While I agree that the reapplication requirement is a political maneuver I don’t think that $10.5B (11% of total distributions)
in improper and fraudulent payments in 2024 (per the GAO) should be brushed off as a “little fraud”. That $10.5B could be put to better use. I get very tired of seeing use their SNAP card and then drive off in a late model vehicles. Occur's more often then I can accept without believing there is more fraud than people realize. I looked up application process…not that difficult.
Thanks Rick. Stop the fraud and improper payments, for sure. I don’t check the vehicles people drive off in. Actually, I don’t watch if they are paying for their groceries with SNAP either. The people we spoke with certainly didn’t. One had a bicycle. The excuse of fighting “waste, fraud and abuse” in the Trump administration is an excuse to terminate or gut programs, nothing more. There are lots of places to focus on abuse/fraud etc. in Government. Notice they always start with attacks on poor people, not at cushy government contracts given to multinational corporations. Thanks for your input.
This isn't something that is new, it has been this way forever and seems to be ingrained in our DNA. The potato famine was only a part of what drove so many Irish to America, The Industrial Revolution was a driving force for many who no longer were needed to do all the hand work that had previously been done all across the English dominated regions. These poor people were evicted so more sheep could be raised and as a result they were homeless, with no income and the potato famine made it even worse! Those who tried to stop the machines were advocates of a man named Lud, thus came the discriptive name "Luddites" who were "terrorists" according to the crown and most, if not all, were hung! So, as things progress with "AI" another festering case will be made to eliminate poor people who need work in order to exist! Only the wealthy will be allowed to have educations that will give them a leg up on everybody else who has been dependent on "public" schools. Likely they won't exist if taxes continue to be denied to schools and given to private ones with no strings attached. It is like a science fiction novel coming to life with not very pleasant side effects for the vast majority of the population! Your work simply unveils the reality as it currently is, the next chapter should be what do the powers that be see for the future! Great start Bob, keep it rolling!
Of course Republicans and Trump will make poor people reapply for benefits. Anything to kick the homeless and children off the program and starve them to pay for tax breaks and a few more rounds of golf for Trump. When Bush, Republicans and large banks crashed the economy we had to provide 800 billion in taxpayer dollars to bail them out. The form they completed for the money was less than two pages long.
Somebody once said that the reason people dislike helping the poor is because the rich are enough of a financial burden.
I am angry about forcing SNAP recipients to re-apply for their benefits. How is Scott supposed to do this? How are many and most supposed to accomplish this? And if and when they do, how long will the government screw around as folks continue to go hungry?
The choice is clear. Do we want to be a nation grounded in the values of white Christian nationalists or do we want to be a pluralistic democracy grounded in common human values no better represented than by the Beatitudes in the Christian Gospels? As long as Republicans bend the knee to Trump and the MAGA movement, their choice is clear. And people will go hungry. The sick will not be healed. People will be taken off the streets and dumped into prison to be forgotten or worse. In terms of Christianity, we're living in biblical times.
Cruelty over compassion is the MAGA modus operandi. Daily many Iowans demonstrate compassion for the marginalized. My hope is that compassion will overcome Trump's autocracy. Your series and IPR conversation should broaden awareness of determinants of being unsheltered, food insecure and threats to societal safety nets. Applause.
Thanks so much for your work, and especially highlighting the plight of the homeless. And the situation over preventing food insecurity and actual starvation is so disturbing. I constantly wonder and ask how Republican voters can support the meanness. Is it as simple as not knowing or understanding? Is is listening to Fox News, etc., or believing the right wing Republican politicians who do nothing but lie, such as Feenstra who represents NW Iowa? Are they conditioned to blame the poor for their own misfortune, and thus avoid any conscience? I surely hope it is not that they are truly mean, hateful, and rather sociopathic. Has someone interviewed those who can only vote Republican? It would perhaps be illuminating to learn how they think.
Support the meanness!? They don’t see it or believe evidence of it. I converse with a number of “good christians” who will say the most ridiculous and stupid things to defend Krasnov and his Krazy Kult. Their bottom line is he’s a good man trying to do good things.
Congrats on the interview! Great work! Thanks!
Good points, Bob. In our very wealthy country, it should be shocking that so many people live without enough food, without housing, etc.
