States warn money about to run out for food stamps

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/states-warn-money-about-to-run-out-for-food-stamps-during-government-shutdown/905616456

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As the government shutdown is about to enter its record 27th day, families across the country are fighting to make ends meet.

Some families are already battling with anxiety about how they're going to put food on the table, while desperately hoping for the shutdown to end.

Families already in need are facing another challenge during the shutdown. Money for February will be loaded onto EBT cards in the next few days, at least two weeks earlier than usual, but still has to last through the end of February.

Recipients are being told to budget the money and plan ahead because if the government shutdown isn’t resolved soon, officials say there may not be any money for SNAP benefits in March.

On the bright side, our obesity rating may go down.

They should get a second job.

Bob Costa: "Couple senior Republican lawmakers tell me the only way this breaks open is if TSA employees stay home and Americans get furious about their flights. That’s the only out, they say. And they’re close to the WH."

Sorry food stamp recipients. You've got to be the right people to make any waves, and people struggling to eat aren't the right type. People who regularly fly on airplanes are.

Trump doesn't care and as long as the corrupt turtle McConnell is doing the dirty work of blocking everything, I think this is going to continue.

And of course the whole irony here is this will impact the welfare-dependent red states more than anything.

Can we stop voting against our own interests yet?

fat chance (:P), crappy food is cheap food. No one get's to eat healthier when they're broke, and you can starve while fat.

Has trump's base figured out he doesn't care about them yet?

Can't you see how he is draining the swamp? :P

Well there are so many more alligators in the swamp we can walk across safely....a la James Bond.. ;p

Obviously this is the real reason the government is shutdown. Can't have a swamp if there is no water supply.

Indeed. A perfect solution.

@Vaasman said:

@horgen said:

@LJS9502_basic said:

Has trump's base figured out he doesn't care about them yet?

Can't you see how he is draining the swamp? :P

Obviously this is the real reason the government is shutdown. Can't have a swamp if there is no water supply.

Haha. Another way to look at it.

@mrbojangles25: People tend to get garbage food with food stamps as well. You can get healthy food as well, but like you said, it costs more.

Obesity rating accelerated after the mid-80's expansion of food stamps. Child obesity skyrocketed after the 1993 Childhood Hunger Relief Act. The states with the highest food stamps rating per capita tend to be the fattest. I think there is a connection. You really should look at how many families in the south stock their pantries with absolute crap food, paid for by the state.

Red state obesity count, which is by far the highest on average.

I guess this means Trump really does care about his base! Trying to get them to lose weight.

Are we great yet?

This video should be put in the OP of every topic made about the Trump shutdown.

"Trump Shutdown"

@Serraph105: Oh noes! Trump lies a lot. Never saw that coming.

I made the post only half in jest. I really do think food stamps are a leading reason for the obesity in this country.

Are we in agreement?

@vl4d_l3nin: Wouldn't a program directly lifting a family's food budget actually decrease obesity if having to eat cheap food is a contributing factor to its rise?

Maybe poverty is wherein junk food is cheaper than healthy food..............

I didn't say he lied. At least not in this thread. Good to know you recognize it though. It's awfully telling that you couldn't give a shit.

Shame you support that. Total shame.

Obesity in America, and any country for that matter (we aren't the fattest nation by % population) has a large collection of roots that generally stem from poor health education, abundant supply, and mental illness.

There is very little evidence to indicate any one program or political association caused these issues.

There isn't much evidence of that. in fact, it seems to be the opposite. Only 40% of food stamps is used to purchase meat, fruit, veggies, milk, eggs, or bread. Almost everything else goes to junk food, pre-packaged foods, and cereals.

In 2011, we spent over half a billion dollars buying people soda, which is almost 10% of all food stamp subsidies for that year. That's unacceptable.

Regardless of persuasion and the like/dislike of a politician, everyone here should be in agreement that depending on the government has to be a crappy and nerve racking way to live.

@vl4d_l3nin: How would cutting a family's food budget help them avoid the cheap food?

As someone on food stamps, this would only bother me if I thought the shutdown would last til March. It's sad if people put SNAP in their budget. It's there for emergencies and as a supplement. Anyone that's been a cashier knows how frustrating it can be watching people get redbulls and steaks or not even bothering to buy items on sale or use coupons. I'm obviously not referring to everyone but the majority. People won't go hungry... They'll just need to shop smarter and maybe put any unnecessary expenses on hold for a bit.

