| The food stamp program needs a complete overhaul. It is still using standards that are twenty years old and have not kept up with the real cost of living. The way they determine your eligibility should be based on ACTUAL income coming in to the household, not the GROSS amount. Deductions that are made should reflect the actual amounts: rent/mortgage, heat, water, electric, phone, and medical insurance premiums. Income tax refunds should never be counted in any way. Low income families count on their refunds to buy things they cannot afford otherwise. Things like clothes, shoes, cars, ect. Most people are not asking for a handout, just a helping hand. With the cost of rent, utilities, gasoline, and medical insurance, a lot of people do not have enough money left for food. I do understand that there are some who abuse this program, but there are a lot more who could really use the help who can not afford basic needs. This is our life. My husband makes $16.33 an hour, we have a $773 per month house payment, $424 car payment, average $520 per month utilities, $50.00 per month credit cards. Average $175 per month on gasoline. We also pay 524 per month health insurance. That's a grand total of $2465 per month that is paid out. We have a total of $2552 per month that comes in. That leaves a balance of $87 per month for food for four people. We have had to drop our medical insurance to be able to buy food. Our children have Caresource coverage from the state . My husband makes too much for him or I to be covered, he also GROSSES $300 per month too much for us to qualify for Food Stamps. This week I had to borrow groceries from family members to feed my children. Just so you know we did not overextend ourselves intentionally, my husband's income has dropped almost $9000 from last year with the same employer he has been with for twenty years. I am disabled, but unable to get disability because my husband makes too much money. I have applied to Social Security for my early retirement, but was turned down because it has been too long since I was employed. I have been disabled for ten years and I have thirty-two working credits. I really love living in the United States of America; I cannot imagine living anywhere else, but the really sad part is, if you are not wealthy, this government does not care. There is also one other thing I think should never be counted as income, that is any money that a minor child makes. They use the money they make to buy things they need: clothes for school, work expenses, shoes, and other things they want. Programs and projects in school that have fees attached that their parents cannot afford. They should not be expected to hand over their pay check to help put food on the table. |
