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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am so sad right now. I need to vent and them take a break for a while.
Today's vote to cut the Food Stamp program is really hurtful. I have worked hard all my life since 16, paid taxes, and never taken any help from the Government except a National Defense Loan for college which was paid off 16 years after graduation (1964). I married, had two lovely daughters, put them through college as a divorcee. After many years of their working and struggling they married and settled in to a family life ...not a life of ease, but comfortable enough to work hard and stand on their own without much help from me.
Two years ago, my eldest daughter ( who had worked many years in various well-paying jobs) lost her husband of 4 years to pancreatic cancer. He died almost 6 months to the day after being diagnosed. The toll of medical bills and mortgage payments sent her credit debt spiraling, not to mention a mortgage fraud scam that cost her to lose her home through foreclosure. She shortly after losing her home and moving into a rental with her two girl (5 & 6) she lost her job in the bad economy. She has been trying to obtain employment with every bone in her body. She gets calls all the time because her resume is excellent and she has the experience that many businesses really want. After calls and interviews she never gets a call back. Two recruiters have been honest enough to tell her that they really wanted her but she could not get a security clearance or clear their client's requirements because of her credit rating. Needless to say, she has been living on unemployment and SS payments from her deceased husband and on food stamps. I have been helping her all that I can and now my own money saved is practically gone.
With today's vote my heart just sank deep within me. Oh, sure, I am not going to see my children and grandchildren starve...but damn!! What kind of a heartless nation have we become to cut a food stamp program that feeds the working poor or those who can't get work. What kind of a corporate climate is out there that holds a bad credit rating against you so that you can't get a job to earn money to pay off your debts? I know very rich people who default on loans more than twice and have not been hurt by credit ratings..they just walk away whole. It made me cry to listen to the discussion on MSNBC about the reasons the RW want to cut food stamps and how they use disinformation to get their white constituents to continue to vote against their own interests and make them believe that most of the people on food stamps are shiftless blacks who just want a free handout from the government. The truth of the matter is that many, many more whites use food stamps and the majority of them are workers who don't earn enough to support their families without help. I tell you this really hurts that there are people who are so selfish and racist that they would rather not help people who really need the help because they might be black or Hispanic. It's even more hurtful to know that there are men and women out there whose sole purpose for seeking elected office is to be able to do just what they did.
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JustAnotherGen
(37,893 posts)Leonard Lance - NJ 7th - is one of them. I'm disgusted and have let him know that while he's 'proud of his vote' - there are people disgusted by him.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Background checks, security clearances and employment should not be contingent on economic status. This is a factor that keeps many poor job seekers unemployed and poor.
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)except potentially in jobs that involve a fiduciary duty where financial uprightness is a factor....
Otherwise background checks are fine by me. If you they find out you beat your wife and are applying for a job as a home health care worker, this should be fair game.
But credit, absent a fiduciary consideration, should not be a factor.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)
derby378
(30,262 posts)That is one of the most fucked-up concepts I've ever heard. Maybe if someone who owed money got a job, they might be able to start paying down those debts!
Unless someone out there is making money off of Americans having bad credit... 
liberalhistorian
(20,903 posts)every single time a credit report is pulled, except for the annual free report they're required to provide to consumers, and it took years of government action to force them to give us even that. A couple decades ago, they found that a great way to increase their profits was to market their "services" to employers, which their sales departments set out to do, complete with glossy brochures filled with all the horrible things that could happen if employers didn't know the details of their employee candidates' credit reports. Never mind that credit ratings have little to nothing to do with the type of employee a person is or will be, let alone the duties of most jobs. And now that notion is firmly implanted in business culture, sadly enough. So, yes, someone IS making a great deal of money off of it.
liberalhistorian
(20,903 posts)a "fiduciary consideration", there should be a consideration given to the context of less-than-great credit ratings. There's a difference between bad credit due to irresponsibility, mismanagement, theft, deliberately opening credit accounts and running up bills you have no intention of paying, etc., etc., and bad credit due to circumstances beyond your control, especially in the case of medical bills, job loss, divorce, illness and disability, identity theft, filing of false/inaccurate information, malicious filing of liens (saw it happen many times in my previous profession, a lot more than you'd think, and such liens are given just as much credence as legitimate liens, with no consideration as to their credibility), etc. A HUGE difference. Unfortunately, the fucking credit bureaus don't give a shit and make no effort at providing any context in their reports, and most employers aren't going to make any effort at figuring out the context either.
