Food stamps fur coats and jewelry

out-of-towner

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:36 am

amother wrote:

I was on Food Stamps for a short period over a decade ago. I don’t know if the system has changed but it was a use it or lose it scenario so sometimes I would buy food gifts for my Shabbos hosts with the Food Stamp money I had spare. I didn’t have a car and had a young baby with me so bulk buying tins wasn’t so feasible at that time. Not the same as furs, jewellery or bugaboos, but it did feel a little wrong at the time, like I was cheating the system. However, it made me feel more human being able to give my hosts a gift.

Perhaps these people in furs are milking the system on other people’s tax dollar. Perhaps their coats are inheritences from a parent and they don’t want to sell them. Either way, what business is it of ours? Worry about your own expenses and supermarket baskets.

OP: there’s nothing “funny” about being on Food Stamps.

The system changed, at least in NY. You use your Medicaid benefits card for SNAP and any unused money Carrie's over to the next month. My patient actually accumulated close to $1000 in unused SNAP before we started shopping for her and this allows me to buy nutritional supplements for them that are needed but aren't covered by Medicaid.

amother

Jetblack

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:40 am

amother wrote:

Just want to clarify one thing. We got very specific instructions from our Rav as to what we can use our FS and WIC for. He said anything that we would be paying for ourselves we can use FS. Meaning if I am making something for a Purim Seuda then I can use them. AND if its expected for me to bring a hostess gift then we can. On the flip side we are not even allowed to give someone our extra food from WIC. Certainly not send food back to the family.

It is not the ravs that set the rules. It is the government. Some rabbis are complicit in fraud.

amother

Royalblue

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:48 am

out-of-towner wrote:

Yes, SNAP is new. It is great that unused $ carries over to the next month vs the lose it or use it system that used to be in place.

amother

Mistyrose

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:48 am

amother wrote:

With their bugaboo strollers... yu yu it's an old story!
To be fair, the coats and jewelry might be fake.

I have faux fur jacket that looks real but it was a sliver of that price. I actually only wear it afew times a year to simchos and Shabbos
Same with jewelry!! Cz tennis bracelet, etc etc that looks real! (Family member is in the jewelry business so got for free in case anyone wants to know)

It’s called judging favorably folks!!!!

Last edited by amother on Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:59 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Royalblue

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:51 am

amother wrote:

I was in the WIC office this past month with a very well dressed African American woman and her baby in a nice and new Uppababy Vista.

Some people dress well and look put together no matter what their circumstances. It is great she likely has relatives that have given her child a nice pushchair.

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:51 am

amother wrote:

Ruchel, since when is fur "out"? A fur coat is something that will never go out of style.

It will and has.
Esp with the heightened awareness of animal rights, in many countries fur is a huge faux pas.

amother

Ginger

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 8:52 am

amother wrote:

It is not the ravs that set the rules. It is the government. Some rabbis are complicit in fraud.

You would be right however this Rabbi is very straight and has read the rules and spoken to the government as many of the kollel guys are on it and he has to know the rules.

Reality

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:02 am

I agree that it isn't appropriateto for jewish people to go to poverty program offices dressed in a fur coat etc...

But why are you saying that other groups don't do the same? Unfortunately there is no shortage of poor people who spend their money unwisely. You may think that the black man sitting next to you is dressed plainly but his sneakers cost $500. Because while its common for jewish women to overspend on furs (in some communities), it is common in black communities to overspend on shoes!

I don't know the answer to the problem. But some how we need to teach poor people better financial skills!

Last edited by Reality on Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:21 am; edited 1 time in total

Ravenclaw

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:03 am

amother wrote:

It is not the ravs that set the rules. It is the government. Some rabbis are complicit in fraud.

Oh, come on. Do you have a list of food items that are acceptable? If it were really like that, then why does the government allow you to buy junk food with food stamps? You can’t pay for your non-food items with it.
Not-picking and deciding that a women buying an 8$ cake for her hostess once in a blue moon is what breaks the system is being ridiculous. As someone else here said, should they only live off canned tomatoes and lentils?
Maybe cancel their internet? Stop using their air conditioner? Maybe their kids shouldn’t ever get new toys or go on class trips?
I don’t begrudge anyone these basics. Yes, nowadays these are basics. It angers me when I see a lady buying Kipling backpacks, sending her kids to expensive dance classes and going away on a 3000$ weekend getaway who is on food stamps. True story, unfortunately.

Sweet as Pie

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:05 am

Reality wrote:

I agree that it isn't appropriateto for jewish people to go to poverty program offices dressed in a fur coat etc...

But why are you saying that other groups don't do the same? Unfortunately there is no shortage of poor people who spend there money unwisely. You may think that the black man sitting next to you is dressed plainly but his sneakers cost $500. Because while its common for jewish women to overspend on furs (in some communities) it is common in black communities to overspend on shoes!

I don't know the answer to the problem. But some how we need to teach poor people better financial skills!

And they overspend on their cars too!!!!

amother

Burgundy

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:23 am

Sweet as Pie wrote:

And they overspend on their cars too!!!!

I love how jews are busy knocking other jews. Meanwhile each cleaning lady that came to my house had a smart phone. Half of my community has a cheap flip phone. When I went to Disney ( won a 2 day trip at an auction) last winter half of the crowd was mexican or black. I promise you that many are on medicaid and fs. They work for cash and can afford all these lavish trips. Stop putting down jews and start working on your tolerance. You are keeping moshiach back from coming. Yes. You.

amother

Peach

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:38 am

I've never been on government assistance, thank G-d, but as I understand it, if you are eligible for food stamps, you are eligible for a cell phone. This used to irk me when I would be standing behind someone checking out at the supermarket, taking 30 minutes b/c she was using WIC checks and FS and she was speaking on her cell phone. This was more than 5 years ago when I myself did not have a cell phone as I couldn't justify the cost. Another pet peeve: people buying strawberries out of season using FS.

In the olden days, if you did not have enough money for your necessities, you took whatever valuables you had and went to the pawn broker. I say, you have kallah jewelry and yet you are on food stamps - the jewelry is not a necessity. Pawn or sell it so that you can eat. And if this puts off people, too bad. Don't get married if you cannot support yourself. Or be satisfied with the very very bare minimum in life. Something I have yet to see. If you are living off of someone else's dime, you better not have any luxuries whatsoever.

Ravenclaw

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:43 am

amother wrote:

I actually believe in this in theory, I.e. it’s good to measure oneself by.
But not fair to apply to others.

amother

Jetblack

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:46 am

amother wrote:

How do know they are on Medicaid and foodstamps? That's quite a racist assumption on your part. Maybe they actually (gasp) have jobs and pay taxes.

amother

Peach

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:46 am

How not fair?
If this were the case, people who learned that they could no longer live off of other people would be forced to make big changes in how they lived.
I mitzrayim, people had to sell their livestock and then their land to be able to eat. That may be one extreme but we are living with the other.

amother

Violet

Fri, Dec 21 2018, 9:53 am

The latinas have entire "businesses" of cashing in their food stamps card. They swipe their card at the market and get the cash. There's probably more illegal activity in the non Jewish world. The Spanish and Mexicans are so not interested in working but they want everything given to them.