Families brace as billions in food stamp cuts set in

[underpants]

Source: NBC News

Benefit cuts to food stamp recipients kick in Friday, a move by Congress that will siphon $5 billion off a program that helps one in seven Americans put breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table.

As president of the Food Bank for New York City, Margaret Purvis expects those cuts will draw even more people to organizations that already provide 400,000 meals a day to hungry city folks.

"Our members are panicking," she said as time wound down before the benefit decreases go into effect. "We're telling everyone to make sure that you are prepared for longer lines."

Needy Americans who receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are expected to suffer an average loss of $36 a month from a $275.13 per household benefit. There are a near-record 47.6 million Americans, representing 23.1 million households, on the program. The cost of the program will hit $63.4 billion in 2013.

SNAP allocations built into President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill are coming to an end, leading to the cuts. Over the past few years, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans have voted in favor of the cuts in exchange for increased education funding and school nutrition programs.


Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/families-brace-billions-food-stamp-cuts-set-8C11505320

[delrem]

1. That isn't right. That's a trade-off made in right wing hell.

"SNAP allocations built into President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill are coming to an end, leading to the cuts. Over the past few years, a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans have voted in favor of the cuts in exchange for increased education funding and school nutrition programs."

[RKP5637]

2. R=D now probably see undertaking as a great investment. The US should hang its

head in shame. More and more we become examples of what NOT to be in the 21st century. The great insight of our 12% approval rating congress. In the real world, they would be fired.

[truthisfreedom]

3. Hang this directly where it belongs, around the necks of the teabaggers and their supporters.

We need to clear every single repuke out of congress.

[bushisanidiot]

24. AGREED!

.

[madokie]

4. The thing is low information voters will see this as Obama's fault

The real problem is low wages. I'd venture to say many of the recipients of SNAP are people who work, just not getting paid a livable wage.
Proof that taxpayers are picking up the tab for corporations high profits.
F* you Ronnie Reagan and the GOP, you started us down this road with your voodoo economics bullshit

[cstanleytech]

7. Agree and it will continue as long as corporations are allowed to

continue paying unlivable wages.

[madokie]

9. That is exactly what the problem is

Corporations and the rich have no incentive to help in regard to that problem either. The worse it gets for us the better it is for them.

[ctsnowman]

5. Meanwhile we are still "defending" Europe from the Soviets who no longer exist.

[jakeXT]

6. Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island

"Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
who rules the World-Island controls the world."
(Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality, p. 106)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Geographical_Pivot_of_History

[ctsnowman]

8. A country that can't take care of it's own rules nothing.

[Ishoutandscream2]

10. Amen.

[Diclotican]

14. ctsnowman

ctsnowman

By all means - if the US was to leave EUROPE i suspect we would be able to survive on our own by now - after all we are not the destroyed continent we was in 1945... We do have our share of problems - ethical and political - specially in some parts of the continent, who can still explode into the abbys.... But compared to what it was almost 70 year ago, I would still say we are pretty well off, in large parts of the continent...

But the reason US still have military forces in Europe, is because the US have most benefit from having soldiers here, not just for protecting the week Europeans against a enemy who are not there longer - but because from Europe US can put soldiers on the ground almost everywhere in North Africa - and the Middle east.. Many of the "core" forces who was put on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001 and 2003 was in fact from US bases in Germany... And it was a few sorties of aircraft who bombed targets in Iraq, who also originated from Europe - and not from Garcia...

