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Did you see how huge the Farm Bill is $$$$$$$$$$$ and the biggest expenditure is food stamps.
You are confused. Food stamps are not welfare. They are two separate programs, with separate funding. For that matter, there are no food stamps any more either. They were too easy to counterfeit. Now everyone uses debit cards, and the program is called SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program). Some elderly retired people need assistance with their grocery bill, but the elderly are not the only ones who need help buying beans. Not everyone can meet the government guidelines for food assistance. My wife runs a county food bank that distributes over 50 tons of food a month to local food pantries run by community charities.
Welfare has been revamped into TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) and is sharply limited. There are no benefits to anyone who is not raising a dependent child and benefits are limited to 5 years. Recipients are required to conduct a job search.
I worry about my children's futures more than my own. I'm putting 10% of my salary into my 401(k), and I have another twenty years of working before I retire at 70 if everything goes well (no health problems, no layoffs, etc.). I don't expect an inheritance, because my stepmom will get everything when my dad dies - as she should, for taking care of him!
My daughter has decided to become a speech pathologist, which is great, but she turns 29 this month. The prerequisite program takes two years. The actual masters degree program takes another three years, so she'll be 34 by then - and at least $65,000 in debt from student loans, and that's only counting tuition! She is working part time with autistic kids, so she can obtain letters of recommendation, etc.
She also wants to get married and have at least two children, and she wants to have children before she's too old to encounter real difficult fertility problems, so she won't have any time between getting this degree and starting a family. Then for the next twenty years she'll be raising a family and hopefully paying off that $65,000?! Where is there room for any kind of retirement saving? Hopefully she'll be making a decent salary after all of that education, but as we all know, there's never a guarantee.
My 24-year-old son has taken a different route. He doesn't want tons of student debt; he works at a local grocery store and has great benefits due to the union. However, he only makes $15 per hour as a seafood manager (this is a terrible salary for Southern California, and particularly L.A. County, where the cost of housing is ridiculous). He just finished paying off $10,000 of debt that he got into by making stupid decisions when he was younger (he bought a POS sports car that he was going to fix up, but he soon realized what a money pit it was!). He's working on getting promoted, but of course, the higher up you go, the less positions there are available. He's also planning to reapply for the CHP (they found him ineligible the last time he tried).
I've been fortunate to find a good job, and I've been there for over fourteen years. I have good benefits, three weeks of vacation (which will increase to four weeks next year!), ten sick days per year, etc. Both of my children are working at part time jobs. My son gets paid out once a year for his accrued vacation time, and my daughter doesn't get any at all. Sick days? I'm grateful that they're both healthy! I can't help but feel that we're all just "hanging on" economically, and that anything could topple this house of cards.
By the way, both of my kids live with me. I charge them rent, but not very much since the whole idea is for them to be able to save some money in hopes of eventually moving out. The combination of low wages, lack of real opportunities, and the high cost of housing means that many of their friends are in the same situation, even the ones who are also college graduates.
This is just my story. I'm sure there are thousands, even hundreds of thousands, just like this. I wonder what it means for the future of this country?!
You are confused. Food stamps are not welfare. They are two separate programs, with separate funding. For that matter, there are no food stamps any more either. They were too easy to counterfeit. Now everyone uses debit cards, and the program is called SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program). Some elderly retired people need assistance with their grocery bill, but the elderly are not the only ones who need help buying beans. Not everyone can meet the government guidelines for food assistance. My wife runs a county food bank that distributes over 50 tons of food a month to local food pantries run by community charities.
Welfare has been revamped into TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) and is sharply limited. There are no benefits to anyone who is not raising a dependent child and benefits are limited to 5 years. Recipients are required to conduct a job search.
..........."Food stamps are not welfare "..
I laughed so hard I spilled my coffee.
Anytime you get a cash equivelant benefit from the govt thru means testing it is welfare.
Reminds me of the woman on Judge Judy who had no job and insisted she got no welfare.
She thought food stamps, Section 8 housing and AFDC were part of ordinary earning her living.
Judge Judy set her straight by saying..........."You don't support your family. Burt and I and the rest of the taxpayers do "
You are confused. Food stamps are not welfare. They are two separate programs, with separate funding. For that matter, there are no food stamps any more either. They were too easy to counterfeit. Now everyone uses debit cards, and the program is called SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program). Some elderly retired people need assistance with their grocery bill, but the elderly are not the only ones who need help buying beans. Not everyone can meet the government guidelines for food assistance. My wife runs a county food bank that distributes over 50 tons of food a month to local food pantries run by community charities.
