First, in case you don’t know what the Lone Star Card is:
Many Texans have trouble making ends meet each month. After paying for rent, utilities, transportation, and child care, there’s often little left over to buy nutritious food. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Each month, hundreds of thousands of families across the state turn to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHSC) to receive help in the form of food stamps to help feed their families. Read on to learn how you can receive help if you qualify.
I’m driving home from work on a not so terrible Thursday and I notice the vehicle needs a bit more fuel. So I pull into the little convenience store to fill up. The pump doesn’t have a terminal on it, so after fueling I go inside to pay.
I get in line behind this rather large, squatty looking female with Phyllis Diller style hair. On the counter is a collection of junk food (chips, chips, chips, Snickers, a snack size pecan pie and Pepsi). The clerk tells her that will be $13.73 and she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a well worn Lone Star Card, slides it through the terminal and enters her PIN. Ding. Receipt spits out, clerk bags junk food, I’m ready to step up.
Not quite. I should’ve stayed the two steps back because she doesn’t move and I catch a whiff of stale cigarettes blended with 99 cent cologne. She’s decided to purchase her daily supply of smokes before she leaves the counter and asks the clerk for a carton of the cheap ones in the red packs, no, not the menthol, the regulars. Said clerk shuffles under the counter and informs her that he is out of the cheap ones in the red packs in cartons. The look of disappointment in her eyes reminded me of the day my daddy told me that he backed over my puppy.
The clerk manages to find 8 of the cheap ones in the red pack and promises to give her the balance tomorrow when she comes in but she tells him that she is going out of town so the 8 will have to suffice until she gets to Dayton (out of town). He rings up the sale and it comes to $24 even, for which she once again reaches into the canyon she calls a back pocket and pulls out a wad of green money and proceeds to peel off exactly $24, two tens and four ones. Finally, I can pay for my fuel.
But wait! Before I can move up to the counter, she takes her $13.73 worth of junk food and Pepsi purchased on her well worn Lone Star Card, slides it all over to the side and places her $24 worth of cheap ones in the red pack paid for with cash on top. Tells the clerk that now she is going to get her lottery tickets because she is going to be out of town this weekend.
I notice beads of sweat start to roll down her fat neck, over the dirt encrusted sagging wrinkles as she orders 10 quick picks, cash option for tomorrow’s Mega Millions, 10 quick picks, cash option for Saturday’s Lotto, 3 of this scratch off, 2 of that one, 4 of this one, 2 of that one, how much is that? Sounds of calculator wheels rolling, that comes to $48, ma’am. Oh, well, then give me 1 of #11, is that a $2 one? Yes, ma’am, it is, that will be $50. For which she reaches back into that canyon she calls a back pocket, pulls out that wad of money and pays with two twentys and two fives.
As she passes by on her way out of the store, the smell of stale cigarettes blended with 99 cent cologne wafts by once again, this time augmented by the sweet smell of yesterdays gin sweating through her cratersized pores.
Isn’t welfare great? Next time you see me pull in to fill up at a pump without a terminal, shoot me if you see me stop.
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End entitlements, end entitlements, end entitlements
I’m driving home from work on a not so terrible Thursday (today) and I notice the vehicle needs a bit more fuel. So I pull into the little convenience store to fill up. The pump doesn’t have a terminal on it, so after fueling I go inside to pay.
Lucky you !!
They make me pay first. I guess they saw me coming !
I have seen this type of thing on several occasions, but not as severe. The last time was the woman with 4 children who bought candy for all of the kids with a Lone Star Card. Before that it was an obese woman at a convenience store buying soda, two hot dogs, a fried pie, and a candy bar. Thanks, Lone Star Card!
I see this EVERY day that I go to work.
At the very LEAST, they should make recipients take a hair analysis drug test before getting benefits. If it comes out positive, you don’t get any money.
I remember when they switched to the Lone Star Card because food stamps were embarrasing and gave them low self esteem.
Happy Good Friday to all. #4 Southerntragedy, I agree with you 100%. Drug test before you get a lonestar card. The abuse is sickening. And her obesity will cost us even more in health care.