But if US wa to leave Europe, I think we would manage rather well - as most of the old enemies now seen to be good friends - even Russia have been trying for the last 20 of so years, to be member of NATO, already in 1994 it was seen as a possibility for the Russian federation to really be a member of NATO in a few years time - even as it scared the hell out of most american generals who still was looking at the Russian Federation as they largerst enemy... (This was right after the cold war and all that)

Diclotican

[ctsnowman]

17. The post was mostly

snark. No one believes we are defending anyone by having bases there but somehow it's still used to justify spending money we don't have. The "defense" department quit being about defense a long time ago. It's nothing more than protecting empire now and policing the world. We are going to see massive budget cuts in our country and because the MIC is so untouchable we are going to put it on the backs of the poor and old, because we all know (snark) that we can't tax the job creators who are moving our middle class jobs overseas to increase their bottom line. Which of course then needs more "defense" spending to protect their overseas assets.
In the end there won't be enough money to support the "defense" spending and we will be forced to end it but by then the bottom 40% or more of us will be living in third world conditions.

As far as launching sorties on Iraq; we should never have been in Iraq in the first place so that's the WORST possible rationale for having bases there I can think of. Russia is just a useful boogeyman for the people who want to continue to plunder our country while keeping our people in a constant state of fear.

Peace.

[Diclotican]

41. ctsnowman

ctsnowman

I know - but your snark have a sentiment many in the US sees to have, if europe are not ready to do the biddig of US, then they treatend to close the bases - and maybe put them elsehwere, like in Poland, and other more friendly nations.. As US did, or treatend to do in the buildup to the Iraqi War when germany was rather vivid in Not beliving in the evidences against Iraq... The sparring between Rumsfeld and the then forreign minister of Germany Fisher was made rather famous, or infamous if you want, when Fisher, who was rather diplomatic in his ways kind of exploded, and told the then minister of Defence that he do not belive Rumsfeld had it right - and that mos of Europe also do not belived Rumsfelds claim about WMD in Iraq - and that the UN led inspectors needed time to excame all the evidences before a desision of war was made... Rumsfeld was so pissed off by it, that he refused to be in the room with the german forreign minister - and desied to leave early - officially becouse of a urgent call from Pentagon - but in reality becouse he was not happy beeing told, rather publicy that he was a lier.. The german forreign minister had known war - as he was growing up in Berlin in the end of World War two - and kind of understood what war could do to a city...

Your late President Eisenhower once warned about the MCI, and the danger of letting the military industraly complex make the desisions when it come to forreign policy - I guess he was looking in a form of crystal ball when he warned about it.. Specially as it is one of the biggest spender of US currency in the world.. But sooner or later even the military industry have to cut back on the use of weapons - and lay of people. President Clinton was cutting hard in the Military when he was president - not as mutch as he might as well could have doing it - but hard enough that no one in the military was in love with the Clinton Presidency, rather the opposite.. They hated him at least as the GOP leadership who wanted to tear the president down..

I have also been looking and reading about the spending cuts - to the ones who might needed it the mutch - and I fear it would be a danger to it all, mostley becouse when people have noting to loose - and their shildren is hungry and the house cold in the middle of the winter - or they might have to sleep in some shelter - they tend to be angry, and anger can end in revolutions - even the US are not imune to it - in the hard 1930 it was verry near a revolution in the US, as in many western nations by the way - the only reason the US had no revolutions in the 1930s was becouse FDR come around, with his different programs - who gave a lifeline to many, many americans - but I guess the grandsons and dauthers of the ones who was given a new hope by the social programs of the FDR seen to have forgotten it all.. That their grandparents was given that lifeline by the same programs they want to destroy for the "bottom line".. It is a shame when pepole think that way - as killing safty net wil do horrible damage for everyone - not just the poor, but also the rich - who could end up in the same missrable life.

The only thing they are making posible with all this cuts - is a radicalizing of the poor - and maybe a return of socialism or communism to the US.. For all his riches, FDR was at least able to understand that if US was to survive, it had to build a safty net for everyone - and to make enough pepole less hungry.. Pepole who have their food on the table 3 times a day, tend to be less intersting in revolution, than pepole who have nothing to loose...