The one thing people can do, including, perhaps, the OP's daughter, is to tell employers upfront about potential issues with credit reports and make an effort to explain the context. That actually does work some of the time, and many employers appreciate the honesty of the applicant. However, in the current employer's market, it might not work as often as it normally would.
And I am off the strong opinion that it should not even be permitted to include any medical bills on credit reports. None, period. It should be absolutely illegal. I'm of the equally strong opinion that most employers do not need to, and should not, run credit reports at all, and it wasn't all that long ago that they never would have even thought of doing so. The credit bureaus, however, saw a great opportunity for increased profit beyond just their usual customer base of bankers and lenders (remember, they're all private and have nothing to do with the government, something that many people don't know or realize), and began marketing their services to employers, insurers, landlords, etc.
They especially zeroed in on employers, crafting elaborate brochures filled with scare tactics about all the horrible legal things that could happen to them if they didn't check credit reports and how they were a perfect indicator of a person's employability and worth as an employee and how anyone with less than perfect credit was generally a worthless bum, etc., etc. I used to work for one of the major bureaus, so I saw this in action in its sales department. Disgusting.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)It's all bullshit.
juajen
(8,515 posts)mean they cannot be trusted with money or merchandise. Many well off people steal. Denying people for a bad credit report is senseless. These are the people that will care most and will take care of a job.
Many people with great resumes and references have bad credit, some because of student loans, illness resulting in medical bills with no insurance, some who have mates or children who are not good with money. All sorts of reasons why people can't pay bills, including taking care of incapacitated spouses, children or parents. If they have a criminal record, that probably needs to be perused, but not being able to pay bills should never be a reason to not give somebody a job.
I am not sure what is going on in this country these days. I was in charge of hiring people at one time or another, and their credit report was never used by me. Companies or people who are extending credit, or lending someone money have a perfect right to check credit. But, for a job, only experience and references should be used. Exceptions are always applicable, however, depending on the job. For instances, Nannies, housekeepers, maids yard men and handy men should always be checked out for criminal records, and references should always be from somebody you know.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Nothing like hitting someone when they're down.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)and the RW spin machine have turned folks brains into mush and their hearts into stone, plain and simple. 
It is only going to get uglier, unfortunately, until a stake is driven into the heart of the "greed is good"/"I got mine" ideology.
Faygo Kid
(21,491 posts)I remember in the early '90s having breakfast with fellow gym members after an early workout (those were the days), and we all agreed that Rush was a very dangerous man - no room for principled disagreement, those who disagreed with him and his dittoheads were stupid or evil or (likely) both. Here we are 20 years later, and he and his disgusting ilk have convinced a quarter of the nation's population and most Republicans that that's how to think, so now they will shut down the government if they can't get their way. We are in deep, deep trouble, and gerrymandering and Koch money make it tough to dig out.
Brigid
(17,621 posts) 
stonecutter357
(13,020 posts)
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)I understand how you feel.
Hugs.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I am heartbroken and sickened right along with you. This is pure evil and the RW kkkristians, teahadists, pukes and fascists are the willing idiots perpetuating the aristocratic minority's wishes.
Vote these pukes OUT. Should have already happened in the midterms.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)with a large grain of salt.
They love to throw those R-bombs around.
Plus the House vote does not make it a law. Nor do the cuts impact very many people with children. Mostly they are targetted at the childless.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)Cruel because it targets some of the most vulnerable, pointless because it saves, relatively speaking, very little money.
juajen
(8,515 posts)hfojvt
(37,573 posts)"The people the bill would cut off SNAP include but are not limited to:
1.7 million unemployed, childless adults in 2014 who live in areas of high unemployment — a group that has average income of only 22 percent of the poverty line (about $2,500 a year for a single individual) and for whom SNAP is, in most cases, the only government assistance they receive (this number will average 1 million a year over the coming decade);[4]
2.1 million people in 2014, mostly low-income working families and low-income seniors, who have gross incomes or assets modestly above the federal SNAP limits but disposable income — the income that a family actually has available to spend on food and other needs — below the poverty line in most cases often because of high rent or child care costs. (This number will average 1.8 million a year over the coming decade.) In addition, 210,000 children in these families would also lose free school meals;"
liberalhistorian
(20,903 posts)Second, even if it is, you are actually saying that it's okay if the childless go hungry? Really? Seriously? Wow. People are people, man, whether they have children or not should have nothing to do with their moral worth as a person with human needs. Just because you're childless doesn't mean you aren't going to be poor and unable to afford food.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)that is obviously not what I meant.
