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Food stamps benefits due for increase

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Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007 - 12:30:22 am CDT

The amount of food a family can buy with its food stamp allotment has been getting smaller for almost a decade. Congress should raise the benefit level.

The average food stamp allotment for an individual is $3 per day or about $1 per meal.

Trying to provide a healthy diet on that amount of money is a daunting task. It’s about to get even more difficult. Food prices have begun rising at a faster clip, jumping about 4 percent from a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index.

The reason for the gradual decline in the buying power of the food stamp program is that standard deductions were frozen in 1996 and no longer increase with inflation.

For a Nebraska family of one adult and two children, the standard deduction used to determine benefit levels is $134.

A proposal approved by the nutritional subcommittee of the House Ag Committee would raise that to $156 a month and index future increases to the rate of inflation.

If enacted as law, the change would not restore the program to the more generous levels of a decade ago, but it would stop the continuing erosion of food stamp purchasing power.

Food stamps are a crucial part of the nation’s safety net for poor Americans.

The program is a major part of the farm bill, better known for the billions it provides in subsidies for American farmers to grow such crops as cotton, corn and soybeans.

About half of all food-stamp recipients are children. About 8 percent are elderly.

The food-stamp program also is a major benefit for America’s working poor. An estimated 40 percent of recipients are employed.

Thanks to a move to the Electronic Benefits Transfer system, which eliminated paper coupons, fraud in the program has dropped dramatically — to one-fourth the level it was when coupons were used.

Fraud detection programs continue, targeting schemes in which small neighborhood stores in low-income areas pay 50 cents in cash for each $1 in food stamp payments, then bill the government for the full $1.

Other improvements in the program are possible. The Brookings Institution also has suggested stronger work requirements. Some reformers say that that retired people on fixed incomes should be permitted to have more than $3,000 in savings. The amount has been frozen for 21 years.

The most important need, however, is for Congress to restore the purchasing power of food stamps to make sure that children and the working poor have enough food on the table.


