From the American Thinker this week, we get a similar story of UK welfare waste. Click through to the UK Daily Mail's story on how a women from England earns roughly $65,000 a year and has never worked a day in her life.
As opined above, these programs are the true costs of our economic undoings.
Showing posts with label Welfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Welfare. Show all posts
09 October 2010
California Cuts Welfare Access on Cruise Ships and at Casinos
Forgive me dear reader for the largess in posting. Both work and personal life have kept me from my non-paying job of running the blog. Obviously, paying the bills is quite important and that means the jobs that pay come first.
As the title of this post shows, the LA Times published an article on Monday that state welfare recipients will no longer be able to use their debit cards to withdraw funds at popular vacation destinations, including The Strip in Vegas or on Cruise ships. The total costs of these fraudulent uses has cost the California tax payers an estimated at $69 million. For a state that is in a perpetual budget crisis these years, it seems like a great use of state funds for those whom are supposed to need help.
As the title of this post shows, the LA Times published an article on Monday that state welfare recipients will no longer be able to use their debit cards to withdraw funds at popular vacation destinations, including The Strip in Vegas or on Cruise ships. The total costs of these fraudulent uses has cost the California tax payers an estimated at $69 million. For a state that is in a perpetual budget crisis these years, it seems like a great use of state funds for those whom are supposed to need help.
As one person noted on www.militaryphotos.net, “these are the same people that go to Wal-Mart at midnight when their new monthly allowances are deposited into their debit accounts to stock up on Chips Ahoy!, Doritos, and other non-nutritious and non-essential, life sustaining elements.” Simply brilliant is the waste and fraud that Governor Schwarzenegger’s Department of Social Services Director John Wagner, reiterated their commitment to “rooting it out” and “to ensure that these resources are going to the people they are intended [to help].” It’s nice to know that they are “doing something to root out the waste and fraud” but why in the world were these transactions approved to begin with?
SIXTY-NINE MILLION DOLLARS of waste! At the state level! This comes from a state that has a $20 billion dollar, and climbing budget defect! California’s tax base is fleeing their crushing obligations, but no worry to the welfare abusers, we’ll find away to give the taxpayers IOUs to fund your cushy lifestyle! Just make sure you reward us come election time, please.
How hard is it to create a database of essential items that can be purchased with a welfare issued debit card? It certainly can’t be hard to partner with retailers much like a medical flex spending account operates. Welfare recipients could shop at partner retailers who database appropriate food, over the counter medicine, and life essentials like toilet paper and swipe their card without the need to send in their receipts for oversight to the Social Services Department of California (or the FedGov too for that matter). The partner retailers can tell the recipients what is “approved” or “disapproved” when they hit the checkout line and their behavior will be appropriately modified, instantly. Should the need arise to shop at a non-partner retailer, the welfare recipients will need to justify their purchases with an itemized receipt. Should they fail to turn in their receipts or purchase something off of the non-essential list, their next month allowance will be docked, permanently, for the amount of the non-approved items.
If you seriously need help in these tough times, I can understand that. I am not completely heartless to think that we as a country can’t afford to straighten out the financial mess and jobs disaster first, and then tackle a welfare state revolution. I know some of my readers might think that I am crazy, but the true middle class American that has been indirectly affected by the negligent actions of our leaders, deserve some support to at least remain healthy, clothed, and housed if they have been a victim of unfortunate circumstances. Notice that I didn’t say these nameless victims are entitled to live in their own house, with two or three Escalades (or two or three vehicles period), a new 48” flat screen TV, phone, internet, cable and a PlayStation3. If those of us still working and paying taxes have to sacrifice for your sustainment, so too should you have to sacrifice until you can again become a productive member of society.
So insane is this story about the waste and misuse of welfare funds, it should be a major wake up call to the average moron leftist that socialism does not work and it IS stealing, PERIOD! These people obviously will not have the means with which to pay back their stolen vacations, nor will they be charged and incarcerated to make up for their debt to society. Instead, they will happily and fatly go to the polls on Nov. 2 and vote against us, the hard working citizens of the United States (and California) in an effort to keep receiving their Gooberment handouts. 51% to 49%, is working quite nicely for the filthy politicians who live high upon their place of elitism. Let’s just hope we can discourage the 49% from going to the polls this year.
24 August 2010
Forward Looking USA: Brit's Cut Fuel Payments for Retirees
One of the objectives of this blog is to get outside the normal USA absurdity that is our daily news (more coverage on absurdness later), and look at other news stories from around the world from sources that cover that news better than our own news media. Of course, to be better than the US news media doesn't take much.
An interesting piece in my favorite news paper (London Telegraph) last week is that those on fixed income will be feeling a bit more squeeze this winter as fuel payments (read subsidies) will be cut. The effect? Millions. The sub-headline on the article reads: "Older people will have to wait at least six years longer to receive winter fuel payments, under government plans to cut the welfare bill."
I know that most of the citizens out in la-la land haven't a clue the implications for the USA, but let's think about it this way. Social security is currently the biggest Ponzi scheme the world has ever known, through out the entire course of time. Ponzi schemes must always bring in more money than is paid out to keep the scam going so since the FedGov is bringing in a continuously downward trend of money to SS, how do you balance the books? One way is to up the retirement age and a second is to reduce the benefits paid out. Since the second is less politically advantageous, the politicians usually raise the retirement age in a hope that more people die before they draw benefits. (Please realize, I am not kidding). Case in point, the UK government would rather freeze people to death than allow them to live. Never mind that they probably could have continued to live a happy, fat, and warm life if they had never stolen money from the retirees in their working years, thus allowing them to budget for their fuel concerns in their geriatric state. Nanny state government's epic fail, many documented times over!
