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Does anyone in the thread know an actual person who "gets free shit" from the government? I don't. I know some people who could really use it, but don't get it.
"There are no finger prints under water."
I guess I would ask you first what you define as free stuff? Does that also include discounted costs for stuff?Originally Posted by Irving
And not trying to be a prick or start stupid here. I see people hurting out there.
I have a buddy on disability. He gets some cash every month.
My parents on Social Security and Medicare.
My nephew on the GI Bill.
I got $1600 or whatever last year for pandemic relief.
I had a client this year that got PPP and CARES money that she will likely never have to pay back.
There was a woman in King Soopers a few days ago I heard arguing with the checkout girl that a rotisserie chicken can go on her EBT card.
Last edited by eddiememphis; 10-15-2021 at 15:48.
I'm not even sure what free stuff means. It's just some term thrown around that fits whatever is in someone's head.
For example, none of this seems like it'd be enough to sway anyone's vote.
"There are no finger prints under water."
Maybe the last one I mentioned, but she didn't strike me as informed about much.
Which, I suppose, would make her more likely to swayed by the offer of "free shit".
Free shit doesn't mean shit without specifics. What are people getting? If someone is getting free stuff, but is still on EBT cards, is their live improved enough to keep going down that path. I doubt it.
"There are no finger prints under water."
To the uninformed or lazy it absolutely is.
Why do poor and gullible vote Democrat? The promise of the government giving you things. Or, the fear of Republicans taking existing free things away.
Remember, half the population is below average.
Many voters either don't care or are not smart enough to delve deeply into issues. I guarantee the EBT woman has never heard of Milton Friedman or Tom Sowell. And even if she is a supply side adherent, she would fight to keep what she feels she is entitled to. Theory don't feed them babies.
Well....
There's Colorado Indigency something something..... (CICP IIRC) basically free medical care for up to some multiple of federal poverty. I believe it's 4x the federal poverty limit. They can walk into a hospital and pay something like $20-$45 TOTAL for E.R. care. They might pay $75 for a MRI. Meanwhile there are people with jobs that earn say just $2,000 over the threshold, yet they have a $4,500 deductible, 50% coinsurance, AND they pay a couple hundred a month for it, they end up paying $6,000 if they need a MRI. I know one with cancer in that exact circumstance. Honestly it would be in her best interest to earn less.. or nothing.
Then there is the EBT, for those unaware, they were maximizing the payments to anyone qualified during the pandemic, might still be for all I know. So say someone earns $50k/ year with a 3-5 person family, they could in theory qualify for only $5 in EBT a month, but they've nevertheless been getting something like $800/month this entire time. I think there is even additional payments for god-knows what. School lunches? I don't know. Conservatively though, they might have gotten $10-15,000 in benefits they were not qualified for (legally).
Then you have the eviction protection. Some stopped paying out of need, many others simply because they could. When they eventually get evicted they will hop into another place. $10,000-$25,000 richer than their responsible neighbor.
I know people that use CICP and EBT anyway, including a mother of five. They can afford 5 kids on a single income, near minimum wage.
Others too that really need it but don't qualify. And there's a lot of resources out there I'm not aware of.
And think of it this way... yeah that $400 or $800 or whatever is going onto an EBT card, but these are wage earning people. So, that's $400 or $800 or whatever that they were ordinarily paying with their income, now paying with EBT. It absolutely provides an extra $400-$800 or whatever in disposable income to wage earners. Same with CICP and all the other stuff. It's not just unemployed trailer park people getting this stuff... even $20/hour people or more for all I know. It certainly would motivate those near the thresholds not to jump up levels of income unless it was massive jumps.
Oh another one, don't forget the child tax increase, which may surprise some families when they owe taxes at the end of the year. It's a $1,600 a year increase AFAIK, but they pay out $300 a month. So in other words, by tax time there is no tax credit at all, they've already received the refund split out over the year. STILL, parents especially parents with a lot of children are going to vote for whoever keeps that, or expands it, little question.
5 kids = $1,500 a month.
ETA: So this will be quite inaccurate, but I'll do an example.
5 Kids, $1,500 tax credit every month (employment is not required)
EBT: $1,000-$1,100 a month ish (even if they are earning $60k a year during pandemic)
CICP: Medical insurance unnecessary, nearly free E.R. care (worth at least the $200 deductions everyone else gets, + the avg. ~$300 a month amortized medical costs)
So... they get $3,000 in free shit every month. If they make say, $70k a year, the free shit cuts in half at a loss of maybe, $7,000 -10,000 in purchasing power from when they made 60k.
JUST AN EXAMPLE. Thresholds are all over the place I admit I'm guessing here.
Last edited by FoxtArt; 10-15-2021 at 18:17.
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