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 will ensure that?

[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?

[paft.livejournal.com]

That's not something that can be determined "regardless of their location."

[404.livejournal.com]

Sure it can. How much should the government help poor people to procure the food the need each week? The question doesn't need modifiers dependent on location or price.

[paft.livejournal.com]

404: The question doesn't need modifiers dependent on location or price.

Yes it does. Locations and prices determine what percentage of their income the average person there spends on necessities like food and shelter.

[404.livejournal.com]

No it doesn't. There is a baseline need for any person/family. The government decides how much of that need they will provide. The actual payment is tailored to the current condition of said people/family. So, how much should the government contribute to said needs?

[paft.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but you keep denying reality. I am not in a position to say what percentage of a person's income, or what dollar amount would suffice because those things vary depending on time and location. Anyone with a working knowledge of how agriculture and food distribution understands this. Nor am I in a position to calculate the budget for a project of that scale, any more than I could calculate how to construct a bridge that could safely hold rush hour traffic over a period of fifty years.

[404.livejournal.com]

But you are willing to proclaim that SNAP, as constructed, isn't enough right now. When is it enough to satisfy you?

[paft.livejournal.com]

404: But you are willing to proclaim that SNAP, as constructed, isn't enough right now.

Yes, just as I would say that a bridge that collapsed during normal rush hour traffic wasn't adequately constructed.