EBT card glitch causes chaos at Louisianna Walmart

[AntiChrist]

When they fixed the glitch, "shoppers" abandoned their overflowing carts. Lol


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPUfgLqQO0

[m>s]

Glad I missed the chimp out

[AntiChrist]

World Star!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm9aGqYVwG0

[baseline bum]

Shit, all the meat in those carts not being refrigerated. All that milk will need to be thrown out. You know there's a grip of ruined ice cream in those welfare carts too. Then the eggs and cheese. What a clusterfuck. I'd love to see that first welfare cart full of lobster and shrimp. :lol



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57607332/ebt-benefit-card-glitch-sparks-walmart-shopping-sprees-in-louisiana/

Xerox, which hosts some of the infrastructure used by the EBT card system, told KSLA that a power outage during a routine maintenance test caused the temporary glitch.


CROFL Xerox faggots. I didn't even know that shitty company still existed after they threw away their winning lottery ticket with the Alto. LOL Xerox incompetence strikes again.

[baseline bum]

Seriously though, when I have mistakenly gone to HEB on the first of the month I have seen shopping carts like that.

[AntiChrist]

Seriously though, when I have mistakenly gone to HEB on the first of the month I have seen shopping carts like that.

Really?

[m>s]

fucking coons are like animals, smh

[Chief Brody]

fucking coons are like animals, smh
:lolFucking black people...never miss a chance to be desperate and low-class

[baseline bum]

Really?

Yeah. Usually with 4 children, so the other 4 must be out gangbanging or in juvi tbh.

[ElNono]

free money!

[IronMexican]

I've seen carts close to those as well. Just annoys me.

[Trainwreck2100]

Walmart workers phoned their corporate headquarters to ask how they should handle all the shoppers with unlimited, government-funded spending limits, and were told to keep the registers ringing.


"We did make the decision to continue to accept EBT cards during the outage so that they could get food for their families," Walmart representative Kayla Whaling told KSLA. She added that Walmart was, "fully engaged and monitoring the situation and transactions during the outage."

that's some bullshit right there

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I take it EBT is food stamps?

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Obama gon' pay for my gas!


Last weekend I witnessed my (well not really "my") first lonestar card purchase. It almost made me become a Republican. Big fat black lady had a cart full of unhealthy but namebrand food, swipped her card, then had to pay like a total of $11 in actual cash.

[Trainwreck2100]

Obama gon' pay for my gas!


Last weekend I witnessed my (well not really "my") first lonestar card purchase. It almost made me become a Republican. Big fat black lady had a cart full of unhealthy but namebrand food, swipped her card, then had to pay like a total of $11 in actual cash.

fucking sodas and junk food have no business being on that shit

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

fucking sodas and junk food have no business being on that shit

the sodas and junk food are bad, but the fact stuff like porterhouse steak and lobster are on it is even worse. At least the soda and junk food is cheap.

[Chief Brody]

It should be ramen noodles, store brand water, and fruits & veggies only.

[Trainwreck2100]

It should be ramen noodles, store brand water, and fruits & veggies only.

milk eggs and that malt o meal cereal

[Chief Brody]

milk eggs and that malt o meal cereal
If they have children, then sure...allow them those luxuries.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

It should be ramen noodles, store brand water, and fruits & veggies only.

Assuming it would be less expensive (I think it would be), why not just replace food stamps with a weekly package of essential food like food banks give out on Thanksgiving?

This system where grocery stores and gas stations compete with other over business with huge ass "WE ACCEPT THE LONESTAR CARD!" signs isn't working.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

If they have children, then sure...allow them those luxuries.

:lol why would you want to encourage them to have kids

[Chief Brody]

:lol why would you want to encourage them to have kids
I'd prefer they didn't, but if they do we can't very well have these future felons starving on American soil.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

I'd actually argue the fact they have kids means their ability to purchase luxuries goes down because of the added expense of having kids.

If me, your or trainwreck had kids, our ability to buy expensive food would go down.

[Chief Brody]

:lolTrainwreck having kids...imagine that shit

[baseline bum]

Obama gon' pay for my gas!


Last weekend I witnessed my (well not really "my") first lonestar card purchase. It almost made me become a Republican. Big fat black lady had a cart full of unhealthy but namebrand food, swipped her card, then had to pay like a total of $11 in actual cash.

What, did she buy a pack of Newports and hold everyone up in line even further?

[baseline bum]

Assuming it would be less expensive (I think it would be), why not just replace food stamps with a weekly package of essential food like food banks give out on Thanksgiving?

