dagblog - Comments for "Our Narrow Focus on Subsistence and Working for the Economy"

Jared Bernstein, WaPo

AmericanDreamer — Tue, 01 May 2018 17:54:44 +0000

In reply to Jared Bernstein short Q&A in

Jared Bernstein, WaPo yesterday, "Swing back, sweet pendulum!", at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/04/30/swing-b...

"Clearly, 'we’re not them' is a strong selling point, but not strong enough. On economic policy, Democrats need a positive agenda" is the theme. He elaborates and offers some of his thoughts on what this might look like, in outline form.

What they also did was market

barefooted — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 00:36:30 +0000

In reply to It's probably healthy to feel

What they also did was market to these customers to encourage them to spend this free money on more prepaired and junk foods where profits are much greater than the component foods used to make meals at home.

Studies have shown that SNAP users basically buy the same things as everyone else. Grocery stores don't "market" specific food types to SNAP users, they simply accept the cards for payment. Rules of what can and cannot be purchased are strict and built-in - many of which seem foolish (soda and chips are okay, but no hot food) until you consider the far too many "food deserts" in this country where fresh produce, juices and meats are hard to come by and fantastically priced if found. You should like the idea of hot food being disallowed, Peter, since that means no pizza delivery or Micky D's - right? Who cares if the folks have no access to a stove, oven or microwave ... they can still buy their kids a beer and a lottery ticket.

Then you must spend

ocean-kat — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 23:06:06 +0000

In reply to It's probably healthy to feel

Then you must spend significant amounts of time feeling shame/disgust as you quite often parrot misinformation. SNAP benefits are administered by the states. The date benefits are available is not federally determined and many states send out the benefits on the first day of the month. It's possible that in the state you live in the payments are spread out over the month as there are a few states that do it that way. Though that's not the most common system in most states. Some states spread out the payments over the first ten days of the month based on the last digit of your SS number. Some over the first three days. Some states send out all benefits to recipients on the third or fourth day of the month. Information about how each state makes it's benefits available is found here.

I'm guessing you lived in some state that sent out the payments over the month and you heard some rumor about it. You then simply assumed that's how every state did it. You never checked to see if the rumor was true or if other states did things differently. That's generally the level of thought and evidence behind everything you post.

It's probably healthy to feel

Peter — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 22:12:18 +0000

In reply to The only reason I'm

It's probably healthy to feel a little shame/disgust for parroting misinformation. The retail grocers have been partners with the USG since food stamps were used to replace the commodities program. They recieved the benefits of increased business for their handling of the dual currency food stamp scheme and did this for decades. What they also did was market to these customers to encourage them to spend this free money on more prepaired and junk foods where profits are much greater than the component foods used to make meals at home.

Trump and the Republicans

NCD — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 21:28:32 +0000

In reply to Stagnation, eh...

Trump and the Republicans looting of the nation's Treasury with $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich has two objectives:

1) Further enrich themselves and their rich donors immediately with the tab left for the middle-class and their kids to pay off.

2) Crash the main street economy and sink the stock markets with the exploding deficit induced rising interest rates so the idle rich can buy up more distressed real estate, stocks and property as the economy seizes up and prices plummet.

And then there's the drop

ocean-kat — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 20:53:52 +0000

In reply to Stagnation, eh...

And then there's the drop in unemployment. Yearly drops were greater during the Obama years then in the Trump years. By far most of the recovery from the Great Recession happened during Obama's presidency.

The only reason I'm

barefooted — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:40:03 +0000

In reply to SNAP benefits are paid on a

The only reason I'm responding to this comment is to express my total and complete disgust with it.

Easy for a member of the

NCD — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:38:23 +0000

In reply to Illegal aliens have no right

Easy for a member of the Trump Adoration Mob Bubble to condescendingly dismiss.

If Trump upends the immigration rules the bigots will cheer Trump with stormy applause.

"A draft executive order apparently under consideration by the Trump administration could have widespread chilling effects for legal immigrants" link

and the wait for green cards

Also, legal qualified immigrants living in the US legally, often must wait for over 10 years for a green card, due to quotas....link

SNAP benefits are paid on a

Peter — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:34:15 +0000

In reply to Read this, Peter, then talk

SNAP benefits are paid on a schedule keyed to the first letter of the applicants last name so your little first of the month buying spree story is bogus. The next factually flawed idea is that if people lose their SNAP benefits they stop eating or buying food. Most of the people liable to lose their benefits have income and can buy their own food but qualify for SNAP assistance. They may have to alter their buying habits and reduce their expenditures for beer and lottery tickets while getting the nutrition the need.

Illegal aliens have no right

Peter — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 17:05:33 +0000

In reply to Groups that help low-income

Illegal aliens have no right to seek US welfare of any type while legal immigrants need not fear deportation for taking assistance. Unless some immigration activists are spreading lies among this population to cause trouble and confusion there is no reason for this claim to be true.