30,000 college students kicked out of food aid program in Michigan

More recovery signs! It's all bullish... or something.

30,000 college students kicked out of food aid program in Michigan

State's new eligibility rules to save $75M; more students got aid than thought
Paul Egan/ Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Lansing — Michigan has removed about 30,000 college students from its food stamp program — close to double the initial estimate — saving about $75 million a year, says Human Services Director Maura Corrigan.

Federal rules don't allow most college students to collect food stamps, but Michigan had created its own rules that made nearly all students eligible, said Brian Rooney, Corrigan's deputy director. As a result, the number of Michigan college students on this form of welfare made the state a national leader. For example, Michigan had 10 times the number of students on food stamps as either Illinois or California, Rooney said.

Or ask Obama... this is good... I mean, now that they've lost food aid, they'll be able to eat their own peas! And we always say kids never eat enough vegetables, well, here you go!

The message of the governor is good... ending the welfare culture of Michigan.

Cutting off the students is part of what Corrigan says is an effort to change the culture of the state's welfare department and slash tens of millions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse.

"Maybe (students) could go get a part-time job — that's what I did," said Corrigan, a former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court who attended Detroit's Marygrove College and University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.

"We want to encourage people to be self-sufficient, not to be dependent on the government," she said in an interview with The Detroit News.

Yeal well there's no jobs available, but still, it's a good message.

Well if that isn't a misleading headline. Makes it sound like they were removed from helping in a donation center or something, not getting booted off of something they shouldn't have been on in the first place. Why should students receive welfare again? Sorry, but too many people collect welfare for one reason or another, the cuts gotta start somewhere.

reply to post by Vitchilo


They dont need it anyway...get a job or learn to eat ketsup soup like real students used to have to do

I'd normally be as hard nosed as anyone and more so than most. However, in a state with real unemployment somewhere out there over 25% or something...I'm not sure they even bother counting much anymore in Michigan...this wasn't the best move they could have made. At least the kids were in school in a state where just being something other than a criminal seems a real achievement, given the depth of the hard times they have.

I'd be shocked if more than a thousand of these kids are still in school by the end of the classes they are committed to now. I'm just guessing here....but I'll bet, given conditions there, this was all that kept them running above water.

Originally posted by SpaDe_
Well if that isn't a misleading headline. Makes it sound like they were removed from helping in a donation center or something, not getting booted off of something they shouldn't have been on in the first place. Why should students receive welfare again? Sorry, but too many people collect welfare for one reason or another, the cuts gotta start somewhere.

Why should students receive welfare? Because often it is difficult for them to work around university hours. Also, in the U.S., I am correct in saying that the students must pay their tuition fees up front rather than defer their fee payments through a government programme which they can then pay back after they start to earn over a certain amount? This is the case in Australia, and it's a good idea too, as it means that everyone who wants to learn is able to - not just those students with rich parents.

So, if students have to pay their fees for tuition, rent, food, textbooks and travel expenses, whilst having little time or opportunity left over to find sufficient employment, then why should they not be eligible for welfare? After all, they are essentially the future of the country. The more educated the citizens, the more productive the society.

If you've ever been to university, perhaps you'll know what it's like to starve for days on end. The majority of students suffer from malnutrition. Perhaps there were students taking advantage of the food stamp scheme, but that is not to say that no welfare or financial consideration should be given to them at all. They're a lot more deserving of it than a lot of other people.

reply to post by DeepThoughtCriminal


A wise man once told me "the world needs ditch diggers too". The funnier thing here is, in the US the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed in writing, but everyone misreads it and assumes it's the happiness that's guaranteed.

That's good. College is a load of crap, anyway.

My fave internet quote: if you're not in college for math or science, you're wasting your time.

That's embarassing to think that Michigan was giving food stamps to kids who could "afford" to go to college. College is NOT a right, it's a privilege that you earn by getting good grades in high school and finding a way to pay the tuition. I worked 2 jobs full time in the summer and part time while I was in school in order to make ends meet. If you can't afford food, you don't need to be spending the money on college tuition.

reply to post by fltcui


Yeah how could Michigan afford to give feeding programs? I thought it's a 4th world country?

If you can't afford to eat in collage you shouldn't be there. Go work at Walmart with everyone else. Sooner or later the have nots are gonna come for you.