Send food stamp recipients to work

[Jazzy]

New federal grants will help 10 states test programs to help food stamp recipients find jobs, from using career coaches to quicker training courses to mental health assistance.

The grants, announced Friday in Georgia by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, come as the Republican Congress is exploring ways to cut the program, which cost $74 billion last year — twice its cost in 2008.

The grants, announced Friday in Georgia by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, come as the Republican Congress is exploring ways to cut the program, which cost $74 billion last year — twice its cost in 2008.

The Republican House passed a bill in 2013 that would have allowed states to put broad new work requirements in place. The bill also would have ended government waivers for some states that allowed able-bodied adults without dependents to receive food stamps indefinitely. Current law only allows those adults to receive the benefits for three months in a three-year period.

Democrats, in keeping with traditional practice, opposed major cuts to the program, and the final farm bill only made an estimated 1 percent cut, with no new work requirements.

Vilsack has encouraged better worker-training programs as one way to trim the cost; the farm bill established the grants for states to test programs.

Republicans have also supported that approach.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, praised the grants, saying that states' innovative approaches "will help able-bodied SNAP recipients climb the economic ladder."

Still, the fight over foods stamps is continuing.

As in past years, a House budget proposed this week would transform the program into block grants to states, a move that could cut tens of billions from the program. A Senate version of the nonbinding budget resolution called for cuts to programs like SNAP but was not as specific in how they should be done.

Vilsack said he has "deep concerns" about the House proposal and said the job training is a better way to make SNAP work.

Thoughts?

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Make them put in a minimum of 20 hours a week cleaning our cities, roads and highways. Painting, cleaning public bathrooms, etc. and I would bet most of these people would get off food stamps pretty quickly once they realize the free ride is over.

 

[mrldii]

My son is a Community Center Director for a local county; here, part of some people's ability TO receive aid (those who are able-bodied, able-minded) is that they are required to perform service hours; a major part of his job description IS working those contributing-back-to-the-community-from-which-you-receive-aid folks.

I seriously doubt that this is the only city/county/state in the nation that enforces such a requirement.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

First what entails service hours?

Second how many hours a week do they have to do? I am betting it ain't much.

Third there may be cities that do require it but not many and what they have to do is a joke.

 

[mrldii]

First what entails service hours?

Second how many hours a week do they have to do? I am betting it ain't much.

Third there may be cities that do require it but not many and what they have to do is a joke.

If you don't understand the words "service" and "hours", there's an app for that:  it's called 'the dictionary'.

I'll let my son know that his job is "a joke", since you've now stated such on the internet;  everyone knows that once something is stated on the internet, it becomes a fact.  I'm sure he'll be devastated by your assessment.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

So you don't have answers to my questions.

Yes I think these government jobs that take my money and give it out like a endless spicket are a sad cruel joke. Not to say people don't need help but it sure as hell should not be a federal government.

 

[mrldii]

I don't have to have the answers to your questions.

#1: It's not my job;

#2: It's not my duty to answer questions for you;

#3: You won't listen to/believe any answers I provide you, because they will dispel what you know for a *fact*, so you will choose to remain ignorant to any knowledge imparted; and, most importantly



#4: You already know everything, so there's no need to ask questions of others.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I don't have to have the answers to your questions.

#1:  It's not my job;

#2:  It's not my duty to answer questions for you;

#3:  You won't listen to/believe any answers I provide you, because they will dispel what you know for a *fact*, so you will choose to remain ignorant to any knowledge imparted; and, most importantly



#4:  You already know everything, so there's no need to ask questions of others.

That means you do not have the answers to the questions or you do and it is just the way I said it is. 

 

[Webster]

My son is a Community Center Director for a local county; here, part of some people's ability TO receive aid (those who are able-bodied, able-minded) is that they are required to perform service hours; a major part of his job description IS working those contributing-back-to-the-community-from-which-you-receive-aid folks.

I seriously doubt that this is the only city/county/state in the nation that enforces such a requirement.

