$50 In Food Stamps Says Ohio GOP!

Ohio governor John Kasich and his Republican buddies think $50 dollars is enough in food stamps. 

I'm getting really tired of Republicans and conservatives in general! I've state this once again for the ones who read this and many articles posted by me and LeReyna:

The safety net includes social security, disability, unemployment benefits, food stamps, farm aid, hurricane assistance, Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare.

The middle class, lower class and those who are too poor are the core of the safety net.

With the rising food and gas prices, people are turning to food stamps, food banks and government assistance to keep themselves from landing in the homeless shelter.

Without a safety net, these people will rob and kill those who have the luxuries of having food in the refrigerator or in the pantry. They would steal fuel, water, bread and meat to keep feeding their families. And yet, these Republicans and their conservative allies are thinking the poor are the reasons for the economic recession. Perhaps those who complain about the poor, should walk a day in that person's shoes!

Ohio, the state that went to President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, has Republicans in charge. And of course those greedy ass bigots in the almost all White, male and bitter political party wants to take the safety net from those who may have voted for Mitt Romney and of course President Barack Obama.

With the rising prices of food and gas, people are resorting to food stamps, food banks and theft to get what they need. The Republican Party doesn't seem to understand the need for food stamps for the poor and middle class.

Food banks across America are getting higher demand after states cut funding.

The Drudge Report slobbering over an article from the Toledo Blade stating that Ohio is planning on cutting food stamps to only $50 beginning in January.

So you're saying that when the food prices increase, you're only get a monthly amount of $50! Just about enough to feed a family of four for at least a week?

Not cool! This probably why Republican governor (possible presidential potential) John Kasich isn't liked among Ohio voters. Even though he can claim credit for a declining unemployment, he and the Republican legislators have tried to pass some of the most intrusive laws to keep people either broke or bitter!

Those conservative bigots who click on The Drudge Report have never lived a day in the life a poor person!

It's not fun and it's not pretty! They have the nerve to be the bitter assholes the world is accustomed to! They continue this post-election hangover!

Since the president trounced Mitt Romney in the general election, the Republicans are soul searching!

I am assuming they're figuring out a way to weed out the extremists without pissing them off!

Because the changing demographics have younger voters, Hispanics, Blacks and Asians aren't fond of the Republican Party right now! And looking at the word salad of some the individuals online, I safely say that it's going to be harder for minorities to support the Republican Party.

White conservatives think the rise in food stamps is President Barack Obama's fault! They're so freaking racist, they don't see that food stamps are a minor player in the rising debt crisis. Clearly they're erasing Geroge W. Bush and past Republican presidents. The rise in food stamps started when the economy went into a recession in 2007. 

Ohioans’ food stamp aid to be reduced

Benefit to fall $50 a month starting in January

BY KATE GIAMMARISE

Ohio families receiving food stamps could get an unwelcome surprise come January: $50 less every month in assistance.

For the 869,000 households enrolled in the program for the poorest Ohioans, that could amount to about $520 million annually out of the grocery budgets.

Because of the way the federal government calculates utility expenses for people receiving the benefit, a mild winter nationwide last year, and a lower price for natural gas, many families could experience a significant cut in aid, those familiar with the program say.

Recipients should get a letter from the state Department of Job and Family Services this month explaining the change, said Ben Johnson, a spokesman for the agency.

Meanwhile, food banks and others that distribute food assistance are bracing for increased demand.

A woman with her Ohio Direction EBT Card.

“They are going to increase hunger among our most vulnerable — working families, seniors, children, and persons with disabilities,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

Ms. Hamler-Fugitt said her organization is particularly concerned that some seniors or persons with disabilities who have a low benefit amount could lose all their monthly assistance.

We’re really worried about [the change],” she said.

What’s called the “standard utility allowance” — the amount deducted from a person’s income when the state determines his or her eligibility for the food stamp program — will decrease by $166 for 2013, translating to about $50 less per household in food assistance. State Job and Family Services officials tried to appeal the change to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but the USDA denied the request.

Get ready for a rise in theft of groceries!

USDA officials did not respond to requests from The Blade for comment.

State and county Job and Family Services officials say there is little they can do other than letting their clients and community partners who provide food assistance know about the changes.

“This is a federal issue,” said Joel Potts, executive director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Directors’ Association. “It is what it is. They have a formula. ... We just think it is going to be really hard on families and individuals. They will see significantly less money starting in January.”

The average food-stamp recipient receives $138 per person, per month, according to state statistics. As of August, more than 1.7 million individual Ohioans, or about 869,000 families, received the assistance. A total of $3 billion in benefits was issued in 2011 in Ohio; the program is federally funded.

In Lucas County, about 91,000 people — 46,000 households — receive the benefit. Fifty fewer dollars per household per month would amount to about $27 million annually.

“It’s a concern,” said Deb Ortiz-Flores, director of Lucas County’s Job and Family Services agency. “Fifty dollars can buy quite a bit of food.”

Jack Frech, director of the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services in southeastern Ohio, said the loss of funds will cause a true hardship.

“Fifty dollars would be devastating” to families, he said. “These are folks that have already fallen off the fiscal cliff.” Mr. Frech added that many of his agency’s clients are not affected by lower natural gas prices.

“The majority of folks [here] don’t heat with natural gas in the first place,” he said. “They heat with fuel oil and propane.”

The Rev. Steve Anthony, executive director of Toledo Area Ministries, said, “It will put a strain on all organizations that provide emergency food. We’re going to have to find alternatives. We can’t pull food or money out of thin air.”

TAM runs the Feed Your Neighbor program, which has 13 food pantries in Toledo and surrounding suburbs.

Contact Kate Giammarise at: kgiammarise@theblade.com or 419-724-6091, or on Twitter @KateGiammarise.