Kansas Bans Poor People From Spending Welfare On Cruise Ships

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Given the cost I've seen for cruises I doubt anyone on welfare can afford them. Oddly though many people commenting on the linked to article insist there are.

Kansas welfare recipients will be unable to get more than $25 per day in benefits under a new law sent this week to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's desk by the state legislature.

The bill also prohibits welfare recipients from spending their benefits at certain types of businesses, including liquor stores, fortune tellers, swimming pools and cruise ships.

"We're trying to make sure those benefits are used the way they were intended," state Rep. Michael O'Donnell (R) said, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. "This is about prosperity. This is about having a great life."

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, often known as "welfare," is one of several federal programs administered by states at the ground level. The Kansas TANF program, known locally as the Successful Families Program, offers a family of three as much as $429 per month in cash benefits. Kansas is one of at least 37 states that distributes benefits on government-issued debit cards, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kansas-bans-poor-people-from-spending-welfare-on-cruise-ships/ar-AAaqT94

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. But can they still donate unlimited amounts to republican candidates?

[FLPanhandle]

2. Is there a real life example of this ever happening?

Might as well ban the poor from buying super yachts too if they want to waste time making unnecessary laws.

[Warpy]

5. Only in the fevered imaginations of stingy old Republicans

If you've ever been on welfare of known anyone on welfare, you know there is always month left over after the check and that hunger is a common condition.

Maybe next they'll ban them from buying vacation homes and yachts.

[Igel]

15. Dunno.

In 2010 (The LA Times tells me, via Google) there was a report that had million of dollars spent in questionable locales. Some on the island of Lanai, some on cruise ships, some in casinos or on the Las Vegas strip or other places that I'd probably not be able to afford to be at. So, yeah--at least in 2010 the report based upon examining welfare expense records was that welfare cards had been used on cruise ships. Just because I can't see how that would be possible doesn't mean that somebody didn't find a way to do it.

The response was for California to block card use in a number of places. There was the same kind of outcry then as here and now. The list is actually quite similar.

The problem was fairly simple, though. In some cases, the state of California's spokesman said, cards were probably stolen so blocking the cards was meaningless when it came to "shaming" welfare recipients. In other cases, the cards may have been sold then resold; it's not unknown for somebody to sell a card for well below face value to get cash to buy something that isn't a "need" for their family's survival. In other cases, it might be that somebody was taken on vacation by a friend/relative/lover who had money. It's always possible that there were cases of fraud, even though the report didn't allege this (nor did the report claim to even attempt any investigation, so not identifying cases of fraud is neutral wrt the actual presence of fraud).

The state was fairly careful to not limit the cards in other ways, though, because a Californian on welfare might be called upon to help a relative out of state or be out of state for some other reason--they'd keep their benefits, even in Florida or Hawaii, even if they were in or around a resort area. (Even there there are poor people, to be sure.)

Most of the venues that had welfare card use blocked had very low levels of expenditures in the years covered by the LA Times' report. The total "questionable" amount for something like a 2 or 3-year period for the much larger state of California's welfare recipients was around $69 million. The expenses on Lanai were less than $3000, with expenses not much higher on cruise ships.

[PotatoChip]

23. Link? (nt)

[Jackpine Radical]

29. Hell yes. They're the same people

who commit all that voter fraud that the Republicans are seeking to eliminate with voter ID, etc.

[jberryhill]

33. The debit cards can be sold for cash on the street

Then, the debit card is used by the purchaser at interesting places.

This whole scheme was put in place to benefit the transaction processors.

[Politicalboi]

3. It's about time, somebody had to do it

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. How would you even get *to* a cruise ship from Kansas

on $25 a day, let along actually book a cruise? I really think some of these bills are designed to curry favor with the knuckledragger-teabagger constituency by showing them that those useless takers aren't going to be able to get any "luxuries" with welfare money. The legislators know damn well that people poor enough to qualify for TANF aren't going on cruises.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. A prairie schooner is the closest thing to a Cruz ship.

