Comments on: An improving economy? Ask people on Food Stamps!

By: Non è un paese per vecchi « L’orto di carta

Non è un paese per vecchi « L’orto di carta — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:05:50 +0000

[...] finta di essere negli Stati Uniti dove il 13% degli adulti ed il 25% dei bambini mangiano grazie ai food stamps e quelli che non ne hanno fatto richiesta possono permettersi solo junk food) e offri come [...]

By: sb

sb — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:51:05 +0000

Thank you, Jason! Finally someone who’s got some sense. I really do not understand how people can expect the American Economy to magically be fixed in 6 months or even 6 years! It doesn’t work that way, Ms Nestle, and I’m sure you know that. Did you give any serious consideration to this topic or were you stuck for a story?

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:13:20 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

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By: annie avery

annie avery — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:38:32 +0000

one caveat to the seeds and fruit trees suggestion: if the store where you find the fruit trees does not accept food stamps, tough luck. thank goodness more and more vegetable/plant nursery stores are accepting EBT cards, not to mention the fact that farmer’s markets are accepting WIC checks, too.. i look forward to the day when the DOD will have to use that famous bake sale to fund its wars.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:00:28 +0000

No offense Drew but the worst economy since the Great Depression isn’t going to end overnight. Many indicators are showing growth. My 401k value is almost back to what it was prior to the crash. Things are improving but it is going to take a long time. The government keeps telling us this but apparently nobody is listening. It took 8 years to get us into this mess….do people really think its going to end in 6 months?

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Who is credibly saying that the economy is improving? The banks still have mountains of bad loans on houses that are still overvalued, the federal budget is irrecoverably overspent, as are the consumers. So maybe the GDP can rise on all that government spending and money printing, but we’re about to run out of the slack we’ve allowed ourselves with bailouts, cash for clunkers, home-buyers and anyone else.

It’s frustrating that much of the analysis on the economy is garbage, but if you keep an eye on budgets, you’ll see that in order to get out of debt you most have more production than consumption (money in>money out). And we’re not even close.

By: Marisa

Marisa — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:03:36 +0000

If there was a work requirement, how would Octomom feed her children? Has she worked a day in her life?

By: JC Dwyer

JC Dwyer — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:19:02 +0000

Maddie, your health department is incorrect – there is no work requirement for food stamps. Google “food stamps” plus your state to find a food bank or other nonprofit organization that can help you apply.

By: Maddie

Maddie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:25:25 +0000

I’m a full time student, currently seeking a job. When I went to the health department and applied for food benefits, they told me I have to work at least 20 hours a week in order to qualify for food stamps. So even the displaced, who might be working towards a new career, aren’t getting these “entitlement” benefits.

Just today I considered writing one of these above mentioned “fat cats,” who has gotten a smooth right on a wealthfare break, if they would like to sponsor my education. I figure if you got $80m from a government bailout, then you’ve got $20,000 for my education (most of which can be a tax write off at the end of the year, anyway).

By: DennisP

DennisP — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:03:30 +0000

Of course you’re not missing anything. Jobs lag quite a ways behind improving GDP. It’s going to take quite substantial increase in GDP to generate new jobs, but at the rate it’s going, that won’t occur until well into 2010. Paul Krugman is right: what we need right now is a sharply focussed jobs program and to hell with the cost. It continues to infuriate me that the Democrats continue to buy into Republicans’ reactionary talking points instead of standing up and uniformly asserting basic, progressive, Democratic principles of caring and concern for real people, rather than the fat cats on Wall St.