Lessons Learned Louisiana Run on Wal-Mart

Last Saturday, a computer glitch enabled some EBT cards to show as having basically no credit limit for a two hour period at a couple of Wal-Mart stores.  While the glitch was being fixed, company management made the decision to allow the EBT transactions to go through anyway.  A company spokesperson said. "We did make the decision to continue to accept EBT cards (and purchases on WIC and SNAP) during the outage so that they could get food for their families."

And how was Wal-Mart rewarded for this generosity?  By a massive run on their stores.

The word got out and spread quickly.  The store flooded to Black-Friday levels.  And the shelves were picked clean.

And when the glitch was ultimately fixed and an overhead announcement to that effect was made to store shoppers, said "shoppers" left the carts in the aisles were they were and left the store:

I have no issue with government assistance for those that truly need it.  But I have no patience for abject fraud and theft.  

Think any of those that stole (yes, it was stealing) from Wal-Mart, and from taxpayers, will be investigated or prosecuted?  Doubtful.  

Ah, but if they were Tea Party folks and the investigation unit was the IRS, I have a feeling things might be different.