Since the founding of the British colony in North America when the first "settlers" arrived, pitting ordinary people against one another along the lines of skin color, socioeconomic class, genders and issues like abortion, casual drug use, conviction of a crime, media-induced fear and other hot buttons - has been Washington's modus operandi as a means of divide and control. In the case of issuing food stamps to needy families, many foolish people with jobs and incomes have been duped into this game, told by the ruling elite that that the poor are lazy, unwilling to work and parasites on the middle class. But as the same people are dropped from the ranks of the employed, receiving adequate incomes for a decent life or even losing their retirement incomes and houses, their tune soon changes. Incredibly, many have come to actually believe that having food to eat, a decent education and a house in which to live is not a human right - but instead a privilege!
The government has led this attack on the poor with the spector of criminals, murderers and pedophiles leaching off the people by receiving food stamps. These depictions are racist by inference and obvious manipulations of some who stupidly respond, "Yeah, well ahh ... well ... hey! ahh ... duh! Them n-----s and sp--s on food stamps are ripping me off!" It's a terminal mental illness for some for whom there is little hope. But it's not only the uneducated guy who still has a job at the factory, it's endemic. For example I know personally at least one person in the U.S. with post-graduate degrees, whose personal bank account and stock portfolio are worth millions. She too is worried about the "burden" people are who receive welfare and food stamps. With the cuts described in the WP article below, "more than 200,000 children will lose free meals at school and poor families that have managed to scrape together a few thousand dollars for emergencies would get kicked off the program. Other families battling poverty would get kicked off of SNAP for owning a car." The report by Center for Budget and Policy Priorites stated, “Many of these families would be forced to choose between owning a reliable car and receiving food assistance to help feed their families.” - Les Blough, Editor Axis of Logic September 20, 2013 Washington Post House passes GOP plan to slash food stamp funding By Ed O’Keefe and Niraj Chokshi The House narrowly approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s food-stamp program Thursday that would slash food aid to about 4 million Americans over the next few years and shift a greater burden of taking care of the poor to state governments.
The legislation passed Thursday is of a piece with the looming battles as it represents House Republicans’ effort to pare the cost and size of government by reducing federal spending. Thursday’s vote represented a victory for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who embraced a strategy this summer that split apart the farm bill to consider funding for food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, separately from legislation authorizing crop subsidies and a revamping of many agricultural and conservation programs. Cantor said the deep cuts enacted Thursday were necessary because while most SNAP recipients need the assistance, there are many people who abuse the system. “Frankly, it’s wrong for hardworking, middle-class Americans to pay for that,” Cantor said. Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), a strong supporter of the bill, said that stiffer work requirements for certain adults applying for SNAP funds mean “you can no longer sit on your couch . . . and expect the federal taxpayer to feed you.” The House voted 217 to 210 to approve the measure. Fifteen Republicans joined with all of the Democrats present to vote against the plan. Passage of the bill means that the House can begin negotiations with the Senate over a final version of the farm bill, which would once again merge food aid with other agricultural policy.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) , in a long speech on the Senate floor Thursday, rejected the GOP approach, saying that Republicans had “turned their backs” on low-income families in hopes of making budget cuts. Citing his own trips to the grocery store with his wife, Landra, Reid said that proposed reductions in SNAP funding would make it difficult for some recipients to purchase ground beef and milk in the same shopping trip. In the House, Democrats used the hours before the vote to criticize Republicans for the funding reductions. They repeatedly cited an op-ed by former Senate majority leaders Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) and Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) published Monday in the Los Angeles Times that said “this is no time to play politics with hunger.” According to the Census Bureau, almost 14 percent of households in the United States received food stamps in 2012, a total of 16.6 million households. Almost half the recipients, 48 percent, are non-Hispanic whites; 26 percent are black and 21 percent are Hispanics. (all photos, captions and commentary are added by Axis of Logic) Source: Washington Post |
