Let's All Judge The Poor & Unemployed - & Hope It Never Happens To Us...

I had that happen briefly (4.00 / 1)

and it was terrifying.  We moved back to Alabama in 1998 for my new job with a guy who turned out to be--  not what I thought he was (let's just say he went through 5 more female doc employees in a few years before the hospital in Decatur helped him out the door). Was fired after 2 months for "insubordination", when I was suddenly required to be available to him 24-7, no exceptions, to which I responded that wasn't in my contract.  His loophole was that my contract said I took call equally with all other employees and he didn't count as an employee himself-- so equal call turned into all call.  I mouthed off that I wasn't on call 24-7 even to God, and that was too much for him, bless his heart. 

We were suddenly income-free, with a new mortgage and 2 kids, and my husband still job-hunting.  Virtually savings-free too, since I'd just finished residency in 1996.  Furniture was handed-down or thrift store, but boy did we have a lot of books! Maybe could have qualified for assistance-- instead cashed in all retirement and used those too handy credit cards as sparingly as possible until we got jobs, followed by a couple of years of "austerity"-- living in a house we couldn't sell and buying the cheapest food we could. I never want to eat another Ramen noodle, but they were 400 kcal for 25 cents.  Some church friends found out and brought us food for Thanksgiving.  Only 2 months of real panic but I still shudder to remember it. 

That pales beside the experience of those who never had the books, the house, the credit cards, the retirement funds, the well-off friends or the good job to begin with. I can never come close to imagining their lives, day to day. All I know is, our minor flirts with tight budgets are utterly trivial in comparison.

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by: DrAbston @ Fri Jun 29, 2012 at 13:46:42 PM UTC

Sen. Session's Response (4.00 / 1)

I wrote to Sen. Sessions on this matter. Today (Aug. 1) I received a letter dated July 5 with his reponse (pls excuse typos, typing kind of fast):

"Thank you for your recent letter regarding food stamps.  I appreciate the benefit of your views regarding this issue. 

Many Alabamians, and others across the country,  have expressed their strong desire for Washington to end its irresponsible spending.  Unrestrained spending has increased our total national debt to almost $15 trillion, placing our country on a path to bankruptcy.  Washington spending has wasted our taxpayer dollars, eroded our values, and placed this nation's economy at grave risk.  [Uh, Senator, you ARE "Washington!"]  America's greatness is not found in the size of our government but in the scope of our freedoms and the spirit of our people.

I have advocated savings in every part of the federal budget.  One such area where this can clearly be achieved is in our welfare spending.  Costs have risen to rougly $900 billion a year - about $700 billion in federal funds and $200 billion in state congtributions or obligations to the same federal programs.  Food Stamnps, also known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), represent one of the largest welfare expenses.  The number of peole using food stamps has increased seven-fold since the program's national expansion inthe 1970's.  Once used by around 1 in 50 Americans, igt is now used by almost 1 in 7 [yeah, Senator, 'cause they got no jobs, thanks partly to YOU].  Spending for the program has quadrupled in just ten years - making it one of the largest and fastest growing items in the federal budget.  At $80 billion a year, it costs twice our education budget, twice our highway budget, and almost seven times our border security budget.  [And how much less than the defense budget I wonder?]  Meanwhile, food stamp funds have been wasted, mishandled, and misused.

During this time of record federal deficits, it is my sincere hope that Congress will cut unnecessary psending items while also providing appropriate funding for the critical programs that have proven themselves to be effective and worthwhile [read:  the ones he wants and that help his cronies].  As the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, I will advocate for a sensible federal budget that addresses our nation's fiscal crisis.  We simply don't have the money to keep spending as we have.

As you may know, I proposed four amendments to the Farm Bill, S. 3240.  I b elieve these amendments would have helped limit the abuse of bureaucratic discretion by removing Categorical Eligibility, ending state bonus payments for administering SNAP, requiring SNAP participants to show proof of payment for heating and cooling in order to qualify for a heating and cooling standard utility allowance [while the new Toyota plant in Huntsville receives very generous discounts on its power consumption rates], and requiring state agencies that issue SNAP benefits to verify the immigration status of applicants [I know something about this, and it will end up costing the agency more time and money to check the immigration status than is saved].  Unfortunately, none of these amendments passed [yay!].  I remain committed to reforming the SNAP program, while ensuring benefits are available to those who [I think] truly need them.

I realize times are tough and that we should provide a helping hand to those truly in need, but forty cents of every dollar we spend today is borrowed.  It is the duty of every lawmaker to watch carefully over every tax dollar to ensure it is being spent wisely, properly, and efficiently.  When government has grown as large as it has [I think statistics show that it has not grown as much as people think it has and has maybe even shrunk], with a budget of nearly $4 tgrillion, waste can be found in virtually every program [pork barrels, anyone?].  By making the government more lean and productive, while pursuing policies that grow the economy, we can ensure that the safety net catches those who fall without restraining them as they try to rise.  Our goal must be to empower individuals to become financially independent and secure [just pull yourself up by your bootstraps already!].

Thank you again for writing.  Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

 Very  truly yours,

Jeff Sessions

United States Senator" 

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by: CK @ Wed Aug 01, 2012 at 21:44:26 PM UTC