Live Free or Die shouldn't mean Live FOR Free or Die...
Posted on 06/27/2012 3:09:50 PM PDT by magellan
PETERBOROUGH — Jackie R. Whiton of Antrim had been a six-year employee at the Big Apple convenience store in Peterborough until a single transaction sent her job up in smoke. The store clerk was fired after she refused to take a customer's Electronic Balance Transfer card to pay for cigarettes.
Whiton said a young man came in to the store to buy two packs or cigarettes on May 29. When she asked him for his ID, he handed her his EBT card.
EBT cards are used for both food and cash assistance programs. There are two types of cards: one can only be used for food. The other can be spent on anything and used just like a debit card.
Whiton said she did not think EBT cards could be used to purchase cigarettes and refused to sell to him. The two "had a little go-around" as the line got longer behind him, said Whiton.
"I made the statement, ‘do you think myself, that lady and that gentlemen should pay for your cigarettes?' and he responded ‘yes,' " Whiton said.
The next day Whiton said the customer's foster mother came to the store to complain. Whiton received a call later that day from the company's home office in Maine, telling her it had received a complaint about her and reprimanded her.
"I said I would bow out gracefully and give my notice because I didn't want to be a part of it. I'm 65 years old, you know?" Whiton said.
Charles E. Wilkins, the general manager of the C.N. Brown Co. that runs the stores, said the EBT cards in the cash phase could be used for any items, including alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Wilkins said the company gave Whiton the option of staying but she said she would not accept the cards anymore.
"She didn't think it was right and just wasn't going to sell to people in that program anymore," Wilkins said.
Whiton said when she came to work the next day, her manager asked her how much notice she was giving. When she responded "a week," she was told the home office had just called and fired her.
Wilkins said she would have had to accept the cards within that week.
Whiton said she was not looking for another job.
Whiton said she does not object to using the programs for food assistance, but does not think a person should be able to use public funds to buy cigarettes.
"They can't even buy toilet paper with the EBT grocery cards but they can buy beer and cigarettes with the EBT cash cards," Whiton said, "Go figure."
Her opinion and stance doesn’t matter. Cash assistance can be used for whatever. If you don’t like the law lady, write your congress critter..
A woman with principle. An endangered species.
EBT card is probably the only form of voter ID rats would be in favor of.
Same here...
Sounds like they should change the name to OSC cards (Obama's Stash).
Live Free or Die shouldn't mean Live FOR Free or Die...
The cards are now used like cash. The sorriest people I know now hang out at the convenience store spending their “food stamps” (as they call them) on random junk, and they use them to pay their bills to one another, much as prisoners use postage stamps. Perhaps needless to say, prisoners tend to trade in many of the same commodities. This is what has come of the campaign against Hunger in America.
Some cards ARE cash. They put two separate benefits on them, food stamps and cash. The only difference is, used to people would receive a check which they had to go cash and then could spend the money on what they wanted, now they load the cash amount on the same card as the food stamps and they can spend the money on whatever they want.
...EBT cards are used for both food and cash assistance programs. There are two types of cards: one can only be used for food. The other can be spent on anything and used just like a debit card... "I made the statement, 'do you think myself, that lady and that gentlemen should pay for your cigarettes?' and he responded 'yes,' " Whiton said. The next day Whiton said the customer's foster mother came to the store to complain.
Regarding the fact that I,a US taxpayer (and one who's also paid taxed in NH),must help pay for some layabout's smokes all I can say is "nauseating"!
Trust me on this.
I didn’t know there were two types of EBT cards. So the ‘rats answer to eliminating food stamp fraud is to withdraw the requirement that food must be bought with food stamps!
The program is now a no-limit debit card on the taxpayers’ treasury account.
I didn’t know there were two types of EBT cards. So the ‘rats answer to eliminating food stamp fraud is to withdraw the requirement that food must be bought with food stamps!
The program is now a no-limit debit card on the taxpayers’ treasury account.
Agreed. She picked her battle.
Obviously her employer only cares about the dough coming in.
Surprisingly the local CBS station did a nice investigative piece on how TANF is being used in Indiana. All kinds of fun things:
An incense and potpourri shop in Los Angeles ($200)
A beauty supply shop in Stone Mountain, Ga. ($140)
Royal Beauty Salon in Benton Harbor, Mich. ($53)
Beauty One Salon in Chicago ($100 total)
An address one block from the Walt Disney Resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C. ($100)
An address inside Epcot Center at Walt Disney World in Orlando ($400)
11 additional withdrawals made in Orlando from within 10 miles of Disney World ($1,940 total)
7 withdrawals within four miles of Walt Disney Land in Anaheim, Calif. ($660 total)
Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio ($20)
Swinging Bridge RV Park in Byrum, Miss. ($120)
AMF Bowling Lanes #601 in Milwaukee, Wis. ($20)
A Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bloomington, Minn. ($100)
2 withdrawals from Poor Jack’s Amusements and Carnival in Cambridge City, Ind. ($60 total)
3 withdrawals from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in Gatlinburg, Tenn. ($180 total)
Hollywood Fun Park and Carnival in Crestwood, Ill. ($40)
2 withdrawals from a Best Buy electronics store in Merrillville, Ind. ($60 total)
The Gary, Ind., Steelheads Minor League Baseball Park ($120)
The Gary, Ind., Railheads Ballpark ($20)
5 withdrawals from DeltaSonic car washes in the south Chicago suburbs ($400 total)
Anna Maria Island Beach in Holmes Beach, Fla. ($200)
“Her opinion and stance doesn’t matter. Cash assistance can be used for whatever. If you don’t like the law lady, write your congress critter..”
I disagree. Only because of her actions did I learn that my money is LEGALLY able to be used to buy cigarettes and booze for others. I honestly used to get upset that they could use these cards for steamed crabs. I had no idea that it could be used for this crap as well.
Nonsense, I have an EBT card for child support. I don’t smoke and I don’t support using food stamps for non covered items, but not all EBT cards are food stamps!
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