Study – Grow – Know

EBT Madness: A Picture of Things to Come?

October 14, 2013 at 10:36 AM 4 comments

Shopping carts filled with food going bad…

Most are aware that last week, the EBT card system that those on welfare use to buy food, etc., had some major glitches. “When the federal EBT food stamp system suffered a critical failure on Saturday, local retailers were disconnected from the federal food stamp database that keeps track of how much credit is left on each individual EBT card. Seizing the opportunity provided by the glitch, EBT card holders in Louisiana ransacked their local Wal-Mart stores, stuffing their shopping carts full of groceries and ‘paying’ for them with near-empty EBT cards that essentially had unlimited account balances because all accounting was offline.”

This obviously created a huge problem that was not immediately fixed. It took some time, which prompts us to ask, “What happens in the future when glitches happen that cause a longer outage? What will those on welfare do then?

This is, of course, the problem with relying on computers to run our lives as well as the problem related to expecting the government to fill your needs on a permanent basis. Computers literally do control many areas of our lives and I think we have long gotten past the point of even noticing it. We’ll get back to EBT cards in a moment.

Consider your life. Can you name things that are not run by or connected to, a computer of some type? I was going through a mental list and most of the things I thought of rely on computers.

• Cars – years ago, everything was pretty straightforward. Nowadays, computers control everything from gas usage to lights and gauges on our dashboards.
• TVs and Electronics – most TVs and electronic components have some sort of computerized technology built into them.
• Appliances – Refrigerators, dishwashers, and the like are controlled by computers.

Our food and clothing is not yet controlled by computers, but too often, how they are processed and made is controlled by computerized technology. Of course, the financial system is run by and controlled by computers.

Go to just about any restaurant and see computers at work, controlling air conditioning, cash registers, ovens, etc. We are a society built upon computers and we cannot get away from it.

The EBT system for welfare recipients (known in politically correct terminology as “beneficiaries”) went down in 17 states. People took advantage of it and tried to load up with as much as they could when their debit cards showed “no limit.” When the system eventually came back on-line with proper limits and information being restored, folks just left their filled carts in the aisles and left.

I see this as a bit of a dry run by the powers that be. Though we are told it has nothing to do with the government “shut-down,” the truth of the matter is that much of what seems to be happening in society right now is being foisted on us by those in control. It’s difficult – as an intelligent person – to come to any other conclusion. Even if I’m wrong here, this incident gives us a bird’s-eye view of what happens when systems go down. It’s not pretty.

But it’s not just those in control of these systems, but those who take advantage of these same systems when they experience glitches. We note that “one woman who racked up $700 worth of groceries had only 49 cents on her card. That’s $699.51 in theft.” This is certainly how at least some people on welfare think (but not all of them, thank goodness).

2 Timothy 3:2 says, “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy…” and the list continues with more verses following. This is increasingly how more and more people are thinking these days.

I firmly believe things like this happen in order to test society’s reaction. If they weren’t planned, the powers that be still learn how people react to them. I believe the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the aftermath when riot/tactical law enforcement went through homes one by one, illegally searching people and their homes was also to test society’s reaction.

Ultimately, what does this incident with EBT cards tell us? It tells us how some people will react when they believe they do not have access to what they believe they “deserve.” If they’ll steal from Wal-Mart, won’t they steal from those of us who appear to be “rich” to them? I have no doubt. Will the government be able to protect us?

The Bible says the times are going to be really bad in the end. I believe those times are here now and if you haven’t prepared, might I suggest you start preparing? Part of that preparation comes from drawing close to the One who keeps and saves us. He will provide wisdom as He will provide protection for His own as well. Yet, persecution exists and is growing throughout the globe? Is God protecting those Christians going through the fire now? Certainly, by protecting their souls.

It seems as though the world has gone wacky. In the midst of the turmoil, like the people of Noah’s day, folks carry on and continue. They do what people do in society: root for their favorite sports team, get engaged or married, buy and sell, etc. These things are not wrong in and of themselves. The problem is when people do those things and fail to see problems in society or they bury themselves in those things so they won’t see the problems in society.

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Satan will do this any way he can. His hatred runs deep and grows as he knows his time becomes shorter. Prepare, be aware about the things in society that are happening. Take off the blinders.

Entry filed under: Life in America, Religious - Christian - Theology, Shadow Government, Socialism.