the benefits squeeze: suppprt for some of America’s poorest has dwindled

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/08/why-denver-is-trucking-its-homeless-to-the-middle-of-nowhere/


LAS ANIMAS, Colo. – It’s the beginning of the month, which means that Debra and Raymond Gonzalez’s fridge is packed: Pallets of eggs, bags of tomatoes, a big bowl of spaghetti, a tub of ice cream in the freezer. But they already know that they probably won’t make it to the end of the month without help.

‘We used to be able to get bags and bags of groceries, and only spend $50,” exclaims Debra, 54, who walks quickly around their double-wide trailer despite the respirator she carries strapped to her waist, and the breathing tubes in her nostrils. “And now you spend $200, and only get 2 little bags!” Meat, especially, has escalated, along with milk and cereal. Debra loves broccoli, but it’s usually too expensive at the one grocery store in this shrunken town in southeastern Colorado.

They used to be able to afford it, though. A little while ago, Debra’s food stamps were cut from $180 a month to only $15, when Raymond started receiving social security benefits. They get some help with gas bills for heat in the winter, but also burn wood cut by the permission of local farmers (they’ve stripped the dead tree in their front yard too). Along with his pension from the long-shuttered Veterans Administration hospital and Debra’s disability benefits, it comes to about $1,200 a month, which the welfare office said was too much.

“They only see it one way,” says Raymond, 64, sitting across the living room from Debra, in a quick, high-pitched voice. “They don’t realize we have to pay for gas, etc.” Debra needs to make frequent trips to medical specialists in Pueblo and faraway Denver; Las Animas lost its last physician years ago. “So you can’t win for losing. They put you in poverty, to some point.”

Debra and Raymond Gonzalez spend a lot of time managing their welfare income streams, which usually don’t come out to quite enough. (Lydia DePillis for The Washington Post)

[SamKnause]

1. The federal government

doesn't give a crap about the poor and disabled living in poverty.

Control over benefits should never be in the hands of individual states.

The majority of politicians and citizens do not understand what it is like to live in constant stress and fear.

I fear being homeless.

I fear being hungry.

I fear losing my cat, dog, and 2 rabbits.

I suffer from Agoraphobia.

It is unimaginable to me that I may have to leave my sanctuary.

The stress is tremendous.

You try to push the thoughts out of your mind.

I try to enjoy every second that I have in my rural home, but the fear is always there.

It is time for the U.S. to upgrade how the poverty level is calculated in this country.

Everyone should be entitled to a decent standard of living.

[Skittles]

6. worthy of its own thread

it is important for people to read the testimonials of real people and the challenges they face

[SamKnause]

8. Thank you.

[daleanime]

2. K&R....

[DeSwiss]

3. We lose billions.....

... on crates in Iraq. We abandoned billions in equipment in Afghanistan because it'll cost too much to bring it back home -- while at the same time spend over $20 billion a year just on air-conditioning for the troops that guard our heroin farms.

And now we're about to blow-up billions of dollars worth of infrastructure that we built in Iraq after we blew it up the first time because the first democracy surgery didn't go too well.

- So as you can see, democracy-building is expensive. Sorry, old people......

K&R

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[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Some of those dots are overglorified tax payer funded golf courses in choice tropical locations....

I picture some fat general and a congresscritter being served drinks by the natives.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. If you listen to Tea Party idiots Obama has tripled the debt increasing welfare.

[Skittles]

7. OMG I had to listen to that the other day

was at my brother's home and a friend of my mother's stopped by - jeez, when all they do is listen to Fox News it really, really shows

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. What's scary is when they act like everyone else is uninformed,..or the enemy...

Then they bring up their guns and talk about "freedom".

[Skittles]

11. I would have kicked her ass but she's 84

no fool like an old fool

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. Ah, I can see it all now....

(Land line rings.)

Hello?

>>Good evening Mam, I'm with Gallup, I was wondering if you could spare the time to share your opinion of President Obama.<<

(Insert sound of teapot whistle here)

[woo me with science]

9. Note the corporate media's choice of words here.

Note the use of the word, "dwindled," as though this were happening like water naturally drying up... instead of as a result of deliberate, vicious policy choices.