A very sad story about citizens here...now...in cities all over the U.S.A.

[Stuart G]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27827700 /

from the story..

From the living room of her tiny apartment on the 10th floor of the Minnie Riperton building for senior citizens on Chicago’s South Side, Adell Davis can see all the way to Lake Michigan. For that, she is truly grateful.

But she can also see the clock. And that inspires darker emotions as she uses it to space two daily meals, often just rice and toast.

Until recently, Davis, 63, hobbled by a pair of bum knees that she got from years as a letter carrier, had a little more food around the house because she was eligible for a monthly allotment of $168 in food stamps. But when she moved into subsidized housing and her rent dropped dramatically, she lost virtually all of those benefits.

To many Americans, the food-stamp program is often little more than part of the entitlement debate between social-justice advocates and foes of big government. But to a record number of Americans — 29.5 million at last count and growing with the unemployment and foreclosure rates — the nation’s largest domestic food assistance program is the difference between the misery of hunger and a manageable life.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So, because she gets reduced,subsidized rent..Minnie has had her food stamps cut to 20 dollars a month..
So she lives on $672 a month..and that is supposed to cover everything...You try it..read the above story..
How can this be?..Let us thank the current Bush crowd...I sure hope Barack changes this..

[Berry Cool]

1. I think you mean Adell.

Minnie Riperton is the name of the building...which of itself is interesting. Minnie Riperton, the late singer, had a senior citizens' home named for her?

I echo your sentiment in hoping Barack changes this.

[question everything]

2. It were different if all of us were in the same boat

but to have the poor and the sick and the elderly have whatever help they were given cut, while so many on Wall Street made millions is sickening.

[NC_Nurse]

3. My God. That is SO sad. I hope she can get some things from a local food bank...

I know they are really stretched this year. We bought a bag of groceries today to be given to a local
charity for people who need it this year. They are doing this at Publix here in ATL. I hope somebody gets her some help.

[Robbien]

4. With cities and states being squeezed by this credit crunch

entitlement programs are on the block to be cut. My city's next year budget proposal plans huge cuts in subsidies.

I don't see any plans being discussed by Obama's team on a Federal level to bail out States.

[Crunchy Frog]

5. She needs to pull herself up by her bootstraps.

[knitter4democracy]

6. This happened to a friend of mine at church.

She ended up marrying a guy who wanted to get his green card just to survive. We were all just sick about it, as she'd never told us the depths of her poverty until right before she left for the wedding and moved away.

[madrchsod]

7. my sister in law lives on that much

well she tries to but she has to have help from the rest of us...672 is`t enough to live on

[1776Forever]

8. This is unfortunately occurring all over the nation to younger disabled folks too.

Let us hope for help for the least of these that Barack has spoken on before. These are the the ones that need the help more then the Mets do. Sorry but that is the way I feel. I am not against sports but when I saw what CITI Bank is putting into that stadium it made me sick!

.........

Pols want new name for Mets home: Citi/Taxpayer Field

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/mets/2008-11...

NEW YORK (AP) — Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.

The struggling bank is slated to pay $400 million over the next 20 years to name the stadium Citi Field.

The bank made the commitment years ago, when it was flush with cash. Now that Citigroup is getting billions of dollars in federal aid, Staten Island Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo say the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

Citigroup and Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon have been saying that they have no plan to alter the naming-rights deal for the ballpark, which hosts its regular-season opener April 13.

[Stuart G]

9. I feel that this shouldn't happen here...

Perhaps I am wrong, but a country with so much food, and such a poor way of distribution for the poor..And I don't care if they are illegal or legal or qualify or what...Hungry people need food. ..In the movie "Sicko" those that needed medical care, got it..in other countries...not here...
..So since we have a lot of food what is the problem?...It is with people like Mr. Bush...who couldn't care less, and got theirs...and think that charity is enough..well it isn't..It hasn't been for many years...I gag at what I am going to say..
...But I recall reading in the 80s, after some time with President Regan, that the safety net that existed under ...Nixon... was actually better than it was in the 80s, and probably ... now...

