***Red states lead in food stamp usage***

1 in 8 Americans on stamps. Quite a legasy for GW Bush's conservative ideology. But not to worry about the tea baggers; they are the monied conservatives that reaped the benefits of Bush era tax cuts and deregs. They fight not for the survival but the pittance extra they would pay under a sustainable tax code. The Religious right, the Moral Majority in practice.

"keep government out of my health care." "keep government out of my life."

"help me government; i can't feed my family." amazing.............

Interesting. But that means nothing, does it? It could be the persons who are actually using food stamps are the ones who voted for Obama. Just because a state went for McCain doesn't meant that all person who live there voted for him or are mostly Republicans. It just means McCain got a few more votes.

Here in Ohio, as in many states, most of the unemployed were former union workers who lost their jobs because factories closed and went overseas, thanks to Dems who don't understand the need to be business friendly. And you know those union workers won't take anything less than they made before, so they choose to sit and collect unemployment.

eeee gads we should email this to all your neighbors.

"who lost their jobs because factories closed and went overseas, thanks to Dems"

Excuse me??? The Dems didn't do that ...

Many families of our service people have to supplement their Military pay by using Food stamps. Imagine the increased number of Super market/grocery Store jobs that would be lost if not for the influx of purchasing power from Food Stamps, WIC, SNAP, etc.
Most of the people that qualify simply using standard expense guidelines (Housing, power, 1 phone line, water and heating fuel) deducted surely don't have the kind of jobs that provide benefits and are not able to pay the outrageous Medical Ins costs out what remains of their disposable income either.

Um, Nancy, I beg to differ. Obama and his automobile take over has helped quite a few plants close. They're not all in Michigan.

You Marilyn, continue to attach the folly of the Bush-Cheney dictatorship years and the constant fall out there from to POTUS 44, foolish and silly to do that, what next, monsoons and droughts, tornadoes and plagues?

Seek help, please!

there is Marylin blubbering and trying to cover up the truth again!

;o)

And what truth would that be, Georgiana?

Once again Marilyn neglets to tell her own experience with welfare, disability and medicare. But you know it is so easy to get and pays so well. Every one should go for it!

Marilyn just cannot help herself--she is only here for points to feed her Paypal account. I am sure I can find her comment on that.

Does she now. Okay let's see. I was injured on the job. I gained "maximum medical improvement" meaning that my knee won't get any better, but the docs would not release me to work. Unfortunately, when you reach MMI, worker's comp benefits stop immediately. Yes, I did get food stamps for about a month - $11 per month in fact. They didn't think I'd take such a little amount, but I did just to spite them. I have never been on welfare. I have not been able to work a full time job since 2002 and haven't been able to work part time since 2005. My medical files are about 4 inches thick and growing and I have still not been approved for disability.

There, Cena. Are you happy now. If I could work I would glady do so. It would mean I wouldn't have to put up with all the grief here. Yes, I do use the income from this site to help with our expenses. Many people do. But it isn't much since the summer upgrade. If you have a way to tell us all how to get rich, I'd love to hear it.

What is the difference between the welfare mom down the street who started having babies at age 17 and has not worked and me? Well, let's see.....

I have worked. I have owned my own business. I have managed stores and office.

If I had not gotten hurt AT WORK, I would still be working.

The welfare mom down the street? She has no desire to ever do anything other than what she's doing.

Those are the entitlement programs that we have to get rid of.

"Marilyn M. Oct 13, 2009, 1:04 pm EDT Sigh. I'll go away, Johnice. You see, the Bible is with me everywhere I go. It's my instruction manual.... My faith is not something that is about Sunday mornings."

Marilyn, may God and your Bible guide you into the light! Amen!

Good thing that knee injury happened at work cause if it didn't............I guess somebody would just have to starve OR take any JOB that they could manage to do. Having a husband to depend on so one COULD milk the system for as long as it takes to get approved is one way to handle it. Don't we have an ex Service WOMAN who has NO legs that was elected to office? Guess she wasn't tough enough to suffer thru sitting on her butt feeling sorry for herself for the rest of her life! Tammy Duckworth...........she is just not tough ENOUGH!

See folks it is like this. Marilyn doesn't work for legitimate reasons.
Everyone else . . . . slackers.

I never knew Marilyns story before and being injured on the job is not a pleasant experience. Yes, she has a legitimate reason for not working.

That does not, however, mean that everyone else are slackers. That is a very broad brush, Cena.

That is Marilyn's brush Elizabeth.
She has been trying to get SS Disability +Medicare for years, yet is on gather daily ranting against socialism and government healthcare.

APE, if you bothered to look before you spoke, you'd know it's not just a knee injury.

Back injury 1997
Two car accidents 2000
Knee injury 2002
Fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue diagnosed 2003

Add to that arthritis (in both injury locations), sensitivity to any and all drugs (over the counter and prescription) so that with ever prescription I do take, I have to take something for nausea, IBS, depression, anxiety, PTSD, a skin condition called palmaplantar pustulosis, restless leg syndrome, plus permanently thinned skin (because of the cortisone shots given after my back injury).

You people are the most cruel individuals I ever met.

Cena, the disability program is there, supposedly for people like me who worked long and hard for years. If it's there and I qualify, I'd be stupid to not try to get it.

But, that does not mean that I like the idea of young people like my former neighbor being paid for having babies and nothing else.