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ted wrote on June 27, 2007 9:11 am:
" Food Stamps are a huge program that no one really understands. The recent media hype about trying to live on food stamps alone is a big lie. All food stamp recipients either have other jobs and income, or are also on welfare, or living with relatives. No one uses food stamps as their sole source of food. Also, the fraud in this system is unbelieveable! Los Angeles alone receives almost I billion dollars in food stamps every year. You can see recipients trading their stamps for drugs, alcohol, cash...or selling their allotment. Next time you see someone pay with food stamps check out the cars they drive. This program wastes billions of taxpayers dollars every year. "
MarkyMark wrote on June 27, 2007 9:53 am:
" Food stamps are a huge net gain for the Agriculutural states. "
workingpoor-widow wrote on June 27, 2007 10:04 am:
" Ted, try raising 5 kids on a single salary once. the "huge problem" is wages in Nebraska are no where near the national average and if I want my children to eat I have to have the help.Don't knock the program if you never needed it! "
AD wrote on June 27, 2007 10:33 am:
" I would rather see WIC increase to include children older than 5 years old. WIC stipulate WHAT food you can purchase - limited to milk, non-sugar cereal, cheese, non-sugar juice and eggs. It is fustrating to be in line to pay and see what foods stamps are used to purchase - foods I do not purchase because they are overly expensive and not within my working budget (expensive steaks, off season fruit, unhealthy snack foods, convience foods etc). Also, WIC requires nutrition classes. If WIC can administer this then why can't food stamps be regulated the same way. I have no problem with my tax dollar providing children and elderly healthy food. Also, many of these children are receiving free breakfast and lunch at schools and daycare in addition to the food stamp allotment for these meals. "
once again FACTS!! wrote on June 27, 2007 12:17 pm:
" Why is it so hard to use real, easily available data? Why do people either stop lying or start prefacing comments about such easily obtainable statistics with "I think" or "in my case"? Do they think no-one knows better? As usual I'll give FACTS and a cite to a credible source. Nebraska median household income is both higher than and rising faster than the national average or median, and ranks 20th amongst the states (above all neighboring states except Colorado) http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/income05/statemhi2.html It's easy people - check before you post or admit you are just guessing! Individual Nebraskans obviously may be forced to work for low wages, but that says more about their job skills, education and marketability than it does the state "
Sickened wrote on June 27, 2007 12:45 pm:
" It makes my blood boil when I'm in line at the Super Market behind some woman and her brood in tow with a fist full of food stamps buying soda, candy bars, cereal, chips, and junk food in general. Then she gets her two cartons of cigs and off they go in their new SUV, to collect her welfare check! "
Scott wrote on June 27, 2007 1:11 pm:
" Sure, there is some fraud. Name one thing in the world dealing with money that immune from it. Food "stamps" don't exist anymore...they're debit cards now, which are great--you can be more discrete, and the cashier doesn't give cash change. "
Single Working Mom wrote on June 27, 2007 1:47 pm:
" I'm a single parent that doesn't get any help from the state & little child support. I work full time & pay for my own groceries. I'm with AD in the fact that I'm buying hamburger helper & things I can afford not using the state to buy me junk food, steak, etc. I like the idea that will food stamps people should have certain things that they can & can't buy like with the WIC program. How do we food stamps to move into that direction? "
Josh wrote on June 27, 2007 2:01 pm:
" Geez, people- do you think just because there is SOME fraud in the food stam program, or that SOME people use them to buy pop, candy, etc. that they are a bad thing and that the vast majority of the recipients- who use them properly- should have them taken away? Talk about wanting to burn down the forest because just a few trees are bad!!! Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to live at a level of income where they don't need food stamps, and I think more of us need to understand that. It boggles my mind how many of these same people who are against our nation helping its own people like this also SUPPORT our government's wasteful spending of billions of dollars per month blowing up a 3rd world country in the middle east... Maybe we need to take a long hard look at ourselves and get our priorities in check. "
A. Dillon wrote on June 27, 2007 3:15 pm:
" To Ted and AD, and others who agree with you: First of all, do you think you can feed any individual on approximately $1. per meal? I sure would like to know how you would endeavor to do that. I also wonder how you would feel if John Q. Public was forever telling you what to pick out and place into your shopping cart as you went down the grocery store isles. I get frustrated by those who think that the poor people of the nation do not have a clue as to how to shop, what constitutes good nutrition and how to budget their meager food dollar. You are probably the same people that stand in line and sneer s a Mother purchases a cake mix, a frosting mix and some ice creme for her child's birthday with food stamps since she ought not buy "junk food" with her food stamps! I am sure your child never had any of that sort of "junk" during their birthday celebration! Oh and while we are discussing this issue, have you noticed that the good for you juice that is less sugar is way more expensive? What so many of the comments about "welfare, food stamps, and etc." are based on is ignorance and judgmental attitude. That superior attitude displayed is very off-putting to many of us out here who watch people treated with a total lack of courtesy simply because they are less fortunate than others. I am constantly amused by those who complain about what people spend food stamps on, especially after looking over what is in their carts! Sure there are some people who do not make wise food buying choices, but that isn't to do with if they are using food stamps or not...It is insane to even suggest such a thing. Just like murder, child abuse, drug use, and the like, stupidity knows no race, income, age, or gender... "
All for it... wrote on June 27, 2007 5:20 pm:
" IF there are some changes more toward WIC regulations. I do agree that more money is actually needed, but it is absolutely RIDICULOUS the things that can be purchased with an EBT card. Sodas, candy, junk food, I even saw a lady buy a PREMADE gingerbread house at christmas. I have NO problem at all with people buying FOOD with their welfare, but how are we helping them out by providing them with junk that is just going to tax the system later as they develop health problems from the poor nutrition. If they have EXTRA money and want to blow it on that then fine, but I think the welfare should only be for what is necessary for them to be healthy. Which brings me to another subject...why in Nebraska are OTC meds taxed but junk food is not? Sodas candy and pure junk should be taxed and stuff to make you healthy again shouldn't...duh. "
Scott wrote on June 27, 2007 9:17 pm:
" Nice to see the compassionate conservatives chiming in on this. "
Harry wrote on June 27, 2007 9:54 pm:
" I think the sad thing is that junk food is often cheaper than healthy food. Most of these folks can't or won't prepare a meal from scratch, which can be cheaper, so they buy the processed junk that is quick and easy. You think they actually care about their child's well being? "
A. Dillon wrote on June 27, 2007 11:27 pm:
" Nice comment, Harry: everything except the last sentence...why do you think poor people don't care about their children's well being? While I am on the subject, how from scratch are you talking about cooking? Are you blanching tomatoes, out of your garden and plunging them into cold water to pop the skins off-then cooking them down and running them through a sieve so that you can make pasta sauce from scratch, adding home grown herbs and spices...Give me a break...I don't think anyone has that kind of time, unless they are not working out of the home, something that is not allowed of the average "welfare recipient." Sure cooking from scratch is preferable and in many cases cheaper, however it is not always practical for everyone. How many people have a garden who do not own their own home and rent (for instance) an apartment? This sort of attitude is the same one that people who get upset when someone uses some of that "huge" welfare check to buy disposable diapers has. It is cheaper to use cloth diapers and to wash them yourself...if you have a washer and dryer at home, so that you don't have to spend a small fortune on the laundromat. Of course if you have to make the payment on the washer and dryer, especially from a rent to own place, it isn't cheaper to use cloth diapers. Yes, they have diaper services...more expensive, by far, than disposables! You are correct, it is cheaper in many cases to get junk to eat than good food. I would eat fresh fish three times a week with roasted veggies, but alas, the cheapest fish sticks are more what I can afford. I can't take the time from work to go fishing, nor afford the license to go or the gas to go out to an area lake, to catch the fresh fish, to take home for the table. I think I have said enough to make people stop and think that while it is great to want to look out for the well being and health of the less fortunate of us, we can't assume that everyone who uses food stamps is an idiot, who can't shop in a manner we consider correct. By the way, Scott; I agree, it is SO great to see that the compassionate, conservative majority is out in force as to this issue. "
Eating wrote on June 28, 2007 7:03 am:
" $1 per meal assumes that they are purchasing food for three meals a day. Let's not forget that the government also pays for daycare and the food program for a lot of these families and they will usually eat breakfast and lunch at a daycare center or with free or reduced meals when school is in session. I have to pay for all of my groceries out of my pocket and I can get by for about $50 a week for a family of four. Maybe it is just easier to budget when you have to work for it. "
A. Dillon wrote on June 28, 2007 10:04 am:
