What should be done when people on welfare spend money on vacations?

[SwedishMeatball]

At first, but after things are put in place I think the cost of enforcement could go down and we would be better for having taken action.

I know too many people on assistance with no plans of ever giving it up.

I really do get the point that you're trying to make, but what sort of things could be put in place?? I guess everyone entering a Disney park could go through a fingerprint scanner and then they could be forwarded onto a government database. Then a government agent could be sent to the homes of those receiving assistance and they could be interrogated. I'm exaggerating to make a point, but really do you have any reasonable ideas??

 

[splashmountain31]

I also work hard for the vacations I take and no, I don't think we should be paying for others to take vacations to WDW if they are ABLE to work and are not, but you are lumping all assistance receivers into one large group and there are plenty of people out there working full time and still eligible for food stamps and WIC (which by the way has a very high max income to qualify -- something like $35K) -- they are called the working poor. No, I don't qualify for any of these things and yes I am an advocate of some types of welfare reform but I just think some times people on these boards are too quick to judge others. We all know jerks, rich and poor, and we can debate all day what should be allowed. What's next, deciding what grade of beef you can purchase on food stamps -- ground beef 75% or less only?? God forbid you should have top sirloin one night. I can vacation at WDW for less than $1000 but someone else might not be able to do a weekend at the beach for that. I guess I know a few people who genuinely need the assistance they get and I'm trying to defend them and I really wish they could afford to go to WDW on what we, the taxpayers, are helping them with. Sometimes misfortune is not self-inflicted.

First off, we the taxpayers are helping to pay for food, clothing, and shelter for people who have had misfortunes in their life, not trips to Disney. I honestly don't care where you stay or how cheaply you can do it. If you don't have money to feed your children, then you shouldn't be taking a trip anywhere...plain and simple. I'm sorry if this offends you, but it's common sense. Would I go buy a BMW if I should be driving around in a Ford?

Secondly, if you want to give your hard earned money to help someone take a trip, please do so. People who go out and bust their "humps" everyday shouldn't have to bear that burden.

 

[Northstar]

Maybe those folks over on the Budget Board are engaging in a little fibbing, too. I'm sure there are people cheating the government assistance system, because I've never seen any system/set of rules where there wasn't someone cheating it... but don't believe everything people tell you on the Dis! I wouldn't take it as hard data showing that there's an epidemic of welfare cheating so people can take Disney vacations. Maybe I'm just a hopeless optimist, but I prefer my theory of fiction on the Disboards.

 

[katiebsmom]

Geeze, for Pete's sake! How many times can we dig up this dead horse and beat it over and over again ?!?!?!?

 

[DISUNC]

If you don't have money to feed your children, then you shouldn't be taking a trip anywhere...plain and simple.

Even during the FREE Dining days?????

 

[disneyjunkie]

nut4disney, just hop over to the budget board and take a read. You don't need stats to prove it, the people who are doing it are right here on the DIS.

I personally don't like it. I've been there, we've been in a position to where we were on WIC, where medicaid stepped in to pay for hospital bills, we never qualified for food stamps though. And I can tell you at that point of our lives a vacation was the very last thing on our minds!

When I read on here about those on WIC and planning a Disney vacation... it makes me sick. If you can't afford milk, cheese and cereal to feed your family... then you can't afford a Disney vacation. Period! End of discussion!

How can a family recieving WIC DVC??

 

[barkley]

good lord i'm glad i'm retired from social services!

i can just see it-first i do the round of questions with the applicant that involves them detailing to me the circumstances of their children's conception ('can you describe any unusual aspects of the absent father's anatomy?', 'were there any other persons present in the physical space where the conception took place?-did they activily or passivly participate or simply observe?' ), and then i could move on to 'what vacations do you have planned-are you taking advantage of the free dining plan? will you be co-habitating with only your assistance unit-or will you have other individuals sharing lodging-if so i need a statement and income verification from them on file'

 

[corgi_monster]

I love it when I see women using EBT cards (electronic food stamps) to buy lobster tails while I'm buying Banquet TV dinners because they were on sale for $0.99.

 

[darlak]

good lord i'm glad i'm retired from social services!

i can just see it-first i do the round of questions with the applicant that involves them detailing to me the circumstances of their children's conception ('can you describe any unusual aspects of the absent father's anatomy?', 'were there any other persons present in the physical space where the conception took place?-did they activily or passivly participate or simply observe?' ), and then i could move on to 'what vacations do you have planned-are you taking advantage of the free dining plan? will you be co-habitating with only your assistance unit-or will you have other individuals sharing lodging-if so i need a statement and income verification from them on file'

You know barkley, I can almost visualize you doing that interview! Makes my job seem easy.

 

[barkley]

You know barkley, I can almost visualize you doing that interview! Makes my job seem easy.

well, one of my favorite responses was 'all i can tell you about my child's father is he was male-and likely wearing green the night of conception'. apparantly the applicant's child was born almost 9 months to the day from st. patrick's day-and she did'nt remember much between that occured after her 5th or 6th shot of irish whiskey at the bar that night

 

[JPN4265]

Personally, I think the government already has too much interference into our lives.[/QUOTE]

I agree with your sentiment that all welfare should be stopped immediately. Just think, if we put the people to work that take welfare, we wouldn't need the illegals doing all of the work we don't seem to want to do.

 

[momof2inPA]

well, one of my favorite responses was 'all i can tell you about my child's father is he was male-and likely wearing green the night of conception'. apparantly the applicant's child was born almost 9 months to the day from st. patrick's day-and she did'nt remember much between that occured after her 5th or 6th shot of irish whiskey at the bar that night

Very funny.

FWIW, I think SSDI is far too available these days, too. We define "disability" too broadly.

 

[MushyMushy]

I don't think anything should be done with them.

