Americans' Food Stamp Use Nears All-Time High

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Washington Post

Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

The figures will put the spotlight on hunger when Congress begins deliberations on a new economic stimulus package, said legislators and anti-hunger advocates, predicting that any stimulus bill will include a boost in food stamp benefits. Advocates are also optimistic that President-elect Barack Obama, who made campaign promises to end childhood hunger and whose mother once briefly received food stamps, will make the issue a priority next year.

"We soon will have the most food stamps recipients in the history of our country," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, a D.C.-based anti-hunger policy organization. "If the economic forecasts come true, we're likely to see the most hunger that we've seen since the 1981 recession and maybe since the 1960s, when these programs were established."

The Agriculture Department is set to release the new numbers as early as this week. Agency officials declined to confirm the figures but outlined them in a briefing last month for advocates and administrators of state food stamp programs. Breaking the symbolically important 30 million mark comes on the heels of government data showing that 11.9 million people went hungry in the United States at some point last year. That included nearly 700,000 children, up more than 50 percent from the year before.

Food pantries and other charitable organizations are also reporting an increase in demand from those in need. Visits to local pantries are up by 20 to 100 percent over the past six months, and calls to the Capital Area Food Bank's hunger hotline have jumped 248 percent. Most are from people who have never used food stamps or a pantry before, said Lynn Brantley, the organization's president and chief executive.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112502553.html?hpid=topnews

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Dang. Shame we still have 55 days till Obama becomes the president. Amazing the damage Bush, the Repukes, and their greedy captialist buddies did in 8 short years to this country and it's people.

[Tom Kitten]

1. I'm one of them

Always had a job until this last year. I don't feel the least bit of shame using them, either.

[emilyg]

3. ....

:hug:

[last1standing]

5. There's no reason you should feel shame.

You paid into the system and now you need some of that back. It's the social safety net that Democrats have created and repubs have tried to destroy. You should be proud to know that there's still a bit of the old framework left that can be used to help those who need it. :)

[Pryderi]

19. Only Republicans should feel shame. n/t

[closeupready]

20. Absolutely no reason to. They exist so hungry people in need can EAT.

Good luck on finding a better situation. :hug:

I know newly unemployed people who are going to have to get them. Just the way it goes.

[tama]

2. Wow

12 million went hungry.

30 millions on food stamps. 10% of US population.

In the richest country in the world.

[sarcasmo]

30. No longer the richest country in the world, I think we have lost that claim.

[Trajan]

4. The stimulus we need ....

Higher pay ....

The GOP hates pay raises for workers, and after 20 years, it is hurting everybody and killed the economy ... I can assure everybody: If pay raises were commensurate with profits; NO mortgage would have foreclosed ...

Pay workers, so they can spend, and put everyone back to work producing goods to sell ...

Geeez .... I feel like Im talking to a fucking wall ...

[Norrin Radd]

8. I agree.

[MzYvonne]

11. Exactly

I lost my job last year because of outsourcing, was making $16.00 an hour, a year later I finally found employment. Now making $11.00 an hour. It's hard out here. Too me, these types of issues are not being addressed properly by our government. They instead decide these corporations are too big to fail? Meaning too bad for the little people? What the hell is really going on?

[Enthusiast]

6. Why won't these people work?!

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[boomerbust]

7. Spendable Income Q3

Down 9% Largest decrease in history

[juno jones]

9. There's probably an underreported number of people

(like myself) who are eligible, but who either aren't aware they're eligible or aren't quite bad off enough yet to feel that they're needed.

[kcass1954]

12. Or people who are just above the "official" qualification level but don't quite meet the

requirements. When I was laid off in '94, my car was worth $500 over the limit, and I owned a piece of property worth about $7000 - it was listed for sale at $5500, but I couldn't get rid of it.

[juno jones]

31. Yep, seen that too.

They have recently become a bit less stringent with some of those rules, but I can remember people being turned down for reasons such as what you named. I remember there used to be a lot of cars and other property 'sold' temporarily to family members so that people would qualify for stamps which would then be 'loaned' back so the person could get to work, etc.

Personally, I will only take them now if I lose literally everything and have no other choice. I was on them for awhile when my children were young (early 90's) and I hated the constant need to verify my income, expenses, and assets to a case worker who oozed nothing but contempt for the people she was supposed to be helping.

I hope you're riding this one out OK :hug:

[fasttense]

10. Raising minimum wage right now to $10/hour

would have an immediate positive affect on the economy.

If they are worried about deflation, then even by the warped logic of trickle on economics, raising the minimum wage to a living wage would prevent deflation.

This would also get money into the hands of the working poor who spend (and not horde like the uber wealthy) all their money.

