The pain inflicted upon the American people is above partisanship. It's about FOOD now.

Originally posted by jjkenobi

Both sets of my grandparents have been retired for almost 30 years. Retired at 60, have lived to be 90. The government (IE us taxpayers) have been paying for them for all that time. When I hit 60 in about 30 years, I'll still have to work another 30 years.

I just wanted some clarification on this, are you referring to Social Security retirement benefits or some other government funded program supporting them?

Originally posted by MyHappyDogShiner
reply to post by daryllyn

 

Finally, someone speaks out against the bigots who spew their venom here by presenting verifiable data.

A lot of these people here just parrot what they have been told by others who have no idea what they are talking about, some comment on things they witness without asking the person whose business they are busy minding what's going on and make assumptions.

Anyway, Thanks.

Personally, I can't stand the cheese throne sitting welfare queen stereotype. Sure, they do exist in some capacity, but, not nearly on the scale that some people think.

And, you're welcome.

reply to post by jjkenobi


How about we DO NOT start with cutting *ANYONE* from a food assistance program in the first place? 2012 Federal and State spending came to a combined total of roughly 6 TRILLION dollars.

If we assume all combined food support is already at 100 billion (Which it's not...and SNAP is only part of that) it represents 1.6% of all government spending for last year. Less than TWO PERCENT. So, this is where we're going to start? While Defense Contractors, as one example, are making 10's of BILLIONS in profit annually,. That's pure profit. Why do I pick on Defense Contractors? I pick them because few sectors of business are so clearly and cleanly funded by OUR tax money. That profit represents how badly we're ripped off in overcharging for what our nation has said it requires.

Yet, with these figures in mind, people still buy into the "us vs. them" crap. If it's not Republicans vs. Democrats then it's Black vs. White. If it's not that, it's Rich vs. Poor....and oh, yes, it does go both ways. Sadly. The poor have been conditioned like Pavlov's Dog to hate the rich but so too, the Rich have been conditioned to see the poor as the root of all problems...when NEITHER is true. We're just people and don't need to be looking with hate or even distrust at each other for the nerve we all have to exist in widly different circumstances.

Now as I've said, reform is needed in these benefit programs. Reform. NOT predetermined numbers to 'find ways' to meet by cutting whatever is required to meet them. That's wholesale attack on them and these programs aren't building new bombers or aircraft carriers. They'd feeding our fellow Americans. Perhaps lobster and perhaps not. It's still FOOD. Not some X-box or stripper in a club.

The lack of compassion sometimes is breathtaking. It truly is.

The post by the OP stinks of blind devotion to the Democrat party ideology. The reason why they're cutting food stamps isn't out of sinister secret plot to persecute poor people. They're doing it because the gov't is broke!

Margatet Thatcher put it best- the problem with socialism is that sooner or later you're goign to run out of other people's money, and that's exactly what's happening. The government..and yes that includes both the Democrats AND Republicans...have been spending money on pork barrel projects ever since the first day the US gov't existed; Congressman from state A who wants federal money to build a dehyratred water processing plant in his state gets together with the congressman from state B who wants money to build an escalator that goes nowhere in his own state and cuts a deal- "I'll vote to support your escalator to nowhere if you'll vote to support my dehyrated water plant". They both get what they want and the taxpayers foot the bill. Add foreign projects like the preservation of endangered fungi in the Sahara desert and the bills add up. Sooner or later this nonstop party had to end and now the waiter is coming with the check.

I will use the state of Connecticut as a sterling example. Governor Malloy (a Democrat) was former mayor of Stamford which is enslaved to socialist ideology as it gets. He gave the people of connecticut the largest tax increase in the entire history of the state and squandered it on things like bus services that noone uses and state grants to improve dog pounds. Plus he spent godawful amounts of money to corporations to try and get them to move to Connecticut, who all essentially said "You're out of your mind" because the state of CT literally has the most business hostile laws in the nation. Don't even get me started on the millions he's about to squander on his new gun control laws to register firearm magazines. Everything he does automatically becomes twice as expensive because he automatically gives in to all the demands of the unions. Now, the state is so broke the state gov't is now borrowing money just to pay to keep the state gov't operating and he's cutting funding to hospitals and universities simply becuase he can't afford to continue subsidizing them. He literally concealed revealing the bad finances of the state until after the election last year so it wouldn't hurt the cances of all the Democrats runnign for office. It doesn't help that the general assembly is Democrat controlled and will obediently rubber stamp anything Malloy wants. Blaiming all your problems on the GOP like you're doing is like complaining about someone leaving matches lying around while ignoring all the open containers of gasoline around you.

