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Hope they stole enough to last them a while.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/07/after-last-months-shopping-frenzy-louisiana-governor-looks-to-strip-food-stamps/

I understand wanting to punish those who willfully took advantage of this situation. But stripping away the program that they rely upon to feed their family seems a little too strict. I think that these people should be dealt with by the criminal justice system, and made to work in the community

Yeah, I think I agree. I think this is pretty clearly fraud, and should be punished, but cutting off food stamps seems like maybe not the best of all possible options, and I have to wonder about the ROI any worthwhile investigation is likely to produce. In some cases though, there is no direct "victim", as Walmart chose to just eat the charges after the state said they would not honor them. That probably should weigh into it as well.

Good. Charge them as much as you can. Take away their foodstamps. They clearly have no sense of personal responsibility or accountability, so I hope the state holds them accountable.

Withhold the stamps until the amount they spent is repaid.

 marv335 wrote:
Withhold the stamps until the amount they spent is repaid.

I like that a lot.

The problem with stripping them of it, while appropriate, hurts slot of children and innocents who will pay for someone eldest crime.

How about investigating who's responsible for the system breaking down in the first place instead?

It is better to punish the innocent and needy then to let a some get away with fraud.

Who dias they are getting away with it. Put th in grueling community service.

The way everyone above was talking about it made it sound as if they were just going to take away foodstamps from everyone. If only the people who abused it get hit then I'm fine with that, and community service isn't a bad idea either.

I say let them keep their stamps, but make them pay their due with service if they have kids to feed. We cant punish the kids for the parents crime

Fox News Article wrote:A worker at a soup kitchen in Alexandria said cutting off food stamps from a family would be detrimental. She said most recipients she sees receive a $25-a-month stipend. She was inside a store when the malfunction occurred, and recalled feeling empathy when she saw the individuals, who otherwise could not afford it, stacking up on food.

This is important, Not all who commit crimes are bad people deserving of horrible punishment. These people took advantage of a situation to feed them and their families when they might not normally be able to.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
This is important, Not all who commit crimes are criminals.

That is completely incorrect. Anyone who commits a crime is, by very definition, a criminal.

The motive for a crime does not change the fact it was a crime.

These people just did what they can to feed their family. I mean a 25$ a month stipend?

Still doesn't make it any less of a crime.

Anybody might do the same in the same circumstances, but it would still be wrong.

Something certainly needs to be done about it. Is this the best way? Don't know.

I'd probably go for criminal prosecution myself.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Still doesn't make it any less of a crime.

Going 1 mile over the speed limit makes you criminal, but that doesn't mean you should be treated the same as a murderer.

Correct. Its a crime that isn't very severe.

I'm not saying the punishment should be disproportionate. Suspension of food stamps and/or charges of theft will be sufficient.

And the removal of foodstamps will hurt others

Than maybe they should have considered that when they abused the system.

You can always say "Well they should have done this or that" but the point is that the removal of foodstamps from certain homes will hurt a bit of people, especially young children who might go hungry.

People reliant on food stamps are already in a situation where they generally need support in order to feed themselves, which is one of the most basic things in life. When the malfunction occurred you had people who normally could not afford much food suddenly able to get way more than they should. That is a huge amount of temptation for people already under the stress and pressure of low income.


Whilst the moral/honourable thing would have been not to claim the extra its understandable when people in that situation did.


Punishment should be appropriate, but stripping them of the food stamps sounds like a step in the wrong direction since you're taking someone already in a bad situation and making it considerably worse.

Instead they should be made to work off what they took - community service would be a fine way to get those people to give back what they took and punish them in the short term whilst not punishing them and their dependants in the long term. Heck maybe it could be the starting point of a community work for food program where by councils get community services performed in exchange for extra food stamps. (a positive spin out of a negative situation).


I agree that for taking advantage a punishment is needed; we have to remember that the food wasn't free and someone has to pay for it at some point (in this case Walmart paid for it).

 Grey Templar wrote:
Than maybe they should have considered that when they abused the system.

Good response, Inspector Javert.

This isn't exactly 19th century France.

We are talking about people abusing a system designed to help them. You don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Bring back debtors' prison as in Georgian times.

Deport defaulters to America and Australia.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Bring back debtors' prison as in Georgian times.

Deport defaulters to America and Australia.

So what do we do with those already in America?

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Bring back debtors' prison as in Georgian times.

Deport defaulters to America and Australia.

So what do we do with those already in America?

Deport them to Louisiana.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Bring back debtors' prison as in Georgian times.

Deport defaulters to America and Australia.

So what do we do with those already in America?

Perhaps they have already suffered the worst punishment that can be meted out.

 LordofHats wrote:

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Bring back debtors' prison as in Georgian times.

Deport defaulters to America and Australia.

So what do we do with those already in America?

Deport them to Louisiana.

Now you're just talking cruel and unusual.

Send them to texas