it’s also a necessity to pay for rent, and food. again, not everyone has the luxury or opportunity to be able to get this.
What makes food or rent a luxury? The fact that thy will be given to you if you choose not to provide them for yourself?
lol. i own 2 domino’s. I draw a minumum salary and live off anything I can take under the table and an occasional bonus check when I need it. Sometimes I take a delivery shift and pocket the cash, still love delivering pizzas, no joke.
How dare you sir! In America we have short attention spans, we do not care for facts we just blame the guy who is currently in office. It’s much easier that way like I said: American = Sort memory.:lol
God Bless America!
Well it’s our own fault for not being rich really. The country was found for rich white men by rich white men. Everyone else is cannon fodder, wallstreet is FULL of insider trading crooks, the government is full of bribe taking dirt bags. What can one expect it was a country founded by thieves & Liars!
The Two Party Dictatorship has failed the working class yet again & will continue to do… till a civil war happens, which it wont so get used to it that’s our only option. Btw Enjoy the internet while you can mark my words it will change for the worse. Along with your right to sell shit you own… because business don’t get a cut of your resale of said items you own.
read what i wrote. people who are making minimum wage can barely afford rent and food. i didnt say those were luxuries. saving for retirement is. and someone who can barely afford to live can not afford to save for retirement. :ponder
Are you suggesting thats what it takes to see a tax increase?
We all just got several increases… for example, 2.3 percent on medical devices gross sales…that will reflect in your bills, or bills of loved ones…just as one small example.
You…simply drank the kool aid and it made you blind. You think your cost of living didnt just go up?
Programs are always there…OBAMAs directives just advertises it to everyone… I got my application in the mail. By advertising and pushing it, those without dire need will now use it…where in the past, those with dire need often found a way.
Look how many more people are on food stamps today than 4 years ago. One reason is that it was made easy, and advertised.
I DO believe it is an obligation to help those truly in need…which is probably a small percentage of those receiving checks/stamps/phones today.
Yeah I mean, I can’t really complain considering I’m making more at my new job than I ever was. I do feel for those who literally were living dollar to dollar to just get by and pay their bills.
You cant complain?
From where I was … to where I am … Nah:wow … Could I use the extra money? Absolutely! Who really can’t? Is it disappointing? Absolutely! Not my fault the system is messed up. But, not going to let myself lose sleep over it.
(Dead end part-time) -> (Full time State job)
I know many people who’ve worked the system out of thousands of dollars, just because of silly nonsense to get around it all. People who get paid to go to College from Financial Aid, rather than pay anything at all throughout 2+ years of College because the system considers them “Poor”, and yet, they are better off than myself, while I’m stuck with $25,000 in student loans I’m paying. Doesn’t make ANY sense! But why stress about something that you’ll never have a say in? I don’t even like to think about how messed up this country is, and has been longggg before Obama, because it’s just one gigantic headache.
The fact that the number of minutes increased is most likely true, that’s hardly a sensational article headline.
And yes the amount of food stamps recipients has shot up during Obama years, (record 30 million in 2008, to record 47 million or so in 2012) consequently the amount of people receiving Safelink phones, however the poverty level only changed slightly if I recall (Still ~15,000 a year) and neither did the fee charged by your phone company, so the payment is the same, it’s just the outrage over more users/abusers of the program.
The problem however isn’t new and it’s not going anywhere regardless who’s in the office. Ads for food stamps have been around since 2004
President Bush launched a recruitment campaign, which pushed average participation up by 63% during his eight years in office. The USDA began airing paid radio spots in 2004.
The dire need vs non dire need argument? Seriously? There were no abusers of housing and government assistance before 2009?
Nothing happens without a reason and the classic saying is true: Follow the money.
Easy answer is, politicians who support the program most likely get the vote. That’s easy.
However who else profits from it and why would it be increasing so drastically this entire decade? I highly doubt bills pass just from the goodness of the Congress heart and concern for average citizen.
This isn’t very surprising:
An investigation by the advocacy group Eat Drink Politics found banks and businesses have reaped multi-million-dollar contracts from the government to administer food stamp programs at the state level. Yet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), doesn’t make public how much profit the banks and other businesses earn by acting as government agents for the program.
One significant beneficiary of this contracting system is JPMorgan Chase, which has deals in 24 states to dispense SNAP benefits.
Wonder how interested Walmart is in this matter?
Walmart also has benefited from accepting SNAP benefits. In Oklahoma alone, the retailer received approximately $500 million in food stamp payments over a period of two years.
JP morgan again
A record 43.6 million Americans are using food stamps. JPMorgan’s segment that makes food stamp debit cards made $5.47 billion in net revenue in 2010.
The Safelink Trackphone thing is just a leecher program to an already existing expenditure. This is very easy. Cellphone provider company lobbied to make cellphones part of the existing government landline program to provide government provided repeat customers… slum lord of cellphones if you will.
http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/new-roosevelt/food-stamps-jpmorgan-banking-industry-profit-misery
http://now.msn.com/food-stamp-use-2012-is-at-record-high
Regardless, even if understandably hate the idea of supporting these people (urbanites and white trash in high counts, and seniors and disabled in smaller counts), don’t you think it’s a small price to pay to keep them civil? What do you think these people (urbanites and white trash) do when they are poor/unhappy/aren’t supported and are hungy? Sit there quietly? No they will take by force what they can’t get for free.
Result of that? Increase in your local crime, decrease in property value, increase in amount of cops, increase in amount of people in jail, who are also supported by your tax payer dollars in the end anyway.
This isn’t a battle that can be “won” as long as politicians keep getting their votes and corporations keep getting their government money. Why would either one of the two change anything?
$.02
Edit: Conclusion: If you really care - be outraged at all of the administrations and how poorly this shit show is run, not just the current one.
Lol ok, you definitely don’t need a new job.
Your doing it right.
Agree totally. It’s way more advertised now it seems.
Just left price chopper in westgate. I may have been the only guy in the place actually paying for my food… Also the only guy without a overflowing cart.
Benefits are getting out of control, there’s no reason why people should get as much food as they are allowed to.
In the end, how does government benefit from providing services and support to people?
Re-election
Failed logic.
A landline isn’t a necessity and ends up costing more.
No shit.
People need to pay attention. Taxes are a necessary part of life. You want roads, police, social programs, military, free school, all this shit costs money.
USA pays far less in taxes and makes a hell if a lot more then most 1st world countries. We got it fucking made here. Complaining about this shit will get you no where. Want more money, make more money.
got my first check today because i’m paid every 2 weeks. ss went up by 73 bucks
The more and more people rely on them as a provider the more collateral they have to hang over everyone’s heads. Making it easier to get what they want.
healthins went up slightly for us and with the extra tax, I am -$19 a check.
I guess I have to drive 5mph slower to gain the 1MPG back and make up for the dif.