The myth of the right’s food stamp king

[Playinghardball]

The fate of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) is still up in the air, but a funding reduction of at least several billion dollars is looking more and more likely. Now that the Senate has passed a Farm Bill which cuts $4 billion out of the program and the House has passed a much larger $39 billion reduction, a bicameral conference committee will have to somehow split the difference.

During last week’s debate on the House floor, Republican members of Congress repeatedly defended the proposed $39 billion cut as a “common sense” solution to out-of-control food stamp spending.

“This is a common sense reform that cuts waste, fraud and abuse, leaving more money for the Americans who truly need help in time of need,” said Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, summarizing the GOP case.

The party’s “poster boy” for these accusations of “waste, fraud and abuse,” according to the Huffington Post, is Jason Greenslate, a 28-year-old Californian whose story was recently featured on Fox News. Greenslate is happily unemployed and reportedly uses his food stamps to purchase extravagant meals such as lobster; Republicans like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor claim that the California surfer is living proof that food stamp spending can be dramatically reigned in without hurting the truly needy.

But Greenslate is one man, and the legislation which passed the House would cause a projected 3.8 million people to lose food stamp eligibility in the first year alone. Greenslate has almost nothing in common with the vast majority of those SNAP recipients, according to Stephen Pimpare, a professor social work at Columbia University, NYU and CUNY.

“We’re inhabiting a moment right now where we’ve got just shy of 50 million Americans on food stamp rolls,” Pimpare told MSNBC.com. “An extraordinarily broad range of individuals. And in that 50 million, are there people who we would identify as improperly receiving benefits? Sure. [...] The relevant question is, what do we know more broadly about the way the program functions?”

More at: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/09/23/the-myth-of-the-rights-food-stamp-king/

[xfundy]

1. I'd bet the surfer was a setup.

Created by repigs, paid handsomely by them as well.

[trotsky]

2. It comes back to the best saying I've ever heard about the diff between Democrats and Republicans:

Democrats would rather have some people cheat than let anyone starve. Republicans would rather have some people starve than let anyone cheat.

[Scurrilous]

3. K & R

[anneboleyn]

4. Disgusting. Cuts mean more money? Only in Repub fantasyland.

The irony is that many of the 50 million people on food stamps vote republican (there was another post going around that showed that the majority of counties in a certain area had gone for Romney, despite the fact that the counties were/are very poor and receive gov. benefits). It seems that these dramatic cuts would have a very hard impact on millions -- including many republican voters. Why they continue to vote against their self-interest is truly baffling.

Yes, it would be very interesting to find out what the real story is behind "Jason Greenslate." a fictional character that fits every one of their old stereotypes (however against their normal stereotyping he happens to be white).

[arbusto_baboso]

5. There are several huge problems with the Greenslate story.

First, the schedule of food stampsd for one individual for one month is miniscule. If he's buying extravagant meals, then there is a problem, and not with the SNAP program.

If anything, the problem is that of fraud. Both on Greenslate's part, and the merchants he frequents. Millions of other food stamps recipients should not be punished for him possibly breaking the law (assuming , of course, that the story of him isn't utter bullshit).

Can you imagine proposing the idea of banning all civilian ownership of firearms because of the massacres we;ve had? The rethugs would howl bloody murder...

[Scuba]

6. The difference between liberals and conservatives ....

Liberals would be OK with a few slackers getting benefits they don't deserve to ensure that all truly needy folks get help.

Conservatives would starve everyone to ensure than no person get a benefit they don't deserve.

[Glimmer of Hope]

7. Surfer dude wanted the publicity and he has a plenty of friends he can mooch off of

after he spends his monthly SNAP on lobster.