I just fed my cats.

[Brigid]

I wonder how many seniors are eating the same thing for dinner tonight.

[MineralMan]

1. Very, very few, I'm sure.

But nice play on the "cat food" meme.

[GoCubsGo]

6. It's a stupid meme, too.

I say that as someone who has been feeding cats for going on two decades, and as someone who is making less money than any Social Security recipient. It's a hell of a lot less expensive to eat beans and rice than it is even the cheapest cat food on the market.

[Pholus]

23. McDonalds did the same thing one time with earthworms....

"Of course there isn't earthworms in our burgers -- do you KNOW how much Earthworms cost?"

Somehow, that was never very reassuring...

[sabrina 1]

12. Cat food is expensive so it's unlikely that

the elderly will be eating it. It's far more likely that, with the door now open to Republicans to destroy SS over the next number of years, old people will die, as they were doing before SS.

I'm sad to see that you find the potential suffering of the most vulnerable people, amusing,, worthy of mocking. I have to say this is very rare to see on a Democratic forum.

I am confident however, that even with this unprecedented proposal to cut SS benefits by a Democrat, the Professional Left will be more energized than ever to do what they have always done, stand up and fight to stop this from happening.

[MineralMan]

14. Hi, there, Sabrina!

I am very aware of the high cost of catfood. My wife and I have two - Scout and Beasely. They are a significant expense for us. Bringing up the catfood meme is stupid,so I commented. Good to hear from you again.

[Katashi_itto]

24. Thus spake the "former" freeper

[Control-Z]

2. Did they pass the budget

already? That was so fast I hadn't yet heard about it. Wow!

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. You should look up

Food insecurity...it is a real present problem.

[sabrina 1]

13. Republicans will not pass this budget, they are claiming now that they are 'shocked' that

the President is willing to reduce the deficit 'on the backs of the elderly'. So we are now in the position of being the bad guys, while they have jumped at the opportunity to portray themselves as the saviors of SS. Brilliant chess game, well, someone was playing.

[sabrina 1]

15. Thankfully, the Republicans have now decided that they will save SS so they will not be passing

this budget. They claime, and who can blame them for taking the ball that fell into their laps and running with it, that they are 'shocked that the President would try to fix the deficit OFF THE BACKS OF THE ELDERLY! Weren't we supposed to be the party that protected SS? How this happen, to ask yet another question of the type you just asked?

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

19. I have a feeling people will see right through...

This righteous indignation from the right about Chained CPI and how "outraged" they are. If you are a voter that follows day to day news, then you know that the Ryan budget does a lot more damage than anything Chained CPI would do. They are the party that wanted to partially privatize Social Security in 2005. The Democrats have always been the party people trust more on Social Security, and I do not think that will change much.

[sabrina 1]

22. Unfortunately half the country doesn't even vote, and I am finally beginning to understand why.

The rest of the country other than a small minority, like us, only pay attention to what affects them personally.

The public did not see through Bush's lies and they were whoppers. But he used all the right emotional triggers and they fell for it. Politicians know this. They are good at pushing the public's buttons, they spend millions on how to influence the public.

We have a very uneducated electorate which is why we get Republicans in power in the first place.

All Republicans have to do is to keep telling the public, without too many words, that 'they will never use seniors to cut the deficit' and just like Bush's lies were believed, they will be believed.

After they get elected, they will go right back to where they were, working to privatize SS and they will claim that Democrats opposing them are only doing so because of politics. They will point to this Democratic president's proposal to cut SS and call Dems hypocrites for 'changing their minds'.

Our only hope that Republicans don't succeed in painting Dems as the anti-SS party is for Congressional Dems to distance themselves as fast as possible from this president's proposals, and if necessary, from him.

I read today the WH is stunned that Republicans were not happy with his proposal and the Dems are so angry over it.

That tells me that the WH needs to wake up fast if they did not anticipate the reaction they are getting. It's stunning frankly, that they did not.

[grilled onions]

4. How many are petless...

because they can no longer afford to care for that companion animal. How many are choosing between their nightly meds or something to eat. Are they cutting a pill in half or skipping it? Is that tea bag being stretched for several cups of tea? Are there times where they have to count and ration how many crackers they can have till that monthly check arrives?
We know many make sacrifices but do we know the true depth of sacrifice?
Pictures can often tell the story.We need to have such true to life pics and stuff them into the mailboxes of those who think the seniors,disabled,single mothers,homeless are living like royalty. They need to see the math(cutting a pill to make the RX stretch, dividing out a parcel of crackers to make sure it stretches for a week, cranking down the thermostat while piling on the blankets because the heat bill is a nightmare). It would be very effective to have such pic on one side while the 1% are counting their coins,dividends,royalties etc.

