I think we should move to an extended family centric model for these things. As in, if your parents or grandparents are wealthy, we go take the money from them first. Doesn’t sound fair right? But how is it less unfair than taking the money from people who have no genetic relation to them?
I love it when some anonymous internet persona tries to tell me how to live my life based on a small blurb on what I spend in groceries. Really just amazing to me.
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And they shouldnt. The only reason they qualify is the military gives out allowances that are not subject to taxes or with holdings. Often these allowances are more than their monthly pay! I had an E-4 who worked for me in Korea. He had less than 2 years in the service. His base pay was somewhere around 1200 a month. His housing allowance was 1900 a month and he got another 300 a month for a food allowance. That totaled 3400 a month for a kid with a HS degree in 2005, and less than 2 years in the service. If they are in a combat theater of operations they do much better.
I did 26 years in the Army. Soldiers should be compensated for the hardships they endure. That being said, I dont like when people make it sound much worse than it is.
Note that the figure is based on adjusted gross income, which is after you subtract the standard deduction (for most filers.) That was $24K in 2018, so the $50K income for that family of four was really $74K.
Can you please show where it says that? I didn’t see it
The rule the department seeks to change allows people with incomes up to 200 percent of the poverty level — about $50,000 for a family of four — and more than $3,500 in assets to receive food stamps.
Did you see the study that shows the average USA citizen in the lowest 10% of income nationwide consumes more than the average person in most other countries?
Essentially, those we classify as poor in this country still live better than the average person in most other countries. Much of that is due to how generous our government entitlements are.
Now consider how many single-income households are surviving on one, or MAYBE both, making min wage.
And the adults making money get told they should just “pick themselves up by the boo straps” and go go school and learn a new skill while barely scraping by, raising 2 kids, trying to eat, provide a roof over their heads, keep their car(s) running, etc.
This is why we have so many people on gov’t assistance. Bread crumbs aren’t cutting it.
My brother, before finally biting the bullet and becoming a trucker, was working at Home Depot. Min wage. Driving a nearly 20 year old Camaro. Did all the maintenance himself. Using a 4-5 year old phone. Had a roommate.
Had to get food stamps. And he’s very well educated.
Don’t assume that everyone on gov’t assistance is living a life of luxury. Having a phone/wifi and transportation are basic NEEDS people must have to be able to gain employment, and work in 2019.
Um hardly anyone?
Relatively few Americans earn the federal minimum wage.[2] In 2011 and 2012, 3.7 million Americans reported earning $7.25 or less per hour—just 2.9 percent of all workers in the United States.[3]
Just 4 percent of minimum-wage workers are single parents working full-time
So the answer would appear to be, 4% of 2.9%. And that was a while ago before UE went down quite a bit.
What a stupid measure, I have no doubt the same could be said for our homeless compared to third world poverty.
Why is it a stupid measure? Isn’t the whole point to alleviate human suffering? Are the rest of the worlds poor, who compete for my charitable dollar, not actually human?
“millions” is “hardly anyone.” Who knew?
We must always compare ourselves to other countries. Unless we’re talking about gun violence of course
If someone’s self-employed, you can double the FICA. And $200 for utilities? I pay almost that for phone, about that for electricity in some months, $75 on average for water/sewer - and since we’re talking poor folks, maybe they don’t need all of my $240/mo for broadband and TV.
I didn’t even get to the part about how long that 4% of 2.9% spend working for minimum wage on average yet. And apparently you didn’t do the math because out of a workforce of 160,000,000 it comes to 185,600, not millions.
I have no clue where you are taking this weird deflection, the thread is about federal assistance programs that have nothing to do with foreign countries or your “charity”.
Not to mention adjusted gross income only subtracts above-the-line deductions, not the standard or itemized deductions.
It all matters were you live, in Seattle were I am you are correct that’s the poor house. My sister lives about 15 minutes out of Nashville on a teachers salary and supports two other people on it. She isn’t living the high life but she doesn’t need any of those programs.
You do realize that you are talking about someone making 15k a year, right?
Honestly, back to my original point, it appears that for some the basis of getting food stamps is someone literally starving…
Right…my point was that people are making it seem like if you make 50 K you are living the good life, and you may not need food stamps. We just came through a period where my wife had to have to Cardiac Ablations. While insurance covered a great deal of that…we were still on the hook for some. It stretched us thin for a while. Many of these people have the necessities in life, and get buy…my point was, I could see where a family with 50 K in income would/could need the help of food stamps. It’s not that hard to comprehend.
