Almost one in 10 Floridians on food stamps

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Almost one in 10 Floridians on food stamps
BY JOSE PAGLIERY
jpagliery@MiamiHerald.com

Unemployed and strapped for cash, Floridians are asking for state assistance to feed their families in record numbers.

In the last two years, the number of Floridians on food stamps has increased more than 40 percent to 1.7 million. That increase is the highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And it's the second-largest jump in the state's history, surpassed only during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, said an analyst at the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington-based think tank.

Almost one in 10 Floridians is now on food stamps, and state managers say many more qualify.

Evidence of the unprecedented rise was on display at the Florida Department of Children & Families office in Miami recently, where the line of people waiting for help snaked out the door and around the corner.

One of them was Hardy Prado, who held his 22-month-old daughter in his arms while he waited to check on the status of his application.

As a handyman, his work is irregular and his paycheck isn't enough to pay the bills. And Prado said it has been almost impossible for his partner, Ana Camacho, to find work since she left her job at a Doral flower shop on maternity leave in February 2007.

With every increase of the unemployment rate, drop in the housing market and tightening of credit, food stamp lines have lengthened, said Stacy Dean, a director at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
People ''lose income, and they need help buying food,'' she said.

Dean said it's no surprise that Florida's increase surpasses the rest of the nation. Nationally, states hit hard by the housing downturn have experienced the largest increases, such as Nevada.

Excerpt: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/brea...ry/829187.html

[Dale Duffy]

Hi Joe,

Man, that is wild (1-10)...things are not looking good at all, everywhere..!!

Really cannot imagine things getting worse, but they will----

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

It appears that Florida ain't the only state suffering either. Hopefully we can end the morally corrupt war in Iraq and repatriate those war-bucks back th the United States to aid the American public.

======================================

20% more people on food stamps in 2008 than 2007 in Wisconsin

15% more people on food stamps in Iowa

13.8% increase in California

30% increase in New York

18.5% increase in Massachusetts

Record number in Washington state on food stamps

31,000,000 Americans received food stamps in Sept, up 2,000,000 from the month before

One in ten Americans on food stamps, number likely to increase

[Kenneth Lott]

Don't you mean, the evil American public joey?

[Kenneth Lott]

obama to the rescue...

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by klott

Don't you mean, the evil American public joey?

Nope!

Kenny, I'm talkin' about the very same blue-state American public that dutifully rose to the challenge and elected your President... Barrack Obama!

[Nick Gromicko]

Cut all corporate taxes now.

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

Yeah, I know of some people who are on unemployment too but it isn't because they can't get a job, they won't go get one. Then they turn around and ***** because it isn't more money than it is. These are grown adults too who ought to know better. I could go out this afternoon and get ten jobs without even trying too hard. I guess you really have to want to work or be willing to do a job that isn't too glamorous.

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Bailout billions funding bonuses
December 19, 2008 - 12:30 AM

Though class envy has become a major theme of our politics, the silence has been deafening in response to what was disclosed in a November report that should boil one's blood.

It's a financial report that gives "thanks" for the federal financial bailouts because they will enable banks and Wall Street firms to pay out big holiday bonuses to wealthy executives working for companies that have lost billions.

Bailout money, gloats the report, means we'll see "thousands of people who make millions of dollars" in bonuses despite the recession.
Be happy for these bonuses. After all, you're paying them. You're paying for them even if you're unemployed because of the havoc wreaked on the economy by the bonus crowd's mismanaged companies and the federal government's decision to bail them out.


Excerpt: http://www.jdnews.com/opinion/bonuse...t_failure.html

[Nick Gromicko]

Doug brings up a good point. About the worst thing we can do for the economy is to alleviate the pressure on the unemployed. You don't want anyone to actually starve, but you want to keep the pressure on the unemployed, at least during this economic slowdown. Keeping the unemployed comfortable results in dragging out the recession. It's much like a stomach flue. Take the hit hard, don't take any medication, and get it over with.

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by gromicko

About the worst thing we can do for the economy is to alleviate the pressure on the unemployed.

Banks That Got $188 Billion in Bailout Money This Year Paid Out $1.6 Billion to Top Execs Last Year

[Nick Gromicko]

Joe, I have a friend who earns 100 times what I earn. His home is a bit bigger and he drinks better wine, but other than that, we live about the same. He drives a 2 year old vehicle, I drive a 2 year old vehicle. He gets a haircut, I get a haircut. I actually eat more than he does.

So what does he, and the rest of the super rich, do with all that money? They can only do 4 things... all of them good:

1. They can save it in a bank. Which makes it available for others to borrow. Remember, banks don't have any money. They can only loan money that others lend them.

2. They can pay taxes on it. Which the government can then use to build dams or waste on social programs.

3. They can invest it in existing businesses or start new businesses. Which employs people and creates products and services for others.

4. They can give it away. Which helps charities.

What I'm trying to say is that the money can't be hoarded away. All money has to be doing something somewhere.

[Michael Larson]

I think a lot of people should be in jail over this mess.

Trouble is I haven't heard anyone in the Obama camp saying they will pursue these crooks including Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.

[Nick Gromicko]

The whole trick to getting out of a depression, IMHO, has to do with succeeding at quickly moving as many people as we can from the "comfortable" status to the "scared and mean" status.

We need every hand on deck and working. Not spending. Working.

If the government wants to spend money... have the government buy TVs and video games from Americans, pile them up in the street, and smash them.

[Joseph T. Burkeson, CMI]

Originally Posted by mlarson

I think a lot of people should be in jail over this mess.

Trouble is I haven't heard anyone in the Obama camp saying they will pursue these crooks including Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.

I think he will most likely go for the big fish first Bush & Cheney.