1 in 8 Americans on food stamps, an all time high.

[vulgarweed]

Reuters articleI was on food stamps for a while in the early 90s, during the FIRST Bush recession, when I had just graduated from college. My roommates at the time went in to the office together, submitted all our documentation, and even though we were all working, we still made so little money relative to our expenses that we qualified

Comments

[misscam]

How does food stamps work, exactly? I've heard Americans talk about it, but Norway's welfare model is quite different so I'm just not sure we have anything similar.

I am a social democrat, so I've never had an issue with my taz money going to helping others. Lets face it, in the grand run that is life, some of us are lucky and only have to run 100 metres to make it. Some have to do 400m. Some have to do an English mile. And some have to do a fucking marathon. The very least I can do is to help them at least some of the distance. They can then help others. Society gets better, we all benefit. Hurrah!

[vulgarweed]

Well, my info is very outdated, 'cause, like I said, early 90s. But what we did was go to the nearest welfare office, present all our ID, paycheck stubs, utility bills, bank info, receipts from landlord, etc., to prove we were sufficiently poor. It's humiliating. It's awful. You have to block out a whole day to wait in line. (Food "stamps" is actually an outdated term. When I had them, they were basically a book of coupons that looked like toy money that you could use to pay for certain items at the supermarket. I'm told it's a debit card now.)

And this was BEFORE the "welfare reforms" that our allegedly liberal President Bill Clinton imposed in the mid-90s. It's now virtually impossible to get any assistance at all if you're a childless, non-disabled non-elderly adult.

[valarltd]

In 1996, we were still using the coupons. I'd do the shopping every other day on my away home from work and take the change (less than a dollar) home for laundry.

By 99-2000, the state of Arkansas had gone to a card. All your benefits went onto the card. You used it like a debit card.

The rest, exactly what you said.

Three jobs and we still qualified. My husband, working full time as a school teacher, qualified while I was unemployed.

[sarken]

Where the hell's the "Like" button on this thing?

[vulgarweed]

Hee. That'll do. :)

[shadowvalkyrie]

Things over here are still (but who knows for how long now) better than in the US, and the system isn't the same, but I agree with you anyway.

Complaints about the high welfare costs and the shaming of poor people (who are obviously just lazy and faking it *eyeroll*) are all over the media here as well, but if you compare this part of the budget to the hundreds of billions paid to floundering car companies and bankrupt banks, it's ridiculously small.

given my choice, I would SO much rather have my money go towards feeding people here than killing people overseas.

That exactly.

on this Memorial Day, 1 in 4 homeless people in America is a veteran

Which is just another reason (if any were needed) to stop these insane wars already. (If that's even still possible. The whole military-industrial complex thing has been spinning farther and farther out of control as far as I can see.)

[telperion1]

This. *points up at post

[nenya_kanadka]

Amen. I was on food stamps for a year or so while I was between jobs in the States a few years back. It meant my paycheque could go towards the rent and I could still eat. And it meant I could contribute something (food money) towards the household, when I had to move back in with my parents for a while. Maybe I could have worked harder, kept myself off government assistance, etc etc--but no, you know what? That help kept me going until I was *able* to take care of myself. (I'll never be rich, but rent was less than half my income this month. Woohoo!)

And to second what Miss Cam says--nobody takes and never gives back, and nobody is so strong and so rich that they never need help from another human being. The sooner we as a society get that, the better off we'll all be.

[quantum_witch]

nobody takes and never gives back, and nobody is so strong and so rich that they never need help

That was perfectly stated.