We never went on food stamps because mom had been convinced they were only for poor white trash, and that we somehow weren’t. We ate less as a result. Kids everywhere qualify for free school lunches, but don’t apply. That’s the human cost of stigmatizing public assistance. https://t.co/94wYV6HhDF
— Every Billionaire Is A Policy Failure (@DanRiffle) December 22, 2019
But the GOP can’t celebrate unless they know someone else is suffering:
Total Trump food-stamp cuts could hit up to 5.3 million households https://t.co/9qVVEWoUWA via @cbsmoneywatch
— Carol Shea-Porter (@TeamSheaPorter) December 16, 2019
He'll blame Democrats and his voters will believe him. https://t.co/fMYDJoKt2J
— Schooley (@Rschooley) December 19, 2019
Correct. pic.twitter.com/gxe8Y0SVQo
— DrLearnALot-Sticky, stubborn residue?? (@DrLearnALot) December 22, 2019
NEWS: The Trump administration may let banks consider NFL stadium financing as aid to the poor.
By @NBuhayar + @jesseahamihttps://t.co/INbOVYnYln
— Alex Wayne (@aawayne) December 16, 2019
West of the Rockies
Regarding the NFL bit, I hope the Player’s Union comes down on it like 12 metric tons of bricks.
Derelict
Away in a manger, no crib for his bed
The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.
So Trump called Him lazy and illegal scum,
And had Him deported alone, just for fun.
trollhattan
Holy cow, that CRA workaround is deliciously cynical, so I assume it’s completely true.
SOB–Save Our Billionaires!
Ohio Mom
You left out the coming attack on Social Security for disabled people (SSI and SSDI).
I hate every single last Republican in my life. I mean, I hate all Republicans but the ones I can picture because I know them (starting with the next door neighbors on the east side of the house), that just makes the banality of their evil more real to me.
trollhattan
@West of the Rockies:
Are they wired for civic engagement and social justice? I truly don’t know and think of NBA players as probably the most involved of the major sports, but then am blindsided by Lebron and the Hong Kong thing, which has me reappraising it all.
scav
I can smell the incense of Evangelical All-American Blue-Eyed Jesus-Juiced CHRISTianity from here. Second Coming!
Kelly
I have a niece that as a pedestrian was hit by an uninsured driver when she was 14. Brain injury from the impact left her disabled for the rest of her life. She’s now in her 30’s. Social security disability, food stamps and family is all she has and all she ever will have. No idea if her food stamps will be cut by this.
Mike in NC
Let’s all wish a Merry Impeachment to the Fat Orange Grinch, with several more articles coming in 2020.
debbie
Not sure how nationwide this story was, but the LSU QB who won the Heisman Trophy and is from Appalachia got a lot of attention with his acceptance speech. He spoke of the considerable poverty in his area, and this generated donations totaling about $1,000,000 to his county’s food bank. The director of the food bank has been musing aloud on the local news as she tries to figure out how to spend it; I’d like to suggest she share with the neighboring food banks who are struggling just as much as ever.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I like the nym: Every Billionaire Is a Policy Failure.
Warblewarble
Hunger builds character.The tRUMPthuglican christmas gift.
joel hanes
The cruelty is the point.
Worse than Scrooge.
TomatoQueen
@Kelly: From experience and the sound of things, the savagery being inflicted on the SNAP program has to do with the eligibility of recipients considered “able-bodied”, that is to say recipients not receiving an SSA or other disability benefit, who may or may not be working. This category of recipient always gets the extra vetting, the produce-more-paper-or-lose-the-benefits harassment, which tends to wax and wane depending on who is in office. Your niece is very unlikely to be in the target category, but whoever is in charge of getting her mail needs to be hypervigilant, watch for new notices, because this is policy where the states have a lot of leeway as to how they go about enforcement, and they could easily start bombarding all recipients with new requirements, new paper, new verifications. This happens about twice as often as actual direct reductions in benefit amounts. The proposed beat-down on SSI/SSDI as it is now in the comment period (so hurry up and comment on ssa.gov) will be done similarly: continuing disability reviews done more often than the standard 3 year intervals, which will be hardship for a lot of people as they are stringent as to what documentation/sources are allowed and require all new medical info–this is not at all something a disabled person can expect to get through on his/her own. Just more evil.
coin operated
@Derelict: stealing this….
artem1s
even Scrooge was embarrassed by his actions when exposed to light – saintly compared to the current crop of austerians.
cliosfanboy
@Warblewarble: it builds character for OTHER people
hells littlest angel
Republicanism always puts me in mind of this observation of Curzio Malaparte: “Capitalist society is founded on the conviction that in the absence of beings who suffer a man cannot enjoy to the full his possessions and his happiness.”
Juju
My comments lead to bad gateways. I give up. Feel pity for these empty people, not hate. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Brachiator
Trump’s move here is extra cruel for all kinds of reasons. Among them is that it also affects the working poor, who may not always have enough hours of work during a given period of time.
This stupid move also affects some supermarkets, which may in fact be employing people most likely to be affected by this tightening of eligibility requirements. So, businesses and people are both hurt.
Related to this, the Democrats tried to include some expansions to the Earned Income Credit in the massive budget bill just passed. The GOP rebuffed these efforts. Trump and his GOP buddies believe in giving the maximum amount of tax cuts and benefits to the wealthy. The poor, in particular, get a few scraps of cuts and benefits, and are expected to be grateful for what little attention is focused on them.
I would like to see the Earned Income Tax Credit expanded to give more to single people, to married people without children, and to seniors who continue to work after they have reached retirement age. Yeah, this comes close to universal basic income. Baby steps.
oatler.
@joel hanes: This passage was recreated in full during the excellant 1971 animated version.
James E Powell
When their benefits are cut, his supporters will convince themselves that African Americans and immigrants are still receiving benefits. They will tell tales of young bucks and cholos buying steaks and lobster. Someone will mention Obama-phones.
Villago Delenda Est
@hells littlest angel: They can’t enjoy their grand meals unless they know someone else is starving.
Mart
I get the disgusted look when I tell Republicans my 63 yo wife and I are on Obamacare, or back ten years ago when I got a couple weeks of unemployment checks. I imagine work requirements will be coming soon to our red state so no more ACA for us, unless the Supremes toss it right after the election. A lot of young men I speak to got Ayn Randed in their youth so plenty of mean I got mine fuck you all Republicans in the pipeline.