Author Topic: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.  (Read 21312 times)

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #75 on: August 16, 2011, 10:00:59 PM »
http://foodstampchallenge.typepad.com/

Congressman Chris Van Hollen Takes the Food Stamp Challenge
Congressman Van Hollen reflects on living on the Food Stamp Challenge for one week:

The Food Stamp Challenge brings home the struggle that many Americans face on a daily basis. It quickly focuses your mind and your stomach on just how little food $21 a week buys.  It also demonstrates that it is difficult, if not impossible, to eat a balanced diet on $21, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. I was feeling very cranky by the end of the week.  

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #76 on: August 16, 2011, 10:03:09 PM »
http://foodstampchallenge.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/10/existing-on-foo.html

Existing on food stamps: Reporter Sarah Barr joins Chris Van Hollen in learning how to live on the bare minimum
The Sentinel
by Sarah Barr
Oct. 24, 2007
Earlier this week, I spilled half of a glass of milk.

It wasn't a lot, but I was disappointed, knowing that I couldn't just pour another glass to make up for what I had lost. I am currently on day five of the food stamp challenge, which asks participants to live for one week on the nation's average food stamp benefit of $21 - that's $3 per day, $1 per meal. I have carefully allotted my milk for the week and more just wasn't an option if I planned to have any for Saturday.

That is the crux of the challenge: to provide a small glimpse into the choices that people who use food stamps must make each day. And while I haven't been noticeably hungry yet, the tough choices people make are increasingly obvious.

The challenge got rolling last summer in Pennsylvania when the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger asked local residents to commit to living on the amount of the average food stamp benefit. The Coalition credits a local food bank with the initial idea, but the most important point is that word spread quickly after a Philadelphia reporter wrote about his experience, said Ellen Vollinger, legal director for the Food Research and Action Center, a D.C.-based non-profit that has tracked the evolution of the challenge.

Various community groups then picked up on the idea after it was highlighted by FRAC and other organizations. When a group of Oregon hunger leaders challenged their governor, Democrat Ted Kulongoski, to participate, his acceptance drew national attention. Soon a bipartisan group of governors and congressional representatives from across the county was joining in.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who represents a large part of Montgomery County and a slice of Prince George's County, is among the newest crop of national leaders taking the challenge.

"It quickly focuses your mind and your stomach on just how little $21 a week pays," said Van Hollen on the third day of his challenge experience. The congressmen did his shopping in a Wheaton Giant and had so far spent only $16 - with green peas, lentils, beans, pre-sliced turkey, two tomatoes, an onion and bananas making up the bulk of his list - in order to give himself some wiggle room as the week draws to a close.

Van Hollen is completing the food stamp challenge in conjunction with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, which included the challenge in their year of action to draw attention to hunger and poverty in the U.S.

"The reason you do it is to raise awareness about the inadequacy of the food stamp benefit," said Hadar Susskind, Washington director of the Council, an umbrella organization for 13 national and 125 local Jewish organizations.

The challenge coincides with congressional consideration of the Farm Bill, which includes the food stamp program, the minimum benefits of which have not been raised since the mid-1970s. The House of Representatives recently passed their version of the bill with language that is a little better, according to Susskind, and debate is now focused in the Senate.

"I just wanted to get a real-world sense of what it means to survive on the average food stamp allocation, just to get a sense of what people go through," said Van Hollen. Among the immediate lessons he reports are the limitations in food variety, the inability to shop in bulk and the difficulties of maintaining a nutritious diet.

From my end, the lessons have been similar. I'm sick of peanut butter, craving fresh vegetables and was frustrated by my options within the grocery store as I had to buy more than I needed of certain items, forcing me to neglect others. I don't need a full box of pasta for the week or a whole bag of rice, and that money could have gone to other items like vegetables.

Granted the challenge occurs in a vacuum, and if I were to live on this budget for more than seven days I would probably have a stock of certain items that I did not need to buy every week. However, the challenges of timing - and of the very adequacy of benefit - are quite real for actual food stamp recipients, said Vollinger.

Food banks around the country provide anecdotal reports that their client load increases at the end of each food stamp period, according to Vollinger. "That would suggest that while it's true that the program was designed to be a supplement, people don't have enough resources," she said. Furthermore, far more people are eligible for benefits than those that receive them.

In August, in Montgomery County, 24,720 individuals received food stamp benefits and statewide there were 332,353 recipients, according to the Maryland Department of Human Resources. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate, however, that a scant majority -- 53 percent -- of those eligible in Maryland received benefits in 2004.