And the bad thing is…the cycle is perpetuated because their children learn how to NOT to take care of themselves, depending upon others to care for them instead.
Short-term help, yes. Long-term welfare is slavery by wealth redistribution.
This happens all the time so it’s not a surprise.
I moved to Houston in 1989; as I was driving down 59 on my way here, I tuned the radio to AM700 and the first person I heard was Dan Patrick. I was hooked.
One thing Dan said that year stuck with me. People can basically be classified into 2 categories - the I’s and the R’s (Irresponsibles and Responsibles).
Generally speaking, most(?) people on welfare are I’s, so this is why you witnessed what you did.
The only thing that is going to right this ship is civil disobedience!
Just so that everyone is very clear, this has nothing to do with race. This particular female was white. I don’t think race matters when it comes to the entitlement mentality.
#9 I agree with you also bigjolly. Race has nothing to do with personal responsibility.
One very simple solution (though it still won’t solve all of the problems with the programs), it to make it only useable on the non-taxable items. That would exclude just about all of the candy and junk food. Like WIC, there would only be “healthier” food availible by using the card.
Also a nice TIME LIMIT would help. Once you get on it you have X (12? 18?) months to get off. The limit would be for your lifetime!
I didnt see where anyone brought race into this?
It more government created Anarchy!
They take your cash (by force if necessary)
and hand it over to deadbeats.
Sounds good to me.
Anarchy baby(thats a white baby)!
What? No liberal coming to the defense of the welfare class? No one saying how these people are just mistreated and need our help (our ca$h).
(tongue placed firmly in cheek)
(wishing I could come up with something cleaver here to string this out 10-20 sentences)
What happens when these examples are exposed to the poverty pimps? I suspect statements that it happens so rarely, or some excuse for their behavior.
#12 DJ
You are correct, no one did. It was pre-emptive on my part.
#13 glynne
It doesn’t happen rarely; in fact, I think it happens more often than not. Certainly there are some people who need government assistance, but for the most part people who are responsible AND capable don’t. Heck, there are even folks who are responsible and INcapable who make it just fine without government assistance.
The problem with true Liberals is their interpretation of “capability” is so low that it includes every lazy freeloader out there, when in fact these people have no one to blame but themselves for their status in society.
It’s like those folks who park in handicapped parking when they are fully able to walk a few extra yards. They’re just lazy freeloaders.
bigjolly, I saw a lot of this when I worked in a grocery store pharmacy in college. And then there were the CHIPs parents. We need some form of safety net for those who are truly unable to help themselves, but if the government is going to provide it, there needs to be some stricter oversite. My opinion is that the best solution would be for local communities and charitable organizations to handle these things instead of the federal government. Think about what we could do if we took just a portion of the welfare budget and turned it into federal grants for non-profits to help these people. We could probably reduce the tax burden and increase effectiveness.
I think its a voting block that needs to be held down and dependent. If we remove these people from welfare , and they become independent free-thinking citizens, they might just vote conservative! If all you know is a federal check for survival, you will make sure the man who sends that check stays in office. I wonder how many great minds are tossed away, never live to their potential because of the ” I cant makeit without the man” mentality.
BJ
I saw that many times when I worded NE Houston. Once I saw the same situation, except the Entitlement Queen got out of and back into a Jaguar. She was the driver.
She and her friend were dressed up to go partying and purchased such necessities like 2 pints of Bluebell ice cream, cookies, and she shouted across the store… “Hey you want a Big Red?”
I saw them in all colors except yellow. Only exception, I never ever saw an Oriental use a Lone Star Card. I saw them process the transaction though.
#18 IAIM
“Hey you want a Big Red?”
LMAO! That’s classic.
A very loud, unattractive, mean woman walked into Wal-Mart with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.
The Wal-Mart Greeter said, “Good morning, and welcome to Wal-Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?”
The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say, “Hell no they ain’t. Oldest one’s 9 and the other one’s 7. Why the hell would you think they’re twins? Are you blind, or just stupid?
“I’m neither blind nor stupid”, replied the greeter. “I just couldn’t believe you got laid twice.”