______________________________________________________________________________________

and I am sorry that I didn't read the story carefully. Minnie was the name of the building. I was wrong. Too anxious to put this story up..my fault..I guess I was also very angry about it..
.........Stuart..

[Indy Lurker]

10. The program needs to be reformed

"Administrative costs are high — more than 21 percent of total federal and state funding in 2007 — and they vary wildly from state to state. For instance, South Carolina spent $169 per household in 2007 on administrative expenses while California spent $1,169, a whopping 38 percent of the average $3,106 annual household benefit. The USDA is just beginning to examine the reasons for the disparities."


On average it's costing $21 to hand out $100!!

and in California, It's costing $38 to had out $100!!!!!

[Stuart G]

11. I am sure that if we can finda way to dump 700 Billion into the ..

financial community, or is it one trillion? or l.5 trillion...then we can reform the food stamp program...


I believe there is no reason for people to starve in this country..and I don't give a damn about the cost of the program..

[shireen]

12. totally agree ....

this is outrageous.

[Indy Lurker]

14. The point I was trying to make

Is that you could give people 10%-15% more food (or 10%-15% more people food) just by getting administrative costs in line.

[Lyric]

18. And the administrative costs are so enormous because

of the Gordian knot of red tape that applicants must go through in order to get assistance. And Food Stamps are considered to be the *easiest* program to qualify for. God help anyone trying to get TANF. It is an abominable nightmare beyond belief. I invite ANYONE who does not believe how horrific the situation is to come to West Virginia and watch as someone applies for TANF. I can easily find a volunteer who'd be willing to let you sit in on her interview. Very few people really understand just how nightmarish the TANF situation is unless they've actually witnessed the hell of an interview.

I'd be willing to do the same for my next Food Stamp and Medicaid re-cert appointment, too. The last time I was there, the social worker spent the entire session bashing the "slimy liberals" and the Democrats for "trying to get EVERYBODY in welfare in order to get more votes."

No shit. I wish to God I'd had a fucking tape recorder. I'd have called her ass on it, too, but I can't risk social worker retaliation.

[nini]

13. She's sure getting screwed on the dollar amount from the P.O.

If she's on disability retirement it should be better than that.

I'm so sick of this kind of crap. There is NO excuse for this.

[Solly Mack]

15. :(

The dropping/decrease of one needed service because of a slight increase of another...which still doesn't meet/allow for an acceptable (decent, needed) standard of living...truly angers me

If you improve one area but take from another, the person is still in the same place...no real gain...and often the loss is more damaging. So she now has to go hungry (risk malnutrition) because she got affordable housing?

2 steps forward, 10 steps back

[DarbyUSMC]

16. "Her rent dropped dramatically".

Food stamps are meant to supplement your income, not take care of all your food needs. The formula for who gets what in Food Stamps is based on housing expenses, medical expenses, utilities etc. When her rent dropped "dramatically" her new rent had to be figured into the Food Stamp equation. Her food stamps drooped by $148 which means that her rent went down by at least that much and probably more, so she is living on the same or more than she was living on before. No, it isn't a lot to live on but if your rent is $161 for instance, with utilities included, it's livable. Subsidized housing is based on your income and medical expenses. As far as I know, no one on Food Stamps uses them for their whole month's food expenses.

[Stuart G]

17. So what?....

Now this lady gets to live on ..let's say..500 dollars a month.. whatever?....so what...

Is that how we are going to treat seniors with medical issues on pension..??? five hundred?? Now the lady would like to go somewhere...how does she get there?....Is five hundred enough to own a car??..to get around?..To do something like go to movies once a week?..or take a taxi somewhere?..please...you try to live on 500 a month...

[Stuart G]

19. Food alone could burn up 200 of that..easily..

Now you got 372 dollars to live on...sure...no wonder people are starving..