I think the fear of the American poor rioting (and threatening the “haves”) is being trumped up just a bit here.
I fundamentally believe that most of those EBT/SNAP patrons of the cleaned-out Louisiana Walmart WOULD take a decent FT job if offered to them.
This little experiment was borne out of massive numbers of Hurricane Katrina victims successfully resettled in the Houston, TX area, and also in the states of NE and MN (both completely antithetical to their culture). All except the senior citizens went on to complete their job training or educations and/or take FT or PT jobs to support their families.
There wasn’t much difference, if any, in the “family dynamics” of those hurricane victims and today’s LA residents standing in line to “overcharge” their EBT cards at Walmart.
The state of LA has never had nearly enough jobs of any kind to offer their resident citizenry. Much of the state is not even buildable due its high water table and swampland. The LA residents who never left after Katrina stayed for two reasons:
1) They had a home on higher ground or a relative’s home on higher ground to move into; or
2) their damaged homes were still habitable AND they were able to get enough in insurance proceeds to repair their homes and move back in.
Even though Shreveport (where the recent EBT “shopping spree” took place) is a different area than New Orleans, the culture is the same. I’m speaking here of food, family customs and religion. It is very hard for longtime residents to just pick up and leave, especially senior citizens. This particular culture is present only in the state of LA and cannot be duplicated anywhere else.
If it’s any consolation, the mammoth Walmart corporation got stuck with the tab because they did not adhere to LA Dept of Children and Family Services rules:
Two Walmart stores in Louisiana will have to foot the bill for unauthorized purchases made by food stamp recipients who went on a wild shopping spree after a glitch in the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system gave them unlimited spending power for two hours, according to state officials.
In an ABC News report, Trey Williams, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, said retailers who chose not to adhere to emergency procedures limiting sales up-to $50 per cardholder during an emergency would be responsible for any additional amount spent over eligible benefit balances…
And Mississippi, where the “riots” happened due to EBT glitches, is the poorest state in the nation. Again due to the dearth of good jobs available there for its residents. If you take a lot of those residents, put them in a u-haul and relocate them, you might be surprised to see that a lot of them are gainfully employed within months.
