Bush's Budget Cuts Elderly Nutrition Plan

[Clara T]

Bush's Budget Cuts Elderly Nutrition Plan
Friday February 10, 2006 7:31 PM

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The boxes arrive every month at churches, senior citizen centers and other sites for distribution to nearly a half-million poor elderly people. Each is stocked with a mix of nutritious foods such as cereal, peanut butter, fruit, vegetables and pasta. Sometimes volunteers deliver them right to people's homes.

Now President Bush wants to eliminate the program, one of 141 federal initiatives that his proposed new budget would scrap or cut dramatically. He is proposing to shift people in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program over to food stamps. Defenders of the nutrition-in-a-box program say many elderly people are reluctant to sign up for food stamps, and, in any event, the commodity program often provides a more generous package.

``It really does come under the category, in the most extreme way, of balancing the budget on the backs of those who are most needy. And in this case we're not even balancing the budget,'' said Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations agriculture subcommittee.``I call it misplaced priorities. How do you justify doing something like this, while at the same time giving people like Herb Kohl huge tax cuts?'' said Kohl, a multimillionaire.

The commodity program, run by the Agriculture Department, benefits mainly elderly people, although some new mothers and children also participate. The department wants to move recipients to food stamps in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The program cost about $111 million this fiscal year, including a $4 million supplement for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-5608875,00.html

[Wordie]

1. Jeez...many elderly depend on those food boxes...

This is just another example of the truth about Bush's "compassionate conservatism." (The truth is that it isn't true.)

Recommended.

[scarletlib]

27. That is partly true:

I worked in these programs for years and mainly with the elderly. Today almost, if not all, fifty states use a debit type card for food stamp benefits rather than actual stamps, so that aspect of the program no longer exists. They just haven't changed the name of the benefit yet.

I think many of the elderly are afraid to apply--it is a fear of not knowing what to expect.

However, cutting this commodity program is an absolute shame. His plan to move the elderly into the food stamp program is a sham. He plans to cut food stamps in his budget. Most elderly on food stamps only receive about a $10.00 per month benefit from the govt. So that really does not help them to much.

[Wordie]

30. ...and then there is the shame aspect to food stamps. Many people

(including grocery employees) look down on those who have to use them (and I mean the card, too).

(I've worked with homeless people.)

...and $10 wouldn't even begin to cover the amount of money needed to equal the amount in the boxes.

Yet another question arises for me. This was a program of government commodities. I always understood that the government purchased the over-supply from farmers and producers to fill the boxes, which benefited the farmers too. Is the cancellation of this program aimed in actuality at the farmers and producers, I wonder. Somehow that would seem consistent with the Bush mindset.

[Erika]

2. The seniors with a sense of dignity did not want to join up for

food stamps but they would accept this nutritional help.

W has done away with their dignity. They can grovel for a govt program or die according to the GOP and W. Yeah, tell me how Christian the GOP is.

[Trillo]

3. Why does Bush hate the elderly?

Hmm, "they hate us for our freedoms"?

[acmejack]

26. But, but, he a god fearin' christian man!

Not one of them souless Democrats! He cares about the Merican peoples!

[zann725]

32. Because they are no longer income (ergo) TAX-producing members of society

Their healthcare costs are a drain to his "priorities" of death and war abroad. And they have (in most cases) little money to contribute to his "base." They are NO Jack Abramaoff's...so of course, he had no need to NOT "know" them.

[DemInDistress]

4. why aren't my Democratic leaders fighting this? why?

where the fuck are they? Taking away food from the elderly is a crime. Putting in, in its place bureaucratic
paperwork (food stamps) just sucks. Meals on wheels is a life saver here in NYC. This makes me fighting mad.
Lets make this an issue. Gop's for starving the elderly while Democrats are willing to fight to keep them alive...shameful feckless republicans need to be "struck down by this so-called god of theirs"

[sandnsea]

23. Oh for pete's sake, the budget was just released

A Democrat is quoted in the article, others released statements immediately. It takes more than 24 hours to ramp up a national campaign. Where are the PEOPLE???

[u4ic]

5. Culture of life my a$$

Only who he deems "worthy to live". :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[rodeodance]

6. sen. Kohl is a good man--a self made millionare--but good.

.``I call it misplaced priorities. How do you justify doing something like this, while at the same time giving people like Herb Kohl huge tax cuts?'' said Kohl, a multimillionaire.

[Erika]

10. For the rich to get their tax cuts, the middle class and the poor

must suffer. How very sad.

[fed-up]

7. Why is this in a UK paper? Boxed food is easier for seniors-no shopping nt

[Erika]

8. What are you talking about?

Please explain.

