8% Of U.S. Population On Food Stamps

[Javaman]

There was a story on NPR today about the Food Stamp program and in it they mentioned that 25 million people in the U.S. receive food stamps. With our population just over 300 million, that means 8% of our people are getting this support. Does that not seem scary-high? Is it just me?

[Freddy]

Food stamps was a topic this week on local talk radio. They were claiming the average mean benefit was $3.00 per day or $90.00 a month. No mode or median averages were given. Some receive less while others receive more.

Persons..............Maximum Monthly Benefit
1..............................$155
2................................284
3................................408
4................................518
5................................615
6................................738
7................................816
8................................932
Each additional person..+117

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/fs_Res_Ben_Elig.htm

[Dingfod]

How are they paying their Cadillac payments on just $90 a month?

[Qingdai]

My 75 year old mother who lives on $650 a month Social Security benefits, gets a whooping $16 a month of food stamps. She has a Toyota, Dingfod.

[D. Scarlatti]

Toyota Dingfod - good car.

[Dingfod]

I wouldn't even bother with food stamps if $16 was all I was getting. It wouldn't be worth driving halfway across Tulsa to sit in a crowded waiting room 45 minutes to an hour to submit to a salaried inquisitor's intrusive questions. It's an energy balance thing, the calories gained by the $16 worth of food stamps would not exceed the calories expended in getting them, not to mention time away from my soaps, Oprah and Dr. Phil.

[California Tanker]

Not to mention the time spent at the checkout line as each individual category is processed...

NTM

[wildernesse]

Actually, I'm surprised the number is not higher. Food stamps do seem to me to be the simplest form of public assistance to receive for most people, unlike TANF or disability support.

[Dingfod]

What is the percentage in the so-called socialist countries that are on some sort of public assistance?

[California Tanker]

Depends on how you define 'public assistance'

For example, in Ireland, 98% or so of university students have their fees paid for them.

NTM

[La_Tigressa_Peligrosa]

Hi! :wave: I'm on food stamps.

I calculated the amount we get today ~~ our family gets $19 per person per week.

I don't have a car, I have two kids, I work and I go to school full time.

Please avoid the typical welfare queen stereotypes (ie "cadillac driving people taking advantage of the system") because they tend to be blatant right wing constructions based on prejudiced myth than reality. :)



CT it takes no longer at the checkout line than anyone else paying by card because the "food stamps" are paid for by a debit card type system (EBT).

[viscousmemories]

I'm pretty sure Ding was being sarcastic about the Cadillac, but then you never know with that guy. I remember picking up a few things from the grocery for my mom and paying with food stamps when I was a kid. I'm kind of surprised they don't just give out MREs these days, or make soylent green out of felons.

[La_Tigressa_Peligrosa]

I'm pretty sure Ding was being sarcastic about the Cadillac, but then you never know with that guy. I remember picking up a few things from the grocery for my mom and paying with food stamps when I was a kid. I'm kind of surprised they don't just give out MREs these days, or make soylent green out of felons.

:giggle:



Thanks.... sorry, I was feeling a little out of sorts about the whole issue because I've been in a roughly 4-day-long argument with a self-righteous conservative that insists it's totally easy to feed a family healthy, well-balanced meals on $28 / week.... :kookoo:

[D. Scarlatti]

4-day-long argument with a self-righteous conservative

We never learn, do we.

[La_Tigressa_Peligrosa]

4-day-long argument with a self-righteous conservative

We never learn, do we.

:doh:

[Dingfod]

I'm pretty sure Ding was being sarcastic about the Cadillac, ...I was. I am well aware how difficult it would be to live "on the dole", so to speak. In fact, I don't know how any making less than $16-17 an hour even makes a living, family or not. I have a daughter who really wasn't making it on government assistance. Helping her out has nearly driven us to bankruptcy too. She and our grandson are now living with us again. Even that ain't cheap.
... but then you never know with that guy.Yea, verily.

My 75 year old mother who lives on $650 a month Social Security benefits, gets a whooping $16 a month of food stamps. She has a Toyota, Dingfod.On $650* a month I'm surprised she can afford to even have a car at all. One large repair bill and she's on foot.

*I've got car payments higher than that.

[Qingdai]

Well she has refinanced her house to pay off bills, so she is living off of the equity. No inheriting of "wealth" here. Also I found out recently she has sold off 90% of all the furniture and art she inherited from her family or acquired over the years she was working.

My husband makes $12 an hour and I make about $13, we are 20% below federal poverty level. We don't get any services from the government other than the services everyone gets, such as the crumbling infrastructure we call "America" roads.
We are applying for low income loans to buy a land trust house.
My retirement plan is to die.

I'd also like to point out that food stamps are put out by the department of agriculture and really there to create a market for farmer's products rather than a safety net for the hungry and poor.

[Dingfod]

My husband makes $12 an hour and I make about $13, we are 20% below federal poverty level.$25 an hour in earnings is 20% below poverty level? Wow! Americans really are rich.
My retirement plan is to die.I was going to say "Mine too", but then I remembered that I hold out a little more hope than that because my retirement plans depend heavily on winning a Powerball lotto or the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes.