Progressive Centralists: Food Stamps and Related Statistics

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“I was always annoyed with it in Congress because we had an anti-war unofficial group, a few libertarian Republicans and generally the Black Caucus and others did not – they are really against war because they want all of that money to go to food stamps for people here.”

Ron Paul former US Congressman-Texas. 

While politicians and political operatives like Newt Gingrich grease their political skids with dog whistle rhetoric regarding Food Stamps, they know the program benefits without regard to race. They also know million across the nation believe food stamps is a program that offers benefits to black people at a disproportionate rate.

Progressive Centralists

UPDATE:

This graphic is shared from other pages; not a PC original. The pie chart shows proposed federal discretionary spending for Fiscal Year 2014. The SNAP food stamp program falls under mandatory spending, not discretionary, and therefore, yes, this meme is technically incorrect on that point. However, it is fully correct on the stated intention, which is that the food stamp program is not what’s causing our budget woes.

In FY 2014, we spent $76 billion on SNAP (food stamps):http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2226

By contrast, in FY 2014, we spent $615 billion on defense / military:http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=1258

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Well,what national subgroups benefit most from SNAP Assistance? 

See additional copy of this chart below.

The Republican 2016 federal budget cuts billions from food stamps budgets while delivering the program to state administration.

So, the GOP has proposed cuts $11 billion from Food Stamps programs.

The #GOP really love their #FoodStamps pic.twitter.com/AoIVgTmECK
— EqualityRising! (@EqualityRising_) March 22, 2015

SNAP (Food Stamp) More Prevalent In Red States! OH, And You Are Not "Lazy!"

47.5 million Food Stamp recipients

If you are a regular reader of the TPI, you may have seen the following images before.  It is, however, important to let some less regular readers know the GOP continues to scalpel away at programs that provide benefit for its “Red State” (geographic) base.

The graphics clearly show where Food Stamp use in most prevalent. The second graphic is interactive and allows for close scrutiny of a state-by-state basis.  Checkout your state. 

We assume you are not a food stamp (or SNAP) recipients. If by chance our assumption is incorrect, and you live in a state with high levels of usage, think about the how the GOP serves its constituents.

ChartsBin (Feel free to use this informantion in any form)

via chartsbin.com

The Atlantic

The GOP implies you are lazy if you are receiving any form of government aid.

Yet, you , your neighbor, and probably your family head to the voting booths with each election and pull a level or push a button base on a social paradigm. A social paradigm the GOP manipulates oh so well.

The Daily GOP Ignominious: Al Sharpton, MSNBC Politics Nation, Reminds Of A Political Party Gone Rogue

Deny, deny, deny…Life sustaining benefits to people while placating the Koch brothers. How sad is this man and his GOP?

How about a quick Politics Nations journey into GOP insanity and insensitivity?

Forty-five percent (45%) of Food Stamp recipients are children. While listening to NPR (yesterday), I heard forty-five (45) million women live at or below the poverty level. Yet, the GOP laden House of Representatives cut SNAP Benefits with more cuts to come.

http://on.msnbc.com/1cSq4qo

Many GOP governors are denying medical care benefits via the Affordable Care Act. Bobby Jindal  (R) Governor Louisiana is a prime example, and he denies benefits to his constituents while campaigning against a billboard.  

http://on.msnbc.com/1cSsPrG

Who votes for these people?
….AND THE BAND PLAYS ON….

GOP SNAP Cuts, Why? The Ghost of Ronald Reagan

On September 19th, 2013 The US House passed a bill to reduce spending on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP…AKA Food Stamps) by $39 million dollars over a 10 year period. A full thirty years after Ronald Reagan took office for his first term, his GOP has finally given a setback to a program Reagan seemed to abhor: Food Aid (Food Stamps). A program Reagan used to facilitate a “southern political strategy”  from the deviate minds of Kevin Phillips (Nixon Era) and Lee Atwater southern strategy. Reagan’s “welfare queen” mantra and strategy lives today and has metastasized since Barack Obama was elected the 44th President Of The United States. 

By a vote of 217 to 210, down party lines, the tea party laden House of OZ voted to reduce program benefits of a longstanding aversion to humanely providing sustenance to millions of elderly, children temporarily unemployed and the chronically poor. They did so with the same mantra and zeal Reagan used to consolidate the US South as “GOP Land” as if a reborn Confederacy. 

If you fail to realize the Father of Modern Conservatism left an longstanding influence on the party, watch the embed below. 

Webpages that fail to import the embed that follows, here is a link to the full clip. Our interest is the 1:58 – 2:44 minute mark http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49263362#53259376

The GOP clones the ideology, policy and practice of a man who administered over the most corrupt eight year period of any other US president. Clinton, Bush W. and others certainly had their issues and times of strife, but in aggregate the Reagan years were corruption beyond equal: A); B). 