SO, you're complaining the gov't is cutting food stamps? You should have thought of that before we started giving money away for stupid [censored] like pottery classes in Morocco and studies that examine the reproductive organs of ducks. No, I'm not making those up.

reply to post by nightstalker78


I live in So-Cal.

www.youtube.com...

Watch that video to see how people intentionally take advantage of Cali. That's why the state is 1 Trillion in debt...I'm not kidding. Officially they claim 120B, but people outside of Cali Government put it somewhere between 800b and 1.1T.

Originally posted by daryllyn
reply to post by jjkenobi

 

What will cause greater civil unrest: Cutting some of the food stamp money now, or cutting it all off in five years. I haven't seen any politician propose kicking deadbeats off of food stamps. How about we start by kicking off anyone age 18-50 who doesn' t have kids and isn't disabled. Do you realize our economy and the dollar are hanging by a thread? Just the hint of the fed raising rates caused a massive market crash. The U.S. doesn't have the money to do any of this - we're printing it out of thin air and have been for years.

It is nearly impossible for someone without kids or a disability in that age group to be eligible for SNAP benefits.

And, like I pointed out a few posts above, there are not nearly as many people abusing the system as people would have you believe.

Maybe in Ohio, but in Cali there are a crap load of people who are single, healthy and young driving around expensive cars who are on food stamps.

Just wanted to make an account since I asked ATS to delete my old one few months after the foods stamps post. I had posted information in the RATS forum and didn't want it coming back to me, the thread is "The Biometric Matrix, You can't HIIDE from the BAT" about using Biometrics to run the police state. I helped field test the stuff in Iraq, 2007.

I also authored in searchable forums "Jesus and the Moneychangers" , "Get out of gold NOW, it's a TRAP!" but if you want to see the other ones just search sbctinfantry.

Anyway, I made this account to message you and let you know I saw your thread www.abovetopsecret.com...
Still lurking even though I left.

I assumed you referenced me when you said someone was apologizing for collecting SNAP assistance. Truth be told times got harder, so just as an update and feel free to share.

I ended up planting a garden : broccoli, snap peas, beans, leaf lettuce, cabbage, kale, onions, potatoes, watermelon, canteloupe, blueberries, peaches, pomegranates, carrots of all kinds, strawberries, corn, okra, tomatoes (huge!), and a single pineapple.

I raised 22 chickens and 4 ducks from pullet or eggs even. Free range and everything non-gmo.

I had an old storage shed elevated on 4x4's about to fall over and I had no power tools so I used a hand axe and sledge to take it down in it's footprint on top of a nice deck that was underneath. I used 4x4's and leverage like an Egyptian to move it in front of the deck, took out the window and put in a laying box that was accessible from the outside, made a roost inside and used a 6x6 window that was to be garbage modified as my sliding door rear entry. I have pictures. I made a run of nothing but 4x4s and chicken wire, primitive but effective. I loved the eggs, but my wife and children grew attached and we couldn't kill them for meat. I was upset but happiness is important and not traumatizing the kids is also probably something I will look back and be glad about.

I got a Daisy 800fps pellet rifle for pests and .. extra food. We had a hawk problem and I spent a few days stalking her, but that problem was soon dog food.

I trained my Siberian and Alaskan huskies to protect the coop, not without incident (lost 2 birds teaching) and eventually got the Alaskan male off leash around them while freeranging, the Siberian has too hard a kill instinct. The chickens attack the Alaskan and he was scared of them more than they were of him!

I maintained my finances, and ate decently. Ended up losing it all a short time ago trying to get out of that situation and into a VA Home Loan.

Still fighting my case with the VA, had the shoulder reconstruction (SLAP Lesion, torn rotator -looking like string cheese on the imaging- cuff, arthritis and a sagging labrum -stretched donut-) passed the physical therapy post op with flying colors and got strength back, my last visit my shoulder still dislocated 10x in the therapists hand so I may be back for another go, but I woke up from surgery with my sling improperly attached and my shoulder sagging. Had to beg for 36 hours for somebody to help me. They decided to discharge me, I told them they had 5min to sedate me before I started killing people. Patient advocacy stepped in after a lot of complaints from spouse and family and I got a nerve block post-op to alleviate the pain... Then they properly attached my sling. Probably why it's still screwed up.