Kudos to your son, Mrldii, for working with the disadvantaged there... *looks back-and-forth btwn. Mrldii and Liberty* He's right on the requirement part; I believe what he does falls under the age-old dictum of "teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime" or as govt. might call it, welfare reform.... *adds deadpan* ...I hate to ask, Liberty, since we're on the same general side of the political equation, but do you seriously think that if we took all government assistance down, that either private charity and/or church assistance would be able to cover everything?

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

My son is a Community Center Director for a local county;  here, part of some people's ability TO receive aid (those who are able-bodied, able-minded) is that they are required to perform service hours;  a major part of his job description IS working those contributing-back-to-the-community-from-which-you-receive-aid folks.

I seriously doubt that this is the only city/county/state in the nation that enforces such a requirement.

Kudos to your son, Mrldii, for working with the disadvantaged there... *looks back-and-forth btwn. Mrldii and Liberty* He's right on the requirement part; I believe what he does falls under the age-old dictum of "teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime" or as govt. might call it, welfare reform.... *adds deadpan* ...I hate to ask, Liberty, since we're on the same general side of the political equation, but do you seriously think that if we took all government assistance down, that either private charity and/or church assistance would be able to cover everything?

No I do not believe charity could handle all of it. And in a way that is kind of the point. You do not want to make it easy for people to get charity. People need a push to make something better of themselves instead of being addicted to state freebies. But it never was the intention of the founders to have our federal government bypassing states and giving out the peoples money to such things as this. It is dangerous as we see today that we have people voting on what free goodies they are going to get. And a federal government doing NOTHING to get these people off of it. This should have been left 100% to the states and the individual cities and towns to handle what is best for there community. Not one big huge government doing one kind of handout for all like a typical horrible bureaucracy. States and cities can't print money so when they are not getting federal governments money they tend to be much more careful on who gets it and looking for corruption in the system.

 

[mrldii]

Kudos to your son, Mrldii, for working with the disadvantaged there... *looks back-and-forth btwn. Mrldii and Liberty* He's right on the requirement part; I believe what he does falls under the age-old dictum of "teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime" or as govt. might call it, welfare reform.... *adds deadpan* ...I hate to ask, Liberty, since we're on the same general side of the political equation, but do you seriously think that if we took all government assistance down, that either private charity and/or church assistance would be able to cover everything?

Actually, my son has a Business Degree in Accounting;  unfortunately, at the point he graduated from college we were smack-dab in the middle of the economic downturn, so his plans to follow in his father's footsteps as a CPA got thwarted. 

He was able to dovetail his prior experience while in high school and college into an entry-level position with the County;  in the 5+ years he's been with them, he's been promoted steadily and consistently up to his current managerial position. 

He's not really in it for the altruistic and social-consciousness;  it's his job, which he does well.  That's probably a reason he has no problem enforcing the County's rules regarding working for the assistance received by the people within the community his Center serves.

Again, while I have no stats to prove it, I sincerely doubt this County is the only one in the nation that has such requirements;  it's probably best that we take liberty's word for it (with no stats to back it up, either) that this County IS the only one in the nation doing so.


Liberty appears to be much more informed about ALL things than I could ever hope to be about even any ONE thing.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I never said it is the only county. But I did ask questions on what hours they have to put in and how much time a week? And exactly what kind of work they have to do? And my guess is it is a joke.

 

[mrldii]

I never said it is the only county. But I did ask questions on what hours they have to put in and how much time a week? And exactly what kind of work they have to do? And my guess is it is a joke.

No doubt no matter what answer you were provided, you'd find it a joke.


Anything less than working 168-hours/week would mean they could have worked a little harder and a little longer for your hard-earned tax dollars earned at your 40-hours/week job, that are used to support their lazy asses.

 

[DrLeftover]

I've got an idea.

Test all Federal and State level politicians and political appointees for job skills and illegal drug use, and then work your way down.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I never said it is the only county. But I did ask questions on what hours they have to put in and how much time a week? And exactly what kind of work they have to do? And my guess is it is a joke.

No doubt no matter what answer you were provided, you'd find it a joke.


