If you have money to spend at a casino ...

[alogram]

THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU RECEIVING WELFARE?

I work at a casino hotel that sends coupons for "free" rooms. Obviously, there is no such thing as a free room...these people have to spend a considerable amount of money to qualify.

And yet, we constantly have people who show their welfare cards as identification.

Do I need to explain why this is completely maddening?

[Racket_Man]

Do I need to explain why this is completely maddening?

NO because as a pizza delivery driver I see the exact same type of thing.

I see 50" HD TVs, 2 or 3 computers (tower and laptops), nice BluRay home theater systems, expensive stereo system, 2 (count em 2) game systems with piles of games next to them, etc. in shithole apartments.

Now I know the ecomonic times are hard and people have lost jobs and such BUT..........

Hey I am not rich myself by any stretch of the imagination and I have lower end nice stuff but some of the above people put me to shame.

[Jester]

I would like to remind y'all that you don't always know someone's situation.

Now, I am NOT referring to the jackasses who are on welfare who are gambling at casinos. That is just stupidity run amok.

But if you see someone with nice stuff in a shithole apartment, they may well be spending their money the wrong way, i.e., buying all this nice stuff they can't afford on credit.

OR they may have acquired all this nice stuff when they had a good job, and the economy pushed them into a position where they had to move, but they kept the nice stuff.

OR they may not give a crap about where they live, but they spend their hard-earned money on nice things for that domicile.

OR they may be struggling, but have parents who give them nice things.

OR any of a million other possibilities.

Not everyone who has nice things but isn't living in a big spiffy house is a welfare cheat. Just saying.

[alogram]

I was laid off from my job and then unemployed for 13 months due to the economic downturn, so I know that things are not always black and white.

That said, I think that the welfare system in this country is complete bullshit. The abuse is rampant, and I firmly believe that the ones who truly deserve it are FAR outnumbered by the entitlement assholes.

And again...if you have money to spend gambling, you should be able to support yourself.

[Jester]

That said, I think that the welfare system in this country is complete bullshit. The abuse is rampant, and I firmly believe that the ones who truly deserve it are FAR outnumbered by the entitlement assholes.

I think you would be surprised to find out how wrong you are, how the abusers and the cheats are just a very small fraction of those receiving aid, compared to those that need it and use it as it was intended.

And again...if you have money to spend gambling, you should be able to support yourself.

Agreed.

[HYHYBT]

It seems to me a distinction is in order here: does cheating mean getting benefits you don't really qualify for or need, or does it mean misusing that benefit whether you got it legitimately or not?

[Andara Bledin]

That said, I think that the welfare system in this country is complete bullshit. The abuse is rampant, and I firmly believe that the ones who truly deserve it are FAR outnumbered by the entitlement assholes.

It seems to me a distinction is in order here: does cheating mean getting benefits you don't really qualify for or need, or does it mean misusing that benefit whether you got it legitimately or not?

Every study ever done, and in multiple countries, points to just about the same figure: 2% of people on the public dole are committing fraud of some sort. And many of those should still be receiving benefits, just not as much as they get.

So, the number who deserve it outweigh the entitlement assholes by a good 49 to 1.

Regardless, anyone who is on the public dole and who gambles enough in a casino to get comps is a fucktard.

^-.-^

[TheHuckster]

It seems to me a distinction is in order here: does cheating mean getting benefits you don't really qualify for or need, or does it mean misusing that benefit whether you got it legitimately or not?

Every study ever done, and in multiple countries, points to just about the same figure: 2% of people on the public dole are committing fraud of some sort. And many of those should still be receiving benefits, just not as much as they get.

That doesn't answer HYHYBT's question. Fraud and taking advantage of legal loopholes are two different things. If someone is lying on reports or taking money under the table that would, if documented, relieve the person of welfare benefits, that's clear cut fraud.

On the other hand, if the government has lax regulations which legally allows people to, say, sit around doing nothing while they are fully able to find a full time job and simply hasn't done so, out of sheer laziness because they go on job interviews that they purposely screw up, then is that documented as part of the 2% who are committing "fraud"?

