[ExI] Charity

[Stathis Papaioannou]

2009/7/24 Mirco Romanato <painlord2k at libero.it>:

>> If you lie that is fraud and you have to at least pay the
>> money back and possibly be fined or imprisoned as well.
>
> In UK and US I think there is little interest in following these people.
> They also have little to lose, so what?
> It is not that if you cheat the government there are laws stripping you
> from any and every future welfare.
> Do it with a private charity and you are out forever and ever, and
> probably other charities will learn of you.
>
>> Charities are
>> generally much more trusting; if they require proof at all, they
>> generally don't have the power to check it. Fortunately not many
>> people try to abuse charities,
>
> So, do you believe that people that cheat the government have problem to
> cheat charities? If they are easier targets, why they don't prefer them
> to the government?

My experience of charities such as the Salvation Army in Australia is
that you simply have to turn up and ask for food or clothing or
emergency accommodation and they give it to you. There may be some
cheating but it doesn't seem to be such a big problem, although
perhaps this is just a relative thing since the private charity sector
is so much smaller and more limited than the government welfare
sector. Welfare cheats, on the other hand, are dealt with very
harshly, perhaps too harshly. A large number of women prisoners, for
example, are incarcerated for welfare fraud.


-- 
Stathis Papaioannou