But the OP's major concern seemed to be with her children and grandchildren. I simply pointed out that they would NOT be impacted by the cuts, at least not cut off.
Not stated as some sort of defense of the cuts.
I probably would point out that Republicans are cutting $40 billion from food stamps because of supposed concern about the deficit and yet that amount is LESS than the permanent tax cuts they just gave to the Fab 400 (the 400 highest income taxpayers).
Too bad Obama cannot say that because he, himself, signed those tax cuts into law.
busterbrown
(8,515 posts)I’ll throw one at you.. If you vote republican than there is a 90% chance you are a racist..
Cause thats what it is mostly about.. That and the money...
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)for Eli to throw.
So you admit it is about the money too.
On that we are agreed.
What about abortion? Do some people vote Republican because of abortion?
Well, I used to think so. Then I ran for County Treasurer. Even though abortion was NOT at all an issue in the Treasurer's race, most Republicans voted for my opponent. Same thing for the Sherrif and the DA. We all got shellacked by about the same margin.
So part of the vote seemed to depend on "which team am I on?" Especially in a Presidential year. In 2002 and 2006 though, a majority in the county voted for our Democratic Governor (now Secretary of HHS) They also voted for Republican-turned-Democrat Paul Morrison over anti-abortion fanatic Phill Kline, as did most of the rest of the Republican state.
Still, a whole bunch of them voted FOR the anti-abortion fanatic.
Some of the switching seems to have happened, as well, because the media predicted victories for Sebelius and Morrison and some people may have just gone with the crowd.
When I studied precinct results, I was happy to see that people were not strict about voting party line, at least not all of them. In Marmaton precinct in Allen County, for example. In the Kansas House race, 122 voted for the Democrat Dunbar versus 256 for the Republican Otto. Whereas 165 voted for the Democrat Boyda versus 217 for the Republican Jenkins. In 2006 that was even more pronounced with 147 voting for Boyda versus 139 for Ryun while 171 voted for Otto and 123 voted for Shirley. In other places, like Iola ward 4, Shirley got 227 votes to Boyda's 212.
Who knows, maybe Shirley knocked on some doors in Ward 4 and convinced some of those conservative people to vote for him/her.
I must admit that I am more interested in winning people over to our side than I am at throwing R-bombs at them.
busterbrown
(8,515 posts)Agree it is your job to win over voters.. My job is to continually tell myself how horrible the Jints are this year.
So that when they play, I have no expectations.
Listen if you have no running game, protecting Eli becomes impossible. No one on defense buys the fake just
B lines towards Manning.
In the long run for me its the Minorities taking our jobs, the Blacks are stealing our taxes and buying color T.V.’s
sitting around all day watching movies and eating chips and drinking beer. Then hitting the streets at night robbing and terrorizing our neighborhoods is the freaking deal.. DEmocrats in their minds enable this and Repiblican’s want more guns on the streets for protection of homes.. Thats the deal.. Maybe over simplified but its what I feel..
Keep up the good fight. Are you gonna run again. Let me know, I’ll throw you a dime...
I admire you guys at the local level...A lot.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)have been mostly white
The racial make up of Richland County is 98.39% white.
Hmm, actually voted for Obama by 57-41. (edit, coulda sworn they were a Republican stronghold)
Let's try Beadle County, SD - Romney by 58-40, and 96.93% white.
Of course, before the 2010 bloodbath, South Dakota had a Democratic Representative and one Democratic Senator. In 2004, all three were Democrats. Unfortunately in 2010, Stephanie Herseth lost and Thune ran unopposed in a seat that was once held by Tom Daschle and George McGovern.
As for the Giants, well they cannot beat the Packers in the NFC championship and the Patriots in the Superbowl EVERY year. It just seems that way to a Packer fan.
And for running again, who knows. Not for Treasurer. It turned out I was not all that motivated in the last campaign. Plus by 2018 I expect to be happily retired. I would be more motivated to run for the State House, but my district has a D already. Maybe if she runs for the State Senate in 2016 there will be an opening. But if I am still working full time, I may not have the energy to campaign then either. But at least a House district is considerably smaller than the County.
99Forever
(14,524 posts)... heartless bastards.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)
avaistheone1
(14,626 posts)
russspeakeasy
(6,539 posts)
calimary
(89,543 posts)And recommending. And bookmarking.
The people these cheap, selfish, greedy, short-sighted, willfully-ignorant, heartless bastards demean and dismiss as lazy moochers are the same people that Christ our Savior referred to as "the least of My brethren." AND - as His own very Self. "What you did to the least of these, you did to Me."