If you wonder how so many in the GOP can applaud what most of us consider gross, know their paradigm has developed from insemination during the Reagan Years. As is the case with most plagues, and infestations, they only get worse. After thirty plus years post Reagan, you and I are witnessing the dangers of Republicanism. We for the first time in US history we have a Koch brothers infested tea party House of Representatives seated such they literally relish making life intolerable for many. 

Ronald Reagan made the nation “feel good.” He made us feel good while turning a political party into social movement that suckles Big Business while stifling life for the middle class and lower income strata. We are all suffering from GOP policy with roots in the US South and Plains States. Did I reference GOP policy with its predominate voting blocs in the South and Plains States? Did I say all suffering?  It looks as if the very people who need food aid most provide a solid base to seats in the US House.

A map for the ages (January – June 2012)

The GOP doesn’t even seem to care about constituents who consistently vote to place the party in the US Congress.

This past March the Center for Budget Policy Priorities published an eight part series on SNAP.  We are going to post the first two parts and link the remaining six parts.  

Center for Budget Policy Priorities

Chart Book: SNAP Helps Struggling Families Put Food on the Table

Updated March 28, 2013

SNAP reaches millions of people in need of food assistance. It is one of the few means-tested government benefit programs available to almost all households with low incomes. 

For more detail on the program’s basics, see

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?…

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program. SNAP is an efficient part of the nationwide safety net. Payment accuracy – the delivery of the correct amount of benefits to eligible households – is at an all-time high.   

For more on the program’s efficiency, see http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?.……..

This chartbook highlights some of the key characteristics of the approximately 46 million people using the program as well as trends and data on program administration and use.

Part I: SNAP is Highly Responsive to Changes in Poverty and the Economy

During economic downturns, more people rely on SNAP. After unemployment insurance, SNAP historically has been the most responsive federal program in assisting families and communities during economic downturns. The recent downturn was no exception. SNAP grew rapidly between 2008 and 2011, reflecting the rising numbers of Americans who lost their jobs and the rising number who were struggling to make ends meet. The number of individuals receiving SNAP in an average month grew from 26.3 million in 2007 to over 46 million in 2011. SNAP enrollment growth slowed in 2012, however, as the economy began to recover.

The recession increased the number of eligible households, driving the recent rapid caseload growth. Poverty has increased substantially, from 12.5 percent in 2007 to 15 percent in 2011, resulting in more households qualifying for the program. And, the deep and prolonged nature of the recession has led to record levels of long-term unemployment, extending the length of time that unemployed individuals have needed SNAP. Between 2007 and 2010, as the unemployment rate more than doubled (from 4.6 percent to 9.6 percent), SNAP participation grew 56 percent. 

Another factor driving the program’s recent growth is that a larger share of eligible households is participating in SNAP. (The increasing participation rates among eligible individuals are discussed below, in Section VI.) A final contributor to growth in SNAP spending was the 2009 Recovery Act, which increased SNAP benefits as a way of delivering economic stimulus. Policymakers deemed SNAP to be effective for this purpose because of its broad reach among low-income populations and its high efficiency.

The recent growth in SNAP spending is temporary. Just as SNAP participation expands during economic downturns, it contracts when the economy recovers and circumstances improve for some low-income households. In addition, the temporary benefit boost from the Recovery Act is slated to end abruptly in November 2013. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that SNAP spending will fall to 1995 levels as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2019. Unlike health care programs and Social Security, demographic or programmatic pressures will not cause SNAP costs to grow faster than the economy over the long term. SNAP thus is not contributing to the nation’s long-term fiscal problems.

Part II:  Benefits Are Modest

SNAP benefits are modest.  The average SNAP household received about $278 a month in benefits in fiscal year 2012.  The average recipient received about $133 a month (or about $1.48 per meal).  SNAP targets benefits according to need:  very poor households receive larger benefits than households closer to the poverty line since they need more help affording an adequate diet.  The benefit formula assumes that families will spend 30 percent of their net income for food; SNAP provides enough additional benefits to meet the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, the lowest-cost nutritionally adequate diet established by the U.S. Agriculture Department. 

A family with no net income receives the maximum benefit amount, which usually equals the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan for a household of its size (since they have no income to spend on food).  In 2011, close to 60 percent of participating households received less than the maximum benefit.

The 2009 Recovery Act temporarily boosted SNAP benefits by 13.6 percent for all SNAP households.  Most households received an additional $20 to $24 per person per month in fiscal years 2009 through 2011 and smaller increases in fiscal years 2012 and 2013. 

