Welcome to the entitlement state...
A News 4 Investigation reveals Missouri residents receiving food stamps and welfare payments are spending them in places like Hawaii, California, and Florida.I strongly believe we should help everyone who can't help themselves but not to exotic beach vacations.
News 4 requested public information regarding these expenses through the Missouri Department of Social Services. The agency provided a state by state break down of where Missouri benefits are being spent, click here to see the list.
In January Missouri EBT cards were used to withdraw $362,682 in cash outside the state. During that same time period Missouri EBT cards purchased $3,521,974 worth of food outside Missouri. Those card users racked up $752 worth of ATM fees, they were also paid by taxpayers.
Many of the EBT purchases were in border states, but a large chunk of change was spent in hard to reach places like California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Only Congressmen should get sweetheart beach deals...
UPDATE: InstaPundit linked. Thanks, Glenn. InstaPundit readers, I'm one of you; I hope you'll stick around a while (Glenn Reynolds is the reason I got into blogging in the first place ... I think he has changed the world and I'm a proud foot soldier in his Army of Davids
). And while you're here, you might want to check out Starving children plead to Michael Moore: "Please, that food's not yours, it's a national resource, it's ours." or If only someday someone can develop a method to harness the power of corn for use as a food... and my Washington Times columns.
). And while you're here, you might want to check out Starving children plead to Michael Moore: "Please, that food's not yours, it's a national resource, it's ours." or If only someday someone can develop a method to harness the power of corn for use as a food... and my Washington Times columns.
UPDATE 2: From a reader: "Just because Missouri welfare recipients used their benefits in Hawaii doesn't mean it was a welfare-funded vacation."
I figured this one out at age 15 as a humble carryout at the local IGA grocery store. Welfare recipients would use their food stamps to buy groceries and diapers and their cash to buy beer and cigarettes. All. The. Time. Today I see Medicaid patients carrying expensive smart phones and sporting even more expensive tattoos. If they have money for these extravagances, then why do we force the nurse, the secretary or the mechanic who's playing by the rules to pay their bills?
The entitlement state diminishes and even eliminates incentives to climb out of poverty and effectively keeps the poor in a second-class, dependent existence. It's economically disastrous and morally reprehensible.
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