That was pretty funny, Shakey.
How dare you insult gin that way.
Domewobbler, you reminded me of one of my favorite jokes:
This lady is in line at the grocery store. She puts a small loaf of bread, a quart of milk and a half-dozen eggs on the conveyor.
The cashier smiles at her and says “you must be single.”
Lady says, “Yeah, I am. Did you guess that from the stuff I bought?”
Cashier says, “No, you’re ugly.”
24
Which reminds me of the Henny Youngman joke:
“I went to the doctor. He said, ‘Take all your clothes off and stand in front of the window.”
“I said, ‘Why, is the light better over there?’
“He said, ‘No, I’m mad at my neighbors.’”
Still not as good as the Purina Diet:
http://www.allthepages.org/archives/2006/09/purina_diet.html
This can be changed. First,anybody with the Lone Star Card must have their driver’s license or State ID card magnetically tagged that they are ineligible to buy anything like lotto tickets, booze, and cigarettes. EVERYBODY who buys these things must have their ID scanned to ensure they are eligible. The machine would only keep a record of those ineligible.
Then, the LS card data base must include bar coded items only approved by nutritionists. Terribly sorry that would make it inconvenient for you. It would exclude soda, sweets, steaks, frozen TV dinners. You get corn, green beans, potatoes, hamburger, chicken, bread, low fat mayo and dressings, etc.
After all….it’s for the children!!
Buck Owens Rocks….
Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbG9CjhOl3s
It appears to me that the state of Texas came out $26 in the black less sales tax of course…..
But I came out with more gray….
#26 - It may suck, but in a free society, there’s going to be abuse of welfare. Besides, it isn’t much of a leap from putting those sort of restrictions on welfare recipients to putting those sort of restrictions on every one. Picture this: A somewhat overweight dude such as myself walks in and wants to buy some powdered donuts. My license swipe reveals my weight to be 225, and my BMI is slightly too high. No donuts for me…
jimb
Lay off the gravy sandwiches fatty!
If they were only given vouchers, like a coupon book, redeemable for a bag of beans, rice, gal of milk, hamburger. No monetary value. And they had to go to a distribution center to get them. Figure how many in the family and their caloric intake and distribute accordingly. I wonder how that would work.
When the gal whipped out the cash, it was probably from SSI or some other program. I remember a guy who was on SSI for getting shot during a robbery. He wasn’t the victim, he commited the robbery!!
Payday is on the 1st and 15th…..
Remember, these same people are the ones that call an ambulance to go to the doctor!
jimb, key word here is “free”. Their LS card ISN’T free. You are paying for your own medical, not the taxpayer. Eat hardy. But if the insurance company said you had to pay more because you were in a higher risk group, then you’d have to pay more. If there is going to be welfare, I want it restricted or gotten rid of. Simple as that. It’s my money, not theirs.
My thing is mexican food, actually. I’m a big fan of DJ’s fajitas!
you can put on some pounds with those beans and rice, too, though. Lotsa starch there…
As long as they are on welfare - they cannot vote.
taco, I like that idea. No cable either!!
Hey, BJ is this her?
http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/2/27/Fattystats.JPG
Here’s her kid… at the pool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ1FGsUfib4
You know, Fe, one day I’m gonna meet your former partners and buy them a drink. I guarantee you they deserve it.
What makes you think they’re not worse?
#7 I think that is one way to describe people but not the best way…
I believe that you can classify people in one of two categories - GRATEFUL or UNGRATEFUL.
There are people who are responsible and unlucky who end up on public assistance. An example I have personally seen, is a man who was hit by a drunk driver and left as a quadraplegic. His wife left him to raise his three kids by himself. I never met a more grateful man. Grateful for all who helped him, grateful for the little he has, grateful for the opportunity to raise his kids even if on welfare!
There are people who are irresponsible and lucky (ie. not on welfare and lots of money)…Paris Hilton, need I say more.
It is gratitude that defines us. There are those who have been very successful, made a lot of money and believe that they have no one to thank but themselves. They become angry when they see the situation described above. This type of person should be lumped in the same category with the deadbeat that is ungrateful for all society has done to help them, always wanting more.
