$5.5 billion is the cost of 40 days US war in Afghanistan or five years food stamps for 688,000 people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001–present)#Costs

Why am I not surprised that the USA prefers to spend that money on war.

The land of the free, yeah, sure.

 

9 hours ago, VillageIdiot said:

Poverty and obesity are becoming synonymous in the USA.

And I thought the synonyms are stupidity and ignorance...

9 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

Now lets see the Trump lower the subsidies,  given out by the US Department of Agriculture,  that pay for those food stamps 

 

But like tariffs, Trump thinks someone else is paying 

 

 https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article322811/Which-costs-more-Food-stamps-or-farm-subsidies.html

 

It's called the CAP in the EU, the main reasons why the UK joined, lots of free handouts for the landed-classes.

At one time they were paid handsomely not to grow/do anything, the more land you have, the more you can get for free, inverted socialism.

11 hours ago, webfact said:

The administration has now finalized a rule that tightens guidelines on when and where states can waive limits on how long certain residents can receive benefits. The changes will move more "able-bodied" adults into the workplace, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.

There is no low this administration will not stoop to. 

Hopefully this is just a start, it has been way to long coming.

59 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Plenty of jobs.

The US is probably just like the UK, it's possible to have no work and no money/income, and be classified as being "employed".

 

Their "record low unemployment" was achieved simply by changing the definition of what employment is.

...it's actually possible to be both employed and unemployed at the same time!????

Wonder if Donald ever missed a meal ?

2 minutes ago, Jack100 said:

Wonder if Donald ever missed a meal ?

...it wouldn't have been Army rations, if he had!

35 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

...it's actually possible to be both employed and unemployed at the same time!????

Actually yes that can be done. Its how a govt manipulates the definition of unemployed to suit its statistics.

 

I know, its crazy, but its what a govt does.

1 hour ago, Andrew65 said:

...it's actually possible to be both employed and unemployed at the same time!????

By defining those that have  part time employment ,which does not provide sufficient total liveable income , as employed ?yes.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

In my youth, I had many friends who received food stamps. None of them truly "needed" them. Many of them were better off than I was. 
 

 

Back in the day when it was physical stamps if you used them and got change in coins you got to keep the coins. So me and my dad would go from store to store I would use a dollar stamp to buy a one cent gum which was allowed. so we would get 99 cents in cash for every transaction. The gum I sold at school later for 10 cents a piece. Which was a nice little side hustle.

 

Aside from that when I got a little older around the first of the month when the stamps came in the mail I would buy them for 50 cents on the dollar from crackheads and druggies. Go buy some gum and get my 99 cents. 

 

Anyway aside from that if you are able bodied in the USA you should get a job. Go to any temp place and you are working the same day until you find something better. People can not find enough workers to do the jobs here at the moment. 

12 hours ago, J Town said:

Absolutely reprehensible. The U.S. is the wealthiest nation in the written history of the planet

Also, the most indebted nation in written history by a long shot! ???? 

Looking at the insane, hysterical response to an attempt to reform a corrupt and bloated welfare system. Trump has been proven right once again. Trump the brave.

9 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

Anyway aside from that if you are able bodied in the USA you should get a job. Go to any temp place and you are working the same day until you find something better. People can not find enough workers to do the jobs here at the moment. 

 

Seems like every time I hear about a labor shortage, what's really happening is that people can't afford to feed their families on the wages being offered.

 

I remember years ago when California had a "nursing shortage".  Turns out the nurses were moving to Texas where they got paid about the same, and housing was about 1/3 what it cost in California.  They didn't have a nursing shortage.  They had a wage shortfall.

 

Here's a test.  Offer a living wage for the work, and see if you still have a labor shortage. 

 

With typical rents being $1000 a month, health care for the average American at $500+ per month, add a little food and school fees to educate your young ones, I don't know how anyone lives on $15 an hour, never mind minimum wage.

 

Lots of people are doing the best they can, working long hours, and still need help paying for food (and health care).

 

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Seems like every time I hear about a labor shortage, what's really happening is that people can't afford to feed their families on the wages being offered.

 

I remember years ago when California had a "nursing shortage".  Turns out the nurses were moving to Texas where they got paid about the same, and housing was about 1/3 what it cost in California.  They didn't have a nursing shortage.  They had a wage shortfall.

 

Here's a test.  Offer a living wage for the work, and see if you still have a labor shortage. 

 

With typical rents being $1000 a month, health care for the average American at $500+ per month, add a little food and school fees to educate your young ones, I don't know how anyone lives on $15 an hour, never mind minimum wage.

 

 

So sitting around collecting $200 a month in food stamps is easier? If you can't live on $15 an hour you also can't live off of food stamps. Which sort of makes you think these people have some sort of a hustle going. Whether that be working under the table or even dealing drugs. Food stamps are not enough  to survive off of alone so how does a single able bodied man not work and continue to be on food stamps for years? Something doesn't add up.

 

As I also suggested in my post many people just sell them on. 

