USA becomes Food Stamp Nation but is it sustainable?

[YumYum]

Republicans want to cut food stamps.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Genna Saucedo supervises cashiers at a Wal-Mart in Pico Rivera, California, but her wages aren't enough to feed herself and her 12-year-old son.

Saucedo, who earns $9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother, is one of the many Americans who survive because of government handouts in what has rapidly become a food stamp nation.

Altogether, there are now almost 46 million people in the United States on food stamps, roughly 15 percent of the population. That's an increase of 74 percent since 2007, just before the financial crisis and a deep recession led to mass job losses.

At the same time, the cost doubled to reach $68 billion in 2010 -- more than a third of the amount the U.S. government received in corporate income tax last year -- which means the program has started to attract the attention of some Republican lawmakers looking for ways to cut the nation's budget deficit.

read more..http://news.yahoo.com/usa-becomes-fo...160645036.html

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

I think all the money taxed for the food stamps program would be better used to start/expand businesses and create jobs. Don't see why half of the nation should be enslaved feeding the other half. It would probably be efficient to give them a few live chickens and a small vegetable garden.

[Lafayette]

- which means the program has started to attract the attention of some Republican lawmakers looking for ways to cut the nation's budget deficit.

Right, don't end the wars, take the poor peoples food away, they eat too much anyway.

It would probably be efficient to give them a few live chickens and a small vegetable garden.

Then they wouldn't dependent on the state, can't have people being self sufficient.

[cindy25]

working, and no housing expenses? still can't feed herself? what does she do with her pay?

[YumYum]

working, and no housing expenses? still can't feed herself? what does she do with her pay?

Uses it for gas to get to work and pay for a babysitter.

[Lafayette]

working, and no housing expenses? still can't feed herself? what does she do with her pay?

According to the info above she make $1008.8 a month before taxes, now i don't what her bills are but i would assume shes helps her mother out with what ever she can. On top of that she has 12 year old son.

I'm not making excuses, just saying we dont know all the facts. Maybe she games the system maybe not.

[Kylie]

working, and no housing expenses? still can't feed herself? what does she do with her pay?

gas. who knows how far she lives from work, since she can't afford to rent her own place.

A thousand bucks won't get you very far if you don't know how to utilize every single dime and be terribly frugal. I could blow that in a couple of minutes just paying 1/4 of my monthly bills.

[amy31416]

gas. who knows how far she lives from work, since she can't afford to rent her own place.

A thousand bucks won't get you very far if you don't know how to utilize every single dime and be terribly frugal. I could blow that in a couple of minutes just paying 1/4 of my monthly bills.

Especially not with a 12-year-old kid. School trips, team uniforms, school uniforms, car insurance, clothes, books, etc. I will not criticize her because she's working, she moved back in with mom, and I doubt she's living some lavish lifestyle.

I will never defend ripping out the "safety net" programs until we've ended the massive spending on our deadly foreign policy and corporate welfare.

[Acala]

A fine mess we have gotten ourselves into, isn't it?

[amy31416]

A fine mess we have gotten ourselves into, isn't it?

It certainly is.

[Yieu]

I will never defend ripping out the "safety net" programs until we've ended the massive spending on our deadly foreign policy and corporate welfare.

I'd rep you if I could. Ending the wars has to be priority #1 in both restoring fiscal sanity and our liberties. We cannot be a free people (free as in liberty or free as in debt) so long as we are entangled in vicious wars.

[Jingles]

but is it sustainable?

No. Lol.

Its too bad the average person doesn't really understand how such programs exist. They think its some kind of magic or something that they are able to just get "free" things from the government.

[Tarzan]

but is it sustainable?

Well of course it is! Have we learned nothing from the Fed? Just print more food stamps!

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

they might as well just keep the food stamps program, because they won't save money by cutting the size of it. They'll just give the money they save to their criminal friends, so we still pay the same tax.

