Priced Out of Food Stamps by the Stimulus
Under the economic recovery plan, laid-off workers have seen a $25 weekly bump in their unemployment checks as part of a broad expansion of benefits for the poor. But the law did not raise the income cap for food stamp eligibility, so the extra money has pushed some people over the limit.
The story that follows is infuriating and heart-wrenching. It's the accumulation of anecdotes like this that cause people to hate the government and its "red tape." Never mind that I've had similar outrageous bureaucratic snafus with corporate America - though, none, by the way, that caused me to go hungry. At least in DC they're trying to increase access to and the value of food stamps.
In other news, If I don't close out some of the tabs in Firefox, my PC might crash on me, so here's a domestic poverty news dump:
Credit card issuers are willing to make a deal on your debt! I wonder if record high default rates have anything to do with this sudden "largesse"...
Wireless carriers earn $7 for every free cell phone and service they provide to a low-income person. A win-win?
So I think this chiding comes every year - I certainly know it did post-Katrina - but what I want to know is, will the US heed its call in the Obama Era? "UN Expert calls on US to address ongoing issues of racism."
Worker death costs Tyson Foods only $500,000. Presumably, little of the $630M in spending for 2009 is for improved workplace safety.
(Photo by indiewench)
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