But why will we have a continuously downward trend in Western Countries from here on out? Several things are the reason, but they all revolve around demographics. While the double dipping recession is a big factor in lack of tax receipts, baby-boomers hitting retirement age is perhaps the biggest trend no one examines when investing or forecasting for governmental budgets. The boomers are exiting the workforce through retirement or layoffs and thus, are forced to draw off of their retirement accounts, sucking liquidity out of equities for the remainder of the next generation. Who will be paying into these games in the future? Considering the government hates to loose control of their power (as is evidenced through every single corrupt government of the world's history), the 20somethings fresh out of college will be not only expected to pay a higher share of their income to their patriotic taxes, but they will be forced to.
Eighty-five will be the new retirement age for my generation. Yep, sucks. However, there are some alternatives. One, reduce government craptacular spending on garbage we don't really need and we won't really see a general decline in benefits paid or a raise of the retirement age. Creating employment through encouragement of an "investment" economy instead of a sycophantic, crackerjack, zombie economy that steals wealth through punitive taxes and tax rates is another. Last by not least, encouraging better demographics is not only key to the survival of our country, but is our way to prosperity. Yes, I will say it, make more babies!
Americans produce about 2.1 children per household, which is just above the population maintenance rate. I'm sure you're scratching your head about that one, but the more children that mainstream Americans have, the more votes against the fascists that are in power now are created. Further, they will be tax payers for the future (provided the government doesn't suck the life out of them while they are still in the womb, not via abortions either). Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we steal from the unborn generation, just saying that their labor, their future ingenuity, and prospects of a power shift are all things that go into political and economic planning. The bad news in this is, the fastest growing population segment in the world is that of the Muslims (you do the math).
All of these points are truly disturbing if you stop and think critically about them. Now, they are not catch all solutions, but we must realize that welfare programs fail, every time. The Ponzi schemes that they are, are meant as tools for the radical left of every ilk to perpetuate a power struggle between multiple classes of people only for their political power gains. Generations prior to mine have failed to "keep the republic" and now are being forced to reckon with the consequences of their ignorance. This author sees the writting on the wall that I will be billed now and in the future (through my unborn or un-conceived children) for the actions / inactions of my parents and grandparents. (Not my parents per se but their generation).
As cold and as cruel as it is to say this, however, let the generation that decided to abscond on their duty to guard the republic die from the freezer burn that comes with it!
An interesting piece in my favorite news paper (London Telegraph) last week is that those on fixed income will be feeling a bit more squeeze this winter as fuel payments (read subsidies) will be cut. The effect? Millions. The sub-headline on the article reads: "Older people will have to wait at least six years longer to receive winter fuel payments, under government plans to cut the welfare bill."
I know that most of the citizens out in la-la land haven't a clue the implications for the USA, but let's think about it this way. Social security is currently the biggest Ponzi scheme the world has ever known, through out the entire course of time. Ponzi schemes must always bring in more money than is paid out to keep the scam going so since the FedGov is bringing in a continuously downward trend of money to SS, how do you balance the books? One way is to up the retirement age and a second is to reduce the benefits paid out. Since the second is less politically advantageous, the politicians usually raise the retirement age in a hope that more people die before they draw benefits. (Please realize, I am not kidding). Case in point, the UK government would rather freeze people to death than allow them to live. Never mind that they probably could have continued to live a happy, fat, and warm life if they had never stolen money from the retirees in their working years, thus allowing them to budget for their fuel concerns in their geriatric state. Nanny state government's epic fail, many documented times over!
But why will we have a continuously downward trend in Western Countries from here on out? Several things are the reason, but they all revolve around demographics. While the double dipping recession is a big factor in lack of tax receipts, baby-boomers hitting retirement age is perhaps the biggest trend no one examines when investing or forecasting for governmental budgets. The boomers are exiting the workforce through retirement or layoffs and thus, are forced to draw off of their retirement accounts, sucking liquidity out of equities for the remainder of the next generation. Who will be paying into these games in the future? Considering the government hates to loose control of their power (as is evidenced through every single corrupt government of the world's history), the 20somethings fresh out of college will be not only expected to pay a higher share of their income to their patriotic taxes, but they will be forced to.
Eighty-five will be the new retirement age for my generation. Yep, sucks. However, there are some alternatives. One, reduce government craptacular spending on garbage we don't really need and we won't really see a general decline in benefits paid or a raise of the retirement age. Creating employment through encouragement of an "investment" economy instead of a sycophantic, crackerjack, zombie economy that steals wealth through punitive taxes and tax rates is another. Last by not least, encouraging better demographics is not only key to the survival of our country, but is our way to prosperity. Yes, I will say it, make more babies!
Americans produce about 2.1 children per household, which is just above the population maintenance rate. I'm sure you're scratching your head about that one, but the more children that mainstream Americans have, the more votes against the fascists that are in power now are created. Further, they will be tax payers for the future (provided the government doesn't suck the life out of them while they are still in the womb, not via abortions either). Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we steal from the unborn generation, just saying that their labor, their future ingenuity, and prospects of a power shift are all things that go into political and economic planning. The bad news in this is, the fastest growing population segment in the world is that of the Muslims (you do the math).
All of these points are truly disturbing if you stop and think critically about them. Now, they are not catch all solutions, but we must realize that welfare programs fail, every time. The Ponzi schemes that they are, are meant as tools for the radical left of every ilk to perpetuate a power struggle between multiple classes of people only for their political power gains. Generations prior to mine have failed to "keep the republic" and now are being forced to reckon with the consequences of their ignorance. This author sees the writting on the wall that I will be billed now and in the future (through my unborn or un-conceived children) for the actions / inactions of my parents and grandparents. (Not my parents per se but their generation).
As cold and as cruel as it is to say this, however, let the generation that decided to abscond on their duty to guard the republic die from the freezer burn that comes with it!
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