Other issues of timing have also illustrated the difficulties the current food stamp benefits present. I was originally assigned to begin my challenge the same day as Van Hollen. However, I started the day after because I was taking an important standardized test the previous morning and didn't want to deal with it yet. I had that choice - something the average food stamp recipient doesn't have.

I'm pretty confident I'll make it through the next three days. I still have, after all, half a dozen eggs, three apples, one yam, half a box of pasta, one quart of milk, six pieces of bread, six slices of cheese, half a bag of rice, four packs of instant noodles and half a jar of peanut butter.

Like I said, I haven't been extremely hungry, and while I know the diet isn't nutritious it's enough to keep me going. One more confession though.

Saturday is my last day, and I plan to quit as soon as I scarf down an early dinner so that I can go out with my older brother for his birthday. I'm willing to bet drinks and dinner (take two) are in order. The conclusion of my week spent on a food stamp diet will be a celebration.

Hardly a realistic end.

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #77 on: August 16, 2011, 10:04:50 PM »
So just to review.

Food Stamps= 21 dollars a week which is 3 dollars a day, or one dollar each meal.

I hope this helps. (I doubt that it will)

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #78 on: August 16, 2011, 10:06:45 PM »

tbombz

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #79 on: August 16, 2011, 10:09:48 PM »
No, for the economic collapse that is upon us, the failure and corruption of government and the seeming lack of solutions. You're a smart guy; what's the solution?


the solution is this, and this alone:

one world government which enforces a minimum wage and working conditions suitable for a person to raise a small family with, worldwide environmental regulations, worldwide education system free to all that is primarily based around vocational education with only a small % allowed to enter into academic fields, and of course complete freedom for every human being on earth.


this will solve the jobs problem by way of making outsourcing obsolete, it will increase economic activity dramatically creating huge amounts of tax revenues to fund universal healthcare for all human beings, it will prevent the destruction of living conditions on earth, and it will allow for every human being to pursue their definition of happiness in whatever way they see fit.

its the closest we can come to ending poverty and suffering on the planet.



outside of that, if you want a solution for just america, we can revamp our educational system to focus on vocational ed working with business to promote specialization of the labor force creating a more profitable country for companies to manufacture their products in. we can enforce outsourcing regulations like the ones in germany that do not allow companies to remove existing jobs from the country (if the business wishes to open operations overseas they may do so but only if the jobs they create overseas are new jobs-not replacing the old workers).

these are just a few answers  

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #80 on: August 16, 2011, 10:10:10 PM »

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #81 on: August 16, 2011, 10:11:37 PM »

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #82 on: August 16, 2011, 10:16:52 PM »

the solution is this, and this alone:

one world government which enforces a minimum wage and working conditions suitable for a person to raise a small family with, worldwide environmental regulations, worldwide education system free to all that is primarily based around vocational education with only a small % allowed to enter into academic fields, and of course complete freedom for every human being on earth.


this will solve the jobs problem by way of making outsourcing obsolete, it will increase economic activity dramatically creating huge amounts of tax revenues to fund universal healthcare for all human beings, it will prevent the destruction of living conditions on earth, and it will allow for every human being to pursue their definition of happiness in whatever way they see fit.

its the closest we can come to ending poverty and suffering on the planet.



outside of that, if you want a solution for just america, we can revamp our educational system to focus on vocational ed working with business to promote specialization of the labor force creating a more profitable country for companies to manufacture their products in. we can enforce outsourcing regulations like the ones in germany that do not allow companies to remove existing jobs from the country (if the business wishes to open operations overseas they may do so but only if the jobs they create overseas are new jobs-not replacing the old workers).

these are just a few answers  
How about incentives for NOT having Children such as a zero percent Income Tax or reduced tax rate no more than 5-10 percent.  Overpopulation, competition for limited resources in the end will be the bane of all countries, no matter how mighty their military may be.

Abortions should also be encouraged along with Protection during sex/Birth control.  We do not need any more humans being born.  We have more than enough.

tbombz

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #83 on: August 16, 2011, 10:19:48 PM »
How about incentives for NOT having Children such as a zero percent Income Tax or reduced tax rate no more than 5-10 percent.  Overpopulation, competition for limited resources in the end will be the bane of all countries, no matter how mighty their military may be.

Abortions should also be encouraged along with Protection during sex/Birth control.  We do not need any more humans being born.  We have more than enough.
  decreasing the work force decreases economic activity and decreases tax revenues.


this is true because the worlds resources are not spread out evenly among the masses, but is mostly held in the hands of the few, and those few mega wealthy persons do not let their resources enter into the economy unless its profitable for them to do so.




