Washington Post: A mile-long line for free food offers a warning as covid benefits end
HAZEL GREEN, Ky. — As he claimed the first spot in a mile-long line for free food in the Appalachian foothills, Danny Blair vividly recalled receiving the letter announcing that his pandemic-era benefit to help buy groceries was about to be slashed.
Kentucky lawmakers had voted to end the state’s health emergency last spring, by default cutting food stamp benefits created to help vulnerable Americans like Blair weather the worst of covid-19. Instead of $200 a month, he would get just $30.
He crumpled up the letter and threw it on the floor of his camper. “I thought, ‘Wow, the government is trying to kill us now,’” said Blair, 63, who survives on his Social Security disability check and lives in a mobile home with his wife after their house burned down five years ago. “They are going to starve us out.”
Blair and his wife hop into their truck twice a month at 4 a.m. to ensure they get a few staples at the Hazel Green Food Project’s giveaway. On a recent Friday, they waited nine hours until local prisoners on work duty started loading bags of meat and vegetables, potato chips and cookies into vehicles in one of the nation’s most impoverished communities.
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WNU Editor: The US is not alone. Food insecurity is becoming a bigger and more pressing crisis for almost every country in the world. There are many reasons for this, but IMHO inflation is creating a life affordability crisis for the globe, and with most governments facing debt levels that only keep growing, limiting their options to help.
On a side note. For me it is strange to watch people spending hours waiting in line for food in large pick-up trucks.
19 comments:
"For me it is strange to watch people spending hours waiting in line for food in large pick-up trucks."
For me it is strange to watch factory workers on light duty due to injury have to take a large step up into large pick-up trucks while parked in a handicap slot in the company parking lot/
I feel bad now about it now. It was a missed opportunity to calculate force and energy needed to accomplish it.
"For me it is strange to watch people spending hours waiting in line for food in large pick-up trucks."
I said the same thing.......we could not afford most of those vehicles in that line, much less to burn that much gas waiting. I know people in my area who own very expensive properties and drive very expensive cars that go for free food at the local food pantry.
I blame our current President, POS Obama.
Obama Kept His Promise, 83,000 Coal Jobs Lost And 400 Mines Shuttered
"Hazel Green (also Trimbles Store) is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Wolfe County, Kentucky, United States."
Wolfe country is in The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield.
The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield is part of the Central Appalachian bituminous coalfield, including all or parts of 30 Kentucky counties and adjoining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee
"Wolfe County is the poorest county in the United States, by median household income."
"Wolfe County, like most of Eastern Kentucky is historically Democratic. In 2000, George W. Bush narrowly won the county and became the first Republican to do so, but the county still proved its Democratic loyalty by supporting John Kerry by a comfortable margin in the next election."
"Wolfe remained reliably Democratic at the state level for some time after ceasing to favor the Democratic Party at the presidential level"
"For me it is strange to watch people spending hours waiting in line for food in large pick-up trucks."
With a large pick up truck burning gas and a cell phone! Some of those cars looked pretty dam new to me to.
There a re allegedly 10 million open jobs in the country, find one! Except earning a living means they can't get that that FREE MONEY, FREE FOOD, FREE GOVERNMENT CHEESE ANFREE WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE!!!
A new F150 pickup costs around 55% more than a mid-sized, nice 4 door sedan. I have bought 3 new cars over the decades. The last 2 were used. I have never afforded myself a pick up and I would love to have one.
F150 New
$58,960
$59,030
https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/cars/sentra.html
Nissan Sentra Starting MSRP $19,950
With a four door sedan you can get up to 38k. Still not near a pick up.
I knew a Mormon from Kentucky. He was old. He was prior service and was at the age cutoff for getting in. He had a large family. So of course the topic came up. How could he afford it? He said "Poor people have poor ways." No more was said. I do not doubt that he paid all his bills and made his goals.
These folks were on the edge to begin with. Likely having no insurance when they lost their home pushed them over the financial cliff created by the children in suits thinking they could change the atmosphere to what they wanted it to be hence the poverty in that section in America.
I didn't vote for obama or joe or any dim-o-krat. I trust a lightly regulated market econmy that reflects the decisions of citizens of this country, not political windbags whose hot air can't even budge the blades on their windmills much less warm a home. What's to be learned when the suits think they can print our way out of hard times by giving out $$$ to chase away those hard times? Ya make hay when the sun shines and put it in the barn for when the cloudy days inevitably come.
Yesterday I pumped up the air pressure in my wheelbarrow's tires assuming I will need it to haul enough money to buy a few days groceries as was seen in the depression in Germany, the US, and other countries after the "Roaring 20's".
Miss govt handouts? that is socialism. support GOP and see what you get
“ For me it is strange to watch people spending hours waiting in line for food in large pick-up trucks.” Spot on!
Its Kentucky. Large pickups are what people drive there. For work and stuff. And most of those trucks in that video were far from new.
Russ has a valid point about the age of the trucks in the video.
I wonder if those people eat gizzards? The spouse and I eat gizzards once a month to hopefully get what regular cuts of meat. It is a little than other meat products.
Potato chips sure taste good but is that what they need? Carbs, Fat and salt. Where are the other nutrients?
Obama's fault.
I blame someone
It's sad to see so many shallow people leaving comments here.
I kept waiting for them to quote Dickens
"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
"And the Union workhouses." demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
Sorry Danny, this cash is earmarked to send a missile into the side of an ambulance in eastern europe.
"It's sad to see so many shallow people leaving comments here."
Like I blame Obama?
Why would I blame Obama? Because without prompting or having to refer to a national newspapers or other political house organ, I know Eastern Kentucky is coal country?
How the FUCK is Obama's retraining program going for the coal miners? How much did he spend there for retraining?
Biden tells coal miners to “learn to code” - The Hill
Obama: If you want to build a coal power plant, I'll bankrupt you - Youtube
In January 2008, then-presidential candidate Obama said coal-fired power plants would go "bankrupt" and "electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket" under his plan - Senate.gov
The number of people employed in mining in eastern Kentucky has fallen by half since Barack Obama came to power - The Guardian
I am GOD DAMN TIRED of GAWD DAMN DEMOCRATS!
https://kybtn.ca.uky.edu/sites/kybtn.ca.uky.edu/files/rowan-wolfe-ekybtn/Wolfe%20EKYBTN.pdf
Direct employment at coal mines
Those people are scum. Shtf. You watch your back in that area of the world.
^^^ Sure whatever, A Black woman moved to Wolfe country from Michigan she found a job at McDonalds within 2 weeks. She said she experienced no racism.
3:13 PM
I don't think they're scum. If you'd ever spent any time there, you would know that rural KY is exactly where you'd want to be when SHTF.
/unless you're trying to loot them.
Food Stamps About To End... - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I8fhfB06Bk
Worth watching.
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