with items that are needed.



Personally, I think that helping someone should be consentingly given and not mandatory demanded.

And it's much better to help someone by giving them the items they need than by giving them something as worthless as fiat money. Vouchers for food have much value than fiat money. 1000 US Dollars might not get you the food you need, but 1 voucher for 1 food you need will get you the food you need if the stock is available and the food bank honor the voucher.

Also the only rights a human should have are a place to stay, an outfit to protect the body, and food+drink. Rights that are other than those three are only inventions by human rights groups, that the human rights groups use to oppress other people.



Anyway. If people really wanted cigarettes, beers, and lotteries, they would trade their vouchers for food with cigarettes, beers, and lotteries.

Vouchers for food only give assurance that the food store will give food to whoever that hold the vouchers, but that doesn't mean that the holders of the vouchers are the same ones that received the vouchers from the government.

An Open Door dining room is much effective in giving food to those who want it than vouchers for food.

Answer 3

What they ought to do is issue a welfare ID card .. a combo picture ID and debit card .. each month (or however often the payments are given out) a set amount is added to the card rather than having to mail out all the checks causing long lines at the bank (not to mention all the paper ti would save)

Make it so that things like cigarettes, beer, or lottery .. etc can not be purchased with it

since it is a photo ID / debit card it can't be traded away for cash the way food stamps can be

as for transportation i think it would be good if you could get some sort of public transit account tied into the card so they have a way to get to and from work. If it can be used for gas make it so it can only be used for a small amount (i'd say no more than 20 bucks a week) this way they can't use up all the funds bartering a trade of gas for cash

Answer 4

Why should they be able to buy cigerettes, beer and lottery? They are tax payer citizens. It goes by your income. If a person has a job and able to pay bills, rent and enough money left, then they can purchase the necessaties, plus recieving foodstamp card what does it matter? Every state is different. People does get evaluated to continue to stay on the foodstamp program every six months or so.

Answer 5

for one there are people out there that do need it (hello minimum wage doesnt cover peoples bills even the basic rent/ mortgage and utilities).... dont discredit that... the single parents going to school and working full time at one job cant alone support a child or 2.. for another i feel your right in the respect that they cant purchase alcohol, cigarettes, or lottery tickets with that money... but why shouldnt they be able to with the little bit they do have... many people have had those addictions for years and get fired or laid off, have a death in the family that really impacts them... ect. you cant decide whats best for everyone in the world if you have not been in their position... thats like trying to say that all people on food stamps ect should only be able to buy generic goods and shop at places like aldi's... that people on welfare cant buy good choice cuts of meat (not steak and such all the time) but live off of hot dogs mac and cheese and bologna... no wonder the weight of the country is rising.. it costs money to eat healthy... the govt cant make personal choices for us... only guide us and help us along the way... there are many people that abuse it... a few years ago i was in the system w food stamps..... then i got a .25 raise.. boom there it went i didnt get it anymore.. and my child care raised... i was worse off than before... welfare is a catch 22 if you do poor enough they help you.. but you gain even $20.00 more a week all the other costs go up you lose what help you get and then your stuck trying to pay for everything... and coming up more short than before... but i have heard the abusive side of it.. people selling them for drugs, trading them for money, people not working selling drugs making alot of money then sending the kids the store to buy candy with their food stamps... i do think that the govt really needs to investigate closer into who really needs them and who really doesnt and those who are just scamming the system

Answer 6

I don't think that food stamps are good toward the purchase of those items. At least in Colorado.
In the larger context I don't think its right for one person to tell another what he can and cannot buy.
The problem with welfare is that its not your money anymore. You, and all of us who pay taxes, allow the government to take it.
The solution is to get rid of welfare altogether. Let us spend that money on what we need. Individuals and families who need assistance should look to private charity. Some egos may be wounded by having to ask for charity but that is all welfare really is anyway.

Answer 7

Unemployment Insurance in the U.S. is earned by having worked and contributed money to the treasury. If smoking a cigarette or drinking a beer helps a job seeker relax at night so be it. Most people on unemployment find new jobs despite snippetty attitudes of people that have no idea what they are talking about.
If you are talking about aid to children, the permanently infirmed and mentally handicapped, I also suspect you are out of your depth.

Answer 8

Have you ever stopped to ask why anyone who is VERY poor and unable to take care of themselves want to buy ciggarettes, booze, and or gable? When anybody does these things understress...like lack of job, money, etc. its to elivate pain mental and physical. Maybe we should just have more compassion and except that there will be some people who will use there welfare this way...but it is not most people.
By living in this great country that is America, we need to remember to be tolerant of our worst off not try to dictate into every inch of their life without solutions.

Answer 9

NO NO NO! That,s the most ridiculous thing Ive ever heard. That's like asking if rich people should be able to shop at the 99 cent store.

Answer 10

Just because society wrote the cheque does not mean society can dictate what is done with it. It infringe upon ones rights and freedoms.

I don't like that social assistance is sometimes squandered on drugs, booze and lotto, however you are treading down a slippery slope when you begin to dictate how a person spends thier money, earned or not.