[fed-up]

13. The foods they get are prebagged/boxed, saves the seniors a trip to the

store to go shopping which can be tiring for many. With the box of food they get they don't need to make choices from a gazillion items on a store shelf, it is all done for them. Sometimes its the little things that make life a little easier for seniors even if it is only once a week.

from the article:

"The boxes arrive every month at churches, senior citizen centers and other sites for distribution to nearly a half-million poor elderly people. Each is stocked with a mix of nutritious foods such as cereal, peanut butter, fruit, vegetables and pasta. Sometimes volunteers deliver them right to people's homes."

[rodeodance]

28. and many elderly have difficulties actually preparing nutritous meals.

hense such things as "meals on wheels"

[rodeodance]

29. motor, visual problems--simple things like opening a can of vegies

or even opening frozen foods are difficult for many.

[Rose Siding]

9. Let them.....look at pictures of cake?

:cry:

[WhiteTara]

12. ahh...eat pictures of

cake :grr:

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. jr is really getting to the reagan-esq shit now, it took time, but

this kind of crap is pure old fashioned ronnie (may his soul be eaten by worms).

[Erika]

14. Reagan was great about talking about shining tomorrows

while he knifed the poor, the elderly, and the disadvantaged in the back. He made the rich feel good about being the rich and he taught the rich the poor should feel the focal point of abuse. Those nasty poor are trying to steal from the hard working rich.

Reagan was a snakeoil salesman slurped up by those with no social conscience and pure adoration of the $.

It has consistently bothered me that he rode out his death from Alzheimer's in luxury and the up most of care, while he doomed the poor to the opposite in care.

Reagan was anti-Christian to the extreme. But the American public has always been a sucker to a good story.

[bobbieinok]

16. remember he tried to classify catsup as a vegetable for the school

lunch program

[WCGreen]

17. Yea... It turns out that "Welfare Queen" who was

driving around in a cadilac somewhere in Chicago was pure fabrication.....

But oh the so called great communicator had the pres eating out of his hands....

[Erika]

18. Yes, even today the dumb right wingers carry the myth

of welfare queens. He did one heck of a mind job on them. The welfare recipients are the corporations who refuse to pay a decent wage and force the government to take care of the health needs of the employees.

They are the welfare queens.

[sandnsea]

21. This is WAY past Reagan

Like I said below, you used to be able to get food stamps and commodities, BOTH. Back in the bad old Reagan days, and even into the 90's. I don't know when this choosing stuff started, but it was well past Reagan. Cutting out commodities is just another swipe because they're cutting food stamps too. Hell, they're cutting energy assistance and housing as well. This is going to be the likes of which we haven't seen since the Depression.

[TheModernTerrorist]

15. it's not like he needs their votes anyways...

why bother with that when they can just put them down for "*" anyways...
election tampering and stealing makes passing evil legislation so much easier... :eyes:

[Dunvegan]

19. The plan is to sicken, imprison, freeze to death, & starve every possible

...Democratic voter in America before the mid-terms.

Stay healthy!...Next: Bird-Flu In America? Film at 11....

[sandnsea]

20. You used to get BOTH

Food stamps and commodities. When did they start making people choose??? Just unbelievable how low this country has sunk.

[antonialee839]

22. Herb Kohl calls it "misplaced priorities", I call it

compassionate conservatism.

[fasttense]

24. This is so disgusting.

Why do they have to attack the poor hungry elderly to keep their tax cuts to the rich? I know some very poor, kind loving people who count on this program just to have something to eat. This is so wrong and immoral.

[cornermouse]

25. That should help the social security "dilemma".

Kill them off and they don't suck any money away from Bush's pet project.

[ecoalex]

31. While the tax cuts for the corps , top 1% are made permanent

This is the face compassionate conservatism, gaunt sunken faces of those who are starving, can't affford heat ,drugs, food. The best thing to do for king georgie is find a corner and DIE.

[Clara T]

33. Useless Eaters- Very inefficient to keep them alive

This is of course not simply the by-product of the Bush administration but the perfect example of a thoroughly diseased culture that does not respect the elderly and the workings of the industrial machine messiah that grinds up human units and spits them out when no longer of use.

[alfredo]

34. Only punks and bullys pick on the weak and elderly.

Yeah, bush, I'm calling you a punk and bully.

[brentspeak]

35. Maybe I should invest in dog food stock

It's bound to go up.

[catmandu57]

36. The state here (Missouri) has already

cut funding for meals for seniors, no more weekend meals, so some people have little or nothing from Friday to Monday, and now this.
I'd like to cram the dollars the rich piggies are going to get down their compassionate throats.

[UrbScotty]

37. Un-Christian (nt)

[Clara T]

38. kick n/t