It happens sometimes, but I don't think its the norm. And it doesn't always work out cleanly. Perhaps he got a stack of T bones, but that may have been all he got.
We used to have a roommate years ago. The guy was the definition of mooch. While we both received food stamps(our incomes and were separate, and we did not eat together), my husband worked and he didn't, and he received more as a lone man than we did as a family of 3. He would go out once a month, stock up on Reeces, Whoopers, Pepsi, and Pringles(that was all he would eat). Eventually, he tried to commit suicide. I took him to the hospital, and they put him in the psychiatric ward. Three days later, they booted him out, despite him still saying he would try it again. No insurance. They're legally required to keep you 3 days, but after that, tough tooties. So, while he got a full ride regarding food(and we got stuck housing him), he didn't have what he really needed, which was good psychiatric care(and perhaps that would have changed his lifestyle, as well).
We had another jerk neighbor who used to take his girlfriend's FIP(money meant for single mothers)payout, go to the gas station, remove it from the FIP card as cash, buy a case of beer and take the rest to the strip club. The money was meant for clothing and other needs for the kids. It wasn't the kids' fault he did that, and it isn't necessarily the government being suckered, as almost every other person I knew getting FIP money used it for... well, normal stuff.
The thing is, we hear about the abuses. No one remarks "Hey, my cousin got food stamps, and he spent it on food!" because these circumstances don't illicit emotional responses. There are many people out there on public assistance, but no one knows because they don't talk about it, use it legally and wisely, and no attention is brought to them.