This system where grocery stores and gas stations compete with other over business with huge ass "WE ACCEPT THE LONESTAR CARD!" signs isn't working.

LOL gas stations all let you buy cigarettes and booze with those cards. One of my friends who worked in one in between real jobs said the clerks didn't give a shit, and would ring that shit up as milk, cereal, crackers, all kinds of shit. Had people coming and buying their meth pipes with Lonestar cards. :lol

[m>s]

what they did when i worked in a grocery store years ago was pay for all their food with lonestar then whip out a wad of cash to pay for their cigarettes and alcohol

[ElNono]

Obama gon' pay for my gas!


Last weekend I witnessed my (well not really "my") first lonestar card purchase. It almost made me become a Republican. Big fat black lady had a cart full of unhealthy but namebrand food, swipped her card, then had to pay like a total of $11 in actual cash.

Only comparable to being next in line and the old lady pulling out the checkbook from her purse, spending the next 5 mins writing out the check...

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

What, did she buy a pack of Newports and hold everyone up in line even further?

Actually they were traveling in packs. She had another black beast with her who bought all the stuff that the Lonestar card didn't cover.

[HI-FI]

surprised boutons hasn't posted a link from alternet's youtube channel, maybe showing some video rebuttal of the welfare leeches.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Only comparable to being next in line and the old lady pulling out the checkbook from her purse, spending the next 5 mins writing out the check...

:lol there was actually an older white lady in line who was bringing the subtle troll goods by repeatedly mentioning "How expensive all that food looked!"

[AntiChrist]

I saw a couple of women the other day buying some high-end items and then strolling out to thier Escalade. As I climb into my 10 year old Subaru. smh

[AntiChrist]

People still writing checks -- die already!

[Chief Brody]

The Emancipation Proclamation killed their work ethic

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

The worst part is I still think the Disabilities Act is getting pimped even worse than food stamps are. 1 in 6 Americans on food stamps doesn't outrage me nearly as much as 1 in 13 Americans on disabilities.

[AntiChrist]

lol, caring for our "most vulnerable"

We're all suckers. These "safety nets" are ripe for the picking. Good thing they just created another one. smh

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

lol, caring for our "most vulnerable"

We're all suckers. These "safety nets" are ripe for the picking. Good thing they just created another one. smh

The disabilities act isn't even supposed to be a "safety net", that's the thing. The number of people on disabilities shouldn't fluctuate depending on the economy, there's a certain amount of people who qualify that doesn't relate to the economy imo.

[ElNono]

The safety nets aren't the problem. The problem is the abuse of the safety nets.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

The safety nets aren't the problem. The problem is the abuse of the safety nets.

Yup. As is the amount of people who need the safety nets as a % of the total population.

[HI-FI]

The worst part is I still think the Disabilities Act is getting pimped even worse than food stamps are. 1 in 6 Americans on food stamps doesn't outrage me nearly as much as 1 in 13 Americans on disabilities.

there was a 60 Minutes special on that like a week ago. i never knew it was that bad but considering the welfare abuse, i shouldn't be surprised.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

there was a 60 Minutes special on that like a week ago. i never knew it was that bad but considering the welfare abuse, i shouldn't be surprised.

I know that in the last 20 years it's gone from 1 in 51 people to 1 in 13 people. That alone says it all.

[AntiChrist]

The safety nets aren't the problem. The problem is the abuse of the safety nets.

Agreed, but the govt runs them, so there's going to be widespread abuse

[AntiChrist]

Yup. As is the amount of people who need the safety nets as a % of the total population.

Definitely this

[ElNono]

Agreed, but the govt runs them, so there's going to be widespread abuse

There's always going to be certain degree of abuse. I wouldn't necessarily call it widespread.

Foodstamps specifically do historically go up and down based on the state of the economy.

Plus, who else is going to run this stuff? A for-profit company? Charities don't have billions of bucks a year either.

[Trainwreck2100]

:lolTrainwreck having kids...imagine that shit

what the fuck is that supposed to mean

[Chief Brody]

what the fuck is that supposed to mean
Unless they're a product of a quick nut, I can't see you hanging around a chick long enough to settle down.

[Trainwreck2100]

Unless they're a product of a quick nut, I can't see you hanging around a chick long enough to settle down.

I always saw myself settling down with a nice eastern european who would know how biitches be treated in other parts of the world and thus not be a bitch herself tbqh. And TW don't quick nut in no hoes without protection, son that's just stupid

[m>s]

the state is never the problem the clever communist always states...its just those (blacks, mexicans, farmers, middle class, etc) who mess it all up!!

communism 101. don't eat out of his hand like a dumb Goy guys.

