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USA becomes Food Stamp Nation but is it sustainable?
Reuters ^ | 8/22/11 | Kristina Cooke

Posted on 08/22/2011 10:16:25 AM PDT by markomalley

Genna Saucedo supervises cashiers at a Wal-Mart in Pico Rivera, California, but her wages aren't enough to feed herself and her 12-year-old son.

Saucedo, who earns $9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother, is one of the many Americans who survive because of government handouts in what has rapidly become a food stamp nation.

Altogether, there are now almost 46 million people in the United States on food stamps, roughly 15 percent of the population. That's an increase of 74 percent since 2007, just before the financial crisis and a deep recession led to mass job losses.

At the same time, the cost doubled to reach $68 billion in 2010 -- more than a third of the amount the U.S. government received in corporate income tax last year -- which means the program has started to attract the attention of some Republican lawmakers looking for ways to cut the nation's budget deficit.

While there are clearly some cases of abuse by people who claim food stamps but don't really need them, for many Americans like Saucedo there is little current alternative if they are to put food on the table while paying rent and utility bills.

"It's kind of sad that even though I'm working that I need to have government assistance. I have asked them to please put me on full-time so I can have benefits," said the 32-year-old.

She's worked at Wal-Mart for nine months, and applied for food stamps as soon as her probation ended. She said plenty of her colleagues are in the same situation.

(Excerpt) Read more at old.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Front Page News; Government
KEYWORDS: bhoeconomy; democrats; foodstamps; handouts; obama; obamadepression; obamasamerica
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To: mamelukesabre

and just where are the homeless going to cook their rations?


41 posted on 08/22/2011 11:53:11 AM PDT by gemoftheocean (...geez, this all seems so straight forward and logical to me...)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

“for many Americans like Saucedo there is little current alternative if they are to put food on the table while paying rent and utility bills”

Perfect example of how mendacious is this whole line of argument. I hold no or little esteem for advocates of rent and utility price controls and giveaways, but at least they have marginal honesty. If the choice is between food and rent/water/power, then this article should be about rent/water/power, not food. The fact that they highlight food when obviously that’s what people should buy first (air and water being relatively free) exposes their perfidy.


42 posted on 08/22/2011 11:58:50 AM PDT by Tublecane
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To: gemoftheocean

same place they did 100 years ago. buffoon.


43 posted on 08/22/2011 12:00:27 PM PDT by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))
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To: gemoftheocean

“and just where are the homeless going to cook their rations?”

They can eat raw. Or maybe campfires.


44 posted on 08/22/2011 12:00:27 PM PDT by Tublecane
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To: PGR88

“My nephew who works checkout at a grocery store points out that the “food” gets paid for with Food Stamps, and the alcohol, beer, cigarettes, lottery tickets then gets rung up seperately and paid for in cash. Is extremely common.”

This gives the lie to the whole food stamp concept. It’s as if no one ever heard of opportunity cost. We give people tickets to redeem for food because no one advocates starvation. But we’re not subsidizing food, as naturally people would buy it in any circumstance. We’re subsidizing what they buy with the money they’d be spending on food without food stamps.

In extreme cases we’re subsidizing basic shelter, clothing, heat, and other things normal people believe necessary to life in civilization. Most of the time we’re paying for whatever goodies which catch their fancy, from booze to cell phones to music, movies, and tv.


45 posted on 08/22/2011 12:10:13 PM PDT by Tublecane
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To: Aikonaa

She can’t feed two people on $250 a week while living with her mother?

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm


46 posted on 08/22/2011 12:40:21 PM PDT by Eepsy
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To: diamond6

So do I. I often I see them coming out of the store and getting into cars nicer than mineI’m sorry but there needs to be means testing on food stamps.You should not be able to drive a BMW/Land Rover and get food assistance!


47 posted on 08/22/2011 12:40:33 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: diamond6

So do I. I often I see them coming out of the store and getting into cars nicer than mine.I’m sorry but there needs to be means testing on food stamps.You should not be able to drive a BMW/Land Rover and get food assistance!