" I just have another comment for this: The government will pay for daycare for only the folks who have almost zero for an income. The sad truth is that you get title xx for about 2 months after you start to work, then you are on your own. As for the government meals, like the free or reduced school lunches...Have you ever seen a sample of a school lunch? Check it out, the choices listed in the paper are all choices, the kids don't get a choice of "everything" on the menu. They end up with fries, and a breaded mystery meat pattie, w/ cheese and corn! Yep, that is totally balanced, isn't it? How much fat content is in a meal like that? The nutritional content of school lunches is a joke, and the free breakfast is either cold cereal or a muffin (or similar, like a sweet roll) and a small carton of milk or sm. juice. By the way, Eating, if you get by for $50 a week or so, I sure would like to know how old your family members are and what you are feeding them...I actually do cook from scratch and I can't do that. For heaven sake, Milk is about 4 bucks a gallon! Bread is at least 2 dollars a loaf! I think you must be mistaken about the total a tad bit. I have myself and a thirteen month old granddaughter here and I am quite a good cook, making most things from scratch, never buying convenience foods, etc. and I spend that much at the store. We don't eat high off the hog...I am soaking bean mix to make ham and bean soup for supper along with corn bread tonight, for instance. "
daisy wrote on June 28, 2007 2:19 pm:
" I hope those of you who are so negative towards those in need never have need yourselves. Although, maybe some of you need a good dose of the hostility often aimed towards those who receive public assistance. There are many who abuse the system. However, there just as many who simply need a hand getting back on their feet because of health issues or loss of a job or who knows what. The reasons are many. If you don't think it could happen to you, you're living in a fantasy world. Don't assume that everyone you see using an EBT card is the worthless piece of garbage you assume them to be. And Harry, do you think that poor people love their children less? Ridiculous. "
AD - To A. Dillon wrote on June 28, 2007 3:44 pm:
" Yes, I do think that food stamp recipients deserve to have John Q. Public dictate what they are purchasing - it's. Afterall, it is John Q. Public who is paying for it. Kinda like when your parents are raising you, paying your way, your parents have the right to dictate how THEIR money is spent. If food stamp users choose to purchase convience items, out of season items, prime meats, junk food etc. then they can use thier own dime to buy it, not the tax payers. As far as providing Bday cake and ice cream for a childs bday - make it a priority and spend your own dime for it - that is what I have to do. Determining if you can feed, clothe, house and provide what is important is all part of the decision process in deciding how large of a family to have. I work and pay my own bills and I budget my money, save for extras and limit my family size so that I can provide for them. If tragedy struck and I was not able to pay my own way, I wouldn't expect that tax payers to provide extras for me/& family. I would appreciate the TEMPORARY help in providing basics and get back to work even if that involved more than one job or a job that I didn't like. It is all part of being a responsible adult. "
I REALLY DO KNOW! wrote on June 28, 2007 5:16 pm:
" I am a divorced mother of two boys that I love very much and they are my life....by this I mean EVERYTHING I do is centered around them! I work 40 hours a week, I drive an old car that I slowly fix to keep it going, I keep a very clean house(ask people who have been here) and my kids are well taken cared of. I have my kids on a healthy diet which by the way is healthier than these 'free school lunches' are. My money pays bills and every month I get my kids something they need. I do not go out anywhere without my children unless I am at work as I would rather get my sons something than waste my money on a night out unless it includes the three of us. By the way I do work with other children...who knows it could be one of those that want to leave negative comments about 'us people'. I even have a Bachelors Degree thinking it would be a better life for me and my children. The point being in all this with all I do I still cannot make it and it is very rough so yes I do get those food stamps that do not come in a 'fistful' but a sleek credit card size plastic card for those that do not know that 'us people' have moved up from paper to plastic! Although we are on a eating healthy diet and do not buy meat I WILL let the kids get an unhealthy snack once in a while for a TREAT--they are children and NO I do not drive away in a new vehicle. I think people need to focus more on these little dead beat fathers to help financially with their children....I am working and that is the ONLY checks I get. Also for those that do not understand...food stamps DO NOT buy food for the whole month....with the little bit I get I am lucky I get a week in! Before people start stereo typing they need to look at individuals and NOT scoop us all together. As I think someone said there is fraud in everything...if you think there is...STOP complaining and get off the computer and do something about it.....phone Health and Human Services! "
Nate R. wrote on June 28, 2007 5:46 pm:
" I don't doubt many parents on assistance do care greatly for their children. But maybe family/financial planning should have been accounted for before having multiple kids or divorce or things that CAN be controlled (unlike something like health issues.) And any parent on assistance who smokes I have zero compassion or respect for. "
A. Dillon wrote on June 29, 2007 9:56 am:
