House GOP cuts aid to mooching parasites

[Zelig]

My sister and a ton of her classmates use food stamps. If there is a delay in funding, I'll probably have to pay the difference until they get restored. :/

See, her classmates obviously don't need foodstamps, since you're willing to pay the difference for them.

 

[warpus]

Yep, entirely worth it. And I don't buy into the doom and gloom of others that the House will pass a food stamp bill.

Do you mean won't?

 

[Zelig]

Do you mean won't?

Shhhhhh

 

[El_Machinae]

I know a fair amount of people who use these, and just about all of them work at least one job. Urban rent is *not cheap*, and really makes your margin for error tiny.

Sooooo.... food stamps subsidize urban rent prices?

 

[downtown]

Sooooo.... food stamps subsidize urban rent prices?

Maybe? Without them, you'd probably just have more marginal/poor people move into suburbs, and that lower income housing turned into something else. I don't think it would necessarily go vacant in a place like San Fran, DC or NYC.

 

[El_Machinae]

I'm actually hinting at a larger problem. If rent+food is actually too expensive, there're some serious social issues that need to be addressed. I don't know if this serious issue is dealt with by earmarking welfare to food, like the food stamps do. It's a bandaid solution

 

[Azale]

I'm actually hinting at a larger problem. If rent+food is actually too expensive, there're some serious social issues that need to be addressed. I don't know if this serious issue is dealt with by earmarking welfare to food, like the food stamps do. It's a bandaid solution

Of course it is. Food stamps have always been a band aid over systemic issues.

 

[JollyRoger]

Given that the farm bill subsidizes so many ingrediants, it appears to be designed to let the poor eat cake.

 

[Cutlass]

I'm actually hinting at a larger problem. If rent+food is actually too expensive, there're some serious social issues that need to be addressed. I don't know if this serious issue is dealt with by earmarking welfare to food, like the food stamps do. It's a bandaid solution

The heart of the problem is that wages have been flat for the past 30 years. While many aspects of living have gotten more expensive. What is actually happening is that food stamps are a partial compensation for the failure of wages to rise.

 

[Quintillus]

I'm not opposed to the idea of splitting up the agricultural subsidy and food stamp bills. But given Congress's history of not getting anything done (or making compromises that shoot everyone in the foot at the last minute) the past several years, it seems like there's all too high of a chance that splitting up the bills will just result in nothing getting done. If one party controlled both chambers and decided it made sense to split the bills up, fair enough, they'd probably still actually pass something.

I don't see what's so controversial about food stamps, though. Sure, the how of it can be debated. And how to solve the underlying problems. But those can't be solved overnight (and at this rate, will never be solved), so you're going to need food stamps in the mean time. How does it make sense that the people who are "pro-life" are against food stamps, and therefore pro-starvation?

 

[Zelig]

I don't see what's so controversial about food stamps, though. Sure, the how of it can be debated. And how to solve the underlying problems. But those can't be solved overnight (and at this rate, will never be solved), so you're going to need food stamps in the mean time. How does it make sense that the people who are "pro-life" are against food stamps, and therefore pro-starvation?

I'm hoping for some riots.

But I'm not "pro-life".

 

[FriendlyFire]

3.) now both of these programs will have to stand on their merits hopefully leading to a much smaller and accountable food stamp program and the elimination of most farm subsidies.

4) and the US balanced its budget, unemployment is solved, poverty is solves, immigration is fixed. Iraq welcomes the US as liberators, Afghanistan ends its drug production and world peace.
Why not wish for the moon while were at it ? Oh and space travel to other stars.

Patroklos, I dont see that happening, most likely more of the same broken, dysfunctional and partisan congress deadlock.

 

[Cutlass]

I'm not opposed to the idea of splitting up the agricultural subsidy and food stamp bills. But given Congress's history of not getting anything done (or making compromises that shoot everyone in the foot at the last minute) the past several years, it seems like there's all too high of a chance that splitting up the bills will just result in nothing getting done. If one party controlled both chambers and decided it made sense to split the bills up, fair enough, they'd probably still actually pass something.