Welfare has been revamped into TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) and is sharply limited. There are no benefits to anyone who is not raising a dependent child and benefits are limited to 5 years. Recipients are required to conduct a job search.
The term "welfare" has morphed from the days where it just meant TANF.
Welfare can be any of the 83+ means tested programs offered by the Federal Government.
Welfare is the generic term for our means tested social programs.
You are confused. Food stamps are not welfare. They are two separate programs, with separate funding.
You are engaging in semantic quibbling. It doesn't much matter in which parts of the budget a given program may be located, and it doesn't much matter if separate legislative votes are required for approval. Welfare means public assistance. It means someone presents himself or herself (whether in person or via written application is of no consequence) and says "Here I am, I am poor enough to qualify for this particular handout, so please provide it."
Notice I am not arguing for or against any particular form of government welfare spending - I am just defining it, although that shouldn't really be necessary if we are discussing in good faith.
And a note on some of your additional semantic quibbling about the term "food stamps". Yes, technically they are no longer called "food stamps" and they are no longer provided in the form of stamps. But the term "food stamps" has passed into the common vocabulary in much the same way the brand name "Kleenex" has passed into the common vocabulary to mean facial tissues. Do you also correct people who ask for a Kleenex? (Interestingly, the auto-correct provided the capital "K" although I did not).
Last edited by Escort Rider; 04-06-2014 at 11:43 AM..
The term "welfare" has morphed from the days where it just meant TANF.
Welfare can be any of the 83+ means tested programs offered by the Federal Government.
Welfare is the generic term for our means tested social programs.
My attorney-daughter and I were discussing welfare and enjoyed a good laugh when we realized that a portion of her law school tuition was paid for with the proceeds of a Perkins loan, officially making her a welfare recipient.
OTOH, my ex-husband who morphed into a conservative Republican during our marriage would readily admit that he received food stamps while attending medical school but would adamantly deny that he ever received welfare. <sigh>
First of all, some people cheat -- the food-stamp recipient who has a Cadillac -- but really not many. Not enough to make any difference.
Secondly, food stamps do not cost the government all that much (the expensive program that is headed for real trouble is Medicare, but that's another story).
Thirdly, the increase in the need for food stamps really disturbs me, as I view it as a sure indicator of a failing culture and a failing way of life. Unfortunately, programs like this will likely need to increase over time.
And finally: although I consider myself to be somewhat a conservative, especially a social conservative, I don't begrudge food stamps for anyone. I believe that we need to maintain a certain level of decency in our country, and if someone is hungry I am all for helping them out.
Last edited by Hamish Forbes; 04-06-2014 at 02:37 PM..
I worry about my children's futures more than my own. . .
By the way, both of my kids live with me. I charge them rent, but not very much since the whole idea is for them to be able to save some money in hopes of eventually moving out. The combination of low wages, lack of real opportunities, and the high cost of housing means that many of their friends are in the same situation, even the ones who are also college graduates.
This is just my story. I'm sure there are thousands, even hundreds of thousands, just like this. I wonder what it means for the future of this country?!
Scott Burns wrote an interesting piece about this a few years back: http://assetbuilder.com/scott_burns/how_to_survive_on_$15000_a_year
My attorney-daughter and I were discussing welfare and enjoyed a good laugh when we realized that a portion of her law school tuition was paid for with the proceeds of a Perkins loan, officially making her a welfare recipient.
OTOH, my ex-husband who morphed into a conservative Republican during our marriage would readily admit that he received food stamps while attending medical school but would adamantly deny that he ever received welfare. <sigh>
But society sees that as more a investment ;just as non-married do paying for her and other basic education. They expect her to contribute to production of the nation not become ever dependent on it. By your definition with the top ten per cent paying for so much all others are on welfare. Perhaps its society itself that see contribution versus pure consumption with no return really. Kind of difference between a loan and gift.
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Hopefully she'll be making a decent salary after all of that education, but as we all know, there's never a guarantee.
I'm grateful that they're both healthy! I can't help but feel that we're all just "hanging on" economically, and that anything could topple this house of cards. 
Semantic quibbling
