Romney Blasts Obama over Food Stamp Record

[trailmonkee]

Last edited Thu Sep 6, 2012, 10:02 AM - Edit history (2)

Source: farms.com

U.S. President Barack Obama was under fire yesterday after Republican candidate Mitt Romney blamed him for the size of the national debt and the record number of American citizens who are on food stamps. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, assists low-income people in the U.S. to buy food. It’s a national program that falls under the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandate and it’s administered by each state and their local agencies.

Making reference to the U.S. Department of Agriculture report, Romney said "the other number's forty-seven. Forty-seven million now on food stamps. When he came to office there were 32 million. He's added 15 million people.” The new figure shows a shocking 15 per cent of Americans reliant on food stamps.

Obama on the defense said “people become eligible for food stamps. Second of all, the initial expansion of food-stamp eligibility happened under my Republican predecessor, not under me. No. 3, when you have a disastrous economic crash that results in 8 million people losing their jobs, more people are going to need more support from government,” Obama said in a ABC News interview.


Read more: http://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/romney-blasts-obama-over-food-stamp-record-997.aspx

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do the republicans realize the $ amount given in food stamps on an individual basis? my family relied on food stamps when I was a kid and it usually afforded us 2 trips to the grocery store, and always ran out by mid month....

The American food stamp program is one of the most compassionate programs we have in place and it will NEVER take the place of a working income and will NEVER cause an able-bodied person to not want to work because they are living the food stamp hi-life! I am getting tired of this dog whistle... here are a few real #'s on food-stamp benefits by state (wouldn't even cover a day of tips for Mitt):

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&ved=0CF0QFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fns.usda.gov%2Fpd%2F18SNAPavg%24PP.htm&ei=a6FIUKLRG-SW2gXj94DYBg&usg=AFQjCNFMDLe6orvR0KcQlUTcncEgw1lcmg&sig2=v0WrAf7USfl4DKARB-Tf3Q


SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: AVERAGE MONTHLY BENEFIT PER PERSON
(Data as of August 30, 2012)

State/Territory FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011

Alabama 91.80 96.79 119.14 126.90 135.18
Alaska 127.69 137.87 167.77 173.78 170.83
Arizona 98.95 102.56 125.29 129.95 128.70
Arkansas 90.50 95.17 115.53 122.59 123.72
California 104.56 112.43 136.75 146.46 147.06
Colorado 103.24 107.11 131.26 141.62 140.29
Connecticut 99.21 105.31 134.65 141.26 142.47
Delaware 92.69 96.49 118.31 126.77 126.80
District of Columbia 100.12 104.65 128.66 137.77 141.68
Florida 94.65 101.87 126.70 141.40 139.55
Georgia 98.76 104.19 125.95 134.35 135.37
Guam 174.38 179.76 208.47 218.22 216.25
Hawaii 145.55 159.34 199.02 216.01 215.38
Idaho 91.88 96.95 122.90 128.65 131.95
Illinois 104.65 110.19 132.36 141.00 139.15
Indiana 96.10 103.31 126.32 132.29 131.66
Iowa 92.81 98.66 118.56 128.84 126.33
Kansas 88.10 93.86 114.61 124.40 126.34
Kentucky 93.33 97.66 119.00 127.05 127.60
Louisiana 95.60 108.04 128.86 129.77 130.59
Maine 87.42 94.52 121.20 129.17 128.43
Maryland 93.67 100.01 122.69 130.45 129.19
Massachusetts 86.20 96.65 122.90 129.70 132.29
Michigan 94.63 99.89 121.06 131.77 136.18
Minnesota 89.36 93.44 114.18 121.00 115.04
Mississippi 86.79 92.59 113.83 122.54 123.29
Missouri 92.51 96.31 118.16 125.86 127.05
Montana 93.47 97.65 121.29 129.54 129.66
Nebraska 87.36 97.09 111.67 121.60 122.69
Nevada 91.18 97.88 119.04 124.23 124.36
New Hampshire 88.10 93.58 122.40 121.21 119.54
New Jersey 97.19 101.43 125.06 138.03 133.26
New Mexico 88.65 93.48 117.62 126.54 127.07
New York 107.49 109.78 141.90 150.63 148.63
North Carolina 91.77 97.19 119.11 128.24 124.58
North Dakota 95.83 102.02 124.94 132.21 131.25
Ohio 100.04 108.22 133.04 141.72 139.87
Oklahoma 90.77 97.72 117.44 128.71 128.43
Oregon 90.73 96.27 119.21 126.11 128.25
Pennsylvania 92.40 97.30 118.40 123.43 128.40
Rhode Island 97.57 105.77 138.85 142.49 142.91
South Carolina 94.47 99.87 121.42 131.34 132.21
South Dakota 97.67 103.27 125.34 133.80 132.70
Tennessee 96.70 101.95 124.66 133.86 133.82
Texas 93.52 100.98 122.07 127.82 125.57
Utah 89.90 93.75 118.40 123.58 117.75
Vermont 88.16 92.77 114.66 121.11 122.10
Virginia 89.23 93.26 118.00 128.63 129.55
Virgin Islands 131.93 139.91 172.21 176.22 176.11
Washington 93.33 97.65 114.59 120.87 126.62
West Virginia 85.05 91.56 111.25 118.94 119.81
Wisconsin 79.12 84.76 103.42 116.57 116.28
Wyoming 93.20 97.27 115.45 123.75 122.96
TOTAL 96.18 102.19 125.31 133.79 133.85

[CreekDog]

1. Romney would let children starve rather than provide so many food stamps

[kestrel91316]

21. His solution: join the Mormon church, pay your tithes, obey your

church hierarchy to the letter and without question, and you might be deemed worthy of assistance from the church.

