Cracking down on foodstamp abuse

[Rapscallion]

But, that's what happens when the state thinks every young unwed girl who pops out a kid should get free healthcare.

While I can sympathise with the bulk of what you say, and it's the reason behind the much-hated CSA over here, it's not always quite cause and effect. More young mothers causing seniors to lose benefits? Try not giving money to local sports teams or to local businesses to 'create employment' when it only lines the pockets of directors, or ...

The state has to decide where the money from the budget for welfare goes most fairly, but maybe the money could be better allocated in the first place?

Young mothers are a very handy scapegoat because of their visible nature. I know of some unwed and single mothers who are fine parents trying to do their best, relying on family to look after their children and working. I have also seen young mothers in groups wandering around city centres with their children looking for a warm shop to 'browse' in so they don't have to keep the heating on at home. I've met a few, but their interests and mine are distinctly different, so I couldn't say I 'know' any of them.

Rapscallion

[blas87]

I realize there is more to the story than that. It was easier to just word it that way.

I remember applying for Badger Care when I was 19 and the gas station job I had didn't provide insurance for their employees. I called and was told unless I was over 60 or had a child, I didn't meet the requirements. So that left me to wonder....every single guy who knocks up a girl.....is out to fend for himself, because he's not important enough to receive state insurance. Sad.

Please don't take it to mean that I blame unwed mothers for deficits in the state. I do mostly blame them for the reason Badger Care is making cuts, although most people would blame the governor.

[AdminAssistant]

although most people would blame the governor.

I certainly would.

[blas87]

I worked with a girl who, once she became full time,opted out of insurance. I asked why.

"Because if Badger Care knew this place offered insurance, I'd lose my benefits."

Apparently, because she was a single mom with two kids, she didn't need to pay for her insurance like everyone else I work with with kids has to, including several single moms who had to scrounge to pay the bills.

[Andara Bledin]

I called and was told unless I was over 60 or had a child, I didn't meet the requirements.

The reason is that the insurance is for the kid, not the mom; it goes to the mom because she's the one who is legally responsible for said kid.

"Because if Badger Care knew this place offered insurance, I'd lose my benefits."

Apparently, because she was a single mom with two kids, she didn't need to pay for her insurance like everyone else I work with with kids has to, including several single moms who had to scrounge to pay the bills.

I'd have reported her ass in a heartbeat. I don't care if she was a co-worker or a friend, that is completely unacceptable.

^-.-^

[bainsidhe]

Our state is slowly starting to search out and find medicare fraud. Even though they're just getting started and haven't allocated many resources yet, they've already located and stopped millions of dollars worth of fraud. Thing is, no one wants to spend any extra money or man hours finding fraud, it's easier to cut other programs and expenses to balance the budget. They're trying to make it so some of the medicare savings will be reinvested into sustaining the fraud-detection programs, but I'll believe that when I see it.

When all is said and done, it comes down to money for me. Will it save more money to find these fraudsters and recoup their benefit dollars or will it cost more to add another program to hunt out benefit crime?

[anakhouri]

I don't know how it works in other disciplines but when my husband was in graduate school he would have been paid out of his PI's lab budget (not a lot, but enough to live on). He actually won grants for his entire time there so the PI didn't have to pay him anything.

Actually right now we are living on an AHA grant he has won (through his own hard work) so at the moment his current PI is not paying him either; if he can't get another grant after this one runs out, his PI will have to pay him out of his lab budget like he does the other postdocs.

No one ever paid for him but the people who benefited from his research. I realize there aren't enough grants to go around though. And like I said I don't know how it works for other grad students, but science ones actually get paid.

[AdminAssistant]

It's a lot different for people in hard science, math, or engineering. A Chem 100 TA at my university makes $25,000, give or take. Those in the arts and humanities make less than half that. In my state (currently) TA's and RA's are paid by the state and offered a low-cost health insurance plan.

There are fewer grants, scholarships, fellowships, etc. for the arts/humanities as well. The programs that do offer funding (National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities being two major sources) are under constant threat of elimination. The portion of the Fulbright program that was under the Department of Education has been eliminated, leaving only the portion under the State Department. I'm lucky in that my fiance lives with me and can help with bills and such. But before that, I was accruing a *lot* of student loan and credit card debt to keep myself afloat.

[mikoyan29]

You know it's funny....this country can find billions of dollars for the most profitable companies out there. They can also find money so that billionaires can get huge tax breaks. They can find trillions for failed defense programs. But somehow, when it comes to education they can't find squat.

[Andara Bledin]

Well, now, money for education and keeping people from starving to death would be socialism, and we can't have that, now.

^-.-^