I for one, belived US to be one of the more smart country's in this world - but I guess the different groups the libertanians - parts of the conservatives, the tea baggers and many other groups I have no clue about on the right - really do belive they can cut and cut - on the back of the poor and the sick - all into the boone - and then some withouth any push back - Specially the economical backers of the same groups maybe belive in that idea - but they seen to have forgotten a verry important history leason - when the pessants of old got enough the push back more than once ended in revolutions and the cutting down of the rich and the nobility.. Just ask the families of the old nobility who survived the Russian revolutions of 1917 - if they really belived that they could end up withouth their old land, and their wealth in Russia - even as they was sitting on top of the rest of Russia.. Formaly US do not have any nobility to talk about - but I guess it is a few families whoes wealth and power could rise the questing of that, if US do not have its form of nobility..

Diclotican

[meti57b]

11. Jobs are sent overseas so stuff can be made cheaper and sold back to us at high prices.

People want to work. There just aren't jobs available.

[KansDem]

28. This is the greatest inhumanity

For 30 years we've been cutting taxes on the rich. And we've done it because they "create jobs."

They didn't create jobs. They either stashed their newly-gained swag in secret off-shore tax havens or "created jobs" in India, China, etc.

I don't know why this country tap dances around this issue. Just tell the rich they didn't live up to their part of the bargain and re-establish pre-Reagan tax rates.

I don't know why this is so difficult for this country to understand.

[radhika]

12. Teabag voters did this - let's be very clear...

The designated Congress critters are only there because District voters put them there.

Wingnut Americans aren't just destroying their own turf. They are putting sick f*ck ideologues in key positions to destroy other states and districts too.

I think a civil war has begun, and we might as well define the sides honestly.

[TBF]

13. Rec for visibility - can't believe they are doing this. nt

[Octafish]

15. Meanwhile, American individuals and corporations hoard trillions offshore...

...LOL at the "losers," the "little people" who make their wealth possible.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100927316

[bunnies]

16. Any frigging Democrat that voted to cut SNAP should be ousted.

Thats just ridiculous. Apologies to those who bemoan "purity tests" but this is over the line. Unacceptable.

[Puzzledtraveller]

36. they didnt

the stimulus expired

[bunnies]

37. Check this out...

Democrats Protest $5 Billion Food Stamp Cut They Voted For

WASHINGTON -- A group of nine Democratic members of the House of Representatives held a press conference outside the Capitol on Tuesday to demand Congress avert an automatic food stamp cut scheduled to take effect on Friday.

"The average family of four will see a $36 cut in their monthly benefits, bringing the average per-person benefit from $1.50 a meal to $1.40 a meal," Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said. "Shame on this Congress for allowing this to happen."

But the cut, which will reduce monthly benefits for all 47 million Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by roughly 7 percent, is happening thanks mainly to Democratic votes that hastened the demise of a benefit increase from the 2009 stimulus bill. Each of the representatives at Tuesday's presser voted with their party for a pair of 2010 spending bills that set the cuts in motion.

The first bill took money allocated for future food stamp use and used it instead to prevent states from laying off teachers. Democrats supported the bill grudgingly, lamenting that it would cause a food stamp cut in 2014. When it came time to support a second bill that raided future food stamp funds once again, pushing the cut to November 2013, they protested -- at least at first.

The rest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/food-stamp-cuts_n_4173942.html

[CBHagman]

18. Fire off letters to the editor, get on the phone with your congresscritter...

...encourage neighbors, community leaders, and others to make November hunger awareness month (I think Oxfam already does that, but this year the situation is especially dire).

On edit: If your local paper or station isn't covering this, raise hell.

If you can, give a donation to your local food bank. It won't solve the problem, but the institution will appreciate your contribution, and so will the people who rely on it.

[sulphurdunn]

19. The more desperate

people are the less they will work for, the more docile they are and the more exploitable they become. Making them insecure and hungry is the traditional way to accomplish this. That's why cutting SNAP is profitable for corporatists and satisfying to teabaggers .

