Michigan lottery winner caught on tape using food stamp card

[devil21]

Hey OP - she's using the system. You don't like it? Stop feeding the beast. Don't get mad just cause you're envious that the system worked in her favor.

This sounds collectivist to me. I blame each individual for their conduct that helps move this collapse forward. The beast doesn't exist unless each individual partakes of it. Do you talk to groups of people when you spread the message of liberty? No, you talk to individuals and change one mind at a time. She IS milking the system and deserves to be attacked for it. She's certainly not the only one but that's not point. You cant preach individualism then group people together and blame the system. She's building the system by her conduct.

The State steals $500k of her winnings. So what if she seeks restitution for that theft through food stamps?

They actually didn't "Steal" anything from her. The same state that you say stole it is the same state that never gave up possesion of it in the first place. Any individual that plays the lottery thinking the advertised jackpot number is genuine is being willfully ignorant. You KNOW you're only getting a fraction of the advertised jackpot because the state won't give you what is advertised.

 

[ZzzImAsleep]

This sounds collectivist to me. I blame each individual for their conduct that helps move this collapse forward. The beast doesn't exist unless each individual partakes of it. Do you talk to groups of people when you spread the message of liberty? No, you talk to individuals and change one mind at a time. She IS milking the system and deserves to be attacked for it. She's certainly not the only one but that's not point. You cant preach individualism then group people together and blame the system. She's building the system by her conduct.




They actually didn't "Steal" anything from her. The same state that you say stole it is the same state that never gave up possesion of it in the first place. Any individual that plays the lottery thinking the advertised jackpot number is genuine is being willfully ignorant. You KNOW you're only getting a fraction of the advertised jackpot because the state won't give you what is advertised.

While I think morally she should give up using a food card it doesn't surprise me that she hasn't done that. Our world is engineered around the idea of "everyone for themselves", or if you prefer "survival of the fittest". You can find aspects of this thinking everywhere in society now. At my workplace everyone only does for themselves and no one really helps anyone else out unless by doing so they help themselves. Selfishness and greed are skills you have to learn to survive in a world where there is only one carcass upon which to feast and a dozen lions ready to eat.

I don't think this woman deserved to be confronted by the media for using food stamps. Especially not when senior citizens who are independently wealthy are drawing Social Security. Those people dwarf one "half a million dollar lottery winner". Let's go find some old people and run a camera up in their face for some ratings!

 

[centure7]

Lets say I was put in that exact position. Here is what I would say:

Media: Centure7, I just saw you using your food stamps. But, you just won $1 million dollars.
Me: No, it was $700,000 but then only $350,000 after taxes.
Media: Thats still a lot of money. Is what you are doing right?
Me: No, it was wrong of me because I didn't apply for much more in food stamps. Right now I'm only taking $200 a month, but the government owes me $350,000 since I just wrote them a check for that much. You the media support this theft and therefore you owe me $350,000... how do sleep at night?
Media: Taxation is taxation and not theft. You've got to do your part like a good black slave does for the middle class white accountants working at the IRS who deserve their cut of your money.
Centure7: Knowing I won $1M lottery but am still subjected to being a work slave for the rest of my life because taxation doesn't leave me with enough to kick back and relax for the rest of my life is not really that big of a tragedy in the scheme of things. The bigger tragedy is that I can't help the poor because half my money is taken away by the government is sickening beyond belief. Its also repugnant that the government takes money from poor people through taxation on lottery tickets to pretend to supposedly support the children. If the government wants to support children perhaps taking money from the poor isn't the best way to accomplish that. Statistics show poor households are more likely to be alcoholics. If that is the case then taxes on alcohol is hurting the poor more than helping them. Why are you the media not reporting on how the government is destroying poor people's lives on purpose through racist legislation like taxation on lottery tickets and alcohol, which disproportionately hurt black people? Of course the rich white media is going to be mad that a black lady gets $200 of the $350,000 she just got stolen from her through taxation.

Furthermore, the poverty class was about to be evaporated entirely through rampant US economic prosperity after World War II ended, until the welfare programs like the one I'm getting now ramped up in full force, creating a cancerous welfare state. The growth of the middle class almost stopped immediately while poverty reversed upward. This was clear and anyone could see that. But did the immoral government workers care? Yeah, they cared about them self keeping their office jobs at the expense of all the progress being made in very great numbers within the black community.

And you are worried about one single woman getting less than 1% of her money back? Its you who is immoral because you don't understand taxation is theft, and you also don't understand its perfectly fair to get stolen property back through any means whatsoever up to and including armed robbery with threat of deadly force. Therefore, simply accepting a check for the stolen property from the government, given voluntarily, is the best case scenario you can ask for.

Centure7: In conclusion, the $200 welfare check leaves the government owing me $394,800. If I'm still taking money after that point, then come back and complain and you'd be right. Hopefully all those today who are slaves and don't even realize it, will stand up proud and say "I deserve ALL my earnings and the portion I help the poor with is my choice only and not yours to make". Because only then will society advance and until then society will continue its decay.

 

[green73]

LOL taxes took 200k from her... Even if she uses food stamps all her life that will not come close to 200k.

