Healthy family life confers unfair advantage, claim lefty philosophers

[jem]

pay no attention to this after adjust for inflation crap... these authors can conclude anything they wish with the right inflation factor. Here they found inflation seems to have eroded the benefit values by 40 percent in 2/3 of the states...

What? Ricter has argued govt spending and money creation has caused practically no inflation...

This article kept considering tanf and no other benefits... (although it considered snap once.)

Think about what that inflation has done to working families who do not have as many benefits indexed to inflation...

Leftist Govt...taxing and devaluing your lives... for the power of the cronies.

Moving on to other programs in the US's monstrous-creating-widespread-dependency-nanny-state...

TANF Cash Benefits Have Fallen by More Than 20 Percent in Most States and Continue to Erode
October 30, 2014
by
Ife Floyd and Liz Schott

"Cash assistance benefits for the nation's poorest families with children fell again in purchasing power in 2014 and are now at least 20 percent below their 1996 levels in 38 states, after adjusting for inflation [emphasis mine]. While eight states raised Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits between July 2013 (the start of fiscal year 2014 in most states) and July 2014, the remaining states did not, allowing inflation to continue to erode the benefits' value. (No state cut TANF benefits in nominal dollars in the past year.) For 99 percent of TANF recipients nationally, the purchasing power of their benefits is below 1996 levels, after adjusting for inflation. As the country moves past the economic downturn and public coffers regain strength, states should halt the erosion of TANF benefits and begin restoring the purchasing power lost over the past 18 years.

"The erosion of TANF benefits since 1996 comes on top of even larger benefit declines over the preceding quarter-century. Between 1970 and 1996, the value of cash assistance benefits for poor families with children fell by more than 40 percent in real terms in two-thirds of the states.

"As of July 1, 2014, every state's TANF benefits for a family of three with no other cash income were below 50 percent of the poverty line, measured by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) 2014 poverty guidelines. Most states' benefits were below 30 percent of the poverty line. Also, benefits for a family of three with no other cash income were below the Fair Market Rent (the Department of Housing and Urban Development's estimate of the rent and utility costs of a modest housing unit in a local area) for a two-bedroom apartment in every state; in 29 states they covered less than half of the Fair Market Rent. Even when SNAP (formerly food stamp) benefits are added to TANF family grants, families with no other income remain below the poverty line.

"TANF provides a safety net to significantly fewer poor families than in the past: in 2013, just 26 families received TANF benefits for every 100 poor families, down from 68 families receiving TANF for every 100 in poverty in 1996. But for the families that participate, it often is their only source of support, and without it, they would have no cash income to meet their basic needs."

More >>

 

[Tsing Tao]

I can't find my username there and can't log in. A problem to be fixed later. So here is another view of the article.

Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 12:26 PM PDT

Food stamp use is falling, and even the Wall Street Journal has noticed
by Laura ClawsonFollow for Daily Kos Labor

"Food stamp enrollment numbers have been dropping from post-recession highs, as they were supposed to do all along. But it's official now, because the Wall Street Journal has noticed:
And experts expect enrollment and costs to keep falling: As more Americans find jobs and collect paychecks, fewer will be eligible, lowering program costs. The Congressional Budget Office sees food-stamp costs—now running at $80 billion, or 0.5% of gross domestic product—returning to 1995 levels around 0.35% as a share of GDP in five years. This is exactly how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is designed, of course. It gets bigger when the economy is bad and people need more help, and smaller when the economy improves and more people have jobs. All the Republican attempts to slash the program to the bone ignored this, because it was more convenient for them to use food stamps as a tactic to stigmatize people struggling in a terrible economy and distract from the ways Republican policies made the economy and the struggle worse. And we can expect Republicans to continue to pretend policies like SNAP don't work, despite all the evidence. Because that's what they do: they break the government so they can say "see, government doesn't work." They make people poor, then blame them for being poor. They divide and conquer. But for now, food stamps present a smaller target."

Considering that spending as a percent of GDP, it's ludicrous to call the US a "nanny state".

First of all, food stamp dollars doesn't represent food stamp participants. Dollars paid out have been adjusted (raised, lowered) throughout time of the program. But the aspect of nanny state is dependent on how many people the program supports. And the number of people it supports currently remains at record highs. Sure it dropped a tad in the last month only. But it's still at all-time highs.

Do you agree or disagree with this?

 

[Tsing Tao]

Moving on to other programs in the US's monstrous-creating-widespread-dependency-nanny-state...

TANF Cash Benefits Have Fallen by More Than 20 Percent in Most States and Continue to Erode
October 30, 2014
by
Ife Floyd and Liz Schott

"Cash assistance benefits for the nation's poorest families with children fell again in purchasing power in 2014 and are now at least 20 percent below their 1996 levels in 38 states, after adjusting for inflation [emphasis mine]. While eight states raised Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits between July 2013 (the start of fiscal year 2014 in most states) and July 2014, the remaining states did not, allowing inflation to continue to erode the benefits' value. (No state cut TANF benefits in nominal dollars in the past year.) For 99 percent of TANF recipients nationally, the purchasing power of their benefits is below 1996 levels, after adjusting for inflation. As the country moves past the economic downturn and public coffers regain strength, states should halt the erosion of TANF benefits and begin restoring the purchasing power lost over the past 18 years.

