70% of Food Stamps/Medicaid recipients work full time, new study GAO And more results

[Hinastorm]

Walmart and Amazon are absolutely wealthy enough to where there is no fucking excuse for this. I'm not familiar enough with the other companies' finances, but I suspect it's a similar story.

If you qualify for food aid while working full time, something is dreadfully wrong.

[Poopymonster]

This is a reminder about Trump's "But look at the low unemployment!" shtick. Yes, overworked, in two or more workplaces to keep up the bills. No wonder people need food stamps.

We got jobs. So many jobs. You will be working 2 or 3 jobs, there will be so many. All the jobs. Steve Jobs. Jobs!

[Spectral]

It looks like a family of four is eligible for SNAP in my state up to ~$52K. For a single individual, it's ~$25K.

In everyone's ideal society, what percentage of people that work 35-40 hours/week should make more than that? Likewise, what's the right percentage of people that work ~35-40 hours per week, but don't work year round?

[Saltysquidoon]

It looks like a family of four is eligible for SNAP in my state up to ~$52K. For a single individual, it's ~$25K.

In everyone's ideal society, what percentage of people that work 35-40 hours/week should make more than that? Likewise, what's the right percentage of people that work ~35-40 hours per week, but don't work year round?

In a vacuum those numbers are irrelevant, you have to consider it compared to the cost of living. For example, in australia 25k P.A. is obscenely low, near enough 10k below minimum wage, and close to the tax-free threshold

Also, 100% of people working 40hrs a week should not be eligible for food stamps because anyone working full time should be receiving a living wage.

[Spectral]

In a vacuum those numbers are irrelevant, you have to consider it compared to the cost of living. For example, in australia 25k P.A. is obscenely low, near enough 10k below minimum wage, and close to the tax-free threshold

Also, 100% of people working 40hrs a week should not be eligible for food stamps because anyone working full time should be receiving a living wage.

Living on $25K/year isn't a problem at all for an individual here. How would you personally define "living wage"? I'm personally fine with subsidizing people that make $25K/year to have better lives than they otherwise would, but we're getting into a serious lifestyle treadmill if the living standards in a random Midwest state on $25K/year isn't what would qualify as "living". I'm not arguing for status quo policies, I'm asking people what the standards should actually be.

[JohnBrown1917]

Living on $25K/year isn't a problem at all for an individual here. How would you personally define "living wage"? I'm personally fine with subsidizing people that make $25K/year to have better lives than they otherwise would, but we're getting into a serious lifestyle treadmill if the living standards in a random Midwest state on $25K/year isn't what would qualify as "living". I'm not arguing for status quo policies, I'm asking people what the standards should actually be.

Not everybody is born the midwest, and moving that far is not cheap.. not to mention finding a 25k/year job at the same time.

[Spectral]

Not everybody is born the midwest, and moving that far is not cheap.. not to mention finding a 25k/year job at the same time.

The Midwest isn't particularly exceptional - cost of living is lower in most Southern states. Sure, New York City and Los Angeles are shit holes that are completely unliveable on working class wages, but that's not actually a federal problem.

[Adam Jensen]

I mean, that's what happens when minimum wage doesn't come close to covering cost of living in most major cities.

[Saltysquidoon]

Living on $25K/year isn't a problem at all for an individual here. How would you personally define "living wage"? I'm personally fine with subsidizing people that make $25K/year to have better lives than they otherwise would, but we're getting into a serious lifestyle treadmill if the living standards in a random Midwest state on $25K/year isn't what would qualify as "living". I'm not arguing for status quo policies, I'm asking people what the standards should actually be.

"Living Wage is a wage sufficient to ensure the workman food, shelter, clothing, frugal comfort, provision for evil days etc..." That's a definition given by Justice Higgins in Harvester in 1907.
I'm not saying it's perfect or up-to-date but it's a great jumping-off point.

While as I said numbers in a vacuum are meaningless (without the cost of living) and it will be of little worth to go on a state by state basis. I feel like your starting basis that the government should need to supplement the income of full-time workers so they can afford to eat is lethally flawed.

[Spectral]

"Living Wage is a wage sufficient to ensure the workman food, shelter, clothing, frugal comfort, provision for evil days etc..." That's a definition given by Justice Higgins in Harvester in 1907.
I'm not saying it's perfect or up-to-date but it's a great jumping-off point.

While as I said numbers in a vacuum are meaningless (without the cost of living) and it will be of little worth to go on a state by state basis. I feel like your starting basis that the government should need to supplement the income of full-time workers so they can afford to eat is lethally flawed.