The money spent on impeaching the POTUS could also be used better if spent on food for the poor instead of impeachment hubbub.

1 hour ago, toast1 said:

Looking at the insane, hysterical response to an attempt to reform a corrupt and bloated welfare system. Trump has been proven right once again. Trump the brave.

Agreed, the system needs reforming. However this is not reforming the system, this is just taking out one piece. And that works counter productive and will hurt those who most need it.

6 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

The money spent on impeaching the POTUS could also be used better if spent on food for the poor instead of impeachment hubbub.

 

You go on any street and try give away food... many people do not want it. 

13 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

The US is probably just like the UK, it's possible to have no work and no money/income, and be classified as being "employed".

Schrödinger's employee?

easy talk for people here who have a golden pension 10x higher than a thai average worker, for doing nothing at all from 50 years old till their death ...

 

 

18 hours ago, toast1 said:

>Welfare was never intended to be a career position. It was rife with fraud and waste after obama gave away the farm. Now it's time to be responsible. Plenty of jobs.

 

Eh? I don't understand.

Where is your hysterical, angry, Orange Man Bad rant. 
Usually posters on TV just shriek fascist racist, whenever Trump's name is mentioned

Well, some of us are not shrieking on this one, as in my opinion he just might be right (for a change) and has granted some grace period as opposed to his usual style of "will take effect December 25, 2019" (as an example).

I am a believer that there is a "job" available for everyone who wants to work.

15 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

By defining those that have  part time employment ,which does not provide sufficient total liveable income , as employed ?yes.

 

 

 

No, it's possible to have no regularly rostered hours and be classed as employed,

Part time employees at least had some certainty in getting a minimum per week, say 20 hours.

 

As I said before, it's possible to have no hours at all per week, and still be classed as being in full employment.

 

No other EU country has zero-hours contracts.

18 hours ago, J Town said:

1.2 million getting the proposed cuts are elderly. Heartless!

If they don't already exist (and probably do), there are generally alternatives that will support the elderly and others who just can't "work for food money". I don't think anybody will starve.

14 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Back in the day when it was physical stamps if you used them and got change in coins you got to keep the coins. So me and my dad would go from store to store I would use a dollar stamp to buy a one cent gum which was allowed. so we would get 99 cents in cash for every transaction. The gum I sold at school later for 10 cents a piece. Which was a nice little side hustle.

 

Aside from that when I got a little older around the first of the month when the stamps came in the mail I would buy them for 50 cents on the dollar from crackheads and druggies. Go buy some gum and get my 99 cents. 

 

Anyway aside from that if you are able bodied in the USA you should get a job. Go to any temp place and you are working the same day until you find something better. People can not find enough workers to do the jobs here at the moment. 

It is a rare occasion that I agree with you "cryingdick". 

I never give to able-bodied-looking beggars but I will pay the overage for a persons groceries if they miscalculated when paying at the grocery store check out.

On 12/5/2019 at 1:16 AM, webfact said:

Unleashing Economic Freedom

The freedom to starve, suck it and die when you don’t make enough money to buy food or pay a doctor/hospital when you’re sick. What a great country! 

3 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

The freedom to starve, suck it and die when you don’t make enough money to buy food or pay a doctor/hospital when you’re sick. What a great country! 

There's a helluva lot of people in the States who have fairly good jobs, and are living in their cars, or RV's??!!

16 hours ago, Jack100 said:

Wonder if Donald ever missed a meal ?

I wouldn't think so.

 

OTOH the families of the companies that Trump made bankrupt probably did.

49 minutes ago, neeray said:

It is a rare occasion that I agree with you "cryingdick". 

I never give to able-bodied-looking beggars but I will pay the overage for a persons groceries if they miscalculated when paying at the grocery store check out.

Agreed, but many of the people that are struggling to survive and need food stamps are working their asses off, and still struggling to survive.

One of the problems with having people like Mr Trump or Johnson as our leaders is that they've never wanted for anything in their lives, so they don't 'get' poverty. A similar thing with the judiciary in the UK, why so many people regard them as being 'out of touch', having spent all their lives in academia, and ivory-towers.

12 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Agreed, but many of the people that are struggling to survive and need food stamps are working their asses off, and still struggling to survive.

But it is also true that some of these people spend their paper money on things that affect their brain and not their nourishment. Priorities !

 

Also, I seem to recall that a Trump election promise was that he would solve the out of control drug addiction problem that America has. I must be missing all his announcements on that one. Priorities !

9 minutes ago, neeray said:

But it is also true that some of these people spend their paper money on things that affect their brain and not their nourishment. Priorities !

 

Also, I seem to recall that a Trump election promise was that he would solve the out of control drug addiction problem that America has. I must be missing all his announcements on that one. Priorities !

Amazing how legalised synthetic-heroin (oxycontin) has made lots more drug addicts! (Real heroin's cheaper?!).

 

I also remember him promising to fix-up America's crumbling infrastructure, not sure if anything's happened with that?