EBT has been shut down

[BP]

So Walmart closed stores because the EBT system was down? Can they not operate without people using their government handout cards?

Wow, these handouts are more out of control than I thought. If we can't get rid of the entire program we should at least try to support small businesses by forcing people to use them somewhere else. That'd make sense though and would probably actually help improve the economy so we won't do it.

[racrguy]

So Walmart closed stores because the EBT system was down? Can they not operate without people using their government handout cards?

Wow, these handouts are more out of control than I thought. If we can't get rid of the entire program we should at least try to support small businesses by forcing people to use them somewhere else. That'd make sense though and would probably actually help improve the economy so we won't do it.

Unless I missed it somewhere, they didn't close the store, they gave free reign on it and when they announced that limits were back folks just left things where they sat.

[Sean88gt]

nsfw

I think the most offensive part about that video is 1) the truth and 2) I can't tell if it's a parody or not.

[juiceweezl]

Unless I missed it somewhere, they didn't close the store, they gave free reign on it and when they announced that limits were back folks just left things where they sat.

Yep. That's what it seems happened. I think it would be great if those Wal-Mart stores would no longer take EBT cards because "the people" ruined it and now there is too much risk of them losing money. They should throw it back to the idiots that knew damn good and well what they were doing.

[GhostTX]

[Forever_frost]

As a result of the temporary outage, over 12,000 transactions showed non-sufficient funds once it got back online and retailers were able to process the purchases, according to The Advocate.

The computer glitch that occurred on Oct. 12 wasn’t limited to just Louisiana. At least 17 states were affected, resulting in many shoppers filling their carts to overflowing to The Advocate.

Depending upon how many prior infractions recipients have on their record, they will face losing benefits for a period one year, two years or permanently.

The Jindal administration will start with the worst case examples first, then work their way down, according to Suzy Sonnier, secretary of the state Department of Children and Family Services.

“We must protect the program for those who receive and use their benefits appropriately according to the law,” Sonnier said in a prepared statement. “We are looking at each case individually, addressing those recipients who are suspected of misrepresenting their eligibility for benefits or defrauding the system.”

Late last week, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called on Louisiana officials to take steps against those who engaged in outright theft through their shopping sprees and left merchants such as Wal-Mart holding the bag.

“The outrageous theft and fraud at several Louisiana retailers, including at the Wal-Mart stores in Mansfield and Springhill, is completely unacceptable,” Vitter wrote in a letter to the Jindal administration. “Like many citizens, I am appalled and believe there should be serious consequences for what occurred; so far, I have heard of none.”

Texas mom speaks out about viral letter to Obama: ‘I’m one of millions’

Administration officials noted that the abuse during the glitch was state-wide.

“The recent over-the-top food stamp theft and fraud gave Louisiana and the program a real black eye. I’m certainly glad the state is acting on my urgent suggestion. I look forward to discussing the details with Secretary Sonnier in my upcoming meeting with her and Attorney General (Buddy) Caldwell,” Vitter said in a prepared statement.

The Advocate reported:

When the system goes down, retailers are supposed to limit food stamp recipients to $50 in groceries. Some retailers simply turned away food stamp recipients. Others allowed them to buy as much as they wanted and stored the transactions to process when the system rebooted. The retailers that ignored the emergency protocol lost countless dollars.

* * *
In Springhill, police detained a woman who pushed a cart with $700 in groceries up to a cash register despite having less than 50 cents on her food stamp card. Wal-Mart instructed police to release the woman without citing her.

The Jindal administration reported that some violators weren’t even eligible for food stamps.

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/11/07/louisiana-food-stamp-abusers-will-lose-benefits-over-wal-mart-free-for-all-86692

[Chili]

Depending upon how many prior infractions recipients have on their record, they will face losing benefits for a period one year, two years or permanently.

Awesome!

[2011GT]

If Walmart turned people away with snap cards that day the news would instead be "Walmart getting used because of discrimination"

[Broncojohnny]

Just remember that Mitt Romney is the greedy one though because he worked a hundred hours a week to make millions.

[dsrtuckteezy]

it is tough not to say some racist shit after watching a video like this.

[jyro]

the same people with the ACA website won the contract for EBT site?

[stevo]

Conspiracy to defraud the government. Prison time.

Stevo

[Forever_frost]

http://minutemennews.com/2013/11/bobby-jindal-cancels-snap-cards-ebt-free-comes-high-price/

Remember last month when EBT cards in Louisiana showed no limits? Remember how all of those EBT users had a chaos-fueled shopping spree and emptied store shelves within hours? Remember how that one woman with only 49 cents left on her card tried to leave with $700 worth of food?

Well, the governor of Louisianna remembers too, and he has taken the unprecedented move of canceling the benefits cards for every person suspect of participating in the fraudulent free-for-all.

… Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal’s office will cancel food stamp benefits for anyone who participated in a fraud and shopping spree catalyzed by an EBT malfunction.

More than 12,000 people were sent an insufficient funds notice when the problem with the EBT cards was fixed on Oct. 12; those who transgressed may lose their EBT cards for a year.

Suzy Sonnier, the secretary of state at the Department of Children and Family Services, released a statement saying: “We must protect the program for those who receive and use their benefits appropriately according to the law. We are looking at each case individually, addressing those recipients who are suspected of misrepresenting their eligibility for benefits or defrauding the system.” (source)

It all started on October 12, when technical problems plagued the EBT system across the country. 17 states were affected. Most of the benefits recipients couldn’t use their cards at all, causing mini-riots across the country when they were unable to buy food for their families. Within a few days, the USDA had sent notices to the states ordering them to freeze SNAP funds as a contingency plan because of the government shutdown. Meanwhile, in a few places in Louisiana, the EBT malfunction caused the cards to show no limit, and many stores allowed users to shop anyway.

And shop they did. Even though the accepted policy is to allow benefits recipients to purchase $50 worth of groceries in the event that cards malfunction, many stores did not limit purchases. Grocery carts were filled with reckless abandon and users gleefully left the stores with hundreds of dollars worth of ill-gotten supplies.

[diablo rojo]

Good, fuck 'em.