[hopemountain]

20. their cadillacs ....

[Peregrine]

21. They don't mean those types of cruises

Don't know about KS, but in MO they permit gambling on water. In KC they cruise the rivers, have permanently moored boats, and man built lakes with just enough room for the boat. Generally the "cruise" is free. And gambling like voting Republican is a big problem among the poor.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. I've seen those gambling boats in Illinois

They do very little cruising. They're usually tied up at the dock.

[yeoman6987]

31. There must be purchases from cruise companies using the card

or it never would be brought up. Somebody is using them. Why not just ask those who used the card instead of passing more laws.

[haikugal]

6. These people are totally out of control and insane with their misinformation..

Faux News consumers no doubt. The propaganda is strong with this crowd of greedy haters!

[hifiguy]

8. The law in its infinite majesty bans both the rich and the poor

from sleeping under bridges.

[rogerashton]

26. and stealing bread. eom

[Sherman A1]

9. Thank Goodness

I am sure that was a huge problem that needed solving...

[beam me up scottie]

10. " including liquor stores, fortune tellers, swimming pools"

How the hell do they plan on enforcing this?

It's not like Madam FooFoo takes food stamps.

[Jesus Malverde]

12. Food stamps are electronic.

They are essentially debit cards administered by major corporations who make money off the poor. Primarily Xerox and JPMorgan.

Fairly easy to enforce it at the point of sale.

[beam me up scottie]

13. Yes, I know that.

I was making a funny.

How are they going to track and prosecute recipients who spend cash at businesses?

If Sheila spends $5 on a bottle of hooch at the corner liquor store, how can they tell if the money came from the government or her boyfriend?

[Ghost in the Machine]

16. Yeah, that's food stamps... welfare is CASH benefits, usually put on the same card, but you

can get cash back from stores or get cash from an ATM. If someone got $20 cash back or withdrew it from an ATM, how would the government know whether the person took the kds to a pool, bought a bottle of liquor/case of beer or drugs???

Peace,

Ghost

[LiberalAndProud]

11. Did they have to prove it was a problem first?

Of course not. But the framing is beautiful, isn't it? "Welfare Queens banned from Cruise Ships" They're legislating headlines for the purpose of shaping public opinion. We would be better off if they would focus on ... oh I don't know ... job creation maybe.

[Spirochete]

14. Good

That should make the lines a lot shorter for us poor Social Security recipients.

[AZ Progressive]

17. More Republicans trying to villainize the poor

Republicans villify minorities and other groups they perceive as weak just to take people's attention away from the Rich 1% who are looting this country, and they seem to be pretty successful at that.

[99Forever]

18. Bet the bottom dropped out of Carnival Cruise Line's stock price over this!

[davidn3600]

19. These conservatives are fucking nuts

The priorities of conservatives are so out of whack. Studies show welfare fraud is such a tiny, tiny percentage of government waste. But Republicans constantly think this is some major problem with the country.

[Initech]

22. So poor people can't spend welfare checks on cruise ships.

But the military industrial complex can spend billions of dollars unchecked and unaccounted for on weapons that the Pentagon doesn't want or need. Where's the bills for that?

[liberal N proud]

27. Legislation based on right wing perception of poor people

The right believes that the poor are living like kings, driving Cadillacs while taking welfare.

This is a feelgood law for those teabaggers who will vote for them.

[RKP5637]

28. Well damn, there goes my goal of selling cruise tickets to welfare recipients.

[longship]

30. Fortune tellers? But not tithing to mega church scammers?

Kansas GOP is outright crazy.

[PowerToThePeople]

32. 429 a month will buy you one hell of a cruise

[Scootaloo]

35. Or at least a canoe across a damp parking lot

[muntrv]

34. Sounds like the mythical welfare queen driving in a Cadillac.

[DefenseLawyer]

36. Finally! A way to keep the riffraff out of the pool!

Kansas is run by sociopaths, or as they're also called: Republicans

[surrealAmerican]

37. Are there a lot of cruise ships in Kansas?

... or, like, any?