Posted on 07/03/2009 4:10:34 AM PDT by COBOL2Java
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Dawn was reading the Palm Beach Post. I don't read it but she does, and she sent me this most amazing story. The headline: "Hungry Palm Beach County Residents Failing to Claim..." and Port St. Lucie is in Martin County, right? I'm sorry, St. Lucie County. St. Lucie County, yes, but it's not in Palm Beach County. "Hungry Palm Beach County Residents Failing to Claim $83 Million in Food Stamp Aid." Now, the first thing wrong with the headline is "hungry." If they were hungry they'd be collecting the food stamps! And this stupid story goes on to lament: These poor people, they don't know all the food stamps are available! They don't know it's out there, and so the county is trying to figure out ways, Mr. Limbaugh, to advertise so they can alert people.
Are you telling me that since 1964, 45 years, Americans -- particularly in a 78% or 70% Democrat county like this one -- don't know where the food stamps are? Don't know how to go get the food stamps? I got an idea. We like to bring solutions to things here at the EIB Network. The journalism business is in deep doo-doo, right? Newspapers are in bad shape. The Palm Beach Post has laid off workers. They have cut the size of the newspaper. It's a tabloid. It's just not printed that way. They still print it as a broad sheet, but there's nothing broad about it anymore. So why not get some stimulus money and use that to buy advertising in the Palm Beach Post to tell these people that are hungry and starving that there's $83 million worth of food stamps they haven't claimed? Well, the reason is that the people who are hungry and starving (supposedly) probably don't read the paper in the first place -- or can't, one of the two. This is just... Wouldn't this tell a responsible government, "Maybe that's money we don't have to spend, then. Maybe we're over budget by $83 million."
Because the idea that a bunch of people who are totally dependent on food stamps don't know where to go to get it is just unbelievable. The story is by Jennifer Sorentrue. "More than $80 million in food stamps available to Palm Beach County residents is going unclaimed, the head of the county's food alliance told commissioners this morning. Alex Stevens, director of the county's community food alliance..." You know, I would love to go back and say, "Hey, Thomas Jefferson? Did you ever think you would live in a country -- create a country, found a country -- that ended up with things called 'the county's community food alliance'?" The community food alliance. Alex Stevens. Can you imagine when Alex Stevens of was four years old or five years old?
"Little Alex what do you want to be when you grow up?""[T]he county's community food alliance." This is the United States of America. We're not talking about Honduras here. We're not talking about Venezuela. We're not talking about Afghanistan. We're talking the richest country in the earth. (sigh) All right. Used to be. That's right. Now we're a banana republic, and we got a new national anthem. That's coming up in a minute again, too."I want to run the county community food alliance, Dad."
"Good little Alex! Except there isn't one, Alex."
"There will be, Dad, by the time I grow up. I want to found it."
"Alex Stevens, director of the county's community food alliance, said there has been a 30 percent surge in the number of people registering for food stamps with the state's Department of Children and Families." Okay, so we have the county's community food alliance which interfaces with the Department of Children and Families, and there's been a 30% surge in the number of people wanting to be fed by the government, and "Still, he said, about $83 million in food stamps are going unclaimed," here. "Commissioners said..." Get this. The commissioners of the community food alliance "said the number is unacceptable..." (laughing) Damn right it is, but we're not talking about the same reasons here. "Commissioners said the number is unacceptable and urged state and local leaders to do more to reach those who may not know they qualify for the benefit."
Commissioner Burt Aaronson of the community food alliance, or maybe he's a county commissioner, I'm not sure. Okay, so now three groups are involved. The county commissioners, the community food alliance, and the Department of Children and Families. Three groups, and they have failed to alert all the people. Despite a 30% surge in the demand for food stamps, they have failed somehow to get rid of $83 million. Why don't just do what Democrats do and go take the money yourself and say you gave it away? You could give it to the Palm Beach County sheriff's office or police. We're always hearing about how these agencies are going to be "cut." Well, give it to them. Yeah. Give it to the sheriff's department or give it to the fire departments. You can't let $83 million slide off the table. It won't. You still have it, right? If it's unclaimed, it's...
(interruption)
I know. Budget-wise,"use it or lose it." That's why they want to spend it be because they don't want their budget cut for food stamps next year. "Commissioner Shelley Vana agreed. 'If we are leaving $83 million on the table...'" This is really going to improve my coverage in the Palm Beach Post, by the way. I just want to make that observation. "Commissioner Shelley Vana agreed. 'If we are leaving $83 million on the table, that is just crazy,' she said. 'We need to figure out ... what is it that we need to do. We need to do it now. Enough with the talk.'" We are in the Twilight Zone. They have $83 million in unused food stamps. We have three agencies -- the county community food alliance, the Department of Children and Families and the county commissioners -- and they're in a panic over $83 million in unclaimed food stamps thinking that there are people starving to death because of this.
