Obama promised to fundamentally change America: 46,000,000 on food stamps for 40 straight months

Change...

Via CNS News:

(CNSNews.com) – The number of beneficiaries on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, has topped 46,000,000 for 40 straight months, according to new data released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In December 2014, the latest month reported, there were 46,252,064 Americans on food stamps. Food stamp recipients have exceeded 46 million in each month since September 2011.
The 46,252,064 on food stamps in December was down from the 46,263,096 on food stamps in November–a decline of 11,032.
As of July, the national population was 318,857,056, the Census Bureau estimates. Thus, the 46,252,064 on food stamps equaled 14.5 percent of the population.
While the number of beneficiaries declined over the month, the number of households on food stamps increased. There were 22,724,435 households on food stamps in December, which was up 28,141 from the 22,696,294 households on food stamps in November.
Keep on reading…

Beer sales and food stamp receipt timing are related...

No. You can't buy beer with food stamps SNAP (Sounds so much better than food stamps, doesn't it?) benefits, but you can use the money you saved from buying food to buy beer. Of course, there is also the epidemic fraud in the program.

Via WISTV

When people get their food stamp benefits on the weekend, the sale of beer rises among by as much as 7 percent by those people who receive the benefits — that’s the conclusion of a study conducted by several professors at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business and the University of Connecticut.
The study, called One More Saturday Night: Food Stamp Timing and Monthly Consumption Patterns, was done to “examine the relationship between the timing of food stamp receipt and consumption patterns.” John M. Gordainer and Orgula D. Ozturk were the USC researchers who worked with two colleagues from the University of Connecticut Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics on the study.
“Lots of people have looked at the timing of the distribution of food stamps and shopping behaviors,” Gordainer explains why they investigated this subject. “But we saw something strange with the shopping behavior on the weekends.”
The study found “purchases of beer are higher in months where food stamps are distributed on a Saturday or Sunday than in months where benefits are distributed during the week in food stamp eligible households."...

One-fifth of children now eating food bought with food stamps...

Obama and Democrats undoubtedly think this is a good thing. He would be happy we are helping so many children. The truth is this is a huge fail of the Great Society programs and the welfare entitlement state. We need to be helping people become self-sufficient, not more dependent.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of children in the United States relying on food stamps for a meal spiked to 16 million last year, according federal data, signaling a lopsided economic recovery in which lower income families are still lagging behind.
The roughly one in five children who received food stamps in 2014 surpassed pre-recession levels, when one in eight or 9 million children were on food stamps, according to the U.S. Census survey of American families released on Wednesday
Republicans in Congress have sought to cut back on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or food stamp program as part of a larger plan to balance the budget.
Early last year lawmakers proposed $40 billion in cuts from the program over 10 years. The final farm bill signed into law trimmed $8.6 billion from the program, eliminating benefits for about 850,000 people, according to estimates by anti-hunger advocates.

Food stamp rolls top 46,000,000 for 38th straight month

Obama is the food stamp President and proud of it. 

Via CNS News:

The number of beneficiaries on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—AKA food stamps–has topped 46,000,000 for 38th straight month, according to data released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In October 2014, the latest month reported, there were 46,674,364 Americans on food stamps. Food stamp recipients have exceeded 46 million since September 2011.
The 46,674,364 on food stamps in October was an increase of 214,434 from the 46,459,930 on food stamps in September.

USDA Wasted $2.4 Billion in Food Stamp Money in 2014...

If a private company wasted $2.4 Billion, heads would roll.

Via Washington Free Beacon:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued over $2.4 billion in improper payments on food stamps in fiscal year 2014, according to a new audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
In a report detailing the agency’s financial statements for the year, the OIG accounted for improper payments made from the most high-risk Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs.
The OIG said the government has been building up the food “safety net” for decades, adding programs so that now one in four Americans now receive federal food assistance.
Keep on reading…

Businesses and drug dealers buy food stamp EBT cards...

The food stamp program has always been tainted by people selling their benefots. The EBT cards were supposed to end that, but it didn't happen.

Via Telegraph-Forum:

A public assistance service that feeds Ohio’s hungry families can double as currency for drug dealers who will trade almost anything for their product.
Dubious businesses and drug dealers will buy electronic benefits cards for about half the amount loaded onto the card. From there, people use the cash to buy drugs, said Eric Wolf, agent in charge with the Ohio Investigative Unit, which investigates food stamp fraud and liquor license violations.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, cannot be used to buy items such as tobacco, alcohol or drugs. The penalties can be stiff for offending businesses and their owners because food stamp fraud is a felony offense, Wolf said.
In the past five years, the food stamp program has permanently disqualified 142 stores in Ohio for food stamp fraud — nearly all were in Ohio’s largest cities. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not track how many of those were related to drugs
Keep on reading…

Video: MRCTV's Dan Joseph asks Should Michelle's School Food Standards Be Applied to Food Stamps?