This!

 

[Schifference]

Hey OP - she's using the system. You don't like it? Stop feeding the beast. Don't get mad just cause you're envious that the system worked in her favor.

This^^
The problem is the entitlement in the first place. Get rid of it and lessen government regulations so we can sell lemonade on the street corner. If a legal loophole exists and someone has the ability to work it then good for them. If you want change, change the system. Everybody works an angle. In all honesty I think it is a pretty crappy system that would allow the popular vote to be changed by a few anointed delegates. I am all for Ron Paul and support him 100%! If I lived in a state that voted 80% for Ron Paul and the delegates all voted for Santorum I don't think I'd be too happy. If the rules exist in this Rule driven government then there is nothing wrong with utilizing them.

 

[mczerone]

This sounds collectivist to me. I blame each individual for their conduct that helps move this collapse forward. The beast doesn't exist unless each individual partakes of it. Do you talk to groups of people when you spread the message of liberty? No, you talk to individuals and change one mind at a time. She IS milking the system and deserves to be attacked for it. She's certainly not the only one but that's not point. You cant preach individualism then group people together and blame the system. She's building the system by her conduct.

100% Wrong. She's taking from the system. She's pulling money from the public sector and spending it in the private. You're accusing me of sounding "collectivist" when you are the one attacking an individual for (legitimately) taking money from the "public" purse?

It's the taxpayers who are building the system by their conduct. It's the voters who approve of these systems. It's NOT the users.

They actually didn't "Steal" anything from her. The same state that you say stole it is the same state that never gave up possesion of it in the first place. Any individual that plays the lottery thinking the advertised jackpot number is genuine is being willfully ignorant. You KNOW you're only getting a fraction of the advertised jackpot because the state won't give you what is advertised.

Semantics. The State SAYS you've "earned" the FULL jackpot - then they steal back their share in taxes.

 

[Cabal]

They actually didn't "Steal" anything from her. The same state that you say stole it is the same state that never gave up possesion of it in the first place. Any individual that plays the lottery thinking the advertised jackpot number is genuine is being willfully ignorant. You KNOW you're only getting a fraction of the advertised jackpot because the state won't give you what is advertised.

Taking possession by force = theft. Knowing theft will occur doesn't make it any less of a theft. If I can win 500k by losing 200k to theft, then I'm still going to go for the 500k. The 200k is still being stolen, but it's a net gain for me. That doesn't make the theft of the 200k right or just; it simply means I'd rather have 500k than nothing. Rightfully, I'm still owed the stolen 200k, regardless of the 500k I've won because it was stolen from me.

By your logic, if robbers informed their victims in advance, they could rightfully rob anyone they please. Should we extend that to other injustices as well? Murder? Assault? Kidnapping? Rape? In my world, this is called the threat of force--a.k.a. coercion--and it doesn't make injustice any less wrong.

 

[xFiFtyOnE]

I'm a bit confused. Don't they check for cash on hand(checking/savings account) when applying for food stamps? Did she allready blow the money?

 

[mczerone]

The system is flawed. Even though it's flawed, she's still an asshole. None of you would be defending Bill Gates if it was him doing this. It's a flawed system, but it IS meant for people who need it, not people who just won $500,000 AFTER tax.

If we got rid of government welfare, then local churches could actually help people in need out, and you would NEVER get people taking advantage of it, because nobody would donate to people who just won a million bucks. This is the practical reason why government welfare needs to end. The other reason is because it's obviously immoral to forcefully take from one person and give to another. Forced charity is not charity at all.

She's NOT an asshole for doing this (maybe she is for other reasons), and I WOULD defend Bill Gates for doing this.

To take the argument to the "Bill Gates" extreme just shows how the outrage over this (against the receivers) is nothing but green-eyed envy. We agree that it's the system that's broken, so let's focus on that. I encourage anyone to take what they can get from it and to avoid paying into it as much as possible.

To do avoid taking handouts or to pay into the system while yelling at the people getting its handouts are both just ways of hurting your own position while letting the state and the people who support it grow stronger.

 

[mczerone]

I'm a bit confused. Don't they check for cash on hand(checking/savings account) when applying for food stamps? Did she allready blow the money?

They don't check assets. Or, they didn't, there's a move to start checking assets and income.

 

[rockerrockstar]

Poor money management spending as much as she did on the house. She could have bought a real nice house in a state like Indiana for less that $200,000. Then had plenty of money left over.

 

[pcosmar]

Poor money management spending as much as she did on the house. She could have bought a real nice house in a state like Indiana for less that $200,000. Then had plenty of money left over.

On what house.??. The one they showed was likely $100K or less,,but they didn't say.

 

[kezt777]

I completely agree with this. Why should we be held to an ethical standard when are elected celebrities are not? The question isn't whether it is ethical for her to use the card after winning, it that she has the card to begin with.

