Free Republic

Food stamp participation dropped below 40 million for the first time in eight years, according to the latest numbers on food stamp enrollment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The most recent USDA data reveals that 39,604,428 people were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the program that administers food stamps—as of April 2018. The last time enrollment dipped below 40 million was in February 2010, when 39,588,993 people received SNAP benefits. The latest data on enrollment shows that overall enrollment in the food stamp program has reached historic lows, reaching its lowest point in eight years. But...

Most SNAP recipients spend ... early it increases food insecurity. 39% spend 2/3 of monthly benefit in the first 4 days. 14% of GA households are food insecure. Over 1.6 million (16%) utilized $2.54b in SNAP in GA. Few statistically significant differences explain why spending patterns are so different. We hoped we would be able to find something that said the ‘patient’ people do this and ‘impatient’ people do that, but we did not, Dorfman said. I guess it comes down to personality. Many households are connected to SNAP through local food banks and caseworkers at state agencies, DFCS, Camardelle...

A White House report said Thursday most Americans living in poverty who receive government benefits are not working, even though they are able to -- a published backing for the Trump administration's plan to impose new work requirements for welfare recipients. The 66-page report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers said poverty numbers of non-disabled adults are "a deeply flawed reflection of material hardship." The study said most non-disabled working-age adults who receive Medicaid, 61 percent, do not work or work very few hours. The other two major welfare programs, Medicaid and food stamps, have similar numbers. The...

This is the land of opportunity, and anyone who wants the come here can…legally. That’s not the issue. For the Trump White House, it’s been their stated position to shift our immigration policy toward allowing more high-skilled workers into this country.  As for the families of the low-skilled working immigration population in the country, 51 percent (76 percent counting immigrant-led households with children) are collecting some sort of check from our welfare services. Is that good? No. Does that mean we shut it all down? No. That figure comes from the Center for Immigration Studies, who noted the need for...

I cross river, Poor and broke, Take bus, See employment folk. Nice man Treat me good in there, Say I need Go see Welfare. Welfare say, 'You come no more, We send cash Right to your door.' Welfare checks, They make you wealthy, Medicaid It keep you healthy! By and by, Got plenty money, Thanks to you, TAXPAYER dummy. Write to friends In motherland, Tell them 'come, fast as you can' They come in buses And Chevy trucks, I buy big house With welfare bucks. They come here, We live together, More welfare checks, It gets better! Fourteen families, They...

Summary The 2018 "official" U.S. debt figure of $34 trillion is 120% of GDP and projected to double as a percent of GDP within the next 20 years. It's big.If we add "off-the-books" net obligations like Social Security and Medicare, our all-in debt, or so-called "fiscal gap", rises to $110 trillion, or 390% of GDP. It's scary.Raising taxes and reducing benefits won't restore solvency. Something is going to break, and it won't be pretty. We're broke and no one seems to care. We're all aware that this country owes a lot of money, but no one cares because we're leading...

If you read the latest Social Security Trustees Report, you're aware that the program's combined trust funds are expected to run dry in 2034. And clearly, that's not great news. But before you start panicking about your benefits, it's important that you understand the implications of those trust funds running out.Social Security won't go broke The most important thing you should know about Social Security's trust funds is that they're not the program's primary source of funding. Rather, the bulk of the revenue that Social Security takes in comes from payroll taxes. Now for the first time in multiple decades,...

Overall enrollment in the nation’s food stamp program has dipped to its lowest level in eight years, according to the latest statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The latest USDA data reveals that enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the federal government program that administers food stamps—dropped to 40,083,954 in March 2018. The last time enrollment in the food stamp program reached that level was February 2010, when 39,588,993 people participated in the nation’s food stamp program. Although overall enrollment has reached its lowest point in eight years, food stamp enrollment has been declining steadily since...

Food companies have embraced a controversial tactic in their quest to sell more soda, a new study says: timing advertisements for sugary drinks to the days states distribute food stamp benefits. On any given day, grocery shoppers are likely to see soda displays in stores, researchers found. But they are two to four times as likely to come across them when food stamps go out. The study, which relied on 2011 data from the New York State Department of Health and which will appear later this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is the latest to suggest there's...

America has a major dependency problem. In recent decades, there’s been a significant increase in the number of working-age adults relying on handouts.This is bad news for poor people and bad news for taxpayers. But it’s also bad news for the nation since it reflects an erosion of societal capital.For all intents and purposes, people are being paid not to be productive.Guided by the spirit of Calvin Coolidge, we need to reform the welfare state.Professor Dorfman of the University of Georgia, in a column for Forbes, pinpoints the core problem. The first failure of government welfare programs is to favor help with current consumption while placing almost...