Guess what? Michelle Obama fans don't want to apply her "great" and "awesome" food standards to food stamps and SNAP.

What percentage of food stamps do you think are wasted on junk food?

According to a study by The Malbeck Data Institute, 89 percent of food stamps are squandered on junk food.

A recent study has uncovered that nearly 89 percent of food stamp recipients frivol away their welfare aid on unhealthy, overpriced convenience store junk food.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP for short, was originally designed to help the needy become more self-reliant in times of economic strife. However, judging by what these individuals are choosing to purchase, it is evident that the majority of those who receive benefits are criminally milking the system for all it’s worth.
The Malbeck Data Institute released the results of their study which set out to determine what types of foods were being purchased with food stamp benefits, and the results were startling for many tax payers. Only 11 percent of welfare recipients used their cards to purchase basic ingredients for healthy meals.

Chart of the Day: Food Stamp Beneficiaries Outnumber Women Who Work Full Time...

Change...

Via CNS:

Illegal Alien Heroin Kingpin On Food Stamps...

This doesn't help the cause of food stamps or legalizing illegal immigrants...

Via Top Right News:

Food stamp use among able-bodied adults without dependents has doubled...

More Americans are buying into entitlements?

Via Heritage:

Food stamp rolls have been growing rapidly. But what many may not realize is that participation among able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) has been skyrocketing compared to the total number of participants. That’s just one reason Congress should reform the food stamp program in the farm bill now under consideration. In just four years, the number of able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) on the food stamp rolls skyrocketed by over 2 million. While overall food stamp use grew by 53 percent between Fiscal Year 2007 and Fiscal Year 2010 (from about 26 million to nearly 40 million), it more than doubled among able-bodied adults without dependents during this time–from 1.7 million to 3.9 million–an increase of  roughly 127 percent.  Food stamp spending today is roughly $80 billion, double what it was in Fiscal Year 2008.

Hero: Bobby Jindal pulling food stamp glitch abusers back from the public trough...

It's about time...

Via The Advocate: 

The Jindal administration announced late Wednesday that it is moving to strip food stamps from recipients who took advantage of a technical glitch last month to stock up on free groceries.
The announcement came after U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., pressured state officials to take action by taking away food stamp benefits and forming a task force with local prosecutors to bring criminal charges. Retailers lost money when they allowed food stamp recipients to leave their stores with groceries even though they could not check spending limits. When the transactions were processed later, thousands bounced back because recipients exceeded their food stamp balances.
Smartphone images of empty store shelves and bulging grocery carts at Wal-Marts in Springhill and Mansfield made national news.

Good News: Computer glitch takes out food stamp EBT cards...

I hope they never get it fixed. When I was young, we were poor and didn't have food stamps. I didn't starve to death. I don't know anyone who starved to death. Making it easy for people to be lazy is a poor plan. Only the very elderly of severely disabled should get food assistance. The rest need to find the motivation to take care of themselves. Hunger is a powerful motivator.

BOSTON (CBS) – A possible glitch in a computer system upgrade was causing major problems nationwide with the Electronic Benefits Transfer System on Saturday, as a countless number of shoppers found themselves stranded at the register.
Reports from around the country began pouring in around 9 a.m. on Saturday that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.
The glitch, however, did not appear to be part of the government shutdown. At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.

Follow UP: FOX segment surfer boy still unapologetic for buying lobster with food stamps...

HuffPo catches up with "Surfer Dude"  Jason Greenslate...

WASHINGTON -- Jason Greenslate is America's most famous food stamp recipient.
Fox News profiled the 28-year-old San Diego resident in two August segments about America's "food stamp binge." The stories showed Greenslate buying sushi and lobster with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program debit card. Greenslate plays in a rock band and laughed at the idea of getting a normal job.
“This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing,” Greenslate said in front of the news cameras. “It’s free food; it’s awesome.”[...]
 Greenslate said he's not lazy, putting more than 40 hours per week into his band, Ratt Life, which has an album coming out in six weeks. He said Fox found him through a friend. He cooperated with three days of the network's filming in hopes his band could win some publicity. It won him some local media attention, he said, but also an interview with a local prosecutor who wondered if Greenslate had broken any laws (he apparently hasn't). [...]
 In a follow-up email, Greenslate lamented that Fox had portrayed him as a beach bum. "I don't feel like a bum," he said. "I pull hot chicks, drive nice cars, dress nice and wear the most baddest jewelry in the world."

 Here is the FOX News segment:

If you bust your butt to pay your own bills, this food stamp micro-documentary will anger you...

Food stamps have doubled since Obama was elected. If you bust your butt 45~50 hours a week to pay your own bills, this video is going to piss you off.

House bill will allow drug testing for food stamp recipients...

