Until 2004 I was mostly a republican, voted for Bush/Cheney even gave to their campaign in 2000 (even though I was originally for McCain). I worked retail and hated food stamps with a passion and like most republican thought the people who used and abused them were lazy and just didn't want to work and sadly some people proved that stereotype right. I seen plenty of abuse of these programs including using the cash part of their SNAP card to buy cigarettes, tobacco and use the MAC machine to get out money and buy lottery tickets and working in a small gas station this is mostly what I saw food stamps used for.
Around 2004 after realizing that republicans often talk a good talk but never really back it up with their actions I started doing research into their actions not what they claim to represent, one of the things I did was get to know some people on food stamp (not the customers I see but ones who use their money wisely at the grocery store) and what I learned was most of the people on food stamps or government health insurance weren't proud to be on it and while most worked at least one job they just couldn't make ends meet. These were hard working people who often worked so much they didn't get to see their children that often let alone spend time with them helping them with their schoolwork, taking them on vacations or sometimes even sitting down to dinner with them.
It was around this time my father became disabled, it was around this time that we went to see if there was any help available and were turned away at ever turn. I had was working full time from 2-10 PM and taking care of my father from 11 Pm - 11 AM while my mother worked so I would go days on end without sleep. I decided that my family came first so went part time (just enough hours to keep my insurance) but after a year was having a hard time making ends meet so I applied for SNAP and around 2009-2013 I received about 60.00 a month in food stamps. It wasn't a lot but would mean not going hungry and it was around this time that I started putting on weight and realized why (will explain later).
In 2012 my mother was diagnosed with cancer and the surgery didn't go well, she ended up in a coma for months and is now disabled while her cancer has returned and spread from her colon to her pelvic bone and recently her lungs. At this time we were turned down for help from the veterans office (my father is an army veteran) but did receive some from the dept. of aging that put in a shower and helped turn our laundry room into a bathroom because neither parent could make the stairs.
I started getting paid as a care giver and left my job to take care of them full time, it wasn't much but it was something. I did manage to get them some assistance but had to sacrifice my food stamps to do so, I had been paying them rent but to keep doing so would not allow them to qualify for prescription assistance so I stopped which made me no longer eligible for SNAP.
My parents both worked their whole lives 1st my father in the army (stationed in Korea and Germany) then in a powdered metal factory for over 30 years and my mother worked multiple jobs before settling into the powdered metal factory for her last 25 years of employment. They played by the rules, worked their fingers to the bone but when needed help were denied at every turn, they were punished for working their whole life and that is the one main flaw in the system - it should reward you for getting married and having a job not punish you.
Some things I learned
1. People on food stamps are lazy - YES there are people like that, ones who have kids just so they can get assistance and should just name their kids cashcow 1 and cashcow 2 but the majority of people on it want off and work at least job if not more. They might be ashamed to be on it but will do anything to make sure their kids are fed and can see a doctor.
2. Poor kids are obese so they must not be hungry - this is FAR from the truth, as I said after going on SNAP I put on 100 pounds not because I was eating more but because of what I was eating. It's cheaper to get fast food or fat food than it is to eat healthy and parents have to decide "do I eat healthy for 5 days or feed my kids for 7". If you want to lower obesity make it so poor people can eat healthy.
3. Gov. assistance leads to a culture of dependency = so my father who served his country than worked his ass off for years is now lazy? Yes some people get in a pattern but most people would love to get off assistance but don't have options to change jobs or get better paying ones. If you increase the living wage less people would rely on social programs.
4. Liberals are "takers" - when I filled out and received SNAP it never asked my political affiliation. If you look at the map of food stamp use the highest populations are in bright red districts and in fact most southern states take more money from the government than they pay in.
for my full story of mother and veteran father and fight to save our home check out
http://www.gofundme.com/...