OK, the House GOP passed their food stamp bill, cutting $40 billion over the next 10 years. They claim this food stamp bill is about "getting people back to work". The knowledgeable voice of Speaker Boehner:
"This bill makes getting Americans back to work a priority again for our nation’s welfare programs."
OK John, you've convinced to come clean and get off my lazy behind and work for a living, instead of 'mooching'. Let's take a look at the scenario:
In my previous diary I detailed how I manage get by on only $10k a year income, with the assistance of food stamps and Medicaid, and few other assistance programs. I've only been able to find part time work as I live in rural Cochise county (and being close to 62 doesn't help). That's my choice, my responsibility - I preferring the serenity of the wide open high desert and wasn't able to set aside a Mitt Romney sized retirement account. So I'll move to Tucson so that I can get a full time job at America's favorite, Wal-mart. They only pay minimum wage, but hell, at least it's full time work, making an honest man outta me. I'm 'lucky' in that Arizona's minimum wage is $7.80, a whopping fifty-five cents more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. So, I earn $312 working a 40 hour week, $1,350 per month. Well, I earn that but I don't get that, around 25% is withheld for fed & state income tax, and social security & medicare taxes. So, my take home pay is around $1,000. As I moved to Tucson I had to rent an apartment to live in. I used the site Numbeo to get some average living costs for Tucson. Here's my budget:
1,000.00 - take home pay
- 750.00 - 1 BR in city center (I need good access to public transportation, car died
- 150.00 - average monthly utility coast
- 30.00 - monthly Suntran bus pass
- 200.00 - monthly food cost (since that what I got on SNAP, I'll use that
_____
- 130.00 - negative monthly cash flow, even before telephone, clothes, shoes, etc.
Sorry, Mr. Boehner, I'd go broke.
Dear Republican Congressmen Idiots: Getting food stamps isn't stopping able bodied adults from being productive, responsible adults and working full time. They are working full time, and they still need food stamps to make it because the minimum wage isn't a living wage! Wanna get folks off food stamps and reduce the size & cost of the program? Raise the minimum wage! If the federal minimum wage laws had kept up with inflation, the minimum wage would currently be $10.74. That would be somewhere to start. And, if you guys would throw in a jobs bill or two, that would be really swell.
Have a great weekend, fellow Kossacks