Nor does it mean that I have to embrace a health care system overhaul when our current system has only one thing that is wrong - high prices.

It does not mean that I have to love the idea of the government taking over everyone's health.

I am truly sorry for all your injuries, Marilyn. I wish you could find permanent relief for everything. That is not possible at this point. Take care.

It's very interesting to watch how this thing is playing itself out.

How far do folks have to fall before they abandon the loud and wrong-minded GOP and get behind what is fighting for a change and a future?

They rail against any liberal ideology, bill or policy, but yet they are first in line to take advantage of them.

It's called hypocrisy, the act of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie. Hypocrisy may come from a desire to hide from others actual motives or feelings.

They who, Lloyd?

Those whom take advantage of all the wonderful safeguards created by Democrats that ensures that Americans won't go into extreme poverty in their elder years such as Social Security.

Those whom take advantage and are better off for being a participant of Medicare and Medical.

Those whom aren't taken advantaged of by employers who would do away with the 40 hour work week and minimum wage laws.

You know who I'm talking about. They ones whom rail against everything liberal but are first in line to take advantage of the benefits.

Just think what life would be like without that liberal thing called Unemployment Insurance the the Democrats who've extended it for the millions of unemployed Americans including both Democrats and Republicans.

Many would be in dire straights as we speak on the verge of being homeless.

Are they safeguarding that money now, Lloyd, those lovely Dems you so adore?

I would not thank Dems for extending unemployment. That only makes it easier for Obama to not try to get more jobs going. He hasn't quite figured out how to do that yet.

There is no hypocrisy in taking SS as a retired person if you never had any choice but to contribute, is there, Lloyd?

And, don't worry, I doubt that I'll ever see any disability money. They're waiting for me to die before they approve anything. That's the way the government works, Lloyd.

Every insurance company will make you jump through many hoops when it comes to disability coverage. Anyone who has managed to receive the money has had to employ an attorney. Why? It's that bottom line. Insurance companies don't want to pay up.

Regardless . . . It is a sad situation we find in these United States.

It is a sad situation when Americans work 40+ hours per week and can't make ends meet. As soon as this financial crisis concludes, we need to immediately begin debate on the importance of earning a Living Wage.

You will get no arguments from me, Lloyd. There was a time I worked 80+ hours a week and still could barely make ends meet.

Our U. S. Congressman is going to be in town the first week of December. I am anxious to see what he has to say now.

Elizabeth, he will, if Republican, tell you minimum wage laws hurt the poor.

Minimum wage laws (sigh) .......the 40 year long burr under MY saddle. Had it not been for Ted Kennedy keeping the issue on the table throughout his years in DC it would have been LONG gone. Years ago Florida attempted to raise its Minimum wage high enough to boot ALL low income workers just out of the range for rent subsidies, food stamps and medicaid...good for the State but quickly shot down by business owners. I am sure there are MANY that blame minimum wage laws for the mess this country is in...........imagine! About a 7.00 increase in 60 YEARS! Horrors!! LOL

I am in California with a Democratic Congressman. I am there to hear him speak, thank you. I campaigned for him and happy about his election. However, he is a junior Congressman at the moment. ;o)

This takes on a new State attitude and appreciation for government.
'Government, when we were hungry, you feed us'.

Perhaps they have been voting for the wrong party for many years. In just a few months Obama did not cause their need.

Wonderful observation. Listening to those on the Right, I almost began asking myself "Why did President Obama start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?.

Good point, Lloyd. People tend to forget who it was who got us there and under questionable conditions. At least into Iraq.

People in red states are not all conservatives and many are hungry and need assistance in tough times.

Looks like red states are the most socialistic.

the hypocrisy is amazing. I also, Ape, wrote something on this red state thingy in this here article!
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977919676

Can you site the actual data?
If you compare this map: http://www.270towin.com/
to this map: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/28/us/20091128-foodstamps.html

You'll see that counting INDIVIDUAL counties, instead of entire states, is not factual information. In fact, your information is very fragmented because those ELIGIBLE are not getting into the program:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/24/usda-states-struggle-to-a_n_369987.html
Two states – Wyoming and California – had fewer than 50 percent of those eligible enrolled to receive food stamps. Many of the states that struggled were among the most populous, including New York, where 61 percent of eligible citizens participated; Florida, where 57 percent participated; and Texas, where 55 percent were enrolled.

The most successful state was Missouri, where nearly 100 percent of those eligible received government aid. Maine, Michigan, Tennessee and Oregon also had participation rates of 87 percent or higher.

By population, California has the highest Democratic Population and fewer than 50% have been put on them for access and availability. "LA COUNTY has twice as many poor eligible for food stamps as Chicago's Cook County Illinois."

Main has quite the blue color for food stamps; and it was a dem state.
Southern Texas has a boatload off poor immigrants. Are you really surpised? Look at the rest of the state; by shear size, it has far fewer than any other state. Look at Oregon; very dem.

Before you point fingers, you should do the homework it takes to analyze the data.

I posted what I posted.............if you have data that reflects a different perspective, by all means, go ahead and POST it under your own article.
By the way...............quite honored to see you just joined Gather and all you did, so far, is comment on only 2, week old posts....both of which were MINE!
Look around and I am sure you will find plenty of diverse activities to keep you busy! LOL