Food stamp czar critical of Texas privatization

[white cloud]

The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has the worst-performing food-stamp program in the nation, the Obama administration's top food stamp program official said Tuesday.

Undersecretary of Agriculture Kevin Concannon aired his criticism in Austin, where he was checking on the headway Texas is making in cleaning up a mess left from the state's failed privatization of its food-stamp program.

Texas had one of the quickest and most accurate food stamp application processing systems in the nation during the 1990s, Concannon said. The failed 2005 privatization resulted in "a five-year slide" in how quickly and accurately the state processes food stamp applications, he said.
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http://www.star-telegram.com/448/story/1888630.html

[sonias]

1. "failed privatization"

We see it over and over - "failed privatization" scheme. It's always the first thing republicans reach for - trying to cut costs by bringing private business into public programs, and then botching it up.

In the long run, the services provided are not even adequate and there are no cost savings. They will try to hide the real costs of the failure by Enron accounting practices - shifting costs here and there in the budget. In the long run it just fails. A public workforce, properly trained, provides a better service at lower cost and they meet their performance goals.

Look at how much money Texas is losing: 1 billion dollars!

He told reporters that the state could be getting $1 billion more in federal food-stamp funds and serving 650,000 more food-stamp applicants if it increased its participation to the national rate of 67 percent. He said stamps now go to about 3 million Texans, about 55 percent of those eligible.

Texas supermarkets are losing $1 billion a year in food sales because of the shortcomings of the Texas program, Concannon said. Also, "there are still thousands and thousands of Texans who, if they lived elsewhere in the United States, would receive these same benefits," he said.

republicans = failed privatization. It costs all of the Texas taxpayers money every time republicans scheme. :grr:


Sonia

[sonias]

2. U.S. food stamp official: State could be aiding more Texans

AAS 1/12/10
U.S. food stamp official: State could be aiding more Texans

Texas could be providing food stamps to 650,000 more people and could increase the amount of federal money it receives for the program each year from $4 billion to $5 billion if the state increased its participation rate to the national average, according to President Barack Obama's top food stamp official.

But Texas officials, who are struggling with a strained application system, say increasing participation is not their goal.

(snip)
"There are still thousands and thousands of Texans who, if they lived elsewhere in the United States, would receive these same benefits … in a more timely manner," he said Monday evening.

(snip)
Stephanie Goodman, a state health and human services spokeswoman, said her agency's philosophy differs from the federal government. "I don't think our focus is a participation rate," she said. "If there's a family that qualifies for assistance and they don't feel it's right to ask the government for help, we're not here to talk them out of that."

Concannon said the participation rate is closely tied to the slow application processing.

The emphasis above is mine, to make the point that the people who are operating this program in Texas actually have a goal to apparently discourage the use of food stamps. They try to be the most inefficient as possible and if they take too long to help. The people who need the help go away. They're discouraged essentially.

If you look at it from the "new Texas world order" point of view, the Texas food stamp program is working just as planned. It's a huge success to those, like Perry, that think the government should not help people and it should be small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Sonia

[onestepforward]

3. So their fellow Texans in need are not their goal...

Of coarse not, they are repubs! They are only interested in punishing people who haven't "worked hard enough" or "made good life decisions." In addition, they don't believe in government, but keep getting elected to run it. What a clusterfuck.

We cannot get them out of office fast enough. Good grief, we're talking about FOOD for hungry people! :(

[sonias]

4. About 650,000 extra Texans who qualify are going hungry

That's only if we met the national average of 66% participation rate!

There are about 3.1 million Texans on food stamps, and the program reaches about 55 percent of eligible Texans, Concannon said. The national average is 66 percent.

And just as important are the food businesses who could use that extra revenue and hire more workers and create more jobs.

And for those who aren't concerned about poor people or those who have lost their jobs, he said, he'd argue that Texas is missing out on federal dollars that would be spent at grocery stores and would stimulate the state's economy.

All so Perry can claim his low service government mantra during the primary campaign. Bastard!


Sonia

[Jack_DeLeon]

5. IMO its better to have less people on food stamps...

better that people pay for their own food, rather than having everyone else pay for them.

[Justitia]

6. What? You do realize that food stamps are for people who can't AFFORD food, right?

What a weird thing to post.

[sonias]

7. Are you now channeling Scrooge too

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? ... they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there. ...If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Lets hope that you never need the safety net in your life time.

Sonia

[tammywammy]

8. +1 n/t