Wow, I had no idea so many people were on foodstamps. I really feel like I am missing out on the current welfare feeding frenzy. If I were to get laid off today I think I would be able to turn my 'benefits' into a 2-3 year vacation.
If you have any money in the bank, it's doubtful--- you generally don't qualify for food stamps if you have more than $2000 (perhaps up to $5000, depending on the state and your family size), since they're only intended for people who actually have no money.
Money is easy to dispose of, or at least hide under the mattress. I'm sure I could also go the the ER enough times to be diagnosed with some chronic condition that will qualify me for SSI.
Well, sure, all sorts of fraud is possible to commit. You could also sell shoddy products under false pretenses, or build a broken webapp that keeps rebilling people when they try to cancel, or offer to buy a company with money you don't have; or all sorts of other ways to take money that you're not legitimately entitled to, but may or may not manage to get away with.
You've never been poor have you? And I don't just mean "Oh, I guess I have to eat Ramen more than I used to" poor. I mean "Damn, how am I going to pay rent this month?" poor or "How do I feed my kids?" poor.