" Good Lord, your kind heart is certainly only kind if you can attach strings to what you give. FYI, it is not like those on the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder are there because they choose to be. Just like the young woman who posted the comment just after your last post (I Really Do Know!)there are extenuating circumstances that one ought to consider before lumping the entire group of people who use any government assistance together. People who need help are no less human than those who have the means to get along without the help of those more fortunate. It seems that children are not allowed a treat now and again because they belong to a family who is not economically advantaged. The problem with saving out their own dime for items that you mention is that after paying for the other costs that they have, there is not a dime left! It just so happens that while a person can get on housing if they sit on the several year long waiting list, only a family group is eligible to be on housing (no one single) It is not like the utility companies have a sliding fee that makes the cost of heating, cooling, water, and garbage any less for the poor either. That means a much larger hunk of their money goes to pay those costs than you are "wasting" on your utility costs. I am pretty certain that you think that the poor can just take a utility bill in and get the entire amount paid for every single month too, but that is not how it works. It isn't like people who are poor get all the breaks you think they do. Many drive old clunker cars that are huge gas hogs, since someone unloaded them cheap and that is what the poor can afford to buy...and the gas that the poor pump isn't less expensive than the gas your vehicle sucks up either. Many take the bus, or walk for that matter. It isn't like the public transport in this town is very good. I am betting you don't ride the public transportation system so that isn't something you know about. Maybe those who are so judgmental and negative ought to stop and think where they might be if they had some of the circumstances that the less advantaged in the world had to contend with. Open your eyes to gray--everything in this world is a shade of it, not black and white as you seem to think. Those of you who scream about how some take advantage of the system always want to throw the baby out with the bath water... "
Nina wrote on June 29, 2007 10:04 am:
" I Really Do Know's comments illustrate what too many forget - most people do their best in life. I commend her for trying so hard. Even those who have made bad choices are more likely to change with support and positive reinforcement, instead of criticism. If you deplore the poor buying junk food and expensive 'helper' foods, volunteer to teach a free cooking class, or become a 4-H cooking leader so the next generation will know how to cook economically and interestingly. I work two jobs and still cook from scratch much of the time - but I consider it entertainment (and yes, ham & beans w/cornbread is good, nutrititional and nostalgic southern cuisine no matter what your socio-economic status). I hope my 4-H kids get as much kick from cooking and baking as I do teaching them. "
A. Dillon wrote on June 29, 2007 1:28 pm:
" Nina: I just want to say that your enlightened attitude did my heart good to see. It is indeed a much better solution to try and educate people as to a more economical way of doing things. You are correct that negative comments and criticism only breed hostility and do nothing to make the situation better. My previous posts were an attempt to help people look at this situation in a more level headed way. It is not that people are cold hearted they just do not really understand all the various programs unless they have tried to deal with them and they seem to feel that there is a huge safety net out there for people to fall into when they have to...the truth is that that net has huge holes in it which many of the less advantaged fall through. Thank you for posting your comment. Perhaps this country isn't totally lacking in humanitarian attitude and compassion after all. There are times when reading these posts make me feel like they are. "
Jas wrote on June 30, 2007 8:46 pm:
" Incredible how the LJS Editorial board left out that food stamps/school lunch is the single largest line item in the USDA budget - yes, well ahead of producer subsidies. Yet the LJS is calling for an increase in food stamp funding while in the same breath screaming about farmers. Irony of ironies. "
Wlg wrote on August 29, 2007 9:31 am:
" I am another one of those who feeds a family of 4 on less than $100.00 per week. In fact, I can sometimes whittle it down to less than $50.00. On the average, I spend $65. 2 adults & 2 teens. How do I do it, it is called budgeting & being creative in the kitchen. I don't buy pre packaged hamb. helper. We don't qualify for any public programs, don't have insurance, don't qualify for free or reduced lunches at school. That is why I have learned how to feed my family for cheap. We even eat steak once a week. We have meat every meal, not processed either. Keep your foodstamps, we eat better without! "
whatever wrote on September 4, 2007 7:37 pm:
" I can feed a family larger than 4 on less than 400 per month and that includes healthy servings of meat. If you are spending more than 80 bucks a month per person something is seriously wrong. Unless you have babies on formula, now that's a different story. "
Jaylee C wrote on December 10, 2008 10:49 pm:
" if i were you all i would not be putting people down for having and using foodstamps because you may be in their shoes someday. I draw foodstamps and i am not ashamed when i check out with my pop in the buggy. What is it to you that i drink soda? Soda is food if it wasnt then i would not be able to get it on my foodstamp card now would i? You all need to stop judging people. If it were not for the foodstamps i get my son and i would be starving because i am disabled and no i do not draw welfare or get child support so it helps getting 190 bucks a month for FOOD. Worry about your ownself. "

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