Republicans Abandon Veterans

Veterans and Active Duty Military are paid so poorly, they qualify for FOOD STAMPS, yet the Morally Bankrupt Republicans have SLASHED funding.

Because of the Republican failure to address the Sequestration, now MILITARY PAY CUTS?

What's the matter with a country so MORALLY BANKRUPT it continues to elect ignorant people who refuse to eliminate taxpayer-funded subsidies for DIRTY ENERGY, close tax loopholes, and adopt sound fiscal policies?

VooDoo Economics hasn't worked before and the blind followers of Grover Norquist need to enlighten themselves.

Military Family Appreciation Month

Week of November 11, 2013

An annual proclamation marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of the Military Family in which the Department of Defense and the nation will honor the commitment and sacrifices made by the families of the nation's servicemembers. Read More.

Hagel Says Pay Cuts Needed

Week of November 11, 2013

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned that troops and their families will be asked to sacrifice on pay and benefits to preserve readiness in an era of tighter budgets. Hagel listed politically-charged changes to compensation and personnel policy as one of his top six priorities in reforming the military following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the department gears up to meet new challenges. Read the full article on Military.com.

 

Defining Moral Bankruptcy!

Christians for a Change shared Blueprint Campaign Consulting's photo.

 

 

It's the hypocrisy that drives us nuts.

The Moral Bankruptcy of A Nation

Christians for a Change shared Blueprint Campaign Consulting's photo.

 

The DoD says nearly 5,000 military families will see their support cut. Is that who we are as a society? http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/07/13/dod-5000-military-families-losing-food-stamps.html

Defining the MORAL BANKRUPTCY of a Nation!

Steve Marmel

We are monsters if we allow this.

North Carolina Mother of 4: Food stamps cut from $500 to $16 per month

November 2, 2013

By Anomaly

With devastating cuts to the food stamp program, heralded by Republicans, families, the homeless, veterans, and others will have to vigorously cut corners. But one family in particular is feeling the ‘painful cuts’ even more. Republicans have cheered on these cuts and they are life changing. This is a perfect example of austerity measures, which never work to create a thriving population.









NBC Charlotte spoke with a single mother of four, who will go from $500 per month to $16.
For lunch at Sara Grier’s house, Ramen noodles are served for all four kids.

Ms. Grier said, “At this point I don’t know what were going to do.”

NBC Charlotte reports, “The single mom is dealing with cuts to the food stamps program that went into effect nationally on Friday. Most people face a five percent cut, but for some reason — Sara’s is much more dramatic.”

She said, “I never thought that it would hit my home.”

Sara works hard at the only jobs she could get which pays $11 per hour, for 30 hours a week. Her total income is $17,000 per year.

Her 11-year-old daughter India said, “Since this happened the amount of food we get has gone down, but we still get fed — and I’m happy for that.”

Sara is a wise shopper, buying meat that’s on sale, with kids getting a specific number of chicken nuggets.

Cereal is specifically divvied up, with each child getting half of a bowl.

And now those stamps are cut dramatically.

Sara said, “With my kids, they know what’s going on with Mommy. They notice a difference from us going to the grocery store.”

India explains, “We get a big bag of chicken nuggets and then divide it into five little Ziploc bags and that’s what we have for lunch.”

Sara said, “In a house for a single mom, grocery money is also the light bill, it’s the rent, it’s gas so they can get to games.”

NBC Charlotte made some calls to get her some answers, “The state was shocked when we told them what we found and referred us to Mecklenburg County. A spokesman for the county promises they’re trying to figure out what happened.”

So much for Republican talking points, claiming welfare recipients eat lobster tails each night, before curling up in front of their 50 inch television while snacking on caviar after the butler has turned in for the night.

http://freakoutnation.com/2013/11/02/north-carolina-mother-of-4-food-stamps-cut-from-500-to-16-per-month/

Defining Moral Bankruptcy

Economist, professor, author and political commentator Robert Reich. (photo: Richard Morgenstein)

Why Washington Is Cutting Safety Nets

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

02 November 13

o how to explain this paradox?

 

As of November 1 more than 47 million Americans have lost some or all of their food stamp benefits. House Republicans are pushing for further cuts. If the sequester isn't stopped everything else poor and working-class Americans depend on will be further squeezed.

 

We're not talking about a small sliver of America here. Half of all children get food stamps at some point during their childhood. Half of all adults get them sometime between ages 18 and 65. Many employers - including the nation's largest, Walmart - now pay so little that food stamps are necessary in order to keep food on the family table, and other forms of assistance are required to keep a roof overhead.

 

The larger reality is that most Americans are still living in the Great Recession. Median household income continues to drop. In last week's Washington Post-ABC poll, 75 percent rated the state of the economy as "negative" or "poor."

 

So why is Washington whacking safety nets and services that a large portion of Americans need, when we still very much need them?

 

It's easy to blame Republicans and the rightwing billionaires that bankroll them, and their unceasing demonization of "big government" as well as deficits. But Democrats in Washington bear some of the responsibility. In last year's fiscal cliff debate neither party pushed to extend the payroll tax holiday or find other ways to help the working middle class and poor.

