A Don Karl Juravin review:

46 million Americans rely on food stamps which is about 10% of the households in America. Yes, that "successful America". About 17% of all children live in households with SNAP (the term for food stamps) benefits.

A person living below the poverty line receives help from you and me, the taxpayers, through the U.S. government. Together, we give the basics of life: food. 

The government’s food stamp program pours $74 billion each year into serving the poorest in the country and assisting them in paying the grocery bills.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it gets so much more complicated. The poor person, who has promised to work to get above the poverty line, and who agrees that this financial assistance is temporary, is working backward. They consume unhealthy junk food on a regular basis. The number one purchase made by people who live on food stamps is soda. Sugary drinks make up 5% of the items bought with food stamps. According to a government report, those on food stamps buy more potato chips, ice cream, and candy than the normal consumer. They buy more junk food than they do vegetables and meat. Doctors and experts claim that more people suffer from the effects of sugary drinks than any other kind of food. However, food stamps ensure that poor people can get those sugary sodas.

40% of those who use food stamps are obese, according to government studies. Children are food stamps are also more likely to become obese.

Not only do they become fat, but also they now require medical assistance that they cannot pay for. This is provided by the government, by means of our tax money. The poor fat person now will get a handicap permit (taking the spot of a real handicapped person) and other social benefits. An obese person pays an extra $1,400 a year in medical bills than a normal person.

Some of them get disability checks for reasons related to their obesity. This allows them to work less and stay in the cycle of financial assistance.

Immigrants who have lived in the United States for longer than 5 years are also eligible for SNAP, as of 2002. 29% of noncitizen adults receive food stamps each year. Illegal immigrants also receive benefits if their children are legally in the country (i.e. natural-born citizens.)

Food stamp fraud spiked in 2016. People whose incomes were higher than the maximum for receiving aid were still receiving food stamps. The amount of fraud jumped between 2012 and 2016 to be 67% higher than it was initially. The frauds were described as swapping benefits for cash, lying about income, assets, and dependants.

The jobs market is rising. Employment rates are at record highs. So why haven’t SNAP recipients leveled off to a more reasonable number?

Obesity and excessive weight can cause high blood pressure, which restricts blood flow to certain parts of the body. Type 2 diabetes is also a result of obesity. This is an expensive disease to treat. Insulin is one of the most expensive drugs in the United States.

Heart disease is completely preventable, but those who are overweight are ten times more likely to develop it. Joint problems also happen, because the human frame is not meant to carry that much weight at one time.

Being overweight contributes to increased risk of cancer, especially in women.

Sugary drinks, especially soda, cause so many health problems. The sugar and acid rot away at teeth, causing dental bills just to fill in the cavities. Soda doesn’t make you feel full, so people eat the same amount of food, but then add the extra caloric intake from soda.

Massive intakes of fructose and sugar will turn into fat in your liver. A fatty liver is more likely to develop a disease. Sugary soda causes insulin resistance as well, which is bad for diabetics. Insulin resistance means you need more insulin as a diabetic. Insulin is an expensive and limited resource.

36.3 million Americans rely on food stamps every year. In 2018, $4.4 billion was spent on these participants in order to feed them.

While Don Juravin sounds heartless and capitalist to you, a few things should be clarified. I appreciate the protective socialism in our system. I like funneling our tax dollars to those who need them to live. I envy the Scandinavians who pay 70% tax with a smile and know that they have a great government, great security, and amazing benefits. By comparison, Americans pay about 25% to 35%, but are unhappy with what they get in return. In fact, Norway is considered the best democracy in the world, according to the Economist. The people there are very satisfied with their government.

The Trump Administration proposed a deal that would cut the food stamps program by $17 billion in 2019. Over the next decade, the administration wants to cut $213 billion from the program altogether.

We should help the needy as the Bible expects from us. It is worthwhile to have a system that takes the taxes we pay and funnels them to the right people who need the money.

