What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Houston Economics

nightsky

Lover of Mountains
So.. I got the guts and to venture into the local Wally World today while out running errands. I get to the checkout line, and in front of me checkout out is two people, and old lady (gray hair) and a young man - maybe twenty. Well, they are arguing over who is going to pay for what, and after much hassle, they divied up the groceries and split the cost. They looked very poor, had ratty clothes on, and honestly didn't smell that nice...

Anyway, they used food stamps or whatever their equivalent is called here to help pay for those groceries. Whatever, they were done, I checked out paid for my stuff and went on my way. Well lo' and behold, who is parked next to me? The two from the checkout line. And what were they driving? One of the fanciest Cadillac Escalades I have ever seen! This thing was decked out, jet black, blacked out windows, shined like mirror, chrome do-dads everywhere, and had custom wheels and tires probably worth my than my entire car! It looked like a million bucks! Yet they used public assist. for groceries. I don't get it?!! What am I missing here? ???
 
HAHA welcome to the world, yeah my neighbor uses foodstamps to buy candy bars and slurpees.
And my mom has seen people at the store getting hundreds of dollars of groceries on their Oregon trail card and my mom is only getting what we need weekly like bread and milk.

So.. I got the guts and to venture into the local Wally World today while out running errands.

Are you a hermit? :p
 
How do you know it belonged to them? You don't. It may have been borrowed.

No way in hell should people be allowed to use food stamps to buy junk food. Or even brand names, for that matter. If you're on food stamps, you need to tune out everything but house brands. If you smoke or drink, you shouldn't be allowed to have food stamps unless you quit. If you have money for beer and cigarettes, then you have money for food. Prioritize.
 
Maybe they are just frugal when it comes to certain things so they can splurge on things they really enjoy.

xvart.
 
No way in hell should people be allowed to use food stamps to buy junk food. Or even brand names, for that matter.
While I would have agreed with you a few years ago anymore if you use the grocery store ads and coupons you'll find name brand stuff is often about the same price as the off brand.
 
If you smoke or drink, you shouldn't be allowed to have food stamps unless you quit. If you have money for beer and cigarettes, then you have money for food. Prioritize.
x100000000000
 
Assuming there are no coupons. If proof of coupon is provided, then it's OK.
 
How do you know it belonged to them? You don't. It may have been borrowed.
:-)) Good one! I can just see their rich neighbor giving the car a thorough sanitizing clean when they bring it back. :-))
 
  • #10
I was thinking family members lol.
 
  • #11
The food stamp program is run to increase consumption of the products of the US agricultural-industrial complex. Which means the program is only too happy when people choose highly processed foodoids. If all the people who use food stamps suddenly switched to locally grown produce, political support for the program would evaporate.
 
  • #12
Years ago, when I first started my job, I didn't make a lot. I barley made enough to survive. I would spend less than $15 a week for groceries. That included sandwiches for my lunch. I ate a lot of rice, beans, potatoes, etc.

One day I was was in line behind this woman that had a grocery cart full of food. I don't remember now all she had, but I do remember that she had steak, shrimp and other expensive food. Then she paid for it with food stamps. I stood there thinking that I am paying for her to eat steak and shrimp and I can barley afford to buy the beans and rice that I had.
 
  • #13
I see this a lot around here. There are many people who work their way around the system in many ways. One for example: A mother with many who is a homemaker is in a relationship with a well off man that lives with them and supports them. She gets benefits for her entire 100 kids and decides not to document her partners additional income or that he lives there. Its ridiculous but it happens.
But, sometimes people pick and choose how to spend the money that they do have. Some families may decide to put the little money that they have towards their children, their education, and where they live. They then have to compensate by only spending on necessities. Others may choose to spend their money on personal items such as "pimped" rides and $500 purses and shoes. They compensate by living in crappy houses in bad neighborhoods... etc.
 