Matthew 25: 35-40
35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ "
From DUer Brigid's thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023699724
nikto
(3,284 posts)How can this be The Bible?
Where are the references to the need to make a lot of ca$h, and that the poor are just takers,
God bless the wealthy who hoard their money, The Holy and Blessed must have lots of guns,etc etc
Matthew 25: 35-40
35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ "
Most churchgoing GOPers probably think it's from The Necronomicon.
Also, I am not clear on whether Christ carried an AR 15 or a Glock 17.
The GOP & Conservative sources I can find seem to imply Jesus carried both.
The GOP is so close to Jesus. 
Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)to 'pee in a cup' or do 'do community service' before he fed them from the loaves and fishes.
Neither did the disciples.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)
Autumn
(48,893 posts)
rurallib
(64,640 posts)Not just for those who are immediately affected. That is part of it.
One of the reasons I have always loved America is that i used to believe that we were a country that took care of its own. When a guy was down on their luck that our country would provide a meal and a bed at least. Some day that may be me or my brother, child, mother-in-law or friend.
Now it feels like I live in an alien country where if you have some bad luck people hunt you like a criminal.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)“Prohibiting the use of credit checks in employment is now our number one campaign,” Ms. Ludwig said. “Because it’s discriminatory. And because the last thing we need in a recession is another barrier to employment.”
Lawmakers in some jurisdictions have proved sympathetic to those arguments. Nine states have adopted legislation that curbs the use of credit reports to judge prospective hires — seven of them since the start of 2010. Representative Steve Cohen, Democrat from Tennessee, has sponsored federal legislation that would restrict their use. The New York Legislature and the New York City Council are considering strict new laws that would greatly limit an employer’s ability to do credit screening.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/business/employers-pull-applicants-credit-reports.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Hopefully , we can get some federal legislation passed.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)industry. Thing is, the credit report is really discretionary and an employer can protect itself from charges of racism by using the credit report but they have the option of hiring anyone with a bad credit rating and many whites and Asians are hired regardless to the credit rating. One headhunter told my daughter this.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)MissDeeds
(7,499 posts)This is wrong on so many levels. Unfortunately, many in DC are only concerned only with their "needs" (aka "wants"
and have no compassion or empathy for the hardships of others. Just yesterday I saw a politician on MSNBC lamenting the fact that once he pays all he owes, he has only $400,000 left over. What a worthless, self absorbed creep... He is so callous he didn't even think how that would sound to the millions of working poor who are just trying to keep a roof over their heads and feed their kids.
I hate to be maudlin, but I really think apathy and greed are major factors in our governance - and it makes me sick.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)"I hate to be maudlin, but I really think apathy and greed are major factors in our governance - and it makes me sick."
You are not being maudlin you are being truthful.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)My Rep Collins voted for this travesty he will hear from me. He and Reed are bragging about it in the local paper. They are both disgusting excuses for human beings.
Senator Gillibrand said she will not only not support it but continue to fight against it. She will get my thanks.
Wishing the best for you and your family.
toby jo
(1,269 posts)and yourself, you work so hard. You just want to take a time-out and go somewhere where you can take care of your needs for free, you just want some peace. That goddamn dollar, always.
Great letter, your daughter will get a good job, she sounds resourceful. Good luck to you.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)when my oldest daughter was little as I found myself unexpectedly a single mom, 1972-1974. They saved us.
merrily
(45,251 posts)I am so very sorry about your family's problems.
andtheBeast
(44 posts)totodeinhere
(13,688 posts)as has been rumored, then how much of a stretch would it be to sign off on this as well?
andtheBeast
(44 posts)totodeinhere
(13,688 posts)http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/factsheet/chained-cpi-protections
joshcryer
(62,536 posts)Obama felt ccpi was a good trade to bring 7 million out of poverty
it was never going to pass
Rider3
(919 posts)Sad doesn`t begin to describe this situation. I am ashamed of the GOP and their supporters. This country is so backwards.
totodeinhere
(13,688 posts)DFW
(59,994 posts)These "representatives" whine about how hard it is to live on $172,000 a year, but won't toss a dime to people trying to survive on 10% of that.
And then they have the gall to call themselves "patriots."
TBF
(36,226 posts)" It made me cry to listen to the discussion on MSNBC about the reasons the RW want to cut food stamps and how they use disinformation to get their white constituents to continue to vote against their own interests and make them believe that most of the people on food stamps are shiftless blacks who just want a free handout from the government. The truth of the matter is that many, many more whites use food stamps and the majority of them are workers who don't earn enough to support their families without help. I tell you this really hurts that there are people who are so selfish and racist that they would rather not help people who really need the help because they might be black or Hispanic. It's even more hurtful to know that there are men and women out there whose sole purpose for seeking elected office is to be able to do just what they did."
