Posted on 04/12/2015 8:48:48 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
BRUNSWICK, Me. — The food pantry here, just off the main drag in this neat college town, gets busiest on Wednesdays, when the parking lot is jammed and clients squeeze into the lobby, flipping through books left on a communal shelf as they wait their turn to select about a week’s worth of food.
The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is intended to be a supplemental food pantry, but a growing number of clients here and at pantries around the state have little else to rely on because of a change in state policy this year. That change is part of an adjustment being made by states that will strip food stamp benefits from a million childless, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 49, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on low-income Americans.
Last year, the administration of Gov. Paul R. LePage, a Republican, decided to reimpose a three-month limit (out of every three-year period) on food stamps for a group often known as Abawds — able-bodied adults without minor dependents — unless they work 20 hours per week, take state job-training courses or volunteer for about six hours per week. Maine, like other states, makes some exceptions.
“You’ve got to incentivize employment, create goals and create time limits on these welfare programs,” said Mary Mayhew, the commissioner of health and human services in Maine. She said the measure was in line with Mr. LePage’s efforts to reform welfare. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The economy is improving???? Is it tens of millions of workers who are out of work that makes it improve? Is it the fact that virtually 100% of the new jobs created go to H1Bs and illegals? Fantasy and fiction all the way.
They’re running low on budget but just cutting EBT would be cruel. So, the economy is improving therefore the EBT can be cut. The hardest hit will be liquor sales and drug dealers. (EBT is an income plan whereby users buy and resell merchandise cheaply for cash.)
“as the Economy Improves”
In what universe?
There's a big difference between those in need and those in want.
The trend in comments is as I expected.
‘Tightening’ or ‘restricting’ is a Conservative argument. Whatever this article is asserting is far from Conservative coming from the birdcage liner...
They’re ‘tightening’ because in order for them to have enough to hand out to all the ‘refugees’ being resettled by State and all the ‘guests’ being placed by the Puppet they have to cut that being provided to actual Americans.
.02
The writer of this article Jess Bidgood must be a complete Obama lackey nitwit. Economy improving my A$$!! Business’s are still laying off and closing here in SW Pennsylvania. States are hurting that’s why they are tightening up the food stamp rolls. The gravy train is running out of track.
It's about time a republican actually did something to help someone. Most republicans rape the taxpayers as much as the communist democrats do, and have no problem assisting in destroying peoples lives with their governments heroin.
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Maine’s Gov. leads the way - now got that group on food stamps down to just over 2,500 from 12,000. That’s a LOT in a small state.
Gov. lePage is also trumpeting ‘no food stamps used in casinos, vacation trips, tattoos, etc.
Our state demRats heads are exploding -
There but for the grace of God... and all that... but even in a struggling economy, I would have thought an able-bodied adult would be able to find some work in three months.
Printing of money is the only thing keeping the U.S. economy afloat. Everything right now is running on monopoly money.
We're 18 trillion in debt. If the feds were to increase interest rates as much as a full % or two, the U.S would go bankrupt.
Notice how the feds say they're going to have to raise interest rates "in about 6 months", but every six months they grant an extension. It's because they CAN'T and NEVER will be able to raise the rates - not without bursting the national debt bubble.
They've pushed the economy in to a corner and now there's no way out. The printing of money can go on forever, but the more money they print, the less it's worth. Eventually, a sheet of toilet paper is going to be 10 times more valuable.
Washington can't fix this. Maybe that's why the military has been moved into the U.S. cities. Maybe that's why they're having "people control" drills right now. There has to be a good reason for this, because this type of training isn't cheap - especially when we already owe 18 trillion with no way to ever pay it off!
I use examples like yours often.
Hubby’s daughter showed up one time to beg for money to pay their $75 electric bill. She and her Hubby both had $5 cups of Starbucks in their hand. I told her we drink coffee at home and if you did too maybe you could pay your bills.
My best friend was moaning recently that her house is being foreclosed on and she doesn’t know what to do...for the 2nd time. She still has top of the line cable with all the premium channels, a $100 a mnth cell phone, and a car payment even though she doesn’t work and goes nowhere and her son lives with her and has a car that’s paid for. That’s about $600 a month that could be going towards her house payment.
A friend’s husband is babysitting for free everyday for his son because of a divorce. She said they were going to give him one of their old cars to help out. He said no and went and bought a new Tahoe with a nice big payment. I said well heck that payment would pay a babysitter every mnth.
Am so sick of people that won’t take responsibility but mostly it’s our fault for enabling everyone.
Well the economy is improving statement is just false but the term limits on welfare do tend to spur people to look for work harder. Maybe take a job they overlooked before.
More lies about “improving economy” while we have the most people out of work in all of American history. It’s a miracle the unemployed havent burned down the newspapers which print this contemptuous crap. Thank Heaven for that!
1st qtr GDP growth was 0% wasn’t it??
There is a church on corner down the road from us with food pantry on Saturdays. I am amazed at the nice cars and clothes these people have heading into to the church.
I see Gwyneth Patrow is trying to show how much 29.00 on food stamps buys. Some lettuce and rice she says.
Yep- I have a half brother down in Toledo who works mon-friday delivering chinese food, gets paid under the table, lives with his long time girlfriend, and gets monthly food stamps. He is of course, hard core Democrat. I love him dearly, but this is just crazy.
That is only for the single, able-body ones. People with dependent children, disabled and elderly count for almost 250,000 who still get food stamps.
I shop with a grocery list. More than once, I’ve been approached by a young woman hovering by the door, offering to get the items on my list in return for 50% to 70% of its value in cash.
In short, money laundering of SNAP money.
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