Record number in government anti-poverty programs

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand.

More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA TODAY shows. That's up at least 17% since the recession began in December 2007.

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More than 40 million people get food stamps, an increase of nearly 50% during the economic downturn, according to government data through May. The program has grown steadily for three years.

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Close to 10 million receive unemployment insurance, nearly four times the number from 2007. Benefits have been extended by Congress eight times beyond the basic 26-week program, enabling the long-term unemployed to get up to 99 weeks of benefits. Caseloads peaked at nearly 12 million in January — "the highest numbers on record," says Christine Riordan of the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for low-wage workers.



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-30-1Asafetynet30_ST_N.htm

[FMBM]

1. Curse me for...

being old enough to remember the "war on poverty" Are we now waving the white flag?

[EFerrari]

3. Welcome to DU, FMBM.

I remember the WoP, too. We've gone from the War on Poverty to the War on the Poor, imho.

[CountAllVotes]

9. add the war on the aged and the disabled

you see so much of this nowadays. Hate hate everywhere it seems to me. :(

:kick:

[sandnsea]

4. Govt aid keeps people from starvation poverty

As long as you don't see children scrounging through garbage piles or old people truly eating cat food, then we're winning the "war".

A bit more in Section 8 housing vouchers and we'd be winning the homeless war too.

[Downwinder]

11. We threw in the towel when Cheney and Rumsfeld killed OEO.

[boppers]

2. One in six?

Yikes.

[Downwinder]

12. Is unemployment insurance an anti-poverty program?

It does not look like the article allows for the overlap of programs.

[dkf]

5. Is a record number in anti poverty programs a win for the safety net or

A Loss in that we are having to use the programs?

[Iowa]

6. The real test is whether people are falling through the holes in the safety net...

...and as one who worked for many years with people who were down and out, I can tell you that there's a lot more hole than there is net... a LOT more. Most people don't realize how little net there really is until they need it.

[dkf]

7. Are all these individuals aware of and applying for these programs?

It is not easy to know exactly what one qualifies for and the exact process by which these benefits are given. I'm sure many of the people falling through the cracks are in this situation.

Should I fall on to hard times I would not know where to begin.

[Iowa]

8. Unfortunately, knowing what's available won't help you much...

For most families it comes down to money - things like food, shelter, transportation, and medical care. There are a ton of little programs out there that will "help" you with advice, maybe a few training expenses, resume preparation, etc. Many are based on the antiquated notion that any able bodied person who wants to work should be able to find a job (which we all know is bullshit). Food stamps and food pantries may help with food - IF you qualify.

But unless you qualify for unemployment, or Social Security Retirement, or a pension, or have a disability that is so severe that you qualify for SSDI/SSI, or you're paying for private disability insurance and qualify for that... nobody will be sending you a check to cover your ongoing living expenses. It varies from state to state, of course - but trust me - you don't want to be without a job in this country unless you can afford to pay your own way or fall into one of the categories above.

When I saw what was truly available, vs. what most people and politicians think is available, I started living FAR below my means and accumulating some assets. There's no way I wanted to be at the mercy of this country's safety-net. There's really no "net" there unless you fall into a very narrow subset of people. So anyone who has a decent job now should be living below their means, IMO, because one never knows when things will turn to crap. There's no other way that I know of to protect yourself, and I was in a field that enabled me to see it first-hand.

[Amonester]

10. K&R

Reaganomic$ trickled down alRight, Bueller?

**no need of sarcasm icon here**

[LawnKorn]

13. The Reagan Administration policies to transfer wealth the richest of Americans is coming to fruition

The Reagan Administration put into effect policies to change taxes and deregulation. After festering for 20 years, the tax cuts of the Bush Administration kicked the money flow to the rich into overdrive.

Soon there will be no middle class in America. There will be the filthy rich and the rest of us.