While I agree that the reapplication requirement is a political maneuver I don’t think that $10.5B (11% of total distributions)
in improper and fraudulent payments in 2024 (per the GAO) should be brushed off as a “little fraud”. That $10.5B could be put to better use. I get very tired of seeing use their SNAP card and then drive off in a late model vehicles. Occur's more often then I can accept without believing there is more fraud than people realize. I looked up application process…not that difficult.
Thanks Rick. Stop the fraud and improper payments, for sure. I don’t check the vehicles people drive off in. Actually, I don’t watch if they are paying for their groceries with SNAP either. The people we spoke with certainly didn’t. One had a bicycle. The excuse of fighting “waste, fraud and abuse” in the Trump administration is an excuse to terminate or gut programs, nothing more. There are lots of places to focus on abuse/fraud etc. in Government. Notice they always start with attacks on poor people, not at cushy government contracts given to multinational corporations. Thanks for your input.
This isn't something that is new, it has been this way forever and seems to be ingrained in our DNA. The potato famine was only a part of what drove so many Irish to America, The Industrial Revolution was a driving force for many who no longer were needed to do all the hand work that had previously been done all across the English dominated regions. These poor people were evicted so more sheep could be raised and as a result they were homeless, with no income and the potato famine made it even worse! Those who tried to stop the machines were advocates of a man named Lud, thus came the discriptive name "Luddites" who were "terrorists" according to the crown and most, if not all, were hung! So, as things progress with "AI" another festering case will be made to eliminate poor people who need work in order to exist! Only the wealthy will be allowed to have educations that will give them a leg up on everybody else who has been dependent on "public" schools. Likely they won't exist if taxes continue to be denied to schools and given to private ones with no strings attached. It is like a science fiction novel coming to life with not very pleasant side effects for the vast majority of the population! Your work simply unveils the reality as it currently is, the next chapter should be what do the powers that be see for the future! Great start Bob, keep it rolling!
Of course Republicans and Trump will make poor people reapply for benefits. Anything to kick the homeless and children off the program and starve them to pay for tax breaks and a few more rounds of golf for Trump. When Bush, Republicans and large banks crashed the economy we had to provide 800 billion in taxpayer dollars to bail them out. The form they completed for the money was less than two pages long.
Somebody once said that the reason people dislike helping the poor is because the rich are enough of a financial burden.
I am angry about forcing SNAP recipients to re-apply for their benefits. How is Scott supposed to do this? How are many and most supposed to accomplish this? And if and when they do, how long will the government screw around as folks continue to go hungry?
Thanks for putting this together Robert.
The choice is clear. Do we want to be a nation grounded in the values of white Christian nationalists or do we want to be a pluralistic democracy grounded in common human values no better represented than by the Beatitudes in the Christian Gospels? As long as Republicans bend the knee to Trump and the MAGA movement, their choice is clear. And people will go hungry. The sick will not be healed. People will be taken off the streets and dumped into prison to be forgotten or worse. In terms of Christianity, we're living in biblical times.
Cruelty over compassion is the MAGA modus operandi. Daily many Iowans demonstrate compassion for the marginalized. My hope is that compassion will overcome Trump's autocracy. Your series and IPR conversation should broaden awareness of determinants of being unsheltered, food insecure and threats to societal safety nets. Applause.
Thank you Mary…
Thanks so much for your work, and especially highlighting the plight of the homeless. And the situation over preventing food insecurity and actual starvation is so disturbing. I constantly wonder and ask how Republican voters can support the meanness. Is it as simple as not knowing or understanding? Is is listening to Fox News, etc., or believing the right wing Republican politicians who do nothing but lie, such as Feenstra who represents NW Iowa? Are they conditioned to blame the poor for their own misfortune, and thus avoid any conscience? I surely hope it is not that they are truly mean, hateful, and rather sociopathic. Has someone interviewed those who can only vote Republican? It would perhaps be illuminating to learn how they think.
Thanks Scott. I talk to them every day. I wrote a piece about it for the New York Times in 2017 outlining why I think people voted for Trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/opinion/why-rural-america-voted-for-trump.html
Support the meanness!? They don’t see it or believe evidence of it. I converse with a number of “good christians” who will say the most ridiculous and stupid things to defend Krasnov and his Krazy Kult. Their bottom line is he’s a good man trying to do good things.