Parker

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #84 on: August 16, 2011, 11:40:08 PM »
So just to review.

Food Stamps= 21 dollars a week which is 3 dollars a day, or one dollar each meal.

I hope this helps. (I doubt that it will)
And living in Montgomery is NOT cheap, there are virtually NO ghettoes, none whatsoever. It is one of the top 6 counties in the nations, and was #1 for a LONG time.  Cost of living was high when I lived there...High as a giraffe's ass.

Parker

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #85 on: August 16, 2011, 11:43:02 PM »
We don't *want* them to.

We - the non-underclass - give the really, really poor just enough to keep them from getting together and coming to kill us and steal all our shit. 
People don't realize this...just when I'm about write you off, you come up with some brilliant point!

Nirvana

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #86 on: August 17, 2011, 05:20:00 AM »
damn 3$ a day!

they're really living the dream and draining those hard working people who had their college paid for by mom and dad.  I don't see how anyone makes it

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #87 on: August 17, 2011, 06:03:56 AM »
damn 3$ a day!

they're really living the dream and draining those hard working people who had their college paid for by mom and dad.  I don't see how anyone makes it
Next time someone you know starts wrongly throwing around they myth of welfare, ask them then if its so great why are you not on it? 

Nirvana

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #88 on: August 17, 2011, 06:06:07 AM »
Next time someone you know starts wrongly throwing around they myth of welfare, ask them then if its so great why are you not on it? 
see, I can't apply for it because I'm white.

all white people work hard and only blacks use welfare

dr.chimps

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #89 on: August 17, 2011, 06:39:09 AM »
see, I can't apply for it because I'm white.

all white people work hard and only blacks use welfare
I think Worker's Comp is the preferred route for idle Whites.    ;)

George Whorewell

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #90 on: August 17, 2011, 06:57:38 AM »
Maybe this à shock but people do get unemployed involuntary...

Most Americans are pretty narrow minded. Raising taxes is à no no.. THE rich thank you for that. Just like at your infrastructure, education system and health care. It sucks in comparison with your wealth. Result of taxes being too low for two decades. But hey, just cut government spending even more. It Will result in more poverty, bad housing, more crimes and even worse infrastructure.

Unfortunately, The tea party believe that lower taxes is the holy grail... Stupid people do not realize that some very rich people support the tea party. Why, they directly benefit from lower taxes. THE average American however does not!

Your are a mindless fuckwad. Every single thing posted above is false. You think higher taxes results in less poverty, good housing, less crime and a worse infrastructure? Did you mother use heroin when she was pregnant with you? Like most libs, reality doesn't matter to you; you just advocated the exact opposite of what would happen. The very rich will be very rich no matter what. Libs in this country think a couple making 250k is very rich. Taxing them will do nothing to help the economy. Poor people don't pay taxes. So who benefits? Middle class people who don't get govenment assistance? The unemployed? Think before you write moron. As noted in another thread, the US is 16 trillion+ in the hole. If every American making 10 million+ had their entire income confiscated, the result would be 240 billion dollars. Get a calculator and figure out how much 240 billion would plug a 16 trillion dollar deficit.

Try reading a book or picking up a newspaper. Higher taxation kills societies-- entitlements, social programs etc. are the prerequisites to disaster. 

Marty Champions

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #91 on: August 17, 2011, 07:13:36 AM »


why doesnt this girl get a job working just 3 hours a week that 21 dollars right there oh brother lazy girl she is  :-X
A

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #92 on: August 17, 2011, 07:15:20 AM »
Next time someone you know starts wrongly throwing around they myth of welfare, ask them then if its so great why are you not on it?  

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some people think it's like living a dream. Yeah except if you enjoy a job (95 % of people enjoy some kind of job) you don't have that purpose in your life and thus probably live a boring groundhog day life. Have no money. Social life = drastically hindered. Yeah some people willingy live that kind of life. Are they the honey badgers of humankind?

LittleJ

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #93 on: August 17, 2011, 07:16:24 AM »
Lazy ass porch monkeys. They think everything in life is owed to them. They want free food, free money, free housing, free cellphones, free health care they're leaches on society. Nasty terrible people. You can't even walk into their neighberhood without every #### face basterd giving you the "staredown".
My friends have an appartment that is in the ghetto. I carry a huge folding knife on me when I go over there. You never no when one of these ghetto goblin shit birds is gonna start some bullshit. I would slice the shit out of one of them. My friends can't even walk down to the corner store without some crackhead shitstain comeing to beg for money. I never feel bad anymore when I turn on the news and see one of them got shot. Guess why it's their own people doing the shootings. They can't even get along with eachother. They rape and murder eachother!

