This is worse than a disgrace. There are an estimated 6 million people in the USA who have no other income other than Food Stamps each month to live on.

The Safety Net - Living on Nothing but Food Stamps - Series - NYTimes.com

And one comedian in Congress said this about the situation:

“This is craziness,” said Representative John Linder, a Georgia Republican who is the ranking minority member of a House panel on welfare policy. “We’re at risk of creating an entire class of people, a subset of people, just comfortable getting by living off the government.”

Mr. Linder added: “You don’t improve the economy by paying people to sit around and not work. You improve the economy by lowering taxes” so small businesses will create more jobs.


Just comfortable getting by living off the government?? Is this guy kidding or just being stupid. How can anyone live on just Food Stamps at all considering you cannot buy ready to eat food but must cook it instead. For instance you can't buy an already cooked chicken but only raw chicken. Just how is a homeless person supposed to eat raw chicken?

Look at the maps indicating the number of folks living in different states with no income whatsoever trying to exist on just Food Stamps. I was shocked when I saw Nevada and Florida leading the pack.

Could you exist on just Food Stamps alone, Mr. Linder? Probably not. But then you have a cushy job in Washington calling the shots and never have to worry about where you're going to sleep at night or prepare your food as you are above that I'm sure.

First, I would not believe anything that the NY Slime printed. They have been discredited too many times in the past few years.
Second, how many of those supposed 6 million choose not to even try to work? Even with over 10% unemployment there are jobs available. In years past during times I was on strike I could always find some sort of work. From pumping gas to breaking down tires at 50 cents each.

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Originally Posted by 450donn

First, I would not believe anything that the NY Slime printed. They have been discredited too many times in the past few years.
Second, how many of those supposed 6 million choose not to even try to work? Even with over 10% unemployment there are jobs available. In years past during times I was on strike I could always find some sort of work. From pumping gas to breaking down tires at 50 cents each.

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Could you survive on nothing but Food Stamps? Some areas of this country right now have zero jobs so I have no idea where you are coming off what that attitude.

I am not a huge fan of NYT either but I do believe there were references in the article that had nothing to do with what the NYT thought. They just reported the story, nothing more.

Uh, Don, just where would you get a job in say Cleveland, Ohio or Detroit, Michigan?

No, if they had no other income they would be on welfare ( to even get food stamps) so they would have state medicare for health insurance, welfare payments, assistance in paying rent ( section 8) and more.

If they only have food stamps it is because they have not asked for it.

Also there are some ready to eat foods that can be purchased with food stamps, esp junk foods, but then most homeless merely sell them at 1/2 of the value, I have people stop me all the time outside the store wanting to pay for my food and I give them 1/2 of the food value in cash.

Are we going to be a country of homeless people very shortly? Why doesn't Obama spend some of the billions on America and stop sending our taxpayer money abroad. The reason is that there are no real jobs in this country like there was before every company shipped their companies and jobs overseas. Those companies need to be heavily penalized for sending our jobs overseas - not given huge tax incentives to do just that. They need to bring their companies back to this country NOW. All of the underwear and garments are made now in just about every other country than the USA. Same for shoes - everywhere but here. Same goes for a lot of things made elsewhere now. I can't buy a pair of underpants that is made in the USA - Mexico, Hondorus, Guatamela, VietNam, etc. and they don't hold up either. Try buying a pair of jeans made in the USA. Can't find them as they are not made here any longer.

Our entire society has changed and probably will never be the same ever again.

The reason I posted this article in the first place is to open up some people's eyes not to the fact that more and more people are having to rely on Food Stamps just to survive, but to point out that this country is literally going down the tubes every day and Obama is busy trying to start more wars elsewhere when he should be taking care of his own country's needs first.

The Great Depression is upon us again only things won't turn out the same as it did back in the 1930's.

The waiting list for Section 8 housing where I live jumped to 3 years just recently as there is no Section 8 housing here now.

There is no cash aid available to adults with no children. Only families can apply for the cash aid. What do you do if you're two adults with no kids? Go homeless. Section 8 housing is for adults with kids younger than 16 and not for single adults or married adults with no kids.

Welfare as it was years ago is no longer available. Why do you think elderly folks live in their cars? Because they want to? No. Because they cannot get Section 8 housing as they are not a family. Same with single people who have lost their jobs and homes/apartments. They are not eligible for anything other than Food Stamps period. Forget Medicaid as they are not single mothers of children. Forget cash assistance. This is not available to single people. So where does the "welfare" come into this picture for single and single elderly people? It only comes in by the way of Food Stamps.