Now, the market will tell us if people are starving. They're going to find a way to get food. They're either going to steal it or they're going to find a way to get the food stamps. Can you imagine all of the Chicken McNuggets you could buy with $83 million in food stamps? You could open 25 brand-new McDonald's in Port St. Lucie -- and never run out of Chicken McNuggets, and never have to pay the expense of another 911 call...ever! These people make Barney Frank look responsible, and smart. Oh. Wait. Wait. You know what? "Calls for emergency assistance made to the 211 help hotline have increased by 30 percent, Stevens said." I would say, then, that you're maxed out if you've still got $83 million unused food stamps. Did you know what 211 was? (interruption) I didn't 'til I read this story. I had no idea. I guess this is the work of the community food alliance, the Department of Children and Families, and the county commissioners. 2-1-1. Hang on. Can I...? I'm going to call them. Well, you can't hear because my microphone moves the phone. I want to call 211 and see what happens. Can you call 211 and put it on the air? Can you do it? (interruption) All right. You sure you can do this? I don't want to sit here and have to vamp. All right. We're going to call 'em up. I just want to see who answers.
TELEPHONE: (push-button tones) Beep...beep...beep.
RUSH: You know, I'll report a starvation. You know, somewhere in Loxahatchee.
TELEPHONE: (ringing)
RUSH: Doobee-doob-doo-doo-doop-doo.
WOMAN RECORDING: Thank you for calling 211. Para continuare en el espanol, aprema a numero siete. (pause) If you are calling about a homeless hot team appointment, please press 6.
RUSH: A what?
WOMAN RECORDING: If you need information on community resources, or if you need somebody to talk to, please press 3. If you are having thoughts of suicide, please press 2. Calls to 2-1-1 may be monitored for quality control purposes.
TELEPHONE: (electronic squealing noise)
RUSH: What, did they hang up on us?
TELEPHONE: (electronic squealing noise)
RUSH: What is that? Oh, they're waiting for a response? That's what you get at 211 when they're waiting for a response? Well, what was the suicide? Hit that. I feel like that after reading the...
TELEPHONE: (push-button tone) Beep.
RUSH: No, don't hit that! Hang up. I don't want to deal with that. I don't want to deal with that. Because you know what they'll do? They'll send a fire truck out here and then all hell will break loose.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: One thing we've learned -- and this is probably more applicable for Port St. Lucie than Palm Beach County, but it's going to spread everywhere. If you go to McDonald's and they don't have McNuggets, call 2-1-1 not 9-1-1. That's what they need to advertise is a 211 number. If people knew what the 211 number was. Obviously a story in the Palm Beach County is not enough to get it out to a lot of people. I'm doing more to help starvation in Palm Beach County right now than anybody else has, 211. Can you imagine the number of people calling them now just to play jokes? Ohhh. "Press 6 for McNuggets, 7 for food stamps -- and do you want them FedExed overnight or second day?" That's what I'd do if I were on the community food alliance.
END TRANSCRIPT
Oh I missed this. How funny! Rush is good.
Heard that live. It was a blast, especially the suicide comment. That man is quite the entertainer.
LOL!
They were doing this back in RI right before we left for the south. Advertisements on busses, radio, newspapers, billboards, bus-stop benches - the whole 9.
“Someone you know may be going hungry - but they’re too proud to admit it.”, etc, etc.
From a state which now has 10% unemployment and is running out of money hand over fist.
The Palm Beach Putz: Pravda with palm trees.
“More than $80 million in food stamps available to Palm Beach County residents is going unclaimed,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A relative of ours recently left an abusive husband. He broke into the home of another relative who was protecting her. The police were called. He was arrested, and at that point the social services for this woman was set in motion.
Anyway...She is now eligible for food stamps.
She has **MORE** food stamps than she and her 3 kids can use! To help use them up she buys expensive ice cream, steaks, shrimp, sword fish, and fresh raspberries, whipping cream...etc. And...At the end of the month there are still **unused** food stamps.
It could be that the food stamps are unused because poor people just would rather not waste the food.
I was on line at the supermarket checkout behind a guy who was trying to use food stamps to buy dog food. The cashier explained that food stamps could not be used for that. Overheard the guy mutter “Oh well, guess my dog’s gettin’ steak tonight.”
Lol!
No wonder there are so many obese poor kids. Geez.
This is the way it’s in Minnesota, too. All of these food stamps that are just sitting around, and the state advertises! Advertises that it has food stamps!! It just blows me away. A local social worker that I know is always bugging me, “We have food stamps, does your family need food stamps?” “What? Do we look like we’re starving to you?!”
I just want to hit her, but the truth of this is, is that they have so much of these excess, and when the Minnesota legislature is scratching their heads as to where to cut the budget? Weeelll....
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 02, 2009 Families at risk of losing their homes or being evicted can apply for a one-time payment of up to $400 beginning Monday. The money is available only to those who have a child under age 18 living with them and need help to pay overdue rent or mortgage payments. Families can also qualify for money distributed by the Department of Children and Families to help pay a security deposit if they are homeless, being evicted or have lost their homes due to fire or a natural disaster. The federal grants, designed to prevent homelessness, are distributed each year. This year's program totals $1.6 million, the same as last. DCF helps eligible families in the order they apply, and last year, the money was gone by September. Applications are available online in English, Spanish and Creole at www.dcf.state.fl.us/homelessness or by calling (877) 891-6445. Anyone with questions can call the same number. Applications received before 8:30 a.m. Monday will be denied.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.