The 2014 Farm Bill: The Wealth Gap Continues to Grow
Recently Congress passed and the President approved of the 2014 Farm Bill with a number of changes from the previous bill in 2008. I was curious about the 2014 Farm Bill so I did a little research that left me with a few questions about how the bill was changed and how the changes have been portrayed in the press.
There were cuts to the Food Stamp (SNAP) program. $8.6 billion were cut from the program. This amounts to a cut from $4.45 per day per participant to $4.33 per day per participant. This may not be perceived as much of a change but it is when you consider that the price of food ONLY goes up, 70% of the recipients of this program are children and this program is to feed the hungry in our great country.
Yes, I know of the horror stories of the person that you see in the grocery store line that is buying buying a loaf of bread, getting cash back from the SNAP card and buy liquid and cigarettes with the cash. Question is, do you really believe that example is the majority of people who are in the program? I don't believe that but most far right conservatives want you to believe that. I am not sure if they really believe that or just want us all to believe that. I believe that most of the people in the program are kids who have parents who are trying to feed them.
The far right, and the press that support them, want you to believe that most people involved in the SNAP program are poor people of color who are trying to get over on you and the rest of the country by living off the system. While the majority are people of color, the overwhelming majority in this and any other 'social safety net program' are honest hard working people who are struggling to feed their families. Besides, one could argue that 'getting over' is the 'American way.' But it matters who is trying to 'get over' and who they are trying to 'get over' on. That is another post for another time but we are a nation of cheaters.
The Republican controlled House of Representatives originally proposed a $740 billion cut in the SNAP program. That equals a cut from $4.45 per day to $0 per day. That's right, they proposed to let our American children starve. They championed this, seeming to say "Hey look vote for us we are stopping 'these people' from getting over on us. So somehow it is ok to take food off the plates of these families of color because we are to believe they are stealing from the system.
I find it interesting that in the final bill what was not publicized to nearly the same extent in the press was that direct payments to farmers were eliminated. Instead they get subsidies for their crop insurance. They are also taking money/food from hard working farm families but the majority of them are white so that is not publicized because if it was the perception would be that they were cruel and greedy for taking food off the tables of hard working American families.
Are we not all, with a few exceptions, hard working American families? Shouldn't we all be treated like it? Many people of all colors and backgrounds have benefited from the social safety net. The Pew Research Center (www.pewsocialtrends.org) found that 55% of Americans have received help at one point in their lives from one of the major programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Welfare or Unemployment benefits) and goes on to say:
While politically, congressional Republicans have focused on reducing spending on federal entitlement programs, the Pew Research survey found the U.S. to be “a “bipartisan nation of beneficiaries.”
While I can't clearly say this is a 'race' thing, I can say that there are elements in our country that only care about getting more even if that means others have less or nothing. Those 'elements' in our country is highly skilled at keeping various races, classes and economic groups separate and scared of each other. If something is not done about this it will be a scary day when all of these parties figure out that they are in the same boat and that they should be one powerful group rather than less powerful splintered groups.
That's All I Got!
I'm Out!
44Black
There were cuts to the Food Stamp (SNAP) program. $8.6 billion were cut from the program. This amounts to a cut from $4.45 per day per participant to $4.33 per day per participant. This may not be perceived as much of a change but it is when you consider that the price of food ONLY goes up, 70% of the recipients of this program are children and this program is to feed the hungry in our great country.
Yes, I know of the horror stories of the person that you see in the grocery store line that is buying buying a loaf of bread, getting cash back from the SNAP card and buy liquid and cigarettes with the cash. Question is, do you really believe that example is the majority of people who are in the program? I don't believe that but most far right conservatives want you to believe that. I am not sure if they really believe that or just want us all to believe that. I believe that most of the people in the program are kids who have parents who are trying to feed them.
The far right, and the press that support them, want you to believe that most people involved in the SNAP program are poor people of color who are trying to get over on you and the rest of the country by living off the system. While the majority are people of color, the overwhelming majority in this and any other 'social safety net program' are honest hard working people who are struggling to feed their families. Besides, one could argue that 'getting over' is the 'American way.' But it matters who is trying to 'get over' and who they are trying to 'get over' on. That is another post for another time but we are a nation of cheaters.
The Republican controlled House of Representatives originally proposed a $740 billion cut in the SNAP program. That equals a cut from $4.45 per day to $0 per day. That's right, they proposed to let our American children starve. They championed this, seeming to say "Hey look vote for us we are stopping 'these people' from getting over on us. So somehow it is ok to take food off the plates of these families of color because we are to believe they are stealing from the system.
I find it interesting that in the final bill what was not publicized to nearly the same extent in the press was that direct payments to farmers were eliminated. Instead they get subsidies for their crop insurance. They are also taking money/food from hard working farm families but the majority of them are white so that is not publicized because if it was the perception would be that they were cruel and greedy for taking food off the tables of hard working American families.
Are we not all, with a few exceptions, hard working American families? Shouldn't we all be treated like it? Many people of all colors and backgrounds have benefited from the social safety net. The Pew Research Center (www.pewsocialtrends.org) found that 55% of Americans have received help at one point in their lives from one of the major programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Welfare or Unemployment benefits) and goes on to say:
While politically, congressional Republicans have focused on reducing spending on federal entitlement programs, the Pew Research survey found the U.S. to be “a “bipartisan nation of beneficiaries.”
While I can't clearly say this is a 'race' thing, I can say that there are elements in our country that only care about getting more even if that means others have less or nothing. Those 'elements' in our country is highly skilled at keeping various races, classes and economic groups separate and scared of each other. If something is not done about this it will be a scary day when all of these parties figure out that they are in the same boat and that they should be one powerful group rather than less powerful splintered groups.
That's All I Got!
I'm Out!
44Black
posted by 44Black at 12:55 PM
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