Posted on 10/15/2013 11:14:21 AM PDT by Zakeet
When over the weekend, a Xerox "glitch" shut down the EBT system, better known as foodstamps, for nearly the entire day across 17 states leaving millions without "funding" to pay for food leading to dramatic examples of the basest human behavior possible, some of the more conspiratorial elements saw this merely as a dress rehearsal for what may be coming in the immediate future. While there was no basis to believe that is the case, a USDA (the currently shuttered agency that administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) memo obtained by the Crossroads Urban Center in Utah carries in it a very disturbing warning for the 46+ million Americans currently on foodstamps.
To wit: "understanding the operational issues and constraints that States face, and in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are directing States to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to State electronic benefit transfer (EBT) vendors until further notice." In other words, as Fox13News summarizes, "States across the country are being told to stop the supplemental nutrition assistance program for the month of November, pending further notice."
The full memo first posted on the Crossroads Facebook page is shown below:
More on this dramatic development which, if implemented, would will result in significant unpredictable outcomes across the nation:
“This is going to create a huge hardship for the people we serve here in our food pantry,” says Bill Tibbits who is the Associate Director at Crossroads Urban Center.They posted a letter from the USDA on its Facebook page. It says in part, “in the interest of preserving maximum flexibility, we are directing states to hold their November issuance files and delay transmission to state electronic benefit transfer vendors until further notice.”
“What this means if there’s not a deal, if Congress doesn’t reach a deal to get federal government back up and running, in Utah about 100,000 families won’t get food stamp benefit,” says Tibbits.
In other words, tens of thousands of Utah families may not be able to feed their children come November.
...
“People out here are going to go without food,” says Loralee Smith whose been homeless since August and says the uncertainty is making her uneasy about where her next meal will come from. “I’m on food stamps, I don’t know if I’m going to get them, a lot of people are on food stamps and they don’t know if they’re going to get them.”
Others say if SNAP shuts down, they’ll find a way to feed themselves.
One hopes such "alternative" feeding arrangements will be peaceful, although in the most heavily armed nation in the world, and arguably the one where a massive portion of the population is now fully reliant on the welfare state for virtually every daily need, it is easy to see cutting off daily bread to tens of millions has a less than happy ending.
As the report notes, for people out on the streets like Richard Phillips, "It could impact us and it’s going to cause problems because you’re going to come to find out that people are going to steal and do what they have to do to survive."
Such a realization could come as a very unpleasant wake up call for the millions of other Americans who still live in their Ivory Towers, focusing on the daily gyrations of the S&P500, and largely oblivious of how the rest of America lives.
The full report on what may be the most catalytic event in the history of the US welfare state is presented below.
... and you silly Freepers wondered why we needed 1.6 billion rounds of hollow point ammo!
If I am reading that right it is effective today —
Obama's 30% hardcore are of absolutely no use to him whatsoever at this point other than flash riots from their obamaphones, which are also due to be turned off sometime next year.
Bluff.
More threats to use on spineless Republicans.
In a sad way, it would probably be better in the long term if they did stop EBT for a full month. Maybe a few liberals who got beat up and robbed might change their fantasy of the “virtuous and noble poor”. Particularly those virtuous folks of color. You know, the ones that aren’t doing the flash mobs and committing over 50% of gun murders.
Planned ‘false flag’ event. Mobilize Obama’s thug army. Not all on ebt are thugs or even obama supporters, but there are a lot who are, and those are the ones I am talking about.
November issuance. The card “refills” happen at the beginning of each month. No one is going to see anything until the first of November.
I’ve got a couple of in laws that I personally would like to see cut off tomorrow.
It’s not going to happen. This is more posturing and threats by the thugs in the WH. Bet on it.
“Hey, let’s put water on it.....”
I would like to see EBT go dark.
Not out of spite, but to show Americans that the nanny-state always will fail them. If it wasn’t today, it will be even worse when no one accepts the massively printed FED dollars any longer.
It will also prove to most people they can live just fine without most of what the Federal Government does. The states and local communities can easily pick up necessary social-welfare functions and do it better, cheaper, and with more respect.
Bluff.
More threats to use on spineless Republicans.
I wish this were a parallel universe.
I would like to see EBT go dark, too. I also want the FSA to burn down every store that accepted the damned things. Maybe if enough companies learn the hard way that catering to looters and the lowest common denominator to get more of our money, they might be reluctant to accept EBT in the future.
During the EBT outage this weekend, I was tweeting out to all the complainers, "Hey, this is the government you want to put in charge of your healthcare."
Maybe, I got someone to actually think for a change.
/s
The left has always held the delusion that revolutions come from the lower classes. They don’t. The lower classes want to “get by”, not change the system, whatever it is. They don’t have the resources to do otherwise.
If the rich want to have revolutionary change, they buy it from politicians. So no revolution there, either.
The truth of the matter is that real revolutions come from the middle classes. They number enough, and they have the resources, to challenge government.
But when does a revolution happen?
Oddly enough, it is a simple ratio. What a government promises, vs. what it delivers. If a government promises too much, and does not deliver, it is inefficient, and will likely fail and be replaced.
Is their a difference between SNAP and EBT?
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.