http://www.kltv.com/story/24949146/l...cepts-ebt-card
Good for them....I guess?
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http://www.kltv.com/story/24949146/l...cepts-ebt-card
Good for them....I guess?
So..I guess they're saying people who have that benefit shouldn't be able to use it? & it's not just for kids
same for newly opened Colorado Cannabis stores !!! -
Oops ... it looks like Colorado changed their mind ( or couldn't take the heat from news media reports ) -
However, lots of states have blocked EBT cards at strip clubs !?!?!? -
EBT shouldn't be used for fun, it should be used for needs. I think it's horrendous that EBT is accepted at places like this, or casinos or strip clubs. Remember it's taxpayer money. If one wants to buy at a lingerie store they should use their money.
Stories like these are why many people want to see strict requirements for any welfare programs. Welfare shouldn't be to support choices or hobbies, but rather to help one live, like food and shelter. No one "needs" lingerie.
I noticed firearms are also allowed. So my tenants in LA will now be able to buy guns with EBTs to fight off greedy landlords like me?This is absurd. it should be for
Essential
Benefits
Transactions
A woman's gotta have underwear. ;D
The report did say that casinos, adult entertainment(strip clubs), and alcohol. were blocked from using the card.
I think in this case it skirts around the adult entertainment rule by being clothing.
One might be able to argue that someone could use the card at that store to pick up dancer gear and get a job at a local club and no longer need the cards benefits. ...but that's a stretch!
Yeah that would be a stretch though I do think some stores allow them to buy clothing. On one hand clothing is a need but on the other hand it can be a want as well such as this. Reminds me of an incident I saw years ago where this woman was trying to buy radios with a Link Card (Illinois' EBT) but luckily it was rejected.
Pinups, that is scary that guns can be bought with EBT as well.
really, all a person would have to do is just take the money off the card at any atm, and spend it on whatever they want, so it doesn't matter if they are strict on what places accept the card. its not like foodstamps where you can only buy a certain item/s. but i agree that's weird, seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what stories accept them
^^^ trying to avoid a political swing, but ...Quote:
its not like foodstamps where you can only buy a certain item/s
when I was young, and first learned about the existence of such benefits, the reality was that people choosing to receive food stamps and other gov't benefits actually had to pay for their groceries with gov't 'funny money' at the checkout counter, actually had to pick up 'gov't cheese' at a drop-off point, actually had to rent a subsidized apartment in a 'public housing' development etc. As such, many of the 'taxpayers' who were actually paying for these benefits were ( directly or indirectly ) made aware of who the benefit recipients were, as well as getting a general sense of how many people were receiving these benefits.
With the migration to EBT, as well as the end of 'physical' food distribution programs, the end of 'public housing' developments in favor of rent subsidy payments for any apartment, etc., todays benefit recipients are more or less guaranteed anonymity. As such, today there is no longer any 'guilt factor' involved in receiving such benefits ... and there is no 'reminder' for taxpayers that they are paying for ( contributing toward ) their neighbor's grocery bills and rent payments. Similarly, there no longer any 'reminder' regarding how many people are now receiving benefits. Today any 'reminders' only come from occasional news media statistics ... if the taxpayers bother to pay attention to news media reports, and in turn bother to figure out what 47 million food stamp recipients actually means in 'real world' terms.
And now we appear to have reached the point where taxpayers are also paying for ( contributing toward ) their neighbor's purchases of pot, sexy lingerie, filet mignon, and a host of other stuff that the taxpayers may not actually be able to afford spending money on themselves. Be that as it may, and judgements aside as to whether or not taxpayer money funneled through EBT cards should be used for certain purposes but not for other purposes, the fact remains that taxpayer money funneled through EBT cards now comprises a significant amount of the US economy's 'cash flow'.
Yet the gov't seems to have singled out that strip clubs / lap dances as one thing that EBT money cannot be used for ??? In the present age of 'anonymous' beneficiaries and little if any restrictions regarding how the beneficiaries may spend their taxpayer supplied benefit money, why are 'strippers' less entitled to profit from the spending of taxpayer money funneled through EBT cards than grocery stores, lingerie shops, gunsmiths, etc. ???
