Cigar
03-19-2014, 07:06 AM
Republicans are angry about the poor getting food ... so, who are these people? (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/17/1285400/-Republicans-are-angry-about-the-poor-getting-food-so-who-are-these-people)
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/57285/large/John_Boehner_GS4.jpg?1384278158
Speaker John Boehner is angry that states are "cheating" (following the law) to prevent food stamp cuts.
As Republicans gnash their teeth (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/14/1284767/-John-Boehner-s-ready-to-pop-an-orange-aneurysm-over-states-cheating-to-preserve-food-stamps) over a series of states blocking the nutrition assistance cuts Republicans worked so hard to achieve, who exactly is benefiting (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/who-uses-food-stamps-millions-children-n52931) from food stamps?
The annual report from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that about 45 percent of food stamp benefits went to children under 18, totaling about 20 million youngsters. Nine percent of recipients were age 60 or older, and nearly 10 percent were disabled adults who were under 60, according to the analysis of food stamp usage for the fiscal year that ended in September 2012.
So, yes, more than 60 percent were people we don't expect to be in the workforce. At least, not if we retain some basic humanity. And a substantial percentage—about four in ten—live in a household in which someone is working. Because working poverty is very definitely a thing (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/17/1285386/-Working-poverty-is-a-hot-trend-thanks-to-low-wage-jobs).
There are some simple, effective ways to reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending. Raise the minimum wage. Invest in jobs. But that's not The Republican Way. They'd rather cut the aid that keeps people fed without addressing the reasons they're hungry to begin with.
Tens of millions of American children are among the recipients of food stamps, according to a new report that casts light on who benefits from the program that has been the subject of heated political debate.
The annual report (http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2012Characteristics.pdf) from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that about 45 percent of food stamp benefits went to children under 18, totaling about 20 million youngsters. Nine percent of recipients were age 60 or older, and nearly 10 percent were disabled adults who were under 60, according to the analysis of food stamp usage for the fiscal year that ended in September 2012.
The total cost of the program in the 2012 fiscal year was $78.4 billion, which has raised concerns among some lawmakers that costs are growing out of hand. But economists said that doesn’t take into account the toll it would take if the benefits were cut sharply, as some have proposed.
“The vast majority of these benefits go to people who, you know, we don’t expect them to go out and work themselves,” said Diane Schanzenbach, an associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University.
“The vast majority of these benefits go to people who, you know, we don’t expect them to go out and work themselves.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/who-uses-food-stamps-millions-children-n52931
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/57285/large/John_Boehner_GS4.jpg?1384278158
Speaker John Boehner is angry that states are "cheating" (following the law) to prevent food stamp cuts.
As Republicans gnash their teeth (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/14/1284767/-John-Boehner-s-ready-to-pop-an-orange-aneurysm-over-states-cheating-to-preserve-food-stamps) over a series of states blocking the nutrition assistance cuts Republicans worked so hard to achieve, who exactly is benefiting (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/who-uses-food-stamps-millions-children-n52931) from food stamps?
The annual report from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that about 45 percent of food stamp benefits went to children under 18, totaling about 20 million youngsters. Nine percent of recipients were age 60 or older, and nearly 10 percent were disabled adults who were under 60, according to the analysis of food stamp usage for the fiscal year that ended in September 2012.
So, yes, more than 60 percent were people we don't expect to be in the workforce. At least, not if we retain some basic humanity. And a substantial percentage—about four in ten—live in a household in which someone is working. Because working poverty is very definitely a thing (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/17/1285386/-Working-poverty-is-a-hot-trend-thanks-to-low-wage-jobs).
There are some simple, effective ways to reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending. Raise the minimum wage. Invest in jobs. But that's not The Republican Way. They'd rather cut the aid that keeps people fed without addressing the reasons they're hungry to begin with.
Tens of millions of American children are among the recipients of food stamps, according to a new report that casts light on who benefits from the program that has been the subject of heated political debate.
The annual report (http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2012Characteristics.pdf) from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that about 45 percent of food stamp benefits went to children under 18, totaling about 20 million youngsters. Nine percent of recipients were age 60 or older, and nearly 10 percent were disabled adults who were under 60, according to the analysis of food stamp usage for the fiscal year that ended in September 2012.
The total cost of the program in the 2012 fiscal year was $78.4 billion, which has raised concerns among some lawmakers that costs are growing out of hand. But economists said that doesn’t take into account the toll it would take if the benefits were cut sharply, as some have proposed.
“The vast majority of these benefits go to people who, you know, we don’t expect them to go out and work themselves,” said Diane Schanzenbach, an associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University.
“The vast majority of these benefits go to people who, you know, we don’t expect them to go out and work themselves.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/who-uses-food-stamps-millions-children-n52931