How is this supposed to work? ( public aid in the USA)
I read that the state of Kansas has passed a bill that welfare recipients can only withdraw $25 out of an atm. These machines don’t dispense 5$ notes so what are they supposed to do? I also read that someplace restricted their purchases in that they can’t buy seafood and potatoes? Is this real? These rules seem incredibly punitive to me. Why are they doing this?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
26 Answers
I see legislation like this (Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin) as knee jerk responses to crises that exist only the bills sponsors heads. At least some of these rules appear to be in direct conflict with relevant Federal rules, so they might not be legally enforceable.
I’m getting a Nazi/Jew vibe & it don’t feel good.
All of these measures to “crack down” on the poor are at heart the worst sort of petty meanness. And it’s no coincidence that they are confined to the rural heartland. What it’s about is providing a sop to what’s left of the struggling middle class, rapidly on its way toward qualifying for the stamps themselves. It’s playing on the resentment of these people through casting the “undeserving ” poor as freeloaders. The cynical swine responsible for such measures are simply playing out the formula that “misery loves company ”.
Because Kansas is an asshole. I know. I live in it, and it stinks.
But,... So how are they going to get their 25$? ATMs don’t poop out fives. And potatoes are a staple food.
Jesus. If they’re buying steak and lobster with their food stamps, and many of them probably are, then they are giving them too much in stamps! I know they gave me a helluva lot more than I needed to survive. And if they’re going to restrict what they can buy, restrict the junk foods, not foods THAT ARE FREAKING HEALTHY FOR YOU.
Great point. ATM’s only give out in $20 increments. The Kansas government is so stupid.
You know how news reports can get blown out of proportion, especially when delivered by an agency that tends to lean in the opposite direction?
This isn’t one of those cases. In fact, if anything, those reporting on it are not painting a clear picture of what this bill includes. I just read through it, and it appears more bizarre than a Stephen King novel. I didn’t pick up on any notation regarding how much money can be withdrawn from an ATM machine at any given time. Even if a $25 limitation is true, it is only a drop in the bucket of what this bill requires.
The amount of time and effort it will take for Kansas businesses and citizens to incorporate these new rules will cost a great deal of money. It extends beyond the state, impacting the businesses that are not based in Kansas but have branches there.
This may be a case where there is honest good-will intent, but there is no mention in the news on how Kansas Governor Brownback plans to support any of the people who will be affected by this state law.
For those of you familiar with the Harry Potter series, it reminds me of when Dolores Umbridge showed up on the radar. In this case, she is played by Phyllis Gilmore, Secretary of the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services for Kansas. In reality, @ucme may be spot on comparing it to the early actions of Nazis.
On FB someone said it may violate fed guidelines for SNAP benefits. Maybe we
payers may get to pay a few mill in a law suit.
They set the ATM rules to boost the ATM fees for dispensing cash. Keeps the banks happy. They made up a bunch of rules about things you can’t spend money on, like cruises and pools, so that they can feed on the fake hysteria that welfare people are spending money on that stuff.
Shoot. I got actual cash for two months during thosecawful years. They gave me about 500 and they attached the pathetic child support of 150. Yeah. I went on cruises and to Disney land.
I want to know if they go there and get 20$. Because they can’t get 25$. Are they going to retrofit the ATMs to dispense 5$ notes? Do you see what I’m saying? Is this real? This just blows my mind that they could do this sort of thing. Are there many homeless people in Kansas?
Plus the bank is going to charge them a fee for the withdrawal if they don’t have an account there.. Nice, we’re screwing them from both sides.
No more than any where else.
“_(14) No TANF cash assistance shall be used to purchase alcohol, cig-
arettes, tobacco products, lottery tickets, concert tickets, professional or
collegiate sporting event tickets or tickets for other entertainment events
intended for the general public or sexually oriented adult materials. No
TANF cash assistance shall be used in any retail liquor store, casino,
gaming establishment, jewelry store, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, body
piercing parlor, spa, nail salon, lingerie shop, tobacco paraphernalia store,
vapor cigarette store, psychic or fortune telling business, bail bond com-
pany, video arcade, movie theater, swimming pool, cruise ship, theme
park, dog or horse racing facility, parimutuel facility, or sexually oriented
business or any retail establishment which provides adult-oriented enter-
tainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state
for entertainment, or in any business or retail establishment where minors
under age 18 are not permitted. TANF cash assistance transactions for
cash withdrawals from automated teller machines shall be limited to $25,
per transaction and to one transaction per day._”
I mean, a lot of that I don’t have a problem with, but swimming pools?
@Dutchess_III Thank you for tracking down the specifics.
What was left off of that quote was the final sentence of that ruling. No TANF cash assistance shall be used for purchases at points of sale outside the state of Kansas. What does this mean? That a Kansas resident on state assisted funds cannot withdrawal money from an ATM outside of the state no matter what, or that they are in jeopardy of losing benefits if caught spending money (cash, not food stamps or any other sort of coupon system) over the state line?
Well, I got it from your link! Good point again.
So what about the 5$ that what I want to know…
@trailsillustrated Your concern is understandable. From all that I have read so far, the Kansas governor and the secretary and anyone else involved in passing this state law aren’t concerned about such a ‘minor detail’.
From my perspective as a US citizen but not a resident of Kansas, there are even greater concerns about this law being passed than not being able to withdrawal $25 of welfare money a day due to how cash is currently given out at an ATM machine.
I am guessing that if you go to the bank (to the window), you can get $25 in your one transaction. If you use the ATM, you’ll be only able to get $20.
When I hear stories like this, it should be a reminder to people that this is why voting is important. Vote these assholes out of office.
@jca I didn’t think of that. So they have to go inside the bank and talk to a (probably ) judgemental teller. This all makes me so mad! Here it goes into your bank account and nobody sees a card. You get a card for concessions ( bus fare, medicine, car registration etc) but so many people have them it’s treated as normal. I can’t believe what they are doing there is legal. Is the potato thing true?
I think they are trying to reduce the ready access to (untrackable) cash.
Recently, some guy around here was charged with misuse of SNAP benefits. He was buying many flats of water, throwing out most of it, and then returning the empties for cash which he spent on some illegal substance. ( I don’t recall what it was.)
I did the math and it “made sense”. Bottled water at Wegman’s cost $0.11 plus $0.05 for the deposit. Buying $50 of water would give him $15.62 of walking around money.
Apparently a cashier noticed this unusual pattern and reported it.
Imagine how desperate he had to be. He surely wasn’t spending that $15 on food.
It is stuff like this that encourages politicians to propose laws that make them look good.
Re: the $25 transaction limit. I think that means the person can take out $20 and still pay the rip off fee that goes to the ATM company and banks.
The categorical decline of the State of Kansas as a place of enlightened reason since the days of my youth is beyond shocking. The state and particularly its politicians are not only an embarrassment to the nation but an outright offense against decency and common sense. To think that craven fools like Brownback and his ilk could get away with building political careers on sytematically kicking the defenseless poor is nearly beyond understanding. How the fk do they get away with it ? What has happened to the purported followers of Jesus in the Bible Belt?
It’s the followers of Jesus who are doing it, @stanleybmanly. They are so freaking blind to their own hypocrisy.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