Had a septorhinoplasty as my septum was double-deviated, meaning broken twice and spun backwards. My airway collapsed on breathing and I still sleep on O2 at night and can't take sleep medicine or anything that might kill me at night if the mask comes off.

Still waiting for treatment on my back, cracked vertabrae, bulging disks, spondylolisthesis, arthritis.

Nothing else was treated but I did heal my own liver partly due to the advice in the very thread you mentioned. Nutrition is what got me better, though I still have scarring, I'm no longer throwing protiens.

I didn't die of a heart attack, but I am on Cholestorol medication, I lost 80lbs and am still dropping.

Food stamps got cut not long after that post, to $0 for about a year and I am now receiving $110. I just went to a food pantry last week and can not return for 2 months, as per their rules.

They gave us ice cream, cookies, stale animal crackers, stale cheetoes, refried beans and a toothbrush.

We are in a FHA Apartment, paying $980/mo with no real difference from any other apartment except we don't have to pay water. We all wish we had gotten into a house, but couldn't afford the fees.

My wife has been going to college and I have been maintaining the house. She puts in about 20 applications a day, really. Her old professor is stepping in and expects her to be hired soon but she must do more clinicals (working for free).

I received a letter from the Physical Disability Evaluation Review Board about how I "may have been served an injustice in the rating of my disabilitie

I received a letter from the Physical Disability Evaluation Review Board about how I "may have been served an injustice in the rating of my disabilities" and so had everyone else apparently since 9/11/01. They are literally sending that letter to most people of the Iraq / Afghanistan wars so who know how long this appeal will take.

I 'got a job' as one poster strongly suggested, a few actually. Was let go from every one for physical / mental disabilities. A few I never received payment. I nearly killed myself putting vinyl letters on a building via schaffolding for a week and took too long to complete the job so I was not paid or asked to return. I worked in an office but Traumatic Brain Injury caused me to be slow and forget things like the persons name I was speaking to immediately and became too burdensome for the employer, again, let go before I got paid.

My old landlord stole my deposit and I spent money I didn't have to bring her to court, they trolled me hard and told me they couldn't do a substitution of service when she skipped town even though I was surveying her, and her workplace and had dated pictures of such surveillance so I can't sue for the lost wages either as the amount is far less that what I was suing her for.

I'm cooking beans and rice these days, looking for better times. I'm pretty self sufficient, but now that we're in an apartment I feel like I have a target on my back. Wrote this in wordpad, went to McDonald's to use their wifi to send it.

Can't send private messages on a new account, so everyone can read it then, with all the surveillance revelations I'm a small target.


www.abovetopsecret.com...

Thread he referenced

Originally posted by daryllyn

Originally posted by MyHappyDogShiner
reply to post by daryllyn

 

Finally, someone speaks out against the bigots who spew their venom here by presenting verifiable data.

A lot of these people here just parrot what they have been told by others who have no idea what they are talking about, some comment on things they witness without asking the person whose business they are busy minding what's going on and make assumptions.

Anyway, Thanks.

Personally, I can't stand the cheese throne sitting welfare queen stereotype. Sure, they do exist in some capacity, but, not nearly on the scale that some people think.

And, you're welcome.

Almost 1/5 of the US is on government assistance, so I think they exist much more than you are willing to admit.

In March there were nearly 50 Million on food stamps, and they estimate that number is closer to 55 Million as of June. We'll see the numbers next month.

frac.org...

reply to post by GoodOlDave


See the post right above yours and explain to me how wanting to hack away at less than 2 % of Goverment spending is a positive place to START when that area will inflict some of the most direct pain on individual people of anything that could be attacked in this current climate? Obama put people in pain by making damn sure sequester dealt with dollars that didn't mean much but where and how they hit, hit the worst that could be done. Boehner and his troop were looking at this (It failed....it you hadn't been following) as a similar measure which would, in reality, hit people as hard as almost anything would manage.

Now... When we have dropped the billions spent on Politicians's benefits, Government contracting, 10'S OF BILLIONS of rounds of ammo at ungodly prices to the DHS, ...The DHS ITSELF while we're at it, and about a hundred other things? Hey, sure, lets get around to how much it may cost to feed an American family that is facing either chronic unemployment, underemployment or disability.

Have you not read those fellow members, right here on ATS, who have posted on this thread as people who receive these benefits? In the scope of Government spending, this area of "must cut" is PENNIES on dollars ....to focus on this is headline grabbing and makes them feel good while it puts others in dire situations.