The Recovery Act called for SNAP benefits to remain at their new, higher level until the program’s regular annual inflation adjustments overtook it.  However, as a result of legislation passed in 2010, the increase will terminate in November 2013, causing a sizeable and abrupt benefit reduction for all households on the program.  Based on CBO’s latest food inflation projections, for families of three, the cut likely will be $20 to $25 a month.  That is a serious loss, especially in light of the very low amount of basic SNAP benefits.  Without the Recovery Act’s boost, SNAP benefits average only about $1.40 per person per meal.

Households spend their benefits quickly.  Another way of assessing SNAP households’ need is how quickly they spend their benefits.  Within a week of receiving benefits, the average household redeems over half of its allotment, while more than a quarter use all or nearly all of the benefits.  By the second week, the average household redeems over three-quarters of its allotment and more than half use all or nearly all of it.

Part III:  Benefits Help Families Afford Nutritious Food 
Part IV:  SNAP Serves Very Vulnerable People 
Part V:  SNAP Supports Working Families and Those Unable to Work
Part VI:  With Some Important Exceptions, SNAP Reaches Most Eligible People
Part VII:  SNAP Is Efficient and Effective
Part VIII:  SNAP Is an Important Public/Private Partnership

It is intended to complement more detailed analysis on particular aspects of SNAP, available on our website: (http://www.cbpp.org/research/index.cfm?fa=topic&id=31).

End CPBB

The lingering affects of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush will sit as a Republican cloud over the  United States through the 22nd Century.  If the voting public gives the GOP an opportunity to control the Executive and Legislative Branches of federal governance, the affects of Reagan/Bush will never be lifted from the United States.  A dire consequence!

MSNBC and GOP Economic Fallacy Plus Conservative Economic Folly (VIDEO)

It really is not hard to convert from a low information person to one who is informed and insulated from GOP and Fox News propaganda, in other words: “high information.” The following relates to GOP economic fallacy and conservative economic reality. We offer the piece as a dual purpose mix of Obama economic performance and callousness from the GOP. 

 

(Each chart linked to source…good reads. CLICK chart)

 

Forty-seven (47) percent of the 60 percent of eligible US voters voted for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.  As those voters cast those votes, they literally voted for the entire GOP platform and GOP economic policy all the way back to Ronald Reagan. While facing such obvious and empirical data about the impact of long-term GOP economic policy, people will flock to the voting booths and pull that lever or push that button. They existentially and figuratively, an uncommon mix, enact flushing a toilet on their own livelihood.  While the GOP harbors the vasts majority of Top 20 percent voters, there are millions upon millions who are so indoctrinated and guided by social paradigms, they follow GOTP Pied Pipers into a middle and lower income strata slaughterhouse.  

People Go Hungry Most In What States? Well Those Are Red States!

2003 Red States/ Blue States and the picture does not change very much over time.

Are you in a state that has residents who go hungry more than in other states (see hungry states below)? According to the United States Department of Agricultural, more people go hungry in states that are historical GOP voting bloc states. Nevada and Ohio may be the exception to what appears as states where the majority of voters, for some reason, consistently tallies up for the GOP. It should be noted Nevada and Ohio are historically battleground states with no ‘slam dunk’ lean Left nor Right. The 2003 map above shows both states were considered Red States.

 

We recently published a piece with information about low information people and their votes. The following from 24/7 Wall Street pokes another needle in the GOP Southern Strategy, for those who will pay attention. 

 

Why do people consistently vote for a party that has been the White House enough to have served their constituents much more humanely? 

Welfare Problem? "Welfare" As Code?

Repost from The WhirlingWind Dot Com Facebook Page

THE TRUTH ABOUT WELFARE

I have been watching this welfare debate – now called “entitlements” – for a number of years now. Most often this subject comes up around election time. Of course now that the next election seasons begins almost as soon as the current one ends, there seems to be a steady drumbeat about “welfare” and “entitlements.” 

In almost every piece I’ve seen, they always feature Black or Brown faces when talking about welfare. The figures – which I am now convinced they pull right out of the air – are truly staggering. This puzzled me for two reasons. The first is, Black people only make up 13% of our population. Thus if we were receiving all these government handouts, poverty would have been eliminated in the Black community years ago.

The second reason has to do with my own personal life’s experience. My extended family is fairly large. We are spread out all across these United States. I even have relatives living in Alaska. The fact of the matter is, with all the family I know of, I cannot think of one of them that has ever been on welfare! Believe me there have been a few of them who would have qualified at one point or another in their lives.

If being on welfare was the pandemic within the Black community, some would have you believe, how is it that my extended family has existed for all these years unscathed by this ethnic predilection to government handouts? No, I am not saying that there are no Black people on welfare, I’m merely pointing out how odd it is that I don’t personally know any.

On the first day of my Statistics course at the University of Washington, my professor addressed the class and made the following statement which has stayed with me all these years. “Figures lie. Liars figure. Sometimes it is difficult to determine which is doing what.”

