these foodstamp programs supply a lot of middle class jobs. The money enters the economy at a basic level and works its way up. What's more, this money enters areas that need it most. Tax breaks for the rich on the other hand are not so evenly distributed.

to big corporations and other businesses.

Burns me up when people complain about food stamp costs. Food stamps. Of all things.

$59Billion on social welfare - $92Billion on corporate welfare

I ask because "corporate welfare" takes many subtle forms, and I'd be interested to see what gets counted and what doesn't.

what the hell do they expect other than the numbers of people needing assistance to increase. Its not rocket science by any stretch.
I have a hard time being civil to a rabid republicon anymore. Its hard to just turn and walk away even though I know that is the right thing to do. Let them let hate consume themselves would be my mothers advice to me if she was still with us today.

By Timothy Egan called "The Worst Hard Times"?

If you did, remember the people who were trying to say the dust storms were actually beautiful and it was only weak people who moved away or complained?

I think those people were early examples of our modern teapukes.

Why I can't take the GOP serious. Ever.

to the headline as well.

Many of those who gripe about food stamps are either using them or have family members using them.

My brother has two kids on food stamps while he constantly criticizes others who use the program as free loaders or welfare queens.

Last edited Sat Mar 30, 2013, 09:24 AM - Edit history (1)

They probably didn't mention too, that one of the biggest users of Food Stamps is - WAL-MART (or their grossly underpaid employees who though working, still qualify).

EDIT:

The banks charge the gov't between seventy five cents and one dollar fifty cents every time a SNAP card is swiped. Banks are making BILLIONS off the SNAP card fees. The money is taken from the SNAP program.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/01/jp-morgan-s-food-stamp-empire.html

Funny those griping about the food stamp program don't seem to mind the corporate welfare component of it - they just grouse about poor people getting food stamps, not the rich banks skimming profits off the program.

IntereSTINK.

Farmers were greatly over producing and as such were getting terrible prices for their commodities.
So someone thought of a way to reduce the glut by making prices cheaper for those in poverty. Poverty has always been around and no amount of RW wishing will make it go away.

Or at least that is my recollection from my youth.

surplus food in bulk packaging. I remember seeing large recloseable cans of peanut butter, lard, etc. People picked up these "commodities" at a local distribution point on a given day of the month. I think it was only later that the system was converted from direct distribution to food stamps.

It shifted focus to institutional programs for low income children and seniors and direct distribution on Indian reservations and other locations.

Food Stamps (now SNAP) replaced the broad-based direct distribution of commodities to low income people. Your memory of cans of PB are right -- it was about a 2 lb can as I recall. In addition to those items there was usually powdered milk, powdered eggs, big blocks of 'government cheese,' rolled oats or rolled wheat, cans of cooked meat, butter, and a few other things.

those who are well-read and paying attention are not so easily motivated by the manipulative snippets suggesting economic improvement.

What is meant is that the economy has improved for some. The who and how are often left open and people are left to fill-in the blanks in hopes that the improvement applies to them in some way.

Confirmation bias is a way to filter reality and stay comfortable with certain flavors of abstraction, but it can be detrimental to what lies closer to experience in the concrete sense. That's how manipulation functions in this culture and its is easy to fall prey to it unless you can see the flaw.

It does not take intellectual superiority or access to volumes of knowledge in order to investigate and unravel the complex matrix of abstracts that influence our perceptions of the world. Staying keen and aware while paying attention to the process is one of the most important aspects of transcending our manufactured consent and that's where any real change will be born and foment into liberation from our current, delusional bondage where they have us by our concepts.

...simplistic crap like: "If we didn't have to pay for all those food stamps, our country could get out of debt"
"I saw one woman buying a bag of candy with a food card once"

Yeah..heaven forbid that the scum actually get any pleasure out of life by buying a treat with their stamp card.

I'm nice to them (the stupid customers) but my thoughts would burn their asses. dumb fucks...

There has been a steady increase in participation during that time. One thing many here may not be aware of is there is no unified system in which each state uses. Each state has their own application system and none of them speak to each other. The programs biggest problem and one that I can assure you not enough is being done is fraud. In addition to households receiving benefits in more than one state is also the issue of MANY households not reporting changes. More than half of my claims are for a single parent household who it is discovered the other parent is living in the home and has substantial income. Most states now use wage reporting services so we can run social security numbers and see where people are employed and match residences to cases. I have had a client when sitting in front of me state that they have not worked in months as I am looking at a statement that shows they just got paid that same day! I maintain the program does help more honest and really needing families but don't think the program is not rife with fraud and abuse.

I'm not disputing what you say, and I agree that rooting out fraud in SNAP and WIC is important, as it takes benefits from the truly deserving and adds unnecessary cost. What adds more unnecessary cost is fraud and waste in defense contracting. Everything from overstated costs to rigged bids to being sold unnecessary weapons systems.

That way there's no more worrying about fraud and middle-class workers getting "jealous" that the poor get "all these freebies" that they don't, etc.

Sure it would be expensive, but it would be a great way to lift everyone ("a rising tide lifts all boats&quot while assuring that no one goes hungry, and that there is no disincentive for working and making more money.

There is many times I have to tell a family they didn't qualify when they are obviously are in need, are working hard, haven't concealed any information and already cut any non essential spending.

Have the tax break even point be around 4x the poverty line. So if you make less than that you're effectively getting a tax rebate in the form of benefits.

As an eligibility worker you see it through a narrow lens and it may seem like a massive problem because you have to waste your time dealing with people who have no business even applying. As you noted, there are tools used to look for fraud and they're pretty effective.

I checked on the computer when people came to pick up their food. We helped tons of people every day. The place was always full.

Only one or two times did we catch someone with an unacceptable claim. Just about everybody who came in really did need help.

Maybe the economy is improving due to food stamps because more people can afford to eat.

I am applying for food stamps for my mother, a retired registered nurse who has never asked for anything from the Government except the SS she paid into along with her taxes. She worked all her life my Dad did the same until he lost one eye and went legally blind in the other. Little did they know that when Dad passed my Mom got a $256 death benefit while losing $978 monthly SS payment from my Dad's retirement. Anybody can fall on hard times and need assistance from the Government. Republican's can kiss my a@@ my Mom paid more in than she will ever take out.

the better question would be why are working people unable to put food on the table. The US is one of the world's largest food exporters, why do we have so many working people who can't afford to eat without SNAP?

Because the minimum wage is so low.