The Starving Of America

Welcome back, My Dear Readers, to another edition of The Sequester blues. Readers over the next few weeks and months I will do my best to put a face on The Sequester. This problem, that is reaching epidemic proportions in America, will harm millions of Americans, from every walk of life every income level every educational level. They are being harmed by the Republican sequester. Let me correct that, The Sequester itself was the idea of Pres. Obama. However, the Speaker, Rep. Cantor, Rep. Ryan and a majority of House Republican Congressional Republicans supported The Sequester. However, it is House (tea-party) Republicans that are preventing the end of the sequester, and are demanding further cuts.

In order to avoid a complete collapse of America’s economy Democrats signed on, unwillingly, to The Sequester as well. My Dear Readers nobody was really actually supposed to have to live under The Sequester. When The Sequester  deal was reached, and this was back around the holiday season 2010, nobody sitting at the table ever imagine a Congress so entrenched in intransigence that it could not reach a budget deal prior to the trigger being pulled of The Sequester . It was flipping unthinkable people.

Yet here we are. I am writing about The Sequester because it is literally taking food off my table. Full disclosure! However, this punishment is hurting; parents with college-age children, teachers, Wal-Mart workers, firefighters, policemen, students, seniors, veterans, the disabled, and the poor. Like a virus this sequester has infected an epidemic level of Americans. You know what the crazy part is? The crazy part is that is just 85 Republicans in the House that have forced this atrocity on Americans.

Well now, My Dear Readers, you may well ask why you say that Daniel? Shortest possible answer is: 21^st-century McCarthyism. Let me explain something, My Dear Readers. The United States Congress, the House of Representatives, on its best day is like dealing with a dear stuck in headlights. And on the worst day is like herding cats. Right now in the House of Representatives there are 85 Republican members that are tea party promoted candidates.

These 85, first and second term, Republicans were swept into power in Congress with the tea party and the last two elections. Quote from tea party Rep. Michele Bachmann “if you don’t work you don’t eat…”. That, My Dear Readers, is the very essence of the tea party as it is playing out in our US House of Representatives. Why else would America be turning its back on the now 55 year-long ‘War on Poverty’? Why else would House Republicans be getting away with additional cuts to food stamps?

That’s right, My Dear Readers, this is not a dream run article at the other shoe. This is Republicans taking a second Apple off the table of the poor. Today 30 Democratic House members have taken a pledge. They have pledged that for the next month they will live on what the average food stamp allotment is for an average American. Like a Wal-Mart worker. Let me share that with you:

To protest nutrition assistance cuts this week, nearly 30 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are limiting their food budgets to what a person gets from food stamps.

        It's called the SNAP Challenge, and they're doing it because the House will soon consider legislation that cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by 2.5 percent, likely depriving nearly 2 million Americans of benefits. Currently 47 million Americans receive an average monthly benefit of $133 from the program. [1]

Well no hang on a minute, My Dear Readers, this sounds really familiar. Doesn’t it, yes, it should sound familiar. If you are paying attention yes it will sound familiar. If you’re just paying political lip service then you won’t remember this:

        “Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) along with eight other congressional Democrats are eating on a budget of about $4.50 a day to show solidarity with food stamp recipients who receive $32.59 a week.

The personal thrift, which is part of a challenge organized by Fighting Poverty With Faith, was reported by Pacifica Patch.”[2]

That, as you can see from the footnotes below, came from October 31 last year. So, let me get this right, the least advantage of our nation gave up tens of billions of dollars worth of food benefits last year to satisfy rabid Republicans. And here it is now not even a year later and the same; seniors, disabled, veterans, children, and poor have to give up another 20 billion? This is about 10 steps past cruel and unusual, right?.

Since I am writing for a bit of a targeted audience, I am going to take a liberty here… I may end up regretting this… but journalism is about taking risks to make a point. Please read the following:

“I don’t think they ought to be balancing their budget on the backs of the poor.”  George H.W. Bush (Said while running as a ‘compassionate Conservative’)

Source: US News & World Report, p. 36 Oct 18, 1999[3]

That was Texan loved George Bush, Jr. while running for President his first time. Yet, right now today, Congressional Republicans are demanding ANOTHER multi-BILLION dollar cut to food stamp benefits. The United States budget FELL SHARPLY over the past year. Calendar year 2012 the U.S. budget decreased SIX HUNDRED FORTY-TWO BILLION DOLLARS!