[Diclotican]

43. sulphurdunn

sulphurdunn

Most revolutions, like the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917, and the european resolutions of the 1840s was all lead by people who had nothing to loose - and everything to gain to turn upside down the old way of doing things.. The revolutions of 1905 and 1917 in Russia was able to tear down a 500 year old dynasty ,who had ruled Russia more or less as they pleased - even as the road ahead was not as easy as they belived - and the old regime was released by another, who might as well be as ruthless in the ability to rule and not govern...

The french revolutions on the other hand was a rather bloody one - but at least they was able to do away with their kings and queens there - for a while at least, and was scaring the hell out of most of Europe in the same proses.. But that is for another history lesson I suspect. But even as the french revolution was not able to solve all of the troubles - and it would take years and years to solve it all out, at least France was able to make it sure, that the peasants was never just seen as a resource they could do as they please with - but a group they had to cather to in some way - or end up loosing more than they had barging for..

In europe the mighty have learned their lessons, at least to a degree - in the US i guess they still have to learn it the hard way - as they try to push the limit - sooner or later even the american "peasant" will rise up - they just need someone to lead them... (Chaplin had a scene where he did just that - it was in the 1930s, at a big fabric, where the workers was on strike - by accident Chaplin had a flag - a red flag he somehow got the hand on, and raised over his head as he walked - the result was that thousands of fabric workers was walking after him - because he had raised the red flag... It ended rather brutal as the police used bullets to quell the demonstration from the fabric workers - and of course the figure Chaplin was given life to - survived it all by running down a alleyway - confused because he had been on the forefront of a demonstration)

Diclootican

[Sognefjord]

54. Excellent Commentary but the Romanovs had a 300 Year Dynasty not 500.

Still one of the better runs for a dynasty since Ancient Egypt!

[Iliyah]

20. RMoney didn't pay taxes for ten years

and even much longer and is probably paying not much now compared to middle-poor income paying more % in taxes. Same goes across board for majority of the 1-2%ers and the corporations. As usual, the middle-poor are carrying the USA on their backs while the wealthy continues to take away programs that keep the middle-poor afloat.

I recently read from a GOPer that this is a Christian nation. Oh no we are not. JC will be hung by GOPers right now for preaching the total opposite of what these so called Gawd fearing assholes proclaim to be. They are evil.

Take back the house and keep the senate, these rules/laws, etc. can be reversed.

Yes, many people will be hurt in the red states and guess what they will blame Pres O and the Dems.

[Berlum]

21. And Jesus wept as Republicons shat on his instruction to "feed the poor, clothe the naked"

[jtuck004]

23. If there was Jesus, I suspect he would do something. Not point fingers and cry in his beer.

Although he would have plenty of company today...

[heaven05]

22. teanazi express at it's best

starve them out then we can get 'rid' of them is their mentality. Mean, vicious people who need a huge push back in the upcoming election. We'll see if the last six years taught anything to the Limbaughnista Faux new aficionados. Oh, never mind.

[Bradical79]

25. Bipartisanship! Woooohooooo!

Isn't it great when Democrats and Republicans can work together?!





Seriously though, fuck those guys. Republicans need to go the way of the dinosaur.

[jsr]

26. The war on the poor is bipartisan.

[gopiscrap]

27. that is fucked up

[QuestForSense]

29. War on the Poor Bipartisan?

Don't forget this Quisling:

The Democratic side, unfortunately, includes Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who was a key voice in the Senate bill making $400 million a year in cuts to food stamps. Stabenow's line is that she's just trying to prevent fraud and abuse—not mentioning that the food stamp fraud rate is around one percent. When the Senate passed its bill, Stabenow's spokesperson also had something to say about lottery winners on food stamps—something that happened once, as far as we know, and which was a felony under current law. So while Stabenow says Senate Democrats won't accept much more in the way of food stamp cuts than they've already made, she's not exactly an inspiring champion for the program.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/30/1251769/-House-Senate-committee-negotiating-farm-bill-and-food-stamps-is-not-inspiring

[jsr]

33. Lottery winners on food stamps = Welfare queens in Cadillacs

Same old shit.