We should do all we can to change a broken system but never forget that our fight is not against the people but the rulers.
There are good and bad on both sides of the fence, why focus on the bad and become like them?
I agree with that’s how the system should work. Unfortunately, it’s the dishonest people that I have a problem helping support for their lazy butts. I don’t even make the “lower” middleclass catagory,btw.
First of all many of these people on food stamps are getting all sorts of other things from BIG GOV. Also in my unofficial survey, food stamps make you FAT. I honestly wonder if the idea is to keep wages artificially low ( some of these folks work) Have you noticed that whenever wages go up, the FED has an anurism. I used to make $10.00 an hour painting in 1974. when I finally got out of the business in 2006, the guys who worked with me made $13.00 an hour. I didn’t make much either. The way the inflation formulae are set up is obviously bias towards preventing wage rises at ALL costs. Including Putting the high interest Brakes on if needed to slow the ‘over heating’ economy ??????
I will probably experience the wrath of most of you when I say……I think the abuse of the welfare system far outways the good. Yes, there are those who it was designed for, and gladly I help support them. I believe they are rare. I needed extra money about 4 years ago and worked part-time at night checking groceries for a major chain here…… I saw a lot of lonestar cards and also wic vouchers. 99% were able bodied.
I just happened upon this page and I must admit that i truly can’t believe some of your remarks. To sit there and judge everyone that has a LS card based upon the stupidity of a few. I have a LS card. I didn’t want to get it, but some of us have been put in situations we didn’t ask for. i’m raising 2 children on my own. i didn’t ask for it to happen, but i’m not going to let them have to go without because I’m afraid of what people like you think. Not all of us are bad or abuse it, but so help me if my kid has work there butt of it school all week and asks me for a candy bar who are you to look down on me. I have a job and I pay taxes too. My grandparents are retired and on ssi and they draw a whopping $700.00 a month to live on. And do you know what they get on their LScard,….. a big ol’ $35.00 a month. Don’t you dare judge me because some idiot can’t shake their nicotine habit. Or because someone is overweight using the card. Sounds to me like you need to take a good look at yourselves. Your judging and discriminating against people because of their size and because they need a little more help making ends meet than you do. Next time you see someone swipe a card instead of automatically thinking the worst of them, why don’t you wonder what might have happened in their lives that some of us had to let go of our pride and ask for help.
I will say this to the last person who posted a comment. My mother was in the same position when she made made my father leave after physically abusing her and spending all the money on booze. I do have sympathy for someone in that situation. However, it is irresponsible to have children knowing that you alone are unable to support them in the event that something should happen to your partner. Too many people have children when they are unable to provide for them, then they call themselves victims and expect the state to come to the rescue. The victims are the people that pay taxes to support these families, and the children, who are born into unhealthy situations with very little opportunity and parents that often have little appreciation for an education and lack a sense of social responsibility, traits that will likely be passed on to the children and the cycle continues.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0254/is_5_60/ai_82469378/pg_8
When I was forced into being a single mother early in life when my first husband left me for another woman, I swallowed my pride and got the lone star card for help feeding us both. I worked and supported us both. The day I finally got of them, was a happy day for me. I met my current husband son after and we have been happily married for 10 years. He also had two sons from a previous marriage, whom lived with their mother. We also had three more children together. Life was good. He had, and still has a decent job, I worked as well, part time. Three years ago I became ill. I am better now, but the medical bills are high and we are now struggling. SO we have opted to take assitance. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. People look at me with my four kids and think like most of you on here, judging me before knowing my story. I pay taxes, we pay child support, now on one child because the oldest is in college. We are responsible, we have health care insurance, which in texas is not optional when paying child support, so yeah we pay out $900 a month in support and health care, mostly healthcare. So its a huge chunk of change.Luckily it doesn’t cost extra to add our kiddos on the healthcare we must provide for my stepson, not that I would begrudge him that. So my worker asks me, how are you going to support yourself later? Good question, I dont want to be on food stamps forever. I had to take a long hard lok, maybe I should hurry up and finish school while I do have the help, yeah I’d have to apply for a student loan, but wouldn’t it be better to earn my degree as a teacher, I always wanted to be one anyways, and never have to look back and do this again? I have two years to finish, but that would mean being on food stamps for two years. And daycare, dont get me started on daycare and how ridiculous that costs! I think it is abused, I think as long as you are proven to try and better your situation, a time frame should be extended, but yeah, timeframe for those who do nothing, is prolly a good idea.