  • #14
I'm not wholly comfortable with the scapegoating of the foodstamp and AFDC programs that goes on here. Both of these programs, which constitute the vast bulk of the programs for the poor, each take up 1% of the federal budget. While there may be cases of abuse, they help a hell of a lot of people.

These programs are not why your taxes are high. They are tiny parts of our bloated budget, aimed at the most struggling of people. You could eliminate the programs entirely, plunging millions into more misery, and your tax bill would be essentially the same. Just keep that in mind. Of course we should weed out the abusers, but let's just keep the whole thing in perspective.

Capslock
 
  • #15
I wish I could set that kind of deal up I could use a nice steak for free. Oh wait I have those pesky morals that tell me its wrong. Damn them.
 
  • #16
A very conservative friend of mine who was working his way through school by sacking groceries in the evening got upset once when a woman came in to the store tried to buy dog food with her food stamps. He lectured her on how food stamps were meant to help poor people feed themselves, not their pets.

So... she went back to the meat department and returned with a big stack of steaks for her dogs.


Anyway, I grew up in Houston (and still live in the area) and yeah, it's weird to see how many nice cars there are in really bad neighborhoods. I guess people believe that acquiring the trappings of wealth equals actual wealth.
 
  • #17
Yep, definitely a ton of "hood rich" people in Houston. They've got nice cars that they still owe like $50,000 on, but live in a shack, don't have furniture, eat crappy food they get w/ food stamps, etc. Ever been to any of the "wards"?

I wish they would clean up the city. Houston has so much potential but now downtown is full of degenerate social garbage. Midtown is pretty much the ghetto already, and the riff raff roams the streets of Montrosse en masse (though they still haven't really moved in). Montrosse and River Oaks are the only good places left within a 40 mile radius of downtown, and they're both surrounded with social scum. I guess Rice Village is still a decentish area, but again, also surrounded by totally worthless individuals. Some of the trash is starting to migrate northwards into The Woodlands, which I vehemently am against. The woods has some crappy zoning laws in the south, and there are some extremely low income houses right next to one of the richest neighborhoods. Bad, bad idea.***

***I'm not saying poor people = social trash, but have you been to Houston? If yes, I rest my case :D
 
  • #18
I think that's what threw me. They *appeared* to be not just poor, but very poor. Hey - I have nothing against that, or using assistance if genuinely needed. Hell, I may need it myself later this year! But I just cannot figure how someone who qualified for the assistance could in anyway afford a vehicle of such, er, stature! I would think the income required for such a vehicle would place one into a bracket to high for help. But I admittedly don't know. But yeah pk, I was shocked to see so much of what you called 'hood rich' people here. New phenomena to me! Seems like backwards priorities to me, but it's their life so whatever.

PS It's too damn hot down here. 3 weeks until I'm outta here! :banana2:
 
  • #19
Welcome to H-Town!

born and raised in houston most of my life, i can say that i even personally know people that take advantage of the system so that they can afford their "luxuries", its ridiculous. I even remember after the Katrina ordeal, people were taking their $2k and spending it on gold chains instead of food, then complained about not having enough "help" from the government....i wont start on that. plus, tons of people were getting arrested for fraud because they tried to go back in line and get a second check...ive come to the conclusion that people will ALWAYS try to get something for free, doesnt just apply to food stamps.

pk, all of those damn wards are scarier than chit. mid/downtown are being "remodeled" but even then, its almost a guarantee that some drunken vagrant will come up to your car at a red light and ask for money with a tragic life story that doesnt make any sense.

~b
 
  • #20
Years ago, when I first started my job, I didn't make a lot. I barley made enough to survive. I would spend less than $15 a week for groceries. That included sandwiches for my lunch. I ate a lot of rice, beans, potatoes, etc.

One day I was was in line behind this woman that had a grocery cart full of food. I don't remember now all she had, but I do remember that she had steak, shrimp and other expensive food. Then she paid for it with food stamps. I stood there thinking that I am paying for her to eat steak and shrimp and I can barley afford to buy the beans and rice that I had.


Welcome to the Nanny State.
 
Back
Top