Anonymous wrote:OP here. I checked my neighborhood school and it's almost 50% farms. Houses here are between 600k-800k. One bedroom garden apartments are 1800/m. I used to live in them and they don't seem overcrowded. Not sure how people make it on that little $. And there is no project based subsided housing in the immediate area.

Some sort of lie. Others live with a family member or friend who owns the home.

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are lying.

And it isn't just free lunch students are getting - it is a whole host of other benefits. Parking passes. Gym uniforms.

I used to be a teacher and at the beginning of the year we were required to visit every single student in their home. So I saw how they lived. They were not lying.

Anonymous wrote:My students who I know are free lunch (they told me)
1. Mom works at dollar tree, dad is a gardener/drives a snow plow 1 bedroom apartment.
2. Mom cleans houses, dad is out of the country. Rent a (likely illegal) room in a basement.
3. Mom/dad/grandma/3 kids live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Grandma watches the cousins and neighbor kids in the apartment during the day, dad drives a taxi, not sure what mom does.

I hear the same things. But also some of them share a house with a large number of relatives (one told me he lived in a townhouse with 18 people). The poorest kids' familes were bouncing from place to place, staying with this or that family in a spare bedroom for a few weeks or months at a time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I checked my neighborhood school and it's almost 50% farms. Houses here are between 600k-800k. One bedroom garden apartments are 1800/m. I used to live in them and they don't seem overcrowded. Not sure how people make it on that little $. And there is no project based subsided housing in the immediate area.

This is what I don't understand. How are the low income people not priced out of the area?

They are, on their owns. But check out craigslist. Roommates, basement rentals, etc. People use credit or get loans (not countable for SNAP benefits.) Spend 80% of their take home on rent and don't buy themselves anything. Etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I checked my neighborhood school and it's almost 50% farms. Houses here are between 600k-800k. One bedroom garden apartments are 1800/m. I used to live in them and they don't seem overcrowded. Not sure how people make it on that little $. And there is no project based subsided housing in the immediate area.

This is what I don't understand. How are the low income people not priced out of the area?

I AM priced out of my area and always have been, even as a two income family during my marriage. But I wanted access to the best public schools I could manage so housing is an indecently large chunk of my income and we scrimp on everything else. I rarely buy new clothing for myself or the kids. We used to have a 15 year old car and now have no car. We almost never eat out, go to the movies, or go on vacation. Last three vacations my best friend hosted us at the beach. And that's three times in eight years. We did take one bare bones international trip that was years of scrimping and saving. No fancy electronics except my smart phone which is how I get anything done and, no, the gov't doesn't pay for it. My kids don't have Xbox or Wii. I cut our hair. We can just barely swing rent by cutting out all the fat.
I don't think I'm alone. I know many other families making similar choices to live in a good school zone.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I checked my neighborhood school and it's almost 50% farms. Houses here are between 600k-800k. One bedroom garden apartments are 1800/m. I used to live in them and they don't seem overcrowded. Not sure how people make it on that little $. And there is no project based subsided housing in the immediate area.

This is what I don't understand. How are the low income people not priced out of the area?

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are lying.

And it isn't just free lunch students are getting - it is a whole host of other benefits. Parking passes. Gym uniforms.

You sound very cynical and dramatic.

I think a lot of people are lying.

And it isn't just free lunch students are getting - it is a whole host of other benefits. Parking passes. Gym uniforms.

Anonymous wrote:
Is there one liar out there? Sure. Does that mean most people are liars? No.

Is the OP trying to figure out whether to lie or not? ??

OP, don't lie. The truth is always the best policy in the end. Liars tend to get "outed" sooner or later. It's better to live your life on the high road . . . the low road isn't going to make you feel better about yourself and, in the end, you have to live with yourself. And your children will respect you more.

Best comment on the whole thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can be "legal" and still be a freeloader. But entitlement programs are full of fraud and the government doesn't give a shit, which really pisses me off. I have no trouble helping people truly in need. Why is it so hard to distinguish them from the rest?!?

I'm a foster parent, which means my foster children get free lunch-- no doubt bumping up some of those percentages you see in otherwise high income areas.
I certainly can afford to pay for lunch for the kids- I'm curious if you consider me to be a 'legal' freeloader.

No.

+1000 NP here with no prior comments. Absolutely not.

People who get paid under the table and don't pay taxes.

Is there one liar out there? Sure. Does that mean most people are liars? No.

Is the OP trying to figure out whether to lie or not? ??

OP, don't lie. The truth is always the best policy in the end. Liars tend to get "outed" sooner or later. It's better to live your life on the high road . . . the low road isn't going to make you feel better about yourself and, in the end, you have to live with yourself. And your children will respect you more.

Clearly the majority of people on this thread don't even understand how the system works. The majority of the "unethical" claims are well within the rules, all of which are public documents. Chances are most of what you think is fraud is actually your misunderstanding. But by all means, carry on complaining a lot and doing nothing to change things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can be "legal" and still be a freeloader. But entitlement programs are full of fraud and the government doesn't give a shit, which really pisses me off. I have no trouble helping people truly in need. Why is it so hard to distinguish them from the rest?!?

Untrue, every county has dedicated fraud investigators. If you know of someone freeloading, make an anonymous referral. If you are just speculating, well LOL.

So you are denying there is rampant fraud??? Bwhahahaha.

Do you have any evidence there is? Proof, not your own inklings. And if so, why aren't you reporting it? Anyone who knew for a fact it was happening and legitimately cared would be reporting and not complaining on DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can be "legal" and still be a freeloader. But entitlement programs are full of fraud and the government doesn't give a shit, which really pisses me off. I have no trouble helping people truly in need. Why is it so hard to distinguish them from the rest?!?

Untrue, every county has dedicated fraud investigators. If you know of someone freeloading, make an anonymous referral. If you are just speculating, well LOL.

So you are denying there is rampant fraud??? Bwhahahaha.