Monday, October 27, 2008

Food Stamp Frenzy? The "Other" America?

A CBS report on hardships faced by citizens struggling to feed their families in an American community.



It may seem cold-hearted, but to me these people in the video are well dressed, one wearing an Armani top, adorned in nice jewelry and if you note at the end, loading their groceries in a very nice, and expensive, SUV.

I cannot fault people for wanting to look and dress nice, but what about priorities? Of course, the clothes could have always been purchased second hand or at a clearance and overstock store, costing much less. The SUV is a bit harder to understand for struggling people, though.

Still, none of this is a condemnation of these people shown. The salaries mentioned seem awfully low for their professions. They require commitment and education and surely deserve better salaries than mentioned. Since this was from a major metropolitan city in America, I have to wonder why the salaries of these people are so low.

Something just didn't add up for this report, until it dawned on me. This report is about Chicago, Illinois, home of Democrat presidential candidate and former State Senator for this city, Barack Obama.

Is this what he accomplished for the people he served before as a State Senator? Is this the result for the people he now serves as a U.S. Senator?

More importantly, is this how he intends to serve the American People as President?

CBS, unwittingly I'm sure, has shown us how Barack Obama has represented the people in his district containing Chicago.

Are we ready for him to turn all of America into a struggling community as this?

I'm not! I'm voting for McCain/Palin where a look back at the people they represent shows much prosperity and less struggling to get by.

Posted by Lew Waters at 20:48

5 comments:

  1. I don't get the point.

    CBS trying to make me cry?

    Didn't work.
    ReplyDelete
  2. If I go on food stamps can I trade in my 1992 s-10 pickup for something that nice . I wouldn't mind a used one .
    ReplyDelete
  3. The people in the video did not look underfed either.
    I did not feel that these people could not afford to eat.
    Does Chicago lack soup kitchens?
    Are these people really buying the cheapest healthy food available.

    However health care salaries do seem pretty low,
    Insurance companies treat health care providers similar to how WalMart treats suppliers.
    There is a sort of bully technique involved, requiring providers to either lower their cost, or not become a provider for the insurance company.
    Since often people do not choose their health insurance (but their employer does) it does not really fit the market model very well.
    I recently realized how worthless my Dental insurance is.
    While my share (what I pay) is LESS then what my insurer usually pays out on my behalf, when my employer's share is kicked in, my employer is actually paying MORE then the care I usually receive.
    If something out of the usual occurs (like a cracked tooth) the insurance covers a very small percent of the cost.

    Health Insurance companies make very large profits, and pay their executives very high salaries.
    If the side effect is that I (and other tax payers) then have to subsidize the health care workers, this an indirect way of subsidizing the profits of the health insurance companies?

    Blaming this on Obama is quite a stretch.

    But no matter what the ill is, some will blame the Democrats, and some will blame the Republicans, and neither of the far leaning folks will look for the facts that contradict what they choose to believe.
    That is not the type of thinking that solves problems.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Eileen, since that is Obama's district, shouldn't he share some blame? Isn't he elected to represent those same people?

    He brags about his representation and community agitation and this is what results?

    More importantly, would all of America fare as well under a presidency led by him?
    ReplyDelete
  5. So Lew are you arguing that these people really are bad off, or not?

    If they are, and you feel this is Obama's fault, can you please give me an example, of an action he could have (and should have) taken, that would have helped these people either

    1) get a higher salary in the medical/dental field.

    2) get a higher dollar allotment of food stamps.
    ReplyDelete

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