I don't see what's so controversial about food stamps, though. Sure, the how of it can be debated. And how to solve the underlying problems. But those can't be solved overnight (and at this rate, will never be solved), so you're going to need food stamps in the mean time. How does it make sense that the people who are "pro-life" are against food stamps, and therefore pro-starvation?

The problem is that these things were bundled together in the first place as a compromise. Now with them separate the problem is that if the Senate passes the House bill, the House has no reason to pass the Senate bill. They no longer need to compromise. And so neither side will pass anything.

 

[Angst]

The last time we let a bunch of Western Europeans run something in America we got the United States

I love CFC.


Anyways, well... What a bull policy. I don't get how the Republican discourse can demonize assumed monetary malpractices, fallacious investments and mooching dependencies of the poor - all while embracing assumed monetary malpractices, fallacious investments and mooching dependencies of farmers in general. I mean, I understand why. It's a policy to ensure rural voter support rather than the urban, where they are already losing. But it's still reprehensible.

And let us be realistic here. Whether one approves of the food stamps program or not, does anyone really think there is a chance that Congress will not pass a bill funding it for the next year? Of course it will happen. Stop the scare tactics that distract people from real threats like the PRC invasion coming within the next 40 years.

Seriously, I love CFC.

 

[El_Machinae]

I don't really like food stamps. I don't like them as a stimulus package. I don't like them as a welfare.

For welfare, they're an unpleasant blend of being too paternalistic but also not paternalistic enough. "You can buy super-unhealthy foods, but only specific brands". Corporations jockey to get their specific sugar cereal onto the permission slip. You know what people really need to eat? Fruits. Vegetables. Clean grains. Clean meats.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Only there apparently isn't any such list:

List of Items Unavailable for Purchase With Food Stamps

Non-Food Items
Food stamps cannot be used to buy non-food items, even if they are deemed to be necessary toiletry items, such as soap, toilet paper or toothpaste. Household cleaning supplies and cosmetics are not allowed either. In addition, non-food items such as tobacco are excluded from the Food Stamp Program.

Other Food Items

There are other food items that are excluded from the Food Stamp Program, such as pet food, heated food or food that is purchased to eat in the store, according to the website GettingFoodStamps.org. Energy drinks that do not have a nutrition label that is approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) are considered to be a vitamin or supplement and, therefore, cannot be purchased with food stamps.

Alcohol and Other Miscellaneous Items

Alcohol, including beer, wine and hard liquor, is unavailable for purchase with food stamps. In addition, vitamins or medicine cannot be purchased with food stamps.

I'd love to see some reputable study that shows that any sizable portion of food stamp recipients are buying junk food, which is typically far more expensive. Or that they receive sufficient food stamp subsidies to buy well balanced nutritional meals but decide to not do so anyway.

 

[JollyRoger]

I usually use my food stamps for stuff that I usually throw out.

 

[Formaldehyde]

How ironic is it that you cannot purchase vitamins to help make up for the nutritional gaps?

 

[Tarquelne]

Why can't it be fixed? Further, why should anyone support reckless governing?

Because it motivates low-information voters.

Keeping bills separate could be done through rule changes in the Parliamentary process, you don't have to hold important bills hostage.

You say that like it's a good thing.

Holding important bills hostage is a basic leverage tool.
Democracy makes tyranny of the minority hard enough as it is. Giving it a tyranny-of-the-majority facade is a huge help.

...You assume we have rational actors in government.

Err...

Actually, I think they are rational in that a small minority of one segment of the government is doing whatever they have to do to get what they want done at the expense of basic government function.

There you've got it!

Which is asinine on their parts and is going to hurt a lot of people.

Oh... well now you're talking "results" rather than "process," where things are based more on fact and the future than contesting personalities or ideologies.

I don't care to address that. Sounds boring... and I can't see it motivating voters.