I personally know LOTS of families on welfare. I teach in the inner city. Truthfully, the vast majority of them never go anywhere. The kids have never left the city and it's pretty sad in my opinion. A few kids have taken road trips, but it's almost always to see relatives.

Travel is a learning experience and can help to inspire children to grow up and raise themselves out of their current positions in life.

Travel can also be done extremely cheaply. One person's idea of a WDW vacation could be 5-7 grand. Another family could do it for less than a thousand.

We don't know people's individual stories. I don't think we should worry about who's taking a vacation or not. From the families I've met, I personally don't think people scamming the system by staying at Disney deluxe properties is that big of a problem.

Exactly. I live in a very poor area and I have never met anyone on welfare who can do much more than go to the local swimming pool a few times during summer, let alone stay in a hotel! Vacationing isn't even on their radar. I think threads like these are just another way to take a jab at those on assistance by raising some ire at the unfairness of an unlikely issue.

A few crackpots on a messageboard is not the reality.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

How can a family recieving WIC DVC??

That is totally messed up. Seriously, if you cannot afford to feed your kids, you have no business owning DVC.

FWIW, not everyone with a real disability receives aid. I've been a paraplegic since age 6 and have NEVER been on disability. I could probably get it if I applied, but I don't need it and don't want it.

 

[nut4disney]

Some people would rather do anything other than look at the ample evidence right in front of their face.

The plural of anecdote is not data. You have yet to prove anything you're saying. You're just ranting against the poor.

Others in this thread have pointed out to you that military families are eligible for WIC. I think you're an "internet tough guy", because if you really meant all you say, you would go to Shades of Green and tell the military families on WIC that they don't deserve a vacation when their men are home from Iraq.

But all that is besides the point. The point is that you continually criticize those who utilize public funds.

Oh, and one last thing, the Make a Wish children are often on Medicaid or other government programs.

I'd also like to see evidence that "people on WIC are all out buying DVC!" because I seriously believe that the assertion is bull.

 

[Disney Doll]

Yeah, because that has never happened before.

I've been flamed for agreeing with people.

Yeah...welcome to my world...as a matter-of-fact, we may have flamed each other once or twice!!!!!!! My burns have healed...how about yours???

Anyhow, I certainly wouldn't begrudge someone with a disability who receives SSDI a vacation...to me that is a whole different kettle of fish. And I certainly mean no insult to anyone here on the DIS, because in general, my impression is that there are a whole lot of hard-working decent people here.

But I work in a "city" hospital. And believe me when I tell you that there are an awful lot of welfare recipients who know the system, and know how to beat it. Maybe I am going to sound elitist, and if I do, so be it. I am quite fortunate to have a good education so I can make a decent living, as does DH. We have worked for 16 years to get to where we are. We have worked multiple jobs at times to make ends meet and busted our butts. No one handed us anything.

So, yeah, I do have a problem when I encounter someone in my work who is dripping with gold jewelry, wearing clothing from the "hip" stores in our area, and has an iPhone because it's new and they just "had to" have it, and they are talking about having to get to the welfare office because they aren't getting enough money...yeah, I have a problem with that. And maybe the folks all of you DISers have encountered through the years haven't been that way, but believe me when I tell you that at least 50% of the welfare recipients I encounter are that way.

No, I don't think if I was receiving welfare I'd be shopping at Abercrombie and carrying around a $500 cell phone. You can buy t-shirts at Wal-Mart and still make and receive calls with a $100 cell phone. I'd be stretching that $$ as far as I could...every penny of it. Amazingly enough, in our "leaner" years, DH & I did without things we couldn't afford.And we survived.

My best friend had to be on welfare when she was young because she had a child at 16 and the father disappeared. She was on welfare supplements for 1.5 years while she busted her butt to go to school and work, while her parents, family and me helped her with child care. She graduated from school, then she got a really good job as an AA to the President of a local bank. And she went off welfare. And let me be the first to tell you that she shopped consignment and Goodwill for clothing, and she didn't take any vacations. She also bought day old bread, dented cans and store brands instead if name brands at the grocery store because they were cheaper.

That is what welfare is for.

I'll jump into the fire with you on this one card.

 

[mickeyfan2]

As for WIC, it's a food and milk program for pregnant women and their children under six years old. There are strict eligibility requirements (which, if I may be bold - you probably don't know anything about), and I can assure you most people on WIC are probably hard pressed to buy toilet paper, much less go on vacation.

Well there are some on the budget boards who are on WIC and take WDW vacations at the peak seasons with the DDP and go more than once a year. Hard to believe that all of them are gifts.

 

[nut4disney]

All I can say is "wow"! I'm really thinking about aligning myself with the "SCARY" budget board people. And here I thought I was a bit conservative, judgmental towards those that abuse the system, and riding the line of a "true Republican" and I cannot for the life of me fathom why someone would want to start the debate of how a welfare recipient can or cannot spend their money on hump day

LOL! You have a great way with words.

I'm Republican too, so it's pretty clear that this isn't a Republican/Democrat divide. This is a "rant" vs. "facts" divide.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I agree with cardway too,if we are talking about foodstamps/welfare/SSI/WIC

I would have problems with someone who spends say 2-3 weeks a year at Disney applying for food stamps, but who would do that?

Look for the thead where the person applied for food stamps gets SSI, wants to know how much they can earn and still get their SSI AND owns DVC with 5 trips this year.

 

[Kae]

Okmfirst off I have not read the whole thread got to page 4. I think this all boils down to the poster is sick of people abusing the welfare system, for a small few it is the entitlement system, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch system, etc...Something needs to done done whether we are taking about taking vacations, carry a very expensive purse or wearing expensive clothing, or driving a >$50k car. Times are different and most of the programs need to be looked at.

Kae