One of my friends who lives at the appartment is a really pretty petite girl. We have to always worry that one of the basterds is gonna try something, or say something. My friends aren't as paranoid as me. I'm talking them in to getting a nice 12 gauge pump and a few other weapons to keep around. They should have a lead pipe or baseball bat in the car. The girl should have some kind of pepper spray or knife something.

I didn't know you hated black people. I guess you want to slice me with that knife huh?

makaveli25

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #94 on: August 17, 2011, 07:22:10 AM »
I didn't know you hated black people. I guess you want to slice me with that knife huh?

I don't hate all black people. I hate criminal ghetto goblin shit birds who have nothing better to do than act tough, sell drugs, "chill" on the corner all day being worthless. How do they have time to just sit around all day.

Now the black people that I work with act respectful and I get along great with them. The black fellas I see that don't speak with ebonics and wear their pants half off their ass I'm cool with.

Marty Champions

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #95 on: August 17, 2011, 07:25:20 AM »
I don't hate all black people. I hate criminal ghetto goblin shit birds who have nothing better to do than act tough, sell drugs, "chill" on the corner all day being worthless. How do they have time to just sit around all day.

Now the black people that I work with act respectful and I get along great with them. The black fellas I see that don't speak with ebonics and wear their pants half off their ass I'm cool with.

you mean like most young blacks
A

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #96 on: August 17, 2011, 08:01:49 AM »
Next time someone you know starts wrongly throwing around they myth of welfare, ask them then if its so great why are you not on it? 

Lo fucking L ta.  YOU say next time someone wrongly throws out welfare stuff.  You mean like you just did?  You know there is a difference between food stamps, tanf, and wic right?  According to my googlefu, your 21 dollar a week fact is wrong.

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?cat=1&ind=26

Thats per person per state.

Now lets move on to WIC,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/25wifyavgfd$.htm

Not much but certainly a nice addition to food stamps.  I had trouble finding exact stats on tanf/welfare but it seemed to be around 200 dollars per person.  Couple all that with section 8 housing and unemployment and it seems to me that TA is telling a very misleading story.

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #97 on: August 17, 2011, 08:06:41 AM »
Lo fucking L ta.  YOU say next time someone wrongly throws out welfare stuff.  You mean like you just did?  You know there is a difference between food stamps, tanf, and wic right?  According to my googlefu, your 21 dollar a week fact is wrong.

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?cat=1&ind=26

Thats per person per state.

Now lets move on to WIC,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/25wifyavgfd$.htm

Not much but certainly a nice addition to food stamps.  I had trouble finding exact stats on tanf/welfare but it seemed to be around 200 dollars per person.  Couple all that with section 8 housing and unemployment and it seems to me that TA is telling a very misleading story.

Can you interpret what you posted?  The figures you listed are per participant, per family, not per individual.  Furthermore, according to what you posted the ENTIRE BUDGET FOR FOOD STAMP IN THE UNITED STATES is only 60 million dollars.

Lady Gaga, made more than 60 millions dollars last year, more than what it takes to FUND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES FOOD STAMP PROGRAM.

grab an umbrella

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #98 on: August 17, 2011, 08:12:05 AM »
What I posted was food stamp average per person, not sure what you're getting at here.

The True Adonis

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Re: When Food Stamps & Welfare stop.
« Reply #99 on: August 17, 2011, 08:14:17 AM »
Lo fucking L ta.  YOU say next time someone wrongly throws out welfare stuff.  You mean like you just did?  You know there is a difference between food stamps, tanf, and wic right?  According to my googlefu, your 21 dollar a week fact is wrong.

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?cat=1&ind=26

Thats per person per state.

Now lets move on to WIC,
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/25wifyavgfd$.htm

Not much but certainly a nice addition to food stamps.  I had trouble finding exact stats on tanf/welfare but it seemed to be around 200 dollars per person.  Couple all that with section 8 housing and unemployment and it seems to me that TA is telling a very misleading story.

You are also not factoring in that you have to QUALIFY for these programs as miniscule they are.

Even though Food Stamps are about 21 dollars per week and WIC (In North carolina 39 dollars a month)  you still have to Qualify, its not permanent and at least ALL THE MONEY goes to our Farmers and Food Producers which also in turn, help keep costs low (for the rest of us) for Produce as raw Fruits, Vegetables and Milk, farm products are WIC and TANF approved.

If you think its so great, why don`t you sign right up.