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Show The Paper That Dares To Take A Stand Continued from pate WHY THE FOOD STAMP RIPOFF 1 schemes, none has become more of a monkey on the backs of middle-clas- s Americans than the food-stam- p program. In the past ten costs have risen more than its years . 14,000- February 19, 1976 The Utah Independent Page 7 - FLAGRANT ABUSE OF FOOD STAMPS A column by Victor Riesel in the October 18, 1975 issue of Human Events revealed the following: Reisels words, simply s. Food stamps have become a new kind of currency. There is a flourishing black market in food Communes of young stamps. drop-ou- ts have mastered the food-stam- p game, and counterfeiters have found food stamps much easier to duplicate than currency. Such audits as have taken place are replete with stories of children, duplicate applications, and other such fraudulent tactics. rip-off- non-existe- nt It has just been learned that 17.3 percent of welfare food-stam- p ply are ineligible! non- non-poo- r, recipients sim- "And another 26 percent are d , meaning overpaid. " Thus 43.3 percent are receiving food stamps illegally. " Translated into dollars. Im told this means that almost 26 percent of all the money spent in over-issue- the non-po- and or assistance is stolen. Or p food-stam- non-welfa- re wasted. Riesel then went on to state that in Massachusetts a new audit disclosed that at least 50 percent of that States households food-stam- showed p up as And 30.4 percent were over-issu(overpaid). Thus 80.4 percent of the cases were, in ineligible. ed STONE GROUND )UR OWN HOME Then there are the people who had good jobs but chose to walk off on strike knowing they could apply for food stamps and thus force the public to feed them. In effect, when food stamps are issued to strikers, the taxpayers who foot the bill for the food stamps are actually subsidizing those strikes, prolonging them, and increasing the number and length of such strikes and the level of final wage settlements. A 1974 Supreme Court decision HOW THE AFFLUENT acknowledged that strikers use of food stamps could FOR FOOD give unions an unfair collective QUALIFY STAMPS bargaining advantage over emFood stamps are not restricted ployers. Of course, the Big Labor to welfare recipients. People who bosses support the food-stam- p are not on welfare can qualify for scheme as they want the American them. More and more are, and the taxpayers to bear much of the cost to the taxpayers is increasing expenses of strikers after a walk-of- f. at an alarming rate. A UPI dispatch of October 8, Using federal funds, under the 1975, stated that federal officials food-stam- p program, to help have said that 6 percent of current prolong labor disputes and to inrecipients of food stamps have fluence collective bargaining is family incomes above $9,000 clearly a misuse of taxpayers (1,140,000 families) and 3 percent funds. have incomes above $12,000 WHO SUPPORTS THE FOOD-STAM- P PROGRAM-A- ND (570,000 families). On June 26 Senator Jesse Helms divulged that WHY? An article by Ann McFeatters 57 percent of those eligible are staff in an above the federal governments of- of the Scripps-Howar- d article which appeared in the ficial poverty line. How is this possible? Under Rocky Mountain News (Denver) current law, an applicant is allowed of November 22, 1975 reported the to deduct numerous expenses from formation of an organization his income before he arrives at a known as the National Food p for net income Stamp Information Committee whose purpose is .to defend and eligibility purposes. The present eligibility formula promote the monstrous food-stam- p is so loosely structured that program. Among the families with incomes up groups participating are: the labor and the to $12,000 can and do qualify bosses of the AFL-CI- O Teamsters Union for food stamps. The formula re(not surprising as inasmuch strikers are eligible for deduction of for expenses quires income taxes, retirement. Social food stamps); the U.S. Conference Security, union dues, medical of Mayors (always with their hands federal subcosts, child care, car payments, out for taxpayer-pai- d private school tuition costs, and sidies); Common Cause, Bnai roughly half of all housing costs. Brith, National Urban Coalition, lib In the latter case, it actually helps NAACP, the womens to own an expensive home with extremists National Organization for Women the high mortgage payments. National Council income of If a family with an of Churches, and the National $1 2,000 a year takes all such deductions in order to reach a net in- Farmers Organization. Regarding come figure, such a family can buy the latter, powerful agricultural $154 in food stamps every month interests view food stamps as a for $95. That adds up to a handy way of disposing of welfare subsidy of surpluses and being reimbursed by taxpayer-pai- d the taxpayer. Thus there is the $708 a year. An editorial in the In- double benefit of keeping food dianapolis Star of November 10, prices high by disposing of the 1975 stated that college students surpluses, at the same time prevenclaiming to maintain separate ting any forcing down of prices. households can be eligible even o. though their parents are CLOTHING STAMPS IN THE OFFING? When a taxpayer is standing in line at a supermarket to pay for Congresswoman Marilyn his hamburger, is it any wonder he Lloyd in February of 1975 raised grits his teeth as he sees someone the question of the possibility of a far above welfare level buying federal issue of fuel stamps to sirloin steak with food stamps? pay heating costs in the way that food stamps now pay eating costs. In this connection Congressman Symms had this to And Congressman Charles Rangel later in the year came up with a say: 7 do not believe it is right to proposal for clothing stamps for forcefully pick the pockets (via the poor. Rangel's proposal carries federal taxes) of hardworking the endorsement of William Americans who are trying to Tatum, an aide to Abraham provide for their families, to sub- Beame, mayor of bankrupt New sidize the diets of many who are York City. Tatum holds the view better off than they. It is time for that poor people who cannot afford to buy new fashions are subCongress to stand up for the to psychologically desforgotten man who must pay the jected forces. tructive tab for all these extravagant An editorial in the Richmond giveaway programs. WORKERS (Va.) News Leader of September STRIKING ELIGIBLE FOR FOOD 22, 1975 stated: "In their drive to impose a STAMPS Many of the recipients of food false equality social, economic, stamps are able to work, but the and ethnic on everyone, the of food stamps egalitarians would provide for the availability removes the necessity. poor as much as, if not more than. food-stam- four-memb- er ist FRE . . . COST Y QUALITY SNDABLE LLING ON THE MARKET ! well-to-d- with second best ! 