To everyone that says cutting 2.2 billion from food stamps is no big deal...

[no limit]

this is the second cut food stamps took since August. In August this administration and congress cut food stamps by 14.1 billion. With the current average food stamp payment being $133 a month the bill from August will take away $59 from a family of 4 by 2013. The thing that really makes my blood boil is they passed this food stamp cut today on the same day they passed tax cuts for millionares which will cost us over 900 billion dollars. If you aren't outraged by this I don't think that there is anything this president could possibly do to ever lose your trust. I don't understand that kind of mentality.


From August 2010:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/proposed-cuts-to-food-sta_n_683162.html

'No Precedent' For Proposed Cuts To Food Stamp Benefits

To help prevent a pair of domestic spending bills from adding to the national budget deficit, Democratic leaders in the Senate have proposed cuts to future food stamp funding, saving $14.1 billion over 10 years.

With the stimulus bill provisions, the average benefit is $133.77 per month. If the cuts take effect, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) estimates that a family of four will receive $59 less per month starting in November 2013. It's not the first time an unkind change has been made to food stamp policy, but experts say it would be the first time ever that beneficiaries would receive less money from month to month under the program.

"The raid on SNAP must stop," said FRAC in a statement. "These are real cuts with real impact on low-income households who, for the first time, will see their benefits fall from one month to the next."

Yes, the president did increase food stamp funding when he first came in to office. He had to, since 2006 food stamp enrollment had tripled. But even with that this program is still grossly underfunded, and they are slowly chipping away at it. They took 2.2 billion today, in August they took 14 billion. What will they do next month?

This is mostly a repost of an earlier thread I made which was deleted because of the problems with the site today. Sorry about that.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. K&R

[aquart]

2. The breadlines are going to be very impressive.

But we ain't in a depression. We're in a recovery.

[Kali]

3. WTF?

I didn't even know about that! God, I thought I was paying attention - what else was goin on in August that I missed that?

[WillParkinson]

4. It is no big deal...

To those who have never needed them. Those who are dependent on them, though, are getting shafted yet again.

[littlewolf]

5. This is so sad ... K&R ...

most of those congress critters don't look like they have missed many meals ...
but things are going to get ugly ... people will put up with a lot of crap
as long as they and their families can eat ... when that changes .. lots of things
change ....

[nc4bo]

6. Thanks for making this an OP.

Chipping away, take a little here to pay for something over there is just fine, scolding recipients for not making do with the little they get, etc. all these things I've read today regarding those unfortunate enough to find themselves applying for or receiving for Food Stamps.

It's downright disheartening to witness the lack of empathy coming from our own.

Our social safety net is disintegrating and so many ignore it at their own peril. One never knows when one may find his or herself begging for help. We all should be fighting to keep these programs strong and well funded, fight like we all may need it one day because you just never know.

[bobbolink]

19. Did you ever think you would have to make a plea like that to Democrats?

I am sickened and disgusted.

[Foo Fighter]

27. They haven't been "our own" for a long time.

Why do the right thing and represent the will of 70-80% of the people when there's big bucks to be made by bowing to the will of their corporate masters?

It's been that way for a long time but in more recent years, it seems they have been moving at accelerated pace. Apparently the poor and middle class haven't reached serf status fast enough for them so they have decided to help it along.

[Still a Democrat]

7. Food stamp expenditures have nearly doubled under Obama

with the number of recipients up about a third.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Those would be facts....

that doesn't help those who want to believe the worse about this President....always.


Facts: http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/annual.htm


The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

[Still a Democrat]

12. Sorry to confuse

Facts are stubborn things. :hi:

[ipaint]

21. This isn't about the increase, it's about the reductions.

WTF, every thread about this and the harm it does to those who need it along with the immorality of giving the filthy rich tax cuts that make these kinds of right wing cuts to social programs "excusable" is spammed by those who think the world is going to end because their Leader is taking a PR hit.

No one is arguing that he didn't increase them. Read it again until you get it. No on is arguing that he didn't increase them. Rinse repeat.

Maybe now you can address why democrats including the president think the underfunded (even with the increase) food stamp program is the only place anywhere they could find money to fund their projects.

[Hawkowl]

30. No credibility

You have ZERO cred. You could replace all your posts with a spam bot for all the sense you make.

[no limit]

10. That is no reason to cut it. The program is still under budget.

Here is the actual data:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/SNAPsummary.htm

I read today it had tripled since 2006, looks like I was wrong. Thanks for the correction.

[Historic NY]

24. The 2.2 billion is going toward those that get 1/2 of the food stamps..children.

Its rolled into the School breakfast & lunch program to provided at least 2 nutritional meals per day. It will secure that program until at least 2015.

[EFerrari]

15. That number was wrong when you first posted it this morning

and it's still wrong now.