I live in Houston, TX. Whether Latino, Black or Caucasian - there are tons of hard-working people in my city. Service workers, refinery workers, gardeners, food service - you name it. The "shiftless" workers, as far as I'm concerned, are the holier than thou bankers who robbed this country and got away with their "too big to fail" threats. I wish they had let them crash and put the top guys/gals in jail.
And, frankly, I don't care if someone is considered "shiftless" by someone or not - it should NOT be ok to decide people are just not going to be sheltered/fed. Period.
After TPP passes and millions more jobs are lost we are going to have that many more people out on the street and hungry.
This is horrifying.
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)I have no explanation for what is happening. So much pain.
riverbendviewgal
(4,396 posts)AND you can blame the republicans
My condolances.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts) Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)I am sick about it too. I wrote to both of my senators and my congressman. I do not want to be a part of a country that is so mean spirited. We have GOT to TURN this around.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)are desperate to cut food stamps. In our state 1 our 4 children go to bed hungry EVERY night. I think this is more than your color and mine, it is our class and theirs.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)for their crimes.
I am very sorry to hear of your daughters losses..especially her husband, so sad.
These employers who have turned down your daughter and can't find it in themselves to look
at her circumstances with all the variables that brought her to this horrific place, is fucking
disgusting.
The food stamps the Republicans cut is an evil act.
Sounds like they are lucky to have you for a Mom and Grandmother.
NealK
(7,004 posts)This is truly awful. 
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)It's a bullshit metric.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)It's just too bad that the man you are so enamored with sees no problem with the system that has hurt your family so badly.
Oh well. Don't forget to support your local parasite in the mid-terms, that's what really matters.
ReRe
(12,183 posts)It's all kabuki theater, kelliekat. It will never pass in the Senate and Obama would never sign it. 
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)be able to identify with our circumstance and reply with so many uplifting words. When I went to be last night I was really feeling down. But I am back, thanks to you DUers. And I am ready to engage in the fight on many levels.
I do send many, many comments to the White House contact page at Whitehouse.gov. Some time ago I received a response to one of my comments and was somewhat encourage when the President came out and addressed the issue and used some of my exact words. Of course this may have been entirely coincidental but it kept me commenting and sending suggestions to that site. I haven't received any replies since but I do feel that someone there does read the comments page. That is why I encourage DUers to bombard that site with all their SERIOUS comments without vitriol.
Response to kelliekat44 (Original post)
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wildeyed
(11,243 posts)It seems so simple to me. The vote hurt my heart too. I don't know what to make of a country that values corporate profits and tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy over putting food in a hungry person's mouth.
suffragette
(12,232 posts)by denying he access to the jobs, stable housing, etc people need to change their situation.
These differ from the ones in Dicken's time since they aren't a physical place people are thrown into, but instead are an invisible wall. They are similar though in impact of keeping people from the opportunity to improve their condition and putting them in a downward spiral of worse conditions.
This , to me, is about genuine issues of security in the United States: food security, job security, health security and housing security. These are so much more important than the theater of security to which so much funding has been diverted.
to you and your family.
BumRushDaShow
(168,081 posts)
It's hard and especially now during a period when some of the most vocal miscreants in society are lashing out with such vitriol and downright meanness. They always say it is the darkest before the dawn and hopefully you and your family will get through this and will be stronger for it. And here's hoping too that the disinterested compassionate folks out there start to rise up and say enough is enough.
Edit to add this - http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/16/pf/CFPB-credit-reporting/index.htm
The CFPB is about to have a rule go into effect on Sept. 30 that will mean supervision of the largest credit reporting companies.
Cordray said that credit reporting agencies play a key role by helping financial institutions and other companies assess risk and prevent losses, but that some consumers may be unfairly blocked from credit they deserve. The consumer bureau has received complaints from many consumers who say their credit reports are inaccurate and that they are having trouble correcting them, he said.
The rule will apply to the three biggest credit bureaus -- TransUnion, Experian and Equifax (EFX). The three issue more than 3 billion reports a year and each hold records on more than 200 million people.
<snip>
The CFPB is starting out with three main areas of focus: whether data given to reporting agencies by lenders and others is correct; whether the data is being processed accurately; and whether the dispute resolution process is effective.