[ElNono]

the state is never the problem the clever communist always states...its just those (blacks, mexicans, farmers, middle class, etc) who mess it all up!!

communism 101. don't eat out of his hand like a dumb Goy guys.

Did you turn your guns in yet?

:lol

[angrydude]

welfare is a small price to pay for poor people not to riot

[Wild Cobra]

free money!

Free?

They knowingly spent money they knew wasn't theirs. I suspect they will be penalized in some form.

[Chief Brody]

welfare is a small price to pay for poor people not to riotStarve them until they lose the strength to riot. Worked for commies in 1921 and in the early 30s

[ElNono]

Free?

They knowingly spent money they knew wasn't theirs. I suspect they will be penalized in some form.

Sarcasm. Google it.

[HI-FI]

Starve them until they lose the strength to riot. Worked for commies in 1921 and in the early 30s
interesting approach, but they are too important to the current overlords right now, so I doubt they will be starved. the middle class seems to be more of the target imo.

though can you imagine if those EBT cards were suddenly shut off or useless? when Leroy has to spend his drug money on food or grape soda? the rioting and looting would be tremendous. You would have to load up on ammo and defend your property Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) styles.

[ElNono]

interesting approach, but they are too important to the current overlords right now, so I doubt they will be starved. the middle class seems to be more of the target imo.

Soon to be on EBT cards, tbh

[HI-FI]

Soon to be on EBT cards, tbh
:lol
seems like that's where things are headed.

[boutons_deux]

While in the poor people's fraud (criminaliize them all) thread, here's some wealthy corporate fraud (criminalize them all)

===

Four times in the last five years, the Pentagon's inspector general has found that Boeing Co. collected excessive or unjustified payments on U.S. defense contracts.
In the latest of four audits since 2008, the watchdog office said the Chicago company charged the Army for new helicopter parts while installing used ones.

"Boeing significantly overstated estimates" of new components needed for CH-47F Chinook helicopters and "primarily installed used parts instead" under a $4.4-billion contract awarded in 2008,

Although used parts were allowed in some circumstances, the July 16 report found that the company overcharged the U.S. Army by as much as $16.6 million by exaggerating how many new ones were required while installing refurbished equipment salvaged from old aircraft. The report also faults defense agencies and military services for lax negotiations and contract management.

"The bottom line is that using reworked parts rather than new parts increased Boeing's profit,"

The Army paid Boeing for parts "that were proposed but never installed," and "is paying for additional parts that they do not need and may not use,"

"Unfortunately, the Army does not have a cost/price analysis group, much less an experienced one," :lol

A 2008 audit said Boeing sought $1.9 billion in unjustified payments on military contracts under a formula designed to compensate contractors for rising costs. After negotiations, the amount was cut to $272 million, the inspector general's report said.

In June, the inspector general said the Defense Logistics Agency paid Boeing $13.7 million more than it should have for spare parts, including $2,286 apiece for an aluminum "bearing sleeve" that should have cost $10.

A May 2011 audit found about $13 million of overcharges on $23 million of orders from a Texas army depot. That report said Boeing charged $644.75 for a plastic motor gear used on Chinook helicopters, which another Pentagon agency purchased for $12.51.

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/1780/article/p2p-77793643/

[The Reckoning]

lol didn't read boutons' post

anyway, food stamps are fucking shit. just hand them money for essentials, and if they abuse it then too baaad. i feel bad for kids, but giving them more money for more kids just escalates the problem.

fat people shouldn't be on disabilities.

if you have children while on welfare, you should be punished, not rewarded.

[Trainwreck2100]

this does remind me that i need to apply for my EBT, I should qualify for $15 a month

[Clipper Nation]

surprised boutons hasn't posted a link from alternet's youtube channel, maybe showing some video rebuttal of the welfare leeches.
:cry "It's all private businesses and the Repugs' fault! Everyone would be rich if the DNC took over all businesses!" :cry

[ElNono]

Disappointed Kool didn't provide his first-hand experience on this matter...

[Michael Jordan.]

Disappointed Kool didn't provide his first-hand experience on this matter...
:lol

[Creepn]

Actually they were traveling in packs. She had another black beast with her who bought all the stuff that the Lonestar card didn't cover.

Whoa whoa whoa, you forget our bet? If you can't handle your racist urges then pay me my money and you can release your inner retardism all you want. My EBT card doesn't pay for my cable bill so I could use the money anyway.

[Winehole23]

A new study has found that paying welfare benefits via debit card, rather than cash, caused a 10 percent drop in crime.