"The erosion of TANF benefits since 1996 comes on top of even larger benefit declines over the preceding quarter-century. Between 1970 and 1996, the value of cash assistance benefits for poor families with children fell by more than 40 percent in real terms in two-thirds of the states.

"As of July 1, 2014, every state's TANF benefits for a family of three with no other cash income were below 50 percent of the poverty line, measured by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) 2014 poverty guidelines. Most states' benefits were below 30 percent of the poverty line. Also, benefits for a family of three with no other cash income were below the Fair Market Rent (the Department of Housing and Urban Development's estimate of the rent and utility costs of a modest housing unit in a local area) for a two-bedroom apartment in every state; in 29 states they covered less than half of the Fair Market Rent. Even when SNAP (formerly food stamp) benefits are added to TANF family grants, families with no other income remain below the poverty line.

"TANF provides a safety net to significantly fewer poor families than in the past: in 2013, just 26 families received TANF benefits for every 100 poor families, down from 68 families receiving TANF for every 100 in poverty in 1996. But for the families that participate, it often is their only source of support, and without it, they would have no cash income to meet their basic needs."

More >>

I will be happy to debate whatever statistic you want to next, but won't move on until we come to a conclusion on the first statistic you tried to pass off as "proof more people are coming off government supported programs".

So either agree the SNAP data does not show more people are coming off or continue the debate before moving on.

 

[blakpacman]

No, that's not the point. The Daily Telegraph wasn't just making an observation, but suggesting a course of action to remedy that observation - stop reading to our kids because this confers 'unfair advantage'.

How about all the moronic bottom feeders READ to their children, so their poor little victims aren't so victimized by their own stupidity and laziness?

When I was around 7 years old, my motivation to read better resulted from the realization that I didn't read very well during classroom sessions. My embarrassment caused me to ask my mom to read Peter the Rabbit stories with me despite English not being her first language.

Maybe the motivational aspect is what's lacking in the black community. They rather listen to gangsta music or play basketball since reading is not cool. That and parental guidance not being very strong. Smacking the kids around doesn't teach them anything except more violence.

 

[achilles28]

When I was around 7 years old, my motivation to read better resulted from the realization that I didn't read very well during classroom sessions. My embarrassment caused me to ask my mom to read Peter the Rabbit stories with me despite English not being her first language.

Maybe the motivational aspect is what's lacking in the black community. They rather listen to gangsta music or play basketball since reading is not cool. That and parental guidance not being very strong. Smacking the kids around doesn't teach them anything except more violence.

Cudos. We need to stop making excuses for bad behavior and call it what it is - bad behavior. Don't read to your kid?? Smarten the F up. Let kids listen to gangsta rap and revere criminal behavior?? Smarten the F up. Call it for IT IS. This is just common sense!!!!

Instead, we sit around, debate, commission endless studies and try to dumb down society, because we don't have the balls to call people on their backward behavior. It's so fucking stupid.

 

[blakpacman]

Cudos. We need to stop making excuses for bad behavior and call it what it is - bad behavior. Don't read to your kid?? Smarten the F up. Let kids listen to gangsta rap and revere criminal behavior?? Smarten the F up. Call it for IT IS. This is just common sense!!!!

Instead, we sit around, debate, commission endless studies and try to dumb down society, because we don't have the balls to call people on their backward behavior. It's so fucking stupid.

In the music video below, Ice Cube makes fun of the idea that gangsta rap is responsible for violence and criminal behavior.
However, we know from scientific research that a subset of mirror neurons fires when they see someone else's actions. People do learn by imitation. When black kids see criminal behavior promoted in their entertainment, there is a residual influence left in the brain.
One of the greatest series on Showtime, Dexter, was based on the idea that Dexter's gruesome experience of watching his mother being murdered resulted in his subsequent dark urges. Young children, with their brains still developing, are more susceptible to environmental influences, both good and bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron
http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization?language=en

 

[Ricter]

First of all, food stamp dollars doesn't represent food stamp participants. Dollars paid out have been adjusted (raised, lowered) throughout time of the program. But the aspect of nanny state is dependent on how many people the program supports. And the number of people it supports currently remains at record highs. Sure it dropped a tad in the last month only. But it's still at all-time highs.

Do you agree or disagree with this?

Lol @ record highs. Twice nothing is still nothing. We do not have a nanny state.

 

[murray t turtle]

Probably funded with a government grant to find the obvious conclusion. Children raised by loving and caring parents have a advantage over children abandoned by parents and raised by thugs. Who'da thunk it? More white privilege no doubt.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Great points,..... loving + caring parents;
but check your Sherwin Williams color chart. The media lied again on white privilege; my parents did read to me

 

[CaptainObvious]

Something, or some things happened in the black community between 1970-1985 that began the family meltdown. Got to run out, but I'l return tonight to explain why I believe that is the target timeline.

 

[Tsing Tao]

Lol @ record highs. Twice nothing is still nothing. We do not have a nanny state.

So you're saying the numbers of SNAP users not at record highs?

What does the "twice nothing is still nothing" comment supposed to mean? You said:

The social safety net is not a trap, as evidenced by all who have recently benefited by it and stepped out of it.

Then you said:

You want proof that fewer people are getting food stamps and such today, than were at the depth of the GR?

So far you haven't proved either. All I'm asking is that you prove your statement.

If you don't want a discussion and just want to make shit up, let me know and I'll bow out.