Listen, I understand that people sometimes need help. And, I,\u00a0personally, have never been against the concept of\u00a0food stamps, provided they are used in the way they were intended, to temporarily<\/strong>\u00a0give a helping hand to those that need it the most. However, with\u00a048\u00a0million Americans currently on food stamps, an all time record high in this country, and abuses of \u00a0the program running rampant, we can all surmise that it’s not just the truly needy who are using, or worse, abusing, the system.<\/p>\n SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) cards<\/a>, in the former, non-PC, term we called it\u00a0food stamps, are supposed to help low income residents buy the foods they need for\u00a0good health and nutrition.\u00a0Households and persons apply for them on a state level, and benefits are provided on an electronic card that works like an ATM debit card does\u00a0and\u00a0are accepted at most grocery stores. These benefits are supposed to help people purchase healthy foods like bread, cereal, fruits, veggies, meat and dairy. Other items like prepared hot foods, pet food, soap, household goods, beer, cigarettes, and other alcoholic beverages, are\u00a0not allowed to be purchased under the SNAP program.<\/p>\n But, according to a recent article in The Daily Caller<\/a>, these rules are more like “soft guidelines” and are not strictly enforced. Over the past few years, EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards<\/a>, which is the electronic system most states use to transfer welfare benefits to low income and needy families, and is also tied to the same card used for SNAP benefits,\u00a0have been used to purchase some items that one would surely think would fall outside of the acceptable usage guidelines. Among these things\u00a0are the following:<\/p>\n Fast Foods and Restaurants<\/strong><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Taco Bell and KFC are\u00a0some of many fast food restaurants that accept EBT cards. The states of Florida, California, Arizona and Michigan allow select restaurants like Golden Corral, McDonald’s, and Subway to accept EBT cards.<\/p>\n If you live in Michigan, you have a lot of variety in your choices for eating out on the government dime. Feel\u00a0free to spend your food stamp benefits at Church’s Chicken, KFC, McDonald’s, Subway, Grandma’s Famous Chicken, Eight Mile Pancake House, Mr. T’s BBQ, and Vito’s Pizza.<\/p>\n California residents can use them at Jack in the Box, Subway, El Pollo Loco, and if they feel like a nice slice, at Papa Murphy’s Pizza.<\/p>\n Floridians can eat out,\u00a0compliments of taxpayer money,\u00a0at KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Papa Murphy’s Pizza.<\/p>\n And, Arizona residents can stop on in\u00a0for a quick bite at\u00a0Golden Corral, Southern Cuisine, or Rally’s Hamburgers, or pick up a pizza at Domino’s.<\/p>\n Bail<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Convicted felons have reported using their EBT cards for bail money. Drug dealer Kimball Clark\u00a0<\/a> reportedly instructed someone to go to an ATM to withdraw money from his EBT for bail.\u00a0ATM EBT use is difficult to trace, so many speculate this problem could be widespread.<\/p>\n Lingerie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n An adult store in Louisiana, called Kiss My Lingerie<\/a>, accepts EBT, and other adult stores have also been known to accept it.\u00a0In the Louisiana\u00a0case, officials said the store doesn\u2019t violate the rules for EBT because of discrepancies in the law. Basically, the way this one works, is that not only is food stamp money added to the EBT card, but so are cash\u00a0benefits, which can be used on anything, not just food products.<\/p>\n The state does not dictate how families spend that money, therefore it can technically be spent at that store. The only items “cash” benefits can not be used on are\u00a0alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, casinos and adult entertainment (so, I guess buying movies at the adult store are a no-no, but other that that, you’re good to go).<\/p>\n Shoes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n EBT cards are accepted at some PayLess shoe stores. Again, like with the example above, many EBT cards don’t just have food stamp benefits on the accounts, but could also have welfare checks (in more PC terms cash benefits) added to them, thus they can be used at PayLess, since they are setup to accept them. By the same token, I would imagine they can be used to buy hard goods at stores like Walmart as well, not just food.<\/p>\n Strip Clubs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n While this would seem to go against the idea of being able to use “cash benefits” for adult entertainment, last year the New York Post reported<\/a> that OIA requests revealed welfare recipients were regularly making EBT withdrawals at the ATMs near and inside infamous porn shops, liquor stores, lounges and hookah parlors. Technically, it also doesn\u2019t break the law because the “cash assistance program” (i.e. welfare) allows you to take out cash. So,\u00a0if the recipient is withdrawing money at the ATM, the establishment isn’t technically accepting the card, but rather the cash the person is offering them. Easy way to skirt the law, I guess.<\/p>\n Lobster & Other “Luxury” Food Items<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Multiple cases<\/a> of this have been reported, and the lobster eating food stamp recipient<\/a> who gained fame on FOX news recently jumps to mind, of course. I have also heard\u00a0stories from cashiers at grocery stores, who report food stamp spenders buying expensive brands, rather than more economical brands of food, and purchasing things like expensive fish, seafood, and steaks. Technically, I suppose, it’s not breaking the law, I just wish I could afford to eat like that!<\/p>\n Starbucks<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n While you can’t use an EBT card at a corporate store, any Starbucks in a Target or grocery store is considered a grocery item<\/a>, therefore feel free to purchase all the Caf\u00e9 Vanilla Frappuccino’s\u00a0you can drink out of\u00a0the pocketbooks of US taxpayers, many of whom work hard to provide for their families, pay their taxes, and could not justify spending $5 on a cup of coffee. And, while you are at it, throw in a fresh baked good, like a croissant or a piece of banana nut loaf. No problem.<\/p>\n