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The stories behind the food stamps

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I was thinking about my post on food stamps, and thought I’d add a little depth to the folks behind the faces–

I mentioned in this post about the man getting only $16 a month in food stamps.  He’s in a wheelchair, not too much older than me.  He was a fire fighter, once, and then was paralyzed in a hunting accident.

Another lady limps with one leg as she had a stroke.  Her left arm is basically useless–some mobility to it but not much.  She, too, isn’t too much older than me.  She had been married once and had children from that union.  She had once suggested that her husband look into a security business.  He did.  He now lives quite well while she lives in poverty with a small income from disability.

An older African American gentleman once played in a jazz band in Chicago during the 50s and 60s (and probably longer, but that’s what I heard about).  He had his picture in the paper once.   Now he lives in public housing, unable to afford a better place.

A younger gal is a student nurse who somehow ended up here from Hawaii.  She’s in public housing and on food stamps until she gets her degree.

Another gal my age used to work for a national grocery chain.  She stood on concrete floors for eight hours every day for years…..it took a toll on her back and knees and now she is on disability and food stamps.

I just wanted to put a face on the folks on food stamps so people understand.

You never know the story until you walk a mile in their shoes…

The $$ behind destroying unions

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…in this case, the big bad teacher’s unions.  They are portrayed as taking away the civil rights of children…by billionaires who are paying their parents less than livable wages…so they can have even bigger bank accounts and totally take over public education.

Meanwhile,Diane has this up on the Schools as Soap Operas, brought to you by corporate profiteers.

Additionally, Reclaim Reform has this up on the hypocrites of reform.  Pretty sobering.

But wait…here is some good news–Pittsburgh schools cancel contract with Teach for America.  Yay!

 

 

Starving in America **edited

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Politicker has this up on Jerry Nadler speaking out on the republican plan of decreasing the surplus population–through even more cuts to food stamps..in a  Depression…oh, wait, we’re not supposed to call it a Depression…my bad.

I’ve debated back and forth whether to write about my situation with the state.  Like so many people on food stamps, it’s humiliating to have to beg for food.  It’s humiliating to go to job interviews and not get that call, even though the interviewers seem to like you….then you are called lazy and unmotivated by these republican (and some Democrats) jackasses….so they’re going to “help you” not be lazy and unmotivated…

Briefly, I did get them reinstated…BUT the state pulled a number out of its arse that isn’t even reflecting of what I am bringing home.

Gah, this is hard talking about, but here goes:  I made a total of $520.00 since September.  The average of those months is $130.00 per month…before taxes.  The state has done some fuzzy math and now deemed me making $260.00 + what my son gives me.  I told them that he only helps me out if I don’t make enough to cover my supplements and vitamins (which keep me healthy until I can get this horrible poison out) and my gas and the basics like laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, etc.   I really hate having to ask him for money, so if he does help out, it’s never over $100, unless the car needs work or some emergency comes up.  He signed a paper stating such.

So…they decided that he helps me out *every* month, regardless, which is a lie.

Even with all the false money that I don’t have coming in, the total they have assigned is…$360.00 per month.

And they cut my food stamps because apparently I’m living high on the hog at their false total of $360. Yep.

This does not take into account taxes taken out, gas to get back and forth to work, and the weather, which has impaired my ability to work.  They don’t take into account that the car needs tires, a transmission fluid change, and other maintenance just so I can make it to work.  Doesn’t matter to them.

According to them, I’m making $360, with no taxes to pay and no other expenditures.

$143 is all they will give me for an entire month’s worth of groceries.  And now they want to cut that even more.  They spend more than that on a month’s worth of coffee.

Oh, and what was that about the automatic pay raises of Congress?  You can’t “make it” on $100,000 per year?

Mitt Romney and his cronies, gutting jobs while raking in the cash….and looking the other way while people go hungry.

My post on being lazy and unmotivated here.

My other posts on food stamps  here, here, and here.

My piece on the media slamming the poor ..I should note that I also saw the South Bend station doing the exact.same.thing within months after this piece aired.

So…you can’t find a job, you’ve got food stamps that don’t last a month, and you’re not supposed to beg for money…vicious, heartless, and punitive.

And when the sociopaths talk about wanting to cut food stamps because of fraud, they neglect to mention  the program is one of the best run with only a 3% error rate!

Meanwhile, they look the other way at rampant fraud with the Dept. of Defense….and the welfare queens of McDonald’s and Walmart.

 

**edited to add:  I just want to make it plain that this is not a pity post.  Like I said in the previous post, we don’t want your stinking charity.  We want jobs with livable wages.

Wisconsin Senator reveals plan to close public schools

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Well, those of us following the Education fiasco already knew this, but perhaps the doubters will finally realize the school profiteers have wanted to close public schools all along.

“For the next several years, 5% of public schools must be named as failing – even if those schools weren’t failing by current standards. With few exceptions, schools that failed for three years would be required to close or be operated by an independent private charter management company with a minimum five-year contract. Local school boards would have little authority over this company for five years. For Milwaukee, this change would apply to schools that failed for just one year.”

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Elizabeth Warren, et al, come out against XL Pipeline

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Well, I’m glad that these folks have come out against the XL Pipeline.