[BeyondGeography]

2. This is only going to make the Black Leadership Council's work even tougher, Mitt

[OKNancy]

3. you need to supply the link

http://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/romney-blasts-obama-over-food-stamp-record-997.aspx

[trailmonkee]

14. fixed, thank you!

[tomm2thumbs]

4. actually the program did EXACTLY what it was designed to do

and JUST when it was designed to do it.... the question should be asked, WHO put it in the position of having to use it in the first place AND would it even be there as a program if Mitt Romney /Paul Ryan had their way.


I guess that says it all.

Leave it to the GOP to attack a program designed to do exactly what it is supposed to do, because they had nothing to do with making it work -- except, alas, for what triggered it in the first place.

[chelsea0011]

5. Ann just so hates standing in line at Costco and having someone

buy their groceries with food stamps.

[abelenkpe]

6. More need food stamps

Because The economy was driven into the ground by the republicans. So then the republicans turn around and want to kick needy people off food stamps. Aren't they nice?

[Laurian]

9. +1000

Exactly! Once again, they blame others for the devastating effects of their policies. Gawd, they piss me off!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Very telling about Rmoney's priorities.

Tax breaks for the wealthy and repeal of middle class deductions.

The poor? Well you guys can just die and decrease the surplus population.

[6000eliot]

8. Why all this sudden concern with food stamps?

It couldn't have anything to do with race baiting, I'm sure. More red meat for the racists he expects to vote for him? The big question is why he still needs to pander to them? Aren't they going to vote for him?

[Historic NY]

10. Letting people starve for lack of food isn't very Pro-life is it....

Sister Simone Campbell would say, that Rmoney/Ryan's plan to gut it stands in the way of the church's moral teachings. Those that beneift the most are the very poor, children and the elderly.

Someone should ask Rmoney & Ryan if they could eat for a whole month on the allotment

[mountain grammy]

11. What's shocking is that most food stamp recipients are working

Maybe mitt can talk to his rich 1% buddies like the Walton family about raising the pay of their workers, mmm excuse me, associates, so they don't need government subsidies to feed thier families even as the Waltons get even richer. What a scam!

[newspeak]

23. thank you!!!

there are people on food stamps who are WORKING!!! Some who have lost their decent jobs, and now work for peanuts and can't afford shelter AND FOOD.

the more they want to bash any assistance that people need now because they no longer have work or a decent job; the more I pray they don't get even close to the WH. These "entitled" clueless ones have no idea what's going on in mainstream america--of course, do they even care?

I remember reading about the depression and after pearl harbor; the young men who joined and how many were malnourished. Never again!!! NEVER AGAIN!!!

[NMDemDist2]

12. food stamps started as a support for farm prices, helping the poor was secondary

ever think why food stamps are run by the Dept of Ag?

read the history of food stamps you'll find it was a program to support farmers, not poor people

http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/foodstamps.htm

[trailmonkee]

13. explains the farms.com story source...

[aquart]

15. They're on food stamps because Mitt and his buddies shipped their jobs to China.

Let's tax a billionaire so we can continue feeding Americans.

[Aerows]

16. Mitt is planning on expanding the defense budget

But some of these food programs were explicitly enacted because children were so undernourished that when they became adults, they couldn't physically qualify for the military.

And speaking of the military, there are quite a few families in the military on food stamps. Please tell me that they are lazy and aren't contributing to society. Furthermore, why AREN'T we paying people who do a dangerous job protecting our country enough to support their families?

Republicans truly do want to wreck the country. Hungry people are dangerous people. It's no coincidence that there have been revolutions in areas where the people were going hungry because of the economic collapse combined with skyrocketing food costs. After the drought, all food prices are going to go up. Mitt doesn't care because he can hide in his sprawling enclaves when the starving people revolt.

[Sunlei]

17. when Republicans get rid of the minimum wage everyone will need Gov.food aid, housing aid

and work for those Feudal Lords for $1.00 a day

[Stewland]

18. He should admit that he is in part responsible

I imagine that his take overs and scalping of companies created unemployment and caused some to need Food Stamps. He blames the victims of his frauds and won't even admit to the hardship he causes. Do we really want a man such as this to be POTUS?

[subterranean]

19. Food stamps are circulated directly back into the economy.

Food stamps generate an estimated $1.73 in economic activity for every dollar spent. Cutting food stamp benefits would hurt not only American families who are struggling, but also the retailers where they buy their food.

[Iliyah]

20. Ugh, the party of Jesus Christ you say?

"How you treat the least of us is how you treat me" . . . . JC

[EC]

22. Maybe Rmoney should have taken

a look at how many of those food stamp recipients ARE working, before he opened his damn mouth. This is because his buddies and his employment models don't pay working people enough to eat. Would he rather they just starved? Food stamps are the responsible thing to do for people who need to feed their families.

[SoapBox]

24. STFU Mittens...

Man, I just hate him and Coupon Care Man.