A Michigan woman who won a $1-million lottery jackpot last fall admits she's continued to collect $200 a month in public assistance. That's not all: The 24-year-old also says she deserves the financial aid because she's now saddled with expenses related to two houses.

Can you hear that bellowing and clanging of pitchforks? That's the sound of Michigan taxpayers' outrage.

The situation came to light this week after the Detroit-area Local 4 station received a hot tip: "Please do a story on lottery winners on welfare."

Local 4 did just that. First, it tracked Amanda Clayton using her public assistance card at a local snack market. Then, it tracked Clayton out to her home, where she was packing up a U-Haul for a move to her new place -- a home she had bought with cash from her lottery earnings, along with a new car.

Clayton, stopped in her driveway, barely flinched when the camera and microphone were thrust in her face. Nor did the single mother of two backpedal; she said she deserves the extra income just like any other taxpayer on public assistance.

"I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought maybe it was OK because I'm not working," Clayton told the reporter. "I feel that it's OK because, I mean, I have no income, and I have bills to pay. I have two houses."

she also quibbles with the reporter who wonders how she can justify taking public aid after winning $1 million on the state's "Make Me Rich!" television show. After taking the lottery payment in a lump sum and paying taxes upfront, she walked away with much less. (Clayton's mother told the media her daughter pocketed about $500,000.)

It's not clear that Clayton is actually doing anything wrong, mind you. She does not have a job, and as a result, does not technically have any income.

But the idea of a lottery winner on welfare does not sit well with Michigan state Rep. Dale Zorn.

The Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation, now pending, that would trigger a state notification whenever a resident wins more than $1,000 in the lottery. He authored that legislation after it was discovered that another Michigan resident, Leroy Fick, continued drawing public assistance after winning a $2-million lottery jackpot in 2010.

The problem, Zorn told The Times on Wednesday, is that many lottery winners opt to take their earnings in a lump sum and pay their taxes upfront. That helps them to largely fly under the radar.

Under Zorn's pending legislation, lottery officials would be required to alert the state's Department of Human Services, which oversees public assistance, whenever a state resident wins more than $1,000.

http://articles.latimes.c...e-20120307

http://prince.org/msg/100/377337

nursev said:

http://prince.org/msg/100/377337

baby got me back, jack!!!

Now she has enough dough to get off welfare and pay back whatever $$$ with a smile. Ya gotta admit, even with a welfare check, one never knows where one may end up tomorrow.

She said she didn't know.

Billmenever said:

Now she has enough dough to get off welfare and pay back whatever $$$ with a smile. Ya gotta admit, even with a welfare check, one never knows where one may end up tomorrow.

She said she didn't know.

She knew. She was just trying to get over on the system.

I saw the story on the news last night and she said she was using the benefits because she was still struggling. Still struggling? Get rid of one of your two houses! Or rent one out! And she was probably buying her kids expensive name brand clothes and lord only knows what else! You know how some parents think their 9 year old kid is just going to die if he's not sporting a $200 pair of sneakers! $500,000 is not a lot of money. You have to be smart and not blow it all on unnecessary shit, which is really easy to do.

[Edited 3/10/12 19:03pm]

how is this thread still not locked?

if i post one the NEARLY sounds

like a repeat it get kilt

hmmmmedit

[Edited 3/11/12 21:06pm]