NYU Student On Food Stamps

Tell that to the people that leave the supermarket in $60,000 SUVs after using food stamps to pay for a good portion of their grocery bill. Wake up, this system is fraud-laden.

This is something I find infuriating, and surprisingly common. How can you have a car and qualify for food stamps, or any sort of public assistance? Having a large family or something? I was on one of the state health care things for a while, and as soon as I found a low-paying part-time job I was making too much to qualify for anything.

Wow people make some pretty ignorant statements, including Mr. McLendon & his faux-PC all-accepting attitude of the people on line with him outside the welfare office. "Welfare Queens" was a pretty big blunder though, unless there's some new transgendered/ on welfare group I haven't heard about.
With the exception of those patting themselves on the back for holding 2-3 FT jobs as single parents AND walking uphill(both ways)in the snow 20 miles to school each day, I'd take a gamble that many who read + commented on this article have never really wanted for much of anything. I'd also gamble that most have definately not had to go sit in a welfare office & deal with the displaced frustration & passive aggression of some of the workers(think DMVx10) or really have a clue about how the welfare system in the US actually "works." While it doesn't surprise me, it still infuriates & depresses me to read such judgemental & paternalistic comments...Of course there's fraud in the system- what large system doesn't have fraud? Just because SOME people exploit it doesn't mean everybody on P.A.(that's Public Assistance) is a liar, alchoholic/drug addict, criminal, stupid, or think they're owed something, enjoy living on all that "free money" & want to be dependant for the rest of their lives. I hope that none of you with your helpful suggestions of what people on P.A. "should" or should not have or-even better-WHAT FOOD they should buy or not buy, never have the misfortune to need PA yourselves.

Seriously? Did you read my comment about how I'm doing it, but not happy about it? Sorry you couldn't get the A's, neither can I. Thus: I wish I could have gone on foodstamps to save myself some hassle and maybe get the A's.

At the end of the day I would rather have a B and no food stamps then an A with food stamps, Maybe you would have saved yourself the hassle, but I now have to work another 10 hours to pay for your food.

Jews? You mean Sids, I think (Hasidem: the guys with the funny curls who drive minivans and fund terrorists).

Please don't lump the rest of us in with them. Or are all Christians like Fred Phelps?

I'm not trying to attack you here, but well paying jobs are not nearly as damaged or scarce as low paying jobs in the current job market.
I noticed that you intentionally wrote "well-paying jobs are hard to come by", which makes it sound like you are unwilling to settle for an average paying job...which brings me back to my previous point above. (and makes you sound like an over-privileged obnoxious nyu stereotype)
You should call Suzy Orman, she will put your ass in line.

I am willing to settle for an average paying job and in fact have done so - I'm temping currently and am barely staying afloat. I specified "well-paying" for just that reason - even if you're working it might not be enough to pay all the bills. I'm doing everything I can and will be applying for income based repayment to lower my loan bills so I can afford things better. I'm not getting any help from anyone and wouldn't ask for it even if I could. So, no I'm not one of those NYU stereotypes. I graduated at the wrong damn time is all.

I don't feel sorry for him either and even though he might not be privileged and/or obnoxious he sure isn't very smart to have borrowed nearly $100k in loans for a profession that is dying a slow agonizing death. If you can't make through college paying off a majority of your tuition with grants and scholarships then you should just stick with state or city college because those debts will stick with you for life. You can't write off those student loans by declaring bankruptcy.

That's not true; it strongly depends on the economy and your major. I went to private school and had 21K of debt when I got out. But I paid it all off because I majored in a desirable field ... not a dying field or a field that requires wealthy parents (eg, literature, history, Ancient Greek).

That's exactly what I did. I attended NYU (as a transfer undergrad) on scholarships and loans. My program was extremely time consuming and I was probably one of the only students working outside the school for an additional 25 hours a week (at my prior college I thought nothing about attending school full time plus a 40 hr a week job). I received food stamps for about 6 months when I needed them desperately, and have no regrets; I also realized that if I was going to be sexually active, I was obligated to practice birth control consistently and responsibly to prevent any surprises in the equation.

Your net weekly income is no different if you choose the same program at a cheaper school and any loans are to be paid back after graduation. A scholarship awarded by a particular school isn't magically going to be transferred to your bank account for living expenses if you suddenly decide not to attend that school. Depending on the financial aid package, a school more expensive on paper might actually be the more economical choice.

The food stamp program was a bit humbling at the time, but it was valuable in that it gave me greater empathy for others. It also a great reminder how few steps can lie between a secure existence and a life on the streets.

What, should they just be eating potato chips and twinkies from the bodega?

Honestly, I feel pretty good about my tax money going towards students. They're as likely as not going to be useful members of society, and I see no reason why they should suffer unduly.

I mean, hey, good on you for taking the tough route, but I don't see it as at all necessary.

Honestly, I feel pretty good about my tax money going towards students. They're as likely as not going to be useful members of society, and I see no reason why they should suffer unduly.
That shouldn't be how taxes are spent. If you feel good about your $$ going to students, feel free to donate to a charity or scholarship. We should be getting our budget under control, not handing out food stamps to people who should be working.

McLendon waited more than seven hours over two days to see a food stamps counselor in Williamsburg

two days he could have been earning $$ doing part time work, probably at the very grocery store he went to spend the food stamps at.

Who should we be handing out food stamps to?

Exactly. It's not just about graduating at the wrong time. It's about picking a dying profession.

That's worse than voting for Nader.

i love it when broke people wear multiple piercings and tattoos. Shows where their money goes.

Also, there is no right way to answer this conundrum. You can't quantify "poor" and "deserving."

I want to CUNY and I could buy myself with my debt.