SCHUMER WARNS: FUNDING AT RISK FOR CRITICAL AND COST-EFFECTIVE FARM-SAFETY PROGRAM TO HELP PREVENT DEADLY TRACTOR ROLLOVERS; SENATOR LAUNCHES NEW PUSH ON CDC TO FUND TRACTOR ROLLOVER PROTECTION PROGRAM AND KEEP IT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED The Federally-Funded Northeast Center For Occupational Safety And Health For Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (NEC) Provides Farmers With Important Resources, Like Special 1-800 Safety Number, Access To Farm-Safety Experts And Information On Next-Gen Farm Safety Equipment Like Tractor Rollover Bars NEC’s Research Led To National ROPS – Rollover Bar – Rebate Program, But Senator Says Lack Of Available Grants Puts ROPS Program At Risk Schumer: Any...

After eight years of budget cutting, Britain is looking less like the rest of Europe and more like the United States, with a shrinking welfare state and spreading poverty. PRESCOT, England — A walk through this modest town in the northwest of England amounts to a tour of the casualties of Britain’s age of austerity. The old library building has been sold and refashioned into a glass-fronted luxury home. The leisure center has been razed, eliminating the public swimming pool. The local museum has receded into town history. The police station has been shuttered. Now, as the local government desperately...

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - For five months, Fox 9 has been investigating what appears to be rampant fraud in a massive state program. This fraud is suspected of costing Minnesota taxpayers as much as $100 million a year. - some of that public money is ending up in the hands of terrorists. SUITCASES FILLED WITH MONEY This story begins at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where mysterious suitcases filled with cash have become a common carry-on. On the morning of March 15, Fox 9 chased a tip about a man who was leaving the country. Sources said he took a carry-on bag...

Hat Tip: Kevin Collins I have never heard this said as simply or as well. Class war at its best. The folks who are getting the free stuff don't like The folks who are paying for the free stuff , because The folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer Afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff. And the folks who are paying for the free stuff Want the free stuff to stop. And the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more Free stuff on top of the free...

We are living in the age of the victim. We live in a culture that worships at the altar of the victim. Americans everywhere are looking for others to blame. If I trip in my neighbor’s yard—it’s his fault. If I hang out at Burger King until I look like a Whooper—somehow Burger King is to blame. On the surface this may be a comforting approach to life—always having someone else to blame for our own faults, failures, and flaws. But the truth is, it is one of the most destructive and cynical lies out there! Here’s what it costs...

ohn Hinderaker calls it “the worst scandal in Minnesota history,” and one can only hope he’s right. The local Fox affiliate spent five months tracking the flow of cash going out in carry-on baggage through Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, and more importantly, where it originates. That turns out to be in large part from government day-care payments that end up being for non-existent enrollees (via Instapundit):

It is certainly a contender. Fox 9 television uncovers a far-reaching scandal: last year, more than $100 million in cash left the Twin Cities airport in carry-on luggage, bound for the Middle East and Africa: This story begins at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where mysterious suitcases filled with cash have become a common carry-on. On the morning of March 15, Fox 9 chased a tip about a man who was leaving the country. Sources said he took a carry-on bag through security that was packed with $1 million in cash. Travelers can do that, as long as they fill out...

More than 2.2 million people have discontinued their participation in food stamps during President Trump’s first full year in office, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data on food stamp enrollment. The latest USDA data shows that since Trump’s first full month in office in February 2017—when food stamp enrollment was at 42,289,366— participation in the program decreased by 2,257,235 to 40,032,131. The continued decline in enrollment during Trump’s first full year is on pace with the steady decline in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation since 2013. Before then, participation in the federal welfare program swelled...

The Trump administration is considering a policy change that might discourage immigrants who are seeking permanent residency from using government-supported health care, a scenario that is alarming some doctors, hospitals and patient advocates. Under the proposed plan, a lawful immigrant holding a visa could be passed over for getting permanent residency — a green card — if they use Medicaid, a subsidized Obamacare plan, food stamps, tax credits or a list of other non-cash government benefits, according to a draft of the plan published by The Washington Post. Even the use of such benefits by a child who is a...

Almost always, when I point out the difficulties of enacting some social program much desired by the left, I am met with some version of the following rejoinder: “Other countries have managed to do this. We passed Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security and most recently, Obamacare. It is obviously possible to do these sorts of things, even in America. The obstructionism of people like you is the only reason we can’t have nice things.” The obstruction of people like me is, obviously, one of the reasons that we can’t have “nice things.” (Though, just as obviously, we obstruct because...