Let that sink in a sec. …

The dreaded deficit decreased nearly ONE TRILLION DOLLARS and there is some genuine need, today, to cut food benefits to the least advantaged right now? N o. No, there is no genuine reason for Congressional Republicans to further cut food subsistence programs for the; disabled, seniors, children, veterans and the poor. I do not even want to think of the real why. It makes me sick in my soul. It makes me afraid… afraid of the darkness that is moving through our society as… Republicans.

I am a ‘Reagan Democrat’. I voted for Ronald Reagan. I am a centrist Democrat and have known many Republicans (still do) and have a great deal of respect for them and their beliefs. And in the pit of my soul… I know this is wrong.

Thank you, My Dear Readers, for dropping by and sharing. I know that there are a lot of places you can go for content, and something to read, and I am honored that you came here to The Other Shoe.

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[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/food-stamp-cuts_n_3429301.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/food-stamps-congress-budget-cuts_n_1068336.html

[3] http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/More_George_W__Bush_Tax_Reform.htm

The Sequestration is Very Real to Me

The sequestration is very real to me, My Dear Readers. The first part of this year I started the application process @ Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing assistance. Now, due to the sequester my application is in ‘limbo’. HUD is not processing applications due to the lack of funds for CURRENTLY approved individuals and families. So, here is Dan working hard to get himself out of this building without handicap access and with undrinkable brown water (not to mention the homeless people using the back of the building for a bathroom) and just when it is MY turn... Congressional intransigence cuts my feet off.

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I ran the Indiegogo campaign to raise awareness of my predicament, but I failed to convince enough people to assist me in reaching my goal. However, I got up, brushed my ego off and headed to HUD. Now, after three months of waiting, and tons of paperwork and two visits to Santa Ana I am back at square one. Not a problem I will wait until the Congress finally deals with sequestration and then I will return to HUD, papers in hand, ready to start the process all over again. I may get knocked down, but so long as I am physically able I WILL get back up!

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Now not to add insult to injury I have one last little story to share about the sequestration. I applied for ‘Meals on Wheels’ last month. Yesterday I get a call from them, my heart stopped when I got the voice mail, and I immediately called back to Meals On Wheels. Holy cow! Not again!?! Evidently the Federal funds that supports meals on wheels (a program that provides FOOD to elderly shut-ins and disabled Americans that cannot prepare food for themselves on a regular basis) have been cut to the bone! Something like 19 MILLION Americans have been cut from the program so far this year. (source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/meals-on-wheels-sequestration_n_3165256.html ) NINETEEN MILLION elderly and disabled Americans WITHOUT FOOD. So, I will work to find a way to get (once again) to Santa Ana and apply for Food Stamps. I am not sure I qualify.... I am not sure that this sequestration has not CUT Food Stamps, too! However, a diet of frozen burritos and Ramen noodles is not good for my health or my condition.

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So, I am one of 19 million and that does take the sting out some. However, platitudes and empathy do not keep my hunger away. In the past two months I have lost over 18 pounds. Not because I want to loose weight, but because I just cannot afford to eat on a regular basis or in a healthy fashion. I would not mind sitting in line to apply again, and if/when this problem is resolved I will be applying @ Meals On Wheels again. Right now I am working to get the money and my caregiver together at the same time so I can… go apply for Food Stamps.

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Grouse! You have NO idea how it makes me feel to have to go and ask for 'food stamps.' It is the ultimate in humiliation for me… but I am going to get there as soon as I can. Now, I would like to apologize for… grousing. I do not like to complain and even less do I enjoy airing my woes and shortcomings in public but this is something that needs to be done! My Dear Readers, NOW you have a face to put with this noun (sequester) you hear all the time in the news. Now there is a face to sequestration… mine.

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There are nineteen million stories, out there, just like mine. Nineteen MILLION Americans that worked all their lives hard to pay bills and make ends meet. Now, for medical reasons or that of age, they cannot get out and make the money. That IS what the programs were for, the reason they were created, to help the least advantaged of us all. Now these programs are being gutted to make life easier for the wealthy. Aye, there’s the rub.

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Congressional Republicans have, time and again, pushed this nation to “tighten the purse strings” only to pass these savings NOT to paying down the debt or balancing the budget. No, these funds are channeled to the top 10% of the population. See those Americans can afford to spend money on Congressional campaigns so they have a voice in the House of Representatives. But the poor, the disabled and veterans have no voice. This is the face of sequestration.

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Now, My Dear Readers, when someone at work or a friend asks you “What is sequestration?” you can help them put a face on this abstract idea.

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Thank you for dropping by… And, as always…

ENJOY!