40 Million Americans (12%) Receive SNAP Benefits
- Thread starter fatpiggy
- Start date
No longer a conspiracy theory
US Attorney confirms shops are being setup with the sole purpose of exchanging SNAP benefits for cash
Multiple fake stores, one as small as 150 square feet cashing out as much as $480,000 in EBT per month
$7 million in food stamps turned into cash at 2 locations
“Less than 150 square feet in size, smaller than some bathrooms — stores had one register, no carriages, no hand baskets”
“One legitimate supermarket in the same area as these stores redeems approximately $80,000 in and SNAP benefits per month. Over the last 20 months, the Juswala variety store was redeeming between 3-6x that amount monthly”
The 2 fake convenient store owners caught were both from Haiti
Millionaire receiving SNAP benefits.
Just disgusting. I’m not even mad at him for taking the benefits. I’m mad at democrats making the bar so low to qualify for benefits.
We need to cut spending bigly.
Just disgusting. I’m not even mad at him for taking the benefits. I’m mad at democrats making the bar so low to qualify for benefits.
We need to cut spending bigly.
Quick Google - 219 landscaping jobs available in Charleston. Plenty of ways to earn money and avoid government dependence.
Landscape Jobs, Employment in Charleston, SC | Indeed
Indeed.com
https://www.indeed.com/
219 Landscape jobs available in Charleston, SC on Indeed.com. Apply to Landscape Laborer, Gardener, Crew Member and more.
I love your anecdotes.
So we should tell our peers when they lose their job after oil goes over 200 a barrel (that hasn't happened yet because of the record amount of shorts in the market) or when AI replaces their job.. that they should just work landscaping. Thats the plan.
Or are you just suggesting that landscaping is a great career and its booming? I'm confused.
Are your peers planning to go on food stamps when they are displaced? What do their emergency reserves look like?
I assume your peers are relatively far along in their careers and do pretty well. Not having substantial reserves would be a massive financial failure for someone like that.
My point is that people shouldn’t default to government handouts when there are jobs available that can provide those resources instead. Many people just don’t want to work hard.
the SNAP program is loaded with fraud..I know that wasn't your point....Lots of people lose their jobs every year, And, the "safety net" paid for by tax dollars is meant to be the bridge to get those people over the hump.
However, SNAP, like a lot of programs has become a generational benefit - not for everyone- and that's what upsets people that are paying for SNAP, and their own food.
There is a middle ground here. Like I said, SNAP is a worthwhile program, we just need to make sure it's used in the manner it was intended
Sure but the current way the government is behaving it will just cut the benefits, and it will hurt those in actual need. People need to have a certain amount of accountabilty in auditing for fraud and prosecuting those cases. Its hard to do that when our government is just willy nilly cutting things Chat GPT says are DEI or whatever.
You have to actually do the boring bureaucratic work and find the fraud. Not give idiots a grenade to solve a surgical problem. I feel like MAGAs just dont GAF.
I do appreciate these first world ironies - severely obese woman can’t afford food. Another reason SNAP funds should have significant restrictions on the type of food/products they can purchase.
In the age of AI, you don't need to do boring bureaucratic work. They just need to prosecute. Just look at all the farud actually caught on video and then ask where are the prosecutions?
AI knows where the fraud is. It's so rampant it's easy to find. It doesn't take some einstein to find it.
Democrats just want a slow drawn out process so they can slow play the amount of people defrauding the government. If they really wanted to clean out the fraud, they would cooperate with republicans. Instead, in places like CA and MN, they just turn a blind eye to it.
that's a problem the way the programs are set up. The states have to follow some basic federal guidelines but they have some flexibility in determining eligibility. Next, the states have to enforce the rules and eliminate fraud. As we have seen from Minnesota. that doesn't always work. It's not the state's money and it's always easier to spend other people's money than you're own.
Nobody, even those you think don't GAF, wants to see the truly needy cut off. All of us would prefer just to see the program serve the purpose for which it was intended.
That's actually an interesting topic. Not as cut and dried as it seems. Yeah lots of personal choice and responsibility, but there are lots of factors. I if you throw in generational poverty then now you have kids/people today who have many many other people in the same situation which makes it appear "normal".
I looked up obesity poverty paradox and this is what AI spit out.
