Government Shutdown: 9 Million Moms And Babies At Risk As WIC Program Halts

[VoluntaryAmerican]

The government shutdown may be keeping National Parks closed and furloughed federal workers at home, but worse real-world effects could soon be felt by low-income mothers and their infants — already a marginalized group with unstable food supplies.

On Tuesday, the government stopped funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC.

Over 8.9 million moms and kids under five living near or below the poverty line rely on the program’s supplemental vouchers for healthy food, breastfeeding support, infant formula and other necessities dispensed at clinics nationwide.

The USDA estimates that most states will be able to continue WIC operations as usual for “a week or so” before running out of money.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2013/10/02/government-shutdown-9-million-moms-and-babies-at-risk-as-wic-program-halts/

[mad cow]

Just try to imagine the pain and suffering of Moms and babies who want to visit Mount Rushmore.

[Zippyjuan]

I am sure they would rather have something for dinner for the week instead.

[GunnyFreedom]

American government, by mechanism, is pushing people into poverty and into government assistance. And then using that to change the climate. Oh your wife is dying of a treatable disease, that's $2k a month in medicines? If you get divorced, we'll save her life. Hey, you got work yesterday. Good job. Have fun with that rent. They go in but they don't come out. Now they are a captured voting base easy to sway. You've got them voting for food. What do you expect them to do?

They are the victims of malicious politics. Nobody should be trapped in slavery, and nobody should be trapped into poverty. When those traps come in the form of the Federal Register, you have yourself a kind of petty authority that has driven nearly the entire American manufacturing sector overseas, and cost us millions of jobs. They have deluded themselves to think that the money will go forever, lest the people see that America makes almost nothing, and now China is poised to buy up US assets when the dollar liquidates.

People who do manage to climb out of poverty are faced from day one with an inflating dollar, taking more to buy every year while the pay goes up in five years what it takes to afford the increase in just one. All the while a select(ed) few are drawing every bit of the increase in the money supply, drawing millionaires into billionaires. It's because the money is broken.

Reality is catching up, and when BRICS starts moving aggressively, the dollar will be in mucho trouble out of the east.

[mad cow]

I am sure they would rather have something for dinner for the week instead.

Well then,we should give them cheese,eggs,milk,noodles,potatoes,rice,bread and such as opposed to debit cards they can spend on Mount Rushmore vacations and such,Yes?

[Brian4Liberty]

WIC won't be cut off. It was funded through Nov, and it would be funded further if the shutdown goes longer than that.

[mad cow]

Hillary's take:

“If you … want to understand the human costs of political brinksmanship and gridlock in Washington, look at the children,” she said. “Because of the government shutdown, nearly nine million women and children will soon be unable to buy healthy food and baby formula through a special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children.”
She also noted that because of the shutdown and sequestration, thousands of low-income children no longer have HeadStart as an option. Much of her Yale address focused on challenges facing kids, especially those from poor homes.
“We are seeing a cycle of economic pressure and inequality that will make it harder and harder, as the years go by, for millions of American children to succeed in school and in life,” she said.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/hillary-clinton-cites-human-cost-of-shutdown-97885.html#ixzz2gvEvpP1b

Will someone just this once think of the children??!!!??

[better-dead-than-fed]

Welfare's intent:

http://image.tutorvista.com/cms/images/38/exponential-growth-graph.JPG

[DamianTV]

But but they all have Health Care now! Er, Obamacare. Well, more like Obama Coverage as Care isnt actually provided even when people are required to pay for it. Oh, but they are supposed to pay for Health Care over other non essencial things like FOOD.

[bolil]

Of course it is taboo to consider, much less discuss, why and how all of these people became dependent on... votes?

Comprenez-Vous? J'espere.

[kathy88]

For whatever weird reason I got a free can of baby formula in the mail last week. I'll be glad to donate it to the first person on WIC who says they understand this is NOT the Republicans fault. Bet that shit goes bad before that happens.

[seapilot]

Its well known that there is a large welfare population in The USA. As much as they all should be providing for themselves the system is set up for them to be dependent. It would be easy to take care of WIC for years with the money that is being sent to Egypt for who knows what. How much well for FY 2013 only 1.6 billion dollars!

Here is an easy use map of countries that request foreign assistance.


http://foreignassistance.gov/countryintro.aspx

[better-dead-than-fed]

It would be easy to take care of WIC for years with the money that is being sent to Egypt for who knows what.

It would be even easier to realize that WIC is harmful and abolish it without hesitation.

[MelissaWV]

Well then,we should give them cheese,eggs,milk,noodles,potatoes,rice,bread and such as opposed to debit cards they can spend on Mount Rushmore vacations and such,Yes?

The former are covered by WIC. The latter has nothing to do with WIC. I'm not sure I understand your post.

[tod evans]

If there are 9 million women in this country who have had children without having the wherewithal to provide for them that should be a clue to all of us that something is terribly wrong.

Government isn't the answer either.

[MelissaWV]

If there are 9 million women in this country who have had children without having the wherewithal to provide for them that should be a clue to all of us that something is terribly wrong.

Government isn't the answer either.

*Moms and kids. It's a basic way of inflating a statistic. They are including the mother and her child(ren) in the statistic so that, in passing, the number is far more impressive. Let's say each mom has an average of three kids (made-up number). That's a four-person "household" so the statistic is much less impressive if I say "over 2 million" instead of "nearly 9 million."

[GunnyFreedom]

If there are 9 million women in this country who have had children without having the wherewithal to provide for them that should be a clue to all of us that something is terribly wrong.

Government isn't the answer either.

Far from being the answer, government is what has caused it.