Spoken like a true republican..........

@joshrmeyer: Where do steak and energy drinks rank on the list of items most commonly purchased with SNAP?

@mattbbpl: Right up there with snickers bars and soda.

@joshrmeyer: Which is where?

@LJS9502_basic: Wow.... What a response. How about you stay on subject instead of attacking me? (I've never voted Republican fyi).

@joshrmeyer: I'm not sure what you're looking for? A number? I'm going based off personal 5+ years of experience. Maybe I have to put this before my comment: "In my experience..." Better?

And let´s look at this thread

Democrats - This is the republicans fault and they should all hang

Republicans - This is the Democrat's fault and they should all hang.

Instead of focusing on both sides and the fact that people are so entrenched that it hurts all Americans.

But no surprise, it´s Trump after all.

Sorry, but bothsideism is no longer a legitimate argument. Not after the Tea Party and Trump.

And thanks for proving my point.

Democrats are so hung up on losing the election and the fact that their "progressive" ideas have been shut down and sent packing that no amount of reason can hit through the wall you guys have built up.

5.7 billion is nothing in the grand scheme of things and Democrats have before agreed to give money to increased border security.

I'm assuming this was a response to me, even though you aimed it at yourself.

Yes, I'm looking for a number - something like this (or here for the article's source material). Something other than anecdotes hearkening back to the welfare queen rhetoric of Reagan.

I'm more than happy to prove your point that Republicans are reaping from the Democrats what they've sown for years.

It's about time, to be frank.

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”

But good on you for trying to seem like the moral high ground when you are down with the pigs and wrestle in the mud.

I'm on record here clearly stating that I'm not taking the more high ground in this regard. It's a losing recipe.

I'm done pretending that Republicans will stop punching low after they lose elections and then cry that their opponents leverage their power. **** 'em. As soon as they have the power again, they'll **** everyone else that they can just like that always do.

And good for you.

It´s good that the Americans who are hurting because of this shutdown can warm themselves with the thoughts that at least they get that evil "inputyourropposingpartyhere"

No wonder America is fucked.

I feel bad for all the obese and illiterate Republicans in Mississippi. This has to be hitting them hard.

@mattbbpl: I'm loving the new you tonight.

Interesting that you consider that an insult...........

Not necessarily 100% the case,

The association between county political inclination and obesity: Results from the 2012 presidential election in the United States

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4692249/

Our results suggest that county-level obesity risk may be positively associated with established, county-level, voter preferences for Republican candidates who are more likely to emphasize a personal responsibility approach to reducing obesity risk than their Democrat counterparts, and who may downplay the role that government policies could play, despite the scientific consensus that a multi-sectoral approach is effective (U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, 2010). Conversely, county-level obesity risk may be negatively associated with stable, county-level, voter preferences for Democratic candidates whose political philosophy are likely to support multi-sectoral approaches to reducing obesity risk similar to those recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control, CDC, 2009). Future decisions, regulations and policies about how to address and control the obesity epidemic will necessarily involve government intervention (Crammond et al., 2013), because they involve workplace, school, marketing and agricultural policies, none of which individuals can control by themselves. While the politics around choosing strategies to combat obesity will continue to be debated in the US, the consequences and implications of such interventions and policies will be applicable internationally. The politics around obesity reduction, and more generally, the politics around food production and marketing will become more salient as the global food industry continues to consolidate, food preferences and demands change, and local food availability is altered.

@mattbbpl: Oops... So soda or sweetened beverages are #1. Kinda what I said. But my point was that they'll be fine and shouldn't live like food stamps are part of their spending budget. Basically: We'll live without food stamps.

Notice I said any one program or association. While I won't argue against the idea that a Republican policy of self-responsibility is ultimately counter-intuitive, it's a major logical leap to say Republicans cause obesity. That is correlation, not causation. There are a myriad of overweight nations that don't have the same political party dynamics at all. I stand by the assertion that these are issues of education, access, and overall wellbeing.

Trump is doing people a favour. They will lose weight now.

This also encourages people to get a job.

@Serraph105: Haha, I am so done with the people who punch freely but then cry when the people they harm hit back.

People shouldn't be so dependent on these things

@mattbbpl: Yes, claiming an eye for an eye will blind the world only works if you aren't supporting people who go around giving black eyes.