1. Cost and Affordability
- Cheap Calories: Highly processed foods—rich in added sugars, refined grains, and fats—are often the most affordable way to fill up on a limited budget.
- Perceived vs. Real Cost: Nutrient-dense foods like fresh produce, lean meats, and fish are often more expensive per calorie than shelf-stable or fast foods.
- Stretching the Budget: Low-income families may prioritize "energy-dense" foods that last longer and ensure no one goes hungry, even if those foods are less healthy.
- Food Deserts: Impoverished neighborhoods often lack full-service grocery stores, leaving residents to rely on convenience stores or fast-food chains that offer few fresh options.
- Lack of Safe Spaces: High-poverty areas may have fewer safe parks, playgrounds, or affordable fitness facilities, making it difficult to maintain an active lifestyle.
- Sedentary Habits: Safety concerns in some neighborhoods may keep children and adults indoors, leading to more sedentary behavior like watching TV.
- Time Poverty: People working multiple low-wage jobs or long shifts often lack the time and energy to plan, shop for, and prepare fresh meals.
- Convenience: Fast food and microwaveable meals provide a quick, reliable solution for "time-poor" individuals who are physically and mentally exhausted.
- Stress and Coping: Living in poverty creates chronic stress. Many people cope with this stress by consuming "comfort foods" high in sugar and fat, which can trigger reward responses in the brain.
- Survival Instinct: Some research suggests that the human body may respond to "food insecurity" (unpredictable food supply) by storing more fat as a strategic survival response.
- Lack of Health Education: Lower educational attainment can sometimes lead to a more limited understanding of nutrition and the long-term health consequences of certain dietary choices.
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The whole food dessert thing is a farce. Is it the chicken or the egg? The reason there are food deserts are because of the culture.
TLDR the Whole Foods closed due to too much theft.
The Whole Foods you're referring to was the one in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, at 832 W. 63rd St. (in the Englewood Square shopping center).
blockclubchicago.org
Why it was put thereEnglewood had long been considered a food desert — an area with very limited access to fresh, healthy groceries. In 2016, the store opened with a lot of fanfare as a deliberate effort to bring high-quality produce, meats, and healthy options to one of the city's poorest and most economically challenged Black communities on the South Side.
blockclubchicago.org
blockclubchicago.org
Main reasons cited by officials and the community:
blockclubchicago.org
Aftermath: The space sat vacant for a bit (Whole Foods kept the lease for a few more years and had the right to sublet). It eventually reopened in 2023 as a Save A Lot discount grocery operated by a Black-owned company (Yellow Banana LLC). Some residents were disappointed with the downgrade to a more limited discount chain, but others saw it as better than nothing.
chicagobusiness.com
In short, it was a well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bring upscale groceries to a low-income area — the business model just didn’t match the local economics. Englewood still has an Aldi and some smaller fresh markets, but the Whole Foods experiment is over.
blockclubchicago.org
Why it was put thereEnglewood had long been considered a food desert — an area with very limited access to fresh, healthy groceries. In 2016, the store opened with a lot of fanfare as a deliberate effort to bring high-quality produce, meats, and healthy options to one of the city's poorest and most economically challenged Black communities on the South Side.
blockclubchicago.org
- Then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel strongly backed the project and positioned it as an economic catalyst for redevelopment in Englewood.
- The city invested $10.7 million in tax-increment financing (TIF) plus federal tax credits to help build the shopping center.
- Whole Foods itself framed it as more than just business — then-co-CEO Walter Robb called it “one of the most meaningful things we’ve done as a company.” It was one of only a handful of their stores placed in a low-income area at the time.
grocerydive.com
blockclubchicago.org
Main reasons cited by officials and the community:
- Prices were still too high for most Englewood residents, even with the initial discounts.
- The store was smaller than typical Whole Foods (about 18,000 sq ft), so selection was limited.
- Not enough local shoppers came in regularly — many said it felt more like a “special occasion” store than a place for everyday groceries.
