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Be aware too that we are not talking about huge benefit amounts either. My one son who is disabled but has no income, no SSI or SSDI or anything else but SNAP gets a whopping $70. a month. My youngest son's family used to qualify and for their family of 4 they got $125. a month, however now my son made $14K last year working as a room attendant and so he no longer qualifies for this benefit.
The goal of SNAP is to provide food for people who can't otherwise afford it. I don't think there is any grand plan to make sure that the food is organic, low calorie, absent of fats and sugars, nor do I think there should be. Do you know what a lot of poor people give their kids for their birthdays? A cake or cupcakes that they got with their SNAP benefits and that's it because they have no cash to buy the kids presents like most of us do. Do you think it would be a good idea to deny them that and force them to give their kids an apple or a bunch of asparagus for their birthday?
Maybe there are SOME (very few, i would think) parents who cannot afford to get their kids ANY kind of gift for their birthdays, but I have known moms with SNAP benefits, and that has not been the case with those I've known.
Yes, it is also true that some of those moms I've known have bought gifts from garage sales or 'dollar stores' (which I do admit is kind of sad), but MOST of the poor moms I have known have managed to give their kids very good birthdays and Christmases. In fact, that is the main gripe I hear from people in more affluent circumstances -- that poor moms can afford cigarettes and salon visits and nice gifts for their kids, but, supposedly, they can't afford food.
To say it again, I am not saying that there are NO parents with SNAP, who can't afford any gifts for their kids, but it is true for all the ones who I've been acquainted with, without exception.
(And I am certainly not advocating for the elimination of SNAP!)
P.S. On Edit: Btw, I am not saying that children of people on SNAP do not go without the things most people would take for granted, either! When I was a teacher's aide in a fairly middle class public school kindergarten, there was one little boy who I felt so sorry for. He was a very sweet child and always clean, but obviously much less advantaged than the other kids in the class. Although he was not really neglected, he was one of the kids that just "soaked up" any affection he could get; and my heart was almost broken when it came time for the kindergarten photo packages to be distributed, and he was the only one in the class who did not get one. I would bet that his parents simply could not afford that kind of "extra" that I think most people and kids just take for granted. So, yes, although I might argue about some of the finer points, I do most certainly agree that there are many kids in this country who are definitely underprivileged!
Last edited by katharsis; 01-24-2019 at 11:40 AM..
The goal of SNAP is to provide food for people who can't otherwise afford it. I don't think there is any grand plan to make sure that the food is organic, low calorie, absent of fats and sugars, nor do I think there should be. Do you know what a lot of poor people give their kids for their birthdays? A cake or cupcakes that they got with their SNAP benefits and that's it because they have no cash to buy the kids presents like most of us do. Do you think it would be a good idea to deny them that and force them to give their kids an apple or a bunch of asparagus for their birthday?
Do you know what a lot of working people give their kids for their birthdays? A cake or cupcakes that they got with their last few dollars and that's it because they have no cash to buy the kids presents like some others do, in part because they used their income to pay for their groceries, non-section 8 housing, health insurance, etc., that a lot of poor folks don't have to pay for.
Maybe there are SOME (very few, i would think) parents who cannot afford to get their kids ANY kind of gift for their birthdays, but I have known moms with SNAP benefits, and that has definitely not been the case with those I've known.
Yes, it is also true that some of those moms I've known have bought gifts from garage sales or 'dollar stores' (which I do admit is kind of sad), but MOST of the poor moms I have known have managed to give their kids very good birthdays and Christmases. In fact, that is the main gripe I hear from among people in more affluent circumstances -- that poor moms can afford cigarettes and salon visits and nice gifts for their kids, but, supposedly, they can't afford food.
To say it again, I am not saying that there are NO parents with SNAP, who can't afford any gifts for their kids, but it is true for all the ones who I've been acquainted with, without exception.
(And I am certainly not advocating for the elimination of SNAP!)
Agreed.
Add to that the ridiculous "tax returns" that a lot get, which is a whole other issue. What's the return for? How does someone who paid $0-$500 in federal income tax receive $8,000 back annually? That's A LOT of money, and YES, a lot of poor single moms get this each year without question. (Do this for fun: fill out a bogus tax return and adjust the numbers to make yourself very poor. Claim several kids. It's insane.)
Probably more accurate to say that the group targeted by WIC gets more benefit from it than the other. It's strictly a supplemental program, meant to make make sure that pregnant women, and children, are ensured they receive necessary nutrients for healthy development in the first stages of life. It's one of the reasons they do things like restricting the types of cereal allowed and the empty sugary things aren't allowed. SNAP on the other hand doesn't have a target client that needs a particular diet in the same way that WIC recipients do.
Do you know what a lot of working people give their kids for their birthdays? A cake or cupcakes that they got with their last few dollars and that's it because they have no cash to buy the kids presents like some others do, in part because they used their income to pay for their groceries, non-section 8 housing, health insurance, etc., that a lot of poor folks don't have to pay for.
Isn't it crazy how divided most people are on this? I see two groups in regard to possible food stamp run out:
1. It's unfortunate people will have trouble feeding themselves and thier families.
2. Let em starve!!!
Some people really need and depend on these. Many do cheat the system, or bring it on themselves, like the guy I mentioned a few posts back who was spending it on cigarettes. America does not need an actual civil war, we have a cold one going on now. Never so much division, anger, loss of identity and cohesiveness. And it sucks.
Add to that the ridiculous "tax returns" that a lot get, which is a whole other issue. What's the return for? How does someone who paid $0-$500 in federal income tax receive $8,000 back annually? That's A LOT of money, and YES, a lot of poor single moms get this each year without question. (Do this for fun: fill out a bogus tax return and adjust the numbers to make yourself very poor. Claim several kids. It's insane.)
You mean EITC? No one receives $8,000, the maximum EITC for a family with 3 children is $6,431 But I think EITC is a horrible program, it is a conservative idea, started by Reagan that avoids raising the minimum wage. Basically it subsidizes employers who pay wages that are so low that they couldn't attract workers without EITC.
People returning food? I don't think very many stores allow refunds for food unless maybe you are talking about canned goods, there's too much of a chance that someone would adulterate the food and return it. But here's the thing. When I worked with the poor, there were plenty of elderly recipients who sold some of their SNAP benefits for 50 cents on the dollar so that they could pay their rent or utilities. They weren't doing it to buy drugs or booze, they needed more cash in order to avoid being homeless.
I think we should quit micromanaging and give the poor the cash equivalent of SNAP benefits, if they don't buy food with the money they will go hungry, if they don't feed their kids the schools will likely call CPS and they will lose their kids. Why do some people feel that we have to treat the poor like imbeciles incapable of managing their lives?
Yes, I font understand the need to micromanage assistance given to the poor. Give them a set amount and allow them...who are more aware of the problems that they face then anyone else...the flexibility to address those problems. If they don't...then that us on them. Micromanagement reduces their ability to climb out of poverty.
You mean EITC? No one receives $8,000, the maximum EITC for a family with 3 children is $6,431 But I think EITC is a horrible program, it is a conservative idea, started by Reagan that avoids raising the minimum wage. Basically it subsidizes employers who pay wages that are so low that they couldn't attract workers without EITC.
Yes, I meant EITC. And yes, it is absolutely horrible.
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