1 in 10 Ohioans receives food stamps -- almost double in 7 years

[AngryOldDem]

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/22/foodstamps.ART_ART_03-22-08_A1_NN9NE83.html?sid=101


<<Nearly one in 10 Ohioans now receives food stamps, the highest number in the state's history.

Caseloads have almost doubled just since 2001, with 1.1 million residents now collecting benefits, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

"The economy and loss of manufacturing jobs are at the root of what's going on. But lately (it's) the rising cost of transportation and food -- people who were barely getting by, are not getting by," said Jack Frech, director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.

"It has pressed folks to the edge to have to rely on food stamps."

Advocates estimate another 500,000 Ohioans are eligible but not enrolled in the food-stamp program.<<


In 2001, 625,096 residents received food stamps. Recipients get $100 a month on average. And any of us who have been to the grocery store lately can pretty much figure out how much that can buy.

I would like to know how many of these new recipients would have been considered solidly middle class roughly five, or maybe 10, years ago.

This quote haunts me: "People who were barely getting by, are not getting by." :cry:

[Kukesa]

1. We discussed this topic in my Economics of Current Affairs

class today. Food pantries are being overwhelmed and subsequently many have closed.

How did it get this bad?

[MeDeMax]

2. what was the result of the discussion ? -- n/t

[Kukesa]

6. A bit of an explanation:

I attend University of Dayton's Lifelong Learning Institute -- think: old peoples' college; you have to be 55 or older to enroll.

There are 35 in the class and 95% are retired so the thinking is a bit different from a conventional under-grad Econ class. Everyone (including the Prof) was shocked and several people wondered how folks can get by with food stamps. The Prof told us that his wife volunteers at a food bank in Warren County and their shelves are nearly bare.

He also stated the only sound economic plans he's heard have come from Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Barack Obama.

And keeping in mind that this is an Economics class, of course we didn't come to any conclusions.

:P

[MeDeMax]

7. I see

I thought perhaps you taught this class because I find you to be an enlightened soul :toast:

[Kukesa]

8. It's no wonder you're one of my favorites!!! n/t

[AngryOldDem]

3. Vicious circle

Incomes are not keeping up with the cost of living. People are earning less. People are having to pay out more in benefits, which means less income. Less income means having to be even more discerning about what to spend the income on -- is it to buy food, pay for utilities, get the teeth fixed, or pay rent or a mortgage? Add to that all the inherent costs of production -- which to some degree all involve the use of fuels -- it's no wonder that people can't afford a trip to Kroger.

This story was discussed on CNN and they figured out that, at $100 a month, that comes out to like $1.50 a day for food.

That is just shameful in the so-called "richest country in the world."

And I have to wonder how those who are not on the food stamp list, but are eligible, are getting by.

[Kolesar]

4. (1) food has become more expensive

(2) a proportion of people in their prime earning years have left Ohio. That makes the proportion of poor people relatively higher.

[MeDeMax]

5. (3) you take a vibrant economy like the US had 1995-2002

and use its wealth & momentum to pound a sparse economy like iraq into a war, the first blow is impressive to look at.

But when you have to recharge for the second hit its costs a 100 times, or even a 1,000 times, to ship resources for sustenance into the desert. And then we have to recharge for a 3rd, 4th, 5th, ...100th, ...1,000th strike and so on.

Pretty soon our momentum is disappearing, but military spending is given the highest priority so it comes at the expense of everything else.

Governors like Strickland can scrape the bottom of the barrel to try and balance the state budget, but the war is sucking everything dry. One meal on a US base ( Haliburton / KBR ) in Iraq probably costs what it will take to feed a family of 4 for an entire week in Ohio.

Ok I am done venting...for now.

[Nikia]

14. A lot of people in their prime earning years have gotten layed off

From their higher earning jobs. When I read my hometown newspaper, often some plant is either closing or cutting back. The jobs that are lost usually are those which pay above average. The jobs that people have to choose from after that are usually lower paying.

[Jack 4 Ohio]

9. Its not just Ohio anymore

(Published today in the New York Times)

As Jobs Vanish, Food Stamp Use Is at Record Pace

By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: March 31, 2008

Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s.

The number of recipients, who must have near-poverty incomes to qualify for benefits averaging $100 a month per family member, has fluctuated over the years along with economic conditions, eligibility rules, enlistment drives and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which led to a spike in the South.

But recent rises in many states appear to be resulting mainly from the economic slowdown, officials and experts say, as well as inflation in prices of basic goods that leave more families feeling pinched. Citing expected growth in unemployment, the Congressional Budget Office this month projected a continued increase in the monthly number of recipients in the next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1 — to 28 million, up from 27.8 million in 2008, and 26.5 million in 2007.

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[Kukesa]

10. Hey, welcome to DU Jack! n/t

[Jack 4 Ohio]

11. Thank you !

I am glad to here in the company of fine fellow democrats and liberals.

[AngryOldDem]

12. Welcome, Jack!

:hi:

[Jack 4 Ohio]

13. Thank you, please be patient with me, I am still learning my way

around this and other political forums. Its a whole new technological universe out here !