[MisterP]

47. StabenowFeeds!

[AndyA]

30. Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence...

Subsidies continue for corporations that would make obscene profits even without them...

Major corporations pay what is essentially a ZERO tax rate...

Wealthy Americans pay a lower percentage in taxes than the middle class...

How could this possibly be? Congress is supposed to represent ALL of the people, not just the wealthy! Consider this:

- Nearly half of the members of Congress are millionaires, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a Washington watchdog.

- The median net worth of a U.S. senator was $2.63 million in 2010, the most recent year for which financial data are available. That was up 11% from the year before, says CRP.

- The median estimated net worth for House members was $756,765.

- The median net worth of House members almost tripled from 1984 and 2009, while the net worth of Americans declined slightly during the same time, according to the Washington Post and the University of Michigan.

Obviously, we have members of Congress voting in their own personal best interests. They need to be removed from office, this cannot be allowed to continue. How great will the suffering be before the American people put their foot down and say no more?

[ruffburr]

31. Just the beginning-

Of full out war on the poor, Soon to come to soc sec and medicare along with further snap cuts,These pricks have gotten completely out of control they have no compassion or true morals, I would propose that for every % they cut the social safety net the same % of cut to their salaries and the same % cut from corporate subsidies, God I'm pissed , If this doesn't get people off their asses to vote the repub baggers and dinos out of office it will just get worse. I apologize to all the kids that will go hungry and to the parents who's hearts will be breaking, This is not the america i was once so proud of, Shame on all the politicians whom allowed things to reach this point.

[Le Taz Hot]

32. Let's turn the outrage into maybe

giving extra to our local food banks. They're going to need it.

[ruffburr]

35. Agreed for sure -

I know i'll do all i can, Just as important is for us all to get off our asses and VOTE these "people" out of office!

[unhappycamper]

34. As food stamp cuts set in,

the US Navy is proud to announce it's new $5~7 billion dollar destroyer is now floating - http://www.democraticunderground.com/11794915.

[warrant46]

39. Not only that but the F-35 is coming on line soon

The US alone planes to buy 2,443 aircraft at $618 million per plane.

Allies will take thousands more

The total life-cycle cost for the entire American fleet alone is estimated to be US $1.51 trillion


Lockheed Official Says South Korea Needs F-35 to Compete

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-31/lockheed-official-says-south-korea-may-fall-behind-without-f-35.html

South Korea faces a choice between embracing the F-35 fighter plane in its next round of bidding or being left with “legacy equipment,” a senior Lockheed Martin Corp. official.

Guess who is going to pay for this Cluster F

And all to continue a religious war on a bunch of guys who ride donkeys and live in Mud Huts

[CTyankee]

38. OK, I just upped my donation to the local soup kitchen.

My supermarket has handy donation forms at checkout, but it's only for this month. I wish they did it every month. It's nice that they encourage that extra $1, $3 or $5 while you are paying for the groceries.

And charitable giving this year is going to the local Food Bank...again...

[Arkansas Granny]

40. Good idea. I've been donating to our local food bank as often as I can.

[Psephos]

53. That's a thousand times cooler than the typical response. Good on you! n/t

[jaded_old_cynic]

42. I don't know how they expect us to survive.

I'm currently on food stamps and I was getting $200 a month for food and I just barely made it on that. Now, they've bumped me down to $87 a month. Can someone please tell me how I, as a diabetic, am supposed to eat healthily on $87 a month? At $200 I could hardly afford to. The revulsion that I have for this congress is unsurpassed. This country has changed so drastically, I don't even recognize it anymore. If I had the money, I would move to a nation that actually cares about something other than profit. Disgusting.