That's what I'm saying though - $25K/year is the state standard in my state and is definitely sufficient money for food, shelter, clothing, frugal comfort, and provision for evil days. Prior to us moving in together, my wife lived in the most expensive city in the state, made a decent bit less than that, and had no real trouble saving extra money, going out for drinks with friends, and so on. That the state also provides an additional subsidy is totally fine, but a single person doesn't actually need that subsidy to do well enough by that standard.

Obviously that's not near enough money for someone to live a reasonable life in all parts of the country. I would encourage those places to adopt laws that fit their local needs.

[Saltysquidoon]

That's what I'm saying though - $25K/year is the state standard in my state and is definitely sufficient money for food, shelter, clothing, frugal comfort, and provision for evil days. Prior to us moving in together, my wife lived in the most expensive city in the state, made a decent bit less than that, and had no real trouble saving extra money, going out for drinks with friends, and so on. That the state also provides an additional subsidy is totally fine, but a single person doesn't actually need that subsidy to do well enough by that standard.

Obviously that's not near enough money for someone to live a reasonable life in all parts of the country. I would encourage those places to adopt laws that fit their local needs.

I'm picking up what you're putting down.

I'm simply saying if the threshold in your state is 25K that means someone with legislative or executive power has made the decision that that is the appropriate threshold. If your experience is discongruent with that then there are only really a few options:
1. The person who made the decision is wrong and your state government is wasting resources;
2. Since you bachelor years inflation has significantly outstripped the cost of living (to a degree higher than most other places); or;
3. Your experience is not reflective of the actual conditions in your state and you are posting the political equivalent of "works on my machine".

Sadly without doing a deep dive into the cost of living/inflation/demographics of your particular state no one here can say with any certainty which it is.

EDIT:

Isn't there a system in the USA that keeps track of the cost of this?

Where I live there is a persistent federal agency that tracks this in detail and yearly enforces wage and salary promotions on employers equal to how much the cost rose compared to previous year.

No idea. That's an Australian judgment and I'm an Australian who presently lives in the UK.

[BeepBoo]

Walmart and Amazon are absolutely wealthy enough to where there is no fucking excuse for this. I'm not familiar enough with the other companies' finances, but I suspect it's a similar story.

If you qualify for food aid while working full time, something is dreadfully wrong.

Yeah, dreadfully wrong with the law, your labor market, and/or your location of residence.

[taheen74]

Living on $25K/year isn't a problem at all for an individual here. How would you personally define "living wage"? I'm personally fine with subsidizing people that make $25K/year to have better lives than they otherwise would, but we're getting into a serious lifestyle treadmill if the living standards in a random Midwest state on $25K/year isn't what would qualify as "living". I'm not arguing for status quo policies, I'm asking people what the standards should actually be.

Curious question, but what state do you live in? When I lived in Ohio, I could afford my own place without roommates, but the downside was the kind of work available. But it was affordable to live there.

i moved down to Texas to be closer to family and have discovered that almost everyone I know has two jobs. The rent is expensive out here compared to Ohio $800-900 upwards for an apartment at one of the more modern places, 650-upwards for a dump here in the Dallas area (these are also not all bills paid).

Yeah, I'd prefer either a livable wage or a UBI.

[Spectral]

Curious question, but what state do you live in? When I lived in Ohio, I could afford my own place without roommates, but the downside was the kind of work available. But it was affordable to live there.

i moved down to Texas to be closer to family and have discovered that almost everyone I know has two jobs. The rent is expensive out here compared to Ohio $800-900 upwards for an apartment at one of the more modern places, 650-upwards for a dump here in the Dallas area (these are also not all bills paid).

Yeah, I'd prefer either a livable wage or a UBI.

Wisconsin. State-wide one bedroom rent average is ~$600, although it's higher locally here.

[Krakan]

People can charge companies what their labor is worth. It is why you dont see many dentists making minimum wage.

[JohnBrown1917]

People can charge companies what their labor is worth. It is why you dont see many dentists making minimum wage.

If only reality worked like that.

[Krakan]

If only reality worked like that.

It does. Your seeing it play out as the topic of this thread. The outrage is over the fact it works this way...

[Egomaniac]

It does. Your seeing it play out as the topic of this thread. The outrage is over the fact it works this way...

You must get dizzy with how much you spin.

[Krakan]

You must get dizzy with how much you spin.

Maybe but I'm not wrong. It might be an unpleasant truth but it's the truth. Your value in society is linked to what you can contribute to it.

[Egomaniac]

Maybe but I'm not wrong. It might be an unpleasant truth but it's the truth. Your value in society is linked to what you can contribute to it.

Thinking like that is what causes revolutions.