Anything less than working 168-hours/week would mean they could have worked a little harder and a little longer for your hard-earned tax dollars earned at your 40-hours/week job, that are used to support their lazy asses.

Actually I said this at the top. Make them put in a minimum of 20 hours a week cleaning our cities, roads and highways. Painting, cleaning public bathrooms, etc. and I would bet most of these people would get off food stamps pretty quickly once they realize the free ride is over.

 

[mrldii]

I've got an idea.

Test all Federal and State level politicians and political appointees for job skills and illegal drug use, and then work your way down.

I'm all for that.  Since even legal-marijuana usage in some states is illegal at the Federal level and since States receive Federal funding, their officials, appointees, and employees should have to pass drug tests, too.



If that was a thinly-veiled insult directed towards my son since I'd mentioned he works for a County, he'll pass just fine.  He'll pass the job skills part, too.  He was raised better than that and received a better education than most.
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Actually I said this at the top. Make them put in a minimum of 20 hours a week cleaning our cities, roads and highways. Painting, cleaning public bathrooms, etc. and I would bet most of these people would get off food stamps pretty quickly once they realize the free ride is over.

Yanno what?  Just for you, I asked my son how it works.  He's not necessarily in on the allocation of hours;  it's his responsibility to make sure the hours are fulfilled.

His Community Center is just one small part of where recipients of aid can fulfill their hours.  The number of hours they must work is based on how much - if any - money they receive in food assistance ("EBT cards") and how much - if any - they receive in housing assistance.  It can be as low as one day a week (8-3:30, with a half-hour for lunch) and as much as 3 days per week (7 - 21 hours/week) .  When he worked at another position for another  County program, recipients were required to work 32 hours a week, which would be cut to 20 hours if they were full-time students.

At the Community Center, they work preparing food, putting the daily donated goods into the warehouse, preparing the food assistance boxes that go out, and assisting with the Center's activities, which include prep, clean-up, and general cleaning of the facilities.



Again and still, I doubt that his is the only County in the nation implementing such guidelines.  


Now, you know.  Now, you have the facts that you may carefully dissect and tear apart, because it is your duty and obligation to NOT be happy when you read something you didn't want to see.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I've got an idea.

Test all Federal and State level politicians and political appointees for job skills and illegal drug use, and then work your way down.

I'm all for that.  Since even legal-marijuana usage in some states is illegal at the Federal level and since States receive Federal funding, their officials, appointees, and employees should have to pass drug tests, too.



If that was a thinly-veiled insult directed towards my son since I'd mentioned he works for a County, he'll pass just fine.  He'll pass the job skills part, too.  He was raised better than that and received a better education than most.

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Actually I said this at the top. Make them put in a minimum of 20 hours a week cleaning our cities, roads and highways. Painting, cleaning public bathrooms, etc. and I would bet most of these people would get off food stamps pretty quickly once they realize the free ride is over.

Yanno what?  Just for you, I asked my son how it works.  He's not necessarily in on the allocation of hours;  it's his responsibility to make sure the hours are fulfilled.

His Community Center is just one small part of where recipients of aid can fulfill their hours.  The number of hours they must work is based on how much - if any - money they receive in food assistance ("EBT cards") and how much - if any - they receive in housing assistance.  It can be as low as one day a week (8-3:30, with a half-hour for lunch) and as much as 3 days per week (7 - 21 hours/week) .  When he worked at another position for another  County program, recipients were required to work 32 hours a week, which would be cut to 20 hours if they were full-time students.

At the Community Center, they work preparing food, putting the daily donated goods into the warehouse, preparing the food assistance boxes that go out, and assisting with the Center's activities, which include prep, clean-up, and general cleaning of the facilities.



Again and still, I doubt that his is the only County in the nation implementing such guidelines.  


Now, you know.  Now, you have the facts that you may carefully dissect and tear apart, because it is your duty and obligation to NOT be happy when you read something you didn't want to see.

Why would I not be happy we might have a city that actually makes people work for other peoples money. If it is actually enforced I am very happy even if I think it is not something governments business doing.