Everyone on food stamps isn't a freeloader

Regardless of a political or personal view on welfare, food stamps, etc., when people go hungry in large numbers our nation is in trouble and social programs are only band-aids that are becoming less and less sustainable as more Americans search for assistance. I have no idea what the answer is because we need jobs in areas where people already live, but nobody is borrowing in large enough numbers so businesses won't be moving or opening factories or other facilities to help fix this mess. Until disposable incomes increase, this will not get better.

 

My general assessment of the situation from traveling for 12 years is that there isn't a starvation problem in the US. From what I see, it is half the rest of the world that has a starvation problem. What we have is a "parents too f'ed up on drugs to care about feeding their children" problem. Kids that are hungry in this country almost always have a parent who has the capability to feed their child in American society, but just doesn't.

 

i don't think you know what you're talking about

you couldn't even be bothered to read this thread

 

No we don't have "starvation " the way it is found in other parts of the world but we do have hunger and food insecurity. http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/hunger-and-poverty-statistics.aspx and where do you get this clap trap about it being due to drugs or parental irresponsibility?? Do you research this stuff at all or do you just spew it out because it sound good to you and you think that people will swallow it whole?

 

Is this your idea of civil discourse? We are disinclined to address your points when you disagree so disagreeably.

 

They want to ignore the fact that majority of these people are working ,and trying to do the best they can. They want to picture them kicked back living the high life like they hit the lotto. Sure there is fraud and abuse like I stated in my opening thread statement, but there is 100 times more fraud and abuse of the system by the wealthy and elite , but these jerks on here that criticize don't say a GD word about that. It's beyond all comprehension!!

 

First, you realize that fraud, waste, and abuse is going to occur no matter how you police the SNAP program. It was designed by humans, run by humans, and humans are the beneficiaries. There is going to be FWA(fraud, waste, abuse) in the design, management, and beneficiary side of it.

The point I was trying to make is that all you hear from the GOP is one sided. Negativity!! Instead of being well or all rounded, and looking at the good(helping the elderly, handicapped, young) and then comparing it with the bad(FWA)..............all they can do is point out the bad without any acknowledgement of the good. And because the GOP can only speak of the bad aspects of SNAP, the liberals feel the need to point out the good that the GOP forgot to consider.

Later, and in return, the GOP claims that the liberals can see no wrong in SNAP. The GOP claims that liberals are only one sided because we are only looking at the good; when this is not the case. The liberals can see what's wrong with SNAP. We understand that FWA is evident. We just try to understand that because the program DOES help those that are in need, until a better program comes to light.................the fraudulent, wasteful, abusive one we have is better than none at all. We just try to be well rounded or more nuanced in our thoughts.

 

While I agree that 100 times more fraud and abuse occur among the rich its because they are 100 times richer and more able to abuse the system. I think rich men and poor men are all just men, and they commit fraudulent acts in about the same numbers (as a %)

I just don't like the idea of finding ways to take money from 1 fraud to give it to another. We can find ways to take from 1 fraud and give it to another who isn't by stopping support for programs that reward irresponsibility. Whether that be seriously restructuring welfare/food stamps or closing tax havens I agree with both SIMULTANEOUSLY, not one or the other,

 

Over 50% of my 18 or so aunts and uncles are on food stamps. My mom and step dad were until I was 18. I have over 20 cousins on it. At least half the community I interact with is on it. My dad is on it. I know a little about what the food stamp craze is doing to society, and how it is being used.

 

the country is a whole lot bigger than your immediate family

 

We keep trying to wake republicans up to their destruction, but they are like a patient in a coma, they just don't respond to treatment.

 

Da rightwing white man in congress is holding you down.

 

I completely disagree. You can address the fraud within the system without having to create a brand new system. The reason conservatives get upset with libs over the fraud and waste is because they REFUSE to do anything about it because part of their agenda is to have as many people as possible being dependent upon the government so that they can get their votes by promising to take from the evil rich and give the poor more.

