https://www.quora.com/What-are-your-best-examples-of-people-cheating-the-system-1
I’m in California. Any Californians reading this, know what’s coming next.
I first must add a disclaimer: I do not object to welfare programs in general. I do see a need for some. I am not too good to say that one day I, myself, may be standing in line. Anything can happen, and no one is really safe.
I personally know about 10 people who get some sort of government aid. 3 of those people get multiple types and depend on it fully. Many people may not realize just how deep this goes. For the sake of this answer, I’ll isolate a family friend, as she gets every sort of aid imaginable, by cheating the system that helps her.
First, there is regular cash aid. For an adult with 3 children, you’re looking at roughly $900 a month, and it just goes up from there. The more babies you produce, the higher the award. Our friend has 3 kids and collects almost a thousand dollars every month, plus extra at back to school time.
Then there is HUD, which pays the largest part of your rent, no matter where you live. These are not the sad little apartments of the 70’s here. Recipients now can rent out large houses, and the amount that HUD will pay depends on your family size. Our friend has 2 boys and a girl, so the state says they must pay enough for her to get an apartment or house with at least 3 bedrooms. HUD pays $1100 of her $1350 rent, leaving her with a whopping $250 bill for a 3 bed, 2 bath home with a pool.
Then there are the food stamps. Actually, they aren’t stamps anymore. She has a debit card, similar to my bank card. Each month, like clockwork, her caseworker loads over $600 onto it and she goes shopping. Sometimes, she sells them, and she’s not the only one. Another friend I have sells hers too. Apparently, the going rate is 50¢ on the dollar. We were once offered that deal, and politely declined.
It gets more interesting when you learn that because she qualifies for food stamps, all 3 of her children eat for free at school, both breakfast and lunch. They even feed them in the summer, too. Feeding children is not evil, I’m just explaining who is doing the feeding here.
And then the WIC. Each time she has a baby, for the first 5 years of it’s life, she gets extra groceries. They do not reduce the amount of any other aid she gets during this time, either.
Then there are the utility charities. She does not pay an energy bill. She also gets a huge discount on her water/garbage bill and pays only $14 for the same service I have to pay $110 for. Nice.
Then there is the healthcare. She and her kids are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid. They can go to an emergency room for a cold if they want to, no copays, no deductibles. Whatever the hospital cannot recover from the program, it has to write off because sending a bill to a recipient is a no-no.
Now, let’s talk about child care. To remain on all these programs, she must work. Since she has 3 kids and 1 is under 5, she only has to work 12 hours a week. So, that’s what she does. And the state pays her daycare for all 3 kids for her for when they are not in school.
And because she qualifies for all this stuff, she also gets free cell phone service. She does not pay for school fees for trips and supplies. She does not pay for a damned thing.
Another person I know could easily work. She has been telling welfare that she cannot find work for about 20 years. So, they make her volunteer, which is just fine with her. She works 20 hours as a volunteer, where she can work whatever hours she chooses and is treated like Mother Theresa because, you know, she’s volunteering! Her position is she’d rather do that then a real job, where they will expect her to work full time, and work hard. I get it, I guess.
Another person I know has actively had new babies when her other 2 kids were getting ready to age out. «Age out» is a term used to describe a kid that is 18 or nearing 18, and will no longer be able to pull in all these benefits. She ended up having an older set of kids and then started all over again with 2 new kids. I can’t make this stuff up.
A few of these people have significant others. But they don’t marry, because then the state would consider that person’s income, and they would lose benefits. Some of them live with partners.
If this isn’t the finest example of cheating the system, I don’t know what is. They need to fix us out here in California. It’s unreal.
Side note:
I have a close friend in a neighboring state. She went through a rough time and I would send her money. Once, I asked her why she doesn’t go down and get welfare for her 2 kids. Her answer? Julianna, here they would give me about $200 a month and $60 in food stamps. I asked her why it was so low. She told me that in her state, these programs are just meant to keep you alive until you find work. She was working full time in 3 weeks.
I would say sorry to anyone I offended, but if you’re offended, you’re probably cheating the system also. Even people who are on these programs because they actually do need the help hate hearing about the ones who don’t.