[WriteDown]

15. Why 10$? nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. It should be the minimum amount needed to house and feed oneself.

Probably closer to $13.

[WriteDown]

23. Then say goodbye to small business....

That would pretty much eliminate pizza parlors, fast food, etc. I could see that wage in somewhere like NY or CA, but in most states that would be a lot of money for someone operating the fry basket.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. Nope.

People at the lowest reaches of the economic ladder spend 100% of their wages. It's the opposite of trickle down. The economy would hum. The govt. would probably have to offer tax credits, at least for the first few years of implementation. It would also have to be coupled with a sane, progressive tax policy.

Asking people to work for slave wages if full of moral turpitude. Plus, it creates an economic caste system- just like we have now.

[WriteDown]

25. You are making a lot of assumptions....

Would they still spend 100% of their income at 13$ an hour? 13$ an hour in somewhere like Broken Arrow, OK would be a serious wage, while in Alameda, CA it would be a pittance. That type of wage increase would result in 2 things, the # of jobs would dwindle and the cost of items would increase. You would likely see 25$ pizzas.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. It could be pegged to standard of living.

H+S
W



Cost of housing plus cost of food divided by wage. (It's more complicated than that but that's the gist of it)

[WriteDown]

27. Now that is a better idea....

But I can only imagine the fights that would occur over the calculation of standard of living.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

28. Probably should have called it "cost of living."

That formula already exists.

[pitohui]

33. no one is entitled to own a business if it means owning slaves

no one

the small business that can't survive w.out enslaving people SHOULDN'T survive and SHOULDN'T be supported

that's pretty much basic human decency if you ask me

i would hope that if you advocate this, that you would never accept a wage greater than the pitiful $10 an hour you expect OTHERS to live on...or, wait, are YOU somehow special and it's only everybody else who should not be paid enough to eat and pay the rent?

[Trajan]

29. Why do you hate paying workers a decent wage ?

EVERY time the subject is mentioned : You condemn decent wages ....

That is EXACTLY why we are in the predicament we are in: You keep supporting the REPUBLICAN view that higher wages are 'BAD' .... Well just how in FUCK do you expect people to spend money and buy things if they DONT HAVE THE MONEY ?

I think the minimum wage is OK where it is: But we need a LOT of movement upward for experienced workers .... We desperately need wage increases ...

The tired right wing line that 'wages are bad' is nonsense .... And it's been killing us slowly ...

Just how the hell is small business going to survive if regular families cannot afford their goods or services ? .... I buy almost NOTHING from small business: because I buy almost nothing, period ...

After rent, bills, groceries, gasoline, car insurance .... I have NOTHING left for college, savings, investment, and ANYTHING ELSE .... And I have worked in aerospace for the last 30 years ...

Im tired of the Kudlow/Gingrich apologists in DU .... We need higher wages and we need them NOW !

[pitohui]

32. yeah one of the reasons i don't support small business is most of em are republican fuckwits

as for pizza, i haven't bought pizza in at least 20 years, too high a risk of paying money to a business that supports anti-choice and anti-woman policies

if someone thinks $10 an hour is too much to pay someone for working and standing on their feet all day, i would hope if they are honest that if they have a sitdown job they refuse to take more than $6 an hour...else they're a hypocrite of the worst sort -- they expect -- demand -- more money for less effort and never see their own hypocrisy

the people who do the real work of the world are supposed to get by with nothing and then the GOP and their ilk wonder why there is no economy? no decent pay, no ability for working people to buy, no economy!

[Trajan]

34. Small Business would barely exist if it werent for workers who make DECENT wages ...

Restaurants are having a HORRIBLE time making it right now ... Wallets have closed all over the land ... We see many recently closed shops here in Portland ....

Im tired of those who demand THE BOTTOM for workers ...

Workers make this economy hum ..... They have been undercut, and EVERYONE is suffering because of it ...

Im tired of the 'free market' apologists using the same tired excuse for denying wages for workers: They are WRONG, and the current debacle is proof of that fact ....

[jeff30997]

13. K&R

What a shame !

[ryanmuegge]

14. Wait until they get rid of that too.

They already hinted at it during the press conference yesterday.

[tanyev]

16. Heckuva job, Georgie.

[Stuart G]

17. And it would be much much higher but 2 or 3 years ago, they cut...

the number of people who could apply for food stamps.., and made it more difficult for those on this program to stay on..

[Le Taz Hot]

18. Where????

My best friend, who retired a few years ago and moved into my house, brings in a little over $400.00 a month in SS. She applied for food stamps and they approved a whole $26.00 a month. So I want to know, what the hell is the secret??

[AllyCat]

21. And they are getting less for it since food prices remain high even though

gas prices have fallen.