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sc94597 on 10 October 2015
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Conina said:
sc94597 said:
Conina said:
sc94597 said:

If you make less than $1,500/month you get food stamps, more if you have children. 

This is one of the problems. In most other first world countries you don't get food stamps, you get your money transfered to your account.

So if you go shopping, you pay with money or your normal bank card. Not every clerk in your town (or people standing behind you in line at the cash register) need to know that you are poor and are getting welfare support... it's not their business. Of course your bank teller will probably know it, but the less people who know it, the better. Even if some poor people don't care about that, many would prefer to keep the support a secret and it helps them to keep their dignity.

It is a political issue to choose to not give cash assistance instead of food stamps. Too many people worry that the persons receiving the assistance will purchase drugs and alcohol instead of the food that they are suppose to use to feed their children.

Other countries have the food stamp option, too. But they use that option only in exceptional cases... only if it turns out that the recipient misuses the cash payment. Putting almost 1/6 of the population (almost 50 million people) under general suspicion that they probably would use the money for other things doesn't give me much confidence in that government.

sc94597 said:

Most people on food stamps are not that concerned about what other people - particularly strangers - care.

How do you know that? And even if it's no big deal for them... given the choice most people probably would prefer that as few people as possible know about their financial situation.

How does one determine whether the cash payment was misused?

I know that from experience. Yes most people would prefer cash to food stamps. I am not personally against replacing food stamps with cash because then it would allow people to more efficiently spend the benefit. However, I was telling you why the majority of people (whom do not receive food stamps) oppose giving cash assistance versus food stamps. It isn't necessarily that the government is suspicious, but the people who are not receiving the food stamps and their impression thereof. Politicians need to make these decisions based on the whole population's beliefs, not the minority that is receiving the benefits.