The government’s welfare system SHOULD NOT encourage parasites, who live off the work of others.

Like you, Don Juravin doesn't like to be taken advantage of. I don't like to be forced for charity for scammers or lazy people. When humans are forced to care for someone, it becomes tyranny, not charity.

Juravin finds two issues:

1. The Democratic party favors handouts as it pays off in the elections. Given 36 million depend upon food stamps, it seems like the scammers and lazy people have a good deal with the Democrats.
2. How do we determine who really needs help and who does not? This may sound easy, but it might prove more complicated.  Anyone who TRULY can't work and doesn't have a relative family to help him/her should be receiving financial help and even more. This nation claims to care about family values, so it should return to a stronger emphasis. So why don't we have the immediate family fill out the paperwork to really prove that they can't help their father, mother or siblings? In difficult times, it might keep families together.

10 States with the highest food insecurity:

1. Mississippi (20.1%)

2. Arkansas (17.2%)

3. Louisiana (16.7%)

4. Alabama (16.5%)

5. Oklahoma (16.2%)

6. New Mexico (15.8%)

7. Kentucky (15.5%)

8. North Carolina (15.4%)

9. Texas (15.4%)

10. Georgia (15.1%)

Because SNAP is a means-tested program, recipients must meet all eligibility criteria in order to receive benefits. There are income and resource requirements for SNAP, as well as specific requirements for immigrants, elderly persons and persons with disabilities.

Income requirements

For income, individuals and households may qualify for benefits if they earn a gross monthly income that is 130% (or less) of the federal poverty level for specific household size. For example, the SNAP-eligible gross monthly income is $1,245 or less for an individual. For a household of 4, the SNAP eligible gross monthly income is $2,552 or less. Gross monthly income is the amount an individual makes each month before any deductions, i.e. taxes, insurance, pensions, etc.

Work requirements

Certain work requirements need to be met for able-bodied adults without dependents.

Resource requirements

There is also a resource requirement for SNAP, although eligibility requirements vary slightly from state to state. Generally speaking, households may have up to $2,250 in a bank account or other countable sources. If at least one person is age 60 or older and/or has disabilities, households may have $3,500 in countable resources.

Housing expenditure

The lack of affordable housing in urban areas means that money that could have been spent on food is spent on housing expenses. Housing is generally considered affordable when it costs 30% or less of total household income; rising housing costs have made this ideal difficult to attain.

This is especially true in New York City, where 28% of rent-stabilized tenants spend more than half their income on rent. Among lower-income families, the percentage is much higher. According to an estimate by the Community Service Society, 65% of New York City families living below the federal poverty line are paying more than half of their income toward rent.

The current eligibility criteria attempt to address this, by including a deduction for "excess shelter costs". This applies only to households that spend more than half of their net income on rent. For the purpose of this calculation, a household's net income is obtained by subtracting certain deductions from their gross (before deductions) income. If the household's total expenditures on rent exceed 50% of that net income, then the net income is further reduced by the amount of rent that exceeds 50% of net income. For 2007, this deduction can be no more than $417, except in households that include an elderly or disabled person. Deductions include:

• a standard deduction that is subtracted from income for all recipients,
• an earned income deduction reflecting taxes and work expenses,
• a deduction for dependent care expenses related to work or training (up to certain limits),
• a deduction for child support payments,
• a deduction for medical expenses above a set amount per month (only available to elderly and disabled recipients), and
• a deduction for excessively high shelter expenses.

The adjusted net income, including the deduction for excess shelter costs, is used to determine whether a household is eligible for food stamps.

Immigrant status and eligibility

The 2002 Farm Bill restores SNAP eligibility to most legal immigrants that:

• Have lived in the country for 5 years; or
• Are receiving disability-related assistance or benefits; or
• Have children under 18

Certain non-citizens, such as those admitted for humanitarian reasons and those admitted for permanent residence, may also be eligible for SNAP. Eligible household members can get SNAP benefits even if there are other members of the household that are not eligible.