[Theocrat]

“America is not realizing how many low-income pregnant women and children we have in this country,” she said. “They have no safety net. These women are trying to have a healthy pregnancy, and they’re asking, ‘how am I going to feed my family?’ It’s a terrifying moment, and it’s beyond my control. At our agency, we have no cushion. If our funding stream stops we will temporarily suspend service.”

That excerpt really illustrates how the lack of long-term preparation is one of the downfalls of those dependent on welfare. In the first place, those low-income, pregnant women should have thought of the costs (both spiritually and physically) that come with having a baby before they chose to get themselves pregnant. It is not the taxpayers' responsibility to help them support a child which they conceived by their own lack of considering future costs.

In the second place, there are safety nets still in place, besides government aid. There are plenty of church ministries and private charities that cater to help young mothers and low-income mothers take care of their filial needs. It's just that most people assume it is the federal government's responsibility to do it before the Church. Even some churches think that way, and it is backwards and harmful to society. Nevertheless, the safety nets are there.

[Carson]

Kind of ironic.

Once the politicians get what they want the strain on the economy may cut them off anyway.


Wow! What a use of the sqeeeeeze play.

[Ender]

Far from being the answer, government is what has caused it.

Yep.

The gov has been the prime reason for the demise of the family plus increased poverty and welfare. It was implemented with black families first, through Affirmative Action and is now spreading through all cultures and creeds in the US. (Black families used to be stalwart, strong, and very Christian- nothing like what people think of the average black family today.)

We must get the gov out of private lives and eradicate the welfare/warfare state. STILL- we cannot simply dump the poor onto the streets and say, "Oh well, you deserved it". Many churches will help but it cannot happen overnight.

Everyone must be reeducated to what a real Republic is and the benefits of real freedom.

[JK/SEA]

maybe we can get Israel to loan us some money for the 'children'...

we're supposed to be friends right?

[Antischism]

For whatever weird reason I got a free can of baby formula in the mail last week. I'll be glad to donate it to the first person on WIC who says they understand this is NOT the Republicans fault. Bet that shit goes bad before that happens.

But it is. It's both parties. And Obamacare was originally a Republican plan created by the Heritage Foundation, then adopted into Romneycare.

[Anti Federalist]

I donate a substantial bit of money every year to two local food pantries, just for this reason.

[MelissaWV]

I donate a substantial bit of money every year to two local food pantries, just for this reason.

Before I left, the ones in the Miami area had a very interesting problem. People don't really want to use the food pantries as much. You can use your foodstamps to get whatever you want at the store, but the stuff at churches and food pantries is usually either donated (so there are lots of duplicates and the like), or paid for with donated money (so to stretch the food dollar, things are purchased in bulk or strategically to provide the most assistance to the most people), and may be optimized for nutrition which means no more Oreos or soda.

I am still a big believer in local food assistance, though, and certainly over the idiocy of just handing someone free (stolen) money once a month to go buy whatever they please.

[angelatc]

That excerpt really illustrates how the lack of long-term preparation is one of the downfalls of those dependent on welfare. In the first place, those low-income, pregnant women should have thought of the costs (both spiritually and physically) that come with having a baby before they chose to get themselves pregnant. It is not the taxpayers' responsibility to help them support a child which they conceived by their own lack of considering future costs.

In the second place, there are safety nets still in place, besides government aid. There are plenty of church ministries and private charities that cater to help young mothers and low-income mothers take care of their filial needs. It's just that most people assume it is the federal government's responsibility to do it before the Church. Even some churches think that way, and it is backwards and harmful to society. Nevertheless, the safety nets are there.

It isn't just that. Reading the Wiki entry, it's pretty clear that the "nutritionally at risk requirement" is stretched beyond all rational boundaries by the states in order to get the money. 53% of the children are on it. Does anybody seriously think that 53% of America's children would starve if they were not getting WIC?

[Ender]

But it is. It's both parties. And Obamacare was originally a Republican plan created by the Heritage Foundation, then adopted into Romneycare.

Exactly. ObamaCare is simply RomneyCare renewed.

Time to really recognize that the "two parties" are one in purpose and that purpose is NOT freedom.

[tod evans]

It isn't just that. Reading the Wiki entry, it's pretty clear that the "nutritionally at risk requirement" is stretched beyond all rational boundaries by the states in order to get the money. 53% of the children are on it. Does anybody seriously think that 53% of America's children would starve if they were not getting WIC?

Think of all the government "employees" who manage 53% of the children!

Don't you care about their children?:rolleyes:

[enhanced_deficit]

Not to worry, essential things are still open, just in case blinker-in-chief decides to go golfing.

Troops Forage for Food While Golfers Play On in Shutdown

By Jeff Plungis, Mark Drajem & David Lerman - Oct 3, 2013 12:00 AM ET
Grocery stores on Army bases in the U.S. are closed. The golf course at Andrews Air Force base is open.
All 128 employees of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. (http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/management/slsdc/index.html) are working, while 3,000 safety inspectors employed by the Federal Aviation Administration are off the job.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-03/troops-forage-for-food-while-golfers-play-on-in-shutdown.html

[Elias Graves]

Get em dependent, then hold it over their heads.
Just think how fun this will be when we are all beholding to the gubment for our healthcare...

[Anti Federalist]

Get em dependent, then hold it over their heads.
Just think how fun this will be when we are all beholding to the gubment for our healthcare...

Yah...it'll be NYC mouth to mouth resuscitation, nationwide.

"Hey, asshole...get up, before you die."

[DamianTV]

Congress actually believes the more people that are dependant on them, the more Votes they will get. And why shouldnt it? After all, its the folks with large retirements that keep believing thier bullshit and voting them back into office, at the expense of the futures of the youth of the nation.

[phill4paul]

So is the great starve-off underway. How many have died so far?