This thread wasn't partisan. Not ONE bit. In fact, you missed the focus of my OP to have pointed out that this simply shows Republican Politicians currently serving in elected office *are no better*. Thats no dig on individual Americans who claim membership to the Republican Party. *I* happen to still be carried on the rolls as a Republican....altho in name only at this point for how the party itself has "evolved". I see BOTH sides as 100% equal. They're both stocked and stuffed with the scum this nation has to offer. Hardly (with a few exceptions) a decent man among all 500+ of them.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s
reply to post by Kgnow

 

Your user name is a misnomer.

You can work 40 hours a week at minimum wage and still qualify for food stamps. Who knew?

I did. Back when I was in college the family that lived on the first floor of my building were literally just off the boat from Puerto Rico and couldn't speak a word of English, and were there on a Section 8 welfare status.

The son got a job at the KFC down the street from us and I thought it was noble that he was workign to help support his family and trying to make something out of himself...until I found out he was only working there to earn enough money for a leather jacket. Once he bought he leather jacket he quit and pretty much just lounged around on the street corner in his new leather jacket. I was in the family's apartment once and they had a better entertainment center than I did. I'm not making that up!

What the heck can you say to that?

Originally posted by neo96
Not outraged as some people are on food stamps being cut for a few reason.

IF it wasn't rampant with fraud and abuse is one as well is food stamps are an agricultural subsidy, and banking subsidy, and corporate subsidy all rolled in to one.

When EBT cards are being used at stip clubs, and alcohol retailers well I'm just not seeing the 'outrage'

Sorry.

edit on 19-6-2013 by neo96 because: (no reason given)

A guy with food stamps asked me not long ago to let him buy my groceries if I would buy beer and vodka for him.
The government should not be redistributing our tax dollars to people who didn't earn them!

reply to post by raifordko


If California has an abundance of fraud and mismanagement of the funds for the SNAP program then two things are true here.

First, that isn't a fault of the program because the program doesn't permit what you are describing. You have a corruption problem, an incompetence problem or a very deep combination of both. It starts and ends with your case workers and the offices they operate from, rubber stamping the people to get into the program and take from those who need it and are denied at every attempt. That IS a problem and it's a big one.

Second, you have a corrupt Government in Sacramento. I grew up in California and spent my first 19 years of life in that state. I know what I speak of. Additionally, I spent a fair % of the 15 years in trucking, in and out of California and dealing with the business end of the state. It's corrupt and crooked as a pretzel. Food Stamps are NOT what is causing your problems.

The federal government pays 100 percent of SNAP/Food Stamp program benefits. Federal and State governments share administrative costs (with the federal government contributing nearly 50 percent).

Every 5 years, the SNAP/Food Stamp program is reauthorized by Congress as part of the Farm Bill. The reauthorization establishes who is eligible for SNAP/food Stamps and addresses program access, benefit levels, and other matters.

Source

It is not paid by the state. Not even a LITTLE bit. It is 100% and totally paid by the U.S. Federal Government through the USDA. Admin costs...which mean office staffing and physical buildings are, as shown above, paid t 50% rate by the states. That isn't much and even less, when you consider there isn't a "food stamp" office, but services combined with others (The mix varies by state) for programs administered by the same case workers from the same desks in the same buildings...which would be there if SNAP were 100% ended tomorrow.

California's state nightmares have absolutely nothing to do with this specific program.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


S+F for you Wrabbit2000.

I've never been on foodstamps but I honestly don't mind my hard earned tax money going to feed the less fortunate or even people that don't want to work. I'd MUCH rather have it go to them then some over bloated military contract or some fat cat bankers. At least when it goes to less fortunate Americans the money gets thrown back into the system and helps produce more and feed the people I care way more about.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by Eldensword

 

Opportunity everywhere? Absolutely everywhere...eh? I beg to differ and so does the Federal Government. If there is one thing they do well, it's keep statistics. They keep stats on everything imagineable and in every break down and form you could ever think to ask for. For instance, this list shows unemployment rates for 372 metro areas in the U.S.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas

That shows that while some areas are on the extreme of more jobs than people exist to fill them (North Dakota), they are among the exception and far from the rule. On the bottom of the scale are other population centers pushing THIRTY PERCENT unemployment, which hasn't dramatically changed for them going into this year.

This is staggering - Just amazing, stats, and graphs and this and that...It still doesn't make one, simple fact go away for your case - Opportunity is EVERYWHERE and more abundant than what the average, FS collecting shmo can "deal with". Example: What was the opportunity for the slaves coming off of the ships to US? Depends on how you look at it, right? Life SUCKED ASS for them in Africa - They weren't leaving luxury cars and mansions behind, right? The circumstances were terrible, the slave owners AND sellers, wrong to do so, but eventually, these people kicked slavery's butt and many of them gained property and wealth and OPPORTUNITY WITHOUT HANDOUTS.

