House farm bill seeks to restrict food stamp benefits while allowing subsidies for billionaires

TOTALLY UNFAIR IN MY BOOK. MSgt Michael Bischoff

I have two comments to this.
1.) I am for the work program to get people off of SNAP, food stamps etc. I have seen so much abuse in the program over the years that it sickens me. Prime example...my daughter was a a skate party when she was in the 8th grade. At the roller skate rink a girl her age came up to her to talk and asked how many babies she had. My daughter, appalled. said none and the other girl replied why not, they are free and the govt gives you money for them. Another example I saw when I was a kid. I was a the grocery store with my parents who were struggling to keep food on the table themselves and in front of us was a woman who was trying to purchase all her groceries with food and a bag of dog food for thier pet. They wouldn't let her buy the dog food with the food stamps which is right so she sent her son to the meat department to get two big packs of burger and told the clerk she would feed her dog that and food stamps would pay for it. Then she took the change from the food stamps and turned around and bought cigarettes. Ever since then I have been against those who abuse it. I am for helping those who need it but there has got to be a better way. I know that there are abuses in every system but this is one that needs to be controlled more and put people to work.

2.) I am for farm subsidies for farmers. Let me explain. There aren't too many "Billionaire" farmers out there...those are all corporate farmers. This makes it sound like all farmers are billionaires. I can say for certainty they are not. How do I know? I have farmers in my family, my inlaws are life long farmers, and numerous family friends are farmers. They have had good years where they made a decent living and they have had bad years where they could only afford to give each other a towel for Christmas and a toy or two for their daughter, my wife. Back in the seventies the govt put a lot of farmers under with export embargoes etc and did nothing to help the farmers. It took many years to recover from that. Farming is hard work and more and more of the family farms are dwindling away because the kids don't want to deal with the governemnt regulations telling them what they can and can't do with their land associated with the farming. Subsidies for farmers allow them to keep producing. I AM NOT FOR SUBSIDIES for "Billionaire" farmers but for the small independent farmers I am all for it. I AM NOT FOR THE SUBSIDIES for the family members. Sure they are part of the farm and help daily but subsidize the farm based on production not the number of family members involved.
People assume that everything in the grocery store is produced right there. Ask some Americans where meat comes from and they will more than likely tell you the grocery store.

I'm against all federal subsidies for the purpose of affecting the supply/demand curve. I'm also against individual subsidies for all but the truly needy. Every dollar going to some entitlement program is a dollar out of someone else who had to work to put that dollar into the bank. The country is over $20trillion in debt. The money tree dies decades ago. Those able body recipients of federal or state aid have an obligation to those gave it. That obligation is to live a good life, be productive and to become independent as soon as possible.