 

My family doesn't believe anyone is holding them down. They could care less. They are enjoying the status-quo, and have been for decades.

 

Like I've stated many times in this thread ,if you don't want people dependent upon the Govt. Make these mega-rich companies PAY A LIVING WAGE so we're not subsidizing their employees with our tax dollars through Govt, programs. Then you won't have to worry whether or not if their votes are being bought ,as you put it.

 

How's that possible? In my state I never would've qualified for food stamps on a full time income, even at min wage only. But I don't have any children, so maybe that's the reason

Fair enough on that (I'm not 'for subsidies' for corporations), but I'll just mention again that the majority of full time employees who are on food stamps had children they aren't able to support on their income, many of which were probably unplanned, or had knowing full well they didn't have the income to support a child - so it's an avoidable situation.

I could live bare bones on $600-700 a month, so even at min wage only, if I worked 40 hours a week, I'd have several hundred $ left over each month. That's why I choose not to have children, or unprotected sex, knowing just how much it would cost to afford a child.

Even on my income (and it's above min wage) it would be a burden - so don't mean to be elitist here, but I don't feel "too much sympathy" for these "single moms" who had 3 kids by age 20 and talk about "being on welfare" like it's something to be proud of - they should feel a bit of shame for making poor decisions and putting themselves (and the kids) in that situation to begin with, knowing that you can't feed 2-3 kids on $7.25 an hour - it's an avoidable situation because no one is 'forced' to have a kid, at a least not in this country

 

Another lie! LOL

Fraud investigations yield results for taxpayers. In fiscal year 2011, States completed nearly 798,000 fraud investigations, resulting in over 46,000 disqualified individuals and collection of over $72 million in fraud claims. http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/fraud/fraud_3.htm

Of course, in the conservatives eyes, almost 800k investigations, 46k disqualified recipients, and over 72 million dollars worth of fraud claims...............is actually REFUSAL to do anything about fraud waste and abuse.

 

It is NOT the company's responsibility to pay an employee that has no experience, no skills and no education a wage that EXCEEDS what that employee is worth to the company. That's absolutely ridiculous.

Please explain to me why in the hell those people with no experience, no skills and no education don't go out and get a part-time job if they aren't able to make enough to sustain themselves with one fulltime job?

- - - Updated - - -

How about you try again. That's only a SMALL FRACTION of the candidates that should be disqualified.

 

LOL! About you try to admit that the liberals are not REFUSING to do anything about fraud waste and abuse! Or you can run away so you don't have to be honest. Which will you do?

 

You're going to have to show it's the liberals who are advocating for finding that abuse and not the conservatives. The reason we're finding as much fraud and abuse as we are is because the conservatives are pushing for it in the face of opposition from liberals.

http://www.demos.org/blog/8/18/13/lets-stop-worrying-about-food-stamp-“fraud”

 

Try again! LOL

You said the liberals were REFUSING to do anything about fraud and I proved you are wrong. Keep trying to understand!

 

When I type into this site ANYTHING associated with fraud, waste, and abuse in the entitlement programs, what follows is posts attacking my morality with words like heartless, racist, etc. Who exactly are these people attacking me emotionally for stating facts? I was under the impression they were mostly, if not all, liberals.

 

Well, if your facts are one sided(pointing at fraud and abuse without also looking at the good the program does)........then its no wonder people are picking on your one sided facts.

 

It takes people of all skill levels for to society to function properly. Some one has to dig that ditch the engineer designs and in my book that a valuable contribution to society and deserves a living wage. Maybe you could tell me how a society could function if everyone had a doctorate degree expecting a 100k a year. Do you want to unplug your own sewer lines , dig the ditches for your utilities , build you own roads etc. It takes all kinds of people doing jobs you wouldn't touch for the world to work and they deserve a GD living wage to do them. Not everyone can be a BRAIN SCIENTIST OR ROCKET SURGEON LIKE YOU !!!

 

At least you didn't suggest they work 3- 40/hr week minimum wage jobs to get by like some of the idiots on here!!!!