It also allows states to add work requirements. There is no way Obama and democrats in the Senate will allow their constituents to be drug tested and put to work. It would break their cycle of dependency and cause them to become Republicans or Libertarians.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to consider a bill this week that would cut food stamps by an estimated $4 billion annually and allow states to put broad new work requirements in place for recipients.
The legislation also would end government waivers that have allowed able-bodied adults who don’t have dependents to receive food stamps indefinitely.
The vote comes after the House defeated a wide-ranging farm bill in June because many conservatives believed the cuts to the nearly $80 billion-a-year food stamp program weren’t high enough. That bill would have made around $2 billion a year in cuts.
Food stamps have for decades been part of farm legislation. But House leaders separated the food and farm programs after the bill’s June defeat and passed a farm-only bill in July. The Republican leaders, led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, then crafted the separate food stamp bill in an effort to appease conservatives who have been aggressively pushing for cuts to domestic food aid. [...]
The House bill also would tighten eligibility standards and try to reduce the rolls by allowing states to require drug testing for recipients. It would bar convicted murderers, rapists and pedophiles from receiving food stamps.

The Obama administration tries to justify spending even more on food stamps...

Want to know hy so many people qualify for food stamps nowadays? Of the 953,000 jobs created in 2013, 77%, or 731,000 are part-time. It's the Obamacare effect...

Via Judicial Watch:

The Obama administration blew an astounding $80 billion on food stamps last year but it wasn’t enough to put a dent in the national epidemic of “food insecure” households, according to a new government study that aims to justify pouring larger sums of taxpayer dollars into the bulging welfare program.
It’s like there’s no end to the madness! In 2012 a record 47 million people got food stamps, according to the government’s own figures. Uncle Sam spent an unprecedented $80 billion on the program, marking an unbelievable $2.7 billion increase from the previous year.  To help illustrate the drastic growth, let’s consider the 2007 figures; 26 million people got food stamps that year at a cost to American taxpayers of $35 billion. [...]
So how can the administration justify bolstering this program? The new USDA report, authored by agency sociologists, claims that the percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure remained essentially unchanged from 2011 to 2012 despite the funding surge. Furthermore, the government sociologists found that the percentage of households with food insecurity in the severe range—described as very low food security—also was unchanged.

Agriculture Department study: More people are selling their food stamps...

The government claims the percentage of people selling their food stamps is very small.The number cashing them in at stores willing violating the law may be fairly small. However, I believe people use their relatives or friends to convert food stamps to non-covered items.  Their relatives or friends buy them cigarettes, beer or other items and they let the person use the food stamp card for food purchases. I believe this is very common. This would be easy to reduce. There should be a photo ID requirement when using a food stamp card. Then, the card owner would at least have to be present for the transaction.

Via Fox News:

The percentage of Americans selling their food stamps back to stores for cash has increased by 30 percent over the past several years, according to a new Agriculture Department study.
The study on food stamps trafficking — which the agency said included “covert investigation” in stores — compared the periods of 2006 -2008 to 2009 -2011.
Despite the increase, trafficking has declined since the 1990s, when the rate was nearly 4 percent of food stamps, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs benefits.
The total amount of SNAP benefits is now at roughly $858  million, compared to $330 million annually in the 2006-2008 period.
The increase reflects the overall growth  in SNAP participation and benefits, the agency said in the August 2013 report.
Recipients typically sell back their benefits at a discount, according to the agency, which said its undercover investigations and research into electronic SNAP transactions focused on  stores that showed “suspicious activities.”

Shocking statistic: Two people added to food stamp rolls for every new job created under President Obama...

The sad part is I doubt Obama is even ashamed of this statistic.

Via CNS:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday that the Obama administration has pulled the nation from the depths of the "Great Recession" with the creation of 7.2 million private sector jobs.

"And what is absolutely true is that we have come a long way since the depths of the Great Recession. We've created over 7.2 million private sector jobs," Carney told reporters at a press briefing.

Here's what Mr. Carney didn't say:

Since February of 2009, the first full month of Obama's presidency, 9.5 million Americans have dropped out of the labor force. Nearly 90 million Americans are not working today!

That means that 1.3 Americans have dropped out of the labor force for every one job the administration claims to have created.

There are 15 million more Americans on food stamps today than when Obama assumed office.

Wonderful: Food stamp recipients shipping food overseas in barrels...

Personally, I am really starting to dislike the food stamp program. Nobody wants to see anyone starve to death in America, but this program is riddled with waste and fraud.

Via NY Post:

Food stamps are paying for trans-Atlantic takeout — with New Yorkers using taxpayer-funded benefits to ship food to relatives in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Welfare recipients are buying groceries with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and packing them in giant barrels for the trip overseas, The Post found.

The practice is so common that hundreds of 45- to 55-gallon cardboard and plastic barrels line the walls of supermarkets in almost every Caribbean corner of the city.

The feds say the moveable feasts go against the intent of the $86 billion welfare program for impoverished Americans.

A spokeswoman for the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service said welfare benefits are reserved for households that buy and prepare food together. She said states should intervene if people are caught shipping nonperishables abroad.

Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, called it just another example of welfare abuse.