two days ago, someone came up to me in the grocery store offering to exchange $20 of groceries via food stamps for $10, presumably for the drug of choice here, meth. it's not the first time
You know times are getting tough when the college students start fighting the pensioners for free samples at Costco.
nah, i turned him down. it wasn't really for ethical reasons, it was more out of wondering about the scenarios and hassle of the exchange (would i have to walk him through the checkout lane? is it legal and how many cameras are on me?). now that i think of it, another reason would be whether the $10 is worth the risk of having this hep B candidate touching one's fruit? gotta protect yourself against those black swans
Taco bell is cheap, get 3 or 4 of the 89cent bean burritos. Taste terrible, but pretty filling. Or subway's 5$ footlong deals can last 2 meals. Ramen noodles, or regular speghetti noodles are cheap as well, just melt butter on them; taste alright. Can also get those 2 liter bottles of offbrand soda or fruitpunch for like 89cents or 99cents sometimes, and that can last days, or water is near free.
Hmm, maybe for drugs, but maybe cash for shoes, birthday for family, school paper, pencil, soap, clothes for school dance, light bulb, batteries... Yes, there is drug addiction with the poor, but big money for drugs comes from people with addiction who are rich.
and from the taxpayer too it seems. it could've been for pens, shoes, or his kids. but doesn't he and his kids eat food? and can't you get every single one of those things you mentioned including chocolates, flowers and cards, but not shoes, from the grocery store? in all seriousness, meth is very big here and he was an alcoholic at a minimum. while we're on the subject, we make drugs illegal which merely raises the cost of the drug and does nothing to limit the supply. meanwhile it drives the business underground and contributes heavily to much of the violent crime. the cost of cocaine goes up, but what's the unintended consequence? the high prices of cocaine pushes people who would otherwise use it into the very cheap, but much more dangerous meth, which is made from household goods like sudafed in the bathtub. this has contributed to a surge of deadly house fires, and tainted houses that must be condemned.
Even in Canada News is the inflation is going to be Low so the people on Welfare program will not get any increase in benefits for several years to come