[One_Life_To_Give]

44. Return to historic levels?

IIRC the additional stimulus was put there to spur spending. In the belief that it would better stimulate the economy than tax breaks for wealthy and corporations. Don't think it was ever intended to be permanent. And presumably in 2009 it was income not needed but supplemental.

What people need most is the economy to turn around and get people decent jobs. Maybe doing something novel like building roads and bridges that are falling down. Or replacing aqueducts that leak more than they carry.

[JesterCS]

45. Mine went down

from $200 to $189. right around 5.5% that was talked about.

[bitchkitty]

48. I'm so sorry.

Much to my surprise, mine stayed where they were at $93. I don't have a family so don't get a lot, but my heart goes out to those with families who have to make do with less, when they're already having to make do with less.

Here's hoping things get better for both of us!

[JesterCS]

55. thank you

however its just myself. I still live at home with parents. but it helps alot that they dont have to pay to feed me.

[Judi Lynn]

46. Congressional sociopaths must be turned back.

This is an unredeemable sin against the needy.

Right wing Congress scum would have to stay drunk around the clock to block out their consciences this completely.

[QuestForSense]

51. You are right about the sin.

But sociopaths do not possess a conscience. They drink only to celebrate having just dicked the electorate. Again.

[davidthegnome]

49. It's bad enough that the republicans support this

But the democrats who voted in favor of cutting food stamps... I just can't comprehend. 1.40 per meal. A dollar - and forty cents. You can get a really small cheese burger at mcdonalds for that amount of money - try splitting it three or four ways. You could buy, perhaps, a jar of peanut butter at a store that has huge discounts on food. How are families that are already struggling - already hungry - going to survive this?

Most likely, food pantries, soup kitchens. When these become overwhelmed, crime rates will increase as people are forced into into new careers such as thievery and prostitution. How the hell is it... that we can pay these politicians salaries, we can spend billions and billions for two foreign wars, we can bail out the financial institutions... but we can't afford to fucking feed people? I'm going to say it. I will not vote for anyone who does not favor an INCREASE in the SNAP program. To hell with whether it's an R or a D next to their name.

Starvation destroys individuals, families, towns, counties, even Nations. The hungrier people become the worst things are going to get. Fuck the tea party, and fuck any democrat that thinks it's okay to let people go hungry. On their comfy 170+ K a year salaries, I'm sure it's easy to say, "Let them eat cake", but you know what? People on food stamps can't really afford any fucking cake if they want to actually feed their families.

Sorry for my poor language, and my rant... I'm just so angry. Every day I hear another democrat bitch about someone on food stamps, or the way people are using their EBT cards for this or that. You know, that may be the case, but notice all those billionaires and corporations that aren't paying taxes? The ones that have disgusting amounts of money just sitting there in offshore accounts? Notice the corporations and politicians that destroyed our manufacturing industry by outsourcing jobs, taking advantage of suffering and poverty in other Nations?

We let this happen. We keep voting for these idiots who make it happen.

A new stimulus is needed, a new program, hell, a new "New Deal". What happened to men like FDR? Where is the compassion, the comprehension of the plight of the working poor in this Country today?

Sick. It's damn sick. Even if these additions were meant to be temporary, it was not enough - now they're going to get even less.

[Indi Guy]

50. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like less food on the table of a struggling family!

I'm sick unto death of the predictably despicable black-hearted antics of the august members Grumpy Old Party

These characters have become hideous caricatures of themselves - to where iconic evil figures like gouls, zombies and vampires have come to accurately represent their nature. It's only fitting that they've come on Halloween to litteraly snatch food out of the mouths of the hungry.

I wonder how they'd feel if someone denied their loved ones the ability to put food on the family table.

And my contempt goes also to the spineless Democrats who had no right to yield one inch of moral highground in this issue. I am exasperated.

[Indi Guy]

52. My sincerest of apologies if I offended any...

...gouls, zombies or vampires by comparing them to the GOP elite.