About 100 Senior Citizens Rally Against Food Cuts

JSOnline via AP ^ | March 13, 2006 | Staff Writer from AP

[Diana in Wisconsin]

GREENFIELD, WI (AP) -- About 100 senior citizens rallied to protest a proposal by the Bush administration to eliminate a program that provides grains, cereal, cheese, canned goods and other food to the poor.

"I'd work if I could, but I can't anymore," Marie Davis, 84, said Sunday during the gathering organized by the Hunger Task Force. "Every month I pay my bills, and then whatever's left goes for food."

The rally against cuts in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program proposed for next year was held at the Greenfield City Hall, a distribution point for the program.

Sherrie Tussler, the task force's director, said 5,000 people in Milwaukee receive the stock boxes.

"I've been told that we have to eliminate 700 people by June," she said. "I don't know how we're going to do it."

Those receiving the boxes cannot earn more than $1,037 a month, and there is a waiting list of those who are eligible for the program and want to participate.

The Bush administration says the program duplicates other services for the poor, such as food stamps and the Women, Infants and Children program.

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., the only elected official to attend the rally, vowed to keep fighting for the funding.

"This represents how we have hit rock bottom," she said. "Here we are, the richest country in the world, and we can't feed our poor."

[BenLurkin]

America CAN feed eVeryone.

Everyone has families, or friends, or a local church or mosque or coven that can box up a loaf of bread some cans of soup a block of cheese a box of corn flakes and a box of podwered milk once a month.

[spikeytx86]

At those income levels these people are eligible for food stamps. They have no kids to tend to and the elderly are not usually heavy eaters so how is it they can not get by on at least there income and food stamps? They now spend a whole heaping lot less on meds now thanks to socialist-care RX so they cant use that cop out. There were times when me my mother and sister got by on less then a g with out government assistance, it's called tightening the belt and clever budgeting. There is also food banks and pantries and churches usually at least once a week will offer a full dinner at low cost, there are also soup kitchens. It's not great but if your starving at $1,000 a mo. income with only you and maybe your spouse your a bad budgeter (unless you live in NYC or SF then your screwed.)

[kittymyrib]

Speaking of the "dole", I was shocked when Bob Dole was running for president to hear him recall how it made him sad, as a county official in KS, to have to issue monthly welfare checks to his grandparents! In our family, we would have starved ourselves in order to take care of our grandparents without asking the government to do it. I couldn't imagine what kind of man would admit such a shameful thing in his campaign speeches. That's the year I voted for Harry Brown, God rest his soul.

[Graybeard58]

I buy huge boxes of bread (wrapped loaves) at the Day Old Bread Store for ONE DOLLAR to feed to my laying hens

I have seen what I believe to be farmers loading pick ups full of bread from the returned bread store and just guessed that they were feeding their hogs, I guess that it would work for chickens too.

I also read a thread on F.R. that it isn't a good idea to feed birds old bread because it fills them up without supplying very much nutrition.(I still feed them though)

[upchuck]

if we can give special tax breaks to NASCAR owners like we did in the last major tax act a year or so ago,

I'd like to learn more about this. Do you have a link? Thanks!

[Graybeard58]

Everyone has families, or friends, or a local church or mosque or coven that can box up a loaf of bread some cans of soup a block of cheese a box of corn flakes and a box of podwered milk once a month.

Eye of newt, toe of frog from the "covens".

[The Old Hoosier]

Remember Dick Gephardt talking about how his mother needed Social Security to survive? Really sick.

[RexBeach]

Good idea!

You're correct. Take one step toward the transmittal of wealth and it never stops, nor are there many choices.

Semper Fi!

[OpusatFR]

"How about local ccharities picking up the slack?"

We do. I leave for work in about an hour. Our donations are low after all the disasters last year and most of us contribute our own money and take on special needs people when they need clothes or coats or money for their utilities.

These "people" are poor. Most of them are alone, estranged, and ill. Lots of the extended families are struggling too.

Regardless of the reasons for their plights, the fact remains that we have a duty to the poor. In most cases, their medical needs and inflation have just eaten up whatever retirement funds they had.