That's not to say that distinction might make a difference. It's very well possible that if you account for people who take advantage of grey areas that allow them to cheat the system "legally" it's still a low percentage, like 3-4%. It's also possible that the welfare system doesn't have said loopholes, or that they exist but there's no clear way to distinguish the unlucky who simply can't find a job especially in this economy and those who go "job hunting" as a latex salesman for Vandelay Industries. But it's something to at least think about. Just because it's legal and officially not fraudulent doesn't mean it's right or ethical.

[Panacea]

To add to what Jester said, some people have nice things in shithole apartments because they rent them at greatly overinflated prices, but the payment are more manageable for people who can't get credit cards.

And as a hospice nurse, I've been in the homes of plenty of poor people who get assistance who do NOT live that way. They have crappy furniture, old tvs, no cable, etc, etc.

YMMV.

It seems to me a distinction is in order here: does cheating mean getting benefits you don't really qualify for or need, or does it mean misusing that benefit whether you got it legitimately or not?

Yes.

[dendawg]

And again...if you have money to spend gambling, you should be able to support yourself.

This is assuming they're playing high-stakes poker and other games....how do you know they're not playing the nickel slots? Yes, they still exist, I've played them myself.

[crashhelmet]

This is assuming they're playing high-stakes poker and other games....how do you know they're not playing the nickel slots? Yes, they still exist, I've played them myself.

They could be playing pennies and it still wouldn't matter. Living beyond your own means is one thing. Living beyond the State's means is another.

I live in Las Vegas. When money's tight, I stay out of the bars and casinos. I'll eat nothing but ramen or peanutbutter sandwhiches if I really need money for something.

I practically killed myself for over a year trying to get my son out of state custody. I didn't qualify for any state aid because my hourly wage was too high. Nevermind that bills (student loans, truck, rent, utilities, etc) ate up most of that or the fact that i was in that position because the state chose to charge me for something I didn't do, which resulted in me losing my job that let me pay for everything and live comfortably.

So yeah... Fuck the abusers. Fuck the people that only work part time so that they can get state aid to live better than if they worked full time. Fuck the people that gamble, drink, and smoke on that money.

[Andara Bledin]

On that last note: don't forget to fuck the system that punishes people for improving their own situations, too.

^-.-^

[insertNameHere]

On that last note: don't forget to fuck the system that punishes people for improving their own situations, too.

^-.-^

Agreed, nothing like hearing you make $100 to much a month to qualify for welfare but still by no means are living comfortably. As far as the nickel slot comment goes the casino that just opened up I have yet to really since a nickel or penny slot, most require multiple lines to be played and you just get to decide how much on each line.

[alogram]

This is assuming they're playing high-stakes poker and other games....how do you know they're not playing the nickel slots? Yes, they still exist, I've played them myself.

To get a free room, you have to play a pretty significant amount of money. They aren't going to send those coupons to people who only spend a little bit of money, because we could easily sell those rooms to people who would pay full price.

I find it very hard to believe that it is a small percentage of people who cheat the system. There are far too many people who are on the dole for generation after generation, and who just keep having more kids. Many people have no sense of personal responsibility.

That said, I do not fault every person who is on welfare. Far from it.

[Jester]

I find it very hard to believe that it is a small percentage of people who cheat the system.

I find it hard to believe that people enjoy eating olives, or that Kirsten Dunst is not banging down my door to get a date with me. My lack of belief in these things does not make it so, however. People still enjoy olives, and Miss Dunst doesn't even know where my door is.

You can have trouble believing it all you want, but the actual numbers say that your belief is incorrect.

There are far too many people who are on the dole for generation after generation, and who just keep having more kids.

Really? Do you have numbers? Or actual examples? Do you know or know of any such families that have lived for generations on the government dole?

Look, it wouldn't surprise me all that much if there were a family or two who managed that rather neat feat. But to say it as if it is a common thing is to defy credulity. So, if you are going to say such things exist, perhaps you should have some corroborating evidence, figures, or statistics to back it up.

Just a thought.