As I was Saying...

[paft.livejournal.com]

I was sorry to see that my original post was removed. Unfortunately, I was not at my desk when I was notified of the problem, so I could not alter it in time. Here is an amended version:

Remember Donny Ferguson, the Steve Stockman's aide who took the SNAP challenge and declared it a snap?

Well, it turns out he couldn't actually manage it.

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2013/06/on-food-stamp-challenge-stockman-aide-busted-budget-but.html/

But Ferguson, who bought his food and planned his meals at the beginning of the week, ran into a problem when attempting to travel –

Foiled by TSA. Can’t bring my #SNAPChallenge food on the plane with me, and I’m not paying $50 for the privilege of losing checked luggage.

— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) June 21, 2013

His solution? Since SNAP funding breaks down to $4.50 a day, Ferguson limited himself to $9 in meals while traveling.

#snapchallenge Update, Day 5: On the road. Buying $9 of food for dinner tonight and Saturday and Sunday.

— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) June 22, 2013

The Huffington Post noticed Ferguson’s tweet and pointed out that adding $9 to the original bill of $27.58 brought Ferguson beyond the $31.50 budget.

In the end Ferguson spent an additional $8.45 — $6.70 to feed himself and the rest to buy two cans of pork and beans for a local food bank. He spent $36.03 in total, going about 14 percent over budget.

In short, he discovered that a single unforeseen circumstance can toss you off the SNAP budget.

And yes, that unforeseen circumstance could quite possibly include a SNAP recipient taking a flight. It requires no great stretch of the imagination to imagine someone on SNAP taking a bereavement flight in the event of a family emergency. (I took one last autumn, after a close relative was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. Coast to coast for $10.) Nor does it break the bonds of credulity to imagine some other unforeseen event taking place that could have the effect of forcing the recipient to spend more than what is allotted by SNAP.

Not that this matters, of course, because we've reached the stage where, for many on the American right, it's about whether or not people are worthy of being fed -- not whether or not they can feed themselves adequately. We seem to be approaching a mindset similar to the old British poor laws, in which recipients were deliberately starved and humiliated on the dubious grounds that poverty is an indication of of laziness, shiftlessness, or some other moral malaise.

It is my opinion that the issue should not be whether or not we approve of everyone who gets aid. It should be whether or not they need it.

.

Comments

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Yes, the GOP is just a thin cover for social darwinists now.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Coast to coast for $10???

I'll be honest, I am part of the poor working class, but I can find 10 bucks to spend. How do I get to visit Cali or Oregon (from NY) for 10 bucks.....


And also, you may not have seen in the comments, but my response to the "OMG THEY ARE FLYING?! THEY CAN'T BE POOR!" is that it's entirely possible that they are flying for work purposes and not for personal purposes.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[muscadinegirl.livejournal.com]

My husband says it all the time: the Republicans want to go back, not to the 1950s, but to the 1850s, economically.

Not that this matters, of course, because we've reached the stage where, for many on the American right, it's about whether or not people are worthy of being fed -- not whether or not they can feed themselves adequately. We seem to be approaching a mindset similar to the old British poor laws, in which recipients were deliberately starved and humiliated on the dubious grounds that poverty is an indication of laziness, shiftlessness, or some other moral malaise.

It has been that way for decades now.

[paft.livejournal.com]

es: Coast to coast for $10???

Yep. A red-eye and coach, but only $10.

es: How do I get to visit Cali or Oregon (from NY) for 10 bucks.....

Have a very dear, very close relative develop stage four cancer of the lungs, bones, and brain.

Frankly, I could have done without that.

es: it's entirely possible that they are flying for work purposes and not for personal purposes.

Indeed.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Wait, so you got a discount on your air-fare because of a sick relative?

I am not trying to be mean here, I simply am not sure I understand.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reposting with amendments. Sorry about the lost comment content.

[paft.livejournal.com]

eg: Wait, so you got a discount on your air-fare because of a sick relative?

Yes. I got to catch a flight at about 11:30 pm to get me to the east coast so I could deal with this very serious family crisis.

I wasn't running to the bedside of someone with a bad case of the flu.

If you find yourself faced with this kind of emergency, you can sometimes -- not always, but sometimes -- negotiate a price with an airline representative. Similar discounts are often offered to bereaved people trying to get to funerals or other memorial services.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Not that this matters, of course, because we've reached the stage where, for many on the American right, it's about whether or not people are worthy of being fed -- not whether or not they can feed themselves adequately. We seem to be approaching a mindset similar to the old British poor laws, in which recipients were deliberately starved and humiliated on the dubious grounds that poverty is an indication of of laziness, shiftlessness, or some other moral malaise

^That was not a stage we 'reached'. We were there all along. It's just that nowadays they're back to being unsubtle about it.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

Irritating for those of us in the middle of things: but conventions exist for a purpose. :)

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

SNAP.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Ferguson's mistake was playing a rigged game.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

it's a bereavement fare. They've been around for a very long time.

[404.livejournal.com]

If the government isn't paying for 100% of your weekly food bill, the poor will starve!

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Yeah, so geeks can get laid. *rimshot*

[paft.livejournal.com]

Rigged against the poor.

[404.livejournal.com]

So how much should the government give to poor people to buy their food each week? If you can't give a number, how about a percentage. 50%? 75%? 100%?

[paft.livejournal.com]

This isn't about paying 100% of everyone's weekly food bill.

It's about providing enough government assistance that the poor won't have to go without food.

[paft.livejournal.com]

That would depend on where someone was living and what was the average cost of food in that area and at that time.

[404.livejournal.com]

So how much will ensure that?

[404.livejournal.com]

What percentage of their weekly food bill is fair, regardless of their location?

[vitsli.livejournal.com]

Implementation question!

I bet you won't get an exact answer though.

[paft.livejournal.com]

That depends on where food prices are and the extent to which wages other income have kept up with inflation. It varies region from region.

[404.livejournal.com]

What percentage of their weekly food bill is fair, regardless of their location?

[404.livejournal.com]

I don't expect an answer, other than obfuscation.

[paft.livejournal.com]

Again, that would depend on where food prices were and the extent to which wages and other income had kept up with them.

What percentage of our incomes do you think should be spent on funding our military, or emergency services like the police, or transportation services like highways and railroads? Can you answer in detail questions about, say, how much should be spent on road repairs? Rust prevention? Training?

Or, better yet, do you IMAGINE you can answer such questions?