Something like 40% of food stamp (SNAP) recipients are working class whites

[htuttle]

Trump doesn't seem to understand that the federal government he shut down actually DID things. For his base, even (though half of them probably don't even realize that the benefits they survive on are federal programs).

Sure, federal workers are hurt by this, but just you wait until food stamp benefits don't go out. Tens of millions of seriously desperate Americans. Even more desperate than they are now.

[questionseverything]

1. if this actually happens my neighborhood will be a nightmare

[htuttle]

4. I read that there's SNAP money preallocated through January, but not enough for all of February.

[Blue_true]

6. That is sad. Don't play with starving people.

But Trump will try to use that as a bargaining chip, because he does not have a damned soul.

[customerserviceguy]

13. This

is where Trump has us by the short hairs. Once SNAP benefits are cut, we will see massive pressure on the House to compromise on a bit of wall money. Yes, there are probably rural whites who are part of Trump's base who will be affected, but my guess is that they have a better community support system than folks in the city, and will be more tolerant of having been abused a bit by November, 2020.

I'd venture to guess that most poorer white folks are already in our camp, especially if they're not rural, and Trump wouldn't mind screwing them one little bit.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Think the number 40 is darn light.

[htuttle]

3. It's from an article from 2015, so it's a few years out of date

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Okay.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. More specfically

Just over 40 percent of SNAP recipients are white. Another 25.7 percent are black, 10.3 percent are Hispanic, 2.1 percent are Asian and 1.2 percent are Native American, according to a 2015 Department of Agriculture report.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-welfare-black-white-780252

I.e., the largest number of beneficiaries are whites - because they are the largest racial group. As of the July 2018 census estimate, whites are 76.6% (250,610,254.44) of the population and blacks are 13.4% (43,840,436.16)

[Blue_true]

9. I think that it varies by region of the country.

You may see what is taking place in your locale.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Interesting observation.

[Blue_true]

18. I made it because in my county, there seems to be a lot of Whites getting food assistance.

I think the active food banks are toward the heavier White parts of the county, and we have lots of really poor White people, including homeless people of what looks like all ages.

[Wellstone ruled]

21. Thank you for the

clarification as to were you are kind of located. Did not want to afend. Live in a similiar region. The State north of us is a prime example of major of people on some type of assistance. The message everyone on the out side see is this,we take care of our own,we hate the Federal Government,well,after spending a decade or more in that State,what a bunch of crap that is. The Person in charge of Social Services when we lived their,had a Story to tell and what the propaganda is,is completely false.

If a person needs a hand up,damn it I am there to help. But when a Cult abuses the system to their bleed the beast ideals,then I bitch.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. And how many are WalMart employees?

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. A bunch

I got into an online argument with someone about Walmarts employment policies. Keep in mind, things have technically gotten better over the last couple of years, as Walmart raised its minimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $9 in 2015, then $10 in 2016 and $11 in 2017. As of 2018, per Walmart, their full time hourly workers make an average of $13.69 per hour. Of course, "average" can mean 2 workers getting $11 an hour while one assistant manager gets $19.07.

But the devil is in the details. HALF of Walmart's workers are part time (29 hours per week or less) even though 69% would prefer full time and the rest of the retail industry only has 33% part timers. Of course those part time workers aren't eligible for benefits like health insurance but if they live in a state that expanded Medicaid they can get that (at taxpayer expense). Those lucky full time workers only get an average of 34 hours a week, a damn far cry from 40. That 6 hours a week can mean the difference between being able to afford groceries, rent or a car payment. Of course, assuming the median is close to the average means half of the full timers make less.

Even at $13.69 an hour and 34 hours a week, that "average" full time Walmart worker makes just $24203.92 per year, easily qualifying for SNAP for a family of 3. While a single person with no kids might be able to squeek by on this, they'll still have trouble finding a place to live. Most apartments require that you spend no more than 33% of your gross income on rent. That's $665 a month. I can find a run down 1 BR for that here in Houston, but there are plenty of places you can't.

Meanwhile, the Walton heirs, those winners of the genetic lottery, are worth $160 Billion and plan on spending $20 Billion of Walmart's profits on stock buybacks over the next few years. Since they still own over 50% of all Walmart stock, I hold them solely resposible for underpaying their workers.

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. A while back it was said that each and every single WalMart in the country...

cost the American taxpayers on average $1 million a year, because the employees were forced to obtain assistance of one sort or another.

I wonder what that figure is today.

[TexasBushwhacker]

23. That sounds about right

Back in 2014, before they started raising the wages, it was estimated they cost $6.2 Billion per year in SNAP, EITC, Medicaid and subsidized housing. There are 4,755 stores in the US, so a million per store would be $4.755 Billion. With 1.5 Million employees in the US, that would co.e out to about $3170 per employee, which is also in line with the 2014 estimate of over $4K per employee.

Instead of doing the stock buybacks, which primarily make the Waltons ever richer since they own 51% of the company, they could give ever employee a $1.50 an hour raise. That's assuming they didn't raise prices a penny. For the full time employees working the average 34 hours, that's $50 a week. While not life changing, that can mean being able to afford groceries or an apartment that isn't a godforesaken hell hole.

Of course, they could raise prices 1% on their annual gross revenue in the US of $300 Billion and generate an extra $3 Billion. Hell, raise prices 3%, raise $9 Billion in revenue and go nuts! Do the stock buybacks AND give the employees raises. People aren't going to quit shopping there because the groceries that cost them $100 last year now cost $103. They probably won't even notice. And that's what I just don't get. They may be the biggest retailer on the planet, but their high volume, micro thin profit margin business model is beyond fucked up.

[UTUSN]

8. K&R

[FSogol]

12. Not true. The majority of people on food stamps are white.

The lack of food stamps will hurt grocery stores and farmers too. It will hurt a lot of people.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. See here

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211626871#post14

One can't assume that if it shows 40% are white, then the other 60% are black! Blacks are only 25% of the remaining recipients and the rest is further split between Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans.

So as you note, whites are still the majority of the recipients, but in this case by a plurality.

[FSogol]

17. I didn't assume or imply the rest were African American. Like your link shows

the group with the largest beneficiary is white. More whites collect food stamps than any other group.

[Blue_true]

20. Whites out number Blacks 5 to 1, Hispanics around 3 to 1.

Even if the percentages were even, there would be far, far more Whites getting food assistance. But if Whites make up 40%, their numbers in terms of heads is massive, enormously bigger than the number of Black heads or Hispanic heads.

But it is what it is. No one should go hungry and Trump playing politics with people's stomachs is immoral (not that means anything to him).

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Sorry I didn't mean you "personally"

...but more how just a cursory look at that % number could lead folks to make that assumption - particularly when you have a RW narrative of "welfare queens" and a media that will almost always show blacks on SNAP but not whites (because the media generally operate from large cities, which naturally have more minorities, and they show what is around them).

[oberliner]

15. Don't you think the shutdown will end before that happens?

[Blue_true]

22. I read an article earlier tonight.

The shutdown is hurting farmers big, agricultural groups are starting to pressure Trump to end it. The article reported that there are around 3.2 million farmers and ranchers, most vote republican. They can't get loans to pay bills, or to buy seed, fertilizer and fix equipment for next year, and the kicker, the office that was distributing the $12 billion hush money from Trump is not sending out a dime due to the shutdown. My guess is farmers that have some savings are likely running them down to pay household bills, and the ones that don't are borrowing from family and friends.

I don't think it will be concern for SNAP recipients that end the shutdown, but it will be pressure from groups that Trump need that will.