I just returned from the grocery store where I watched a couple in front of me buy $100 worth of groceries with an electronic food stamp card. My blood began to boil when I saw them pull away from the store in their late model Mercedes E350 with temporary plates (meaning they most likely just bought it). Unfortunately I couldn’t get the temporary plate number due to the tinted windows, or I would have tried to figure out how to report them for, what I suspect, is fraud.
It’s a little frustrating to watch someone use government assistance when they are driving an expensive car that’s worth far more than the one I drive.
When I was at school in Michigan I saw the same thing with some regularity. One time in particular I saw an overweight woman with a cart full of junk food, really crappy stuff. When she was done she loaded it all in a new-looking Cadillac.
Frustrating.
I see this happen all the time. Just last week I saw a woman buy 5 gal of olive oil on her Link card. After that transaction was completed she paid for her DVDs, DVD player, new mixer, with cash. She drove away in a luxury car.
I saw a young girl with three kids in an emergency room (where I work). She had very nice clothes, nice nails, brand new Acura MDX, and Medicaid.
What could we (normal hard working citizens) do about this? E-mail state senator?
It would fit your schema if the person drove a crappy car instead? If people have under the table jobs or primarily in a cash business, a persons income would be underreported. But they don’t get to collect social security later, at least not as much as someone that declares all their income.
I don’t want people accepting government assistance if they truly don’t qualify. I’m sure there are plenty of people driving crappy cars that don’t qualify but it just isn’t visible to me. Driving a very expensive automobile is. I obviously don’t know their situation, but it certainly appeared that they were working the system.
Don’t want to sound like a cynic.. however you should of followed them.. to make sure it was actually their car.. and to see how they are living. chances are you are correct but sometimes we are to quick to assume.