Yes woman who won $1M lotto SHOULD get food stamps.

[Sweater Cows!]

I differ from most, but I am looking at his long term and here is why I think she should continue to get food stamps.

If after taxes she is left with 700,000 dollars that is not very much money. Once invested the sum will draw anywhere from Zero to maybe in a really ,really good year 12%. So 12% of 700K is 84,000 dollars,but we all know in the next few years she will be lucky to be drawing 4-6%.

So lets meet in the middle and say in the next ten years she is lucky enough to draw 5%. The dividend on 5% is $35,000. So with that 35K  to reinvest so as not to drain the principal. If she did not reinvest any dividends she would have the winnings depleted to zero dollars in 20 years.If she has issues with her houses she may need to tap into the principal even more for repairs and continuing taxes and maintenance.

The woman looks my age, so if that is the case, and the economy stays in the tank and she can't find work, well, she will be back on social services at age 55. So since she had to pay roughly half of the $1M win in taxes she is getting her money back in any services she uses for the next few years anyway. She is not touching our money.

I think the importance of having a nest egg so when she turns 70 and wants to retire she does not have to live like many elderly people is more important right now than having her live off the 500,000 that she has and then the money is just gone and she is back to being on welfare. We all know medicare and social security are not really enough for anyone to live a good life.

I would rather see someone maintain their investments and use some welfare now to get by than to drain the principal and end up broke again in 20 years.

Some people will say who needs two houses? But when it comes down to it the fact of having a second home could also be important for retirement as a person can sell one and have some funds to live.

I now see the legislature is looking to make people claim even a $1000 dollar win in monies. That is insane, 1K is enough to almost pay the taxes on the house for a year or a months rent and groceries and then poof! it's gone.

[Dave]

Think the law has already changed actually... in part actually to a prior lottery winner that won around 2 million yet was still enjoying benefits.

I don't think she will do much if any time... probably plead it down to something minor, will be required to repay what she received in benefits and will be barred from receiving benefits in the future. If she gets into to much financial trouble then maybe she'll just have to sell one of her houses... darn her luck.

[snide]

But that's my point , Dave.... Sure , if you win huge at a casino(a private enterprise) a tax bill is involved (payed to the government). But when you win the lottery,where both the Mega millions and Powerball are both played in 46 states, why are you paying the tax to the people that are running the game.....? Now this woman won the State of Michigan lottery, but it also the State of Michigan that is coming after her........i'd say Bill Schutte is more of a problem than a solution.............

[Willy]

I don't like what she did but her penalty should be to pay back the money which should include hefty fines. She didn't try to hide the fact that she was collecting the money.  Prosecuting her is not the answer. There are many others who set out to steal from the Government by fraud, these are the people who should be jailed. 

[AQUAMAN]

I agree Willy, and partially with X too. This whole system of benefits is designed to help those in need, right now, never mind the past, nor the future. It's TODAY that counts. Today she is a recipient of a large lotto winning, and that alone, unto itself, is the whole point in her NOT having any right to the continuance of benefits. She acted without regard to what is her present financial condition, irregardless of huge financial gains for the present. That was Totally Wrong, and if she had any conscience and common sense, she would have known it. Besides, what's to stop her from asking a financial adviser/attorney for a legal answer to that particular question? She was obviously greedy and without care to the benefit system that helped her many months/years, and thought she was entitled now too, because she would spend it anyways later, or sooner, and then would return to her former status of poor person. Convoluted thinking by an obvious far left wing Liberal, that thinks they not only know it all, but are entitled to it all. Sorry, don't pass GO, just Go to Jail!