- Inflation later drove prices even higher, worsening the mismatch.
grocerydive.com
blockclubchicago.org
Aftermath: The space sat vacant for a bit (Whole Foods kept the lease for a few more years and had the right to sublet). It eventually reopened in 2023 as a Save A Lot discount grocery operated by a Black-owned company (Yellow Banana LLC). Some residents were disappointed with the downgrade to a more limited discount chain, but others saw it as better than nothing.
chicagobusiness.com
In short, it was a well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bring upscale groceries to a low-income area — the business model just didn’t match the local economics. Englewood still has an Aldi and some smaller fresh markets, but the Whole Foods experiment is over.
My beautiful mom bless her soul was the heart and soul of self reliance and independence.
Born in 1925 and passing in 2015 at 90 she taught me many wonderful lessons. My dad not to be ignored was right there with her. I was lucky God did not allow me to pick my parents as could not have done a better job.
Well to my point the SNAP benefits allow recipients to but sweetened drinks and juices.
For many years my mom NEVER bought a drink but drank WATER with her meals and for refreshment except for home brewed teas and coffee.
Point is that SNAP recipients need to live frugally and stop drinking so much sugar loaded drinks.
Stop buying bottled water as my mom drank swamp water. , shallow well water and creek water for years and survived.
Today we are too pampered and expect equity in food choices.
Learn to eat and enjoy the basics and stop with all the potato chips and fast food.
As a kicker the drinks she did not buy packaged estimated to be $4 a day for say 365 days a year times say 50 years or more came out to like a lifetime of saving and investment in stocks income of like $250,000 which lucky me benefitted from just on that one issue.
She taught me to be frugal yet live a good life.
I owe who I am to the best parents this guy was gifted by the Good Lord.
Thanks for that Lord
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It wasn’t that long ago that there were “food stamp” foods. I remember the sections of dried formula packets for children, or the off brand cookies or soda, etc…. It was obvious what you were buying and frankly there was some shame in that but it was motivation. Now they go in with their credit cards and load up on every name brand product they can fit inside of three grocery carts. Helping people is fine, what the current program represents is incentived enablement.
Isn't the Senate part of the federal government? Don't members make a big deal about their oversight responsibilities - when it's convenient for them? Rand Paul is a committee chairman..he has a staff..if he's really interested, what not assign some of his staff to look into what he's now criticizing the federal government for not doing? Oh, I know "it's not my job"
This is the oldest grift in America. ARe you poor? Blame immigrants. not yourself or your employer or you education or any of the actual things that could be the cause, its the IMMIGRANTS.
This is why miller is called a fascist. its fascist politics.
You should take that attitude to Chicago and SF. You could make a real difference. There’s a **** ton of people on welfare. Every time I bring up entitlements, that’s the lefts argument. They always say well those people need help, they can’t help themselves. Or they didn’t have a good education. I’m with you, pull yourself up. Good for you man!
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What a beautiful tribute to your mom, and also to your dad as well. You do them proud.
Rand can investigate, but if there are no prosecutions does it matter?
AI knows where the fraud is, it’s not hard to detect. We literally see it on camera with our own two eyes and nothing is done about it! Crazy!!!
Let me write a "bad" check for $10,000 and see what would happen to me.
This is totally stupid.
The "14,000 individuals" number doesn't add up, but nobody living off of SNAP should be driving a luxury vehicle.
It’s pretty simple economics that when the government injects money into groceries via SNAP or injects money into the rental market via housing subsidies that the prices within each category will inflate.
We should be laser focused on peeling back government subsidies, reducing government dependence and removing this artificial inflationary element from our system.
I'd think that there are some who don't GAF and others who do. Our problem, and the problem of large organizations is that laws are "one size fits all" we don't have the flexibility to look at a family, struggling to feed their kids, but working the best they can, doing all the right things...they get what's allowed. Then you look at the gentleman in one of the posts above, a millionaire, who qualifies for food stamps because of the law "that fit's all. There's no discretion that allows a government to use common sense.
I don't know how you get around this...same applies with those in the country illegally. The laws says "deport" and we lump good people, in the country for years, raising families etc in the same "deport" category as the rapist or murderer. There has to be a common sense solution
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Excellent!
Water is essentially free. It’s most of what my children drink. Other than milk, what other drink should be paid for by a nutrition program? Certainly not soda, and really not even juices, which are unhealthy and full of sugar.
Hope they continue to streamline SNAP eligible items. Turn it into an actual nutrition program as the name suggests.
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