This is, essentially, a rebellion by 22 progressive congressional Democrats against the Clinton-Obama effort to provide a market for the Kochs’ oil. The letter was actually written by Representative Henry Waxman and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and co-signed by senators Barbara Boxer, Ed Markey, Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley, and Elizabeth Warren; and Representatives John Conyers, Jr., Barbara Lee, Raúl M. Grijalva, Rush Holt, Louise M. Slaughter, Jerrold Nadler, Judy Chu, Peter DeFazio, Anna G. Eshoo, Sam Farr, Peter Welch, Alan Lowenthal, Mark Pocan, and Steve Cohen.

 

Note how deeply involved Hillary Clinton is in XL– how Paul Elliott, a former staff member, is a lobbyist for TransCanada, along with David Goldwyn.

Secretary Clinton’s State Department allowed the environmental impact statement on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline to be performed by a petroleum industry contractor that was chosen by the company that was proposing to build and own the pipeline, TransCanada. That contractor had no climatologist, and the resulting report failed even at its basic job of estimating the number of degrees by which the Earth’s climate would be additionally heated if the pipeline is built and operated. Its report ignored that question and instead evaluated the impact that climate change would have on the pipeline, which was estimated to be none.

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Be sure to click on this link about the March, 2013,  XL Pipeline “environmental report” as a hoax.

[…] Therefore, the reason no calculation was done of the XL pipeline’s global-warming impact appears to be that no one who was involved in the study had any climatological expertise or interest.

[…]

But be that as it may: it is by now clear that the State Department’s Draft “Environmental Impact Statement” on XL is neither by the State Department, nor does it address the pipeline’s impact on global warming, nor was anyone who had expertise on global warming even involved in its preparation. The report is thus a triple-hoax, so that to call it fraudulent would put the matter mildly.

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Note that the Obama Administration is trying to force the EU to purchase the Koch Brothers’ dirty oil.  Unreal.

Additionally, I don’t see it mentioned in the article, but I have a huge concern about the petcoke byproduct of this dirty oil that will make its way to Whiting, Indiana.  This is devastating to our environment and the people breathing this toxic garbage.  It seems to me that Indiana has become the garbage can of the Kochs and others who have nowhere else to dump this stuff.  Like I said before, they should start dumping this stuff on the Koch’s lawn, and see how long it takes them to change their minds about the petcoke (haha, I first typed “petchoke”…really, more accurately describes its affects on the lungs of people).

 

Burning clothes for warmth…

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Warrior Publications has this up on the dire situation on Pine Ridge Reservation.  The Native folk are burning clothes to stay warm because of the brutal winter and propane *cough* shortage (if you believe that, I have some oceanfront property to sell you in Indiana–I am waaay too cynical to believe that the hikes in prices are due solely to shortages…methinks someone has some stashed somewhere…)

They are asking for donations to an organization called One Spirit, that helps with fuel.  Please donate if you are able.

ONE Spirit

PO Box 3209

Rapid City, South Dakota  57709

Blessings and warmth to all.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E

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The Beatles on CBS….Oh.My.God, how I wish I were there!!  I had a great time at home, so I can only imagine…

I was great to see George Harrison’s son, Dhani, and his widow there.  Dhani resembles George–it was a little eerie seeing him on stage.

Loved Keith Urban and John Mayer (Meyer?) playing….awesome vocals as well as guitar.  Keith and John both have such strong voices…carried the notes so well.

Loved hearing “Let It Be”…one of my favorites, along with “While My Guitar Gently Weeps…”

“…with every mistake, we must surely be learning…”

Loved hearing Joe Walsh and David Grohl play…awesome talent…

You know, until tonight, I did not realize Katy Perry had such a great voice.  She sang so well.  So I have to wonder at the Grammys and how they did such a disservice to such talent.  It’s amazing when the sex thing and the trivial music is taken out of the equation…the talent really shows through.  Instead of being accompanied by synthesizers, Katy was accompanied by real string instruments tonight…hmmm…what a difference it makes!

I had to chuckle at “We All Live in a Yellow Submarine.”…if you recall, it suddenly popped into my head awhile back, when I was in the middle of a migraine, laying there like a slug.  Wasn’t too funny at the time, but yeah, had to smile once the pain was gone.  Heh.

Great to see Ringo and Paul sing together again.  Such energy!  Who says we’re over the hill…?  I have a few choice words for the ageists….ahem.

Music is still alive….

Progress…?

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For those of you who don’t know, I’m recovering from mercury poisoning.  This is just a short post on my progress–

You might recall I’ve written about mercury poisoned folks not getting colds like normal.  I had not had a cold – a sneezing your head off cold – for about five years.

So…I had one last month where I sneezed more in one week than I had the entire past year.  And I have another one now…

I never thought I would be happy that I’m sneezing…but, yeah, I am. :p

The theory is that mercury so damages our immune system that it cannot muster a response, which is what the sneezing, aching muscles, etc., are…

So, while sneezing is no fun, it makes me happy to know that my immune system is still alive and kicking its way back from the cliff.  ::does happy dance::  :;well, okay, doesn’t do happy dance because I feel like crap right now…but the spirit is willing even though the body sez Pfft.::

Tweeting…is a threat…?

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I had to watch this video (top) twice because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing–from a distance, it looks like a couple talking…he even has his arm around her like a good friend, and then *boom* he starts to haul her off.  She showed no weapon, was not yelling or otherwise threatening anyone…I was just stunned.

Even more stunning? How everyone else just allowed it to happen.  She had every right to be there and Harper and his goons had no right to interfere with that.

In the second video, she is saying that she wasn’t even tweeting–that she did not have her phone.  So they’re lying on top of taking away her rights?

Tweeting is not a threat.  Freedom of Speech is not a threat.