[notadmblnd]

5. I don't know, but if you run across one, please take them some food

there is one lady in our neighborhood, I don't think she eats cat food but I and my neighbors know she struggles. She has never said a word to any of us about her problems. When we have extra we all help provide for her whether it is taking a plate of dinner over to her or sharing our sale items from the store. For example when eggs go on sale for $10 for 10. I'll pick her up 3 dozen. So please just don't wonder about them, offer them something.

[HangOnKids]

9. I Have A Neighbor Who Needs Help Too

Yard was always immaculate, and shiny cars in the drive. I don't know how she lost so much but in the last two years, the place has gone shabby and when I see her she looks really bad. I sent my daughter over to see if she needs help rolling the trash cans out on Wednesday morning. She cried and welcomed the offer. Whenever I go to Costco I buy for her too. My parents are gone, but I think of them when we help her. Thanks for the post notadmblnd.

[Brigid]

7. What provoked this . . .

Is that I live near a very low-income neighborhood. I have had people ask for the rest of my fries when I eat at the neighborhood McDonald's. I get hit up for spare change almost daily. And just yesterday I saw an elderly lady counting out change to buy a can of -- you guessed it -- cat food. No cat in sight if I were to visit her place, I'll bet.

[freshwest]

10. The food pantry in my area provides pet food for pets of the poor and homeless both.

Sometimes that is their only family and that is respected by those who help. These things are provided with lots of other things such as toilet paper, soap, diapers, baby food, etc.

To assume that the lady is eating pet food instead of the much more filling and nutritionally healthy fare offered is not in keeping in what I've seen in pantries. We have homeless who ask for money or food and often have dogs with them. As people drive by, they hand them bags or cans of pet food and human food.

People who have lived around this long enough and know these folks know people are not scrounging for cat food to eat for humans. When I see people are waiting outside a fast food place or outside grocery stores with pets I give them whatever I can afford, including the costly pet food, but I can't afford much.

No offense as I'm sure you believe this is what is happening and it upsets you to think that. It's dramatic to say people have to eat pet food when they're poor. But it's not likely and a bit dehumanizing to refer to the poor as eating pet food as if they had no sense.

They're poor, not stupid, and they do have companion pets. Some homeless are in that very situation because they refuse to give their animals away. I know because I was there one time. I didn't eat pet food to survive, either.

I'm sure your heart was in the right place when you made this thread, but this meme is inaccurate. Many of us give up just about everything most take for granted to get through the month. I am familiar with all this and eat my share of rice and beans. Cans of pet food are not helpful at all.

Thanks for being concerned about it.

[FSogol]

17. +1. n/t

[kdmorris]

20. +1...

couldn't have said it better myself. (And I have been there, too)

[freshwest]

21. Thanks...

Somehow, this catchy meme applied to the Simpson-Bowles group has become cool and witty. But to many, the very ones being 'defended,' are degraded by the use of it. I find it hurtful. JMHO.

[HockeyMom]

8. I would eat my lawn

before I ever ate cat food, and I do have cats. GROSS stuff.

[undergroundpanther]

11. I tried it.

Dry Purina One,cat food tastes like chicken flavored Frito's. I took a nibble of 9 lives fancy feast (the ones with peas and carrots in it) on a dare and it was surprisingly tasteless. It looks & smells worse than it tastes. Ironically I was not in poverty when I tried it. I was just curious and willing to beat a dare.

[Cleita]

18. I've never had a cat that liked nine lives.

Now I know why. They seem to prefer Friskies. Today it's a problem finding food that doesn't come out of the Purina factory.

[Cleita]

16. I wonder how many aren't getting anything at all

after they feed their cat or dog.

[Recursion]

27. The fact that SNAP is up among SS recipients would suggest not many

On the one hand, the SNAP numbers are troubling because it means people's incomes aren't enough. On the other hand, the numbers mean a whole lot of people are actually getting food.

[Recursion]

25. Given that cat food is more expensive than beans and rice, I would guess 0

Your concern is noted, though.

[msanthrope]

26. I don't know any seniors who eat cats. nt