BTW, when I didn’t need the help, I was donating food to food banks every week, and volunteering time at women’ shelters once a week. How many of you guys on here ever do that? People are in need of food, and when I was able, I donated. Instead of bashing others for their, yes I know, misuse..go donate.
wow. I just happened upon this page and I see that there are a lot of DELETED with DELETED opinions. Here’s my situation…I’m 26 years old, married, with a toddler. My husband has stage 4 non-hodgkins lymphoma and is dying. That’s correct, he is dying. According to eamanitsirk, it was irresponsible for me to have a daughter since I cannot fully support her alone. Thank the Lord, I will receive his SSI when he is gone, assuming that he is approved for it before he dies. It’s hard to get approved for disability, even with a fatal illness. He’s been denied twice so far, even though they are preparing him for death and no longer treating the cancer. So eamanitsirk thinks that he/she is the victim because he/she pays taxes to support us. I work full time, so I PAY THOSE TAXES AS WELL. Not only that, but prior to his cancer, he worked full time for years, again, PAYING THE SAME TAXES. You make me sick. Now onto another point that was brought up. My dying husband smokes weed to ease the pain. I don’t smoke, he doesn’t smoke around my child, HIS DOCTOR KNOWS AND APPROVES. Since Southerntragedy feels that no one who fails a drug test should receive benefits, maybe he/she should do some research on how marijuana helps people with illness such as cancers and MS. He didn’t smoke before cancer. He didn’t do any “drugs.” Do you really think my child should not be able to eat because her daddy smokes to ease his pain as he is slowly taken over and ultimatley killed by this cancer???? In conclusion, I agree 100% with all of the comments made about the people who are taking advantage of the system. That leaves less help for the ones who really need it. DELETED
You do yourself and your argument a disservice by cursing so much. I wish you and your husband well. LST Moderator
Actually you know THERE ARE people who have worked their asses off and pay taxes and then there comes a time they NEED food stamps!! Our situation is my husband’s 4 yr enlistment has come to an end, considering the base we were at OMG! they were working these guys like dogs literally working them 60+ hrs a week. There was a time my husband worked one week about 10-12 hrs mon-fri then has weekend duty that was 12 hrs both days, then all of sudden were like oh yea we got excercise this week (which is mandatory 12 hr shifts mon-fri! OMG! This is crap for one lump salary wage MEANING: NO CHANCE for overtime!!!!! Anyhow my husband had it and we were like though we will miss the great friends we have there any place would be better then that base as that is the main base for his type of work. ANYHOW, so yea then we come home thinking we have jobs lined up just for us to be told we need this form stating my husband was honorably discharged with the military telling us it will take a while that THEY ARE backedup with those forms!!! ITS BEEN 2 1/2 mths!!!! My husband has THREE jobs lined up just waiting for that form!!! Like my dad says “teh military knows what they are doing, they make it hard to find jobs so the men and women of this country have NO choice but to go back and join!!!” Mother effers!!!
Anyhow so see our situation?!?!?!? We have NO CHOICE!!! I have been going to interview after interview, but no luck so far. We have two kids! Man, if we would have known we would have been going through this BS, my husband would have sucked it up and rejoined! But screw that we really want to suck it up and break free completley of the military. They say military is family 1st HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA talk about total BS!!!!!! atleast at that base! 
Anyhow this is our situation, noone has or ever will do drugs, I think we earned using the lonestar for some help to get us out of this rut we need help on. Though as far as ppl who take it too far and take advantage of the system yea that pisses me off too! They should def. cut off the benefits after atleast 6 mths bc by then ppl should HAVE a JOB!!!!! LOL