48 posted on 08/22/2011 12:40:46 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: Le Chien Rouge

8) No Cigarettes. A neighbor couldn’t afford to send her daughter with us for two hours of fun for $6 bucks, but has money for cigarettes. It’s just disgusting what people’s priorities are.


49 posted on 08/22/2011 12:47:30 PM PDT by beaversmom
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To: chris_bdba

And if you can afford cigarettes, you can afford food.


50 posted on 08/22/2011 12:48:48 PM PDT by beaversmom
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To: mamelukesabre

I agree with you.Food stamps should ever be able to buy junk food candy or pop.IMHO staples are the ay to go with a certain amount of raw vegetables and dairy products each month.Most have all day to cook there is no reason to use convenience foods.


51 posted on 08/22/2011 12:51:25 PM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: Iron Munro

I hear ya! Our 5 year old started kindergarten and there were forms for a free or reduced priced breakfast and lunch programs. Although we qualify for the reduced (maybe even the free} prices we didn’t fill them out. People told us we should get WIC with both our offspring because it will make things cheaper. HA! I asked them how can I teach them to stand on their OWN two feet when our family is taking welfare from the gubmint?


52 posted on 08/22/2011 1:39:47 PM PDT by kickonly88 (I love fossil fuel!)
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To: Huskrrrr

No way to live. If you want the government to take care of you, you have to divest yourself of all your assets and stay poor. No more middle class!


53 posted on 08/22/2011 2:26:03 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: chris_bdba

I saw the same thing happen in our grocery store. They
gave the cashier food stamps, or something the store stamped.
We happened to follow out after them, and there they were getting into a brand new SUV. I really saw this, and know this happened.


54 posted on 08/22/2011 2:51:30 PM PDT by Jennikins (We are being ruled, not governed.)
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To: markomalley

Judging by what I see the % is much much more than what they are saying....I’d say fully 1/3 to 1/2 of the population is on EBT, Section 8, AFDC, WICs, SCHIP, SSI, disability or the like. Maybe more. We are awash in debt and sloth.


55 posted on 08/22/2011 2:58:04 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: markomalley
Saucedo, who earns $9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother ...

OK, so I whipped out my handy-dandy calculator, and it says she makes $1,100 a month before taxes. She pays no rent or utilities because she lives with Mom (may pay some of the utilities, but no rent), so what's she spending so much on that she can't feed herself and a child? This looks like a priorities issue because if there were no food stamps, she would not starve like an Ethiopian.

56 posted on 08/22/2011 2:59:54 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (Rick Perry: Looks like Joe Isuzu, acts like Grant Woods [AZ joke])
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To: kickonly88

Great post.
Thank you.

Your offspring can be proud of you for not only telling them what is right and what is wrong but showing them by your own actions.


57 posted on 08/22/2011 4:04:48 PM PDT by Iron Munro (Muslims who advocate, support, or carry out Jihad give the other 1% a bad name)
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To: diamond6

The food stamp program needs to be brought back to basics. If it was run like the WIC program, it wouldn’t lend itself to be abused. Say you’re on WIC, you can get so many gallons of milk, boxes of unsweetened cereal, so many lbs of raw vegetables, etc. If you don’t like what’s available to you, get a job and pay for the rest of it yourself.


58 posted on 08/22/2011 4:10:54 PM PDT by erlayman
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To: markomalley
is it sustainable?

Of course not.


59 posted on 08/22/2011 4:13:40 PM PDT by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis (Want to make $$$? It's easy! Use FR as a platform to pimp your blog for hits!!!)
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To: NEMDF

Yep, and as I’ve said on other threads, they even send the kids home with a wkend backpack full of food. That is insane. Definitely a double dip, and I don’t mean into the salsa...


60 posted on 08/22/2011 4:28:40 PM PDT by GnuHere
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