You can argue that there is no opportunity for people today until you're blue in the face and I'll continue to show you where they can EFFING MOVE AWAY from that demographic, yes...don't argue, a person can change their location, dispite how "beat down by the man" you lefty, softies think they are...There are things to do, dollars to scrape together and improve the situation, EVERYWHERE for the thinking, innovative human.

Now, let's argue about the individual's perception of "opportunity". Here inlies the whole flippin' problem...

Originally posted by Bilk22
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

So then, as I stated in my thread about border security, terrorism and surveillance, why do they talk about related issues as if they have no connection? Or not talk about them in the same sentence?

Shouldn't food subsidies be a topic of discussion when CONSIDERING legalizing 12million illegal immigrants who will more than likely be utilizing those food stamps? I mean 12million more will want to come for the free pizza and beer - oh yes you can buy beer with food stamps - unless someone somewhere grows hair on their balls and talks about these things in terms of reality. Oh you can buy cigs too. Go figure. (I use food stamps generically. There's lots of programs with different names)

edit on 19-6-2013 by Bilk22 because: (no reason given)

Depending on the state you live in most of them are already on some for of assistance whether they are legal or not. Well said!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Neo, no one is using SNAP benefits at a strip club and the only things that it will buy at a liquor store would be a food item in a side display. The law as well as policy already pre-sort, segregates and restricts at the register, which items can physically be rung up under the Food Stamp benefit program and which can never be covered by it. You'll watch people get 2 differnt totals, if you are behind someone using it. One covered by food stamps and one payable in cash.

Wrong. LoneStar Cards or (SNAP / EBT ) have a cash value along with Food Stamps. I am not sure how it works in other states but here in Texas it works that way. I do believe the Florida Governor signed HB 701 to prevent the use of these cards in strip clubs.

reply to post by the4thhorseman


(sigh) I wish people would read the thread...but it seems a common and wide spread misunderstanding, so I'll address it again. In your specific example:

What is the Lone Star Card?
HHSC gives food (SNAP) and cash benefits (TANF) through the Lone Star Card. This is a plastic card that is used like a debit card. Each month, your approved monthly benefit amount is placed in the card's account.

Source

That is from the site run by Texas Health and Human Services.

The EBT card is used for MANY THINGS. Food is only ONE of those things. I don't much care for the mix and Food Stamps ought to be on their own card so these misunderstandings do not happen. In some states, like Missouri, Unemployment is ALSO on the *SAME* card as food stamps....as are some state run programs of totally unrelated things and TANF (Traditional Welfare).

Food Stamps do not and never have ...ever... carried cash benefits anywhere in the United States that I am aware of. If they have, then it was by specific waiver of the Federal USDA as the Federal program absolutely prohibits substitution of Food benefits with cash. The game to play around that used to be (when paper bills were used) buying very cheap items with a "$1" food stamp bill to get back real money change. The plastic card made that impossible.

What you see people using the Lone Star Card for with cash is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) which is your traditional welfare program. It is not SNAP and it never has been. Keeping these straight is real important as cuts to one are NOT equal to cuts across another. Mixing the two up, as even some in Congress seem apt to do at times, is how innocent people get clobbered to try and stop people spending the TANF cash benefits in a strip club or a casino.

reply to post by Eldensword


Your perception that opportunity exists everywhere does not make it so. If you cannot appreciate that from the stories related on this very thread by your fellow ATS members, then absolutely nothing I link anywhere on the internet will change your perceptions.

BTW... Africa is and has been racked by unrest, outright civil war and corruption almost beyond description, depending on what area of it. A good % of Sub-Saharan Africa DOES live on a version of Food Stamps and barely stays alive on that. That food is simply administered by USAID and the United Nations divisions dedicated to the distribution of food products to 3r, 4th and 5th world nations. (Yes...it does go below 3rd ...and your example covers some of the worst in the world for human suffering). Not the best example for much of anything, IMO. It shows OUR future, if we don't support our own vulnerable members of society and simply cut them off at the knees...or stomachs in this case..to let them fend for themselves.

They WILL fend for themselves alright. They most definitely will get food. Yours and mine. At gunpoint, if necessary.....as it is in some of those other nations in a daily routine of survival.