The last sentence is what I was thinking. I've been quite surprised at the number of people in the US reportedly getting food stamp cards. The amount varies of course, some may get a very small amount while others get a larger chunk. But I heard and read that at times, 1 in 7 people in the US are using food stamps. Holy cow.... We don't really have a program like that in Canada. There are things like food banks but in my city you can only go to them every 6 weeks and you get what they give you, not what you choose. I dont know what they do with welfare, I believe it's just a set amount of money put into your account every month but I can tell you that even when I was a single mother of two, working full time but minimum wage, I made $500 a month too much to get on welfare. All I tried to do was get some help with the transportation costs to work and back because they had been advertising it on radio and I wanted to see what it was about. But I made too much money and at that time (2005), the amount given for 'core needs' (food, utilities, toilet paper, etc) was $400. I dont know how the program works outside of that.

But anyway, back on track now, I have noticed more and more of my US friends on FB talking about their food stamps and Im always thinking 'huh??? why are you getting food stamps??'. One in particular is a single woman, works full time and seems to have time to go around to clubs and theatre acts, cooks all sorts of interesting expensive meals (vegan dishes, where the food prep for it costs more than regular stuff), and has a new hair do and new hair colour every other month... no children..... and she was complaining that her food stamp card cannot be used on a diet supplement she wanted to try. My eyeballs fell out at that. I assume since she lives in Chicago that it can be pretty pricey to pay for stuff like food and home so a lot of people qualify for food stamps - but it aggravates me when I see how they are spending their money, which could easily be used to buy flippin' groceries instead of getting food stamps. It's not just the amount of money on their card each month - it's the amount of money it takes to pay all of the people that work for the program, oversee it, supervise it, data entry, etc etc. It costs more than $200 a month for that lottery winner's card. Im glad this happened tho, so more people can see how the system has deteriorated and can start putting in calls and standing up for changes.

 

[devil21]

Taking possession by force = theft. Knowing theft will occur doesn't make it any less of a theft. If I can win 500k by losing 200k to theft, then I'm still going to go for the 500k. The 200k is still being stolen, but it's a net gain for me. That doesn't make the theft of the 200k right or just; it simply means I'd rather have 500k than nothing. Rightfully, I'm still owed the stolen 200k, regardless of the 500k I've won because it was stolen from me.

By your logic, if robbers informed their victims in advance, they could rightfully rob anyone they please. Should we extend that to other injustices as well? Murder? Assault? Kidnapping? Rape? In my world, this is called the threat of force--a.k.a. coercion--and it doesn't make injustice any less wrong.

No one willfully participates in their own robbery or murder. In order to win a lottery jackpot, you have to willfully participate and agree to the terms of the contract by giving your $1 to the state based on the state's terms. The state makes it known that you aren't winning anywhere near what the jackpot is advertised as yet you still participate. Then claim that something is being stolen from you that you never owned in the first place? Even when the contract specified that you weren't getting it anyway?

100% Wrong. She's taking from the system. She's pulling money from the public sector and spending it in the private. You're accusing me of sounding "collectivist" when you are the one attacking an individual for (legitimately) taking money from the "public" purse?

It's the taxpayers who are building the system by their conduct. It's the voters who approve of these systems. It's NOT the users.

Blaming groups of people is collectivist. I blame individuals.

Semantics. The State SAYS you've "earned" the FULL jackpot - then they steal back their share in taxes.

The state says no such thing. Read the contract (aka rules) of the lottery. It tells you right up front, even before you lay down your dollar, that the advertised number is nonsense. They don't write you a check for the full amount then take their taxes back. They never give you the tax amount in the first place.

 

[BamaAla]

On what house.??. The one they showed was likely $100K or less,,but they didn't say.

It seemed like that house they showed in the video was the one she was moving out if; also, she said she owned 2 houses.

 

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

If she paid 200k+ in taxes from the lottery winning, doesn't that mean she's put more into the system than she's taking out? She'd have to collect food stamps for like 80 years to make back that 200k.

 

[angelatc]

NO.It was food stamps (Bridge card is Food stamps,, my step daughter has it)

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/detriot/2m-michigan-lottery-winner-defends-food-stamps-172712202.html

So it is. Apparently they allow people to put other cash entitlements on the same card. That's where the stories about Bridge card money coming out of ATMs in Caribbean casinos came from a couple years ago, and got me confused.

 

[angelatc]

It seemed like that house they showed in the video was the one she was moving out if; also, she said she owned 2 houses.

They showed both houses. If she paid $100,000 for the second one she paid too much though.

 

[angelatc]

The state says no such thing. Read the contract (aka rules) of the lottery. It tells you right up front, even before you lay down your dollar, that the advertised number is nonsense. They don't write you a check for the full amount then take their taxes back. They never give you the tax amount in the first place.

And a large part of the taxes they hold back are federal, not state.

 

[angelatc]

W
I don't think this woman deserved to be confronted by the media for using food stamps. Especially not when senior citizens who are independently wealthy are drawing Social Security. Those people dwarf one "half a million dollar lottery winner". Let's go find some old people and run a camera up in their face for some ratings!

The difference, which you won't like, is that the people collecting SS benefits paid into the program their entire lives, and were promised they would be able to draw from it at the end of their lives. There has never been an income cap on it, and changing the terms of their contract now should be considered unconstitutional as ex post facto.

The woman in the video has not contributed anything to society, and is therefore far less entitled to take anything back out.