Sen. Sessions proposes to restrict food stamps access

[RyanPsych]

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is pushing a new amendment that would make it more difficult for people to receive food stamps by restricting eligibility requirements and eliminating a planned $9 billion funding increase for the program. Sessions says his plan is intended to reduce the deficit and combat fraud, which he claims is rampant. From ABC News’ Top Line today:

SESSIONS: No program in our government has surged out of control more dramatically than food stamps. And nothing is being done about it. <...> Multimillion dollar lottery winners are getting food stamps because the money is considered to be an asset not an income. One of the fast and furious gun buyers –
HOST: But hold on, for ever lottery winner that has food stamps, there’s probably a lot more people who really need them who have them, right?
SESSIONS: Well look, do you think there are four times as many people who need food stamps today as in 2001. That answers itself. <...> We cannot do this. We do not have the money. Congress doesn’t understand that we can’t afford to double the program every three years.

It’s shockingly ignorant at best and dishonest at worst for Sessions — the ranking GOP member of the Senate Budget Committee — to completely ignore the role the economy has played on food stamp usage. The cost of the program has jumped because more Americans are out of work and wages are down, thus more people need assistance. Food prices have also gone up, adding additional costs. But the cost of the program will come down on its own as the economy recovers and more people can afford to feed themselves.

In fact, the food stamp program has been critical for reducing poverty and pumping money into local economies during the down economy, so cutting it now would not only take food out of peoples’ mouths, but could slow down the recovery. No one is trying to “double the program every three years” as Sessions claims. (Currently, nearly one in five Alabamians is on Food Stamps.)

keep reading at: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/10/20/349131/jeff-sessions-food-stamps-out-of-control/

[in_cog_ni_to]

1. Soooooooooo... let the children, women and men of your country starve to death?

You fucking asshole. :grr:

[arcane1]

2. "Multimillion dollar lottery winners are getting food stamps"

I'm sure that's happening all over the place, right? :eyes:

[northoftheborder]

3. How sweet.

:argh: :argh: :argh:

[noiretextatique]

4. your tax dollars at work

Employee benefits for members of Congress

Current salary:

$174,000 for average senator and House member.

$193,400 for Senate and House majority and minority party leaders

$223,500 for Speaker of the House

Health insurance:

Same health plan option choices from several plans as federal employees.

Government pays average of 72 percent of premium costs.

Free outpatient care at Washington area military hospitals, low inpatient rates.

Pension/Retirement:

Guaranteed retirement pension for life, based on salary, length of service.

Eligible for benefits at age 62 after five years’ service.

Eligible for benefits at age 50 after 20 years’ service.

Deferred savings:

Tax-deferred savings plan available to retirement plan participants.

Franking:

Free postage for official business.

Travel:

Allowance for travel to and from home district.

Some international travel.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/stories/Money-links-senators-to-Capitol-Hill-power-,66519

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. Like the Pizza guy said, the poor can eat used food. In other words,

Eat shit and die. The last hisorical person who told the poor what to eat didn't fare so well. One can hope.

[ohheckyeah]

6. What, one

multimillionaire getting food stamps? That's all I can find.

[RyanPsych]

8. Don't try facts with those people

As far as those poor-hating fucks are concerned: one case of fraud= 50% of the people using it are fradulent.

[n2doc]

7. Has he introduced a bill combating military contractor fraud?

I thought not.

[msanthrope]

9. The KKK Elf strikes again. Thank Jeebus he was prevented from taking the bench. nt