[Graybeard58]

I know that there are some who are truly needy and others who milk the system, generations of moochers in some cases.

The part I don't get is how any of this is the government's (Tax payers) responsibility.

As a Christian, I believe that it is my responsibility to help the poor and needy but no way do I believe that the government should force people to pay for someone elses needs.

Plus if they didn't force me to pay for this, I'd have more money to spend on personal, case by case basis charity, with me making decisions about who gets my help.

Our church gets calls almost every day from people seeking money and/or food. They want money for rent, car payments, utility bills etc etc. We long ago reached the point where we ask them if they ever attend our church, if the answer is no, we simply tell them that we can't help them, that we must help our own first and we have reached the limit of our resources. This may sound hard hearted and we get some pretty ugly replies because of it but it's a practical matter and the bottom line is we don't have enough to help everybody.

[Graybeard58]

Ping to a Republican-American Editorial.

If you want on or off this ping list, let me know.

[Repeal The 17th]

Any program that allows you to buy canned chili but prohibits you from buying toilet paper is fatally flawed.

[Lurker]

The only food “aid” that should be available is 3 MRE’s a day.

[digger48]

And a lot of these items are available for purchase at many convenience stores.

get yourself a 44oz Slurpee and a King-sized Snickers and put it on your Foodstamp card so you can save your cash for those $6/pk smokes

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) defines eligible food as any food or food product for home consumption and also includes seeds and plants which produce food for consumption by SNAP households. The Act precludes the following items from being purchased with SNAP benefits: alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot food and any food sold for on-premises consumption. Nonfood items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, medicines and vitamins, household supplies, grooming items, and cosmetics, also are ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.

Soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream are food items and are therefore eligible items

Seafood, steak, and bakery cakes are also food items and are therefore eligible items

Since the current definition of food is a specific part of the Act, any change to this definition would require action by a member of Congress. Several times in the history of SNAP, Congress had considered placing limits on the types of food that could be purchased with program benefits. However, they concluded that designating foods as luxury or non-nutritious would be administratively costly and burdensome.

I'm sorry, but in this day and computer age, I'mm calling Bovine Excrement on that last part.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/retailers/eligible.htm

[DuncanWaring]

... a plan to cut the federal budget by $261 billion over the next decade.

Wow.

Cutting $261 billion in ten years.

$26 billion per year.

Out of a budget that's $1000 to $1500 billion per year in the hole.

Color me unimpressed.

[GeronL]

There are no cuts in that budget proposal, that is simply a reduction of the planned growth.

[montag813]

9 out of 10 black women I see buying groceries at my local market, WalMart, Target - ANYWHERE - are using a SNAP or EBT card. These fat hoes usually have expensive jewelry, shoes and cell phones as well. It is disgusting.

[Happy Rain]

There was a stigma when the shiftless actually had to pay with food stamps in front of everybody—now you don't know whether the worthless Democrat voters are swiping an EBT moocher card or a debit card.

Thing about stigma—tended to shame some of the sorry into straightening out their useless lives...

...not any more.

[2ndDivisionVet]

After Hurricane Katrina destroyed my business in Mississippi, I moved to Texas to look for work. I was told by the county social services people that because I was white, I wouldn’t be getting food stamps. I found a job, as a supervisor at the Texas Workforce Center, supervising workers and signing off on free laptops, gas cards, bus passes, child care and Wal-Mart & Target gift cards for the New Orleans Katrina victims who were ... you guessed it...

[Iron Munro]

It seems that half the people we now see in the local markets are obviously Hispanic, can’t speak english, but have full grocery carts and EBT cards.

And they don’t even have the courtesy to give the rest of us in line so much as a “Muchas Gracias!”

[Noob1999]

..............the federal government spent a record $78 billion on SNAP, and nearly 45 million people received benefits .......................

So, that breaks down to $1733 per person, or about $4.75 per person per day of food benefits, ($78B/$45M).

