Republicans Slash Food Stamps to Keep Up Defense

Translation: screw what we said last summer

Remember last summer's last-minute deal to raise the debt ceiling and avoid national default? Well, now the House Republicans are unilaterally ditching that plan, which was supposed to spread spending cuts across defense and social welfare.

Rather than having the Pentagon soak up its share of the cuts, the GOP-led House Budget Committee has pushed through a "reconciliation budget" which off-loads those cuts onto the food stamp program and Medicaid. It's yet another one of those bills that's going to look 100% right to half of us and 100% wrong to the rest.

Here's Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP's budget maven: "let's get back to the idea of America as an opportunity society." (Translation: food stamps bad, defense good. And screw what we said last summer.)

And here's Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern: "I am so sick and tired of the demonization of programs that benefit poor people in this country." (Translation: why do I have to work with these guys?)

In keeping with the fact that the bill is playing straight down the partisan divide, it's likely to have trouble getting past the Senate. It's also a pretty clear signal that Congress members are not about to knuckle down and join hands in the fight against government bankruptcy.

Do we have room in the defense budget to make these cuts?

[Truthinesss]

If you believed that when they made that pact, that they were actually going to let the cuts happen, your a fool. All that was, was a way to shut people up for a little while, while they figured out a way to waste even more money.
Right now, you either want to tax rich people more, or cut social programs. There's no in-between in Congress. There's no give and take anymore. Its all my way or no way. And we aren't getting any where anytime soon. How long has it been since a budget? Yea....we are slowly crumbling apart. Spiraling into debt that we'll never get out of. But people nowadays are more concerned that so and so got voted off American idol than who got voted into Congress, so what can you do?

[Kptpredsfan]

I really wish the GOP would stop attacking food stamps. The poor of america have enough problems without the right dumping budget problems all over them.

[ir0nw0lfe]

Welfare was never meant to be a lifestyle. Now we have illegal immigrants getting tax refunds and welfare. No one wants anyone in America to go hungry, there's no need for it. However, there is also very little excuse for not working. Not everyone finds a job in their given field at first but under this entitlement system we have now many feel that entry level jobs are beneath then. It's hard to argue when they can get handed mire money not work by staying on welfare. This is the reason we need entitlement reform. I'm all for cutting wasteful military spending, realignment of bases, etc. But not just to give more money to the last and those unwilling to work. Again I'm not talking about cutting food stamps from impoverished but I also believe in the old proverb about teaching a man to fish vs giving a man a fish. That's where we need to reign in spending. No one should get to live for free forever. Especially when we can't afford it. And before you go too far on the evil GOP take a look at how the govt. Theory on akewing the unemployment number will result in the loss of the 20 week unemployment extension on 49 states by Sept just on time to blame that on the REPs for the election.

[Just_Lisa]

I could not have said this any better. :)

[Kamlhj]

Why not slash Defense until the country recovers more- nothing drastic.

[CommonSense]

It's wrong that they aren't keeping up their end of the bargain but why did we ever have food stamps in the first place? I agree that the government shouldn't abandon people in need, but instead of just handing it to them why not offer these people jobs in public works?

[CommonSense]

Why did we ever start welfare?
If someone can't find a job in the private sector the solution is simple, the government gives them a job in a public works program so they can make money actually doing something that contributes to society.

[Maroonchief]

I understand that poor people shouldn't starve, but people need to got off their behinds and get to work. 70% OF THE PEOPLE THAT'S ON FOOD STAMPS CAN WORK. I grew up on food stamps. My mom was able to work, and just wouldn't work because food stamps made her lazy. Food stamps are temporary.

[Maroonchief]

If your are an E-5 in the Military..then you qualify for food stamps if your spouse doesn't work. Food stamps is a way to keep the people dependent on the Government. People take charge of your own lives.
Keep the Government out of it.

[Maroonchief]

This is crazy that some pro-welfare bloggers put this on this site. The military only makes up 13.8% of the GDP. Welfare programs make up of more than 70% and the rest are taken up by regulations. We need a strong military to be able to be the country that we are (The world leader). Most of the people that is on Government programs can work, they just choose not to. If you give someone something for free, then you make a lazy person. Cut taxes on small businesses so that they can hire...that's how you fix the economy.....Economics 101

[IMAQT]

The Food Stamp Act became law half a decade after J.K. Galbraith in his best-seller had declared 1950s America to be the world's great Affluent Society.

Yet, when Richard Nixon took office, 3 million Americans were receiving food stamps at a cost of $270 million. Then CBS ran a program featuring a premature baby near death, and told us it was an infant starving to death in rich America. The nation demanded action, and Nixon acted.

By the time he left office in 1974, the food-stamp program was feeding 16 million Americans at an annual cost of $4 billion.

Fast forward to 2009. The cost to taxpayers of the U.S. food-stamp program hit $56 billion. The number of recipients and cost of the program exploded again last year.

Among the reasons is family disintegration. Forty percent of all children in America are now born out of wedlock. Among Hispanics, it is 51 percent. Among African-Americans, it is 71 percent.

Food stamps are feeding children abandoned by their own fathers. Taxpayers are taking up the slack for America's deadbeat dads.

The war on poverty declared 40 years ago is still not working.

[Chomsky0]

Right. Government would rather kill foreigners than feed it's people. Has anything changed in 100 years? Guns or Butter.