[Kylie]

Especially not with a 12-year-old kid. School trips, team uniforms, school uniforms, car insurance, clothes, books, etc. I will not criticize her because she's working, she moved back in with mom, and I doubt she's living some lavish lifestyle.

I will never defend ripping out the "safety net" programs until we've ended the massive spending on our deadly foreign policy and corporate welfare.

Root cause is fake money. Fix that, and the others will naturally fall into place(with a little help from us).

[Philhelm]

I'm tempted to say $#@! her, not that I blame her, mind you. A few years ago I was making roughly the same income as she is and going to school, and didn't get food stamps. I wasn't getting food stamps when I was unemployed for awhile either (nor unemployment). I'm now working full time in a better job, but the money I've paid in taxes is already missed. Where's my handout? Oh yeah, people who actually try to better themselves don't get one...not that I'd ask for one anyway. I will concede that food stamps are the least of our concerns at the moment though. On the other hand, nobody has starved in the U.S. since Jamestown, aside from that one expedition in which one of the guys had to eat his mates.

[axiomata]

No different than the king trying to win favor by opening up "his" grain reserves and throwing it out among the hands of "his" huddled masses.

[cindy25]

if there were no food stamps, no medicaid then Wal-Mart would have to pay a living wage. seems everyone else is subsidizing Wal-Mart

[amy31416]

I'm tempted to say $#@! her, not that I blame her, mind you. A few years ago I was making roughly the same income as she is and going to school, and didn't get food stamps. I wasn't getting food stamps when I was unemployed for awhile either (nor unemployment). I'm now working full time in a better job, but the money I've paid in taxes is already missed. Where's my handout? Oh yeah, people who actually try to better themselves don't get one...not that I'd ask for one anyway. I will concede that food stamps are the least of our concerns at the moment though. On the other hand, nobody has starved in the U.S. since Jamestown, aside from that one expedition in which one of the guys had to eat his mates.

You didn't have a kid (that you know of.) Not an equal comparison.

[Philhelm]

You didn't have a kid (that you know of.) Not an equal comparison.

I always add "that I know of" myself. However, I can't justify using "it's for the children" to promote wage slavery.

[Rael]

Saucedo, who earns $9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother, is one of the many Americans who survive because of government handouts in what has rapidly become a food stamp nation.

I love how this sentence implies that she is only alive because of the government food stamp program.

[Anti Federalist]

Especially not with a 12-year-old kid. School trips, team uniforms, school uniforms, car insurance, clothes, books, etc. I will not criticize her because she's working, she moved back in with mom, and I doubt she's living some lavish lifestyle.

I will never defend ripping out the "safety net" programs until we've ended the massive spending on our deadly foreign policy and corporate welfare.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to amy31416 again.

[BamaAla]

You didn't have a kid (that you know of.) Not an equal comparison.

Kids aren't a phenomenon that just happen; the government also gives away contraceptives. Phil is just tempted; I've already succumb. Zero sympathy for her.

To answer the OP, yes it's sustainable because people like me will continue to work and we will continue to be forced to support people like her.

[DamianTV]

You'll continue to work as long is there is a job available to do work for. Cant work if there is no job, which is a problem for quite a few Forum Members here.

[BamaAla]

You'll continue to work as long is there is a job available to do work for. Cant work if there is no job, which is a problem for quite a few Forum Members here.

I'll give you a job if you want one.

[DamianTV]

Im afraid to even ask...

[Suzu]

All I can say is without rental expenses and earning over $1k/month, she and/or her son must have a Large appetite.

[Elfshadow]

I bet some of that is going to bills. The problem is that if you report it you get stripped of some of the help they have made it that you have to have to get by at those levels of income.

[Paulatized]

Any reason she is just working 26 hours a week? If she could work at least 40 that would likely make the difference between feeding herself or not.

[cindy25]

school trips are not required, and only private schools require uniforms. if she can't afford to buy food she should walk or take the bus.