Now, the kids that go to school get a free breakfast and a free lunch, so dinnertime for them is not life/death nutrition, (so they might be able to skip dinner wilst ripping copper out of the next door project before sundown.)

So a family of three (two kids plus mother, -—father is a long gone history lesson-—) get $14.25 per day for free food, $100 per week.

I believe that the allowance is a very generous benefit, along with their rent subsidies, free cell phone, energy assistance, tax credits for the poor, possible welfare, free medicaid, and on and on.

We just need to add taxes for everybody else to allow these folks to continue to reproduce! s\

[DNME]

We’re staring at national bankruptcy because of runaway charitable programs that are (now) politically untouchable.

Cutting back or canceling even ONE of these programs would result in howling from coast to coast, and quite possibly massive rioting.

Ever think Obummer might DELIBERATELY cut off some or even all of these programs, just to “light the fuse” on social unrest? Just wondering ...

[Bon of Babble]

In California, EBT/SNAP cards are now called “California Fresh” and made up to look like beautiful credit cards.

Well, California has 12% of the U.S. population but 33% of ALL welfare recipients so we will be the first to fall!!

It’s rare when I DON’T see the “California Fresh” card used.

[gimme1ibertee]

One possible solution:

(document presented in language of applicant).....Public Assistance Implementation and Usage Contract. This contract, entered into on (date) and expiring on (18 months from implementation date) by the (state agency) and applicant(s) listed herein (must submit names of applicant and children born to her via birth records),allows for the provision of food,housing allowance,child care and education for the purposes of job placement during the contract period,and is understood by all parties concerned that the provision of aforementioned assistance is on a one-time basis,not to be repeated or reinstated at any time for any reason between the applicant(s) and the agency named herein,and is for the aforementioned time period only,and can only be implemented following presentation of documents proving legal citizenship status and a drug screening process,both of which are to be conducted by the agency. Once legal citizenship status and drug screen results are known by the agency and the applicant and found to be favorable,this contract can then be implemented.The following covenants hereby apply and are agreed upon by both the named agency herein and the applicant(s) seeking assistance (failure of any one of these covenants will be considered a contract breach on the part of the applicant,and will result in immediate termination of the contract;assistance will be terminated immediately and can never be reinstated at any time in the future for any reason: Applicant MUST disclose the name(s) of the absent parent of applicant's child/children so that an attempt to obtain monetary support for those children can be made through DNA analysis. Failure to disclose the absent parent's name will result in automatic immediate cessation of benefits. applicant will submit to random home visits which will be unannounced and will occur during the 5-day work week,normally during the early afternoon hours; applicant will submit to random drug testing as directed by the agency; applicant must not conceive,adopt (formally or informally,including family members,immediate or extended) marry or cohabitate during the contract period; applicant must attend a one-year vocational program via a voucher provided by the agency;applicant must attend each class ( two absences will be allowed during the contract period and a doctor's note must be submitted upon returning to class for each absence) and a transportation voucher will be provided by the agency for transportation during class hours;child care will be provided by the agency during class hours only. Once applicant graduates from vocational training, a two-month job-placement period will commence,with child care provided by the agency; Upon applicant's employment,there will be an additional 4 months of ongoing assistance to allow applicant enough time to establish themselves in their occupation and to make child-care arrangements for after the contract period. Once this contract has reached its expiration date,the assistance provided,all provisions and covenants and financial considerations as well,will cease and terminate permanently.The applicant is barred from any and all future assistance. I,________________ hereby agree to adhere to all covenants,rules,etc of this contract. I realize and fully understand that I am bound by this contract in order to receive assistance in any form,and that any violation or breach will result in my not receiving any form of assistance any further. I agree further that this contract was fully explained to me by the agency caseworker and that I will fully comply. (sign & date here)____________________________ Agency hereby agrees to and will implement to the best of its ability and obligations,all covenants of this contract. (agency sign & date)_______________________