All 'strippers' need now is an ACLU attorney to make the case that the gov't 'denying' EBT benefit spending at strip clubs, and thus denying 'strippers' the opportunity to 'earn back' some of the tax money they are paying to fund those EBT benefits, is unconstitutional !!! No taxation without representation !!! Hell, we could join in a class action lawsuit along with the recently EBT banned Colorado pot shops ( which the ACLU loves ), casino workers, etc.
I remember as a kid being so ashamed of having to use the food stamp coupons at the grocery store after my parents got divorced. I promised myself then and there, that no matter what I would never ever take government handouts and the shame that went with them. I got a job when I was 15. (Had to get permission from school and a work permit.) Since then, I have had a job and paid my way. I am proud to be one of the top 5% income earners in the U.S.A. But, I am not content. Being poor sucks. Being rich doesn't.
Z
Well, can't speak for all recepients, but a number of people who receive this are also former tax payers too
EBT isnt just food stamps. EBT cards also hold the monthly allowance as well. For example, in some states you have two EBT cards one for your $200 food stamps and another one for your $300 cash allowance. The food portion will not work for non food items.
The food stamp portion is limited to food items. The monthly cash allowance can be used for anything.
The process of accepting EBT is the same as getting merchant services for Visa or Mastercard. It is applied for thru a bank.
For some merchants this can be a income generator thru card fees, exchange income, and foot traffic. Not all atm machines accept EBT though. There is an additional fees to accept EBT as well. Some merchants do not want the stigma of servicing welfare customers. Whether they accept EBT or not is completely up to the merchant.
The strip clubs that used to "accept" EBT were in inner cities. The clubs atm machines accept ebt cards. Many of these folks had no where else to go to cash out their monthly allowance. Just because someone uses an atm machine at a location does not mean they spend the money there as well.
These stories just fear mongering about "welfare abuse" by people who have no idea how the system works.
^^^ actually, the most important point to me was the increasing share of total dollars spent in the US economy which are now channeled through EBT cards. Or, from an extremely pragmatic standpoint, EBT benefit recipient is now an established 'profession' for a significant number of Americans, thus EBT benefit recipients now comprise a significant body of customers for all sorts of businesses. Gov't directives which 'cut off' certain types of businesses from accessing this EBT money raises new questions which go well beyond gov'ts ability to 'regulate' particular types of business activities.
EBT is not a profession. Processing EBT is a profession. Chase has recieved $560 million in contracts from 18 states to process EBT cards.
Not to mention the billions given to corporations in welfare to work incentives.
The real abuse here is by corporation using welfare to subsidize their profit margins.
The reason raising the minimum wage is a huge issue is because it would kick alot of people off of welfare. Forcing corps to loose welfare to work incentives and to pay for health care.
Trying extremely hard to avoid a political discussion, for a fact some one out of every five Americans now receives EBT benefits ... which, in combination with a U6 total unemployment level that is nearly as high, means that EBT and other gov't benefits has become a major source of 'income' for one out of every 5 or 6 Americans.Quote:
EBT is not a profession
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau...odstamps_0.jpg
Thus from a purely economic standpoint, by specifically denying dancers the ability to earn EBT benefit money, the gov't is essentially 'cutting off' dancers from 20% of potential lap dance customers. No similar restrictions are put in place for the spending of EBT benefit money on lingerie, lobster, lottery tickets, and a host of other 'non-essential' items.
From a purely economic standpoint, at 3-4% interest rates, the probable effect of a minimum wage increase will be to prompt corporations to increase their investment in robotics / automation to permanently eliminate yet more low skill domestic jobs.Quote:
The reason raising the minimum wage is a huge issue is because it would kick alot of people off of welfare. Forcing corps to loose welfare to work incentives and to pay for health care.
this logical reaction by corporations is likely to further increase the percentage of Americans who depend on EBT and other gov't benefits as a major source of income ... and further increase the percentage of total customer dollars which will be 'off limits' to dancers !