# The Boston bombers were on Public Assistance, do we have the right to their records. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644 "2013-04-25T05:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/1 "2013-04-25T05:08:04Z")
I have a (maybe soon-to-be former) Facebook “friend” obsessed with the fact the bomber was on Food Stamps, and other forms of asistance. Do we have a right to know about his records? Full disclosure: I’m on Food Stamps, and do feel we have a right to know. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/2 "2013-04-25T05:17:20Z")
Why would we have any more right to know that than we do with any of their other personal information? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/3 "2013-04-25T05:21:20Z")
I don’t see what this has to do with anything besides them being low-income. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/4 "2013-04-25T05:23:03Z")
I think he’s wondering where they got the $$$ for their bombing supplies. (BTW, his source is our RW rag newspaper) ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/5 "2013-04-25T05:28:28Z")
How could it possibly matter where they got the money? So like if they weren’t rolling in dough from welfare then they wouldn’t have been able to bomb the marathon? Your friend sounds like an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/6 "2013-04-25T05:29:57Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I have a (maybe soon-to-be former) Facebook “friend” obsessed with the fact the bomber was on Food Stamps, and other forms of asistance. Do we have a right to know about his records? > > Full disclosure: I’m on Food Stamps, and do feel we have a right to know. Correction! We DON’T have the right! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/7 "2013-04-25T05:42:02Z")
Can you turn cake batter into explosives? What could food stamps possibly buy to make bombs? You can’t even buy cookware (like a pressure cooker, for example) with them. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/8 "2013-04-25T05:44:39Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Full disclosure: I’m on Food Stamps, and do feel we have a right to know. Do I have a right to “know about your records”? Why or why not? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/9 "2013-04-25T05:45:23Z")
**Jim** -I didn’t say his idea made sense. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/10 "2013-04-25T05:47:10Z")
**Smapti** -IMO no, because it’s not your business to know how I spend my EBT $$$. Now, if someone is _fraudulently_ on PA, that is something we have the right to know about. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/11 "2013-04-25T05:50:51Z")
Do you have any evidence that the Tsarnaevs were on aassistance fraudulently? And if so, why is it specifically _your_ right to know about it? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/12 "2013-04-25T06:02:35Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Do you have any evidence that the Tsarnaevs were on aassistance fraudulently? And if so, why is it specifically _your_ right to know about it? He corrected himself; he DOESN’T believe it’s our right to know. > [@etv78](#): > > Correction! We DON’T have the right! ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/13 "2013-04-25T06:07:44Z")
Plus, the two comments are unrelated: We have the right to ferret out fraud, we don’t have the right to police people’s food choices. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/14 "2013-04-25T06:52:27Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Can you turn cake batter into explosives? > > What could food stamps possibly buy to make bombs? You can’t even buy cookware (like a pressure cooker, for example) with them. You can use Foodstamps to buy groceries for a 3rd party, then get reimbursed by that 3rd party in cash. When I worked in a supermarkets I saw people try walk up to other customers and try to get them to do this. It’s illegal for both parties. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/15 "2013-04-25T07:03:39Z")
The article my “friend” linked seemed to imply they were on EBT legitimately (he had a family). ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/16 "2013-04-25T07:57:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Can you turn cake batter into explosives? > \*\* > What could food stamps possibly buy to make bombs?\*\* You can’t even buy cookware (like a pressure cooker, for example) with them. **bolding** mine [Flour. Lots of flour.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIkk0D2tUU8) Hey. You asked. Not that this is what the guys in Boston did. CBS News is reporting that the older brother may have been selling drugs. If failure to report that income allowed him to qualify for food stamps then that was fraud, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/17 "2013-04-25T08:52:38Z")
If poor people can eat, the terrorists have won. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/18 "2013-04-25T09:40:14Z")
As someone who works in a grocery store, I find myself wondering if the people who are opposed to food stamps have ever thought about how much more expensive their groceries would be if not for the massive subsidy that food stamps provide to the industry. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/19 "2013-04-25T09:52:58Z")
By all reports, the bombs were made of simple things like the explosive powder from fireworks, BBs and other small bits of metal, and a couple pressure cookers. Hardly an expensive operation. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644/20 "2013-04-25T13:05:03Z")
So, what’s the score? Charging the guy with terrorism can only go so far, but as long as we can get him on welfare fraud we’ve got no worries? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-bombers-were-on-public-assistance-do-we-have-the-right-to-their-records/656644.md?page=2)