 

Here's a clue: A new survey of families in the top 10 percent of net worth (done by the American Affluence Research Center) shows they're feeling better than they've felt since 2007, before the Great Recession.

 

It's not just that the top 10 percent have jobs and their wages are rising. The top 10 percent also owns 80 percent of the stock market. And the stock market is up a whopping 24 percent this year.

 

The stock market is up even though most Americans are down for two big reasons.

 

First, businesses are busily handing their cash back to their shareholders - buying back their stock and thereby boosting share prices - rather than using the cash to expand and hire. It makes no sense to expand and hire when most Americans don't have the money to buy.

 

The S&P 500 "Buyback Index," which measures the 100 stocks with the highest buyback ratios, has surged 40 percent this year, compared with a 24% rally for the S&P 500.

 

IBM has just approved another $15 billion for share buybacks on top of about $5.6 billion it set aside previously, thereby boosting its share prices even though business is sluggish. In April, Apple announced a $50 billion increase in buybacks plus a 15% rise in dividends, but even this wasn't enough for multi-billionaire Carl Icahn, who's now demanding that Apple use more of its $170 billion cash stash to buy back its stock and make Ichan even richer.

 

Big corporations can also borrow at rock-bottom rates these days in order to buy back even more of their stock - courtesy of the Fed's $85 billion a month bond-buying program. (Ichan also wants Apple to borrow $150 billion at 3 percent interest, in order to buy back more stock and further enrich himself.)

 

The second big reason why shares are up while most Americans are down is corporations continue to find new ways to boost profits and share prices by cutting their labor costs - substituting software for people, cutting wages and benefits, and piling more responsibilities on each of the employees that remain.

 

Neither of these two strategies - buying back stock and paring payrolls - can be sustained over the long run (so you have every right to worry about another Wall Street bubble). They don't improve a company's products or customer service.

 

But in an era of sluggish sales - when the vast American middle class lacks the purchasing power to keep the economy going - these two strategies at least keep shareholders happy. And that means they keep the top 10 percent happy.

 

Congress, meanwhile, doesn't know much about the bottom 90 percent. The top 10 percent provide almost all campaign contributions and funding of "independent" ads.

 

Moreover, just about all members of Congress are drawn from the same top 10 percent - as are almost all their friends and associates, and even the media who report on them.

 

Get it? The bottom 90 percent of Americans - most of whom are still suffering from the Great Recession, most of whom have been on a downward escalator for decades - have disappeared from official Washington.

---

Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.

Republicans: Food Stamp Cuts to Veterans

Anti-Republican Crusaders shared Crooks and Liars's photo.

(cc)

 

Defining a Nation's Moral Bankruptcy!

When a nation allows its poorest citizens to go without food, yet refuses to close tax loopholes or end Welfare for the Wealthy, that defines OUR Moral Bankruptcy.

Is that what you support? Is that how you define your Christian Values?


Bernie Sanders

Feed the Hungry:

More than 47 million Americans who receive food stamps will see their benefits cut starting Friday. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the “incomprehensible” cuts will “have a horrendous impact” and send more people to volunteer food banks that already are overwhelmed. A family of four receiving food stamps will get $36 less a month when the program intended to help people weather the recession runs out at midnight.

The cutoff comes as Senate and House negotiators are working to resolve differences in competing versions of a farm bill that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As the recession’s impact has lingered, 1 in 7 Americans are now on food stamps. The numbers have gone up as the economy has struggled to recover from the worst recession since the 1930s. Sanders was among 20 senators to sign a letter urging colleagues on to prevent “harmful cuts” and avoid putting up new barriers to participation in the program....

Listen to the interview here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/food-stamps-103113

Read the letter here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/farm-bill-letter?inline=scribdSee More

Food Stamps | Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont

www.sanders.senate.gov

Republicans Don't Even Support Veterans!

At a time of rising poverty and declining wages, the Food Stamp program supports families, reduces hunger and Republicans slashed the programs with no consideration of those affected.

Please stand with Veterans and speak out by adding your name below.

Last week, Republicans passed a Farm Bill that would kick 170,000 veterans off food assistance.

Faced with a looming, losing debt ceiling fight, Tea Party Republicans have turned to veterans and the poor as a sacrifice designed to appease their austerity-starved base.

We've been fighting this battle for a few months, but the stakes are higher than ever this week.

It's critical that you send a letter to your Senator telling them to oppose any legislation that cuts food assistance for veterans and military family members. You can do that here:

http://action.votevets.org/food-assistance

It gets worse...

A Department of Agriculture study last year found that over 5,000 active duty service members receive food assistance. And, in the same year of the study, over $100,000 in food aid was used on military bases.

Hundreds of VoteVets veterans have also told us they're currently receiving assistance. We're going to fight for them on this issue.

Thanks for standing with us in that effort.

All the best,

Jon Soltz
@JonSoltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets.org