9 free J7 to bread-makin- g demonstration coupon Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 State Zip laking demonstration in my home, ow to become a Magic Mill dealer. fuel' stamps and can afford. Their only now being discovered? the non-poidea of shelter for the poor is a subsidized apartment complete with OPPOSITION RISING IN devices. Their idea CONGRESS all labor-savin- g On January 21, 1976 Senator offood for the poor is a subsidy that permits the purchase of steaks Jesse Helms introduced the and snack food that the non-poEmergency Food Stamp Vendor which Act cannot afford. And their idea of Accountability on to acthe the is that a holding clothing for program provides poor that will permit the purchase of the cumulated receipts from the sale of food stamps by vendors would latest fashions. " These welfarists would erase constitute a federal crime all economic differences between (embezzlement), punishable by a fine of up to $10,000, or a sum the poor and the non-poo- r. " The non-poat lower in- equal to the ambunt embezzled, come levels have to live within their whichever is greater; or imincome and settle for less than the prisonment for not more than 10 best, while their tax dollars go to years, or both. In 1975 Senator James L. Bucprovide much better for those who do not work.... kley and Congressman Robert "The producer is not to be Michel introduced the National rewarded for his industry, but Food Stamp Reform Act which would save the taxpayers at least $2 penalized." welfare The organized groups billion annually. The bill would high-incoview welfare as a virtually eliminate persons food-stamp unlimited claim on the national from eligibility by cuttreasury. They constantly ting off all families making more maximize the than the federal poverty line of endeavor to benefits. They lobby to expand $5,050 a year, and by disallowing every program, add to the welfare any deductions from gross income constituency (millions of votes), to reach that figure. The bill would and initiate new and bigger also eliminate the voluntarily unemployed, including strikers programs. In this regard, Jeffrey Hart in and college students from the food-stam- p his column of August 30, 1975 program. Thus the Buckley-Mich- el bill would plug the predicted: "Some welfare tacticians loopholes in the present law so that consciously intend these vast only the truly needy would receive expenditures as a way of ban- food stamps. , krupting the system and bringing it down. WHAT YOU CAN DO of The system referred to, is, With the revelations of mascourse, constitutional government sive fraud in the food-stam- p in the United States of America. program, the public is becoming The welfarists' aim is to replace it awakened. If a sufficient number of taxpayers have the facts, as conwith a welfare state. tained in this pamphlet, and if they FOOD-STAMP SCANDAL deluge Congress with tetters of THE or or or me The Department of protest, the Buckley-Mich- el National Food Stamp Reform Act passed. If you wish to help, you are urged to BUY and DISTRIBUTE as d federally-fundethese many copies of this pamphlet as issuing stamps rests with State and local you possibly can. Send copies to welfare officials. your two Senators and your In an article which appeared Congressman. If you dont know in the Rocky Mountain News of their names, telephone your local January 19, 1976, John D. Lofton newspaper which can give you this referred to a couple of investigative information. articles in the Washington Star by Also send or give copies to Michael Satchell. your friends and neighbors, emIt seems that government ployees, members of civic and auditors and FBI agents have un- patriotic groups, etc. covered evidence of massive and illegal use of federal funds among some of the 6,700 banks, credit g outfits and unions, other agencies nationwide that sell food stamps to the public. Continued from page 3 A preliminary survey by December 19, 1974. Within monDepartment of Agriculture invesths he brought out his 1 3 1 3 graffiti. tigators, which only skims the surface, shows that, despite a law Like a weekend lodger who marks which requires them to deposit up the walls and throws out the within 24 hours receipts of $1,000 furniture belonging to his host. Worse, the new 1313 Seal is or more from food-stam- p coupon sates, 18 stamp vendors have not easily adaptable to the U.S. yet deposited receipts totalling Presidency, Rockys not too secret wish. Encircled by the words Vice $8,788,983. Reporter Satchell in the President of the United States, the Washington Star article wrote that Seal can be adjusted to the a portion of this $8.7 million President by dropping one word. The deputy press secretary to seems to have been embezzled, either spent or salted away. Two the Vice President pointed out, In credit-unio- n vendors reportedly order to save money on material used their food stamp receipts to bearing the old Seal, stationery, will be used up before the pay operating expenses and to etc. material with the new Seal is inmake loans. Lofton quoted a top troduced. Americans can stop a vice Agriculture Department official as presidential requisition for new saying: "Just the first quick check has stationery and supplies: they can turned up a handful of vendors storm the U.S. President with rehe rescind owing $8.7 million. How much of quests demanding that E.O. 11884, Rockefellers the money has vanished?... Has it financed illegal activities? Why is it heraldry. Agricultures Food and Nutrition Service is charged with the administration of the food-stam- p program, but the responsibility for check-cashin- will be |