Food and stamps...who cares?

Food Stamps, now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been a part of my life for a long time and yes, I have a very strong opinion about this program.

When I was a child, one of three children being raised by a single mom who got zero support from either my father or my brother's father, we had Food Stamps. There was no shame in this because we were very poor and all our friends got Food Stamps also. I did not even know there were people out there who would view me harshly for having Food Stamps until I was much older.

However, at a very young age I had already realized the only people who get Food Stamps were those who were very poor and really need them. I have heard the stories of fraud. Everyone against Food Stamps has a story to tell about how someone got them, was very well off and "abusing" the system. My standard reply to that comment now is, "How come you didn't report that person to the agency if you are so certain that person is committing fraud?" Ultimately, no one knows another person's financial circumstances. Those allegations are based mostly on speculation and a lack of empathy for people in poverty.

Which takes me to a conversation I had with a few co-workers and I had the nerve to show my "blue-ness." One lady said the state of Kansas was cutting salaries for state workers. A single mom who has child care bills was interviewed and said how is she to pay for the care her children needs with so much less money, 7.5% cut in pay...OUCH! My female co-worker asked how is this woman to pay for expenses with such a pay cut. My reply was, "No one cares how she is to survive." A male co-worker offered comments that hinted that people need to care for themselves...how "Christian" of him. This male co-worker comments often about being a pastor-in-training and yet his lack of empathy for people in poverty always amazes me.

My response was, that is why social programs are for...Section 8, childcare financial assistance and Food Stamps. Everyone seemed stunned by the tone of my voice and the determined look on my face. Actually, I think they were trying to make out whether I favored such programs or thought they were a leech upon society. They obviously don't know me well so I decided to clarify.

I said these programs are for people who need help. However, to qualify for said programs means you have to be incredibly poor. Working poor people have a very hard time getting even the tiniest amount of help to prevent themselves from falling into a bigger financial bind. In the state of Missouri a family of 2 must make less than $1600 a month before qualifying for Food Stamps. It does not matter if the family of 2 is made up of two able-bodied adults, a mom and child, a disabled adult and disabled child or any combination. Keep in mind that in the KC area a decent 2-bedroom apartment is about $550 a month, throw in utilities and other essentials and how much money is left? Being generous and saying utilities are about 200, you are down to 900 to last the month. Don't let the car break down, don't forget the cell phone bill and if you want "entertainment" you have to have cable TV but even without cable, you really need a cell phone these days. The days of public telephones have gone away. Prescription medications take a bite too, gas for that car is now at $3 a gallon. Point being made is, that money dries up very quickly

The male co-worker's comment was we can't "write a check" for everyone who is having a financial problem. Did he go deaf during part of my conversation? I think so. People like him tend to hear only a portion of what you are saying and immediately begin forming their response. They are polite enough to let you finish talking but they haven't heard anything you said.

I said the country isn't as broke as people would like to think. Social programs take up a tiny bit of the national budget, unlike the billions we are spending on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Blaming poor people for their poverty is like praising rich people for being rich. In most cases, poor people were born into poverty, rich people were born into wealth. Neither did anything to deserve their stations in life...however...to be poor means ridicule and lectures. To be rich means you are intelligent and deserving praise. I say consider the situation of Paris Hilton. She was born rich and I have seen her do nothing to deserve that wealth, attention or adoration. She has made a home porn tape, done time in jail and gotten jobs in crappy films. I am horribly UNimpressed with Ms. Hilton.

Our country does provide methods for getting out of poverty but any single parent will tell you that it's a steep hill to climb when you have young children. Society doesn't value children, despite what many Republican lawmakers claim. As soon as a poor person asks for help to raise that future taxpayer, Republicans and their supporters say that person should have considered how to raise that child before having that child when we know most of them made no such considerations before they got busy.

In hard times, it's just so much easier to kick around people in poverty.