The number of people in need has TRIPLED since 2006. Not doubled, tripled.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[walldude]

14. No it's the fault of locksteppers who refuse to see

a single thing that Obama has done as wrong. Yes I'm blaming you and the apparent BOT you are using to post the same damn thing over and over.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[no limit]

23. Looks like the bot got his posts deleted

[NCarolinawoman]

11. This is only the beginning of what will be gaining momentum next year.

Soon, one of the most conservative Congresses in history will be taking their seats, and all the talk will be of the deficit. No money to help with any kind of services (thanks to the tax gift to the rich) so it will be one thing after another

I doubt that Obama is inclined to veto much of what the Teabag Congress has in store for the country :-(. Not if the cuts are already starting in this session. x(

[gkhouston]

13. Don't worry; I'm sure the rich will use their tax cuts to feed the poor.

:sarcasm:

[Kennah]

17. There will be no breadlines

There's plenty of cake

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. Maintain funding for the less fortunate=bad.. Give money to people that don't need it=good

But we are a christian nation. NOT

[madrchsod]

20. lbj would have kicked obama`s ass.....

[Motown_Johnny]

22. Remember the cheering on DU when food stamp funding was increased?

Me neither.




I'll agree that more is better than less but you do need to give credit for the increase and the fact that he says he will still try to replace those funds for the program.




if you take the time to go through the numbers, it is actually rather impressive.

Also, your "average benefits" number implies that it is for a family of 4, it isn't. You are quoting the personal benefits and then quickly jumping to the amount a family of 4 will lose if the funding is not replaced. $535.08 should have been the number referenced when discussing the loss of $59.00. (Not that I am supporting the cut, I am most definitely not in favor of any such decrease.)


http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/annual.htm

[no limit]

25. I think the cheering was muffled by the fact that Obama gave so much away

and got so little in return when he negotiated the stimulus. Many people here actually wanted more money for food stamps.

And the average benefit for families is $289, not $535.

[Igel]

26. Two problems.

First, I'm pretty sure there's only one actual cut to actual food stamp payments in the offing. The one in August was proposed legislation; the one signed in the last week is real legislation. The same legislation.

The second goes to a point I tried to make about "tax increases" as a political speech act or act of legislation and "tax increases" as a description involving actual dollars in the present. Strictly speaking, there have been no cuts to food stamps. There won't be any, at least as a result of this legislation, in 2011. Or in 2012. They take effect in fall 2013. In other words, all the pain and suffering that this is causing will only begin in 11/13. That's quite close to 3 years hence. On the other hand, the speech act has occurred, so there has been a (future) cut to food stamps. Of course, the future cut will only affect future disbursements to deal with people's future needs. The future does not exist.

It's a distinction big enough for Obama to drive his "no tax increases on those making under" $250k through: In spite of what amounts to already-legislated future tax increases as a consequences of already-signed legislation, there have been no actual tax increases, on average (another kludge), to the middle class.

As a corollary, I think it's appropriate to point out the hubbub over the tax increase (which is what the expiration of the tax cuts--a tax increase without an act of political will causing them). It's worth pointing out the mandated cuts to Medicaid providers mandated in 2001, which still haven't actually occurred. I can only wonder if in the event, as opposed to the 3-year-off planning, the food stamp cuts will face the same fate--in other words, will be abolished.

[no limit]

28. The bill I posted about became law

but I think I was wrong on the 14 billion figure, it ended up being 12 billion:

http://washingtonindependent.com/94298/house-passes-state-aid-bill-saving-an-estimated-300000-jobs

From the article:

-----------------
To pay for the bill — Republicans refused to cross the aisle unless the bill was entirely deficit-neutral — the Senate resorted to some controversial cuts. It closed a tax loophole for companies shipping jobs overseas, saving $9 billion. It also rescinded unspent funds from a variety of programs. Then, most controversially, it took $12 billion from future Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, funding. Senate aides stress that the cut does not cut the benefits authorized in the most recent Farm Bill. It takes from expanded benefits created in the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Feb. 2009 stimulus.
-----------------

Second,to try to dismiss this by saying the future does not yet exist is a bit silly. 2013 is right around the corner. And unless you are proposing that the economy will be much better then or that these cuts will be restored I don't think that's a very valid argument.

[sarcasmo]

29. Kick,all of us in our 40's and under need an alternate plan.

[cap]

31. 25% of the children in this country are on food stamps

Oliver Twist holding his bowl up for more gruel: "Please Sir, May I have some more?" "MORE, YOU WANT MORE", replied the Beadle!


I can't believe that they did this around Christmas.
What's wrong with us??? Dear God, what's wrong with us???

Those millionaires are going to take their $83,000 that they each will be getting an invest in Indian ETF Funds overseas. They aren't investing in America.

Happy Eff'n Christmas to you, Scrooge.

They are passing this measure and a bunch more early in 2011 so that they hope we forget about everything in 2012.

I am so disgusted.