And the cash assistance is limited to 60 months lifetime benefits for one family.

FYI Twinker I have been unbemployed for 11+ months. My wife lost her job in April. So I am not talking out of the side of my mouth. During that time I was the sole person to feed my wife and her mother. On top of that I was the only one who could walk do the laundry get the groceries and generally take care of the house. You see my MIL fell and broke her hip. One week later my wife fell and broke her ankle. Both required surgery and nearly four months in therapy. More trips to the doctors. Don't tell me that people cannot do it! I have been doing it for the past year.

The real disgrace is that the kleptocrats have been voted into office by US. Or the ones driven to the polls rather than the very small minority of us that study before we vote. I'd really like to see a civics exam for voter registration. We make immigrants take one to become citizens so they can vote.

Doing what? Living with no income?

Receiving Food Stamps is not a stigmata for being poor. Sounds like your household of 3 would be eligible for food stamp assistance. Martyrdom does not make it with me. I could tell you some of my stories but I won't just now as it is irrelevant to the original post.

So if you have been unemployed how are you paying utitilities, rent, etc. If your wife lost her job and fell and broke her ankle she is obviously not collecting unemployment due to not being able to work. But since she is on Medicare she is obviously collecting SSR as you can't get on Medicare until you're 65 and collecting SSR. If her mother broke her hip is she old enough to collect SSR? Sounds like she's been collecting for many many years at that rate. Does she collect SSR? Of course she is. Are you collecting unemployemnt? If you have been unemployed 11 months in some states you can collect unemployment for 79 weeks. In Ohio you can collect UE and collect SSR at the same time.

Sounds like you just might have 4 sources of income. Your unemployment, your SSR and possible pension,your spouse's SSR and your MIL's SSR. So you are definitely not without any income whatsoever. You aren't doing too bad financially. And chances are pretty good that you are collecting SSR as well since pumping gas is a job of the distant past and breaking tires at 50 cents is definitely a job of the distant past. Only union people go on strike so you must also have a union pension of some sort unless your pension fund went kaput last year. You are definitely not doing too shabby there Donn. So what's your problem? That you have to chauffer two women to the doctors offices?

I take it back about you being eligible for Food Stamps. With all that income you definitely don't need it or would qualify as your household makes too much money each month.

You CAN start collecting SSR at age 62 you know.

Nope, I am not old enough to collect SSI, do not get medicare. Just because I was in the military I can get insurance through the veterans. DW was able to get a severance package that paid her until August. MIL was 92 and her SSI was 600 a month after withholding for medicare. Luckily Hospice was free and she was able to die at home. Which by the way she lived in our home for over 30 years for free. I am not asking for sympathy. But you have to understand that I also have no sympathy for lazy people who feel that the government own them everything. So now we are hoping that the market recovers enough that we can sell our home and find a place to live.

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Originally Posted by 450donn

Nope, I am not old enough to collect SSI, do not get medicare. Just because I was in the military I can get insurance through the veterans. DW was able to get a severance package that paid her until August. MIL was 92 and her SSI was 600 a month after withholding for medicare. Luckily Hospice was free and she was able to die at home. Which by the way she lived in our home for over 30 years for free. I am not asking for sympathy. But you have to understand that I also have no sympathy for lazy people who feel that the government own them everything. So now we are hoping that the market recovers enough that we can sell our home and find a place to live.

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You've done above and beyond what a lot of people would do. Like a lot of other people I had an extremely sick husband for a lengthy period - caring for him and our home and working (in order to have an outside interest) exhausted me. What you've done is not easy.

But not everyone on food stamps is lazy, nor are all unemployed people lazy or looking for a handout.

I don't know where you are but it's rough in NY State right now - lots and lots of layoffs, unemployment running out, scary situation.

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Originally Posted by twinkiedooter

This is worse than a disgrace. There are an estimated 6 million people in the USA who have no other income other than Food Stamps each month to live on.

The Safety Net - Living on Nothing but Food Stamps - Series - NYTimes.com

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Yes it might be disgrace that anyone in a developed country is living in poverty but the picture isn't as gloomy as you thinkYouTube - Is World Poverty Getting Worse?
Statistics indicate that people are emerging from poverty so what it takes is for the people to get motivated and start getting on the backs of their useless politicians

People eligible for food stamps are generally also eligible for many of the other safety net provisions.