My firstĀ āreal jobā out of college was working for the welfare fraud and collection line.
If ever there was a job that made you despair for humanity.
I learned two things there:Ā
1. People are petty-ass bitches who canāt stand to see their āneighbor on welfareā doing ābetterā than they are.
2. 99.9999% of the time there was no actual fraud, just a GROSS lack of knowledge as to how the welfare system actually works on the part of both non-recipients.
Example: Had some guy report his neighbor for owning anĀ āexpensive antique carā. Said car was a 1978 Buick with no remaining paint, no hubcaps, and was at least fifth-hand. At the time, the year was 2002. I politely explained that a) thatās not a classic car and b) he should pity his neighbor the gas mileage and insurance costs. The caller said he had not thought of that and hung up.
My other favorite was someone calling to report that their āneighbor on welfareā who was a single mother with no income or support had her children in aĀ āprivate schoolā. I asked what the name of the school was. Said private school is actually a charity-run orphanage and school for children who have no parents, or whose family situation is less than stable. I informed the caller of this and they hung up without a word.
Someone else called and felt that theirĀ āneighbor on welfareā should have to sell all their jewelry, antiques, family heirlooms, and collection of vintage sports memorabilia before they could be eligible to beĀ āgiven free moneyā by the state.
The system is old, overtaxed, convoluted, and being forced to function in a way that was never intended. Like the workhouses of the 19th c, welfare was originally for out of work men. But the people who wound up using it were women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. This continues to this day.
If thereās fraud, itās minimal to the point of barely existing. Yaāll are just greedy, nosy, entitled assholes who canāt mind your own damn business. If you REALLY want to do something aboutĀ āall these people on welfareā try, I donāt know, ACTUALLY HELPING THEM. Offer to watch their kids. Make them a casserole. Drive them to the store. Donāt make their lives harder than they already are. I guarantee, their lives are a LOT harder than yours.
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