What is “welfare?” When you mention the word “welfare” we have been conditioned – inaccurately – to see an unwed Black or minority female with 4 or 5 kids, getting a government check and living in public housing. We have further been indoctrinated to feel that the money she is receiving is coming directly out of our pockets.

How many times when the subject of “welfare” has come up have you pictured in your mind a poor white family living in a trailer park? I suspect, very few ever think of a welfare recipient as being white. Ironically, a welfare recipient is much more likely to be white than any other race.

How many times when the subject of welfare comes up, do you think of military families where the husband is overseas fighting and the wife is at home trying to feed their children and maintain a household in his absence? How many times do you think of large corporations who are receiving billions of taxpayer dollars in the way of Federal subsidies?

It is almost like the ending of “The Wizard of Oz.” “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” Before we tackle the issue of providing for needy families, perhaps we should ask why Oil Companies receive billions of dollars in federal subsidies? Do you think they need it? Maybe we should ask why Koch Industries – the 2nd largest corporation in the United States – is given billions of dollars in taxpayer funded subsidies? While you’re at it, ask why a person can work full time at Walmart and still qualify for federal assistance. Their business plan – successful – involves you and I, the taxpayers, making up the difference in what they ought to be paying their employees. Of course, if you’re not serious about reforming “entitlements” and basically are content to use racial stereotypes to explain away our economic issues, then I suppose the truth really doesn’t matter to you anyway, right?

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/03/01/146847/charles-koch-welfare/

The American Liberal Times: Bigots May Need Food Stamps Also!

Yesterday we published a piece about the US SNAP Program (formerly known as Food Stamps) and how the GOP is anxious to force “Asset Tests” on potential recipients.  The Party on the Right would do so despite a majority of states having moved away from such “tests”.  We link our piece, here.

As we finished the piece, we promised an opinion from John Liming, The American Liberal Times.

The Opinion Blogger……

Bigots May Need Food Stamps Themselves Someday!

Children who might otherwise go hungry benefit from food stamps and so do some people who have gotten older and who are retired and living on very small fixed incomes sometimes.

Those stories about elderly people purchasing canned dog and cat food for their own personal consumption – – – presumably because it is a cheap source of protein – – – are not fiction!

I have personally witnessed some elderly customers at super market chains making a meal at the salad bar – – – sampling this and that – – – until they have more or less gotten their fill – – – always keeping a probably frightened and wary eye out for management or “snitches” among their fellow customers.

Other folks use food stamps too – – – folks who work at small-salaried or minimum wage jobs and who can’t make it without some extra assistance – –  and to people like that food stamps must be a God Send!

I mean it isn’t  always  like some lazy “welfare freaks” are living high on the hog off the taxpayer dime – – – some of those who get food stamps virtually work their asses off – – – sometimes 80 hours a week or more – – at two or even three cheap-assed minimum wage jobs – – – just trying to keep a roof over their heads and to keep their children fed.

And let us not forget those “Noble and Brave Veterans to whom this nation owes a debt of gratitude and whom this nation always pledges never to forget.”

Some of those who will “Never be forgotten” are totally homeless – – – some are sick and haven’t been able to receive proper treatment – – – and many of them are broke – – friendless – – lonely – – transient – – and yes . . . forgotten by some people who live in  that  ”Grateful Nation” we often hear tell of.

We know the truth about the situations that some people are forced to live with all the day long – – – 365-days-a-year – – – through no fault of their own most of the time – – – and we also know there are some haughty – – smartass – – heartless – – cruel – – uncaring – – usually extremely right wing radical  m-er-effers   out there who can be extremely unkind – – sometimes even “vicious” – – in their attitudes toward those who have less than they do – – and the sad part about this is that those who look so unfavorably on the disadvantaged could – – at any time – – – without any warning at all – – – join the very ranks of those they are “putting down” at any given moment.

Justice can be poetic sometimes.

I found a really great blog post over at “The Last Of The Millenniums” that I think embraces this issue of “attitude toward the poor” very adequately – – very clearly – – very plainly – – – and I certainly would recommend that my readers take a little time to read that article on “The Last Of The Millenniums” – – – CLICK HERE.

In the meantime I would say to some of the more nasty-tempered of the “haters” – – – “People who live in stone houses should not throw glasses.” – – – especially those who hate the poor and who go around pretending they are some kind of high and mighty moral-assed “Christians” or something!

Posted by John on August 4, 2013

Picture Credit:  Picture is from MDQUIZON on Flickr and is used here under a CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE.

End John Liming…..

We thank Mr. Liming for allowing posting of his work from time to time.  And, Mr. Liming thanked MDQUIZON for use of the Infographic. As a true liberal, I know where to go for the best opining on issues that should matter to us all.   If I want a liberal opine that counts, I go to The American Liberal Times.