The Food Stamp Capital of the U.S. is WHITE and REPUBLICAN

[Triana]

In spite of the prevailing stereotypes and assumptions about who uses SNAP Food Stamp benefits the most in the United States, the highest usage is not in Compton, Queens, nor the South Side of Chicago. Instead, a city that is 99.22% white and 95% Republican comes in the lead. Owsley County, Kentucky is a community of about 5,000, residents earning the lowest median household income in the country outside of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Census.

The decline in the profits from coal, tobacco and lumber industries led to a harsh toll being taken on the community.

Cale Turner, county executive of Owsley County told ABC back in 2010 that economic hardships have led to a high incidence of drug addiction.

“Those with drug addictions end up in prison without effective treatment. And it happens over and over in this community. The drug problem continues to get worse every year.”

THE REST:

http://politicalblindspot.com/the-food-stamp-capital-of-the-u-s-is-white-and-republican/

[Thinkingabout]

1. Some of the worse abusers of food stamps indirectly is the Walton family.

Because of the low wages to their employees, they qualify for food stamps a d other safety net programs. Makes more profits for the owners.

[cali]

2. this is using people in an ugly way.

I understand it's in response to racism, but all it does is pit desperately poor people against each other and stereotype.

[MMcGuire]

5. +1

[Beacool]

3. Isn't it ironic?

Try to tell that to the conservatives and they will deny it.

[rbrnmw]

4. It isn't exactly bluer than blue here

When you go to the Job and Family Service Office here there are always more than 2 vehicles with some kind of right-wing type bumper stickers on them on any given day. You always tell who they are because they won't speak to other applicants and they are looking at others with smirks or outright contempt on their faces. I may get brave one day and ask them why they look at the rest us like that when they are there for the same damn thing we are. These applicants 9 times out of 10 are white MEN.

[okaawhatever]

12. Because they blame those "other" people for causing the problems that put the white man in the

food stamp office. The difference between you and him is that you realize that Republican "supply side" economics, two ward, and massive bank fraud have caused the problems in this country. The white man thinks he's a victim of Obama, immigrants, liberals, and whoever else he dislikes. That is exactly why poor whites vote Republican. It gives them someone to blame.

[rbrnmw]

13. it's religion here and some of them just hate everybody

who doesn't think like them we should all love their perception of God and guns or leave "their" Country.

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. or "look like them" for that matter...

[butterfly77]

14. And they will continue to vote against ...

their own interests because they think somehow they are better than others.

[LeftyMom]

6. Those photos reek of poverty tourism.

I've spent a lot of time in rural KY.

The homes are scrupulously clean. They certainly don't have 200 rusty pots piled up in the kitchen for some crazy reason.

People who barely seem like they could walk put in huge, orderly gardens, and can their harvest. People who know they'll need to live off of their home canning keep kitchens clean enough for brain surgery.

People are ridiculously generous even when they have nothing. I've visited distant relatives who literally raided their pantry and sent me away with a bag of commodity food because they had nothing else to give. Saying no is not an option.

[okaawhatever]

18. I think the lead photo is a stock photo. I don't know about the one with the girl in the dress. nt

[JaneyVee]

8. And Sen. Rand Paul recently asked "anyone ever get a job from a poor person?"

UH, APPARENTLY YOU DID!

[Jamaal510]

20. Perfect response.

[former9thward]

9. Given the headline it is odd there is nothing in the article about food stamp usage.

No numbers whatsoever.

[okaawhatever]

15. From skeptic.com:

If we take a look at the latest statistics from 2010, 52.08% of the population in Owsley County received SNAP benefits, ranking Owsley behind Shannon County, SD (59.33%), Todd County, SD (55.08%) and Wade Hampton, AK (54.13%). If we go back to 2008 and earlier, Owsley County was indeed in the "lead", but the three other counties passed Owsley in 2009 when it comes to number of recipients per population count.