It is very easy to discuss how they should or should not be conducting their lives or how they did or did not save enough or plan enough when you aren't on the edge.

[nomorelurker]

I remember that program because a lot of those receiving the food were too lazy to cook anything. Once they ate the peanut butter and other canned goods they gave away the flour, cornmeal and anything that required work to prepare as food. I baked a lot of bread with flour given to me by some on that program.

[RexBeach]

You are correct, of course.

In my time, I've worked with more poor people than most people meet in their entire lives. Poor is poor, no matter how it happened.

But I discovered a ton of waste during my time with the poor...from charities to governments. It is a dog's meal.

[OpusatFR]

"But I discovered a ton of waste during my time with the poor...from charities to governments. It is a dog's meal."

Exactly. I'm still trying to get rid of 1000 toothbrushes given to us by a company.

They may not be fed, but those remaining teeth are going to be shiny bright! ( -;

[MBB1984]

I don't have a link, but it is in the "American Jobs Creation Act of 2004." It was a Bill laden with Pork and targeted corporate welfare tax breaks with a few good provisions.

[Shanda]

President Reagan started the program when he learned that the food was simply going bad from long term storage. He said it was better to give to the needy than let it rot.

Now if they would stop buying it period, that would be fine but I can't help but think President Bush wants to use the food to give to other countries where it will simply be stolen by those in charge then sold.

[goodnesswins]

Or smoke....or go to Casinos to gamble.....or eat stupid stuff.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"The surplus food program was the federal welfare food program in place before food stamps."

When I was a kid, we lived in Milwaukee. We were dirt poor, and lived with my Mom's parents while my Mom worked menial jobs and Dad went to college to better himself and get us out of that hellhole (that was in the mid-60's...we escaped in 1970.)

My favorite meal was Grandma's homemade Mac-n-Cheese with free Government Cheese. :)

Please note two things:

1. We took advantage of charity when we needed it.
2. We got OUT of needing charity as soon as we could.

Funny how that escapes most people these days. ;)

I have NO problem with helping the elderly poor, but this particular program is a DUPLICATE. They're double-dipping, IMHO.

[NKByrum]

....Bill laden with Pork.....


I thought it said Bin Laden with Pork.....then it hit me...what would Bin Laden be doing with Pork???

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"I also read a thread on F.R. that it isn't a good idea to feed birds old bread because it fills them up without supplying very much nutrition.(I still feed them though)"

For my hens, it's just a supplemental treat from time to time. They get cracked corn, laying mash, lots of water, and boxes of fruit and veggie scraps that I get from my local produce man. (Of course, I get first pick at produce that others turn their noses up at. An apple with a bruise? OMG! I can't eat THAT! Fools.)

My hens eat better than the Seniors in this story. *Rolleyes* Come on. They MUST be smarter than chickens when it comes to "scratching out a living" for themselves. ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"It is very easy to discuss how they should or should not be conducting their lives or how they did or did not save enough or plan enough when you aren't on the edge."

That's a good point. I've been poor in the past, ate my share of government cheese and food pantry food as a kid. But now that I can afford it, I always have a box of foodstuffs ready to go to the Food Pantry in my Cow Town of 6,000. It's really easy to share for those of us that do know how to budget and do know how to shop wisely for foodstuffs.

HOWEVER, I totally resent my tax dollars going to duplicate programs when these things SHOULD be handled by communities, family and private or church charities. There's nothing that irks me more than Socialists like Gwen Moore (D, WI) whining that they're losing some benefit for their constituency that's been wastefully funded with my tax dollars for decades on end. Why don't Dims ever work to assist EVERYONE that falls within their constituency? If she's got hungry people to feed in her district, why isn't she organizing a Food Drive or something...betcha many Conservatives in her district would be MORE than generous and would have workable solutions for her to test out.

But, no. Their "solutions" always involve digging deeper into my pocket. And I don't like it. No sir, I don't! :)

[sheana]

I agree with you. Leave the poor elderly alone.
How about we cut a bunch of that foreign aid we send all over the world? I would much rather see our tax dollars go to our own citizens instead of the palestinians, mexicans, etc.