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

[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]

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]

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

[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?

[404.livejournal.com]

Food needs should be easy to calculate compared to the other things you threw up to obfuscate the discussion. The amount of daily cost or any other variables which only serve to muddy the water aren't necessary, only what percentage should the government contribute to keeping poor people fed?

[muscadinegirl.livejournal.com]

Not necessarily. Is the area a food-producing region? What foods have to be shipped in from elsewhere? Was there a good or bad harvest? How much do food sellers have to pay for overhead in the area? Even such seemingly unrelated factors as property values and the price of fuel in a region can change the price of food.

[paft.livejournal.com]

404: Food needs should be easy to calculate compared to the other things you threw up to obfuscate the discussion. The amount of daily cost or any other variables which only serve to muddy the water aren't necessary.

Of course they're necessary. The price of food often varies depending on how far you live from where it's grown/produced, what kind of year it's been for crops, herds, etc., and the percentage of income you spend on it depends on the extent to which wages and other sources of income have grown or fallen.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Fair? What does this have to do with fairness?

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

We know this on a macro level from the FDA data I provided. The number depends on how "frugal" or "liberal" your budget is, but it ranges between $7K and $13K for a family of four, as of 2012.

[vitsli.livejournal.com]

Implementation question!

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

[404.livejournal.com]

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

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

But you put the question anyway, just in case? ;)

[paft.livejournal.com]

You won't get answers on implementation because none of us here are professionals whose job is determining the budget for projects of that scale.

[404.livejournal.com]

But you will complain, regardless of your training or expertise, on the state of the current implementation.

[paft.livejournal.com]

404: But you will complain, regardless of your training or expertise, on the state of the current implementation.

Yes, when the current implementation is leaving people with inadequate food supplies, I will complain, just as I will complain if a recently built bridge comes tumbling down on a clear day during normal rush hour traffic, even though I can't answer technical questions about how to build a bridge. I will also complain if houses start collapsing due to poor engineering and construction, even though I can't answer questions about engineering and construction.

[vitsli.livejournal.com]

>> You won't get answers on implementation

Of course. You're not a professional to explain how this policy is supposed to work, yet you're professional enough to reason such a system shall exist.
That's exactly what I'm saying.

[paft.livejournal.com]

v: You're not a professional to explain how this policy is supposed to work, yet you're professional enough to reason such a system shall exist.

Yes. I also believe that roads should be maintained and buildings should be constructed so they can be used safely, even though I'm not a professional construction engineer.

[404.livejournal.com]

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

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Considering the quality of the questions, I'm surprised she even bothers answering you guys.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Oh snap!

[404.livejournal.com]

BAZINGA!

[404.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the gif-instead-of-an-argument man has any room to judge.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

404 mad!

[vitsli.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, she always does.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

And you always ask the really bad questions.