It appears this article originated sometime before the results of the 2010 census came out. Owsley is also only about 96% white now. Some are trying to make a claim about the dollar value of each recipient, but I didn't take the article to mean anything about amount per recipient, only number of recipients according to population.

Another interesting thing is that although the numbers no longer have Owsley in the lead, they have fallen as their non-white population has increased. Another oops there it is for the Republican party.

The argument probably holds though, because the counties that are now ahead of Owsley are also in very white, very Republican areas.

[former9thward]

17. Actually no.

I am always suspicious of broad based allegations. Shannon County is entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Todd County is entirely within the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Wade Hampton, AK is 93% Native American and 5% white.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Hampton_Census_Area,_Alaska

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_County,_South_Dakota

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_County,_South_Dakota

[okaawhatever]

19. Your correct, I should have said very Republican states. Because the post mentioned that

the high percentage of food stamps didn't occur in Compton or South Side Chicago I was referring to the fact that the states where this occurred don't have a large population of African-Americans, once again proving the Republican talking points are wrong.

[former9thward]

22. Well there is no "south side of Chicago."

It is part of the city of Chicago. We don't know what the percent is on the south side or any other area of large cities. I would like to see a link to the percents of the various cities and counties. So far I have not seen or found one.

[okaawhatever]

25. I don't understand what you're saying. You'd like to see the percents of the various cities.

Are you talking about the ethnic make up of those cities? Are you trying to claim that they may have higher snap recipients than the others listed? There is a south side of Chicago. There's a south side of anything three dimensional. It may not be an official city, county or statistical area but it doesn't mean the term isn't used. Besides, I heard it in a song.....

[former9thward]

26. Having lived in the city of Chicago I know that vast areas of the south side are poor.

SNAP usage would be very high and covering hundreds of thousands of people who vote straight Democratic. The idea of tying SNAP usage with Republicans or Democrats is a non-starter.

[okaawhatever]

30. I think the post was more about rebutting a common claim from the Republicans. When you have a

Presidential candidate for your party who publicly states that Obama's voters only want "free stuff" and are "takers" you open the door to this kind of backlash.

[joeglow3]

28. The issue is they are using poor people and twisting, at best, facts

To try and score a political point. Leave it to the right to use the poor to walk on. It is unbecoming of us.

[brush]

10. This just shows it's more about economic class than race.

People (white, black, brown, whatever) without opportunity turn to whatever outlets are available, and quite often it's crime and/or drugs.

[Orsino]

11. The party of shame. n/t

[rbrnmw]

16. To be fair

Their kids deserve to eat as much as mine I just wish they were not so easily led by republican tea party rhetoric It is heartbreaking because they are low information voters some don't have cable tv but have talk radio which in some ways is more toxic than faux news Many have never owned a computer. I have been to this part of the Country many times my first love lived in an area like this. It was mostly Democratic back then. So sad to see their minds so twisted by hate speak spewed by rightwing radio.

[Cha]

21. In a republicon area where their reps vote against

SNAP benefits.

And, they vote for them.. they must not really like their food assistance from the US Government.

[rbrnmw]

23. They are told it's all President Obama's fault

They probably don't know that their Rethuglican Reps voted against their SNAP benefits.

[Cha]

29. that's true.. brainwashed suckers

have no chance to grasp reality.

[Nevernose]

24. Maybe if they just decriminalized drugs

It would go a big step in the right direction. We could refocus the resources spent on undercover cops, informants, incarceration, helicopters, drug dogs, high seas interdictments, cash payments to every country in a South America, lawyers, courts, parole and probation, and god knows what else to treatment and education.

If someone wants to use drugs, they're going to use drugs. With all that shit I just listed, drugs are cheaper and more plentiful than at any time in almost a hundred years.

Incarceration -- the drug war itself -- has ruined far more lives and ruined far more communities than the actual drugs have, and this article is a case in point.