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Number Of Americans On Food Stamps; Another High Years After Recession's End
Topic Started: Nov 5 2011, 12:38 AM (870 Views)
tomdrobin
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I think most of the right wingers would like to see this entitlement curtailed. I wonder how they will feel when their elected representatives go after their entitlements (ie; social security and medicaid).

Quote:
 
USDA data released this week shows that the number of Americans receiving food aid from the Supplemental Nutrional Assistance Program (SNAP) hit another all-time high in August. 45.8 million people -- almost 15% of the country -- were enrolled in the program, which replaced Food Stamps in 2008. This is only a slight increase from July, when 45.3 million Americans were receiving SNAP help -- but a massive 31% jump since June 2009, when the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the most recent recession over.

In total, the USDA spent $6.1 billion on SNAP benefits in August 2011, up 8% from the year before.

Texas was the state with the most SNAP recipients, at 4.12 million, according to Bloomberg.

Part of the massive bump in SNAP usage is almost certainly attributable to increasingly levels of awareness of the program and better administration of benefits.

But the most recent numbers also highlight the persistence of America's economic doldrums, and their impact on food security in the country. The issue has been increasingly the subject of subject attention in recent months, with groups from Sesame Street to the US Congress using their influence to boost awareness. And the Huffington Post's own Paul Needham put a human face on the issue with his tireless coverage of food banks throughout the country.

To get an idea of the magnitude of American's skyrocketing SNAP usage, here's a chart illustrating the USDA's data going back to 2007: (click on the link to see chart)


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/number-of-americans-on-snap_n_1074344.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk2%7C109903
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Chris
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Why does every thread by a left winger have to be a jab at right wingers? Why not look at the issues?

Food stamps other than those awarded those who cannot work only serve to increase dependence on a corrupt government. Corrupt? Yes, buying votes by redistributing wealth in the frm of social welfare is no different than corrupt practices redistributing it as corporate welfare. Is that a good thing? Does it matter wing you fly on?

Ditto social security and medicaid, where people get more out of social security than they put in. And both are failing and in need of reform.
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Thumper
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The social programs have their place and serve to help many needy. But, is it rife with cheats and crooks. I don't understand with all of our Govt officials on the payroll why this can't be policed and controlled.
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colo_crawdad
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Perhaps one should note that, at least in Colorado, the food stamp proghram is administered and overseen by State and local (County government officials.
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Mike
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I volunteer at a large food bank and the folks I see appear to be both liberal and conservative. Hunger in these times doesn't have a political face. Families are trying to feed themselves off lower wage jobs or unemployment.

Wy would a hungry conservative family want to end this program?
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Chris
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Thumper
Nov 5 2011, 01:12 AM
The social programs have their place and serve to help many needy. But, is it rife with cheats and crooks. I don't understand with all of our Govt officials on the payroll why this can't be policed and controlled.
It keeps them in office.

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
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tomdrobin
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I know many people on food assistance. For the most part they are apolitical, just poor and sometimes disfunctional folks getting by any way they can. My point earlier was that many of those so opposed to government spending are benefitting from SS and medicare. It seems the attitude is I deserve my entitlements, but those other people don't deserve theirs.

Perhaps it's the social safety net that is the opiat of the masses. Without it IMO there would be a lot more unrest than the current OWS demonstrations.
Edited by tomdrobin, Nov 5 2011, 10:55 AM.
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ngc1514
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Chris -
Quote:
 
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Where does de Tocqueville say this? Vol 1 and 2 of his "Democracy in America" is available on Project Gutenberg and nowhere does the quote exist. Searched on American Republic, endure and bribe, but nothing even resembling the quote shows up.

Do you have a source?

Just curious. I've seen it quoted so many times, but it appears to be spurious.
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Chris
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ngc1514
Nov 5 2011, 11:16 AM
Chris -
Quote:
 
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Where does de Tocqueville say this? Vol 1 and 2 of his "Democracy in America" is available on Project Gutenberg and nowhere does the quote exist. Searched on American Republic, endure and bribe, but nothing even resembling the quote shows up.

Do you have a source?

Just curious. I've seen it quoted so many times, but it appears to be spurious.
I find it attributed to him and that source, but now you ask I see wikiquotes says it's misattributed, that it's a variation on Alexander Tytler's "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."

I do know no one knows who Tytler actually was.
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Chris
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tomdrobin
Nov 5 2011, 10:50 AM
I know many people on food assistance. For the most part they are apolitical, just poor and sometimes disfunctional folks getting by any way they can. My point earlier was that many of those so opposed to government spending are benefitting from SS and medicare. It seems the attitude is I deserve my entitlements, but those other people don't deserve theirs.

Perhaps it's the social safety net that is the opiat of the masses. Without it IMO there would be a lot more unrest than the current OWS demonstrations.
I don't know anyone opposed to government benefiting from SS and medicare, I'm sure there may be, but that doesn't disqualify them from disagreeing with socialized policies, especially if they were forced to pay into them, in which case they're not entitlements.

What did America do all those years prior to that net? You'd think the way liberals talk no one would've survived, yet here we are.
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