Let them eat cake!

By SA Tripi

It is commonly thought that Marie Antoinette, in the late 1700s uttered the phrase “Let them eat cake”. Someone, either many years before or after, said those words, but whoever did showed the disconnect between the aristocracy and the poor. The wealthy were completely out of touch with the common people and their struggles.

Image via DailyKos.com

Fast forward to today, much the same thing is happening in this country. The budget fight in Congress has shown America at its worst in so many ways, but the one that is so difficult to fathom is not caring about the SNAP benefits that people did not receive and would not receive had the government shutdown continued.

SNAP is the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. It is assistance for people who cannot afford to feed their families. It is not to buy caviar and champagne. It is just a small amount of money to help, sometimes a supplement to people, and other times it is all the money they have for food.

Many people on SNAP work, pay rent, and yet cannot afford to fully feed their families. It is a fact of life in this country. People are going hungry; children are going hungry. The ugliness of all of this is that our public servants, and I include the people in charge of this state, don’t care.

The Heritage Foundation, the people who brought us Project 2025, the bible by which the Trump administration seems to be governing, has plans to drastically cut funding for welfare programs, slash food stamps and housing aid, or maybe eliminating all of it. They would like the money to go directly to the states, and then the states could do whatever they wanted with the money. Poor red states don’t have money, and big, rich red ones like ours have a governor who doesn’t care. Benefits for SNAP will be reduced horrendously. This country can send forty-plus billion dollars to Argentina and give tax cuts to the rich who barely pay any taxes at all. They do not lose sleep over hungry children in schools.
Just to give you an idea of what a SNAP recipient gets: A family of one receives $298 a month; a family of two receives $546; a family of three receives $785 and a family of four receives $994. You must be in an approved work program, and if you are disabled or partially disabled, it gets more difficult.

Food banks help those in need

Receiving almost $1,000 a month to feed four people may sound like a lot of money, but try it. You can buy frozen dinners and hamburgers but, nutritionally speaking, you are asking for health problems.
The Houston Food Bank does amazing work providing those in need with food, nutritional advice and so much more. And it provides for so many. Government cuts will hurt this organization, and many others.
This is that time of year when people open their hearts and their wallets to help those in need. One can donate in so many ways. Pick a charity and volunteer or bring canned or boxed food to donate. Just lend a helping hand to some organization.

The disconnect in France in the late 1700s was one thing, but this is America. And what is happening is simply not acceptable.

Have a happy and healthy holiday.

Sources: 200 Dangerous Truths About Project 2025, U.S. Food and Nutrition Services.

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