Researchers have long noted that cash plays a critical role in street crime, due to its liquidity (it's easy to access and everyone accepts it) and anonymity (it leaves no paper trail). In poorer neighborhoods, public assistance payments used to be a significant source of circulating cash: recipients would cash their assistance checks at the bank, pocketing the money and making them attractive targets for criminals.


But starting in the 1990s that changed, as the Federal government gradually phased out paper welfare checks in favor of electronic debit cards (the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program). Along with a team of researchers, Richard Wright of the University of Missouri studied the effects of this change (http://www.nber.org/papers/w19996) in his home state and found that it was directly responsible for a hefty 10 percent drop in the overall crime rate there.


The graphic below looks at crime trends in Missouri before and after the switch from cash to debit cards, for all crimes and broken down by individual crimes. In most crime categories the change before and after the switch is striking - upward trends in assault, burglary, car theft and robbery are completely reversed.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2014/03/cash-crime.png

The authors ran some more robust regression analysis and found that "burglary, assault, and larceny decreased by 7.9 percent, 12.5 percent, and 9.6 percent, respectively." To double-check their work, they looked at arrest rates and found that corresponding drops in arrest rates supported their findings. They also looked at the incidence of rape, which showed little change pre- and post-EBT switch. Because rape is "typically unrelated immediate acquisition of cash," this didn't come as a surprise.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/25/to-fight-crime-in-your-community-stop-using-cash/

[boutons_deux]

How Big Banks Are Cashing In On Food Stamps

Banks reap hefty profits helping governments make payments to individuals, business that only got better when agencies switch from making payments on paper—checks and vouchers—to electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.

Banks hold contracts with federal, state, and municipal agencies to provide EBT cards and services, collect interest on federal reserve money held for government programs (though not on SNAP funds), charge transaction fees for merchant use of bank technology and infrastructure, and levy penalties on users for EBT card loss, out-of-network use, and balance inquiries. Banks make money distributing government benefits if the economy is bad, because more people sign up for assistance; they make money if the economy is good, because rising interest rates mean more profit on the money they hold to distribute to beneficiaries.

Distributing government benefits is a lucrative industry. According to theGovernment Accountability Institute (http://www.g-a-i.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/GAI-Report-ProfitsfromPoverty-FINAL.pdf), J.P. Morgan Chase, which currently controls EBT contracts in 21 states, Guam, and the Virgin Islands (http://www.fns.usda.gov/ebt/electronic-benefits-transfer-ebt-status-report-state), made more than half a billion dollars between 2004 and 2012 providing government benefits to U.S. citizens. In New York alone, J.P. Morgan Electronic Financial Services (EFS) holds a nine-year, $177 million EBT services contract (http://wwe2.osc.state.ny.us/transparency/contracts/contracttransactions.cfm%3FContract=TDA01-C009898-3410000) with the State Office of Temporary and Disability Services (OTDA). New York currently pays $0.95 per month for each its 1.7 million SNAP cases. In addition, J.P. Morgan EFS collects penalties and fees from benefit recipients: $5 to replace a lost EBT card, $0.40 for each balance inquiry, $0.50 each time their cards are declined for insufficient funds, and $1.50 per withdrawal if they use ATMs to get cash more than once a month. While information about profit margins on EBT contracts is neither collected at the national level nor released by banks, EBT is a significant growth area for big banks.

the SNAP fraud provisions will increase the ability of state and federal agencies to track who bought what food, where, and for how much. A vast amount of information on the purchases of millions of U.S. citizens will be collected by state agencies and private entities, stored by the USDA, and data-mined for patterns of EBT use that indicate fraud.



Why will this intensified focus on fraud work out so well for banks? First, banks innovate and control the most cutting-edge technologies that detect and prevent fraud in electronic funds transfer. The financial sector employs armies of computer programmers, IT specialists, and software engineers, and banks hold dozens of patents on biometric technology, data-mining systems, and payment tracking software. State and federal agencies can develop fraud-fighting code and procedures themselves, but many lack sufficient capacity and choose instead to contract with banks. Florida, for example, piloted an eight-month EBT abuse detection project in 2012 that was staffed by both J.P. Morgan and state employees, as Peter Schweizer reported (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/01/jp-morgan-s-food-stamp-empire.html) in The Daily Beast. The anti-fraud provisions of the farm bill, thus, provide a significant opportunity for more, and more lucrative, contracts for banks.

http://prospect.org/article/how-big-banks-are-cashing-food-stamps

Who doubts the fraudulent, criminal, wealth-sucking financial sector paid Congressmen to write bank revenues into the Farm Bill?